Tramp Stamp?

Unbelievable as it may be, I actually read about somebody who referred to tattoos as these. Tramp stamps. I didn't know whether I felt appalled or just wanted to bust out laughing. Although I'm 48 years old, I consider myself fairly hip and open minded to what is going on in the world around me. I don't like to close myself up socially when it comes to the trends that are popular with the younger generations. Tattoos have become the norm. They are permanent expressions of art, spirituality, passions and emotions. And I will admit that I am really glad to see this. As an artist I can respect the profession of the tattoo artist much as I respect the person who choses to engrave their bodies with blood for a permanent piece of something that is meaningful to them. I chose to have my first tattoo after a major surgery I had back in 2007 and I will admit that I LOVE IT. Everytime I catch a glimpse of it in a mirror as I walk past, I can't help but stare. I didn't decide to get a tattoo because it's "cool." I did it because I've always admired the art of the tattoo and it has now become mainstream and acceptable to have multiple tattoos on our bodies. I didn't think I still had to deal with small mentalities who would look at my tattoo and judge me to be a person of low character based solely on my tattoo. Tramp stamp? You've gotta be kidding me!

Back to Art - Upcoming Shows

In June I will be attending two events.

June 19th will be the "For the heART of Animals" fundraiser event at the Farm and Ranch Museum from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. in Las Cruces, NM. I will be there selling arte and supporting a worthy cause. Proceeds will benefit the Humane Society of Southern New Mexico (HSSNM), Spay Neuter Action Program (SNAP) and Safe Haven Animal Sanctuary (SHAS). Please come and support this worthy cause!

"Pride" day takes place on Saturday June 27th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Pioneer Women's Park, Las Cruces. This event is in it's 3rd year and each year brings more visitors. This year they will have 70+ vendors with over 1,000+ attendees expected! So along with supporting a great cause, it's just a blast to be here! I look forward to this event every year!

In July I will be attending two more events!

On July 18th & 19th, 2009 at the Santa Ana Star Casino in the Santa Ana Pueblo, NM is the 2nd annual "Arte De Muertos" show. This promises to be a well attended event with over 80 artists from the southwest featuring all type of hand crafted treasures! I expect this show to be a great selling opportunity for all who participate. If you're an artist who is interested in attending, please check the website out and contact Hank Estrada for more information.

And last but certainly not least is the Hispanic Contemporary Market in Santa Fe on July 25th and 26th, 2009. I'll post more on this event as it draws near. But this is another of my favorite shows to vend. It is a festive event that brings in a colorful crowd of Northern New Mexicans and art collectors from all over the world!

And that is what is currently on my plate. So although I've only been back from San Antonio for one week now, my studio is currently filled with projects in the making and future projects.

Breathing a Sigh of Relief!

The shows are finally over! Well at least until June. But for the next week I am just taking it easy. April 4^th and 5^th was the Dia de Los Muertos show in Bernalillo (a small burb just outside Albquerque). That was the type of show I love despite very small booth spaces and difficult set-ups. We had a huge customer turnout thanks to great publicity. I met some new faces in the art world and managed to bring home some excellent swag. Geez I LOVE artists who trade! Let’s see, my daughter came home with some adorable FloresOriginals bottlecap jewelry (thank you Carolyn!), and I’m the one who came home with the muthaload of stuff! A beautiful senorita handbag from The Fancy Chola (Christina!), a ceramic Catrina doll of Frida and her monkey from Masks y Mas, a stunning pair of silver Oaxacan earrings, prints of Muerto art from the incredibly talented artist Magda, and a stash of cash thanks to a near complete sell-out weekend!

Although sell-out shows are wonderful, they also mean one thing. Time to go back to work! So we drove the 250+ miles home after the show and as soon as I got home, I locked myself up in the garage and started back to work for the San Antonio show on April 18^th and 19^th. Fortunately I have a very tolerant and understanding husband who realizes that when I’m in “art mode” it’s best to just leave me be and check to make sure I’m still breathing every few hours. I managed to finish up a few more paintings and some lower priced items within the following week. It took me two days to pack our trailer just the way I wanted it packed. Sometimes I amaze myself at how very anal I can be when I’m working and I really feel sorry for anyone who is within shouting distance.

We hit San Antonio on April 16^th, set up our booth on April 17^th and then were bombarded with flooding rains, thunder, lightening and wind for the first day of the show on that Saturday. Guuuuureat. All I’m thinking is Good God how am I going to pay for this trip if I can't even make my four hundred dollar booth fee! But then as the southwest often does, the weather did a complete turnabout and Sunday was beautiful. I donned my beautiful handmade custom skirt by GenniMcMahon and went to work. Sales were pretty good though not stellar. But no complaints, it was a successful show and I think I’ve just become spoiled with having too many sell-outs. Jeje

We did end up spending an extra couple of days in San Antonio to go see the sights and experience the town during “Fiesta!” It really is a lovely city and the people were so nice. I ate wonderful mole at the restaurant Mi Tierra several times and went crazy over the tons of fresh pan dulce they had at their bakery! We met up with my dear amigita Toria and her charming fiancé RD and had dinner with them at the ultra-hip and ultra-delicious Rosario’s. Can you say hands-down-the-best-shrimp-tacos-I-have-ever-had? Yeah, but I can’t say that I even thought about Weight Watchers for the duration of our trip. We also managed to squeeze in a visit to trendy Austin where we shopped down Congress St. in some of the coolest stores ever including Tesoros (a wonderland of gads and gads of imported treasures)! Authentic New York style (well, about as authentic as you can get in Austin TX) thin crust pizza topped off the day.

So that’s where I’ve been for the past month. And it’s so GOOD to be home again! There’s a lot more to this story than meets the eye, but it will have to wait for another day. Life goes on and that pile of laundry behind me is just getting bigger. Packing suitcases is so much more fun than unpacking them! Outta here. Have a great day everyone! Oh yeah, a few pics below.

Pan Dulce and the Irish Mexican Cowgirl

My Dark Princess Getting Ideas for her Pan Dulce Jewelry

Mi Familia at Mi Tierra (I don't know who those other people are)

Fat Mexican Cowgirl in the beautiful Genni McMahon original skirt. I love it! Again the FMC with mi arte.

Where I want to live on Lemon Drop Martinis and Shrimp Tacos *sigh*