Sunday at Railroad Square!

Another woodland house workshop complete, but I'm too behind to post photos yet. I just booked a november workshop at the Rose school in Berkeley so Im not certain when the winter workshop will be. Perhaps early December. Meanwhile put on your steampunk, Victorian vaudeville best and come on down to Railroad square this Sunday 11-3.
btw- if you want to know what the small print at the bottom says you have to come to the show.

Overlaping Shows and Workshop Deals

first of all a
Special Workshop Offer!!
sign up one child for september 19th Woodland house workshop, sign up second sibling for half off!

I hung up the solo show at daredevils and Queens in Railroad square amidst dye jobs flashing aluminum foil glares on my paintings and the warm sound of blow dryers. It was a challenging space- with only one spot in each space between mirrors on the fabulous cement walls, and a dry wall white holey nightmare on the other side. But it came together. I even have Inside Out House glowing in the hair washing room straightto the back. So go on by if you can and wander through, or get a cool punk rock hair do while studying Sid Vicious with a steller jay head. And join me for the opening, during the Hand Car regatta, 11-3 on Sept. 26th.
Orrrr, gentle Reader, if you miss it, come visit the Animeople paintings that will be marched over to Periscope gallery in the East Bay, for the Animal Pop show, opening October 1st!
busy busy busy bee me.
and until I get over to D and Q and price everything and take pics, here is a visual for you -Phineas making salsa with me...

New Woodland House Building Workshop Date

I have a whole slew of new materials- enough stump/floor circles to last a year(Thanks to my awesome father and his 'best friend'- his chain saw) and some fun items I gathered in Portland. So sign up now! Hope you can make it.

Woodland House Workshop at Mayacama

July Fairy House Workshop

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Some of the finished houses. Always so fun to see others creations. One boy devised a window with a curtain in a turret that was fabulous. Another house looked almost Eastern, another choose great fabric combination's and another house has a wonderful play with a simple color palette.
Before we started- here are some of the materials- now almost all gone. I need to prep for my August show so no workshop in August. If you want to sign up write me now to reserve your place for a Sunday in September- probably the 11th or 18th...or if there are enough people- both!

Pictures from The Latest Fairy House Workshop

Someone actually got a picture of me. I'm helping one of the girls make a swing. Can you believe it, kind reader, ten ladies and 12 kids?! And yet- not chaotic. It was at Berkeley Rose school. A Waldorf school in Berkeley hills. My first workshop away from home, it was a lovely 1905 building, very very homey. I lowered the price a bit- 50-60 sliding scale, and made it a potluck lunch. I also simplified the process so that it is in fact possible to finish a house in four hours. woo-hoo! Everyone in this group did fabulously- they were particularly wonderful at listening to their childrens choices and working as a team. And such inventive houses- with bark slides and ladders and swings, little nooks and crow nests with soft moss carpeting. I wanted to live in them!


half way done..





Ladies working. This was towards the end when most of the children had 'finished' and gone out to play for a bit. Funny my last workshop was mostly guys. This one was all women.



a bunch more photos to share but until I get the slide show function sorted out I don't want to inundate you with too many. Im already planning the next workshop for a bunch of home-schoolers. If you are interested in signing up please write me at sharoneisley@sbcglobal.net. Thanks.

Fairy House Workshop and A Note To Self

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Wow- now I know why people teach- besides that one can actuallly make a bit (and I mean only a bit) of money doing it-teaching is a great source of inspiration and ideas! And how fun it is to share something that is fun with others. I've taught a couple single adults to build fairy houses and a few kids but never with the amount of time or the number of people this last workshop had. The houses they built were spectacular- I'm proud of all of them. I really couldn't get them to stop, they were so engrossed with their projects, and our four hour workshop ran on an additional three hours! And when parents took over house building I showed the two boys how to make beds and swings and other fairy house furniture to furnish their lovely homes! even the dad who rolled his eyes at the idea of crafting being a fun and relaxing way to spend the day, found himself having to change drastically his opinion and really got into it. But then, really, building a fairy house is sculpture- an architectural sculpture.

But Oh kind reader, please slap me for trying to do TOO much in a weekend! First an art opening in SF on friday night with a drop off and late pick up of the boys at a very kind friends home near the show. There is no way to go to SF in the evening and not come home quite late these days- the drive is easily an hour and a half each way. (The opening went well at least in numbers as the floor was packed with gawkers- even with the door charge. And many an interesting conversation was had on the grey area between erotic art and porn- when does one stop and the other start? but that is a different blog all together). Then rushing about in the morning to prep art to send with the oh so good and helpful Hubby to the show up in Cloverdale, and the last few things for the workshop. Then the 7 hour workshop, the last few hours in which I had little Phin to entertain, and then making dinner because I still have that hat to don as well...Somehow in all of it I misread when I could drop off artwork for the local National Arts competition and so the painting I had so cleverly made to order didn't make it into the show.
It was too much. Too much too much. I felt like such a gosh-darn idiot, but really it was just athat it was too much. Note to self.