Happy New Year's Eve!

Dear Art Stand Gallery artists and Friends:

Hope you all had a very Happy Holiday season and will have a wonderful new year in 2010.

Our Winter Workshops begin in a little over a week on January 9th. If you haven't signed up yet, please do as soon as possible. Either download/print the flyer and send it in or bring it with you on the day of the class with the class fee. If you want to come on the day, do call Elaine Lane (or respond to this post via a comment) to make sure there is still room in the session that you want to take.

If you aren't a "friend" or "follower" of The Art Stand Gallery blog, we'd love to have you join us!

Scroll back to the post of October 28, 2009 to find out "How to Become a Follower of the Art Stand Gallery Blog". Hope to see you soon as a follower and as a participant at one of our winter workshop classes!

The Winter Workshop Registration Flyer

Tiwi Wood and her husband Christopher are again responsible for the fabulous flyer. Thank you both!

I will post the front and back side of the flyer here. You should be able to just double click on either image to enlarge them, and then you can print them out and register as described on the flyer.




Looking forward to seeing you at one or more of the Winter Workshops. We have new offerings this time and many of the classes are filling up quickly. So, if you are interested, send in your registration and check to reserve your spot(s).

Winter Workshops coming up!

Signups are being taken for our Winter Workshops and flyers will soon be available. If you've attended before or signed up as being interested in attending, you will receive one via email or as a hard copy in the mail. As soon as the flyers are ready, one will also be posted here on the blog.

Some classes are already beginning to fill up so if you are interested please send me an email and I'll see that you get on the class list or come out to the Art Stand and sign up there.

Classes and dates are as follows:

Jan. 9  (Sat.)     Pastel/Doris Runyan  10-2, $30.00
Jan. 9  (Sat.)     Ceramics/Tiwi S. Wood 2-6 PM, $30.00
Jan. 10 (Sun.)  Gourds/Toni Best 10-4, $45.00
Jan. 16 (Sat.)   Abstract Watercolors/Sandy Kowallis, 10-2, $30.00
Jan. 17 (Sun.)  Mixed Media Art/Kathleen Mattox, 10-4, $45.00
Jan. 23 (Sat.)    Oils/Acrylics/Sally DeLap John, 10-4, $45.00
Jan. 24 (Sun.)   Digital Photography/Jeri Burzin, 10-2, $30.00
Jan. 30 (Sat.)    Dichroic Glass Jewelry/ Kay Gaston, 10-4, $45.00
Jan. 31 (Sun.)   Dichroic Glass Jewelry/Kay Gaston, 10-4, $45.00

If you take 2 or more workshops, you may take $5.00 off the cost of each workshop you will attend.

Art Hop: Thursday, November 19th from 5-8 PM

Welcome to Art Hop at the Art Stand Gallery,
Thursday, November 19th from 5-8 PM.

The featured artists this month are Kay Gaston and Elaine Towne Lane.

Kay Gaston's cloth art dolls are each unique and portray characters
from life or fantasy.She has merged her fused dichroic glass,
cloth doll making and silversmith skills to create a
unique style of glass enhanced silver jewelry.

Elaine Towne Lane's 20+ years in Southeast Asia, Africa

and Central Americahave inspired her creativity.

Her love of pre-Columbian art is a dominating influence

for her works in ceramics, glass, and jewelry.

"Art For The Holidays" Event November 21st and 22nd

On Saturday and Sunday, November 21st and 22nd, the Art Stand Galery will be holding their annual "Art for the Holidays" event. Hours will be from 11 AM till 5 PM both days and artists will be in attendance both days. Refreshments will be served and there will be many Christmas ornaments, small gift items, and seasonal pieces available for sale.

Please come out and join us for "Art for the Holidays"--we look forward to seeing you next weekend at the Art Stand Gallery at Frankwood and Hwy. 180, east of Sanger and north of Reedley.

How to Become a Follower of The Art Stand Gallery

We need more "followers", people who read our blog consistently and receive email notifications when the blog has been updated with a new post. These are the steps to follow to become a follower:

1. Go to theartstandgallery.blogspot.com (but you are obviously already here!)

2. Go to the left hand sidebar and scroll down through the sections entitled "The Artists", "Blog Archive",  "Topics", "Links", and then you'll see a section called "Friends, Fans, and Supporters of The Art Stand Gallery."

3. Right under that header, you'll see a small button to click that says "Follow". Click on it and a window will open that gives you several choices of an "identity" to use as a follower. The choices are Google, AIM (AOL), Yahoo, NetLog, or Open ID. If you have a Google, AOL, or Yahoo account, log in with that information on this screen. If you have none of them, there is an option at the bottom of the window that says "Create a New G-mail Account". If you choose that option, you'll need to enter a user name and a password and then you'll be assigned a Google account (free) which also entitles you to a G-mail account (also free).

4. Once you are a follower, your picture will appear in the box beside your user name in the follower area and also whenever you post a comment on the blog. If you have an account with a profile photo, it uses that one. Otherwise you'll have a generic "profile" photo until you choose one and upload one. The photo is not essential. You can be a follower without a photo.

5. Let me know if you are unsuccessful and tell me what's happening and I'll see if I can help you out.

Good luck! I anticipate more followers very soon!

And Join Us, You Did!

To those of you who came out last Saturdayto the Art Stand Gallery "Tent Event", THANK YOU!

We had a lot of visitors throughout the day and it was nice to see many stay for quite some time, visiting with the artists and enjoying refreshmentsand the beautiful fall day. It is beginning to feel like we have a loyal group of "fans" who faithfully attend our events and often bring friends. Perhaps we can attribute the growing size of the group to our email efforts, the blog, Facebook, and the diligence of individual artists in informing their own contact lists. In any case, it's great to see it happening!

Artist Sally Delap John did gestural sketches

and watercolor portraits of guestsand Deanna Bristow and Chieko Delgado were painting watercolors under their tents.

Tiwi Wood had her wheel set up and made use of the time outside with friends to have a productive day.

All in all, sales were moderate but the

weather, the food, and the company

were fabulous!

We went home tired, but happy.

We hope you will join us at our next event--"Art for Christmas!"--on November 21-22.

"Tent Event"/Saturday, October 17th

You are cordially invited to join us at The Art Stand Gallery for our "Tent Event."

Saturday, October 17th between 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM.   

Come to the gallery to browse, enjoy refreshments, 
and meet the artists.  

See our Autumn Colors exhibit that includes oil, watercolor, 
pastel paintings, ceramics, 

jewelry, and fine art photography 
from 14 local artists, and get an early start 

on your Christmas Shopping and Holiday Wish List!  

The gallery is open THURSDAYS – MONDAYS, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM, 
and located on 

Highway 180 and Frankwood Ave. in Minkler, CA,
across from the Sherwood Inn. 

Welcome to the October 15th Arthop at The Art Stand Galley from 5-8 PM

Featured artists next Thursday evening will be

  Tiwi Wood and Judy (Joan) Lotspeich.

 Tiwi enjoys creating functional and decorative ceramic pieces that uplift the spirit.

They are inpired by her suburban garden  and the creatures who live there and visit it.

           

After retiring from teaching, Judy pursued her love for painting, 

particularly in watercolor. Her favorite subjects are

the local landscape and produce of the valley.

Art Hop on Thursday evening, October 15th, is from 5-8 PM.

Regular Gallery Hours: Thursday thru Monday, 11 AM - 5 PM

The Madera Ag Show Reception last night, September 17th

Not only was last night Art Hop at the Art Stand Gallery, it was also the reception for the 2009 Madera Ag Show. At the Ag Show, the Art Stand Gallery was very well represented. Artists Kay Owens (featured artist at the Art Hop in Minkler last night), Chieko Delgado, Kathleen Mattox, Suzie Stach, Sally Delap-John, and Deanna Bristow had work accepted and awarded.

Congratulations to Suzie Stach for a first place in the Vines category with a beautiful pastel of grapes on the vine and to Kathleen Mattox for a second in the same category with a 3D mannequin named "Sherry".  Kathleen also received a 3rd place in the citrus category with another mannequin named "Clementine". Hopefully, I haven't forgotten to mention an artist or an award. I'll check the catalogue later and update this post. In any case, the Art Stand Gallery members are a busy group of actively involved artists!

If you haven't attended the show, be sure that you do. The Circle Gallery is in Madera on Schnoor Avenue. If you are traveling from Fresno, take the Cleveland Avenue exit at the north end of Madera. Go over the freeway (west) to the 3rd stoplight. Turn left onto Schnoor and then take the second left you can make into the parking area for the gallery and other shops. Park, browse, and enjoy!

ART HOP: Thursday, September 17th, 2009 from 5-8 PM

Welcome to ArtHop at The Art Stand Gallery
 
Featured artists are Kay Owens and Elaine Towne Lane. 


Kay Owens has taught for Clovis Adult Education for many years. She serves in many art organizations. Kay is a demonstrator and a juror, proficient in many media with varied techniques and subject matter.


Elaine Towne Lane's 20+ years in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Central America have inspired her creativity. Her love of pre-Columbian art is a dominating influence for her works in ceramics, glass, and jewelry. 

Exhibition Dates: September 17th-October 14th, 2009.

Reception: Art Hop Thursday, September 17th from 5-8 PM. 

Gallery Hours: Thursday thru Monday from 11 AM till 5 PM. 

Location: Highway 180 and Frankwood Avenue in Minkler, CA, 14 miles east of Clovis Ave., along the Blossom Trail.

A Date for Your Calendars!

Be sure to add Saturday, October 17th to your calendars. That Saturday will be our annual "Tent Event" at The Art Stand Gallery. More details will follow as the date gets closer but mark your calendars for that day--between 11 AM and 5 PM--to come out to the gallery to browse, meet the artists, see our new Autumn Colors exhibit and get an early start on your Christmas Shopping List AND your own personal Holiday Wish List!

Autumn Colors Show begins August 22, 2009

The Art Stand reopens with its Autumn Colors show Saturday, August 22.

Fourteen local artists from Fresno, Sanger and Visalia, will display their work including oil, acrylic, pastel and watercolors, ceramics, jewelry, and fine art photography.

Located at Highway 180 and Frankwood Avenue, Minkler;

Open Thursdays – Mondays, from 11:00 am – 5:00 pm.

(Seasonal update and beautiful photograph by Jeri Burzin--photo taken at the Chaffee Zoo, Fresno CA. Thank you, Jeri!)

Our Recent Summer Workshops

Signups for the summer workshops at The Art Stand Gallery got off to a slow start in May, June, and early July. But then, things "picked up" and the class sizes grew slowly but steadily, ultimately providing nice-sized groups for all classes. Things have a way of working out, as in most aspects of life!

We had several new classes and teachers this summer--Sandy Kowallis taught a very inspiring watercolor class and Chieko Delgado taught a childrens' class focused on portraits and origami. Suzie Stach (pastel), Kay Owens (teaching an Oil/Acrylic class this time), Elaine Towne Lane (with a 2 session ceramics class), and Kathleen Mattox (Mixed Media) completed the staff for Summer 2009.

Some students had been with us before but many were new attendees this summer. Everyone seemed to enjoy their classes and some returned for multiple classes, saying that they "loved learning new techniques and ideas" etc. We encourage teachers and students to begin thinking about the Winter Workshops to come. Some ideas are already brewing for new class ideas. If you would like to suggest a class that you'd like to take or teach, please let us know. If you are not an Art Stand artist, but would be interested in teaching a class at the gallery, we would love to have that happen, also! Stay in touch and watch for Tiwi and Toff's beautiful flyer to announce the winter classes in the not too distant future!

Thank you, teachers, for teaching classes at the Art Stand and for your generous gift of time and talent. And thank you, students, for enrolling and attending classes at the Art Stand!

(Photos to follow very soon!)

A post in late June from Sally in New Mexico

"May was a wet month, rain almost daily and now we are in the "monsoon season" - more rain. We even had snow on the near by Truchas Peaks (13,000+ ft) in June. Lilacs were blooming all over Truchas and up to Taos for entire month of May. There are pink, fragrant wild roses and yellow climbing roses scattered along the hand-dug waterways - acequias. Now white daisies are covering all the surrounding hills and particularly line the acequia edges."

(Post and photo of beautiful New Mexico painting both submitted by Sally Delap-John. Thank you, Sally!)

Art Hop Opportunity in Reedley this Thursday evening

The ArtHop this Thursday on Reedley's G Street will have the aire of an Art in the Park. There will be artists with their art, Chalk the Walk, face painting, a bounce house, interactive art area for the kids, performances, and tons of great fun!

The City of Reedley is doing a phone blitz to all residents about ArtHop! Reedley has historically always had extremely good attendance to their events, so I expect this ArtHop to be well attended. Pleaseconsider showing your work and/or performing at this event. There are no fees or commissions, all it requires is a little of your time. Two businesses have already approached me to orgainize rotating art by local artists (meaning Fresno County) throughout their locations. They have offered their walls to support art in the community. I expect more businesses to follow suit. Those business owners/CEOs will be in attendance Thursday night along with a host of others. This will be a great opportunity for exposure and possible revenue.

Setup begins at 4:00. Let me know if you will be there. I hope so! (from Melanie Fountain)

Reedley is only 25 minutes from downtown Fresno...not that far and well worth the drive.

To reply to this message, click here: http://my.fresnoarts.net/profiles/message/listInbox

A Welcome and a Goodbye

Janet Bray of Sanger, one of our photographers, is leaving the Art Stand for the moment. Hopefully, she will return at a later date but for now, Janet's work will no longer be shown at the gallery. Congratulations on your upcoming marriage, Janet, and we all wish you the best and happy traveling in the upcoming months!

As Janet leaves us, Doris Runyon, a well-known and well-respected artist from Fresno is joining us. She has been a member of the gallery before and we welcome her back with open arms. Doris paints in oils and acrylics and sometimes in watercolor. She specializes in realistic local scenes and wonderful still lifes of produce, flowers etc. You will enjoy seeing her work at the Art Stand when we reopen in August. Welcome, Doris!

July Challenge

All Art Stand artists, friends, neighbors, and supporters are being encouraged to become a follower of this blog. All you have to do is this:

1. Scroll down the left hand column of the blog.

2. Find the heading that says:  Friends, Fans, and Supporters of the Art Stand Gallery

3. Select "Join" to become a friend/follower of the blog.

Continue down the left hand side to the bottom of the blog where you will see "Subscribe To The Blog". Under "Posts" and "All Comments" you can select a service to let you know when either the posts or the comments to the posts (or both) are updated. You will get an automatic notice in your email that there is an update. If you have a Google account, choose Google and if you have a Yahoo account, choose Yahoo. If you have neither, try any one of the other providers.

My personal goal is to have 20 followers by the end of August. Can we do it? YES! IF you each will do your part and become a friend/follower of  The Art Stand Gallery blog.

Thank you so much!

Summer Workshops

Sign up for Summer Workshops by calling Elaine Towne Lane at 787-3921 or replying by email or comment through the blog. It is fine to pay when you come to the class and there is room for more participants in all sessions at this time. They do usually fill up so don't wait too long to make your decision. . . . because. . . the first class is next Saturday, July 18th.

Sandy Kowallis will be teaching a watercolor class on Saturday, July 18th. It will be from 9 AM till 1 PM. Dress for the heat and know that water and snacks will be provided. The class costs $30 and in the class Sandy will specifically address composition, lighting and values. Her materials are listed below on the copy of the class flyer which you can enlarge by clicking on it. 

Students of all levels from beginner to advanced are welcome and will benefit from her instruction. Hope to see you there!

On Sunday, July 19th, Elaine Towne Lane will teach session 1 of a 2 session Ceramics class for adults and children. Different techniques will be taught and experimented with. The second session will follow on Sunday, August 2nd and the 2 sessions together will cost $45.

Come play and have fun this summer--expand your skills and indulge your creative side!

SUMMER WORKSHOPS at The Art Stand Gallery

As many of you know, we offer a series of classes in the summer. Some are for children, most are for adults. Attached above is a flyer for the upcoming classes and a registration form. Sign ups are currently taking place. You may call Elaine Towne Lane at 787-3921 or email tswood to register.

Looking at the small version of the workshop flyer that is shown above, you can double click on it to bring up a much larger, printable version. Try it! And you'll see that it works! The magic of technology, right?

Print it out, fill it out, and send it in with your choices of classes and your check for the required amount. The classes will enhance your skills, allow you to meet some wonderful people, and are all tremendously FUN!

June 18th Art Hop

You are invited to The Art Stand Gallery for Art Hop!

Thursday, June 18^th, 2009

5:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M.

Featured artists are Jeri Burzin and Chieko Delgado.

Jeri’s desire to bring back memories of a Caribbean sailing trip sparked her interest in photography and she began to enlarge and display images she liked. Photography workshops have inspired her to learn about the camera and to see and photograph what is special about “ordinary” things.

Chieko is from Japan. She began to paint while attending college. Coming to the United States in 1999, she took up watercolor. She enjoys painting florals and landscapes in a realistic style.

Exhibition Dates: June 18 – July 11, 2009

Reception: ArtHop Thursday, June 18 from 5-8 P.M.

Gallery Hours: Thursday thru Monday 11:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.

Location: Highway 180 and Frankwood Avenue in Minkler, CA,

14 miles east of Clovis Avenue, along the Blossom Trail.

May 21st Art Hop did happen!

Our first art hop (in April ) was lightly attended but a few people did drop by! It's nice to know that people are beginning to know that we have "evening hours" once each month.

In mid-May, Kay Gaston wrote:

Welcome to ArtHop at The Art Stand Gallery Thursday, May 21st from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM.

Featured artists are Elaine Towne Lane and Kay Gaston.

Elaine Towne Lane’s 20+ years in Southeast Asia, Africa and Central America have inspired her creativity. Her love of pre-Columbian art is a dominating influence for her works in ceramics, glass and jewelry .

Kay Gaston’s cloth art dolls are each unique and portray characters from life or fantasy. She has merged her fused dichroic glass, cloth doll making and silversmith skills to create a unique style of glass enhanced silver jewelry.

The Open Studio Tour Flyer--May 2, 2009 Event

Hopefully, you have the Open Studio Event on your calendars and plan to attend. Here is a copy of the flyer with the locations and details. If you double click on the small image, it will become a larger one that is more easily read and can be printed out for your use!

Don't Forget! Art Hop (our first one!) this Thursday evening!

Drop by on Thursday, April 16th, for the Art Stand Gallery's FIRST Art Hop event! Refreshments with the featured artists from 5-8 PM. Hope to see you there!

The Art Stand Gallery's New Ventures

The Art Stand Gallery is now a member of the Sanger Chamber of Commerce and the Fresno Art Hop. Thanks to the persistence and hard work of some Art Stand Gallery members, these 2 dreams have become realities! Congratulations!

Here is some information about the first Art Hop event.

Fresno ArtHop at The Art Stand Gallery

Beginning, Thursday, April 16th and on the third Thursday of each month, The Art Stand Gallery will be participating in the Fresno ArtHop. We will remain open on those Thursday evenings until 8:00 P.M. during the months that we have regular gallery shows exhibiting.

For this first ArtHop evening, our featured artists will be Sally Delap-John and Suzie Stach. They will also host the reception.

Sally Delap-John is a watercolorist working most recently with fragmented forms depicting light and shadow. Her landscapes are often painted en plein aire.

Suzie Stach works with skill in pastel, oil and watercolor. Her paintings of fire fighters have brought her national recognition. She strives to put the viewer into her paintings by evoking a memory or experience.

So, please come by and visit us on April 16th, as we join the Fresno Art Hop scene!

Welcome! Melanie, Kay, Chieko are new followers!

I have been encouraging the Art Stand Gallery artists to become followers of this blog. We now have 4 followers, including myself. I'd like to welcome Melanie Fountain, our very first follower, and NOT one of our artists plus Kay Gaston and Chieko Delgado as our second and third followers. I think that we should offer Melanie an Art Stand poster as a special "Thank You!" for being our very first follower. (Melanie, if you drop by the Art Stand and identify yourself as the first follower, the artist sitting will give you a complimentary Art Stand poster! Artists: take note and greet Melanie with an enthusiastic welcome and a poster when she comes in next.) :)

I had an email today from another "fan" and she asked to be on our email list and wants to join as a follower also. I'll officially welcome her once she successfully joins.

New, beautiful business cards!

Thanks to one of our ceramicists, Tiwi S. Wood, and her husband, Christopher Wood, we have new and beautiful business cards. They are VERY attractive and reflective of the "new and improved" Art Stand Gallery. Thank you, Toff and Tiwi! From all of us at the Art Stand Gallery.

Blossom Trail Event last Saturday, March 7th

Last Saturday was a gorgeous spring day--warm, clear, sunny, and perfect for all the events planned along the Blossom Trail for the day. There was a bike ride/tour throughout the countryside, multiple events in Sanger and Reedley including an arts/crafts show in downtown Sanger, and the Blossom Trail Celebration at The Art Stand Gallery. Most of our artists were in attendance during the day, some painting, some displaying their latest works either inside the stand or outside in the parking lot under a tent, some waiting on customers inside, some taking care of the refreshments, and some visiting with guests. It was a very busy and fun-filled day with periods of time during the day when the Art Stand had many, many customers browsing the wares at the same time. There were times when cars were pulling into the lot in groups of 3 and 4. It was really amazing to see! And it was also amazing to see the joy on peoples' faces at the whole experience of seeing beauty in the countryside and in the art at the Art Stand.

If you didn't visit on the weekend, try to come out this week or next weekend. There are still plenty of blossoms on the fruit trees and the art just promises to get better and better as the season goes on!

The sign and some inside views of The Art Stand Gallery at Blossom Trail time

Some views inside (and outside) the gallery--photos taken by artist Suzie Stach.

"Art Imitates Life at Art Stand Gallery"

By Ed Boling

Panorama Editor

Article published: Thursday, February 12, 2009 6:45 AM PST in the Reedley Exponent (For the full article and photographs of paintings by Chieko Delgado and Suzie Stach, click on this link.)


As the Blossom Trail comes alive once again with wonderful colors from the almond, nectarine, and plum trees in our valley, The Art Stand Gallery is also showing the colors of various artists.

Located on the Blossom Trail, at Frankwood Ave and Highway 180 near Sanger, The show opened last Saturday and will run through April 18.

Fourteen local artists are displaying their work. Media includes pastels, oils, photographs, ceramics, and jewelry.

Chieko Delgado, who was born in Japan, paints florals and landscapes in watercolor. “I love to paint local themes and the Blossom Trail is one of my favorite,” she said. She has primarily painted almond and nectarine blossoms, but loves to paint landscapes as well. “After a rain storm, I like to go out and take photos of the beautiful clouds and use them in my landscapes,” she added.

She moved to Sanger in 1999 and began taking water color and English classes. Comparing the cherry blossom season to the blossom trail season, she said cherry and almond blossoms are very similar. She said that blossom time is shorter in Japan, so people go out and have picnics under the cherry trees.

Blossom Trail activities will continue through mid-April in our area. The gallery is open daily from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM, for more information call 967-8635.

(The paintings accompanying this post are "Almond Blossom and Dove", a watercolor by Chieko Delgado and "Morning Dew", a pastel by Suzie Stach.)

Blossom Trail Article by Jeri Burzin featured in the Visalia Delta Times on February 11, 2009

(Click here to go straight to the actual article in the Visalia Times Delta that is copied here in today's post)

"Take the Blossom Trail to see Central Valley's best sights, artists"

BY JERI BURZIN • FOR CHOICES (IN THE VISALIA TIMES DELTA) • FEBRUARY 11, 2009

The annual Blossom Trail comes alive each February when motorists and hikers can come upon displays of blossoming peach, nectarine, plum, orange and almond trees. Almond, orange, and plum trees boast white petals, apricot trees delight us with pink petals, and peach and nectarine trees are aglow with pink to red petals.

The trail runs through some of the most productive agricultural land in the world, and includes the towns of Sanger, Reedley, Orange Cove, Selma, Kingsburg and Fowler. There is much to see and do on the 67-mile Blossom Trail:

Sanger once boasted "the longest flume in the world"
Reedley has a Mennonite quilting center
Old town Clovis features Old West architecture
Selma is known as the raisin capital of the world
Orange Cove is one of the most fragrant cities
Kingsburg is unique with its Swedish look and architecture.

There are wineries, antique shops and fruit stands to visit, and all the towns offer shopping opportunities in their downtown areas.

Last week, the trail officially opened in Orange Cove. On March 7, the festivities will begin with the Kings River Blossom Bike Ride, Annual Blossom Days Festival, the 11th Annual Blossom Trail Run and a reception at the Art Stand Gallery.

The Art Stand, once a historic fruit stand and now an artists' coop gallery with 14 local artists, is in the middle of the Trail, on Highway 180 and Frankwood Avenue near Sanger.

The local artists include:

Sally Delap-John from Sanger, one of the co-founders of the gallery. She works in watercolor, emphasizes the contrast of light versus dark, and punctuates with vibrant color. See www.doorartgallery.com for examples.

Suzie Stach is a pastel artist nationally known for her "fire art," depicting scenes of firefighters in action. See fire-art.com for examples.

Kathleen Mattox specializes in watercolor and mixed media paintings and describes her work as "wet, wild, witty and whimsical." See mixedmedia.kathleenmattox.blogspot.com for examples.

Elaine Towne Lane's wonderful ceramic pieces appear to be influenced by the more than 20 years she spent in Southeast Asia, Africa and Central America.

Kay Gaston works with fused dichroic glass which she says is full of surprises: "It's like quilting a patchwork but with glass. See www.plainNfancybykay for examples.

Deanna Bristow is a watercolor artist who has twice won the Blossom Trail Poster Contest.

Finally, you can see my photographs — scenes from "ordinary" life in Tulare and Fresno counties, Sequoia National Park, Yosemite, the Central Coast, the Southwest and more. See www.yessy. com/jeriburzin for examples.

The Blossom Trail is now open.

INFORMATION
Come meet the artists and enjoy refreshments at the Art Stand Gallery Open House from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m, March 7. For more information, go to theartstandgallery.blogspot.com. To learn more about the Blossom Trail go to www.gofresnocounty.com.

The Art Stand Gallery has reopened!

We are now open again for our Blossom Trail Season. We have been closed since mid-December because it is really cold in the uninsulated building and we also need a time to close for business so that we can run our Winter Workshops. We do the same in the hottest part of the summer, also for about six weeks.

Details about the reopening schedule are as follows:

Blossom Trail Season runs from 

February 7-April 18, 2009

Hours: 11 AM till 5 PM, Daily (Sunday through Saturday)

Blossom Trail Reception will be on Saturday, March 7, 2009

Take a beautiful drive,  meet the artists, 

enjoy refreshments and Blossom Trail art!

Guest Post by Art Stand artist, Sally Delap-John

Truchas Tales:  Pilar

Sally Delap-John has been writing of her painting adventures in New Mexico, where she has bought a home to also serve as studio and gallery.

To paint the church at Pilar requires parking up a little, bitty non-road and then hiking with gear farther uphill. There was supposed to be a group going. The skies looked threatening, but I didn't want to be the light-weight, so off I went. When I arrived, I missed the little road/path to the sight. Took many tries backing up to get about ten feet. I took the even smaller, steeper track up the hill, backed in and parked.   I was just getting things out when Freckles stealthily got out and disappeared over a ridge.  I called and whistled, but no sign of her.  I carried stuff up to the spot, kept looking for her, set up and started painting. I had upset a nest of very large ants, ones that you could see all of the parts of their bodies while standing. Slight adjustment in location.  Later as I was into the painting I saw her on a road below, called and whistled and she kept going.  I saw other dogs, so was just waiting for the snarling sound of a meeting.  Later, she came quietly up and I took her to the van.  It was then I saw that I was parked in part of a rock wall and cactus.  The van sliding door would not close all the way.  I tried and tried, but it wouldn't budge either forward or backward. I went back up and completed my painting - three hours total. Packed up and got out of there. I stopped at the Rio Grande, just a little way on. Tried the door again - no luck. Where the road meets the road to Taos, I got out and gave it one last heave and finally, it moved so I could close it. Did I mention I was the only one there to paint?   That night at dinner I reached down to pet her and pulled out an inch and an half cactus thorn from her side. 

Guest Post by Art Stand artist, T.S. Wood

Sunday, 18 January 2009

Phew! What a winter break! Two trips to Arizona to visit my beloved sister and her family (11 hours each way, times 4!), an evening trip to the Phoenix Zoo http://www.phoenixzoo.org/ for the bright and glorious Zoo Lights experience (what I'd give for flirtatiously velvety caresses at Stingray Bay!), a visit to Phoenix's Desert Botanical Garden to see the fantastical Chihuly glass installation exhibit (like walking into a fairy tale... you turn a corner and lo! a forest of exquisite, hand-blown glass reeds writhing skyward amid the prickly pear cacti; then you come close to a bridge and notice on the riverbed the most fascinatingly large glass baubles/bubbles spilling out of a wooden boat!)  http://www.dbg.org/index.php/chihuly , and a delectable 3-fondue dinner on New Year's Eve (oy! oy! Such richness! A truly sumptuous feast!) What a grand Christmas season I had!

Last December I made a collection of luminarias for a special exhibit at the Williams Gallery West http://www.galwest.com/ in Oakhurst. And two days ago I happened to be in the area with a friend, and found out that only two of these luminarias were left. Ack! I have to get busy making new ones. I'd been too involved with my Christmas break and trips that I'd been neglecting clay work. So yesterday afternoon I cleaned out my studio, which for about a month had been a catch-all location with Christmas stuff and weird odds 'n ends I couldn't find any place for (read: junk I couldn't let go of) towards the end of last year. My word! Cleaning is exhausting work! Definitely not my favorite activity. But by the time I was done, or I should say, by the time the work table had a bit more than a square foot of work space and the potter's wheel was emptied of most of the old and dry clay bits, I only had enough gumption to throw two luminarias. My plan was to throw a couple three more today first, and then carve the two I made yesterday. We'll see how it goes today.

So to the studio I go! --t.s.wood

Update on Winter Workshop Classes

                                                                                               

The Winter Workshops are coming to a close this coming weekend. They have been well-attended and well-received and the levels of enthusiasm of the participants and the instructors have been high. This weekend is the dichroic glass class (both Saturday and Sunday) which should be very exciting.

Both Sally Delap-John and Tiwi S. Wood have volunteered to write a post for The Art Stand Gallery blog so those 2 articles will be appearing in the very near future. Other artists will be posting articles in upcoming posts as well.

January 30th and 31st/Dichroic Glass Classes by Kay Gaston

More information to follow soon about glass artist, Kay Gaston, instructor for next weekend's classes!