NeW wOrK

ALliEd ARtS HoLiDaY FeSTiVaL

Hi all, I am not sure where the time has gone but its that time of year again.

But its Allied Arts Holiday Festival time again!

It opens today Friday Nov 21st!

Same location as last year and many years before, 1308 Cornwall, Bellingham, fondly known as the old JC Penny's building.

Slightly different hours this year, open 10am-7pm Wed- Sun with bonus days Mon and Tues Dec 22 ,23.From Nov 21st- Dec 24th.

Meet the Artist Gala Nov 28th from 5-7pm stop by and say hello.

I have a great location for my booths this year right near the front door with tons of new stuff. Lots of originals so get there early in the season for the best picks. I also made myself slightly crazy making a new ornament design constructed inside of small clear light bulbs, that you have to see to believe.

Remember parking is free downtown on the weekends and don't forget the Parkade on Commercial. Support local artists and business! Hope you all have a good and peaceful holiday season and I hope to see you at the Festival.

-- Thanks, Clarissa Callesen

On WiTH tHE sHoW!!!

So after my last grumble fest of a blog. I thought I should share a peek into all the work I have been doing! And it is official I am completely set up for my biggest show of the year! I am tired and sore but relieved and accomplished. Blog to follow with show details. The repetitiveness of doing production is challenging while clutched in its grasp, but it is rewarding and fun to see all the heaps of finished pieces when done.

So pictures to follow, starting with the chaos of the creative process.

Messy table with all kinds of things in the works

So many Christmas ( oops I mean Holiday) ornaments to glaze

Mixed media ornaments built on tiny scraps of reclaimed moldings and vintage boards

New designs in my collage tag magnets

A preview of my junk bird ornaments reconstructed from cheesy X-mas decorations

A crazy art doll in the process

More previews to come....

NOt mY FaVoRiTe TiME oF yEaR

So Fall is beautiful in lots of ways and we have been blessed with an abundance of sunny days for the Pacific NW, but over all not my favorite time of the year. It is a really busy time of the year for me, getting ready for the impending x-mas season. The darkness and rain increasing seems to put a damper on my sensitive moods. I want to hibernate, eat mashed potatoes, and watch lots of sappy movies. But there are hundreds of Christmas ornaments to be made, and hangings, and assemblages, and magnets, and cards, and submissions to be done for the next year, and classes I promised to teach.... SHIT (I am sorry to all those I promised classes to this fall.. I really was hoping to make that happen, but it ended up just being too much on top of everything else.)
I love Halloween... I mean its a holiday made for me.. but I rarely have a lot of energy for it with all the production going on.. But I got to say the other two big holidays.. not really my cup of tea..
Which pretty much at to the list of feeling out of sorts. I mean who doesn't like Thanksgiving and Christmas... i don't.... and I would like that to just go quietly by without much notice in my life... But just try not to participate in two major American holidays and watch how loud everything seems to get...
I am working on having compassion for myself around this time of year. Not trying to change my mood but to have acceptance for it and peace with it . Wish me luck...

So yeah... not my favorite time of year.

My FiRsT EtSY TrEASuRy

So if you are not familiar with Etsy, (GO CHECK IT OUT IMMEDIATELY) they have these little collections called treasuries that are selected by members and put together around a theme. It what you see on the home page of etsy, but there are hundreds more of those collections under the treasury button.
Well...
I got one of my favorite pieces included in a new treasury all about clowns
"Life is a Circus, and We are All Just Clowns"
go see...

http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=16238

Thanks for the Visit and the Input!

Another couple of shots of the Studio Tour set up...

So wrapped up the Studio Tour! Thank you to all who ventured out my way and gave me your positive feedback. Its a lot of work to clean up a studio and invite people into my inner safe space of creativity. Thank you to those that recognized that and appreciated it.. Your words and comments made it worth my while. I am feeling pretty pumped and excited about making art. It can get pretty damn lonely and strange when you spend week after week working in the studio alone. So the input and reflection of my work from my visitors was a much needed lifting of the spirits. I am working on putting a few new pieces up everyday on etsy, so make sure you check it out. And finally I am getting a bit faster at that process.. I am feeling like i have good head start on Christmas which is great. Now have to tear down the gallery space and turn it back into a pottery studio got lots of clay to make between now and the middle of Nov..

Here is some pictures of the pottery process I took last production run...

OpEN sTUdio AgAin tHiS WeEKeND

If you didn't make it out an about last weekend for the open studio tour.. Put on your driving gloves and come out this weekend.

Its a rare and strange thing for me to invite people into my working studio.. Don't miss it! I don't know when it will ever be that clean again..

Sat and Sunday Oct 10,11 10-5pm

2252 Seamount Dr. Ferndale... email for directions and look for the yellow signs..mailto:signs..clarissacallesen@gmail.com

I have lots of pretty (and dark and scary) new things!

Whatcom Studio Tour Website

Oh and visit the other 53 fabulous artist as well...

Art Work Featured on Art Spread

So I googled myself recently, self indulgent and narcissistic I know, but useful also!

I found that my work had been featured on Paper Street's Blog in the Art Spread section.

How fun is that..

and Paper Street has all kinds of amazing downloadable collage sheets, and fun info on artists on a daily basis.. I appreciate there dedication to blogging...

Go check it out..

sTUdIO ToUR / a RaRE gLiMPse

I am not sure what I was thinking when I signed up for the studio tour. I have to make the art like usual but also clean up my very messy studio and somehow figure out how to do my usual displaying amid my working studio chaos... Well truly, who know what I was thinking...

BUT ITS Happening! This weekend and the next!
I am offering a rare glimpse into the creative chaos that is my studio space...
Along with demonstrations ...
New Work!
and cookies...

Stop by and say hello...
OCT 4, 5 and 11, 12 from 10am to 5pm..
2252 Seamount Dr. Ferndale... email for directions and look for the yellow signs..
clarissacallesen@gmail.com

Here is the official blurb....

" Whatcom Artist Studio Tour 2008The 14th Annual Whatcom Artist Studio Tour will be held 10 am – 5 pm on October 4 & 5 and 11 & 12, 2008.

This free, self-guided tour invites visitors into the working studios of area artists and provides an opportunity for visitors to purchase art works directly from their creators. Over 50 artists showing in 40 studios. Educational and fun for the whole family.
To find lodging in the area, call Washington Reservations at (888) 261-7795.
For more info or to receive our 2008 brochure, please visit http://www.studiotour.net/ "

Sacred Heart

sacred heart, originally uploaded by Clarissa Callesen.

This is a bit of a new style I have been enjoying working with this summer. I did a series of sacred hearts that were constructed of different pieces and shapes but without any printed imagery. I am always inspired by folkart, but felt like I was channeling its influence strongly in this piece. One of my favorite pieces that I made this summer.

Recently listed on Etsy.

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=14287796

"Fishing for Words" Blank embellished journal

"Fishing for Words" Blank embellished journal, originally uploaded by Clarissa Callesen.

A new embellished blank journal, painted end pages, original collages on both front and back and comes with a collage packet.
Recently listed on etsy.

ARt Fairs! aRt FAiRs!

So it has been a summer full of making things, long hours listening to books on tape, packing things carefully, driving (usually in the early morning), setting up a small 10x10 gallery inside of a pop up tent usually on the street, selling stuff and getting lots of sweet feedback (thank goddess!) and then tearing it all down, packing it up(trying to figure out how it all fit in the van), more driving, unloading and reorganizing, lay on couch recovering, drink margaritas...
rinse and repeat.....

The Bothell Art festival was held in a beautiful park along side the river. It was a first year festival which is always a bit of a risk, but the festival management was so sweet and supportive they continually brought around cold water for us which was heaven because the temperature soared in the late 90's that weekend. Which is way too hot for us coastal shade flowers. It wasn't the most financially beneficial show, but lots of good feedback and some good laughs...
The entertainment was over the top cheesy featuring world famous performing pigs (no I am not kidding) and the rock and roll hypnotist.... lol

Anacortes Arts Festival was good! This was my 4 or 5th year back, so it was easy set up, tear down. I camped for the first time in combination with doing a fair, which was both good and bad. I got a lot more sleep than usual during a show because I wasn't driving home and didn't have any of homes distractions to keep me up. But the down side was it was cold and rainy and it was bit like living in an apartment complex with no walls. Lots of dogs, children, lights, etc...
Financially was better than last year and that was with no functional pottery and way more mixed media work... YEAH!!! Figured out a new way to display my mixed media jewelry and it seemed to work well with lots of jewelry purchases....

Bella Strada, Bellingham's own lil art festival.. I was nice to do a show in my home town. 15 min drive, familiar people and food. It started off a bit, OK a lot rainy which is no fun to set up in, but got better as the day went by and had quite lovely weather on Sunday.. Sold lots of new bigger original mixed media pieces, which is always so exciting.. It means I can make new ones.. A fellow Artfester bought my new Mary cross to go in her room of crosses and was sweet enough to send me a picture of it in its new home!

ClASs FuN Part 2

My Altered Image class was FULL and so much Fun!... Thanks to all those that drove up from Seattle to participate. We worked on background techniques and composition to start and then moved into selecting and altering images to make them our own and then finished up with all kinds of tricks and techniques to integrate the images in to a cohesive piece. Every body did some amazing creative exploring. Leslie can back again and brought along her mom Lynn and friend, Rachel. Two classes with sweet Leslie and I failed to get a good picture of her either time.. my bad... Then Shanna and Stacy also both from the Seattle area connecting with me through the U District Street fair, and then my one local girl Laurie. All such sweet, creative fun people! I also got some creative play in and started several different pieces as class examples that I am excited about finishing up. Here is some pictures of everyone's creativity.

Shanna

Laurie

Rachel

Stacy

Lynn

Leslie