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Friday, February 26, 2010

Open house cancelled...UGH!


Yesterday C.S. woke up feeling like a big pile! Stuffy nose and tickling throat were not what she had in mind for the next couple of days. Open house for Adrift Art Studio just 2 days away, this could not be happening.

Fact is, it has happened and this morning C.S. is feeling like she must have a case of flu with achy muscles, chest congestion and a headache to beat the band. Looks like there will have to be a delay in having an Open House for her new Adrift Art Studio.

Sleep and hot tea is most likely going to be the agenda for at least a few days. It was a slap in the face yesterday but C.S. says things happen for a reason and Mother Nature must have wanted it to play out this way. She decided to go with the flow and climb back in her nest. The open house can wait and she will spend the next few days working to bring her health back to par.

Please stay tuned!

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Ready Or Not Here We Go

The past week we have been sorting through all of the things that it takes to pull Adrift Art Studio up and set her back on her feet. Things might not be running but they are beginning to show signs of the ability to stand upright, without crutches. The thought for a while was to postpone an open house until things were better organized. All week C.S. has been mulling the idea over in her head. A tiny voice in the back of her mind keeps telling her to wait a couple weeks.





Jill has been nose to the grind stone, sorting and labeling all of the inventory for Handcrafted Jewelry USA. There is a lot more to it than meets the eye. The jewelry components are tiny and require a lot of handling before they ever make their way to becoming a finished product. It seems to be never ending from time to time. Jill just about gets to the bottom of a box and C.S. hands her another one.

The process is coming along but time has come to let it go and concentrate on the reason for Adrift Art Studio. With that thought in mind and a burning desire to push forward C.S. Alexis says open the doors, "Ready or not here we go".

So here it is, a not so formal invitation to everyone.

WHAT: Adrift Art Studio Open House
WHEN: Saturday, February 27, 2010
WHERE: Due to security please contact C.S. Alexis the following email address
swiz@att.net
Time: 2PM - 5PM

Friday, February 19, 2010

Adrift Art Studio Open House Coming Soon



Now it is a big push for C.S. Alexis to get all the finishing touches put on her new art studio. There is still so much to do. C.S. has an attitude about it. She feels that the entire experience is a "God Thing" and it will all come off just perfect. That does not mean she is not a bit anxious about the journey.



Taking it one step at a time is hard for her. She wants to hurry up and get it done. That is her nature. Same reason she had to buy a high speed wood burning tool and likes to paint with acrylics. When it comes to artwork, patience is not really one of her virtuous sides. She likes to work in speed and endurance. Get it down and move on. Oil painting was never her cup of tea. It takes too long for the paint to dry!



Digital photography is wonderful. Snap a photo and have a great quality print in a matter of minutes. Yes C.S. Alexis is all about getting it done fast, but fast is not always best. This is why she likes to work on several different projects at the same time. It is also why she likes to practice gardening. You can not rush Mother Nature when it comes to growing plants. It forces C.S. to be mindful about the right time and right place for things to happen in a positive outcome. She has learned over the years to take life as it comes and try not to get too edgy over things that will not make a difference in 40 years.



So the studio is coming along and it looks to be a good place for getting the speedy work accomplished as well as the time consuming creations. Won't be long until C.S. is pounding out some very creative works in the new Adrift Art Studio.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Adrift Art Studio Open House Saturday February 27

The time is edging closer for the big day. C.S. can hardly wait to show the progress that has been made in rebuilding Adrift Art Studio. Most of the boxes have been unpacked and most of the furnishings have been replaced. There are still a few things that have to be moved back from another location but that is only a matter of making another trip with a van.



Jill is back on board and ready to get started working in the new studio. What C.S. has been doing for the last few months is working wherever she can clear a space in her office or the dining room of her home. It has been a struggle. Not having an area to spread out and work when she has available time has been quite frustrating to say the least.

It is a great reward to see things falling in to place and the excitement is building as C.S. Alexis gains momentum on reaching a goal that has prevailed through a turbulent journey. Adrift Art Studio Lives.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Receiving Adrift Art Studio Born Again

The work is boring as C.S. sorts through box after box of items she had stored away after the flood. Much of it was jammed away as quickly as possible to get it out of the way. All of the repair work that had to be completed meant removing everything to another location.







The flood water seeping in slowly allowed some time to grab whatever was in sight and carry it to higher ground. Over a matter of hours all that could be snatched up was and in the bustle things were mixed up. The house adjoining ours was in serious danger. Their basement wall caved and that put an immediate halt to our salvaging what we could from our own. The ground in common to our neighbors house was compromised when their wall caved meaning it was just not worth the risk to continue our mission.



Adrift Art Studio shared that common ground with the neighbors house and trying to remove anything from that side of the building could have resulted in serious human injury or even death from drowning as the water continued to push it's way in to all the lower areas.



In the aftermath of the storm our basement was full of water and Mother Nature appeared to have won the battle. Adrift was a sunken ship.

Weeks of shoveling, picking, cleaning and packing turned in to months. Piles of debris and bits of the past were tossed into large dumpsters and hauled away. A few things were saved here and there as the massive amount of destruction slowly turned over it's ground to an empty space.

Power washing and mold treatments took center stage in preparing the structure to seek redemption. Scrub and clean, sweep and mop, removing the destroyed and preparing for a rebirth. The roots were still there somewhere, in a box, in the intangible zone, in her nightmares and her dreams.



Many times over the past 17 months it would have been easiest to toss in the towel. Call it a loss and find something else to do. Walking away and not looking back seemed a suspended apple in front of her weary eyes. The challenges often seemed larger than life and the frustrations of personal injury along with a faltering economy added insult to her circumstance. Enter the dragonfly!

Life is an illusion and we can make of it what we will. All we have to do really,is believe. Believe it long enough and it will become a truth. Work toward a belief and it will make the intangible a reality. Do what you have to do to make things happen.We moved fast working to carry all we could up the stairs in hopes of saving it from water damage. Things that stayed in the lowest level were placed up as high as possible off the ground. There was no reason to believe the water would fill the basement to the ceiling. All we could do was what we had done and the rest was up to God and Mother Nature.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Fresh Paint At Adrift Art Studio


Excitement is building as C.S. Alexis begins putting the Adrift Art Studio in to place once more. She has not stopped working as an artist since the big flood wiped out her work area but it sure did slow her down. Not to mention all of the additional turmoil that rebuilding from scratch caused, it has been a war but C.S. Alexis has unwavering determination and perseverance.

Gathering her tools and supplies together she has reached the point where having a home art studio is no longer a dream. No it is not what she had before the flood but with an optimistic viewpoint she is certain that this studio will become the best ever. It all takes time and C.S. has put a multitude of hours in to this project. Her intention is to have a Grand Opening very soon and is currently busy organizing this space in to a functional, productive art studio. Adrift Art Studio LIVES.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Retro Artwork by C.S. Alexis



Working as much as possible to put my Adrift Art Studio back together. I have been unpacking boxes and sorting and sifting through things that have been stored for what sometimes seems an eternity.

I ran across some photographs of artwork that was produced in the earlier stages of my studio. Here is a sample of work that was done in 1998 during a study period where nature became a driving force in much of my work. Done in Denton Texas from driftwood gathered near DFW Airport in Grapevine Texas.

Nature's Song is an assemblage of driftwood, brass wire, plastic beads and bone. Measuring approx. 12"L x 6"W x 2.5"D

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Pulling It All Together







Adrift Art Studio survived and struggled to resurface as a bigger, better place to work and nurture the ideas and creations of C.S. Alexis. The studio was all but wiped off the map in a major flood that employed the natural destruction of water and mud to do the dirty deed. The majority of materials, tools and furnishings were lost and a visual survey offered insight as to just how difficult it was going to be to start over, rebuild and carry on.






The tangible removed, dirt and mud scrapped and scrubbed away, utilities restored and a fresh coat of paint applied to the repaired concrete walls cast a brighter light on the situation. Not all was lost in the flood. It seems a little water, or a lot of water cannot stop a greater force...... what is a greater force than flood water and moving Earth?





The force of CREATIVITY.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Wake Up And Smell The Jewelry


Jewelry is a lot like good coffee. It touches us somewhere deep, is comforting and stimulating. It can warm our hearts and set our emotional energies on fire. Valentine's Day is coming soon and it would be a shame if everyone got a box of candy for the event. Jewelry lasts so much longer and it usually does not interrupt plans for dieting or ruin a good meal.
I am telling this because I have all kinds of wonderful jewelry for sale and I want you to find a unique creation at our Handcrafted Jewelry USA store on Etsy, make a purchase and gift it to someone special in your life. You can't go wrong with a gift of jewelry because it is something that will be treasured for life. So wake up and smell the jewelry!