The Bee's Knees

2012-01-20T12:18:00.000-08:00

"Celebrate the Year of the Dragon": Afternoon of Crafting will be held Saturday, January 28 from 1-3:30pm. Cost is just $20 for three crafts: noisemakers, dragon masks, and origami dragons! Great for kids 8+. Call or email the Phoenix Rising Center in Thomaston, CT to sign up.

2012-01-03T13:00:00.000-08:00

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!

I have just launched a project through kickstarter.com to give a boost to my latest endeavor which you may already be familiar with: cuckoobean pals!

Kickstarter.com is a wonderful site where artists, musicians, restaurateurs, or anyone else with a creative idea they'd like to get off the ground can put together a project and ask for financial backing to bring it to fruition. Well, I have one and I'd love some help bringing it to the public!

Anyone wishing to contribute to my project will be able to do so through my link to my project on kickstarter.com: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/664696411/cuckoobeantm-pals-imagine-create-participate. It only takes as little as a $1 contribution to get my project rolling. In appreciation for your support, you'll receive some cool rewards including cuckoobean merchandise. Please keep in mind that if my entire initial funding goal is not met within the 45-day launch period, the project will not be funded and no rewards will be issued. The launch period runs until Thursday, February 16, 2012, 10:46 am EST.

Please tell your family and friends!

Art Exhibit at the Silas Bronson Library

2012-01-03T12:48:00.000-08:00

Starting today January 3 through February 29, 2012 you can see some of my unique masks and whimsical animal sculptures at the Silas Bronson Library in Waterbury, CT.

Please visit bronsonlibrary.org for library hours.

2011-08-19T06:49:00.000-07:00

Join me and the Valley Arts Council tomorrow evening from 6:00pm-9:00pm for the opening of a great new show featuring my personal favorite art subject: bugs! The show is called Metamorphosis "Transformed by Art" and runs until September 10, 2011.

Visit valleyartscouncil.org for details.

Art Classes at Valley Arts Council in Derby, CT

2011-04-26T19:01:00.001-07:00

I'll be holding two demonstration classes this May at the Valley Arts Council building in Derby, CT: one for papermaking on May 11 and the other for bookmaking on May 18. Both from 7:00pm-8:00pm. For more details and to sign up, go to: http://www.kafergraphics.com/VAC_classes_May.html

Hope to see you there!

Mask Making Workshop April 9

2011-04-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

Join me for a mask making workshop just for kids! To be held at the Ansonia Nature Center on April 9 at 2:00pm. Kids will learn how to make and decorate papier mache masks. Seating is limited, so sign up today! Call the center at (203) 736-1053 for details.

2011-03-13T18:36:00.000-07:00

Side view of a recently finished project called "Queen Bee." Note the tiny egg in her arms. Made from a number of recycled materials including a paper towel roll, paper, a chopstick, aluminum foil ball, and fabric scraps. Other materials used: masking tape, plaster sheets, ribbon, wire, hot glue, gold beads, and polymer clay. Check out the "before" photo to get a glimpse of how it started out.

2011-03-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

Here's the "before" photo of the Queen Bee sculpture.

2011-03-13T18:25:00.000-07:00

Front view of the Queen Bee.

Join Valley Arts Council at Derby Day June 20!

2009-06-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

I, along with many members of Valley Arts Council and other vendors, will be at this year's Derby Day Saturday, June 20 from 10am-5pm on the green in Derby, CT! I will be offering a mask making activity for kids ages 3 and up. There will be food, activities, and loads of art. Make sure to pick up discount coupons for big savings on my activity and others. It's fun for everyone!

Earth Day at Ansonia Nature Center April 25

2009-04-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

I will be hosting a mask making activity for kids of all ages at the Earth Day celebration at the Ansonia Nature Center in Ansonia, CT this Saturday from 10:00am-4:00pm. Other artists from the Valley Arts Council will also be participating. Experience fun for the whole family!

Region: Litchfield Hills
Location: Ansonia Nature & Recreation Center
10 Deerfield La.
Ansonia, CT 06401
Date(s): April 25, 2009
Time(s): 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Category: Special Community
Description: Find out how to develop a more sustainable lifestyle with educational walks, talks and exhibits. Enjoy music, crafts, games and food.
Admission: Free.
Phone: (203) 736-1053

HGTV Artists in Hartford!

2009-04-20T19:22:00.000-07:00

Please check out the gallery at 100 Pearl Street in Hartford, CT to see some of my work and the art of a wonderful bunch of artists who were all featured on HGTV's "That's Clever" in Season 4—now airing weekday mornings at 8:00am EST. Our show will run through May 29 with gallery hours from 8:00am-5:00pm weekdays (call 860-293-3374 for weekend hours). An opening reception will take place on April 30 from 3:30-4:30pm, and there will be a "First Thursday" opening on May 7 from 5:00-7:00pm. It is a fun and eclectic mix of styles and techniques! If things go as planned, visitors will be able to view the videos of each artist's TV appearance on a television in the gallery.

See you there!

Check out HGTV March 27 at 8:00 am EST!

2009-02-23T18:33:00.000-08:00

My segment on HGTV's "That's Clever" filmed in 2006 will finally be airing this March! Watch me make a lion mask and a clothespin geisha doll on episode #461.

More News About 37 Elizabeth St Gallery in Derby!

2008-06-04T18:47:00.000-07:00

Well, we just had our second "opening" reception on May 30. There should be another coming up in June or July. We've been trying to rotate the artwork we're displaying, and new members seem to be joining by the minute! There's so much great local art to see. The gallery is open Thursday through Sunday (depending on artist staffing) 4pm-10pm (I believe) Thursday-Saturday and 2pm-6pm on Sunday. So much of the artwork is VERY reasonably priced. There are also lots of prints from original artwork for sale. The gallery is on the same side of the street as Derby Town Hall. Stop by and check us out!

Valley Arts Gallery in Derby, CT!

2008-03-29T10:16:00.000-07:00

A new gallery has just opened in Derby, CT on 37 Elizabeth St. See some of my work as well as many fabulous pieces by some very talented artists! We are all members of the Valley Arts Council and are really trying to get the word out about this great new space. We've already been on WTNH Channel 8, and you should be seeing us on a show through Comcast Cable TV. Check us out!

Make Your Own Books!

2008-02-05T11:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a fun project you can do just in time for the Chinese New Year coming up this week (using some recycled items, of course). You can modify this project to your own style, though: books are great for any occasion! Yes, I know today is in fact Mardi Gras, and on my web site, you can find lots of fun party masks. You probably won't see me making those unless HGTV finally decides to show my mask making segment on That's Clever. Until then, I'll keep on crafting!

Recycle That Sweatshirt!

2008-02-05T07:54:00.000-08:00

I found this very interesting article on the BBC web site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6248796.stm
It talks about two women from England who have been taking discarded but perfectly usable clothes and transforming them into new garments. The figures given for the amount of textile waste each year is only for the UK. I cannot imagine how much it is in the US. Just because it may be cheaper to replace something used with something brand new (be it clothes, TVs, cell phones, etc.!) doesn't mean you should. Sure, not everyone can play fashion designer and make a sensational new outfit out of last year's styles, but seriously, more people should think before they toss. Try giving your unwanted things to a charity or trade with a friend!

Good Riddance to Bad Rubbish? Nonsense!

2007-11-09T17:40:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed a trend in my Halloween crafts: each one incorporates some piece of discarded material, whether it be cardboard, newspaper, or chopsticks. I get much satisfaction out of taking a piece of "trash" and thinking, "Hmmm...what can I make out of this?" That thinking has carried over to my other arts and crafts, not just the Halloween stuff. Mostly my interest in giving new life to old boxes, bits of fabric, or other items normally thrown out after use stemmed from a desire to spend as little as possible on materials to "feed" my crafting habit. Now I just do it for the sheer challenge! Oh, yeah, and the environmental feel-goodness, of course!! I have a multitude of empty cheese boxes, paper towel tubes, old shirts, plastic soup bowls, and other random things just WAITING to be reborn into something new and fun. Take a look at my latest crafting videos. The two items I created were made from an old bottle cork and a pretty greeting card.

I plan to continue this type of work as well as give people tips on how to ease their impact on the world around them. I don't have lofty goals of getting people to all buy solar panels for their homes, buy a brand new hybrid car or use only three sheets of TP at a time. No, I figure just about anyone has the means to take my advice in whole or in part. So, stay tuned for all kinds of exciting ways to save the planet! OK, OK, I said no lofty goals, right? Aim small, and little by little, you'll be on to something big.

Cat and Eyeball Papier-Maches

2007-10-19T17:45:00.001-07:00

Here are two more of my papier-mache guys! The eyeball's iris is translucent paper colored with a colored pencil and marker. There is a hole in the back where a flashlight can fit to light it up.

Scary Papier-Mache Creature

2007-10-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

I had fun making some wacky papier-mache decorations. This one is only a few inches in diameter. I used inflated balloons to form my shapes, but after I covered them with layers of newspaper and glue and let them dry, the balloons started to deflate, making a bumpy texture. It actually worked out well for these pieces! I really liked the "raisin-like" surface.

Checkerboard

2007-10-19T17:29:00.000-07:00

I made this magnetic checkerboard from an old cookie sheet. This further proves my theory that just about any object that might normally be thrown out can get a new life if you just use some imagination! The board shows a spooky Halloween scene, but you could create almost any theme: one of the four seasons, other holidays, animals, exotic locales. The pieces were made from glass beads with skulls and bats painted on the back. A small magnet was attached to each.

Mummy

2007-10-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

I made this little guy a few weeks ago. He's about 13" high. I sewed a body first using some white fabric, then stuffed him with batting and wrapped him with some tattered fabric. I rubbed tea and cocoa powder on him to give him a more aged look. I took a top from a cardboard box and painted it in a faux wood finish on the outside and red inside to make his coffin.

Witch

2007-10-13T12:12:00.000-07:00

This doll was made using basically scraps I had lying around in my studio! She's about 12" tall and made of cardboard, canvas, clay, and cotton twine. I painted her with acrylics and made her broom from some bits of straw and a chopstick.

Frankenstein Candy Dish

2007-10-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

This was made using cardboard,
a plastic soup bowl, newspaper,
paste, tape, and paint. It's almost
one foot tall and fits lots of candy!

Do you craft for Halloween?

2007-10-10T12:25:00.000-07:00

Halloween seems to be becoming a big holiday! Over the past couple of years I've noticed more and more Halloween decorations out there, and that's inspired me to make some of my own. I have a tradition now of creating at least one new thing each year to add to my Halloween collection. First it was papier-mache ghouls and other creatures, then a Frankenstein candy dish, a witch doll, and ghost garlands. This year I made a mummy doll, complete with faux wood coffin. And with any luck, I will take a minute to post some photos of my handmade decorations.

So, my question is, do YOU craft for Halloween? I'd love to hear about any unique items you've made or are planning to make for Halloween.

Heather

Visit kafergraphics.com for fine art, crafts, and more!