Prayer Flag Challenge

January Artists’ Challenge:  Create a prayer flag symbolizing your hopes, wishes or dreams for the new year.  We will collect them for January 7, First Friday, and string them together around the gallery.  Sign up below and select a piece of fabric.  Decorate the fabric with whatever medium you wish.  If desired, include on the flag a word that describes your prayer.  Print your name on the flag so we know it’s yours and drop your flag off at the studio.  You can leave your flag in our mailbox just to the right of door 209 during business hours or drop off during First Friday, January 7.

“A prayer flag is a colorful panel or rectangular cloth often found strung along mountain ridges and peaks high in the Himalayas to bless the surrounding countryside. . .Traditionally, prayer flags are used to promote peace, compassion, strength, and wisdom. . .the Tibetan believe the prayers and mantras will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion (to) all.”     

                      Wikipedia.com

Shop! December 11

We'll be hosting our Third and largest Shop! Modern Holiday Gift Fair. This one will be a full house with lots of great Locally Handmade Gifts for you to choose from.
Parking is free on weekends downtown (street meters), all the local businesses have great gift choices

bracelet by Kim Royce

too. This Saturday looks like a great day to finish your Holiday shopping downtown.  
Here are a few items that our Studio artists have made recently.  There are also a variety of other artists selling with tomorrow-Come on up and Shop!
 OPEN 10-5 tomorrow.

flower by Bull's Eye Studio

wallet by Circulo Design

earrings by Free Spirit Sioux

Pin by Circulo Studio

more bracelets by Kim Royce

original art by Darla Myers Art

pendant by 3 Dog Designs

business card holder by Bull's Eye Studio

bottle stoppers by Bull's Eye Studio

frames and mirror by Erin Osinkosky

*

First Fridays-Part Two

Each First Friday is unique at Upstairs Studio-every month there are new things to admire. December we hosted a young and talented Anchorage Artist-Jade Ariah. She showed her whimsical watercolors and acrylics as well as some wearable art in the form of silk scarves. If you missed her at the Studio-be sure and look for her name and she is planning more shows at other venues around Anchorage. We were proud to be her first choice for her debut Art Show-thanks Jade.

Amy Lou Hettinger performed-she has a great voice, certainly another Anchorage talent to make it a point to listen too. She debuted her first CD this summer, "of roots and of wings".  Find out more about her and listen to some clips at  Amy Lou Music

 

The Studio Artists have been busy creating, painting and generally making very great artsy items. You can find fused glass  and leather jewelry and other  functional items by 3 Dog Designs/Julie Rabung.

Circulo Design/Zaynab Falconer has an assortment of leather pins, felted items and some encaustic paintings in her recent works. Kim Royce is continually adding to her designs in precious metal clay jewelry.  Erin Osinkosky has been reclaiming frames-she is currently adding mirrors inside to make some truly one of a kind mirrors, she also has a new puppet set "The Devils Red Shoes". Sioux Blackledge is always painting-her show included watercolors of Alaskan scenes in vibrant happy colors, as well as her prints and jewelry. Bull's Eye Studio/Katie Way has been selling her polymer clay plug covers literally off our walls-we can not keep our plugs covered. She also has functional kitchen tools, business card holders,  and jewelry. Darla Myers displayed some new larger works of Fall Trees in Encaustic and Oil, along with greeting cards and small print plaques and some smaller original paintings.

 

We also kicked off our next Artist Challenge-"Prayer Flags". They will be displayed on January 7 at our First Friday Open House.

Artist’s Challenge:  Create a prayer flag—a symbol of your hopes, wishes or prayers for yourself or others for the new year.   If you wish, include a word or phrase describing your prayer.  Write your name on the flag so we know it’s yours.  Drop it by the studio through the door mail slot anytime or bring it in on January 7, 2011.

Questions? Want a flag to create?  Contact Erin at prayer flag information for more information.

"Grow" prayer flag.

First Fridays-Part One

First Fridays are always a great event at Upstairs Studio. Encouraged by the success of our first "Artist Challenge", we launched a second one- "Prayer Flags"-if you didn't get one on First Friday at the Gallery, check back on the blog later this week as there will be more information about the Project and how you can be included. Don't be put off by the "Challenge" part of these-it's really meant to mean a personal creativity challenge to those who choose to participate-not a challenge of whose turns out best! Last months skull challenge for Dia de los Muertos was a great display of creativity and individuality.

Some other scenes from November First Friday:

Paintings by Marlee Mitchell-

Sioux Blackledge-Free Spirit Sioux

 

Gallery view-

Now that we're caught up-ah- Part Two will focus on our most recent First Friday, stay tuned.

Happy Birthday and First Friday, Dec 3

Upstairs Studio will be celebrating our first Birthday this Friday, Dec 3. Come help us celebrate a year of creativity and great First Fridays at the Gallery.  If you haven't been up before-it's time!
 

We will also be joined by Jade Ariah, watercolor artist. She will be showing her whimsical, playful watercolor Art.

Amy Hettinger, an Anchorage singer/songwriter will be performing from 5:30-7:30. You can find out more about her at http://www.amyloumusic.com/

Besides all the above the Studio Artists have been busy creating and you can find some great local made Artistic gifts and buy directly from the Artist.
It looks like a great First Friday all around in Downtown Anchorage, so come on up!

We're open this Saturday-November 20

Shop!

We'll be open for some early bird Holiday Shopping again this Saturday from 10-5. If the hustle and bustle at the Dena'ina Center Art and Craft Emporium as too much for you-then walk up G street and shop a bit at Upstairs Studio! We'll have an intimate gathering of local Crafters and Artists selling their Modern Handmade Gifts at the Studio.

In addition to our Upstairs Studio Artists we will be joined this Saturday by Myler Almandinger,  Marie Polito and Dallas Wildeve.  

Myler Almandinger is bringing her exotic woven and knitted Quiviut items along with many other felted knit items. She has mittens, slippers and more. Given our recent weather-her goods may need to be given as early gifts !  They are warm, stylish and functional in our Arctic North.

 

 

Marie Polito of Saucy Kitchen Coveralls will have her reclaimed denim coverall wearables. (I'm hoping I can talk her into an Artist Apron design for myself.) She pairs some fun fabrics and designs into her skirts aprons and more.

Dallas Wildeve, ( you may remember  her stiched tyvek art showing at a recent First Friday with us) will have her jewelry made from salvaged plastic pipe, paper and more. She has away with using an unexpected combination or overlooked or scrapped items and turning them into  wearable art. I'm sure she'll have a showing of completely unique and one of a kind gifts for a friend or yourself.

Some of our Studio Artists have also been busy making new items for the Holiday Shopping season. I encourage you to stop by this Saturday and say hi-you'll have a chance to Shop!, meet great Artists and Crafters and spend some time in our unique Gallery Space without the distraction of First Friday crowds. We will also be open December 11 and 18-with a different mix of Artists and Crafters selling. Each Saturday will be different-so you could make them all and find new items and Artists each time.

Come on up!

Shop!

Tomorrow Nov 13 is your first chance to Shop! @ Upstairs Studio. We will be open from 10-5, just in time for you to find some great newly made gifts. Get out before the holiday crowds, you'll be rewarded with first pick of Modern Arts and Craft. Street parking is free downtown on Saturdays too.
How many more reasons do you need to come up the stairs and Shop? We have a couple guests selling with us:

Marie Polito-Saucy Kitchen Coveralls
Joanne Crow- Glass Alaska

Not to mention that our Studio Artists have been busy creating new items.
Come on Up!

Dia de los Muertos comes to First Friday

We are welcoming our special guests this month-Government Hill 6th Grade class. They are learning about Dia de los Muertos and are bringing their projects to the studio. Katie WayArtist and Mom has been helping them with their project and it has been a lot of fun for her.

 Miniature plaster sculptures.

Painting a sugar skull

Cool skeleton piece

Tray of sugar skulls

It will certainly be fun to see what they bring and experience all that young creativity. Great to nurture some budding artists at the Studio.

On the home front-it is the typical busy week before First Friday, with the extra fun of the Artist Skull Challenge.  The skull challenge morphed from a challenge to make some Dia de los Muertos related art to Erin making plaster paper mache skulls for Studio and Community artists who wanted to decorate a skull.  It has been quite fun and a great way to get other artists involved. The skulls will be on display  and some for sale this First Friday at the Studio. We are starting to plan our next Artist Challenge-so stay tuned for the reveal soon.

Amidst this preparation for First Friday, there are also goods being made for our Saturday shopping days "Shop!"-we will be open Nov 13, 20 and December 11 and 19 for extra Holiday shopping time. So if First Friday is too much or you want to take advantage of downtown Anchorage shopping and free parking-be sure to choose one of these Saturdays and come up the stairs to see us. We will have some other Modern Crafters selling with us-each day different Artists.

Erin has been busy puppet making, carving and painting. She plans to have a new puppet on display, if you have not seen her puppets yet-they are hard to describe-each one is very individual, hand sculpted head/faces and hands and feet-truly unique quirky beings. 

.

Good Gifts Coming Down With Light, drawing by Erin with reclaimed frame, hand carved and painted

 

Day of the Dead Skull, by Erin Osinkosky

Shop!

If you have a bit of procrastinator in you and still want to participate as a Seller at one or two (or all) of our Shop! dates-we are still taking applications-get yours in and come sell with us!

Out and About in Anchorage

Last week I took an encaustic workshop at Sheary Clough Suiters encaustic studio. This was the first time she had a guest artist teaching. Janet Hickok (of Doriolas) was the guest instructor and the focus of the class was on landscape painting. I got wrapped up in my one painting and focused solely on it, having fully intended to do two paintings. It was good to slow down and learn some new approaches with encaustic painting.

Sunlit Scotland 11x14

They are offering another class next weekend which filled immediately-I delayed my response by a day and missed out on it. Sheary has promised more in the future. She also teaches her intro and ongoing encaustic painting workshops on a regular basis. They are very popular also-for more information visit Sheary's web site:

Back Door Designs

There is information about encaustics-if you want to know what this is I'm writing about and  also information about her Encaustic Studio and workshops.

If you haven't been to Doriolas-get there soon and check out the yummy breakfasts and lunches. Janet is also starting to offer some cooking classes, she's a multi-talented lady!

Janet currently is displaying/selling  her own amazing encaustic paintings, and on Nov 5 will be showcasing  "Fused"-our Alaska Chapter of International Encaustic Artists group show. Opening will be from 5-8, so plan on stopping there on your way to or from Upstairs Studio and downtown!

 

New Encaustic (waiting to be named) 24 x 24

will be on display this next First Friday (Nov 5) at Upstairs Studio

Happy Creating-Darla