IT’S TIME TO REGISTER for the 13th ANNUAL 2010 WCA/SD RETREAT

 Jaime Lyerly showing how to scrape back encaustic wax © 2009 Jaime Lyerly

IT’S TIME TO REGISTER for the 13th ANNUAL 2010 WCA/SD RETREAT

The retreat offers a special time to make art, make new friends and reconnect with old friends.

Note: This event is for women, only. Sorry guys! Most of our events are co-ed, but this is for women only because of the sleeping arrangements.

WORKSHOPS INCLUDE

PLEIN AIR PAINTING with Jen Bottoms

JOURNALING, BLIND DRAWING & MAKING YOUR OWN JOY

with Suzana Norberg

YOGA FOR BEGINNERS with Midge Hyde

ENCAUSTIC COLLAGE with Jaime Lyerly

(more details about the workshops below)

_______________________________________

WHEN

September 10th, 11th and 12th, 2010

WHERE

Camp Stevens, Julian, 1108 Highway 78,

Julian, California 92036 (760) 765-0028

We will be staying in the Wolterstorff Lodge

FEE

$150 Retreat only WCA SD members

$175 Retreat & 1 year basic 2011 membership for WCA

members

$190 Retreat & 1 year basic 2011 WCA Membership for

non-members.

All include 3 days, 2 nights and 5 meals (organically grown

and prepared by Camp Stevens ), and all workshop fees

DIRECTIONS

From San Diego : Take Highway 67 to Ramona, then

Highway 78 east to Julian. Camp Stevens is located 2

miles east of Julian on State Highway 78. There is a

“ Camp Stevens ” entrance sign on the left side of the

highway exactly 2 miles from Julian.

REGISTER EARLY

Your $50 Non-refundable deposit due by August 1, 2010

(check or PayPal) secures your reservation. Balance

due by September 1st, by check or PayPal. Upon final

payment you will receive a detailed map, packing list,

materials list, materials to bring and schedule, via

e-mail.


NOTE: There is limited cell phone service.


Women’s Caucus for Art, San Diego

13th Annual Retreat

at Camp Stevens

Julian, California

September 10th, 11th and 12th, 2010

QUESTIONS AND INFO:

Jen Bottoms, (619) 892-3429

9500 Harritt Road, #75

Lakeside, CA 92040

jenniebottoms@gmail.com



WORKSHOP DESCRIPTIONS

JOURNALING, BLIND DRAWING and MAKING YOUR OWN JOY with Suzana Norberg

As an advertising copywriter, Sue discovered the joy of art late in life. Inspired by “Harriett The Spy,” her favorite book as a child, Sue always kept a notebook of observations and snippets of overheard conversations.

But it wasn’t until the accidental discovery of three fabulous and freeing books that Sue began incorporating drawing into her work. See the three books that changed Sue’s creative life, page through her journals, and be prepared to draw with your eyes closed. Then apply it all to recording your weekend in a sketchbook that will be provided.


PLEIN AIR PAINTING with Jen Bottoms

Plein Air Painting is painting outdoors. Using oils, acrylics or watercolors whatever is your medium of choice, you will learn simple pallet color and placement while exploring the great outdoors and your personal emotions with the intent of taking out the intimidation factor. Realistic and non-realistic painters alike will love this enabling workshop that will set your spirit free and help you create
flowing, eye appealing works of art. Just let yourself go!


YOGA FOR BEGINNERS with Midge Hyde

Midge has done yoga for over 10 years. She plans to do light yoga exercises, first a warm up, practicing shallow and deep breathing. She reccomends everyone who has a yoga mat to bring it along. We will do mostly standing poses in case there are not enough mats for seated poses. The poses she likes are good stretches and parts of sun salutations, nothing too strenuous, just good stretching and deep breathing....a good way to end or start a day.


ENCAUSTIC COLLAGE with Jaime Lyerly

Encaustic is beeswax, damar resin and pigment applied to a surface hot and fused using heat. We will not be using pigment but instead, be learning the basic techniques of of encaustic collage in this workshop. We will explore layering, collage, incising, embedding and transfers. There will be plenty of time for hands on experimentation. Bring your own collage elements and get ready to try this “hot” way of painting.

ABOUT CAMP STEVENS and WCA/SD RETREAT

We will stay in the Wolterstorff Lodge, which was built from the ashes of the Bishop’s Lodge, destroyed in the “Angel Fire” of September 2007. The lodge has 24 beds; 4 six person rooms with 2 shared baths, and a meeting room with a fireplace. The OUTDOOR FACILITIES include tree house, outdoor chapel and other outdoor meeting and gathering spaces. Visitors can also enjoy a swim in the pool (seasonal), a stroll in the botanical garden, games on the lawns, basketball and volleyball, or an evening campfire.
  
I hope you can join us! You can check out pictures from last year's retreat on my Facebook page ~ Jaime Lyerly 

Watch me tonight live on Community Artist Connection Public Access TV Show!

Haven't gotten enough of me "talking" on my blog? Watch me on TV!

Tonight at 8 pm, I will be interviewed by artist Laura Jean Thompson for her Community Artist Connection Public Access TV Show.

We will be talking about my encaustic art, future career goals and whatever else she throws my way.

I am surprisingly less nervous than I would expect at the moment. However, I am not sure what is going to happen when I actually get there!

You can watch the broadcast LIVE via the internet at the link below. It should be on 8 pm, PST.
Live Broadcast!

There is supposed to be a "Chat" function that you can ask questions which we can see. This is all new to me so I am not sure how that all works. But feel free to check it out!

I am even letting my 13-year-old son watch via the internet at home. He may be the only kid in the world who would want to "chat" with his mom during her interview.

The show will air later on Public Access TV. I will let you know exactly when it will be on.

Okay - time to shove down some dinner and get moving!

Thanks for the support! ~Jaime Lyerly

San Diego area volunteers needed! Tag Project at Kiku Gardens on Saturday, June 5, 2010

Image from the Tag Project Facebook page

In San Diego area and have nothing to do this Saturday morning?

Want to help with an amazing project?

Great! Come join us at the Kiku Gardens as we help Artist Wendy Maruyama "age" tags for her Tag Project: E.O. 9066. See this invite below from Wendy:

The Tag Project will be at Kiku Gardens Saturday, June 5, 2010 from 10 AM - noon. We are now at a point where we need help taking the tags through an aging process (dunking in coffee and krinkling and setting out to dry).

If you would like to help, please bring rubber gloves, old newspapers, and if you have one, a plastic dishpan or some similar plastic container for dunking tags.

Roll up your sleeves, and join the fun!!

Location:

Kiku Gardens
1260 Third Ave.
Chula Vista, CA 91911

Time: 10 AM til 12 pm

Here is more about the Tag Project from the Facebook page:

This project was begun as part of my research on Executive Order 9066: it is the first time I made the personal decision to really look at this sorry chapter in history as a Japanese American artist. I plan to focus on this direction in my work for the next few years.

One project, "The Tag Project", was started in New York - I replicated 1011 tags from internees from my hometown (San Diego/Chula Vista). I was inspired by the thousands of folded origami cranes I saw at the Hiroshima Peace memorial and this group of tags was called "Cascade". I was also deeply moved by the photos of Dorothea Lange, one is shown above: it was her photos that initially provided the physical and emotional weight of the internment, and how it so profoundly affected the Japanese American citizens during and for years to come. All Japanese Americans were rounded up in 1942 and each were issued a tag and an ID number designating their destination: one of several internment camps, all in desolate deserted areas of the United States. The most haunting and striking photos were of the families wearing tags at the various assembly centers before being shipped off by train to these remote areas.

I was taken by the weight of these tags when they were completed and hung, despite appearing to be light and airy. This struck me as being very relevant to the way the internment was perceived by the general American Public. To this day it shocks me to still run into fellow Americans who had no clue that this had happened. I am going to commit to making all 120,000 tags, for all the Japanese Americans who were sent to all the camps. I feel that the sheer numbers and the scale of these tags will convey to all who view this that the internment was a massive project that was to affect an entire culture of people and their future generations.

Find out more on the The TAG Project: E.O. 9066 Blog.

Interview with Wendy in American Craft Magazine - "The Tag Project: In Search of Cultural Memory"

Tag Project Video

The Tag Project | Poston from xavier vasquez on Vimeo.

About Wendy Maruyama -

Wendy Maruyama is Head of the San Diego State Furniture Design /Woodworking program and has taught at SDSU since 1989. Prior to that she has headed programs at California College of Arts and Crafts and at the Appalachian Center for Crafts. She received her BA from San Diego State and MFA from Rochester Institute of Technology. She has been the recipient of a Fulbright Grant to England, foreign travel grants to France and Japan, and four NEA Craftsmen's Fellowships. She also serves on several non-profit boards, including the Furniture Society and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts. She is a frequent workshop leader and lecturer and her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. It is documented in numerous publications and included in public collections, among them the Mint Museum of Craft and Design, American Craft Museum, Oakland Museum, Mingei International Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Arizona State University Museum in Tempe.

I know it is late notice, but you really want to come to this event! I would love to see you there.

Happy volunteering! ~ Jaime Lyerly, SDWCA Social Networking Coordinator

Opening Reception tonight for SDSU's "Comatose in the Sculptorium"

Reminder!

Tonight from 6-9 pm is the San Diego State University's Intermediate and Advanced Sculpture class anonymously juried show called "Comatose in the Sculptorium"

Exhibition: Comatose in the Sculptorium: SDSU's Intermediate and Advanced Sculpture student show

Dates/Times: May 15 - 20, 2010. Hours variable. Opening: May 15, 2010 from 7 pm - 9 pm

Location: San Diego State University, Flor Y Canto Gallery on the fifth floor of the Art Department.

More Information: Facebook event

What's in it for you:

• Support local and emerging artists!
  
• See the experimental and conceptual sculpture that is being produced by the SDSU sculpture students. The variety is amazing.
  
• See my untitled 3-D encaustic sculptures from 2009 in a whole new setting and installation.
• Meet the infamous instructor and local artist, Richard Keely.
  
• FREE ADMISSION!

Hope to see you there!

~ Jaime Lyerly

Call for Entries - San Diego Women's Caucus for Art Member Show "A World of Art"

Oops, I am a little (okay a lot) behind on reading my emails, and almost missed the deadline to post this.

If you are a woman artist in San Diego, CA, you won't want to miss this show!

Dear San Diego Women's Caucus for Art (SDWCA) Members,

Don't miss this opportunity to participate in

"A World of Art" - a SDWCA Group Art Show!

May 1 – May 15, 2010

Share your art with the other members, their families, friends, and colleagues.

See attached flyer for all the details and your

entry form. (Bring it with you when you drop off your artwork).

Contact Midge Hyde with any questions you may have and to register your entry.

619.466.3711, midgehyde@gmail.com

Please forward this to anyone you know who is interested in joining SDWCA and entering the show.

ENTRY DATE IS TOMORROW! April 16, 2010 at 6 pm.

~ Jaime Lyerly

Call for Art Donations - CSNO Art Relief Silent Auction, THIS Saturday, March 13, 2010, 6-9:30 pm in Balboa Park, San Diego

This seems like a worthy cause with a timely request, so I had to promote it.

See the message below:

Invitation to our CSNO ART SILENT AUCTION!

Hello!

My name is Stephanie Carman Burgos, co-president for the SDSU on campus club College Students for New Orleans. This spring break Claudia Huizar (co- president) and I will be leading a group of 38 SDSU students to New Orleans for relief work in the St Bernard's Parish in the Greater New Orleans area. This will be our club's 9th trip. The purpose of this trip is not only for our Nawleanteers (New Orleans+ Volunteers) to rebuild houses, re-do landscaping and community centers, but also to spread the word about Louisiana's destroyed condition. The media has neglected to shine light upon this issue, even 5 years after the actual event; we want to enlighten Americans about this ongoing issue, here on US soil.

We would be ecstatic if you could talk for a few minutes about our cause at your general meetings, as well mention our CSNO ART RELIEF SILENT AUCTION. This will take place in El Centro Cultural de la Raza-Balboa Park THIS Saturday March 13 from 6-9:30. Our art relief will be a fun night filled with live entertainment, drinks and food. This silent auction is open to all of San Diego. We are hoping for a great turn out, as this is our main form of fundraising for our trip.

Important!!! : We are still accepting all mediums of art, so if you could briefly encourage people to donate their art, that would be greatly appreciated. All artists' art will be professionally displayed with their piece title as well as name. All funds raised will go directly go to our trip. Interested? Contact Danie Maxwell at max95618@yahoo.com

TICKET PRICES: pre sale- student $7, general $12. at the event- student $10 , general $15

Safe online donations are also accepted: http://ihcenter.org/groups/csno

Thank you so much, if you have any further questions, please email me back or call me at 530.220.2935

Peace, Stephanie

--
Claudia Huizar & Stephanie Carman Burgos
Presidents, College Students for New Orleans
San Diego State University
StudentsVolunteer@gmail.com
Claudia:805.816.1401 Stephanie:530.220.2935

Check out our website: http://StudentsVolunteer.googlepages.com/
Donate at: http://ihcenter.org/groups/csno

- Jaime Lyerly

A Thousand Ways to Draw a Tree: Expressive Drawing Workshop in San Diego this Sunday 2/28/2010

Here is a workshop taught by San Diego Women's Caucus for Art member Valerie Samuel Henderson. Got some free time this weekend? (okay...I know free time doesn't exist...) Come to this workshop. Check it out:

RISKY BUSINESS! Draw Fast and Loose.

An expressive drawing workshop this Sunday, Feb. 28 10am-3pm

It’s called “A Thousand Ways to Draw a Tree”. You get to invent the ways! You get to think like an eight-year-old and draw outside the lines. Experiment, do quick sketches, and try working with new materials like charcoal taped to a stick, graphite crayons, and mixing oil pastel with India ink. Get inspired by Rembrandt, Van Gogh and your kid sister.

Here is the information from the website:

An expressive drawing workshop... Drawing trees is the theme and the focus is intuition, spontaneity and invention. You’ll do lots and lots of quick sketches using memory, observation and imagination. Find ways to draw trees by playing with line like you might play a melody on a saxophone. Experiment with different kinds of drawing tools from graphite sticks to long straws dipped in ink. This is an opportunity to try new things whether or not you have ever taken a drawing class before, or if you’re looking to refresh some sparks.

$62 members / $72 non-members Materials fee $10

Monday, January 18 10am – 3pm

Sunday, February 28 10am – 3pm

Sunday, April 11 10am – 3pm

Taught by an inspired mixed media artist, Valerie Samuel Henderson (BFA in Painting, Mass. College of Art. MFA in Visual Art, U.C.S.D.)

Bravo School of Art. 2690 Historic Decatur Rd Studio 206. San Diego , CA 92106 . 619-223-0058

workshops@BravoSchool of Art.com

www.BravoSchoolOfArt.com

Happy Art Making! ~ Jaime Lyerly

Ellen "Ellie" Benfatti's Art Reception and Wine Tasting at "The Wine Spot" Feb 27, 2010

image © 2010 Ellen Benfatti

A unique art reception and wine tasting event on Saturday, February 27, 2010 featuring 2010 San Diego Women's Caucus for Art Vice President Ellen "Ellie" Benfatti.

Here is more information about Ellie and her event:

Ellen Benfatti was born in the United States and resides in North San Diego, California. Several years ago she experienced a life altering event while visiting the spa of a luxury cruise line. Ellen was invited to experience a Reiki treatment. Shortly after her experience she began to have a strong desire to paint. She went on to become a certified Reiki Master Teacher and Artist. She was recently featured on San Diego public television for her brilliant use of color and its connection to increased health. She has spent the last several years studying the affects of color on the human body. Ellie’s studio is located at the New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad. She’s a full time Artist and Pain Management Consultant.

She’s currently a featured artist for the Banners lining Pacific Coast Highway in Leucadia.

She opens at “The Wine Spot” on Feb 27th her exhibit will run from Feb 27-March 30th.

Feb 27th Art Reception and Wine Tasting 7-10 pm
The Wine Spot 2917 State St. Carlsbad
Complimentary Wines and Cheeses served from 7-8:30pm

Ellie will be raffling one of her gorgeous pictures and she'll be serving complimentary wines for tasting from 7-8:30.
RSVP on her Facebook event page or just come on down!

To learn more about her you may visit her portfolio at:
www.angelicmanifestations.com

Support local independent artists!
~ Jaime Lyerly, 2010 President of San Diego Women's Caucus for Art

Open Art Studio at Silverton Business Center in San Diego - RESCHEDULED to March 13, 2010

3.3.2010 update: EVENT RESCHEDULED to March 13, 2010.

Want to see artists in their creative space? Go to an open art studio!

Since I create on my balcony (for encaustics), in my house for other projects, and at the SDSU classrooms, I don't really have my own studio. So it is a privilege to be able to come into the studio space of others and see how they work their magic.

Here is upcoming open art studio not to be missed featuring 6 artists including former San Diego Women's Caucus for Art member Anna Stoa. Information provided by Grace Matthews.

Silverton Ave Open Studios Saturday, March 13, 2010 from 1 – 4pm

Please join us for the first open studios of six artists at the Silverton Business Center in Mira Mesa.

7949-7955 Silverton Ave San Diego, CA 92126
http://art-studio-events.blogspot.com/

Artists:
Rafael “Fallo” Mareyna
Becky Guttin
Gail Liebig
Anna Stoa
Grace Matthews
Sarah Tippit

I am going to try my best to go to this event to peek into these active artist's studios.

Happy studio visiting! ~ Jaime Lyerly

Video from smARTist Telesummit alumni

I have been eagerly anticipating the smARTist Telesummit which starts TOMORROW, Thursday, January 21, 2010!

The free preview calls are still available for any artist who is interested. You are able to listen to the speakers for the conference all without spending any money. Last year, the preview calls are what hooked me to sign up for the full session. This year, I barely hestiated to sign up, even before the first preview. Last year's conference was amazing and I am excited to listen and take action again.

Ready to jump start your artist career but not sure how? Still not sure what all this talk about smARTist Telesummit is all about? I am here to help again. You may have read my testimonial on my blog post about last year's smARTist. Facilitator Ariane Goodwin shares a video from Artist Amadea Bailey with her smARTist video testimonial.

Embedded videos work for blogger, but will not show when this blog is imported into Facebook, so check it out through this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uYnZmpGoGQ

Feeling compelled to see more about this smARTist Telesummit and maybe take the leap and sign up? Wonderful! I will be right there with you.

Learn more about smARTist and register through my affiliate link.

Click Here  http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=887631 (Jaime Lyerly's affiliate link)

My college classes start the same day as the smARTist Telesummit, so I am not sure how much blogging I will get to do while it is going on. However, I will be writing all about it and giving you tips that you can use. The sessions are dense with information, and I am glad this year I signed up to have the transcripts in paper format. Listening later via the internet and downloading the MP3s is the best way for me to be able to attend this conference AND still attend classes. 

To your art career success!
~ Jaime Lyerly, President San Diego Women's Caucus for Art

San Diego Women's Caucus for Art Winter Newsletter including Annual Retreat Photos

You have heard me mention it before, or seen a post on Facebook about it. Wondering what the San Diego Women's Caucus for Art (SDWCA) is all about? I am here to help!

Here is a link to view the San Diego Women's Caucus for Art Winter Quarterly Newsletter that is sent out to all members and is available in hard copy at our events. http://sn.im/sdwcanewletter12-09

You can also read previous newsletters at http://www.sdwca.org/new/newsletter.htm

The December newsletter features pictures and information about the Annual Retreat, which I taught "Encaustic Technique." I have been promising pictures and stories on the blog for so long, and I am sorry to let you down. However, I have posted pictures of the Annual Retreat on my Facebook fan page, so please check them out there!

The current newsletter also has the final President's message from Laura Jean Thompson, 2005 - 2009 SDWCA President, which includes the official announcement that I am not sure everyone knows yet.

Yours truly, Jaime Lyerly, is the new 2010 President of the San Diego Women's Caucus for Art! Hurray!

I am so excited to be leading the San Diego Women's Caucus for Art this year, along with my two Vice Presidents, Ellie Benfatti and Jen Bottoms. We had our first meeting of the new year yesterday and it was electric!

Here is a little taste of what we have in store for the new year:

• Free artist demos open to the public after each of our monthly Board meetings
• Juried and Invitational Exhibitions
• Online Juried Exhibitions
  
• Development of Scholarship and Professional Grants for artists

This is new territory for the SDWCA, so it will take some work to establish all that we are trying to do. But I believe in my Board will make this happen!

Now back to Art making! ~ Jaime Lyerly

"Starving to Successful" Author Jason Horejs at the FREE smARTist Preview Call, TONIGHT!

Last minute change to the Free smARTist Preview call that I wrote about in last week's post Twitter and smARTist 2010. Now it is focused on finding your own path to success.

See the information below about the Free Preview call tonight!

You know that success in the art world doesn't follow the same path for every artist.

And it's great to hear how other artists have figured out their path – you'll get ideas, tips, and suggestions to mix-and-match and use to smooth your own path!

Jason Horejs grew up in the art world – literally: his father is successful painter, John Horejs.

Jason owns Xanadu Gallery and is the author of Starving to Successful: How to Find and Keep the Right Gallery for Your Art, at Any Stage of Your Career. He'll be talking with Ariane Goodwin of smARtist®, tonight about three artists who have found their path to success in very different ways. And he'll be talking about why NOW is the perfect time to be looking for gallery representation.

Tonight, Tuesday, Jan 5th 7-8 pm ET (NY) 4-5 pm PT (CA)

===========================================
If you haven't signed up for the pre-events yet, click here to sign up and get the call-in & webcast details for all the Pre-events (and access to the recording afterwards):

Click Here > http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=887631 (Jaime Lyerly's affiliate link)

* Find the sign-up box in the upper right corner of that web page * Enter your name and email * Look in your inbox for all the call-in & webcast details ===========================================
One thing Ariane makes sure of—all of her smARTist Pre-events have meat on the bone!

Registration is open for the 7-day conference which starts on January 21st, and for a limited time you can make your budget as happy as your art career by paying over 3 installments but only until midnight (PT), tonight:

Click Here > http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=887631 (Jaime Lyerly's affiliate link)

From a smARTist alumni from last year: ----------------------------------------------------------------------
I just want to say, I'm astounded at where my art career has led me since I partook in your course!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
When I look back at where I was when I signed up in December to where I am now ... it is truly amazing. The creativity in my work has really opened up. I am no longer afraid to take the next steps. The public art gallery (Art Gallery of Hamilton) in my city has a piece of my work and has asked that I keep them informed about any new work and what is happening with my career. WOW. I can't thank you enough for running an awesome course! - Elle How ----------------------------------------------------------------------

You shouldn't miss this FREE preview calls! There is no obligation to smARTist or myself for signing up for these. It is not a scam. Trust me on this one. And you won't be sorry that you listened.

Sure you can get this art career information other places, but why not take advantage of the fact that it is all available to online to download and listen to at your leisure (or break from the studio!)

To read more about my love of smARTist Telesummit, go to this post about my experience with the 2009 smARTist Telesummit.

Happy Art making! ~ Jaime Lyerly

Join me at the 2010 smARTist Telesummit in January. Get Recognized, Exhibited and Paid for Your Art!

Happy Holidays everyone!

I have been waiting to send out this information about the 2010 smARTist Telesummit until after Christmas, but the offer below is too wonderful to wait. So you will get my testimony and plug for this awesome event now while you are in the frenzy of holiday preparations. Don't worry; I won't take up too much of your time!

The 2009 smARTist Telesummit launched my art career last January. I found out about it through the Art Biz Coach, Alyson Stanfield, since she was one of the Keynote Speakers.

I had just started reading her book "I'd rather be in the Studio," and was decompressing from another long and grueling college semester. But the timing was right for me. The smARTist Telesummit is in between my Fall semester and the start of Spring semester. I would actually have time to process this information. What a better way to start of the year than to focus on the beginning of my art career?

The 2009 smARTist motto was:

Get Clear.
Make A Plan.
Inspire The World
With Your Art.

Get clear? That I needed to do. Make a plan? Yeah, I guess I need one of those...and Inspire the World with you Art- that sounds right up my alley!

I was hooked. The only obstacle was the cost. The smARTist telesummit is a hefty price for a self-supporting student and mother to afford. But smARTist offered a 100% money back guarantee. I had nothing to lose and everything to gain.

So I signed up for the smARtist Telesummit and was amazed on how much information could be crammed into these 1 hour phone call/recordings. You "attend" the conference by either calling into a special phone number during a certain time or downloading an MP3 recording and listening later. There are handouts to download and print out, and a members only discussion board where you can ask questions of Ariane (the facilitator), connect with other participates or just gush about the wonderfulness of the presentation.

After just a few days of listening to the recordings, I learned so much about social networking that I hopped right into Facebook, Twitter and Blogging. I am pretty tech-savvy so this part was easy. Plus there were handouts to tell exactly how to do it all. Then I started on the more difficult items, such as making a plan for my art business. Since this conference is meant for people of all stages of their career, there is lots of information that I am not quite ready to implement (such as getting corporate sponsors for your work). As the school year started for me again, I was prepared to maintain and enhance my sprouting artist career while tackling my classes. If you want to know all that I accomplished this year, check out my post Celebrate your Accomplishments for 2009.

Long story short - the smARTist Telesummit is amazing and worth every penny - for ANY STAGE of your Art Career.

2010 smARTist Telesummit is this motto:
Focus, Facts and Fabulous Art
Get Recognized,
Exhibited,
and Paid what you Deserve!

Check out the pre-event recordings to hear what this is all about. Right click and open this in a separate tab to check it out and then come back here to register using my affiliate link.

http://smartist.com/live-telesummit/pre-event/recordings/

Now for what would drive me to send out this information now! This is a steal! I really wish I would have paid for this upgrade last year so that I could have the transcript recordings. But if you act now, you get this upgrade for FREE! Crazy, I know.

For the next 48 hours (until midnight Dec. 24th PST/CA), or up to 50 registrations, you can get all 3 upgrades ($97 value) for the price of a standard registration for the live 7-day conference:

* A COMPLETE SET OF WRITTEN TELESUMMIT TRANSCRIPTS-all 14 Sessions

Download immediately to your computer. Print. Read. Highlight.
2 MasterMind Panel Days, and 12 Keynote Speaker Presentations.

* Ariane’s "STAY-ON-TRACK" GROUP COACHING PROGRAM

A unique 15-day, "Stay-On-Track" group coaching program, to help you get results before the dust settles. Ariane will be your personal guide to help you
1) identify the holes in your career before the event, and then
2) create your post-event action plan to fill in those holes.

* ACCESS to SPECIAL PLATINUM MEMBER'S ONLY FORUM
Enjoy special access to a Platinum Members' Only Forum where you can dialogue directly with Art Career coach, Ariane, and chat with other artists about how they are using the "Stay-on-Track" Program to get the most out of the conference.

Step 1: Click here to register (please use this link, since it is my affiliate link):
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=887631

Step 2: After you choose to upgrade, type (or copy/paste) this code in the Coupon Code Box and click "apply" to get all 3 upgrades immediately: 2010UPGRADE

Then, let the wild January rumpus begin, where your art career gets all the attention.

PS: Registration is open for the 7-day conference in January, and for a limited time you can choose to pay over 3 installments:

Click Here >
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=887631

Feel free to email me with any questions you have about last year's smARTist Telesummit. It was really life changing. You owe it to yourself to at least check out this conference.

Happy Holidays! I look forward to seeing all that you can accomplish this next year! ~ Jaime Lyerly

Back from the San Diego Women's Caucus for Art Retreat!

Encaustic painting set up at home © 2009 Jaime Lyerly

See my encaustic paintings here.

Just a short note to let you all know that I am back from the San Diego Women's Caucus for Art Annual Retreat, which was last weekend, November 13 - 15, 2009.

I have lots of pictures and stories to tell (don't worry - nothing embarrassing for the wine-drinking ladies,) but this is a super busy week for me with something scheduled everyday and I won't get to them until probably Sunday.

Since this retreat is for women only (because of the close sleeping quarters), it had an abundance of feminine energy, which is similar to my monthly San Diego Women's Drum Circle. However, I have never spent a weekend devoted solely to making art, meeting new people and being out in nature before. Usually, I am trapped inside with my school books (Japanese is killing me....) and spend what little time I have outside of that with my partner Chris and almost 13 year old son, Xen. I couldn't even tell you the last time I had been alone, which is a sad fact in itself. Although I did attend Ellen Benefatti's Healing Family Constellation Workshop on Friday, I have to admit that I left early during Judi Burnett's Portrait Painting Workshop so that I could be alone outside in nature. I sat on a fallen tree branch and wrote in my journal for a hour, before heading off to lunch and then to teach my afternoon workshop. More about these workshops and pictures later.

After a relaxing lunch of mushroom risotto, I came back to set up to teach Encaustic Painting Technique on Saturday afternoon. My workshop went very well, although I am not sure how many people I converted to ways of the wax, yet. We set up the stations outside to keep the smell away from the more sensitive members, and to be outside. What I wasn't counting on was how quickly the sun would go down and how cold it would get! The pictures look like I gave this workshop in Alaska, instead of Julian, California in November. The winter gear and people huddled around the heat guns will give you a hint of the weather change for all of us.

It was an amazing weekend and I look forward to sharing more about the workshops and activities, as well as the stories and general fun we had this weekend. Missing this year's retreat? You can come next year! It is an annual retreat, and while this was my first year going, I know it will not be my last.

Until then, why don't you join us in the WCA/SD Facebook Group page? I am trying to get all the members, prospective members and people who just want to know what we are doing to join this group. You can post your events to our wall, and know that you have an audience that is active in the San Diego Arts community. Share with your friends! They need to be a part of this too.

Happy art-making! ~ Jaime Lyerly

Helen Redman's art show "Tensions in the Journey: From Child to Crone" at the Women's History Museum in San Diego

Another great event coming to the San Diego area this weekend on November 6, 2009: Founding Mother of the San Diego Women's Caucus for Art (SDWCA) Helen Redman's one woman show "Tensions in the Journey: From Child to Crone" at the Women's History Museum and Educational Center (WHMEC). Check out the press release below from the WHMEC for more information.

Tensions in the Journey:
From Child to Crone
Helen Redman

Exhibition: Nov. 6 - Dec. 5, 2009
Opening reception: November 6, 6-9 PM
Lecture/discussion: November 21, 2-4 PM

For nearly a half century, Helen Redman has been making art. Her stunning portraits and evocative mixed media works track events, both momentous and ordinary, in women’s life cycle. Much more than a visual account of one woman’s perspective on life, her works illuminate something transcendent: they compose a visual memoir of the flux and flow of embodiment and identity across a woman’s life cycle, a memory-laden landscape of time’s passing in a life lived through a certain era and in a particular body.

To celebrate the nearly fifty-year career of the artist Helen Redman, the Women's History Museum and Education Center is hosting Tensions in the Journey: From Child to Crone, an exhibition of selected works from the 1960s-2000s. The exhibition runs from Nov 6 - December 5, 2009, and opens with a reception on November 6th, 6-9 PM at 2323 Broadway, Suite 107, San Diego, California 92102. The exhibition is also part of the celebration of the 40th anniversary of women's studies at San Diego State University.

http://www.birthingthecrone.com

I love Helen Redman's work and think this show is going to be amazing. I look forward to seeing more of her work and meeting this powerfully moving artist. I hope you can join me!

Happy art making! ~ Jaime Lyerly

Artist Lisa Bebi Paint Over Demo added to the San Diego Women's Caucus for Art Retreat in November 2009

Paint Over Technique, Star Glam © 2009 Lisa Bebi

We are honored to have Lisa Bebi to join us as a demo instructor for the San Diego Women's Caucus for Art Retreat on November 13 - 15, 2009 in Julian, California! Get ready to have some fun and make some art.

Here is all the information. Hope you can join us!

The retreat offers a special time to make art, make new friends and reconnect with old friends.

WORKSHOPS INCLUDE:

THE FAMILY FIELD AND CONSTELLATIONS, group healing session with Ellen Benfatti
PORTRAIT PAINTING with Judith Burnett
ENCAUSTIC TECHNIQUE with Jaime Lyerly
(More details about the workshops below)

Now Added!
PAINT OVER DEMO with Lisa Bebi
See Lisa's innovative Paint Over Technique on her blog, Pimp my Spleen, and in Somerset Studio's Workshop Volume 4.

When: November 13, 14, 15, 2009

Where: Camp Stevens in Julian
1108 Highway 78
Julian, CA 92036
Phone: (760)765-0028
We will be staying in the new Wolterstorff Lodge.

Fee: A $135 (member), $155 (non-member) or $180 (retreat plus basic membership) fee covers registration, 2 nights and 5 meals (organically grown and prepared by Camp Stevens), and all workshop fees. Note: There might be a small materials fee.

Directions:
From San Diego: Take highway 67 to Ramona, then Highway 78 east to Julian. Camp Stevens is located 2 miles east of Julian on State Highway 78.
There is a “Camp Stevens” entrance sign on the left side of the highway exactly 2 miles from Julian.

REGISTER EARLY!
A deposit of $35 (refundable before November 6, 2009) is required to secure your reservation, and the full amount of $135, $155 or $180, is due at registration.

Registered participants will receive a detail map, a packing list, schedule, and other details via mail. Please let us know if you require a special diet, or have physical restrictions.

Note: There is no cell phone service.

Workshop Descriptions:
(A WCA/SD membership is NOT required to participate in the retreat)

The family field and constellations; group healing session with Ellen Benfatti
There is a “life force” that flows through families, generation after generation. This force is one, which relates family member’s to each other. This is part of the family field of consciousness. We call it the Family Soul. Ellen will be facilitating a healing session which works with the energetic patterns held within the family. Come ready to heal and restore balance to your body, mind, and soul. The time spent together during this workshop will most likely change your view of yourself, humanity, and your family in a way that fosters more love, compassion, health, and vitality.

Portrait Painting in oils with Judith Burnett
You will learn a basic portrait painting technique. You will learn how to pose your model in order to get a good likeness and a satisfying painting; what materials and colors you will need, and how to mix and apply your paint.

Encaustic painting with Jaime Lyerly
Encaustic is beeswax, damar resin and pigment applied to a surface hot and fused using heat. You will be learning the basic techniques of encaustic painting is this workshop. We will cover history, materials, substrates, tools and safety. We will explore layering, collage, incising, embedding, and transfers. There will be plenty of time for hands-on experimentation. Bring your own collage elements and get ready to try this “hot” way of painting. (see more of my encaustic work)

About Camp Stevens and WCA/SD retreat
We will stay in the new Wolterstorff Lodge, which is built from the ashes of the Bishop’s Lodge; destroyed in the “Angel Fire” in September 15, 2007. The lodge has 24 beds; 4 six person rooms with shared bath, and a meeting room with a fireplace. Outdoor Facilities include a tree house, outdoor chapel and other outdoor meeting and gathering spaces. Visitors can also enjoy a swim in the pool (seasonal), a stroll in the botanical garden, games on the lawns, basketball and volleyball, or an evening campfire.

For more information, or to register for the Retreat, contact Jen Bottoms at (619) 892-3429 or via email.

If you missed my encaustic workshop in Escondido, you can join me for this one! Hope to see you there.

Happy Art Making! See you at the Retreat! ~ Jaime Lyerly

5 Art Actions for Busy Artists to Ignite the Creative Spark and Keep it Burning Bright

"I'm so busy!"
"I have no time to make art!"
"If there were only __ more hours in the day, then I could make art!"
"I'm so tired after my long day, all I can do is watch TV..."
"My brain is fried... how am I supposed to be creative, NOW?"

I have heard them all before. I have SAID them many, many times. And with this semester's schedule, I really don't have much time to make art. I am so busy that all you will get in this post is words, not how to pictures. So what can we do to keep the creative fires burning or ignite the creative spark that has dwindled? ART ACTIONS to the Rescue!

My idea of Art Actions are a modified version of SARK's Micro-movements, laid out in her book Make Your Creative Dreams Real: A Plan for Procrastinators, Perfectionists, Busy People, and People Who Would Really Rather Sleep All Day (and awesome book with a ridiculously long title!). Micro-movements are about making an movement toward your goal by doing actions that take no longer than 5 minutes. Each action gets you moving without the pressure of having to do it all. Brilliant! To learn more about how SARK helps artists and writers, Click here to visit Planet SARK.

Art Actions are my own way of tricking myself into making time for art. Even though I love to make art, it can be overwhelming to even get started on project - especially working in encaustic which takes me 45 minutes even to set up and heat my wax! While these Art Actions make take longer than 5 minutes, help push you towards bigger and more complex projects, while keeping the creative fires burning. They also can BECOME larger projects or a series if you love what you are doing. Or they just can be a way to keep your hands moving. I admit to doing all of these Art Actions while watching movies with my family. TV time gives me about 1 - 2 hours worth of uninterrupted creating time. Not bad!

The trick is NOT to put pressure on yourself to make art. These are just exercises, like word association and free writing for writers or blind contour line drawings for figure artists. Onto the actions....

Top 5 Art Actions to Ignite the Creative Spark:

1. Organic shape cut outs
Materials: exacto knife, cutting mat, Bristol board or thicker colored paper

Action: Grab an exacto knife and some paper and start cutting. No straight lines; no rulers; no thought. Keep flowing like a smooth line of charcoal, and see what shapes come from your subconscious. Cut out a shape; put it aside. Cut another one out. Cut out a hole in that one. But no trying to make it look like anything! That can come later, if desired.

2. Abstract Oil Pastel coloring
Materials: Oil Pastels, smooth paper (such as Bristol board or poster board)

Action: Choose a pastel, and scribble on the paper. I call oil pastels "adult crayons" because they have all the excitement of being able to lay down color quickly and easily like crayons, but use artist grade materials instead. So color all over the paper and then when it is filled with color, blend them using your fingers covered in paper towel. Again, don't stress about what flows on the page. I lean towards abstract color blotches because the moment I try to do something with a figure or object, it becomes too analytical. Try coloring in the organic shapes that were cut from Bristol board.

3. Paper art re-purposing
Materials: Old art, drawing exercises, or "failed attempts" on paper, acrylic or mat medium, brush, substrate (board, canvas or paper)
Optional: Scissors

Action: Have lots of art that didn't turn out as expected? Rip it up and make it into something new. I choose to rip things up because it is freeing to separate it from its original intent of being art. Now it is just a scrap of paper - nothing intimidating about that! Glue down the ripped pieces onto a blank piece of paper, canvas or board. Or you can add it directly to another "failed attempt." It is wonderfully freeing. The pictures can become a background for something else, but don't stress about that now. Just rip and glue it down with the mat medium.

4. Stamp Carving
Materials: Blank soft rubber carving blocks, carving tools, pencil
Optional: Transfers or images, tracing paper

Action: Stamp carving is so much fun! It requires a little more attention to what you are doing so you don't cut yourself, so make sure that the TV show you are watching isn't too enthralling. I found this wonderful Stamp Carving Tutorial which will help you with the basics. Personally, I don't do transfers onto the block; I draw and then carve using one of two bits. These are addictive. I wait until I have more time to actually ink the stamp and use it.

5. Intuitive Knitting
Materials: Yarn and knitting tool of your choice (mine is the Knifty Knitter)

Action: Grab your favorite yarn and knitting tool and start knitting. Leave all your patterns and stitch counting for another time. Just explore what the shapes you can make with your tool and the rhythm of your stitch. I set limits for myself to work in; such as one type of yarn, and use a 8 inch rectangular Knifty Knitter loom. Just knit. Have curiosity about what is going on with the piece, but don't try to force it into any shape - especially into something functional! That is the easiest way to kill the creative spirit is to try to give it a function. They can become fiber art pieces later, or hidden inside something bigger...it is up to you!

Ready to ignite the creative spark? Try one of these Art Actions! Turn off your analytical mind, send your inner art critic out on an errand and intuitively make something. It is the act of creating, even for a few minutes that will keep you connected to your art even on your busiest days.

Your Turn: Try one of these Art Actions or one of your own design. What kind of Art Actions do you do to keep your creativity alive? Sketching? Collage? Sewing? Taking apart typewriters? Whatever it is, keep doing it! And share it here with us. I would love to hear your ways to keep the fires burning so that when you do have time, it flows out into beautifully crafted art.

Happy Creating! ~ Jaime Lyerly

Art Marketing tip - Facebook fan pages: what, why, and how

Studio working photo that was only on my Facebook Fan Page until now, © 2009 Jaime Lyerly

Facebook Fan Pages got you confused? You are not alone. Get all the details about Facebook Fan pages by Artist Lisa Call forwarded from the Art Biz Coach in this informative and easy to read article.

Facebook fan pages: what, why, and how

Posted using ShareThis

I have a Facebook Fan page for my own art, but as the article states, it doesn't show the notifications if anyone posts on the fan page. Therefore, I have to remember to check and see if anyone commented on my work. I have been promising pictures of my wood project as a work in progress, and now it is almost complete. I just need to add some hardware to the back of the piece, and finally call it done. So you may not get a work in progress, but you will get to see start to finish on it via pictures. I also post more pictures of studio working shots on my fan page than I do on my blog or personal Facebook page.

There are not clear and distinct lines drawn for my personal Facebook page and my Fan page. I post lots of calls to artists and art marketing tips on my personal page. My blog feeds to both pages. The reason to have a Fan page for me is that it is the only place on Facebook that is ONLY about my art and art related activities. I also run a Fan follower drawing just like I do on this blog.

I do complaining about my schedule, talking about life, silly quizzes and general chit-chatting on my personal page. I talk about my art and interact with people interested in my art on both pages. But only on my fan page to I do fan drawings and post more studio pictures. So to paraphrase the article, become my fan to learn more about my art; friend me on my personal page to see the whole me.

Your Turn:
Do you already have a Facebook Fan page? If so, how do you distinguish it from a personal page? Drawings? Special for fans only drawings? More pictures? Video? I would love to hear your ideas on what makes a Fan page special. When you have created a Facebook Fan page, send me a request to become your fan!

Until then, Happy art and Fan page making! ~ Jaime Lyerly

8th Annual Customer Art Contest at DANIEL SMITH: Artists’ Materials – $1,500 Gift Certificate for the Winner!

Deadline is February 2010, so there is still lots of time for this opportunity. Check it out.

8th Annual Customer Art Contest at DANIEL SMITH: Artists’ Materials – $1,500 Gift Certificate for the Winner!

Posted using ShareThis

~ Jaime Lyerly

Still time to REGISTER for the Women's Caucus for Art/San Diego (WCA/SD) RETREAT for 2009!

There is still time to REGISTER for the 12th ANNUAL Women's Caucus for Art/San Diego (WCA/SD) RETREAT for 2009!

Here is all the information from the WCA/SD Retreat Coordinator Jen Bottoms:

The retreat offers a special time to make art, make new friends and reconnect with old friends.

WORKSHOPS INCLUDE:

THE FAMILY FIELD AND CONSTELLATIONS, group healing session with Ellen Benfatti
PORTRAIT PAINTING with Judith Burnett
ENCAUSTIC TECHNIQUE with Jaime Lyerly
(More details about the workshops below)

When: November 13, 14, 15, 2009

Where: Camp Stevens in Julian
1108 Highway 78
Julian, CA 92036
Phone: (760)765-0028
We will be staying in the new Wolterstorff Lodge.

Fee: A $135 (member), $155 (non-member) or $180 (retreat plus basic membership) fee covers registration, 2 nights and 5 meals (organically grown and prepared by Camp Stevens), and all workshop fees. Note: There might be a small materials fee.

Directions:
From San Diego: Take highway 67 to Ramona, then Highway 78 east to Julian. Camp Stevens is located 2 miles east of Julian on State Highway 78.
There is a “Camp Stevens” entrance sign on the left side of the highway exactly 2 miles from Julian.

REGISTER EARLY!
A deposit of $35 (refundable before November 6, 2009) is required to secure your reservation, and the full amount of $135, $155 or $180, is due at registration.

Registered participants will receive a detail map, a packing list, schedule, and other details via mail. Please let us know if you require a special diet, or have physical restrictions.

Note: There is no cell phone service.

Workshop Descriptions:
(A WCA/SD membership is NOT required to participate in the retreat)

The family field and constellations; group healing session with Ellen Benfatti
There is a “life force” that flows through families, generation after generation. This force is one, which relates family member’s to each other. This is part of the family field of consciousness. We call it the Family Soul. Ellen will be facilitating a healing session which works with the energetic patterns held within the family. Come ready to heal and restore balance to your body, mind, and soul. The time spent together during this workshop will most likely change your view of yourself, humanity, and your family in a way that fosters more love, compassion, health, and vitality.

Portrait Painting in oils with Judith Burnett
You will learn a basic portrait painting technique. You will learn how to pose your model in order to get a good likeness and a satisfying painting; what materials and colors you will need, and how to mix and apply your paint.

Encaustic painting with Jaime Lyerly
Encaustic is beeswax, damar resin and pigment applied to a surface hot and fused using heat. You will be learning the basic techniques of encaustic painting is this workshop. We will cover history, materials, substrates, tools and safety. We will explore layering, collage, incising, embedding, and transfers. There will be plenty of time for hands-on experimentation. Bring your own collage elements and get ready to try this “hot” way of painting. (see more of my encaustic work)

About Camp Stevens and WCA/SD retreat
We will stay in the new Wolterstorff Lodge, which is built from the ashes of the Bishop’s Lodge; destroyed in the “Angel Fire” in September 15, 2007. The lodge has 24 beds; 4 six person rooms with shared bath, and a meeting room with a fireplace. Outdoor Facilities include a tree house, outdoor chapel and other outdoor meeting and gathering spaces. Visitors can also enjoy a swim in the pool (seasonal), a stroll in the botanical garden, games on the lawns, basketball and volleyball, or an evening campfire.

For more information, or to register for the Retreat, contact Jen Bottoms at (619) 892-3429 or via email.

If you missed my encaustic workshop in Escondido, you can join me for this one! Hope to see you there.

Happy Art making! ~ Jaime Lyerly