Kim Caldwell presents Robin Sanchez's VINTAGE WIRE CAGED DOLLS

Sample of Robin's completed Vintage Wire Caged Doll

Sunday, Oct. 2, 2011, I drove to Oceanside to ride with Robin Sanchez and Georgia Lichon to Kim Caldwell's "House Beautiful" in Culver City. Robin was teaching her Vintage Wire Cage Doll class there. I left my home at 6 am. Very long day since I didn't get home until 8 pm that night. But, what fun! Met so many new people and Robin did a great job!

Kim putting the finishing touches to our tables

I had never been to any of Kim Caldwell's events and certainly not to her home. Every nook and cranny of her home that she shares with a husband, son, daughter, dog and feral kitten has Kim's touch including her workroom!

Close-ups of Robin's dolls in progress

Presentation is everything!

Our teacher, Robin Sanchez

Robin was great as a teacher. Our darling "goodie's bags" had everything we needed already cut and ready to go. She took us step by step and gave personal attention where ever needed. Very organized.

Some of Robin's other "stuff" for sale

Robin's worker bee and our friend, Georgia Lichon

Just some of the goodies to snack on at Kim's

Sally asks, "Robin, when should I smile?"

In photo above, check out Robin's bags that she made for each one of us, with all the supplies we would need inside. Aren't they darling and a lot of work. The dresses are fabric on the bags.

More close-ups

Close-up of Robin's doll's skirt

Lunch was delicious. A beautiful fall soup and a delicious salad with walnuts and cranberries, crescents and cupcakes for dessert. Her patio was like being in the Garden of Eden. She lives very close to a large shopping center and busy streets but nothing but her fountain could be heard in her home and back yard.

The table where I worked and my new friends

Starting at the far right and going clockwise around the table:

Aaron, Alicia, Jacquelyn, Priscilla, Olga, Marcella and Susan

Marcella's amazing Day of the Dead themed doll

Marcella and her group of friends came prepared to make theses dolls. Marcella had decoupaged her cup and saucer and had made her Day of the Dead skeleton head. She's not finished yet. All her friends brought everything they thought they would need to decorate their cage. They kept our table laughing out loud all day. What a treat! Can't wait to see Priscilla Cerda, Olga Berdiel, and Marcella Vallejo again, hopefully at Kim's Breakfast at Tiffany's event May 3, 2011!

Olga with her doll in progress

Alicia working on her "witch"

Alicia with her "Halloween Witch" motif doll. She brought all her goods she would need to make this doll happen!

I'll be seeing Alicia two more times this month at Sally Jean's Soldering Workshop in Poway. Alicia is taking all FIVE of Sally Jean's classes (like she usually does. . .). Yea!

Jacquelyn's doll?

I believe this is Jacquelyn's doll head and cup. What was amazing about her dress, was that she had brought an old digital camera that she was "cannibalizing" (taking apart) and was wire wrapping the insides and pieces of the camera to decorate her doll's dress.

Didn't get a photo of Aaron's doll who sat to my left nor Susan's doll who sat to my right. I am hoping we will hook up at Kim Caldwell's Breakfast at Tiffany's event May 3, 2012. They were great to sit next to. Susan shared some ribbon she had that matched the color of my cup. Aaron was the youngest person there and is just embarking on this new addition to her life - art - in all forms. What an amazing and talented person she is, plus she is also a fixed wing pilot! Great table to be sitting thanks to Kim's grouping.

Kim's table with Robin supervising

Cheryl's doll in progress

Check out the name tags that Kim made for all of us. They were available for us to take home as one of her hostess gifts for coming to her home. First Class all the way!

Terry Frias worked with a much smaller cup and saucer

Kim's blonde headed doll

I had a great time at this class for all the right reasons. I would never hesitate to take a class again that is connected to either my friend and teacher, Robin Sanchez or our hostess, Kim Caldwell. Thank you both for all the trouble and fuss you went to for all of us!

I LOVE Pink

Mandala revisited at Jackie's

Diane's Mandala

On Wednesday, August 17, 2011, I taught my first art class. I received no money for the class. 10 of my friends had admired the two mandala's I had made. One in a class last August at Zinnia's in South Pasadena (see my blog dated Aug. 2010). The class at Zinnia's was taught by an artist named Kari Atol. I believe she had learned the technique from a class she took from Anahata.

Kari's husband had made for class very nice wood pieces to put our mandala's on and then had some extra which she was selling. I purchased an extra one and hence I had two mandalas.

My soldering guru, Margo, has a husband who was kind enough to make us more wood squares. Each student had their own and was told to bring collage/scrapbook paper, gold foil and gold foil glue and craft paint. The other necessary "tools" I made available for everyone to use.

June brought a book with many interested takes on artists in many fields' Mandalas. I brought my one finished mandala that I did myself and had combined designs I had found. I also brought my first mandala that is still not completed (story of a lot of artist's?), for my friends to see up close and tough.

I think I have learned much and so hopefully have my friends. For your project, it is best to work with the simplest of patterns. The one I choose and so did a couple of others, was very hard to follow. KISS (keep it simple stupid) should be remembered when starting a new project with new techniques.

Another very important tip that I don't think I expressed enough because I truly didn't realize the importance of when working with foil and foil glue: apply a very thin coat of the adhesive and wait for it to almost try. Most of us were excited and didn't wait long enough.

Here are my friends as they embarked on their spiritual journal. First step collaging.

lf. to rt. Jackie, June, Deborah and Diane


back to front Robin, Kat, Georgia and Sally

Below are various works in progress. They kind of don't look like much, do they? We still had to let them dry and add the design.

Margo's

Here are my humble beginnings. See my work evolve starting with the collage to the foil and adding elements including Stickles and stars. Still not completely finished but, I think it has come a long way from it's humble beginnings.

Sally's beginnings

Trying to deal with complicated pattern



Sally's almost complete Mandala
It's not quite this dark in person.
Bad lighting

Close up. Can you see the Stickles and Debi's bird printed
on tissue and attached? Sharpie work and punched out stars.
Almost finished.

Robin

Robin's work up close

I believe that Robin said at the end of the day that she wished she had incorporated more color into her piece in the very beginning. I can't wait to see what she has done with this project after adding paint.

Kathie's

Margo and Debi

Kathie working diligently on her own design!

What's up Kat?

I believe we had three people working in the purple color scheme. Kat, Diane and Elena.

June happily at work

June's Mandala

Jackie, our hostess

My first teacher, Georgia

Elena

There are a couple of things special about Elena. One is her charity foundation, Charity Wings, which is a full time job. The other is how fast she works. I have been with her so many times when we all start off at the same time on a project and she just whips through it. And it always looks amazing when she is done.

See below how Diane's project changes as she adds the different techniques and layers to her project. She is so great with color.

Diane

I know all my friends are great with color and designs and some have more experience than others. Check out how much her mandala changed as she added the pattern, foil and paint. Amazing.

Deborah

Deborah

Below is is Debi's collage. I love the way that she seems to have really planned what she was going to do. The directions that were given to me said not to approach this project this way. But, I think again, there is no right nor wrong way to do this and I thought her project was beautiful. It almost looks like a fabric quilt.


Most of us did not finish. This project is probably best done when you can put your work outside to dry. There aren't any pieces totally finished to show you. I have gone back and done a little more work and I think we might all meet and work more together on our pieces. There is still the doodling and extra stuff that has to be added like Stickles to make our pieces sing.