It's getting cold outside and the Holidays are right around the corner, and I hate going to the Mall! Good thing there are some wonderful pop-up Shoppertunities in the area! I am showing my artwork (and doing my holiday shopping!) at the following:

Holiday House at Ft. CF Smith, 2411 N. 24th St, Arlington VA 22207

This lovely turn of the century house has been turned into a boutique filled with hand-crafted items such as: jewelry, ornaments, scarfs, pottery, mittens, stuffed animals, artist made cards, prints, glass platters, table runners, prints, candle sticks and baskets.

Saturday, Dec 7th 10am-5pm
Sunday 8th Noon-5pm
Wednesday, 11th Noon-8pm
Saturday, 14th 10am-5pm
Sunday, 15th Noon-5pm

Art and Frame of Falls Church, 111 Park Avenue, Falls Church, VA 22046

Is holding it's 4th Annual Holiday Show. This local favorite frame shop not only does beautiful framing work, but the owner, Tom Gittens, is a huge supporter of the arts. This holiday show features the work of 30 artists, all from the Falls Church community. Lots of lovely artwork, and fabulous pottery, plus unique artist made items. Open Monday through Saturday 10am to 6pm.

Stifel & Capra, 260 West Broad St, Falls Church VA, 22046

This one-of-a-kind shop is loaded with treasures for you and the ones you love! It features local art and artisan wares, as well as vintage goodies that are perfect for those that are hard to shop for. And did I mention the Sale Room in the old sun porch? While you are there please stop by my studio/gallery space upstairs! I've got some "small" items like ornaments and magnets that are perfect for stocking stuffers. Holiday Hours: Mon-Wed 10am-6pm, Thurs-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat 10am-6pm and Sun 1-5pm.

River Farm Garden Shop, East Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308

And finally, a wonderful tucked away gift and garden shop that is worth the effort to find… located in a beautiful garden along the Potomac River, it is open to the public! The gardens are open Monday through Friday 9am-5pm, but the gift shop is only open on Tuesdays through Thursdays from 11am-2pm. For gardeners, this well curated shop has a great book selection, some hand tools, and orther gardener favorites, as well as garden-related notecards, prints and pottery. And your purchases help support the American Horticultural Society!

 

Thursday, October 17th is gearing up to be an Artful time in Falls Church! First we have "Third Thursdays" at Stifel & Capra, when all the artists come out to play. I'll be there from 6 to 7pm...This "closed door" event is a fun way to get to see the shop and the artists at work. All are invited, but you must RSVP to be admitted. Here's more info:

Creativity Abounds
Our featured artists Jim & Maureen George will be here
Holly of Handbasket Yarns will be spinning
Diane Felice will be demonstrating PMC jewelry making
The art table will be open to play on 
&
Bob is doing a pie demo, yes, a pie demo.
Admission is free but you MUST rsvp to attend.
Bring a friend!
[email protected] 


After that.... head on over to the Opening Reception for the Fall Church Art juried show: ArtisTREE. I am pleased to say that one of my pieces was juried in, and so I will be at the Reception from 7 to 8pm. I hope you can make it too! Here are the details on that!

My paintings are on sale at Stifel & Capra! This is the once a year  Anniversary Sale, and many of the artists celebrate by putting some of their paintings on sale (not normally something artists do!). I have a selection of my framed watercolor paintings on display, all marked down. This watercolor, titled "Purple and Gold" is included in the sale. 

Stifel & Capra is located at 260 West Broad Street in Falls Church, VA 22046. 
My art studio is locate there, along with about a dozen other artist, and it's a vibrant place. Theresa and her husband, Bob run the place, and Theresa is an artist too. She came up with the vision of combining Local Art with Funky Vintage Finds to create Stifel & Capra. You can find Art, cards, jewelry, stained glass pieces, CeCe Caldwell paint, vintage furniture, Art, antique tools, mid century cocktail shakers, Art, frames, upcycled clothing, stylish hats, and, did I mention Art? 

And this weekend, alot of it is on sale! So go and have fun!

Here's an inside scoop... Every year Stifel & Capra has an Birthday Sale, and many of the Artists (including me) have marked down special items. I have looked through some of my framed watercolor paintings, and decided to mark them down by 50% . There are bargains to be had! But here's the catch, this is for one weekend only, Friday, July 19th through Sunday July 21st.  If you like to be the Early Bird, you are invited to the Sneak Preview Party on Thursday, but you must RSVP. 
All the details are below...


Thursday, July 18, 2013

6 to 9pm

Private "Sneak Preview" of Stifel & Capra's 6th Annual Birthday Sale

Enjoy birthday cake, a toast and general merriment as you tour the 19th century storefront and peruse the eclectic offerings of the resident artists & artisans at Stifel & Capra as we celebrate our 6th birthday. Special sale items marked from 10-50% off, including selected artwork. This event is free but you MUST rsvp to be admitted.  Say you will join us at [email protected] . If you miss the party Thursday, the sale continues through Sunday, July 21st.

I had a great time at Stifel & Capra last night on FIRSTfriday, and I hope my many friends and colleagues who stopped by did, too. I can't believe my friends Theresa and Bob made lemonade out of the lemons that were pouring down from the sky in the form of raindrops, and managed to fit everyone inside... The awesome Pluckerland Blues Band, the folks from the delicious new restaurant, Little City Gourmet, and Me! My friend, Jim George from Examiner.com was there with his lovely artist wife, Maureen. Jim wrote a really nice follow up article on FIRSTfirday, which you can find here.  Now I am getting geared up for the mixed media classes I am offering at Stifel & Capra... 

They will be offered on Monday mornings, and students may sign up for one, two or all. Workshops are for beginning as well as advanced students who wish to learn new techniques. One session $60, Two sessions $100, Three sessions $130. For more information and to sign up visit www.stifelandcapra.com .

Monday, June 10th, 10am-1pm
Workshop: MAKING PAPERS
Sign up here.
Learn different ways to make beautiful papers for mixed media collage. We will stamp, scribble and paint. We will repurpose old papers to make exciting new designs. 

Monday, June 17th, 10am-1pm
Workshop: DESIGN for Mixed Media
 Sign up here .
Back to basics with some straight forward design ideas to organize your mixed media pieces. Make your painting and collages more cohesive with these basic design tools.

Monday, June 24th, 10am-1pm
Workshop: MIXED MEDIA MAKING
Sign up here .
Bring your materials, and your design ideas and we will cut and paste our way towards finished mixed media pieces. 

A first peak at some of my Lost & Found images at Stifel & Capra...
Maybe a little out of focus, but here are some of my paintings hung at Stifel & Capra. We are gearing up for a fun, if damp,  FIRSTfriday at S&C. Hope everyone can make it from 5 to 8pm! 

And, thanks to all my new Facebook friends, I am finally getting up to speed with social media. Well, okay, I still have the training wheels on, but I'm learning!

Over at Examiner.com, James George, the intrepid Arts Reporter for Arlington has written a nice article about my upcoming show. You can find it here. 

Let me tell you about Jim, in his "previous life" he has been a magazine publisher and has served on the boards of theater and dance companies, and he is a published author. His wife and daughter are both "creatives" and artists. Jim is genuinely interested in all that goes on in the art world, and especially in the with local area. He enjoys "matchmaking" and putting artists together with those who support the arts. If you are an artist, I encourage you to get in touch with Jim, and tell him about your work... tell him I sent you!

I am so excited to be the Featured Artist at Stifel & Capra for the month of June. Of course this great shop is where I have my studio space, but in June my artwork will also be featured prominently downstairs. FIRSTfriday will be lots of fun, because not only will I be there with my paintings, but Stifel & Capra is hosting the kick-off for the Tinner Hills Blues Festival, so we'll have a live blues band playing in the parking lot! So come on by for a visit... here are the details: 

LOST & FOUND EXHIBIT
Original mixed media paintings inspired by a cache of old photos and letters, found in the attic of a family home.

Opening Reception: Friday, June 7, 2013

from 5:00pm-8:00pm

FIRSTfriday at Stifel & Capra

260 W. Broad Street, Falls Church, VA 22046

MIXED MEDIA WORKSHOPS
In conjunction with my "Lost and Found" exhibit, I will be offering workshops at Stifel & Capra. Workshops are for beginning as well as advanced students. One session $60, Two sessions $100, Three sessions $130. If you would like to try your hand at mixed media, but don't want to buy the supplies, I will have some supplies available for a small supply fee... You can find more info here or email me if you have any questions!

MAKING PAPERS  Monday, June 10, 10am-1pm  Learn different ways to make beautiful papers for mixed media collage. We will stamp, scribble and paint. We will repurpose old papers to make exciting new designs. Sign up here!

DESIGN for Mixed Media  Monday, June 17, 10am-1pm  Back to basics with some straight forward design ideas to organize your mixed media pieces. Make your painting and collages more cohesive with these basic design tools. Sign up here!

MIXED MEDIA MAKING Monday, June 24th, 10am-1pm  Bring your materials, and your design ideas and we will cut and paste our way towards finished mixed media pieces. Sign up here!

Getting ready for the big FIRSTfriday gathering at Stifel & Capra tomorrow! I hung new paintings in my studio, and spiffed things up a bit.... Apparently, I was in a rather monochromatic mood... as witnessed by the mostly black and white images I hung. Except for that burst of pink in the middle, reminding us all that since it is March, spring (and cherry blossoms for us in the Washington, DC area) should be here soon. And I can't wait. In the meantime, mosey on down to Falls Church and Stifel & Capra for FIRSTfriday.