Christmas is in the Air!

Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas......Dale Evans

Thanksgiving is passed and Christmas is in the air. There is much commotion at the village as boxes are wrapped and happy ribbons adorn the packages...I am laying tightly in a ball trying to keep warm, enjoying the festivities of the villagers who are busily working on the decorations. There must be hundreds of wrapped boxes ready to be hung from the trees and piles of pine tree garland waiting to be adorned on Santa's gazebo. Steve is busily giving directions on displaying the hundreds of boxes. There are villagers tying bows, climbing ladders, and carrying armfuls of gift boxes here and there....there is much commotion on this cold November day...getting ready for December Nights in Balboa Park.


''Hi Bella'' ''How you doing girl?'' Steve pats my head as he hurrys to install the Christmas lights at the entrance.
Misha asks Steve if I've had anything to eat. ''Are you hungry, girl?'' she asks.
Hungry? Me? I wag my tail, lift my head and nudge Misha's hand and smell the aroma of fried chicken....
''Have some fried chicken, Bella''
...and the day became less cold because of the warm friends I have in the village.

Goodbye Sylvia.....

SYLVIA SCHMAHMANN
Sadness has fallen on the village. Our friend, Sylvia Schmahmann has passed away. Our village will feel the emptied spot that Sylvia once filled.
Our spirited, independent, kind, thoughtful, friend has passed on.
We had a memorial service for her this afternoon. Many villagers and friends were there to show their respect, and profound loss. Some cried, some laughed, some laughed and cried, as stories were remembered of Sylvia.
A buffet was offered to the guest....but I didn't eat...I was saddened to the pit of my stomach....my friend Sylvia is gone.

The Potter's Guild Sale & Pepperoni

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. Roger Caras

It is a sunny day.
The whole main patio is full of tables covered with ceramics of all kinds, interesting sculptures, and utilitarian clay works. Twice a year, the Potter's Guild puts on a big weekend sale, showing off their many interpretations of clay.


I see Elizabeth and Shirley busily loading their tables with their wares. There are casserole dishes, bowls, cups, sushi dishes, vases and more. Doug is loading his tables with many colorful sculptures. People are meandering around the tables, picking up interesting pieces to appreciate and examine. The shapes and the glazes are intriguing.... The line to pay for the pieces is beginning to snake around the corner...customers are patient to purchase their treasures. I decide to get up, do my Bella shake, ahhh, that feels good, and trot on down to the Potter's Guild...I can smell the pizza's aroma coming from the guild....I enjoy the admiring looks I get from all the visitors, but really enjoy nothing more than a slice of pepperoni pizza! Woof!

Chinese Brush Strokes and Lucy

LUCY WANG, Artist
Watercolor on Silk, Watercolor on Rice Paper
http://www.lucywang.com/

''The greatness of a Nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated''......Mahatma Gandhi

Life in the Village has been good to me. Besides the interesting art, the villagers are kind and caring to me, and the grub is pretty good.

Ramon, the Village minstrel, was strumming 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' with his guitar. The sun was warm and the overall pace of the Village was contentment.

Looking down the patio, I could see the patio artists working on their artwork, occasionally looking up, hoping for an interested customer. I could see Lucy talking to Don. ''There's Bella! Have you been a good dog?'' asked Lucy. I got up, trotted over to her and let her pat my head. ''How ya been Bella?'' said Don. He gave me a soft pat, too.

I followed Lucy into Studio 4. Her studio is spacious, very tidy, with all the walls adorned with her beautiful watercolors. Lucy is a Chinese brush painting artist...and Chinese, too. Much of her work reflects her love for nature and demonstrates her exquisite mastery of the brush. She's blended her Chinese background and the influence of Western painting techniques to develop an innovative style of 3-dimensional watercolor on silk. If you come, you will see works of cranes, dogs, Chinese dancing women, flowers and more all in Chinese brush strokes.

Lucy's work has been selected by the National Audobon Society, National Geographic Society, Smithsonian, and UNICEF for holiday cards.

''Bella, do you want some left over chow mein?''

I couldn't believe my luck! I love chow mein! I wagged my tail, gave Lucy my best happy smile, lifted my head and gave a little bark. It's my good fortune to have such good friends!

Lucy teaches Chinese brush stroke painting on weekends. Her website is www.LucyWang.com call 619-557-0517.

HALLOWEEN FESTIVITIES AT THE VILLAGE

BELLA INVITES HER READERS TO
SPANISH VILLAGE ART CENTER'S
HALLOWEEN FESTIVITIES
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 30TH, 2010
11:00am to 3:00pm

Doggys Come and Dress Up for the Doggy Costume Contest! Starts at 1 PM! First Prize is $25 Gift Certificate to Spanish Village!! Dogulas, Barkensteins, the Woofman & more are all welcome!

WRITERZ BLOK

For the Kids, come make TRICK OR TREAT BAGS, decorate them! Then go TRICK OR TREATING at the village studios!!!! No tricks, just yummy treats!

ENJOY STEAM POWERED GIRAFFE, a musical pantomine group....sit or stand a spell and enjoy the entertainment!

STROLL by our Art Booth & Food Booths! Interesting Art & Tasty Foods!

We are open 11-4 PM...some studios open earlier or later....
Come and enjoy our beautiful, charming, colorful, friendly grounds!

BELLA is looking forward to seeing all of you!

LAI,artist
Studio 26 Basket Weaving & Oil Pastels
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Alane and Fused Glass

A Dog has one aim in life...to bestow his heart. J.R. Ackerley

All day, the rain has fallen on our village.

Winchester, the squirrels, rabbits, coyotes, the other cats and I have sought refuge from the wetness. For my refuge, I am lying down in studio 24 on the cool brick flooring, occasionally lifting my head to an occasional passing customer, the most physical exertion for the day.

I can hear the birds starting to chirp as the rain has subsided....a celebration for the rain's cessation.

I am watching Alane gluing magnets to the back of her colorful fused glass refrigerator magnets. The odor of the glue is wafting across my nose. ''Have you decide to wake up Bella?'' The thumping of my tail adds to the singing of the birds....I get up, shake my Bella shake, ahhh, from my head to the tip of my tail....and walk over to Alane.

In her studio, you can see fused glass of all kinds...refrigerator magnets, night lights, pendants, earrings, barrettes, purse hangers, cabinet door knobs and more. Alane creates usable art. The small pieces of vibrant, colorful glass, are laid atop each other, then placed in a kiln at a high temperature, melting the glass, creating an unique and colorful piece of fused glass artwork.
For some art pieces, Alane uses the shards of glass left behind by the glass blowers, recycling them into beautiful fused glass jewelry.
She teaches fused glass classes by appointment.

''Are you getting ready for Halloween? Maybe I'll make a pumpkin pendant to hang from your collar....would you like that Bella?'' I wagged my tail to let her know it was a fine idea, but I really had hoped for a piece of that cold pizza sitting on her work table. If I sat down, pretty-like, and stared at the remaining piece, just maybe.....''Bella, where are my manners? Would you like this pizza?'' I stood up, wagged my tail, gave her my big Bella smile, and nudged her hand.....ummm, pepperoni pizza with anchovies!....Oh, and remember, Oct. 30th 1PM is our Halloween Doggy Costume Contest! Come and join us! Woof!

A Song In Her Heart

''If there are no dogs in Heaven then, when I die, I want to go where they went.'' Will Rogers.

Dogs are generous creatures. They shower you with affection without anything in return. But, when your affection is returned, to me, it is heaven.

The afternoon sun was hot, and moving over to the westerly sky. Few people were meandering in the Village because of the heat. Looking down the main patio, I could see the patio artist fanning themselves, sucking on iced coffees, working on their crafts, glancing up for a potential customer.

I was lying down under the Jacaranda tree, panting. I was thirsty and my tummy was beginning to growl. It was time to get up and find some grub. Overall, the Village was quiet, except for a sound of a lilt not too far away. Who is that? Who is that singing? I lifted up my ears, perking them to distinguish from where the song was coming. It was Randi singing the 'Rubber Doggy (Duckie) Song' in the air I could hear 'rubber doggy, joy of joy, I'd like a pond of you'......so, I figure it was one of those whimsical days for Randi....sounds like fun. I got up and trotted over to her studio.

''Come on in Bella!' ''I've got some hot dog for you.''
(yummy, I love The Grill's super dogs!)
''Did you like my singing?''
(I wagged my tail, and gave her a big lick on the cheek)

RANDI HAWKINS, artist
2D Mixed Media

Contented, and lying in Studio 31, on the coolness of her concrete flooring, I watched Randi paint with her pallet knife, concentrating as she delegated the oils onto the canvas, stroke by stroke, creating colors breathing from her canvas, depicting a lotus floating in the Reflection Pond. She is using oil with oil pastels. The textures pull your eyes into consideration and appreciation of her artwork...followed by a comment of awe. A Painting of the architecture of Balboa Park is hung on the wall...the colors shout out with vibrant purples and lime greens. It is a wonderful way to conceive a quiet, staunch, historical building...but, that's Randi, always perceiving outside the box.

It was time to go look for water....Randi's studio doesn't have running water.
Without breaking Randi's concentration on her painting, I got up and went to Lai's studio for a refreshing drink of water underneath the carob tree.

As I trotted to the drinking bowl, I considered what I would be for this Halloween's festivities....I've heard there's going to be a Halloween costume contest for dogs! What fun! I wonder if Winchester would take afront if I dressed up as a cat.

bit by bit makes ed a fantastic mosaic

The morning was sunny and warm. Winchester was stalking the squirrels, who were clacking away with irritation....Winchester must be hungry as I am.

''Hello Girl''....it was Ed carrying in his artwork to studio 26. I followed along in his steps, wagging my tail, tongue hanging out, and every fur on my body in its perfect place...appearances in an artist village mean a lot. As I entered the doorway of his studio, I realized Ed was going to set up outside to do his artwork.


Out went the table, out went his unfinished mosaic, and out went his glue and box of tiny bits of colored paper. Ed is not only a fine watercolorist, he is a mosaic artist. Beautiful pictures of koi, flowers, landscapes, and even an incredible portrait of a young woman make up part of his mosaic collection of work.
Ed sits pensively and glues (with Elmer's glue!) bits of squared off paper (color samples from Home Depot) positioned by a needle onto his board. As each square is meticulously placed, one by one, hundreds upon hundreds, the squares take on a form...today Ed is finishing up his Koi's inspired by the fish in the Japanese Tea Garden. I felt as if I was being ignored, since Ed was enthralled in placing his bits of paper onto the mosaic....I went up to him, smiling, and began to wag my tail (maybe a bit too diligently, are those tiny squares of paper flying by?)....I could smell the ham & cheese....

'Oh, I forgot about you, girl'' I nudged his hand and gave him my best GIVE ME FOOD look and stared at his lunch bag. 'Are you hungry Bella?' .... I put my paw on his arm....Out came the sandwich, and Ed gave me half! 'That's my good girl'.....and he's right, I am a good girl. Woof!

Birds of a Feather...get painted by Rosa

Spanish Village is indeed a village, studios nestled beside each other, neighbor next to neighbor, continuation of our daily lives shared with smiles and sometimes tears....best described, it is an extended family away from home, and sometimes, when you're lucky you get to bring your whole family to the village.....
''Here Bella!'' ''Here Bella!''
Did someone just call me? I scanned the patio searching for who was calling me.
Off towards the entrance of the village I could see 4 people becoming larger and more distinct as they walked towards me....it was Kathi, daughters Rosa and Lily, and son Jose. I trotted down to say hi to my friends. I just love to smell the shoes of this family...running a sheep farm makes shoes very very interesting for me.
''Come on in Bella''.
I entered Studio 8 with eagerness. Kathi was putting away the day's lunch (tuna salad, sniff sniff, cheese wedge, and what is that smell? Oh, yes, roast beef!) Guess I know where I'll spend the day....Jose grabbed his computer to go discuss the social media program with Alane. Lily took off with her mandolin slung across her back to Sylvia's creative writing class, and Kathi went to Frank's to discuss the cleaning of Gallery 21 and set up her yarn display in front of the studio.

So, that left me with Rosa who was busily dusting her framed painted feathers. She raises rare breeds of chickens and parrots on the family sheep farm. When the feathers molt, she uses the feathers as canvas for her miniature acrylic paintings. Each one is carefully and delicately painted. An iris is adorned on a small white cockatoo feather, mushrooms on a silver laced wyandotte feather, lovebirds on black australorp feathers with macaw accent feathers, and so much more.... all paintings are matted, some with mulberry paper. Key chains and note cards embellished by delicate, little, feathers create a very different medium, all unique, all interesting, all from Rosa's collection of rare breed birds.
Rosa smiled, went to her bag and pulled out a tennis ball. ''Want to play ball?''
''BALL??!!##!!'' Why don't mind if I do....I ran up to the ball, sniffed it, and gave a big bark!

A family that plays together, stays together.

Bella and her Buddy Lai

The morning was sunny, and the heat was already creeping into the day. Winchester, the cat was licking himself with interest, the squirrels were chirping at eachother jockeying for a special tree limb, and I was wondering where I would find my next treat. Lying down underneath the shade of the carob tree, I heard keys jangling, someone was coming into the charming little patio...it was Lai my buddy.
''Hi Bella! How you doing girl?' '' Do you want a treat?'' .....say no more to me. I immediately got up, did my Bella shake, yes, all my fur is perfectly in place. I really am beautiful, you know, and trotted off to follow Lai into her cool studio.
''Just a second while I put this stuff away, okay, girl?''

I lied down on the cool concrete floor as I watched Lai put away her day's needs. Everytime, I come into her studio, I enjoy the paintings of her dogs, or 'doggies' as she would say. Colorful, whimsical, full of expression dogs of all ilks, all from her imagination, hung from the grids attached to the wall. Painted on canvas with oil pastels, each one of her colorful paintings jump out and say 'look at me' and invariably bring a smile or chuckle on the viewer's face.

And along the display shelves, I can see Lai's organic baskets made from materials she mostly gleans from the park's grounds. They are made from dracaena draco, inflorescence (king palm), flax, philodendron, and more. Some are coiled with the inflorescence, and some are weaved with the dracaena draco...they, too, are whimsical and organic.
''Okay girl, let me put the doggy bones in this cracked bowl for my doggy guests, and okay! Ready for a cookie???''
And I looked her in the eyes and gave her a big Bella smile...''don't have to ask me twice!''
Note: in Studio 26, where Lai's doggy paintings and baskets are, is also a drop off point for doggys to have a milk bone, fresh water, a hose to spray your heated dog down, a cool place to lie down, and tummy rubs (for the dogs). In Lai's studio dogs rock!