A Week of Painting

Very long time no see. Since my last posting we've bought a house and moved, became the Chair of the Art Department, and joined a new co-op gallery called Clay Glass Metal Stone. No stress.(please note the sarcasm). Anyhow, the last of the boxes are opening and shelves in the studio are being reassembled. My summer teaching is nearing the end, so overall life is pretty darn good.
This was a busy week of painting. Yesterday morning I did touch ups at Rooney's pub, this morning I touched up Slainte's, then looked at a space for a new Mexican Restaurant where I may be painting, and this Tuesday I will be painting at a big bash at the Cottage in Lake Worth.

Seemingly it is in conjunction with the Breakers on Palm Beach. A DJ from South Beach and MTV will be there and amongst it all will be me painting something red and abstract. At the end of the night the painting will be auctioned off for charity. If you are in the area and you intend on stopping by the Cottage please be sure and wear something red, Red Hot Summer Night is the theme.

On A Roll

Gad zooks, I have been down the last 4 days with a horrible cold/flu. I have been lying here in bed dying to get my hands into some clay. Anyhow, thought I would put up a picture of one of my recent sculptures. Luckily enough I have been selling a lot of my work. The teapot in the previous entry sold. Which is great. The photo that accompanies this entry is a piece that sold in an exhibition at Eaton Fine Art in West Palm Beach. The piece is called Happy Girl. The proceeds for this piece were donated to a scholarship fund. Hopefully enabling a Happy Girl or Boy to afford school tuition.

Lots of new work to come. Laying here for 4 days unable to move, while the brain was dreaming up all sorts of crazy things.

Up Coming Show- Food For Thought

Just a quick entry to let you know about the Food For Thought Show at the PBCC Eissey Campus Art Gallery. February 24 - March 27.

The opening is Tuesday February 24 from 5- 8 pm. There will be food, drink and conversation. Hope to see you there. My piece Serving Up Memories just so happens to be on the invitation.

Vixie Chix

After a whole lot of pondering we finally have a product name for my clay figures: Vixie Chix. The people most near and dear refer to me as Vix, Vixter, or Vixie (my mom calls me Vixie). So, combine that with my female figures and voila! Before I did anything else I did an internet search to see if the domain names were available and luckily they were.

If you are not familiar with the process of building a website, you need a domain name. That is you internet address such as VictoriaRoseMartin.com. So I went to GoDaddy.com and checked for availability. Another good rule of thumb when you are buying a domain name, consider buying a variation as well. I bought VixieChix and VixieChicks. That way if someone isn't sure of the spelling if they try either or they still find my site.

The new site is in development. My goal is to design a site that is totally off the wall.(would you expect anything else from me??) My goal is to create a lot of animations and tell stories about the Vixie Chix. Sort of a wacko story book online.

The sculpture that accompanies this entry is called Swim for Shore. It is a tea pot and will be part of the Mad Hatter Tea Pot Show at the Armory Art Center in West Palm Beach. Have a fun day!

New Project Released

My dear friend Margaret Ann Lembo has just released another meditation cd called Think Good Thoughts. My incredibly talented husband Jody Pollard did the all of the studio recording, mixing, and created the background music that accompanies Margaret's spoken word. While I created the artwork and did the graphic design layout for the cd.

As Margaret was writing the script for the cd she said butterfly was dancing past her window which is why the cover features an image of a butterfly.The butterfly is also a metaphor for transformation which is hopefully what will occur after listening to the cd.

The sound is crisp and clear and Margaret's words are inspirational. You can purchase the cd at the Crystal Garden in Boynton Beach and at Whole Foods in South Florida.

Mitchell Hedges Crystal Skull

Last night I attended a function at the Boynton Beach Women's Club where they hosted the Mitchell-Hedges Crystal Skull.If you aren't familiar with the skull it is a clear quartz crystal sculpture the size and shape of a human skull estimated to be as much as 120 centuries old. Known as the Mitchell-Hedges Skull, after the name of its discoverer, it is an object of fantastic sculptural perfection. No other quartz crystal sculpture approaches its quality; even the British Museum’s crystal skull, discovered in Mexico in 1889, is classed as a “rough cut” in comparison.(I got to see the British Museum skull last summer.) This skull was so clear and I was amazed to see the jaw is hinged.

Jody did the sound for the event so I got to slip onto stage and get a picture with the skull. I was sort of afraid to get too close. Can you imagine bumping the table and knocking it over? I could, which is why I am so far away from the table.

The highlight of the night had to be when the man who owns the skull arrived. I was checking people in at the door and he gave me his name, and it wasn't on the list. He said "they called me and asked me to come". I said they called you and your name isn't on the list? Then I noticed he was carrying a big silver box with a huge padlock. Oops! Yes, sir right this way!

You can see my friend Margaret in the background of this picture. She is the owner of the Crystal Garden and a lovely person (she hosted the event). Big thanks to Margaret.

New Platter and Centerpiece

Here is a new sculpture titled Serving up Memories. It is made of ceramic and an antique rollerskate. The work was made specifically for the platter show at PBCC.(where I teach)

There are 4 platters and a centerpiece.
The platters are decorated to look like pavement, complete with hopscotch and zebra stripes. It speaks of childhood days spent playing outside until you were called to dinner.

I have to build a few demo pieces for a workshop I will be giving at the Ceramic League of the Palm Beaches at the Craft Gallery. Watch for those images soon!