Creative Play

FAMILY THROUGH THE EYES OF AN ARTIST AND WRITER : Shirley A. Blair Keller ©2022 From left to right: Levi, Skye and Ford Jones, and Granny. The event is to celebrate the marriage of Skye and Molly Jones, Long Beach, CA.   I sat at a table with their grandfather Buddy, step-grandmother Lori, daughter-in-law Carla, and granddaughter Annie Mae. The grandsons grabbed both hands and pulled me up a step to a chair, sat me down, and posed behind me for the official photographer.  JOY! That is the only word that comes close to what I was feeling.  ARTS WITH ELDERS As the pandemic became a reality of life in isolation, I was contacted by family who lived in the Bay Area. Some of them lived in a retirement community that held art classes for elders. Artists taught classes in not only retirement communities but in hospitals and full time care homes.The organization that sponsors these classes is Arts With Elders.   The fear of the contagious virus was every where. The ...

 If you see anything described below, give me a call at 559-561-3463 and if it is still available, we can discuss price and how to get it to you. I ask customers to pay for shipping, if needed. And if you are within reach I have been known to deliver in person. HEART TABLE  Jim Zeissler made this table with repurposed wood. He gave to me to paint dots. I used the heart theme he used as design for table. Took around two weeks to paint. It is the first piece to be finished in our new year of 2021. As I painted I thought of LOVE and HOPE for this new year to end pandemic. I thought of LOVE and HOPE that the new administration will be able to address so many problems they face all at once, with grace and competency. My husband grabbed this piece to display his plant in our living room. I smile. PIANO STOOL - SOLD The piano stool was the first piece Jim brought to me to paint. It sold within minutes of being posted on Facebook. I didn't even get to appreciate it. :)  BLACK BOX...

APRIl 2020  Chapter One:  The Beginning Back in the 1980's I attended an exhibit at the Oakland Museum. There was a woman who painted in oil, adding words to her pieces. But you could not read her words because she scribbled them. I liked the overall paintings but wished I could read her words. Later, I attended College of the Sequoia's to take a Calligraphy class. I did not think of myself as an artist, but I did write in journals every morning, and out of those writings came stories of my growing up. I dreamt of a quilt. At close range, I realized it was not made of cloth, but of collages, each illustrating chapters that I'd been writing. The next morning I began to make what I call Ink Quilts. I was doing art, just not thinking of myself as an artist.  At some point I re-married, and we bought a home in Three Rivers. A studio was built in what as a garage type room outside of our house. It became my home away from home. Eventually, I made friends with l...

Today is the Concert on the Grass. My first guest from Shell Beach arrived yesterday. The art work is on display, set up yesterday. The Haxton's, Ken and Sarah are set to host another wonderful afternoon. It will be hot, but under the trees, on the grassy knoll, a breeze usually washes over the crowd as we listen to the wonderful entertainment, a day I look forward to, and hope we have a large crowd. A new pond was built this past year and if we are lucky the breezes will be cooled by the water. This propellor will be on display. It won a Blue Ribbon in this years Tulare County Fair. I call it Starry Night. Bill Haxton told me he thought it might be from a wooden small boat from the 1950's. It is part of the recycled art collection I have been making of late. I'll also have displayed Clay Mono-prints, a 16x20 framed photograph, matted photos and gift cards. More guests from Fresno, and Visalia will meet us at the Concert. Dinner at my house for some of them this evening. Ot...

Samples of art to be shared at Concert on the Grass: Photography: Inspiration, Spirit Hill, 2009 Bruce Keller, husband Photography: Ami, 2 days old, 2009 Recycled Art: Flywheel in Dots, 2009 Recycled Art: Damper, 2009 Clay Monoprint: Attraction, 2009 Ceramics: Giraffe, Long Beach Blend Clay, Glaze, 2009 Photography: Kaweah River, 2009 Photography: Buckeye View, 2009 Pendant: 1/2 & 1/2 Clay, Glaze, Schwartski Crystal, 2009