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  1. Surface Gallery-The Art of Encaustic Demonstration

    April 21, 2010 by elfqueen

    This past Saturday, I was lucky enough to attend an Encaustic Media Demonstration with my daughter, given by Julia Heatherwick at Surface Gallery in Downtown Bakersfield. What a a fun and informative demonstration! 

    My daughter in front of Surface Gallery, Downtown Bakersfield

    Encaustic Art Demonstrator

    It was so inspirational and Julia has so much energy! I am just dying to go out and by the startup kit! You can find it here! It is a little pricey, but comes with everything you need to get your creativity on with Beeswax. 

    Hunk of Beeswax

           {photo credit}              

    That’s right. Beeswax. 

    I always thought of some sticky chemical substance when I saw the word encaustic, but it is comprised of plain old beeswax, “damar resin” and pigment. 

     

    What is “damar resin’? Well, in plain terms it is “tree sap” in a crystal form. At www.about.com it is said to come from maple trees and is dried and mixed in with the wax and pigment. Another website, www.fineartstore.com claims the sap comes from trees in India. 

    Damar Resin

                                                              {photo credit} 

     The demo covered the basics of encaustic, the history of the media, as well as its “modern revival”. 

     

    We were able to see some of these modern examples on display right there in the gallery with “Cross Pollination: connection through the art of encaustic” 

    Cross Pollination Exhibit

    Here are some photos from the exhibit!       {photo credit}       {photo credit}  

     

          
    Surface Gallery offers several wonderful workshops throughout the year. I have taken the oil painting, block printing, nature drawing and improv classes and love, love, LOVED them all! 

    Let me just start out by telling you I am NOT an artist. I love art. I have taken art classes in high school, even squeezed by with an A in Art Appreciation in College, but that is the extent of my training. I enrolled in the classes because I have always enjoyed art and they sounded like fun. 

    I admit, I was a little intimidated when I first arrived at the workshops. It was pretty clear that there were many experienced artists in the group, but the enthusiasm of the instructors were hard to resist and I couldn’t wait to jump right in and participate Each workshop has been an enriching experience and thanks to the kind and patient instructors, I have come away from each feeling like just maybe, someday, I might be an artist, too!

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  2. The Ten? Essentials

    April 17, 2010 by elfqueen

    Do you like to hike?  My 11 year old son went camping with his boy scout troop this weekend. The troop is fantastic! They are very active and plan campouts regularly.

    The last one was at a lighthouse north of San Francisco.

    Marin County Lighthouse

    This month they are staying at the Boy Scout Camp here in the Mil Portrero Campground on The Sierra Madre in The Los Padres National Forest.

    California Poppies In the Los Padres National Forest

    For those of you who like to camp or are maybe thinking about maybe taking a hike with this beautiful spring weather upon us, I thought I would include the Boy Scout Ten Essentials for Backpacking. (The list is longer than 10!)

    Los Padres Hiker

    My son must always pack all of these items in a backpack and include them when packing for his scout campouts. It is really quite useful information and everyone should think about including these items when hiking, backpacking and/or camping.

    Have fun!

    Andy and his backpack

    POCKET KNIFE/TOTIN? CHIP
    FIRST AID KIT
    EXTRA CLOTHING
    RAIN GEAR
    SNOW GEAR
    WATER BOTTLE
    FLASHLIGHT
    TRAIL FOOD
    MATCHES/FIRESTARTER
    SUN PROTECTION
    CHAP STICK
    MAP
    COMPASS
    SLEEPING BAG
    INSECT REPELLENT

    A little sidenote: I know that there are many lists out there that vary somewhat. Feel free to comment and add whatever you feel should be added or that which is important to you and you feel should be included. This is just the basic list I copied from my son’s Boy Scout Camporall packet.

    Photos 1 & 4 Jeff Heinle. Photos 2 & 3 fs.usda.gov

    Category Activities, Family | Tags: ,,, | 1 Comment

  3. Julie and Julia

    January 23, 2010 by elfqueen

    This is kind of all over the place, but I recently watched Julie and Julia. I found it inspiring on many levels. Obviously I was very hungry when the movie was over and the line from the movie that really stuck with me was when Julia realized one of her biggest accomplishments during this year long undertaking was, she “had learned how to cook”. Isn’t it funny how sometimes we are so focused on what we want, that we can’t see the other benefits or blessings around us? Both husbands loved and supported their wives. They encouraged them in whatever endeavors they chose and helped out whenever they could. How lucky these two women were to have such loving and devoted husbands. Finally, each woman felt a need. They were driven to “do” something with themselves and felt their lives were meant to be more than ordinary. Food was their common interest. It was the part of their lives where they found comfort and joy.

    How did they become so successful? It was because they followed their passion. They weren’t content and refused to settle. The husbands validated the women’s efforts, whether it meant paying the tuition at Cordon Bleu or shopping for groceries. Finally, they never gave up. There were times when each woman did not believe they would succeed. The many obstacles seemed too great and they became frustrated. Despite their many difficulties, Julie and Julia never gave up!

    These are some conclusions I’ve come to after watching: I want to learn how to cook, encouraging and supportive spouses(or family and friends) are important, and people…(I) should follow my passion. If we want to find fulfillment in our work and make an attempt at being successful, it needs to be doing something we love. It will be less like work and more like satisfying a need. We might even enjoy it. Who knows what else we might learn along the way.

    I have been struggling a little the last few months over the content of my blog. I am not sure what my theme should be. I think that for now it will be a little of everything. I am trying to rediscover myself so I think that my blog will reflect just that. I am a woman, a Christian, a wife, a mother, an employee, a daughter, a sister and a friend. How I fit into this world is still a bit of a mystery to me. I would like to find my passion. I love so many things that I can’t seem to focus on just one or find the time for all of them. Maybe this will be my journey. To fill my life the best I can with the people and things I love most, while keeping Jesus at the center.

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