Dia de los Muertos was a Success!

Thanks to everyone who came to my Dia de los Muertos Exhibit! It was quite a success, with hundreds of people coming through. You can view the exhibit for the last time tomorrow at the 1st Thursday ArtWalk, for the closing reception. Please come by! Everything in the Exhibit is for sale at 30% off and a portion of the proceeds will benefit underpriveledged women. 447 W. 6th St. San Pedro. Ciao!

Come see my Art Exhibit on Halloween!

I was invited to Exhibit my Original Works for the Dia De Los Muertos Festival in San Pedro on October 31st! You're all invited!! The address of my Exhibit is 447 W 6th St. Please come to support the arts! Check out the website here: http://www.diadelosmuertossanpedro.com/ Don't forget to dress up!! A portion of the proceeds will go to the Finding Art Center: a non-profit benefitting underprivileged women through education and creativity.

My Donation to La Posada Magica!

If you know me, you know I hold a BA in Drama, and the theatre is really the place where I feel most at home. My two dear friends both star in the play, La Posada Musica, by Octavio Solas. I wrote about this wonderful musical back when I saw it last year, and it's that time again! This year they are holding a fundraiser for the play, and I happily agreed to donate a painting to the silent auction. If you see the play, you'll know the significance of the painting. Please help support the Theatre! The theatre is one of the hardest things to sustain in a recession, and these artisans can use all the help we can give.

Here's a link to their Facebook page... please help out if you can!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?profile=1&id=133531574919#/pages/Los-Angeles-CA/La-Posada-Magica/133531574919

MY VERY LAST ARTWALK???

Summer is over, and the last Artwalk was so much fun, but may be the last for me! I was right in front of the band, which you can see in the photos, and while I sold a ton of little items, I am a weary of lugging my precious paintings around town, only to subject them to depreciation! Don't cry, though! My Gallery is still available for purchase, originals through me directly, or prints at http://signaturelaurel.redbubble.com/works
Thanks to everyone who came out to support me!

SOLD! this week

This week I sold a t-shirt and two prints! The t-shirt went to someone in Australia, and the Obama prints were sold at the art walk, along with a bunch of hand-painted magnets. Good times! To see any items that are for sale, you know where to go by now... www.signaturelaurel.com

Artwalk this Saturday & Avant-Garde Art Creation

Come see me at the Artwalk this Saturday in Long Beach!

I've started a brand new RedBubble Group called Avant-Garde Art.
Check it out and join by clicking below.

The Avant-Garde Art Group is a conscious effort to display works by artists all over the world! I created this group specifically to highlight Contemporary Artistry and cultivate relationships between avant-garde artists, a la the Stein siblings. Avant-garde represents a pushing of the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or the status quo, primarily in the cultural realm.

Beachy Inspiration

Here they are: the Craft Party Collages! My incredible bohemian girlfriends became my muses that day at the beach, and through all the paper-tearing I thought my efforts would be in vein. Alas, something came out of my indisctinct mess on the table. The essence of the sea permeates when I look at these now, unintended, yet always present in my art it seems! Maybe it's the view that inspires me?

Cooky Tattoos, Craft Party, & Cupcakes!

We start off today's post with the fabulous mango velvet cupcakes I made for a friend's bday. I usually hate cake but these were yummy! Paula Dean's Red Velvet Recipe sans the food dye, I had a lovely tower of them presented as we sang the birthday song.


My very 1st Ladies' Craft Party was a success! Not only did we have waaaay too much food, but the ideas were flowing as we sat by the sea and created. My girlfriends brought piles of ribbons, fabrics, papers, stickers, books, journals, dolls, feathers, you name it! My house was filled with artifacts from every generation and culture, just ready to be released into obscurity. I was so inspired by what was around me that it took some time to get into my own project, which I was able to finish later.

Impromptu Temporary Tattoo Time! Sometimes I have weird ideas, and this night was inspired by a book about tribal tattoos. Pretty soon my pretty sharpie had found its way onto everyone's skin. Next time use Henna! My arm was black for a week! Toxic? oh well, everyone liked their original Laurel Tattoos!

Stay tuned to see the finished collages that I started at the craft party!

What's in my bag: Vegas Edition!

Vegas Baby!

and back in LA...

KaBOOKi is 5 years old!

Our little book club has really blossomed over the last 5 years. I am thankful to know such dynamic women, one of whom not only selected, but also wrote our March book:

'Daydreams & Shadows: Translations of a Broken Soul'

by: Denise Blasor

picked by Denise

This book was printed especially for each lady, and though not available to the public NOW, look to see this original piece in the future, possibly as a performance piece, since our lovely Denise happens to be a very accomplished actress! The book is an eloquent, harmonic journal of poems, thoughts, letters, phone calls, moments of regard and disregard. We all loved this beautifully written work. Denise's honest depiction of betrayal and loss exposed the readers to so many of her vulnerabilities, that you really get a sense of her anguish throughout her journey of recovery. Deep, intriguing, true to human nature, and extremely poetic, this book is a must read!

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In June 2009 we met again at Gloria's house to discuss:

'Friday Night Knitting Club'

by: Kate Jacobs

picked by Ket

I became sick the morning of, and sadly could not attend. Most of us felt it was a quick read, lacking depth. It's a story about a group of women who congregate on Friday nights to connect, create, & knit. The writing was simplistic and light. Some people thought the read was fun, and others, (like me) felt it was boring, and didn't connect to any of the characters. The fact that the protagonist got cancer at the end gave some a sense of 'pushed' depth. This book did not satisfy our yearning for interesting, deep, comprehensive novels, but did satisfy people's need for 'light & airy."

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August had us at Dani's house, musing over the novel:

'Patron Saint of Liars'

by: Ann Patchett

picked by Michele

We all enjoyed this book, but had real trouble with the main character, Rose. Rose begins her journey as a married woman who finds out she's pregnant and then proceeds to leave her husband and mother, traveling half-way across the country, ending up in a home for unwed mothers. The ladies could not understand how any woman could leave like that, let alone never seeing her own mother again! The end of the book left no one with ANY satisfaction, as we all thought some type of resolution would occur, and it never did. The reader is left to feel as unhappy and bewildered as her family members. Maybe that is how life is and we just need to accept it?! We did all agree that Patchett creates intriguing charaters, and the read is fast, interesting, & controversial. I already started reading her most acclaimed novel, Bel Canto, since I thought her writing was so good.

Thanks to all the beautiful ladies who have fulfilled my life in a way I can not express. I look forward to the next 5 years and onward!

xoxoxoxo, Laurel