We’re an artist-owned, artist-run co-operative devoted to improving the lives and careers of area artists and crafters, while giving back to the community. All proceeds from the evening will go toward achieving this goal.

Saturday, August 16th, 2008
7:00-10:00pm (doors open at 6:30)

UNM Conference Center – Conference Room C
1634 University Blvd NE - Albuquerque, NM 87131

For a map with directions, go to: http://dce.unm.edu/PDFs/map-directions.pdf

Join us for an evening of hilarious fun. Tables of ten will compete by attempting to answer trivia questions in 10 categories. Bring your friends or meet some new ones!

Tickets are $20.00 per person, which includes 3 hours of fun, soft drinks and snacks, and one free raffle ticket.

To reserve your seat online go to:
The Trivia Night Online Sign-up Page

You can make an online donation of $20 per person. Once your payment has been made, you will receive a confirmation email. When you arrive on the night, your name will be on the “paid” list and you will receive one free raffle ticket at the door. To increase your chances of winning fabulous prizes, you may purchase additional raffle tickets for $5.00 each.

If you prefer to purchase tickets / reserve your seat via check, please make your checks payable to

“The Wooden Cow, LLC” and mail to:

Annie Hooten
Fundraising Director
The Wooden Cow, LLC
P.O. Box 80054
Albuquerque,NM 87198-0054

For more information, please call Annie Hooten at (505) 228-8703

We are proud to be working with various local foundations and charities and we’re excited about the future opening of a gallery and artspace that will offer artwork for sale as well as classes. We plan on becoming a positive force in this great city. Many of our artists are full-time professionals, working hard to make living in an adverse economic climate. Others are art educators, art lovers, and people who embrace hard work and the joy of creating something lasting.

If you are unable to attend, please consider making a donation and becoming a “Friend of the Cow”!

Frida Kahlo Portrait, originally uploaded by plasticpumpkin.

This is an entry I did for the Duke City Renegades Art Guild summer Fiesta de Frida art show, to be hosted in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

She will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to The Carrie Tingley Foundation (medical research). She is done with traditional Chinese brush painting techniques on white rice paper and mounted on pine.

Frida had to endure numerous experimental back surgeries and medical treatments after an accident in her youth left her damaged. The Carrie Tingley Hospital Foundation was happy to work with us, and we’re happy to know that our silent auction proceeds may benefit people in medical need, as Frida was.

The Duke City Renegades are throwing the Fiesta de Frida in honor of her brave spirit, wild personality, and her moving, dynamic paintings; she held on and expressed herself with the fearlessness of someone who has faced the edge, and walked back from it.

If you’re interested in attending the Fiesta de Frida, I will have a booth there (and my Frida Kahlo portrait will be up for bidding).

First Annual Fiesta de Frida Arts & Crafts Show
hosted by the Duke City RenegadesDate:
Sunday, July 6th, 2008 (Frida’s 101st B-Day Party!)
10 am - 5 pm

Location:
Roosevelt Park
Located at Spruce and Coal, in Nob Hill
Albuquerque, New Mexico

What:
Wild arts & crafts festival, in honor of Frida Kahlo. Enjoy artwork by a batch of talented local artists. Enjoy strolling mariachis, bid on art at the silent auction tent, peruse original paintings, crafts, purses, bags, body products, t-shirts, sculpture, mosaics, mixed media collage, glass, and other goodies, and grab lunch at a food booth, in the shade.

Come one, come all!

 

Luck, originally uploaded by plasticpumpkin.

A minimalist Chinese brush painting, done on off-white double xuan (shuen). The Character reads “fu,” or a blessing of good luck. Available.

A fellow Chinese brush painter described the young, bending stalks of bamboo as something akin to a skeletal hand. There’s something poetic about that. If our internal structure can bend with the roll and flow of things, we can also bounce back–with resilient strength.

View this painting in my Etsy shop.

Work by Sharon Bloom.

Our First Friday silent auction fundraiser was a success!

Work by 14 talented local artists and craftspeople were up on the auction block and several hundred attendees strolled through the display, bidding on everything from wire-wrapped gemstone jewelry and lush photographs, expressive acrylics, and daring mixed media work. While snacking on gourmet treats and eyeballing original handiwork, eager art lovers learned about the Wooden Cow project and how their donations and energy helped.

Bid were penned quickly. Hopeful winners hovered around the silent bid sheets, hoping to secure their objects of desire. As the 8 pm closing rolled around, happy winners left Mama’s Minerals with their delightful spoils. A good bid-fest is always a great way to end a Friday night! We raised a nice chunk of funding for our project and we mingled with many interested (and interesting) people.

The silent auction event was held to raise funds for an artist-owned, artist-run gallery and art space, which plans to open its doors in the near future. The Wooden Cow, LLC is a vibrant, grassoots organization, which embraces all forms of art, craft, and creation, in a true democratic environment. The Wooden Cow wants to make Albuquerque an arts destination, not just an airport on the way to Santa Fe.

Many, many thanks go out to the owners of Mama’s Minerals ( local rock n’ bead shop) for hosting the fundraiser event. – http://www.mamasminerals.com

Many thanks go out to Heather Larson, for organizing and coordinating the fundraiser.

Many thanks to all of the great people we met that night, who took the time to drop by and get to know us!

Keep your eyes peeled for future fundraising events and shows…

… the cow is coming!

Enjoying the eclectic view.

A display of work available for bidding. Photography by Fenton Ayres. Beaded pouch by Cindy Chavez.

Yum! Look at that spread, including homemade cheesecakes by CiCi.

Have we piqued your interest? Even a little?

If you’re an artist or craftsperson who’s been seeking a solid, well-grounded organization to join, please contact us for more information at: thewoodencow@gmail.com. We have two tiers of membership available (Full Members/Owners) and Consignors. There are only 4 ownership slots in the business left, so think fast if you’ve been dying to get involved in a co-operative project.

I donated three original Chinese brush paintings for this event: Roger the Rat, Jellyfish, and White Cloud Falls. Two of the three sold, one for a lot more than retail price!

Nobleman in the Moonlight, originally uploaded by plasticpumpkin.

I did this painting several months back, on a long scroll of double xuan (shuen) paper. I am fascinated by traditional Chinese clothing (not the frog-button suits and Cheongsam dresses of the last dynasty (Qing)Dynasty), but the true hanfu; layered robes and garments which are often mistaken for Japanese kimonos  by the uninitiated. Hanfu were worn for thsouands of years, literally, before the Manchurian government of China’s last dynasty declared them illegal and forced everyone to wear the minority’s garb. Oddly enough, more westerners recognize the frog button Manchurian outfits as decidedly “Chinese,” even though they were not the country’s majority form of dress.

Whew! But enough of that.

This painting captures a Tang Dynasty nobleman as he wanders through a snowy forest, at night. A full moon illuminates the snowy ground, through a cloudy filter.

The nobleman wears his long hair up inside of an embellished ornament, which pins it in place. His hanfu indicate he is an educated man, perhaps a scholar or court records keeper of a higher, respectable noble rank. Why is he out in the wilderness, at night, alone, in the snow?

Some have said he looks a little worried… Perhaps he was taking an after dinner stroll and became lost in the forest. Perhaps he’s on an important mission and is no on foot, trying to make it through the wilds. Perhaps he is just walking, looking, and being–wondering which direction in life he should go next. Others have said the burden of being a nobleman weighs heavily on his mind.

View him in my Etsy shop.

I’ve started a new Taoism (Chinese religion/philosophy) blog on wordpress!

It’s intended to be a companion for my UNM class series on Taoism (Tao), but it can be enjoyed by anyone curious about Eastern pathways. I dabble a little in Taoist thought here in this art blog, but the Tao Shrine will carry more detailed contant.

Tao Shrine - a Taoism blog

I’ve been working on peaches lately. Don’t know why. Maybe it’s the pseduo-sexual swell of the peach-shape, or the joy of working with minimal colors on a fresh, white background. Maybe it’s because every brush stroke reminds me of a deep, juicy bite into a fresh-off-the-tree treat. Maybe it’s because my own J. Hale peach tree is struggling with peach leaf curl (which is really a rather poetic affliction), and my mother in law sends us boxes of peaches via UPS during the dead of summer, and I can almost smell the fuzzy sweetness, mingling with cardboard, on a hot July afternoon.

In China, the peach is a symbol of immortality. The word itself looks and sounds like the word “Immortal,” and by proxy, each ruddy fruit embodies the essence of health, longevity, and immortality. Shou Xing, the God of Health, carries one in his hand wherever he goes (luckily he’s an immortal, and he can probably magically accomplish things that normally require two hands). The Peaches of Immortality are not unlike the Apples of Immortality, found in Norse (and other)  mythology–one bite can bring enlightenment. And the joy of the bitten peach? A topic for another article, perhaps…

Here are two of my peach-buddies, done with Chinese brush painting techniques, on slightly off-white double xuen paper. They remind me of those delectable white peaches, with red blush, that you see in the markets now and then. Maybe I should also do a Saturn Peach!

Tea Appreciation  
Enrollment Open Now!

Saturday, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM;
3 sessions starting June 7, 2008, ending June 21, 2008 
~ Summer, 2008 semester at UNM Continuing Education ~
Cost $80
Course number - 15936
Instructor: Renee Adams  
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico - Factory on 5th Artspace

Tea has been enjoyed for thousands of years. From the high mountain Oolong of China and Taiwan to the dark, robust Indian Assam and delicate African Honeybush - the consumption of true tea and herbal tea is meditative, relaxing, invigorating, and reflective. Tea brings health benefits and stress relief. It’s used as medicine, as a beauty product, and even in art and douse cleaning. Delve into this lush class, which offers you the chance to taste, sample and discuss tea from all over the world. It’s an ideal class for those seeking something beyond supermarket tea bags, or for those wanting to learn more about (or to sample) world teas. Proper brewing methods, tea tasting, tea grading, and even some tea tales will be discussed.

This fun, hands-on course allows you to sip tea, and learn about its complex flavors, in a friendly environment.

Note: $10 materials fee due to the instructor at the first class.

To enroll, visit the UNM Continuing Ed. Website!

I haven’t blogged much lately. Life has had me really busy–and bouncing to and fro like a tether ball in the wind, getting whacked now and then by a giant steel bar. At least it’s fun to fly freely in the air before you hit the bar, though! A little exhilirating.

I’ve had a series of health issues this year, which is new to me, as I’ve never had so many illnesses and issues in a row. Stress plays a big role in our ability to heal as well, and a few life situations have made it all worse. I came down with two different cold/flu deals, and have had issues with two separate wisdom teeth (funny, in some way!), including ongoing issues with an impacted wisdom tooth which, today, is reminding me that I’m alive.

It reminds me of one of my favorite Taoist stories:

“A Taoist story tells of an old man who accidentally fell into the river rapids leading to a high and dangerous waterfall. Onlookers feared for his life. Miraculously, he came out alive and unharmed downstream at the bottom of the falls. People asked him how he managed to survive. “I accommodated myself to the water, not the water to me. Without thinking, I allowed myself to be shaped by it. Plunging into the swirl, I came out with the swirl. This is how I survived.”

Going with the flow. Issues melt away. While sometimes we can’t help it if we fall into the river, we can make the best of it, enjoy the ride, and pop out on the other side.

Anyway, I’m working on several new painting series, which has been enjoyable. I had a dry period there, where nothing wanted to travel from my brain to my hand, but I’ve been painting again and working on additions to my Tea Wash series, as well as two other series. “Balance” (pictured below) is part of the Tea Wash grouping. I will post images of the new work shortly.

I enjoy working with tea. It intrigues me that I can use an ancient drink, with calming and healing properties, in a work of art.

Now if more paintings fly off my painting table, with the speed of that rushing river, I’ll be even happier.

Balance Bamboo Painting, originally uploaded by plasticpumpkin.

Original Chinese brush painting, which uses traditional techniques, on white xuan paper. The symbol is an ancient moniker which represents the harmony of man and woman, and which therefore can also be thought to represent balance (or as another way of expressing the yin yang and the sacred copulation of male and female, in perfect balance).