WineTober

Yes, it is time once again for Llano Estacado Winery's Annual Grape Day. This year will be the 20th Annual Celebration of the Grape! I have personally attended this happening every year and have watched the celebration grow right along with this Winery. For the past two years, I have been invited to display as a vendor during the affair. I have worked hard this year to create a series of commemorative Grape Day earrings in a variety of colors and styles. 

I hope all come out for this exciting event.

Saturday, October 19, 2013

10 am - 5 pm

Llano Estacado Winery

3.2 Miles east of US 82 on FM 1585

~Barbra

Friday Happenings

For the September First Friday Art Trail, the Llano Estacado Clay Guild will be hosting their annual Trunk Sale! The parking lot of Clay Studio (red brick building) on the LHUCA (511 Ave K) campus will be our playground. Many will display their goods on a blanket on the ground. But I will be displaying in the truest sense of the event... on the trunk of my car.

Half off sale

Earrings will be available for as low as $5 and up to $12!!! Time to clear out for new fall stock. Studio Tour is in November so I have been working like mad in my studio to get ready for the event. I have been cleaning and rearranging as I go so the Trunk Sale came at the perfect time to clean house. At this rate, I may have a painting or two on display, too. How about a few necklaces thrown in for contrast... 

Hope to see you there!

~Barbra

"Sit a Spell" in Post, Texas

The Caprock Cultural Association of Post, Texas is happy to sponsor the 1st Annual "Sit a Spell in Post" from August thru October 2013. This outdoor art exhibit is located along Main Street in Post and it features 15 original works of art. Each artist was invited to transform a wooden chair into an imaginative work of art with their personal interpretation of the spirit of Post and Garza County.

Local artists Carol Koenig, Slaton, and Kathryn Millis Flanagan of Wolfforth, each presented their chair to the Association for viewing on August 1, 2013 at an Artist Reception held at The Heritage House in Post, Texas.

"A rugged, metal pump jack in the foreground of this mixed media design pays tribute to the oil industry of Garza County as whimsical stars shine down on the Caprock." ~ Koenig

"Like prickly pear cactus, the spirit of the people who live here will forever bloom with the slightest encouragement." ~ Flanagan

After much discussion among the artists about the trials and errors, both Carol and Kathryn said they would do it all over again. It was an exercise of the mind and heart to design and execute the design on a 3-D object. Maybe next year's exhibit will be bigger and better. So take a few moments and wonder down to Post, Texas. Drive the Main Street to see the outdoor exhibit. Here was just a sampling of the fifteen chairs on display...but they will be there for only a limited time!

 

Are you Jealous?

The Slaton Car Show was a great success. They had the biggest turn out. The Square was humming. We had traffic all day into the Gallery. We had peeps stop by to Design Their Own T-shirts. Here are a few pictures:

 

 

This was designed by Isaiah. He went with the western theme.

 

Here is a picture showing two shirts, I'm wearing one...with flowers and a birdie. And Judy and I are admiring another shirt with birds and flowers.

 

So are you jealous? Do you feel you missed out on designing your own super cool t-shirt? Stop by Multiplicity Art Gallery or contact me about making your own t-shirt!

 

Check out MySlaton.Com to see more pictures from the Car Show and all the happenings.

Saturday

This Saturday is the Classic Car Club's Annual Car Show in Slaton. The Square will be alive with cars and vendors and food and fun.

Multiplicity Art Gallery will be joining in the fun. There will be an art sidewalk show featuring the works of Jennifer Greer and Rick Harris. Barbra Beller and Judy Connell Robertson will be conducting a "Design you Own" T-shirt workshop. Multiplicity Art Gallery will feature special Festival hours and open at 10 am. We will stay open all day. Stop by for a eyeful of art, create your own t-shirt, and come see what's new.

Multiplicity Art Gallery
157 S. 9th
Slaton, Texas
10 am - 5 pm

Packing Up the Goods

Today I will be packing up the car for the show this weekend. Wine & Clay will be the first big show I have done this year. I participated in a few small events, restocked the Gallery, and dressed the window. This will be the unveiling of the newest of new work. I work around in the studio piecemeal. I make a pile of earrings. Then the next time I make and sign all the earring cards. Then I put the two together and pack them away. Some days it is necklaces that get made. Some days it is all I can do to clean a spot off to work. I have so many different kinds of projects going right now, I have work stations around the studio all piled high with pieces and parts and half-finished ideas.

Here is a look at the metalsmithing bench. As you can see, metal piled high. Tools scattered. Completed bits and pieces. And a few square inches to work. Oh, and even a receipt from Rio Grande to remind me how much I spent on that sterling silver!! But in the midst of the chaos is the  most important corner in my studio, the lounging corner complete with rocking chair and day bed. Sometimes I just need a moment to get away from it all. So a couple sips of iced tea while rocking in the chair, good as new.

Here are some finished pieces that came to the surface and are ready to move to the staging area to be prepped and packaged. This is the point at which I need to start taking pictures. That is the new goal. Photo ready area so I can segue from finished product to photo gallery to packaging. I just get so excited to see the finished pieces and want them ready to go, I just forget to get pics.

 

We had devastating thunderstorms last night so now I have to go outside and view the carnage of the yard. Maybe I'll practice my picture taking.

 

~Barbra

 

It's Official!

Wine & Clay Festival

Llano Estacado Clay Guild together with

Llano Estacado Winery

presents

 

16th Annual

Wine and Clay Festival

at

Llano Winery

3426 E. FM 1585

 

Saturday, June 8, 2013 10 am - 5 pm

Sunday, June 9, 2013 noon - 5 pm

 

New artists, new food vendors

more wine, clay, wood, metal, and art than ever!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 

I have been slaving away in the studio getting ready for this event. All new jewelry is priced and packaged. I am so excited about some of the new copper pieces I have. They have been patiently waiting in their show box to see the light of day.

 

This week will be dedicated to transport and set up for the big event. We have a very short window of opportunity to set up our displays so we don't disturb the regular business at the Winery. I love doing events at Llano. The staff is great. The patrons love the atmosphere. Our art looks awesome throughout the facility. We get to set up among the chilled vats so it is a perfect spot to be on a hot Texas spring day.

 

This year will feature several new artists to the event and some new food vendors. The Styria Bakery II from Colorado will be selling their fantastic artisan bread. Here is a link to see what they have in store for us. http://www.styriabakerybread.com/html/products.html  They have participated in the Lubbock Arts Festival for the past several years so locals have come to anticipate their arrival and love their products. Here is a second opportunity to stock the freezer with one of kind baked breads. My personal favorite is the...

 

 Lemon Mint
 White Chocolate

A soft moist lemon bread with White chocolate chips and fresh mint. 

 

Check back this week for some preview pictures...

 

~Barbra

May 31st

5th Friday on the Square in Slaton, Texas

May 31, 2013

Multiplicity Art Gallery

157 S.9th Street

6 - 9 pm

 

Celebrate Multiplicity's ONE Year Anniversary

Food, wine, cake,

art and gift certificate drawings all evening long

 

Take time to explore the many merchants on the Square

Slaton Bakery, Junk Queens, TownSquare Antique Mall

and many art galleries

:::::::::::::::::::

 

I got to dress the front window of the gallery for June. It is a display of my art jewelry. After watching this season's guilty pleasure, PBS's Mr Selfridge, I have just been dying to do some window dressing. Henri and Agnus make it look like such fun. Since I left the world of retail, I don't get to do much merchandising and arranging. My art gallery pals and I have been sharing a booth at the Antique Mall in Slaton to drive some traffic over to the gallery. I got to do the arranging in April and had a blast. So the gallery window was just a continuation.

 

I got some new items finished that I included in the display. I am still working on my man jewelry line. I am bound and determined to make some manly man jewelry. Lance has been my new hope of inspiration. But masculine aesthetics it so far outside my box. Everything I make turns out to be so fine and delicate despite my efforts to use heavier materials and manly iconigraphy. But each piece does get a little better. Lance is modeling two new creations in the window. One he likes, the other - not so much. That's ok. Everyone has their own style and taste. But I am always looking for volunteers to try out prototypes and give me their opinions. Let me know what you think.

Yes, I'm Still Here...

I have been so busy in and out of the studio this spring, I have neglected my blogging. Have had four successful copper earring workshops. This month's workshop is this Saturday, May 18, 2013 at Multiplicity Art Gallery, 157 S.9th Street, Slaton, Texas, 2 pm. The Gallery has a new teal strip along the awning so you can't miss it.

My new obsession is Pinterest. Thanks, Annette for starting me down the path of pinning nonstop! Love to browse and see what everyone else is creating. I never seem to take pics of my jewelry to show and share. I sell it faster than I can catalog it. I am thinking I need to streamline my studio so I take a picture before I card and sign each pair.

As soon as I can figure out how to include a Pin to link to my Pinterest page, I will do that. Meanwhile, I am pinning as bstreet studios. Follow along as I scour the web for re-purposing projects, funny animal pics, how-tos for home and work, and of course lots and lots of jewelry. I am also a serious foody, so I have several boards dedicated to recipes. Some day, I plan to make them all, but for now, I can look at the pictures and drool.

The next big event coming up is Llano Estacado Clay Guild's annual Wine and Clay Festival at Llano Winery. It is just around the corner. The dates are set for June 8 & 9, 2013. We are making the final arrangements to host an awesome event this year. We will have some new artists and food vendors. Mark your calendars now and plan to come out have some wine, eat some food, and buy stunning art.

The June Earring Workshop will be June 22, 2013. There have been requests for copper pendants to go with all the copper earrings and more etching. So I am making plans for the summer and fall classes to include all that and more. Maybe some painting and/or mixed media...

Challenge: Resin Bubbles

So the readers of Lorelei's Blog (http://lorelei1141.blogspot.com/) were issued a challenge...create something with these resin bubble slider bars available at Michael's Craft Stores in teal or purple. I accepted the challenge for several different reasons. I don't use slider bars, I don't do resin, and I wanted to stretch my artistic muscles in a new direction. With that in mind, I started with one package of the purple bubbles but eventually returned to Michael's and used my handy dandy coupons to purchase more purple and a package of the teal.

I completed four necklaces for the deadline of this challenge...but have so many more designs that I did not finish...I can't wait to get back to work!!

I am not the best blogger, or should I say, not the most regular blogger. I have also found I am not the best photographer when it comes to my jewelry. Many times I sell it faster than I can take pictures of it. My goal for this year was to have a bigger web presence...Pinterest, etsy, better blog, website. But I am finding that the photo issue is stalling my efforts to move forward. I feel that poor photography has hampered the magnificence of my completed resin bubble projects. So just know, blog hoppers, all four necklaces are spectacular in person. But I guess you will just have to take my word on that. I invite you to stay to the end despite the deteriorating photos.

First Up: Purple

The first pic is hanging on my mannequin so you can see the drape of the beads and such. The next two I think show the color combinations in a better light. I used the slider bar as base to display a variety of purple and pink beads at varying lengths. It is suspended on a plain gold chain.

In my work, I use natural materials...glass, wood, stone, metal...so starting with the resin piece was a big step outside my box.

Purple Project #2:

Step number two for working outside the box was to go asymmetrical. I had these totally awesome faceted purple amethyst beads that I thought echoed the color and texture of the resin bubbles. I added some big gold ovals, purple cotton cord, a reclaimed gold chain, and a single gold flower button as an accent. Although I was going for some asymmetry, I created this necklace with the resin bubbles as a straight line anchor. Getting closer to busting out of the box!

Now on to the Teal...

Finally used the slider bar as part of the line of the necklace instead of being the star or the anchor. I used hammered gold circles, a hammered toggle, a line of sparkly teal and gold beads all mixed with teal ribbon and rat tail satin cord to set off the felted blue butterfly. Asymmetry takes flight.

Teal Project #2

Here is where the photos took a turn for the worst. I am going to try and re-do them so you can see the actual component you stopped by to see.

I used the light teal rat tail satin cord to suspend the main attraction. I found these great gold butterfly buttons to march up the side interspersed with hammered discs. I once again used the slider bar as a part of the overall flow instead of using it as the focal. The star of this show is the reclaimed cloisonne earring with the teal butterfly. I was amazed that the color matched so well.

I am not totally done with this component or what it can teach me. I will go back and try to use the slider bar in a bracelet design...or in a multilayer necklace...or oohh, oohhh, ooohhh, how about stacked together as a large focal. The ideas are endless. I can't wait to see what you all did with the same unassuming component.

I hope you all enjoyed my stop here on the resin bubble slider bar challenge. Thanks to our hostess Lorelei for putting forth the project idea and making it possible for us all to join in the fun. Thanks for a great time...and some brain strain. I look forward to the next challenge and what we all can do with it.

Here is a list of the other blog hoppers!


Lola

Denise McCabe

Mustard Bead

A Polymer Penchant

Pearl and Pebble

Peacock Fairy

Beads for Busy Gals

Dawn Williams

Shirley Moore

B Street Studios

Sally Russick

Pamela770

Erin Prais-Hintz

Heather Powers

MirandAck

Lily

Karen Firnberg

Tanya

Mary

Rosebud101

Ann

Toltec Jewels

Micha

Terri

This and That

Second copper earring workshop was just as successful and fun as the first one. I had a few repeat participants and a few new ones. I was so excited to see the different designs and color choices. Everyone left with a completed pair of earrings and no two pairs looked the same. I can't wait for next month, April 27, 2013!! Please call or email me if you would like to join in the fun. Space is already filling up quickly for April's workshop.

Participating in a blog hop for the first time this week. One of the blogs I regularly read posted a challenge using a component from Michael's, one of my regular haunts. I purchased just one set but have had so much fun I am thinking of heading out to get the other color to see what other creations I can make before the big reveal on Friday.

5th Friday on the Square is this week in Slaton, Texas. I will be at Multiplicity Art Gallery all evening pouring wine, talking art, and laughing it up with all that come to visit. Please stop in to say hi, try on some earrings, and enjoy the view.

Don't forget to stop in at the Town Square Antique Mall in Slaton to see what the artists of Multiplicity Art Gallery have been doing. We all have a love of re-purposing and needed a place to show our wares. There is furniture, wall art, clocks, fiber art, knickknacks...you name it, we have it. Our booth is the back corner. You can't miss it with the purple walls!

Have not taken many new pictures lately so I hope this one is not a repeat. I get a lot of comments about this pair of earrings...but somehow they are still on display at the Gallery. Which is actually fine by me because one of these days, I am just going to snag them for myself.

The objet d'art in the background is a copper and brass pin, or brooch as my college professor called them, I framed. That is a new thing I started doing so I can display jewelry without fear of it walking out the door. It is easy to hang on the wall, too, for different display options. I know some people actually show their hand-crafted art jewelry just like it was wall art, something to be admired and not hidden away in the jewelry box.

 

5th Friday on the Square

Friday, March 29, 2013

Slaton, Texas

Multiplicity Art Gallery

157 S. 9th Street

6 pm to 9 pm

 

Look Around Lubbock with FoxNews 34

Life has been busier than ever.

But wanted to share this little bit of fun.

The Features Reporter, Brittany Price, at our local FoxNews station asked me to do a whole morning of segments. So last Thursday at the crack of before dawn, we set up the camera and lights at Multiplicity Art Gallery in Slaton, Texas to film live six segments about me and my art work. The of the segment links is below for your viewing pleasure. I had asked Brittany if she wanted to bring me a few pieces of unused jewelry. She sent out an email to the office and gathered up a bag full of bits and pieces. In this segment, you will see what I made with the scraps from her bag of goodies. I sent with her back to the office the five pairs of earrings seen on the table. She said she took the black pair and the office ladies divided up the rest. It was a lot of fun spending time with her and her camera man Nick.

Look Around Lubbock: Recycling junk into jewelry

Working the Web

I have been neglecting my blogging in order to work some other aspects of the web. I am trying to get an esty store up and running. I have been exploring the world of Pinterest. Researching the best way to get a website active has been on the to do list. But real world stuff keeps getting in the way, like earning money!

I conducted my first copper earring workshop this past weekend. It was fabulous! Everyone left with a pair of completed earrings, most wore their own hand-crafted earrings home. I was so happy with the results. Thanks to everyone who came and added to the experience. Looking forward to next month's project and more awesome results.

In my blog reading, one blogger mentioned PicMonkey as a cool photo editing service. So I played around with it. Here is the result. (not very exciting, is it?)

I took this picture with my camera phone. I did very little editing with PicMonkey just because I had already gotten a really tight pic. But can't wait to try again and utilize the really cool effects. As part of the editing process, you can upload your pic directly to social media. Since the only social media things I do is Pinterest, this pic got sent to my Pinterest account: bstreet studios. So if you are here as a result of my Pin, thanks for stopping by. If you are interested in purchasing the earrings pictured, below is the Buy it Now button. They are $30.00 with free shipping. The Buy It button will take you to PayPal. Please make sure your address is included in the comments section. I will email you when they are in the mail.

New Year, New Events

For the first post of 2013, I am announcing a string of events at which I will be participating. First up is FirstFridayArtTrail. The Llano Estacado Clay Guild will be represented at McPherson Cellars located at 1615 Texas Ave, Lubbock, Texas. It is at the corner of 17th and Texas. There will be many different artists and styles of art from clay to glass to jewelry to collage.

Friday, February 1, 2013

McPherson Cellars

1615 Texas Ave.

Lubbock, TX

6 pm - 9 pm

 

 

Event #2 My Copper Earring Workshop. That's right. I will be hosting a series of workshops this year at Multiplicity Gallery, Slaton, Texas. Each workshop will feature a different pair of hand-crafted copper earrings so each one is a stand alone class. You can pick and choose which workshop to attend and leave with a pair of artisan earrings. I will provide at the tools and materials necessary. You will provide the muscle. The first session is Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 2 pm. Please feel free to contact me via phone or email (bjbeller@hotmail.com) to sign up or call the Multiplicity Gallery. You can leave me a comment, too. Class is filling up fast, but I will always make room for you!

 

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Multiplicity Gallery

157 S. 9th

Slaton, Texas

2 pm

 

Stayed tuned for more events and activities!