ART SAVES RUBBER STAMPS

CRESCENDOh is proud to present our newest sheet of ART SAVES rubber stamps containing designs by an ALL-STAR line-up of artists. Here it is ...

Clockwise from lower left and then back up into the center we have: Claudine Hellmuth, Hope Wallace, Lisa Engelbrecht, Pam Garrison, Christine Mason Miller, Pam Garrison (2), Danita, Hope Wallace (2), Traci Bautista, Michelle Ward, Tim Holtz, Christine Mason Miller (2), and Lisa Engelbrecht (2). On behalf of the entire CRESCENDOh family, we thank this team of artists for these amazing designs.

This special sheet of rubber stamps are available here, with all proceeds benefiting CRESCENDOh's Charities of Choice. Orders will be taken now but please note that orders will not ship until June 15th.

Stay tuned as we will issue fun challenges and calls for submissions using these amazing designs, as we publish your most creative submissions on our Gallery site. All together now: That's TOTALLY hOT!

Happy stamping. :)

PAY IT FORWARD & ENJOY THE PROCESS

CRESCENDOh was founded on a dream that had been percolating for several years. It is a dream that seeks to shout from the mountain top about how art can bring about the best in us. That art can help us cope, art can empower us to make a positive difference in the world ...

... the piece that Danita made says, "Art Saves. OK, now what?" And it's a piece that challenges us to start thinking about ways in which we can pay it forward. For us, "pay it forward" for our team, it is about using our creativity and our imagination and compassion to make a positive difference in the world. The difference can be as simple as smiling to our neighbor. Or it can be as complex as starting an organization that helps battered women. Or helps the people of Haiti. Or ... fill in the blank. But I do believe that for the world to become better, we will need to deploy not only our technical expertise and financial expertise, but really, our creative expertise and our imaginations, in small and large ways, to become better.

... the second piece that is in your goody bag is a postcard that features an original assemblage work by the late Janice Lowry. Janice Lowry was a mixed-media artist who created an amazing body of paintings, assemblages, and mixed-media art journals within her lifetime. It's a body of work that will, I believe, go down in history to mark Janice Lowry as one of the greatest American artists of our time.

Last year, days before she passed, as she fought and lost the battle with liver cancer, I had the opportunity  to ask her what message is it that she would like for the art community to hear from her and she said, "Jenny, tell them to always keep working and to enjoy the process." And so that's what it says on this card.

So I would say that I want to invite everyone in this room and beyond to heed Janice's call. To keep working, to keep creating, to keep building, to keep sharing your stories. Because in my opinion, stories are what build communities. And as we learn through these stories and through this community, we are in it together. And most of all as we are working, I hope we will elect to be kind, to be generous, and to be forgiving. And also as Janice said, to have fun and enjoy the process ...

{This is an excerpt of the remarks I had the privilege of giving at the CRESCENDOh launch party on May 21, 2010. Photo #1 courtesy of Lola Morales.}

 

WHO I WANT TO BE

On the day of our launch party, my friend Cynthia's beloved dog, Stella, passed away. It was unexpected and very sad. Stella was a good dog and she will be missed by many, including the other dog in Cynthia's life ... 

... adorable Boston Terrier, Harper. I haven't seen Harper since Stella's passing but I hear that she has definitely been affected. Her efforts in the past to get noticed and compete for attention in the presence of Stella have definitely subsided, says Cynthia. I'll be interested to observe Harper's change when I see her tomorrow.

All of this has gotten me to think about the fact that who we are becomes very much affected by who we are with, and who we are without. I mean, I also have two dogs: Toby and Scout. And I'm certain that who they are is affected by the fact that they are together. 

Same goes for humans, right? It makes me wonder what affect I have in the people in my life. What do I bring out in my friends and family? What do they bring out in me? 

What I know for certain is that as much as possible, I want to be a person who brings out the best in others. And I want to surround myself with those who bring out the best in me. That's just who I want to be.

ALOHA FROM LILLA

Check out this beautiful book. It's a gift that was made by my good friend, Lilla LeVine, from Hawaii. She has a knack at bringing fabrics and papers together to create objects of beauty.

On the right of each spread is an art quilt of sorts, where she composes elements on top of fabric that she has treated in her unique way.

On the left of each spread is lined paper that can be used as a journal page. To achieve this effect on each spread, she simply stitches on her art quilt to the lined paper and then fuses everything together by stacking the pages together and stitching the left side with a running stitch. So clever, don't you think?

This coming July, Lilla will be traveling from Hawaii to Long Beach, California to teach at the International Quilt Festival. To learn more, I hope you'll connect with her through her blog here.

Thank you Lilla. Aloha. 

IMMENSITY OF THE SEA

"If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people together to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea." 

— Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Because what I've learned in life is that once the team learns to long for the sea, the ship will be built. And it will be built to survive even the stormiest of days.

Conversely, if the team never learns to long for the sea, the ship may eventually get built ... but it will not fare well.

GRAND GESTURE OF BEAUTY & FRIENDSHIP

During the party, I was surprised with this very special gift that was delivered to me by Kim Caldwell. Kim was delivering it on behalf of the very talented Shea Fragoso of A Gilded Life who was unable to attend the party. When I saw it, it literally took my breath away.

A frozen Charlotte holding an ART SAVES banner encased in soldered glass, topped with a crown and attached to a chain with lovely beads and baubles so carefully and beautifully constructed. An original creation by Shea.

The pouch that the necklace came in was also lovely ...

So moved am I to be the recipient of such a grand gesture of beauty, generosity, and friendship from Shea ... an artist of immense talent who works hard to juggle her many passions, including her art and her deep love for her family. Thank you, Shea.

Blessed am I.

LAUNCH PARTY • PART 2

... and as the room started to come alive, smiles and hugs were exchanged ...

... stories shared ...

... new relationships started ...
... fun ideas discussed ...

... photos taken ... 
  
... art created ...

... laughter had ...  

 ... art quilt signed ...

... friendships strengthened ...

 

 
... energy palpable ...

More to come in the next post.

LAUNCH PARTY • PART 1

When our team first began planning for our launch party, we agreed on a few ways that we would define success:

• we agreed that whether we ended up with as few as 50 guests or more, we would be successful.
• we agreed that if we are able to raise awareness about the importance of telling stories about the power of art, we would be successful.
• we agreed that if we could inspire guests to start thinking about how we can all pay it forward and make a positive difference in the world, we would be successful.
• we agreed that if guests had a great time meeting new and old friends, we would be successful.
• we agreed that though we'd sell a few items from our shop, we would not define success with how much we actually sold.

So after we made these agreements, we got to work. As the planning progressed, we found ourselves needing to accommodate more than 225 guests. So here's how the layout looked for how the room was configured.

On the day of the party, the first order of business was to allow our lighting specialist, Caitllin Guyan install all of the special lighting that really defined the ambiance for the night. Here she is on the lift that she started on bright and early in the morning, all the way until the event.

As the lighting was being installed, the furniture was delivered and prepared to be placed on the floor.

In the meantime, assorted worker bees put polish onto decor items ...

... and finished packaging merchandise ...

... and prepared the make-and-take room ... 

... and putting up the display for our new line of rubber stamps coming soon ... 
 

Then of course our lovely DJ, Julie Espy from KUCI worked hard to get the music set just right.
  And after the bar was set, the food ready, and the sign-in crew in place, we saw the place literally come alive ...
  More to come in the next post ... 

WE DID IT!

What a night. Lots to share as we get photos and videos ready to load up in the days ahead. In the meantime, wanted to share a quick snapshot of an amazing art quilt that became part of the magical night. Here I am as we were preparing to set it up before the festivities. Thank you everyone for an amazing time. We did it!

INSIGHTFUL WRITER

My 14-year-old daughter, Monica, struggles with her writing. I see the struggle. I see it because I can see that she wants her writing to mean something. She hates it when a piece is not so special. 

I understand. Because I also struggle with my writing. It's not worth it to me to just say phony bologna. I want it to stir people up. To touch their hearts. To be truthful to what I've lived and what I've observed. To transform. 

The thing I've learned about writing is that it's more powerful than any weapon. It has the power to hurt. It has the power to heal. Words are fierce. 

So today, at Monica's school, she received an end-of-the year award as the most insightful writer in 8th grade.

Our whole family is beaming with pride. 

Did it come easy for her? Nope. Because she struggles. But the thing is, all good written pieces, in my experience, are preceded by struggle. As I always say to Monica, if the writing is too easy, you're not doing it right. If it's a struggle, you're doing it right.

Here's to Monica. And the long road ahead of her as she continues to write amazing and insightful works. And as she travels this path, it is my prayer that she will use this amazing tool to touch people's hearts, to do good, to create peace.

We are very proud of you, Monica. We love you. Your mom, dad, Andrew, Toby, and Scout.