So to Continue...

After Chris and I left the Park grounds we headed into Custer town proper and saw an open grocery store.  We stopped and bought large plastic cloths as barriers between us and anything our bedding might touch at critter camper...and a coffeepot, as we were not using the one they had in the camper!

Next stop fuel.

All fueled up we proceeded up the road...we are driving along and it is getting progressively darker and things are just not feeling right.  Ya know ...you ARE heading north that is the correct direction however, it just isn't looking the same...well
we were in that place.

We tried explaining it off as the dark is making it feel different.
perhaps it is just a little further...
until we saw the HUGE (well Chris saw it I can't see driving at night) sign that required proof of ownership for any livestock and brands leaving the state....THE STATE!

As we entered WYOMING..a little unplanned excursion.

To be fair Wyo. is not that far from where we ARE supposed to be in SO DAK.!  But it isn't SD and it isn't critter camper!

I have to say a Tahoe can whip around in the tightest of areas...so we get turned around and head back into Custer.
WOW...we did not notice all these places on our way TO critter camper...look at all the HOTELS I say to Chris!

Um...do we REALLY want critter camper IF we can find a room HERE...uh that would be a big NO...so we begin stopping.

After 8 stops and 8 no rooms Chris is getting a little discouraged...not me...I INTEND on finding a room that is not critter camper...we have 5 places left!
We stop at cowboy inn..LUCK we get a room!

A CLEAN room, with clean sheets, a clean bathroom, nothing on the floor, restful space of a room! SOOOOooooo happy!

Next morning we get up and head back to Custer Park.  Since we didn't have any luck finding the North viewing arena, we headed to the South viewing.

On the way we spotted through the hills the gorgeous sunrise! and veered off the line into the arena ..to hike up the hill and capture it...

After a few reflective moments to give thanks for the witnessing a gorgeous morning..we head back to car and get back in line.

We had a few greeters along the way...

A herd of donkeys! there were a lot of them too! and quite curious about all these vehicles!

We spotted the perfect critter dwelling...

Proceeding around all the curves and such up the hill to park...

We got settled and found a space to wait.

Finally! The Buffalo began coming over the ridge into the valley...

They meet up with buffalo being pushed from the other side to be turned and head over the next ridge into the corrals...

then turning them...

and taking them over the next ridge..

We head back to the vehicle and get in line to get off the mountain and go back through the park.
We take color reference pictures and stills of composition for future paintings...

Here is a nifty old bridge, it has a bit of a creek running under it and a great vista of boulder...

As we leave Custer a cool old barn with old corrals...

And we head home...

We had an awesome field trip!!!

Hope you enjoyed coming along :D

Part One..Art Retreat

Chris Cernetisch and I went on an artist retreat to Custer SD.  We attended the Buffalo roundup at Custer Park.  I wrote the 2 days out and it is 8 pages typed! so I am not going to bore y'all with the entire trip at one time.

This is Part One:

Chris and I are loaded up and headed up the road.  We are some kind of excited to be taking the time to go and get pictures for color references and shots of subjects to paint...and in my case I am trying to further my Photography skills...I am after some buffalo shots.

We stopped at Wall to go to Wall Drug..as a midway stopping point and here we went to the park and grabbed some dinner.  We ate from the cooler the whole trip and ate dang well!
refueled physically we motored on..
Our next stop was the trailer we had on reserve up near Custer so it wouldn't take us toooo long the next morning to be in line for the event.

We were so shocked I forgot to get a picture of our trailer...critter trailer...we opened the windows shut the door and didn't unload a thing!
Decided it was time best spent to go learn the lay of the land at the Park and be ready for the next morning...but we were not impressed!

This is the landscape up in the Hills of SD...great boulders!

We are driving along admiring the scenery and the critters when...we spot him ....

We were surprised!! Didn't have any idea they would be like...right there! we whizzed right past and whipped around...and were coming back for a few better shots...when we heard over the speaker from the park cop..."move it along ladies"  We are rebels! We got in trouble right away!

Isn't he great! his head is full of cockle burs...and he no more thought a thing of us...
So after cruising around looking for the north viewing area...which we never did find...we decided to go ahead and leave to get fueled up for the next day...

This Mr Buffalo we saw walking along kind of towards us so we stayed put to see how close he might come...pretty dang close!..We were sitting right there next to him..I did not need the zoom up!...he is scratching his back....

and one final picture and I will continue the story tomorrow...

 

 

the beautiful sunset over this lake as we were leaving the Park....

 

Thanks for coming along this far...

 

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From Deryn Mentock's class

This is week one of of ELEVEN weeks!! with Deryn Mentock jewelry class Alchemy of Design.  Our first challenge piece is in symmetry.  I went with an emulated spin of her example pieces.
Mostly because I don't usually use sparkly stuff.

In this one I used an vintage rhinestone clip, some vintage rhinestone beads, Jasper stones and beads, and Burgundy pearls.

These show the close ups of the rhinestone pendant and the clasp...

Laying everything out to get an idea of the design.

It will go something like this...the design did get changed some...

and it finished out like this...

It sits perfectly on the chest with the dangle about at a low round neck or V neck.

I knotted the 6 Burgundy pearl beads at the clasp...

next on the weeks to do for class is a cool looking tassel!

Thanks for looking and if you have ever considered an online jewelry class ...Deryn is THE instructor to check out...I always get something out of her classes...a LOT of somethings actually!

Making Changes in the Gallery

The Gallery has a nice full look to the space now...I change things around a LOT!  With new arriving and pieces leaving, the showroom is always looking different...but I thought you might like to see how vast the selection is for works and furnitures to consider over.

I have several jewelry artists and I try to keep every ones work separated.   This long case I use for Elle Rice and Brenda Dehaan's works.

This is Brenda's side.  I have a particular hard time to display her pieces.  She brought in a new supply, so he is full!
They are all pendants... the displaying of them if not on top of one of the shelf's, gets lost.  (one day I want to get case lights)

I spent all day yesterday cleaning up the disarray-ment look of her side of the case...most of the work is on one of the 3 stands on top of the case...the top shelf in the case is easy to see since the top of the case is glass...it was the 3rd shelf giving me the issue.  Without lighting they sorta just disappear....so
I made a jewelry board yesterday and affixed the whole shelf to the one board.

Now I can add something to either side and the case and it will be full and clean to look through!

This is Elle's side...her work is a more tradition style of bead stringing and she uses stones throughout the whole necklace.  They have a larger presence.
This case was FULL just a few weeks ago...as you can see the bottom shelf is empty...she is bringing in more work...soon!

I saw this look in a magazine.  They had the ball in an urn on top of a wreath...I think it works well with the stand...this is a mouth blown gazing ball...for outside, but I have used it inside for many years to fill a corner or bring some interest to an area.

I received 3 abstracted watercolors this morning from an new contributing artist Tamara Jensen.
Saturday Chad Phillips will be bringing in new pieces...and then we will begin changing the walls around to accommodate the new works.

Other contributing artists continue to be sending in their new works as well...so if you haven't been through, come on in...you know you want to.

thanks for looking and have a great day!

FINALLY a little Action Practice on camera...

This weekend is the trip with Chris to the Buffalo roundup at Custer State Park...
Usually she does a paintout this time of year but for some reason it has a different time frame...so...she will go with me..YAY!

I have been learning my camera in a mini course Anne Gaal threw together quick for me that is going to part of an upcoming on-line class she will offer about becoming one with the camera.

I have been trying to find action shots...well there just haven't been any
even the dogs when they see me ...stop running...
it has been a conspiracy...
I need the action so I can be prepared for the Buffalo...I doubt THEY will stop for me...
yeah..."hold that pose"...not working

these were taken through the truck window so I am surprised they turned out this welll...

and they are losing their spots...getting all grown up..

So Chris and I have our maps ready, a place reserved...and our cooler planned...we are ready to roll come Sunday...

have a great day!

MORE New Work Arrived!!!



New work continually arrives to replace sold work...this week in the mail...

Gia Sprague...also known as Gia Jury on FB sent these two lovely ladies in acrylics.  This is Frida number two, and a pretty lady.  Nicely framed 8 x 10...easy to place in a collection.

Mary Schweitzer loves to work in the bones.  Her pieces are very collected!  Here is a cow skull she gave the Third Eye treatment.  Vivid deep blue and a true gold.  Cool conversation piece or added to an ongoing skull collection...I have this one laying propped on a table but they hang on the wall well too and there is a hanging loop.

This is just one of the pieces Cheri Antonsen brought in last week.  An old abandoned Singer base she re purposed with a mosaic top.  This piece SCREAMS I am an individual for whoever graces their space with the piece.

I posted several of the other pieces Chris brought in the week.  Cm Cernetisch, a pastel painter out of Burke SD, is collected for her South Dakotan scenes.  They are vibrantly rich and masterfully executed.
This is the Little Barn.

Night Chores...not many darker themed paintings are seen out there.  Chris captured the light spilling from the barn door perfectly!

And for our chicken collectors..meet Henny Penny...she won't be long visiting....

One of a kind work is becoming popular for gifting and collecting...These are ALL ORIGINAL works..not prints.

If interested and out of the area, contact me...I can ship.

But, if you are IN the area..do yourself a favor and drop in ..the pictures don't begin to show the gorgeous depth of color and artistic range.

Thank you

More Camera Practice

This is about the only picture that turned out decent on Saturday when I tried M mode...I was going to get action shots of the dogs running...
and I thought I needed M mode with like an aperature of 1000...only I didn't have enough light and I am NOT proficient enough to work in M mode as of yet...so I achieved pictures that look under exposed or double exposed

Like...

and...

which will still make some interesting backgrounds...

So, I checked in with my instructor Anne Gaal, who is developing a Confidence with your Camera class!!! (be looking for this!, as she gives an incredible amount of information!!)
and she suggested A mode would might give me some better control over my pictures and I can see where the Aperature is settling...so

I tried capturing the wind...

In this picture..

and this one...

can you tell the wind is just whipping the grass and trees?

Practice practice to get ready for the buffalo roundup...this is coming up fast now!

I hope Chris is getting ready!!!

Have a great day!

Program At North Park

Hannah's second grade classes (there are 2) and the third graders had a wonderfully put on program for Grandparents day.
Craig and I are the grandparents...there was a awesome turnout...I would gander a guess of over 100 attended!

Last year the second graders grew plants that attract butterflies and were permissioned to plant it in North Park.  All summer they weeded it and grew a fabulous bed of flowers.  This year it is being passed over to the current second graders...and they will continue to tend to it.  The third graders are taking up a new project, recycling..as in for compost!

Which next year the second graders becoming third graders will inherit.

I didn't get a picture of the flower bed just too many people were there and I didn't go back.  You can see parts of the bed peeking through.
This is Hannah's class spotting Hannah by her fluffy curly hair behind the boy in blue shirt.

They sang, and read stories and poems and sang some more...all honoring the grandparents
such a sweet program!

After the event was an offering of cookies and tea, I didn't remain for the mingle part...

Had a great time though and felt so special that the children learned all those songs and some of them had a lot to memorize, I was impressed!

Happy Grandparents Day!


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Finishing the Stained Glass Panel

Student Hannah, came by to finish the process for her stained glass panel.

She learned to cut the zinc for the frame for stability.

Then learned how to solder the zinc onto the panel and make hanging ears..

Then she washed all the flux and grimes off the unit to prepare it for accept the acid patina..

The acid patina is added and final rinse off..

A protective polishing applied.

And we are a happy student with a well done project...

Good Job Hannah!