Images from a Day of Stamping

Here are some pictures from our day of carving rubber stamps. I stamped some of my classmates stamps in my art journal, along with my own a few of Geninne's.

 My intro page in my art journal.

 A nice sampling of stamps carved by my classmates. Myriam from Caracas, Venezuela did the bird and branch on the upper left.  Diana from Victoria, BC Canada did the flower & leaves along with the butterfly.  Catherine from Port St. John, Canada was a veggie roll with her potatoes and carrots.  Pam from Orange County, CA had hearts, leaves and a boat.  Wonderful Gina from Ashland, OR started with a leaf. Julie from SF, CA had a beautifully detailed feather and a tulip.  I made the acorn, mushroom and tree motif.

 Diana's scissor lady and my squirrel/skunk/fox with acorn, mushroom and Swedish horse.

 A page with Anahata's organic flowers at the top left.  Seeing her work in class was a real eye-opener - little did I realize that she is the very well known designer behind Papaya - an amazing company full of her designs - she is a master of white.  Pam's waves and Diana's scissor lady are also here. The rest were Geninne's wonderful stamps that we got to try out - beautifully carved.

Another page with samplings - mostly Geninne's lovely stamps, but some of Julie's in the middle right - ocean and nature inspired.  Myriam's dolls on the bottom right were a favorite with everyone.  Bottom left is my mushroom - working out where I wanted the spots.

Here are the stamps that I made that day - with many colors on them after much use by my son.

Art Retreat with Geninne in Mexico

The first full day in Mexico started with church bells ringing - they didn't seem to coordinate with the time, and we never fully understood what events they were marking, but they rang throughout the day, reminding us that we had gone back in time.  It was a clear, sunny day - not hot and humid.  In fact, I needed a light jacket for most of my time there.  The colors were rich, just as the culture. We drove to Geninne's home for a workshop on carving stamps - great teaching!

 

 A window from the hotel Casa de la Marquesa.  

A church and Poseidon fountain just across from the hotel.

 

 A clock - on Mexican time - late or not working.  A reminder to slow down and enjoy.

Everyone needs something sweet every now and then.

 Rich blues, rusty reds, and earthy browns feed the imagination.

Houses with bits of color line the hills around the city of Queretaro, Mexico.

 Geninne's Welcome couldn't have been better! Her lovely house and family made us feel right at home.  She is just as warm and happy in person as she is on her blog.

 This wonderful little package of goodies greeted us upon our arrival for the art classes.  

A name tag, a postcard, and a beautiful print. Thanks!

Refreshments in a kaleidoscope of colors.

 Breakfast anyone?

A friendly little praying mantis stopped by during the day.

 My little workstation in the art studio. I'm carving a mushroom.

Angela's ACE retreats are well organized, and they make home cooked meals for lunch during the workshops.  The food was amazing.

Chicken with herbs on local bread.

Check out Angela's retreat offerings.

After a full day in the studio making art stamps with Geninne, we headed back to the hotel and passed this glorious aqueduct that carried water to the city for water stations, fountains, and the Marques' home. 

Catching Up with the Journey

A lot has happened in the last month, and I'm spinning just trying to catch up with everything. I've had so many amazing experiences in Queretaro, Mexico at Geninne's art retreat, Las Vegas at Art and Soul, and Puyallup at the Sew Expo, that I didn't know where to start.  So, I will start with a bit of Mexico.  

I had never been to Mexico, and my friends and family were worried about me going down there with the ongoing drug wars.  I flew from Houston, TX to Queretaro, Mexico which is one of the prettiest and most well to do areas in Mexico, about 2 hours away from Mexico City, in the state of Queretaro. It is one of the safest areas in Mexico, and I had the best time ever.  The people were friendly and warm, talking easily with us.  Queretaro was easy to walk around and pictures abounded everywhere.  I would return in a heartbeat.

Flying over the Gulf of Mexico.

Farming land in Mexico.

The airport at Queretaro.

A windy day greeted us.

The view from a room at the Hotel La Casa de la Marquesa where our group stayed in the old historic Spanish part of Queretaro.

A church across the street from our hotel.

Some of the original settlers greeted us upon arrival.

The courtyard at the heart of one of the two buildings of our hotel.

Detail of a beautiful vase.

La Casa de la Marquesa.

There were stores all over the city with these dresses for 

the coming out parties of the young Mexican women.

You could even be a fairy princess for a day!

Tribute to the Aztec ancestors.

You can get your own Jesus or Mary for a home alter.

Just like a European city.

Friends?

A bit of color at the local stalls.

Native woman selling her goods on the street.

A nice place for dinner and dancing; the music was wonderful.

My new friend Myriam from Caracas, Venezuela on the left.

The churches were very much in use by the locals.

The food was wonderful - salad with fruit and cheese.

I was offered crickets and guacamole at this traditional Oaxaca restaurant, but I opted for chips instead.