The first annual Our Fest was a hit!
The group met a Hacienda Possada for a beautiful day under the sun (+90 deg). Shannon taught the first class on gourd art. She grows an enormous patch yearly and had quite an assortment of different sizes and shapes. We learned cleaning, carving, coloring & wood-burning techniques.
Lauren and Joanne working on their creations.
Joanne working with leather dye to color the gourd.
Maxine working on her elegant creation.
The amazing Trudi! At 93 she is still out creating art, experimenting with new things and one of the sweetest women I know!
Carol the print maker brought along erasers from the dollar store to make “chop” stamps. She is working on one while Shannon holds her Schnauzer under the apple tree.
This is the stamp I created. 7/8″x1.25″ Not terribly large!
This is Ernie of the dynamic duo Bert & Ernie. Old English Sheepdogs with great hair cuts!
Hacienda Possada! A home filled with amazing art!
In the late afternoon we took a tour of Ed’s print shop. Shannon & Ed are printers, paper lovers, antiquarian book fans. Ed has one enormous hand pulled press and 4 smaller. The shop is filled with drawers and drawers of different goodies. A type/font lover’s dream!
This is his largest press weighing in around 3,000 lbs and created in London during the 1800’s. I hope that info is correct!
Ed discussing the history of letterpress printing and how he became involved.
Liz holding a plate of a feather image.
There was a wedding invitations still locked into the press bed. Good for demo purposes.
After our tour, we headed back to Hacienda and prepared a scrummy dinner. With food in our bellies we sat down to discuss the 2010 ArtFest and what the 4E group would do. Liz & Roberta handed out mystery goody bags for the group. A plethora of amazing artful things came forth. Then off to bed. I fell asleep while meteorites streaked the starry night sky.
Next morning Shannon led Carol, Joanne & I on her woods walk. The four dogs accompanied us too! We saw old signs from the local bear and coyotes.
The woods walk led us back to Shannon & Ed’s home.
Keiko Denzer was there reworking the new outdoor oven. Would have loved to stay and watch the process.
So that was our first Our Fest at Hacienda Possada. Fun, laughter, art, and just enjoyment of getting together with such amazing women. Thanks for looking!
Sticks, Stones, and Paper Stew Blog 
The stamp makes a beautiful print! Thanks.
What a stunning setting! Deepest relaxation always beckons creative flow! Your hands must be eager with a zillion new ideas! Love the haircut on their sheepdog!
Sometimes too many ideas bog me down but they keep coming. A few nights ago we saw a cloud that looked amazing ( I can’t say what at this time, might spoil my energy!) and now I’m thinking about creating a childrens book. There are influences & options for art everywhere!