Knitting: Blue Boxy

Last year at this time I bought myself the yarn to make a sweater. A little birthday gift to myself if you will. Last week after 10 months of working on said sweater, it is finally complete. This is only my second sweater I have ever made and it's very obvious that I am still learning the ropes. In the end, I feel since I'm the one wearing it, the mistakes don't matter. The yarn couldn't be any softer and the color is simply stunning. Now I just have to wait for this Vegas heat to cool down to really be able to enjoy it.

In the beginning...

Completed and drying

The pattern is called Boxy by Joji Locatelli and I created from Cephalopod Yarn's Skinny Bugga in Fluorescent Millipede.

Let There Be Light

Sorry, I got distracted from the task at hand to tell you all about my Switzerland trip. I have spent a lot of time since I've been home cleaning and purging my house. Summer vacation is usually when I do this, but having been inspired by how clean and clutter free Switzerland living is I needed a change. I reread the Apartment Therapy book by Maxwell Gillingham-Ryan "The Eight-Step Home Cure". Max made a great point when he stated "we are into hypernesting and that instead of asking ourselves what would really make our home work better, we usually jump to the conclusion that there must be something to buy to solve our home's challenges (flatter tv, closet storage unit, etc.)" The issue then is we continue to take more into our houses, but rarely does anything leave. I am a single person in a small condo. There is no reason it should be bursting at the seams with the amount of "stuff" I have. So I have been figuring out what I truly need and not hanging onto the things I "might" need.

Most of the house didn't take very long. The beast that I left for last was of course my studio. My friends mother passed away about a year ago and I recently adopted a ton of her art supplies. Fantastic, right?! Except for the fact that I was trying to down size. I would say it has taken approximately a week, many different renditions, and a lot of break throughs to get to this point.

The biggest break through I had this weekend was finally letting the light in. After all the years I have lived in my house, I have had box valances over the windows in my studio. They came with the condo when I bought it. I simply reupholstered them with new updated fabric and that was that. I kept them up as well as put up blackout drapes in an effort to keep the room cool. My studio bakes all day and is at least 5 degrees hotter than the rest of my place. This isn't pleasant to work in when I set the house at 82 degrees to save on AC over the summer. So there I am sweating in my cave of a studio. Yuck! No more I tell you! I decided to take the boxes down and what a difference it makes. The room glows! What about the heat? To regulate the temperature I have a fan in the doorway blowing cool air into the room and all is well.

With all this new found light pouring in it looks like a brand new studio! Where there is light, there is life! I immediately ran to the hardware store for shelves to cover with plants. I have been going through withdrawals from the greenery and vegetation I grew up with. Life can seem so desolate in this desert landscape I am trapped in. Breathing new life into my house and my studio has been so rejuvenating! It is the studio I have always wanted and been craving! So, without further ado, here is the new and improved studio!









I haven't taken down the L-brackets from the valances, because I was trying to figure out if I could use them to install hanging plants. I finally figured out what I want to redo the floor of my condo with. I have struggled to make up my mind until now. I just need to save up the money to do so. Aye, there's the rub!

Desert Cicada Work in Progress

With all the amazing feedback I have been receiving from my dioramas, I have been inspired to make more framed specimens. Cicadas have been on my brain a lot, as well as dragonflies. Shown above is the progress of some of the different stages of cicada creation this weekend. I've had a lot of fun experimenting with different materials and techniques when building this little guy.

First, I sketched out the entire cicada to make sure I had all the proportions right. Since I knew I was going to make the wings out of vellum, I had to figure out how to attach the wings while making it look natural. Deciding the best course of action for this was to make a back plate to sandwich the wings between. Before beginning the coloring process, I traced the veins of the wings onto the vellum with a sepia micron pen and set them aside for later. I have also found it faster to begin my projects by painting a gouache base coat of color before adding the color pencil details. After all the pieces are created I then fold, score, and curl the paper for a more realistic look. Finally, I glue it all together and mount it to a piece of bristol paper to frame.

I hope this helps answer questions, but doesn't dispel the magic of how I make my little creatures.

Weekend Project: Merriam's Kangaroo Rat

Been trying to complete the last few shadow box dioramas for the Springs Preserve this weekend. I am having the best time with my new little buddy. While looking through native wildlife of Nevada and Las Vegas, I came across the kangaroo rat. So beyond adorable! Although this is my first I don't think he'll be my last. These are so work in progress shots as he and his home are being created.

The kangaroo rat is made from a color pencil drawing and the environment is a combination of color pencil and gouache painting. I use a combination of bristol and water color paper to create my boxes. The paper not only handle the materials well, but is excellent for standing up to the abuse of the folding and bending. This is to create a more three dimensional life like look. 

Thanks for letting me share!

Elinya Shawl Pattern Completed

I've been incredibly sick this last week and haven't been able to stay awake for very long. Knitting in bed between naps and covered in cats has been the routine recently. I was able to complete the shawl yesterday and had to brag. I absolutely love it. I ran out of yarn for the picot bind off, but still delighted in how it turned out. The shawl has been wrapped around me ever since completion! It is so warm and comfy. The weather here has cooled off again so I have been able to enjoy wearing my new shawl. Thanks for letting me share.

Elinya Shawl

Shadow Box Dioramas at the Springs Preserve

Been working on gluing and constructing the dioramas I've been working on for months. As promised, I wanted to show you what I have been able to do so far today. Two more weeks till they are available at The Springs Preserve here is Las Vegas. They are being sold in their gift shop. EEK! No pressure!

Snips and Snails

They are constructed from color pencil drawings that I cut out and fold. The backgrounds are created from gouache paintings on thick watercolor paper. It has been fun to see the evolution as I experiment with different techniques. I hope you enjoy them!

Hummingbird with Hibiscus

Hummingbird with Red Yucca

Hummingbird Extravaganza!

So I went to the store last night to find half the frames were broken. This forced me to consider alternatives. I think I'm going to end up spray painting the black frames since they are too dark, but pleasantly surprised at how nice the white looks. Last night I had fun drawing Allen Hummingbirds. I think they are my new favorite. I just love their little face!

As soon as I am able to take a break from hummingbirds, I have been itching to draw some quail. I see them running around outside of my house and think they are the cutest. I can't help but smile when I see them scuttle by with their fleet of young.

So Many Commissions, So Little Time

I've been keeping busy with art commissions, school preparations, and a few knitting projects to help me unwind. I have five hummingbird shadow boxes to make for friends who have put orders in. I also have an order for ten more shadow boxes to be sold at the Springs Preserve in February. Not to mention three portraits I'm in the middle of. The holidays are coming up and I'm not quite sure what I am going to make or much less have time to make for my shop. In addition to all this, I'm also trying to get into some other galleries outside of Las Vegas. So much going on these days!

I wanted to share some 'in progress" shots of my latest projects.

Hummingbird and Hibiscus flowers: color pencil drawings for shadow boxes

Commissioned portrait 1 of 3

Sorry for the Hiatus

Hello again!

Sorry I haven't post in a while. If you ever feel I have fallen off the planet, I post most frequently on my Tumblr and Instagram sites. As to what I have been doing with myself since my last post, well...

After school ended I busied myself with painting a mural in our school's front lobby. This cut into my precious summer vacation by two weeks. Once that was wrapped up, I dove head first into cleansing and purging my house. I couldn't figure out how one person could have filled every inch on storage in the place. I needed to be able to breath again and to have room to grow. I made many a trip to Goodwill and to the dumpster. In essence I took back control of my house and of my life. My solo show, being plagued, and playing catch up effected my being able to properly take take of myself. After all that, I went out of town to visit with my folks. It ended up being the best birthday I've had in years.

Second oil painting ...ever!

I'm back and in the midst of the marathon of art making before I have to be back at school. I have a little less than two weeks left and the days are disappearing before my eyes. I have watched so many artists switching over to oil paints and decided months ago to buy a starter set, but hadn't the time to test it out till recently. The oil paints are Winsor and Newton and water soluble so there is no stinkiness or headaches. I love them! They are so buttery and creamy to work with. Still a lot to learn before perfecting them. I've been having problems with them drying out too fast while I'm painting. Dry summer heat in the desert probably isn't the best atmosphere to be painting anyhow. I've got commissions that I have been slowly working through and more piling up.

Example of a miniature shadow box soon to be available at The Springs Preserve gift shop.

The most recent excitement was art curator of the Springs Preserve touring my studio Monday. I'm honored to say that she has asked me to sell my work in the gift shop and has me in reserve for the next show. I have miniature shadow boxes to complete for January to sell there. So much to do!

All this on top of completing work for galleries and school projects galore!!!

Thank you for your continued support!

Sunday is for Spoiling Myself

I woke up this morning early enough the moon was still out in full force. I had made up my mind that I was going to have a full day of spoiling myself. What better way than to start with my morning coffee and some doodles. Sipping my coffee I began to work on some sketches and ideas for my next few projects. "Rooted in Wishful Thinking" has been the quote that has been echoing in my head for the last few days and has been the main focus of my sketches. I came up with a concept I liked enough to draw the outline of it to be colored in later.

"Rooted in Wishful Thinking"

It has been starting to get really hot here and I wanted to go for a bike ride before the sun was blazing. I gathered my things and headed out. I love running errands on my bike rather than driving in my car. It is much more freeing and relaxing somehow. I also had a lot of fun exploring some places I had never been. I reached the top of a mountain and sat back to catch my breath while listening to the trees hum with bees and the birds singing back and forth. My travels were nearing an end when my belly said I needed to refill. So I decided to treat myself to a picnic in a secluded little pocket of trees I found. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the quail while I sat in the cool grass eating my lunch.

"listening to the trees hum with bees and the birds singing back and forth"

I'm home now and ready to wash the dust off and take a nap. That will give me time to decide if I want to indulge in reading a book or finishing my drawing I started this morning. Who knows, maybe both?!

ACEOs on Sale

I have begun posting my ACEOs in my Big Cartel shop. I created a series of 20 and will be posting 5 at a time till they are all gone. They are all signed and numbered on the back.

Get them before they disappear forever!

Kismet: Artwork of Constance Stotzer

For all of those who couldn't make it to the show, I wanted to be able to post pictures for you to be able to check it out! Enjoy!

It was the most amazing experience to see so many of my friends and family come out to celebrate with me. I loved being able to spend quality time catching up with all of you! Thank you for believing in me! 

If you have the opportunity, please go and check it out in person! 

Kismet will be up till April 26th, 2013. 

Blackbird Studios

1551 S. Commerce Street Ste. A

Las Vegas, NV 89102

(702) 782-0319

The Backyard Wall Signing with Casey Weldon

At The Backyard Wall signing with Casey Weldon. 

Casey Weldon was asked to paint the largest painting he has ever made by a friend. During the signing party following Casey's signing of a smiley face, two people came out and painted over this masterpiece in white. It took 5 days to paint and was gone in a matter of minutes. 

I had the most amazing night celebrating art, making new friends and meeting such amazing artists as Matthew Couper, Mary Beth Heishman and Amy Sol. It was an honor being able to share this amazing night with my friend Su Limbert who is also an incredible artist! I have been floating through a wonderful dream the last few days and still in disbelief this is all a reality.

If you have a chance, please check out the work of these talented artists!

Preview Thursday Sales from Kismet

All these lovelies found new homes last night! Wahoo! Thank you!

Kismet: Artwork of Constance Stotzer Opening Weekend

I want to say thank you to all my friends and family who made it out to see my show and to all of you that have been so supportive of my efforts! I am truly humbled and grateful for all the love and support that you have shown me! Thank you so much for all the encouragement and heart felt messages!!!! Words can not express how much all of this means to me and how much you mean to me!

Thank you for giving me the confidence to continue moving forward and continue living my dream!!!

Warmest regards,

Constance

PS. More pictures to come of the First Friday activities today!

New Look for my Big Cartel Shop

I hope you can stop by and check out the new look for my Big Cartel shop! Very exciting things on the horizon! ACEO sale coming soon! Stay tuned for more information on that!

Society6.com Print Updates

I treated myself to a new scanner the other day and it is AWESOME! With my new capabilities I am slowly updating all my images. This means that I am slowly purging and cleaning up the images I offer through the Society6 website. Make sure to check in frequently, because they are always offering free shipping deals. Some of the current prints will no longer be offered after April. I will make sure to post last chance offers before taking them down.

Thanks for the support and for checking in.

Updating Portfolio Website

As I am making so much new work that is different from what I have done in the past, I am slowly updating all my websites. The website, Carbonmade.com,  I use to display my portfolio has been seeing some love recently. Please stop by and check it out!

Vine: Video App from iTunes

I decided to jump on the Vine video band wagon and joined this social media site. (Like so many other artists I've been seeing do it.) So often people are asking the "how" stuff is made in regards to my artwork and this gives a small peek into the life of an artist and can help answer the "how". Vine is an app offered on iTunes that is free. It offers you the opportunity to follow, like, and comment on the short videos people post.

If you're interested in seeing an example or want to follow me, click the picture below!

More videos coming soon!

It's Official!

My show was just listed on the Blackbird Studios' web site and calendar! Very exciting!