I did it!!!

Hola!

We are back from a crazy whirlwind of art shows, mini vacations, classes, and creating new pieces. I feel like it was just March a week ago!

Our visit and show in Taos was wonderful and a much needed vacation from our day jobs! We traveled to Chimayo one day and took the the high road back to Taos, stopping along the way to take pictures and visit with other artists. The art show was great as usual and to top it all off, our art work is now available at the Carlos Sandoval Studio & Gallery in Taos!!! As soon as we returned to Denver, we participated in another local art show and since then we have both been busy little bees creating new pieces.

I have finished my second silversmithing class and loved every minute of it. Here is a picture of my latest creation- a lapis ring, shank was roll milled for a sweet flowery design, bezel is also created to be organic looking, and I finished it off with an antique finish, what do you think?!

My little studio here at home should be ready by the end of June, thanks of course to my amazing husband! I love that this new venture is opening up a whole new world for me and look forward to the fall when I will take an additional class.

Rob has also been quite busy, going to Taos a couple of times since the beginning of May to take and make sure the art work is just right. He is also getting ready to do a big show in August here in Denver at the CHAC gallery, I will post about that tomorrow, believe me it is great!!

Primavera!!

Oh what a happy girl I am today!!

Spring is here and although we have snow on the ground, the sun is shining and it is a beautiful day. In celebration of Primavera (spring) I have marked all jewelry down in the Etsy store, just for this weekend. I am working on new pieces to take to the Taos show and won't have much time to keep up the store. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

Happy Spring!

You want this done by when???!

We are in the process of putting together a website for our artwork and jewelry and let me know me tell you this is a difficult job and Rob wants it done by April! Researching what company has the best web hosting, making sure everything is secure, it just utterly makes me tired! But, it needs to be done. Rob's artwork is not a common form of artwork on Etsy, people do not know what Spanish colonial artwork is or how to find it and it is quite frustating for him. I started this blog over a year ago and we have met some great fellow artists and friends. It was really started just to update family and friends on all the latest happenings in our lives, both personal and creative.

Sooo, here we go, on to the next chapter of the internet world! We hope you will continue on this journey of learning with us, we so enjoy all of the encouragement and support you continually give to us and we hope to provide a more professional and beautiful way of offering our art. If any of you have any ideas or suggestions we would love to hear from you.

My final intro to silversmithing class is tomorrow night, I will be showing off those funny little pieces I created this weekend! Please try not to laugh too hard, I promise my pieces will get better after the intermediate class!

Til the weekend....

Hello again!

I can't believe we are already in March, where is the time going?! I have been so busy with silversmithing classes and replenishing inventory for the gallery that I have not had much time to post anything new.

We had a great month at the gallery and are now getting our pieces ready for Taos in May. Rob and I are also participating in a show at the gallery called Santos Y Cruces in April. It seems like we have been non-stop for quite a few months now. I am excited to be learning how to work with metal, my next endeavor is torch fired enameling, thanks to Barbara Lewis at Painting with Fire, Rob was even sweet enough to buy me some Mapp gas, she is so thoughtful and inspiring to all that she gives her wisdom of this art to! I will soon show off the pieces I created in class, they are not the best mind you, but it is fun just learning the basics.

This weekend brings the gem show and I hope to get just a few things, keep my budget, yeah right, I'll probably come home with way more than I should!!

Well off to catch up on all the new creations and new in blogland :0)

Almost forgot to mention that I have placed new prices on all bracelets and necklaces. Why? I have had to take a long deep breath and realize that with the economy the way it is, not many folks are wanting to spend a whole lot on little extras for themselves, sooo, bracelets are going to be set at $30 and necklaces will run $48-$60, listing more in the Etsy shop now.

Football and Eli...The day just can't get any better!!!

Have you ever seen a 2 month old laugh so hard?!

Today is Super Bowl Sunday, and yes that is exciting. But what is even more exciting is we will be seeing our sweet baby boy Eli, our godson!! I know, I know, I am out of control gooing and gushing over him like I myself was his momma, but I am Nina after all and I get to do this, its my job to love him and spoil him! So while everybody is getting their final football fix, I will be getting my baby fix with Eli!

We had a wonderful First Friday down at the gallery, with both of us doing extremely well for a February art walk! The weather was perfect and the amount of people amazing. Rob sold out of almost all of his prints and my jewelry was going very quickly too! I now have to make more to replenish by Wednesday when the gallery opens again, so no procrastinating for me these next couple of days. Rob's new primitive art paintings of old New Mexico churches was met with lots of compliments, which is why I think he about sold out of the prints! Go Rob, with your artful heart!

Thursday night was silversmithing class and we learned how to solder. Having that torch in my hand felt so natural to me, I know this is exactly where I am supposed to be right now, learning how to work with metal. It opens up the door to so many creative possibilities that I cannot even begin to describe it to you! I will show off my ring once I have it completed, then on to a bracelet.

Well enough of my gushing over babies, football, and metal, it's time to get to work on some new pieces for the gallery before I lose more time.

Happy Sunday!

Having a little fun and doing a lot of WORK!!

I'm not one to enjoy the month flying by so fast, but I am so tired of the cold that I am completely happy that January is almost over and we one month closer to Spring, yes I do love Primavera and I am also a Spring baby.

I am loving my silversmithing class, in fact I have already started putting a little wompom down for the intermediate silversmithing class. I really want to have a good aptitude by the end of May. The instructor is young, but very good at getting his students to stretch their boundary of creativity, I like that.

Rob is done with his new primitive folk paintings and we are back at CHAC gallery for the month of February, and our work is so colorful and strong that they asked us to be in the front (main) area of the gallery, we were flattered and happy!

We hope to see our Denver friends on First Friday for a night of fun!

Thanks to all of you here in blogland that stop by to say hi, please know that I do try to get by all of your wonderful blogs at least once a week to see how you all are doing, you are doing some great things these days, and I love all of it!!!

Here are some pics of Rob's newest Death Cart, and a double strand necklace that I just finished.

Taking a step forward into the world of metal

Yes it's official, I start my silversmithing class this Thursday evening, and I am happy!
This is something I have wanted to do for a long time. I was the girl in junior high and high school that would purposely do bad in cooking and sewing class, just so the teachers would get frustrated with me and just send me on my way to metal, plastic, or wood shop! Terrible I know, but what can I say, I grew up with 4 brothers. After Rob asked me to marry him, we were having a casual conversation about dinner, (if I haven't mentioned before, he is a wonderful cook who puts much love into what he makes for us) he looked over at me and asked me what I preferred to do, cook or clean? Well I sat there for what seemed like forever, I didn't want to say the wrong thing, but deep in my heart I knew I couldn't cook every night! My son Devin finally saved me and answered "she'll clean"! From the bottom of my heart I thank him for saving me that night and to this day Rob does all the cooking and I do all the cleaning. So yes, this new venture is so exciting, for me to be able to do something that I've always truly desired to learn, well words just can't express how I feel.

My goal is to have both intro and intermediate done by May. This gives me just a little time to get some pieces done before we hit the shows we do in Santa Fe and Taos. I think I''m going to be one happy girl this summer!

Happy New Year!

Wow, are we really in a new decade?! This year flew by us, busy with shows both here in Denver and in New Mexico. Rob started doing his newest work of folk art paintings, with great reviews I must add! We met many new friends in New Mexico, which you all might know is my second home. These new friends were very receptive to Rob's art work as a Santero, a maker of Saints. Not very many are this kind or nice, they have that handed down perception that a gringo cannot be a Santero or a folk artist. A true artist knows that when your work comes from the heart, that piece will find its way to the right person. Rob and I have always tried to make our artwork accessible to all walks of life, not just the wealthy. We are not in this to become wealthy, when you make religious iconography art, you want the person buying it to feel the true Maker in it.

As for myself, well my heart still hurts for our families loss of Raymond, but I know it will get better for all us. Way back in the winter my cousin Angelita and her husband Tony asked Rob and I to be Padrinos (Godparents) for their newest baby they had just found out they were pregnant. We were honored to be asked and a little giddy with thoughts of having a new baby in our lives. Our boys are 23 and 22, so it's been a long time since I was around a baby other than at family functions! Rob on the other hand works with children at his day job, so he is no stranger to little ones. So, on November 16th, 2009, Eli Ramon was born and he is truly a joy in our lives! He was a big baby at birth and now at seven weeks old he is a little chunkster and we are blessed to have him in our lives. This little guy has really helped me see that God is so good to us in so many ways, just like He knew I needed this little person in my life to help me with my grief. We see him at least once a week and Rob can't wait to take him to football practice with him this summer!

So what is new for us in 2010? Rob is planning on showing in a Taos gallery this spring through the fall, among our other shows we will do in New Mexico. This is big for him, and I know it will bring the recognition he needs. I will be starting my first metalsmithing class in the middle of January at Clear Creek Academy, I hope to take three classes before the year is done. I will be accredited once this is done. I have always wanted to work with different metals and they have some great instructors there. As much as I love to bead, I need to move forward, push my creativity in a different way. In the meantime I have a new collection going up in the Etsy shop called Las Bandidas, let me know what you think. My Christmas present from Rob was the first class tuition paid for in full! We also plan on doing the pilgrimage to the Santuario de Chimayo for Easter. Rob and my Uncle Lenerd just took a road trip to the ranch in San Juan and through New Mexico this past weekend and hopefully Rob will be able to take more, he always comes back with great new ideas for new pieces. Rob will also coach high school football again this year.

To all of our friends and family that come by and read our blog, a big heartfelt thank you for all the kind words and encouragement you have shown us this past year! We love all of your creativity and your openness to share your works and life with us. May your new year be filled with love and happiness.
Feliz Ano Nuevo!!