Darlene Schaper-Art and Curiosity Shop

My Submission for the CAP Auction This Year

2012-01-17T10:50:00.000-08:00

ART EVENING & AUCTION

23rd Annual Art Auction: April 28, 2012!

"Our Lady of Equine Hope"

Join us at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum for the Annual CAP Art Auction! Every year since 1990, CAP has hosted an art auction and party to raise money to prevent the spread ofHIV/AIDS and provide service to those infected or affected by HIV in the Northwest. Portland’s art community first organized this iconic event, and they remain the backbone of the Art Auction today. The event has grown over the past two decades, now encompassing 250 works of art and over 1,000 guests.

Guest Curator for 2012 is Bonnie Laing-Malcomson, Curator of Northwest Art at the Portland Art Museum.

Decemberville Sale at Stars

2011-12-01T08:46:00.001-08:00

Decemberville Sale at Stars

Holiday Shopping at its Best!

Decemberville has returned to Sellwood/Westmoreland & that means the holidays have arrived.

Shop Stars Decemberville Sale this coming weekend. While the neighborhood sales start at 4pm on Saturday, Stars Sale starts at 11am & runs for both Saturday & Sunday.

Saturday, December 3rd 11am to 8pm

Sunday, December 4th with our

*NEW Sunday hours 11am until 6pm*

Shop Smart Shop Stars

Stars Antiques Malls

7027 SE Milwaukie Avenue

Portland, Oregon 97202

Little Boxes Shopping Black Friday Local Pays Off!

2011-11-20T11:30:00.000-08:00

Black Friday Shopping at Stars

Promotion Title

Don't feel like waiting in a long line outside a big box store at 3am the day after Thanksgiving to get your Christmas shopping done? We don't blame you! That's why this year Stars is partnering up with these other great Portland stores for LITTLE BOXES, a city wide shopping event, to reward you for shopping with us!

On Friday, November 25th starting at10am (yes, you read that right, 10am, not3:15am) until 8pm, come on in and get your raffle ticket for a chance to win big. Prizes include an iPad, tickets to OVO by Cirque du Soleil, $200 toWildwood Restaurant, $100 Stars Gift Certificate and so many more.

Not only do you get the chance to win some of these fantastic prizes, but after you shop with us, you'll get 10% off at any other Little Box when you show your receipt from any participating Little Box on Friday.

See you then!

Stars Antiques Malls

7027 SE Milwaukie Avenue

Portland, Oregon 97202

503.235.5990

Plucky Maidens Junk Fest

2011-11-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

Plucky Maidens Junk Fest at The Grand Lodge

Darlene Schaper's Relica Vintage collections offer an eclectic mix of vintage, steampunk, industrial chic, beautifully aged and delicately fierce objects. She does the hunting for you and selects only the most soulful pieces. Her taste is impeccable, and her own creative work is a bonus discovery.

Featured Reading

- Saturday, November 19
  - 11 a.m.-5 p.m. |
    - $5 per person |
      - All ages welcome

3505 Pacific Ave.

Forest Grove, OR 97116

Local: (503) 992-9533

Article Headline

Dozens of vendors offering piles of vintage treasures. All restaurants and pubs will be open for this event. Come for food, drink, junk and merriment!

We will be in the Children's Cottage. Free giveaway to the first 100 customers at the booth

Contact Info

www.relicavintage.com

Darlene Schaper

5038666253

Day of the Dead Celebration at Cannibals Gallery

2011-09-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

Día de los Muertos

From the beginning of time, man has felt the

need to explain the mystery of life and death. Many

civilizations and cultures have created rituals to try

and give meaning to human existence. From pre-

Columbian times, El Día de los Muertos, the Day of

the Dead, has been celebrated in Mexico and other

Latin countries. This is a very special ritual, as it is

the day in which the living remember their departed relatives.

At Cannibals Gallery on NW 21st Avenue, local

artists Tabor Porter, Darlene Schaper, and Greg

Carrigan will guest curate their interpretation of this

celebration through art on first Thursday, October 7th, 2011.

The curators will create an interactive alter where visitors can

leave copied pictures, poems, or remembrances of loved

ones who have passed.

1st Thursday Celebration Opening: 5 to 9pm

Cannibals Gallery

518 Northwest 21st Avenue

Portland, OR 97209-1106

(503) 224-2663

Open Wed-Sun 12pm-5pm

Embellished Prints Hopping Out to my Stores

2011-08-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

Couldn't find the room for a larger painting? These little beauty's are around 3 inches and $18.00 each.

Find them at Cannibals Gallery, The Dusty Tiger, or Stars and Splendid

Shipping is $3.00 if you would like one mailed.

My favorite way to spend a lazy afternoon lunch

2011-08-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

If you thought it was creepy to keep a Ouija board in your attic, then you’re really not going to be crazy about carrying one around with you at all times. The Ouija Board Lunch Box in theory could be used as a Ouija board, except instead of using it on a stormy night at the campground, you can use it on a sunny afternoon in the cafeteria.

My Wonder of the Week- A Two Headed Chick

2011-08-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

Polycephaly is a condition of having more than one head. A variation is an animal born with two faces on a single head, a condition known as diprosopus. In medical terms these are all congenital cephalic disorders.There are many occurrences of multi-headed animals, in real life as well as in mythology. Bicephalic or tricephalic animals are the only type of multi-headed creatures seen in the real world and form by the same process as conjoined twins: they all result from the failed separation of monozygotic twins. Most of these animals are still born due to the complications of shared organs.
http://starsantique.com/dealer_item.php?pid=12884

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." - Jacques Cousteau

2011-06-23T09:25:00.000-07:00

"It is an interesting biological fact that all of us have in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears.

We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea--whether it is to sail or to watch it--we are going back from whence we came."
- John F. Kennedy

I am fortunate in Portland to live close to the ocean, only an hour or two drive. The downside is that the weather is frequently not ideal for an enjoyable time but, when it is it is truly magical. The sea has romanced me and soothed me many times and has inspired July's showing at Cannibals Gallery. Mermaids and sea creatures abound for first Thursday in Portland.

A Night at the CAP Auction

2011-05-15T23:10:00.000-07:00

CAP Art Auction; Honoring 25 Years: 1985-2011

On Saturday, April 30, 2011, Cascade AIDS Project (CAP) hosted the Annual Art Auction as we honor the organization’s 25th anniversary since incorporating.

It was a lot of fun to see all the great art and artist friends. I made this circus performer style dress for this event.

Tabor, Greg, Janet, and I all went to the art auction to rub elbows with Portland's finest. My carnival dress was designed by me from a vintage dress I found on Mellrose ave. on my trip to LA. My Bustle dawns one of my plush bunny creations as well as my purse. Janet was also game to be adorned with a BunnyCrave bat.

Janet with her lovely piece

Over the past 22 years, this iconic event has brought over 1,000 artists, galleries, patrons, and community leaders together each year with the goal of raising much-needed funds for the essential programs and services CAP provides. Considered by many to be one of Portland’s keystone fundraisers, this event was created by the local arts community in 1989 to raise funds in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The Grand Event ($100/person) includes a salon-style silent auction of 280 artworks along with sweets and savories provided by 25 of Portland’s best food purveyors. The Patron Dinner ($250/person) includes attendance at the Grand Event plus special entertainment, a gourmet meal, and an exclusive live auction featuring 15+ of the most outstanding artworks donated by prominent artists. An invitation accompanied by a color artwork catalog is published and mailed to 5,000 individuals, as well as distributed to 30 galleries.

The Guest Curator for 2011 is Terri M. Hopkins, Director of The Art Gym at Marylhurst University in Portland, Oregon. Ms. Hopkins will choose 10 to 12 live auction pieces and will coordinate with a selection committee to choose up to 3 additional live auction artworks, 20 honorable mentions, and 280 silent auction pieces.

This year’s selection committee includes Brad Rogers of Plan B Gallery, Amy Caplan of Caplan Art Designs, Charles Froelick of Froelick Gallery, and Martha Lee of Laura Russo Gallery.

WHY: Today, an estimated 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV and over
20% of them do not even know they are infected. Nationwide, a new infection occurs every nine and a half minutes. In Oregon, 7,000 individuals are living with HIV today, and that number grows annually.

Were paying with love tonight!!!!

2011-04-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

Seems like everybody's got a price,
I wonder how they sleep at night..
When the sale comes first,
And the truth comes second,
Just stop, for a minute and
Smile!
Why is everybody so serious?!
Acting so damn mysterious,
You got your shades on your eyes.
And your heels so high
That you can't even have a good time.

[Pre-Chorus:]
Everybody look to their left, (yeah!)
Everybody look to their right! (ha!)
Can you feel that? (yeah!)
We'll pay them with love tonight...

[Chorus:]
It's not about the money, money, money,
We don't need your money, money, money.
We just wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the price tag.
Ain't about the (ha!) cha-ching cha-ching.
Ain't about the (yeah!) ba-bling ba-bling,
Wanna make the world dance,
Forget about the price tag.

[Verse 2:]
(Listen, okay.)
We need to take it back in time,
When music made us all UNITE!
And it wasn't low blows, and video hoes,
Am I the only one gettin'... tired?
Why is everybody so obsessed?
Money can't buy us happiness.
Can we all slow down and enjoy right now?
Guaranteed we'll be feelin'
All right.

[Pre-Chorus:]
Everybody look to their left, (yeah!)
Everybody look to their right! (ha!)
Can you feel that, (yeah!)
We'll pay them with love tonight...



[B.o.B]
Yeah, yeah.
Well, keep the price tag,
And take the cash back.
Just give me six streams and a half stack,
And you can keep the cars,
Leave me the garage.
And all I..
Yes all I need are keys and guitars.
And guess what, in 30 seconds I'm leaving to Mars!
Yes, we leaving across these undefeatable odds,
It's like this man, you can't put a price on the life.
We do this for the love so we fight and sacrifice every night,
So we ain't gonna stumble and fall never.
Waiting to see, a sign of defeat uh, uh!
So we gonna keep everyone moving their feet,
So bring back the beat, and everybody sing,

The Year Of the Rabbit

2011-03-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

This is so up my ally! Who doesn't love to dress up their bunny?
The rabbit is considered a lucky sign
Unlike Western astrology, with its ever-shifting, daily horoscopes, those born under the sign of the rabbit are said to be kind, wise, gentle, considerate and, yes, fashionable.

This astrologer is a little woo woo but it is a really great myth about the sign of the rabbit and hopeful for the year to come.

And just for fun...

And, of course, my super cute bunnies ; )

The Urban Farm is Coming Along

2011-03-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

Starting with the

baby chick

To the full grown hens, this is Henryetta she is always spying on us in the kitchen. She really wants to be a house chicken!

Now we have 4 beautiful eggs a day

Here is where all the poop goes on my compost pile made from shipping pallets I got for a buck each off craigslist.

I took wire and just tied the corners together.

Another little compost maker, Robert RauchenBunny

Water catchment system I am working on from beverage containers. Also got these off of Craigs for $15 each. I know it doesn't seem like we would need to catch water in Oregon but it does get really dry in the summer and the idea is to create permaculture in your space.

What is permaculture?

Permaculture is a system of ecological design. It is the only design system which incorporates ethics as an integral part of the design process. The ethics of permaculture are Care for the Earth, Care for People, and Share your Surplus. By designing within these guidelines, we can all help to nurture and even regenerate our small portion of the planet.

One of the important tenets of pc (permaculture) philosophy is that of providing for as many of your own needs as possible. Few of us can manage to grow all the food we eat, but all of us are able to contribute to our own diet in some way.

We bought 26 bales of hay for $3 each again from a farmer who posted them on craigs. These will serve as raised beds for vegis.

Green house from Bi-mart

The idea is to get rid of all the grass and have a more sustainable and eco friendly living environment. To learn more read the book Food Not Lawns

Here is a video the author made about it

Can Art Change the World?

2011-03-07T07:21:00.000-08:00

JR, a French street artist, uses his camera to show the world its true face. He makes his audacious TED Prize wish: to use art to turn the world inside out. A funny, moving talk about art and who we are. Learn more at insideoutproject.net.

Paxton Gate on Mississippi

2011-02-27T19:01:00.000-08:00

Most visitors to my home polity smiled at my collections of bones and animal specimens in jars. Going away shaking their heads at my interest in such things so morbid. Now it is apparently quite in Vogue to have these oddities in ones home. Just go check out Paxton Gate a new natural-history-leaning curio store of epic proportions, the original Paxton was founded in San Francisco by a landscape designer; the Portland outpost -- a rough-hewn, wood-heavy retail space given the impression of age via wrought iron windows and reclaimed display cases -- is being started up by longtime friends who knew the originator all the way back when he was tending bar.

The ornately bizarre stock starts with reliquaries based on 16th c. saint-bone holders decorated with etchings from science tomes, etc., and enclosing everything from dice to coyote bones collected and cleaned by the artist after they starved to death due to a roadrunner shortage. More ephemera includes the Opium Desk Lamp (a bathysphere supported by brass bird's legs, with a poppy pod shooting out its top), vicious, ready-to-pounce rabbit skeletons, and taxidermy including cobras, mice dressed for social occasions, dogfish sharks in alcohol, and jackalopes -- apocryphal creatures invented by people too timid to make up Bigfoot.

While dead things abound, Paxton also carries carnivorous plants like the pitcher and the Venus fly trap, herbal soaps like an orange spice bar from Etta Billie, and numerous field guides and other books.

I recently put many of my collected specimens up for sale at Cannibals and to top them off they are all decorated Victorian style! Sweet Fetal Pigs who didn't make it into the world.

“Oh after you mop the floor and clean the barn, can you finish the Sistine chapel in your spare time? Ross Fletcher

2011-02-11T08:35:00.000-08:00

In my quest to find value in what I do I came across this article by Maria Brophy of http://mariabrophy.com/

It was a shot of comfort that I am not alone in my struggle and a reminder to seriously value your art and what you do...

Why Artists Should (Not) Be Paid for Their Artwork and other misconceptions!

Garcon a la Pipe by Picasso - Sold for $137.5 Million

I woke up feeling quite feisty this morning. Nothing makes me spit nails more than the idea that some people under-value the work of artists.

Last night I was at a Blog World Expo party in Las Vegas. I met a pretty boy from a social media company who asked about my blog. I told him that I help artists make a living doing what they love with art.

Pretty boy replied, “Artists shouldn’t be paid for their art. Getting paid prevents them from creating really good stuff.”

Drew and Maria June 17, 2000

I thought back to the artsy photographers I hired for my wedding day. They were more expensive than your average wedding photographer, but they gave me something wonderful: stunning photos of the most important day of my life!

I can’t even entertain the thought that being paid makes your work less good. That’s the biggest load of crap I’ve ever heard.

I asked him, “If they don’t get paid, who feeds their families and pays for their supplies?”

“They should work another job,” he said, rather smugly.

I want to make three points about Art, Contribution and Money with this article:

Your art is a CONTRIBUTION to society. It brings joy, it solves problems, and it makes this world a better place.
Being paid ALLOWS you to make that contribution to society.
Your contribution expands in relation to the amount of time you put into it. More hours = expanded contribution to this world with your God-given talent.

We live in a money-based society. That won’t change anytime soon – so those of you who say “money isn’t important” get over it!

I almost punched pretty boy in the face when he said to me, “Artists are better off working a job they hate and then painting in their spare time.”

This is the problem I have with that:

a.) No one should work a job they hate. You were put on this earth with talents and you are meant to do that which you are good at and what you love!

b.) The world is missing out on your contribution. The less an artist creates, the less they grow. It requires hours upon hours to hone your craft.

If you are at a “real job” for 40-50 hours a week, doing what you hate, and then you have to come home and be a parent, and mow the lawn, and feed your kids, when will you create art?

I have friends who regret living most of their lives working in an office job and only creating a few paintings a year because that’s all there was time for. Think of how much their talent would have improved, how much they could have shared, had they created all day instead!

“Soooooo”, I asked the pretty boy, my blood getting hot with frustration, “do you get paid for YOUR work?”

Of course, the answer was yes. “Does getting paid make your work less good?” I asked. “Well, no” he said. “That’s different.”

Yeah, I thought so.

This topic drives me insane. Why should one small segment of the population have their work devalued so much that they are forced to struggle? Should interior designers also not be paid, and should musicians play for free and should the guy who artistically installs my decorative bathroom tile do it for nothing?

And an even better question is this: why should my plumber be paid more than an artist?!

Drew Brophy has been a working artist since he was a teenager. He’s always “Lived by the Paintbrush.”

When he was in his twenties, he painted surfboards for a living. A lot of them. So many that he’s become known in the surf industry as the artist who changed the way that surfboards were painted.

He says that painting 10-15 surfboards a day helped him to get really good and to develop a very strong style of his own. His style is now well recognized and many people try to emulate it and attribute their artwork to being inspired by Drew.

If Drew had been working in another field and only painting in his spare time, he would have been wasting his talent.

Drew paints what he wants, and he loves doing it. When someone commissions a painting, it’s because they love his style. It’s a beautiful way to put art into the world and be able to live a good life.

Charging for his artwork allows him to make people happy with his art. Without payment, he wouldn’t have the time, because he’d have to pay the bills by working on something else. And there’s only so much time in the day.

Though he hardly paints surfboards anymore, occasionally he will. These paintings BRING GREAT JOY TO PEOPLE. When they see their very own Drew Brophy surfboard painting for the first time, their eyes light up!

One happy surfer boy!

(The picture to the left is from a thank you card that ten year old Spencer wrote, thanking Drew for his painted surfboard – he is proud to be seen with it!)

Charging for your artwork enables you to make a contribution to the world with your art. It allows you to develop your style and to get better and better at what you do.

Most of my friends are creative people. The rare few that don’t care about being paid are either supported by a family member or have another career that they really enjoy.

We live in a money based society. That isn’t going to change right now. It costs money to eat, put your kid in sports, to have a home. We most likely won’t see that change in our lifetime.

As long as we are stuck in a money based system, I find it an outright insult to all hardworking artists to say they shouldn’t be paid for what they do.

It’s just a crazy notion that this one, single profession should work for free! (While everyone else gets paid…)

What do you think?

Heart Warming! and Bravely Done

2011-01-30T09:57:00.000-08:00

DAYNA COLLINS owner of Ally Art Studio took this picture of the window she has the Fearless Faces Paintings in the middle NEXT to my Love Plushie soft sculptures. There is a link to see more pictures on her blog below.

FEATURE AREA & WINDOW GALLERY (January 27-February 20)
This will be the third year the gallery has hosted a group show featuring the universal favorite image for February: HEARTS. Participating in the show are:

Diane Archer, Stephanie Brockway, Scot Cameron-Bell, Dayna Colins, Chris Giffin, Kim Hamblin, Hsin-Yi Huang, Jacquline Hurlbert, Lucia Johnson, Kim Murton, Darlene Schaper, Sara Swink and Jill Torberson .

Fearless -ness
I am in a slump this week about licencing. I forced myself to read a book on contracts that I am not ready for yet and I keep going to Tara Reed's blog but it is like an information road block. Everywhere I go it seems to be to open the next door, money is required. That is stopping be right now because spending more money is not feeling good to me at all right now.

So I decided to relax and build a compost bin outdoors today. The physical work will be good to get my mind off things and I will feel a sense of accomplishment.

I noticed when I push at a feverish pace to figure something out I really struggle with it, get frustrated, and want to give up. I am going to let the universe do its job. Today I am asking for a path to a licencing agent to come to me or to easily get the information I need.

I am letting it go!

On my way to a friends house I found this bottle cap.

I think I am on the right track, sometimes you just need a sign and my practical survival head does not like to trust the universe with out a bit of encouragement.

My friend Mary bought a house this last year and it needed a lot of work. She was brave and asked for help, and people came. Me being one of them. Yesterday she hosted a luncheon for those that helped her out and had listened to her frustrations over the process. Mary also struggles with severe food allergies and made a very special meal for all of us that was also allergy free. It was really great and tasty and the company was the best.

Mary had each of us go around the table and talk about what our creative life was like. It was wonderful to hear each persons journey. When it came my turn I let it flow out realizing just how much I do, really to the point I left out a lot. It was a good time for me to be thankful and appreciate myself for all my hard work and how far I have come. Thanks Mary!

I would love to hear you comment any stories you may have about finding those random encouragements out in the world like my bottle cap experience.

Promote Global Worming

2011-01-24T07:43:00.000-08:00

This year is really going to be my eco year. I am an artist but I am really a farm girl at heart.When I visited my Husbands folks in Missouri this last year I was ready to buy a plot of land and send for the animals. We visited the Amish out there and it was so beautiful to see them live in harmony with the earth. I can't go as far as the Amish at this point but I actually have quite a bit of suburban land out here in Tanasborne. Tons of grass of course. I was reading some articles this weekend about the invention of grass on properties and it started as a status symbol because, as we all know, it is pricey to keep looking good and watered. I can see how it was a sign of wealth. These days it is an environmental hazard with water waste and the chemicals used on it that get into our ground water.
In taking baby steps I made an indoor kitchen worm bin this weekend! They are red wigglers from the Urban Farm Store on Belmont. This method makes excellent compost as well as turns all our throw away table scraps into plant food. Why do this? America is the largest producer of a dangerous greenhouse gas called Methane. It is largely produced from rotting food matter in our land fills.

This method is awesome because it doesn't smell and it is easy and practically free. Here is a funny Video on how to make one for your home.

Salvage Works an artist's dream

2011-01-21T12:03:00.000-08:00

Last night I hung out with the crew at Salvage works. My friend Janet Julian curates the 3rd Thursday artist shows there and asked me to show some work. What a great place a definite must see for assemblage artists or if you like to collect cool old things. They have a nice outdoor fire to chill by and they were having a king salmon bake. I felt the need to bite it.

Owner, Preston Browning with sister, Rachel Browning

A bit about Preston:

My first summer job was in Virginia denailing reclaimed beams and over the years have worked in antique restoration, cabinetmaking and finish carpentry. I first started making furniture from salvage in 1995 while restoring houses in NE Portland. Seeing all of the beautiful house parts go into the dumpster was too hard to watch, plus I didn’t have the money to buy new materials. I’ve been deconstructing, salvaging, reclaiming and dumpster diving ever since.

Starting in 1999 I worked at the Rebuilding Center on their first deconstruction crew, and then went on to start Refind Furniture, department of the Rebuilding Center . I designed and built furniture there for 3 years. Since then I worked with Mercy Corps in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina advocating for deconstruction as an alternative to demolition as well as training contractors and non profits in deconstruction techniques. Most recently I worked with the City of Portland in the Green Building Program and with Lovett Deconstruction, helping to find a home for all of the beautiful materials reclaimed from their projects.

It is located in the Kentin District by the big Paul Bunyon Statue at 2030 N Willis St, Portland, Oregon 97217 • 503-285-2555

http://www.salvageworkspdx.com/

The Heart Of The Matter Art about love and.....

2011-01-19T13:24:00.000-08:00

There is my little love devil see you at the opening!

Saw this great giveaway on PAC's Blog

2011-01-18T10:46:00.000-08:00

I saw this on Tori B's Blog and thought you should know about it. Keeping your new years resolutions organized in this great journal can actually be fun!

January's Portland Art Collective giveaway is a fabric journal made by Cynthia Mooney. The cover ties together and is held by a red button.

This is a wonderful journal, just use this link to jump over to the Portland Art Collective. and leave a comment, that's it, you could win!

Tori has some great pictures of Florida birds where she is vacationing right now.

http://coppercrowstudio.blogspot.com/blog

Portlandia New comedy about Portland

2011-01-14T17:43:00.000-08:00

OMG this is so funny, finally someone gets my dear old city. Quoted in this program is that Portland is a place where young people come to retire, and everybody has a job at a coffee shop, anything with a bird on it can be called art, there are no cars and everyone rides bikes, and the dream of the 90's is alive in Portland.

The 6-part IFC Original short-based comedy series PORTLANDIA, was created, written by and stars Fred Armisen (SNL) and Carrie Brownstein (vocalist/guitarist, WILD FLAG, Sleater-Kinney). Each episode's character-based shorts draw viewers into "Portlandia," the creators' dreamy and absurd rendering of Portland, Oregon.

A Book of Rabbit and Friends

2011-01-07T10:04:00.000-08:00

I was able to get my work published into this nice catalog that is now available for purchase at the below link. Link gives you a little preview of the book. Super cool site to check out for self publishing

lulu.com

Bunny Crave Hosts its First Giveaway! Winner announced on Jan 30th

2011-01-01T23:12:00.000-08:00

You Could Win This Art

In Honor of the Year of the Rabbit

I know it seems to good to believe

but it is as true as the love mark stitched to her bunny paw (no animals were harmed to create this lovie)

This little girl is named Charlotta and she is so sweet and soft. Handmade from upcycled re-purposed materials.
I created the face and hand sewed it onto a silk em

embroidery of a delicate daisy. She is a soft, sculpture, collage of sorts. The heart is also hand made and has a pretty crotched rose sewn onto it. To enter the drawing just add yourself as a public follower on my blog and January 31st I will announce the winner. If you are already a follower just email me your interest in being added to the drawing.

Good Luck,

Darlene

Be Kind to Yourself in the New Year

2010-12-30T22:03:00.000-08:00

This is Suzi Blu

I love watching Suziblutube videos. She is very inspirational and encouraging. This video particularly spoke to me and I decided to make it my new years resolution this year. I hope you will to!

True sweet love does not come by finding the perfect
person, but by learning to see an imperfect
person perfectly. ~ Jason Jordan

It is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the doing. It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving
~ Mother Teresa

Not your ordinary gingerbread house

2010-12-19T16:28:00.000-08:00

I thought this was the cutest gingerbread house I have seen. It is made of gingerbread, marzipan and a little sugar icing. It was made by a user of craftster.org named erdbeerblau (that is her username) She calls it gingerbread village and a starry Christmas tree. She made it for a craft challenge and I don't know if she won but it sure is great! Makes me want to get busy and build something like that. Alas I am to tired on a Sunday so I will enjoy her beautiful work and eat the white chocolate and gingerbread cookies from Trader Joe's.

close ups:

i planned to place the tiny house in front of the trees, but in the end there was no space left. poor little house :-(

"making of" so you can see that i REALLY made it myself. first cake decorating project! jay.

everything before assembling. i counted more than 60 gingerbread parts
(the stars will become the trees later)

everything waiting to be decorated

paaainting! i felt like a little kid playing with watercolours
and the gingerbread tastes just slightly sugary with a hint of white rum. yum.

Cannibals Gallery ~ "That which dos not kill us, makes us stranger."~ Trevor Goodchild

2010-12-11T12:16:00.000-08:00

I have been very lucky to be part of Cannibals Gallery and have Pamela Springfield as my Gallerist. Pamela is a very rare soul who understands art in the way art should be understood.Every artist should be so lucky as to have Pamela speak about their art. I know for myself, even with my art school training, I find it difficult to explain what and why I do what I do. Pamela has a knowing and has seen into things with an explanation that makes perfect sense. And, thank goodness for this encouragement because there are many dark days as an Artist, for some of us, and her words lit my path.

Her vision is unique in Portland and sometimes misunderstood. She herself has told me that not all art is salable, but that doesn't stop her from showing it.The art at Cannibals will make you feel something, which is a different take in a world that is becoming more numb and disconnected from our roots as human beings.This work may not color coordinate with your couch, and your neighbor will not have a matching one in their bathroom. You need to take a leap of faith and individuality to collect this art. I dare you!

Youtube video of Pamela touring Cannibals and talking about the work:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjyxjd2CGQs&NR=1

What are those Plushies about?
The past couple of years have been very challenging with the recession in full swing. It meant for me to have to spend more time working for someone else for money and a lot of loses. In 2009 I had to close my shop and studio space that I had worked very hard to have and take another loss on all the money I had put into it. This coupled with having to work at soul sucking jobs and feeling pretty hopeless, I fell into a deep, debilitating, depression. For many months I couldn't make any art and spent most of my time in bed, losing jobs. Thank goodness for my husband who held our lives together at this time and brought me food. My sweet pets laid by my side to comfort me. Then, ever so slowly I started to comfort myself. It started with scraps and socks tacked together with thread. Drawing faces that looked at me with encouragement. Each stitch took my mind to a better place and I didn't think about it, I just let it happen. These little stuffed creatures came into existence only to be themselves. They had no goal or purpose other than to make me smile. They were my therapy and they showed me that my gift is always alive inside me and always my path out of the storm.
This is how the plush creatures that I am making now came into existence and I have recovered.

Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt.William Shakespeare

Happy Holidays

Girlfriends My old BFF's

2010-12-02T21:47:00.000-08:00

1984 awkward 7th grade school picture of me. Everybody has one. What ever that net shirt was the coolest.

  Over the last year I have reconnected with a few of my best buddy childhood friends. Even though I still live in the same area I grew up I haven't kept in contact with anyone from school or growing up. Sometimes when a moment in time has passed it seems like you just can't pick up where you left off. I know I am not a person to have many casual friendships and I think I become so closely connected that when a person has left my life for one reason or another I deeply morn the loss. In looking at these old pictures I see the love shared in a friendship, especially those bonds between girlfriends. I never will forget those silly fun times of childhood and adolescence. All the drama, tears, and incredible joys of those experiences. Best friends always right by each others side. Yea, thanks for the weird, scary, clown doll Darlene
   (jeez what were you thinking?)

Karma and me showing off our dance routine we made up. Man, did my mom ever pick up the house?

Yahoo! a sleep over, we look ready for sleep but no it is just the start, we will all be fake sleepwalking and screaming all over the house until 3am

Why do homework when horsing around is so fun, until somebody gets stuck in the closet upside down

I am getting in the cyber Monday mix with the PDX Etsy team BOGO sale.

2010-11-28T19:41:00.000-08:00

Place your holiday orders on Cyber Monday, November 29! As part of the PDX Etsy Team's BOGO sale, I'll be offering a buy one, get one at 40% off deal (one day only!!). The discount will be taken off the lower priced item. This is only for my art etsy not my vintage site. I have to catch up on listing things over there first.

I have new 4x4 beautiful block prints that are wonderful in a grouping. These are great gifts for a little baby girls nursery or the princess in you. Also My little Lovie Plushies in all their holiday splendor.

Cyber Monday Deals

Think you don't have the money to live in a palace? Think again...

2010-11-23T10:35:00.000-08:00

Now this guy could have been my brother, someone who loves the discount stores as much as I do! A creative do-it-yourself fan has spent the last 20 years transforming his Las Vegas mansion into his own Versailles. The 53 rooms are packed with gold trim, mirrors, beaded chandeliers and plenty of glamour, and Larry Hart did it all without a king's budget.

"I used very conventional things that you can get at any discount store or craft store," he explains. For example, he used cake tubes filled with gold plaster to trim the walls with flourishes and turned a thrift store light fixture into an ornate chandelier with plastic beading. "I love do-it-yourself projects; it's how you make it look good and not spend a lot of money!" He's sharing three of his favorite techniques for decorating walls, pillows and making quick window treatments without sewing! Click on the image gallery for all of Larry's tips.

Click on an image to view full size

For More Information...

Hartland Mansion

BunnyCrave at Posies Cafe

2010-11-16T09:21:00.000-08:00

http://posiescafe.com

A perfect place for the bunnies to romp! I am having a solo showing at Posies Cafe Starting Nov. 17th to Dec. 15th. Stop by anytime for yummy cafe goodness and frolicking bunnies. Very friendly and cozy cafe that caters to moms and kids. There is a cute little playroom for moms to surf the web and enjoy a tasty treat while the little one is entertained by Posies toy selection. They have children's entertainers for story and play, and so much more, you will have to go to their website to find out.

Transcending: Words on Women and Strength by Kelly Corrigan

2010-11-13T13:47:00.000-08:00

Wow, I really needed this video today. I am finding myself this last week so physically tired that I just want to lay in bed and sleep. As a business owner that is just not possible and can be disastrous, especially before the Christmas season. I tend to not be a person that feels comfortable sharing things that are personal. But, in reading others blogs, I have come to realize that we are all doing the best we can to navigate this life we have been given and deal with our unpredictable humanness. Body functions can be a particular point of weakness, some don't experience to many problems until later in life, and others are born with difficulties. Mine has been lifelong. I was reading Kelly Rae's blog today about all the troubles her new baby is having with digestion and realized, I was that baby too. My mom said I was a difficult baby and in those days mom's were advised to just let the baby cry.
Due to stress lately my symptoms have been trying. I was diagnosed this year finally with IBS. It is good to have an actual diagnosis and have someone understand everything you have gone through. I have been told that many people suffer from this and I am not alone. No one wants to have to talk about this and I know for myself I have spent most of my life hiding it and trying to seem normal. It is completely unpredictable and effects a person from their throat through their whole digestive track. I have similar symptoms to people who have food allergies but unfortunately you can't pin it to any specific food, any thing can cause a problem at any time.
Kelly Corrigan, in this reading says it so well about our journey and togetherness, from her book The Middle Place.

America's Largest Antique Show at the Expo

2010-11-09T20:23:00.000-08:00

This show was great, I had such a fun time.Steve, my husband, hung in there with me for as long as he could stand it. He's really good about going to these things with me and letting me free range the place for hours with out nagging me to leave. He knows what type of things I am looking for now after years of watching me at these things.He dutifully scours the booths to help me make the finds and is quite proud to bring me something perfect that he found for a dollar. He is so sweet.
There was about 1000 booths and you start to feel faint after a while. I had a venders at the show get quite upset with me for trying to photograph some Christmas ornaments. Really? (eye roll) But, I had another, from California, that thought it was fine. They had some unusual things like this creepy maypole crank toy. They look like zombie dolls all vacant eyed and walking in circles, love it! The cutest thing I saw was this little doll dressed in a bunny suit, hmm I wonder why I am so drawn to it. Thanks to Photobucket I added the sparkle hug me to him. I found a bunch of neat vintage Christmas notions to add to my soft sculptures. Let the season begin...

Sunny at the beach in November?

2010-11-08T07:21:00.000-08:00

It is Sunday night and I just got home from a girls weekend at the coast. Myself and 3 other artist friends shared an awesome house in Manzanita Beach. I know, November can seem pretty bleak for the Oregon coast but it was a truly amazing weekend. It was balmy 60 degrees and sunny all day on Sunday. When I arrived in my room there were these two bunnies by my bed to greet me. Our Bunny hosts made us feel immediately at home and gave us a grand tour of the house, hot tub, and views. I was able to get some nice photos at the beach. I found a very large barnacle that was the size of my hand at Hug Point. It was attached to a boat float thing and it was alive and moving. It really looked like an alien. I tossed it back into the water. The time, as always, was too short but such as life. I have been going full steam ahead for so long I really needed a break.

I visited the Art Yard

2010-10-22T16:42:00.000-07:00

I went to Ethal, Wa last Tues. to a vet to have some procedures done on my dogs at a reasonable rate. So I had about 8 hours to bum around and drove into Centralia, Wa. I had such a fun time, who knew this town is antique mall central! I also ran into a road side attraction called Richart's Art Yard. A must see, I was blown away with the amazing wonderland Rich Tracy had created. I got the 5 min tour by the artist himself and I can't wait to go back again. Here is a link to a video about it
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/video/19060
Rich is a such a trip check him out.

Portland Open Studios this weekend

2010-10-07T17:31:00.000-07:00

10 to 5 pm Sat. and Sun. 17650 NW Santiam ct Portland 97229
iPhone app tour guide
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/portland-open-studios-2010/id391446277?mt=8

Rabbit Lore

2010-01-12T07:31:00.000-08:00

In many mythic traditions, rabbits were archetypal symbols of femininity, associated with the lunar cycle, fertility, longevity, and rebirth. Digging deeper I find that their stories are also contradictory, paradoxical creatures: symbols of both cleverness and foolishness, of femininity and androgyny, of cowardice and courage, of rampant sexuality and virginal purity. In some cultural myth, Hare is the messenger of the Great Goddess, moving by moonlight between the human world and the realm of the gods; in other lands he is a god himself, wily deceiver and sacred world creator rolled into one.

Cannibals, an Art Gallery in NW Portland Cultivates a Dark Aesthetic like No Other in the City

2009-11-14T11:11:00.000-08:00

by Lex Loeb http://www.associatedcontent.com
My impression of Cannibals (art gallery ) located at 518 NW 21st street in Portland Oregon has evolved as it has evolved since it's opening. Originally the gallery was named Cannibals because all of the art works within were supposed
to be made of cannibalized art or from recycled materials as I recall. Over time the Gallery has seemed to evolve into a the realm of a dark aesthetic that can make the cuteness of some of their objects for sale there seem demonic. If I were to set the scene in the gallery to music it would be a dark noted melody in a minor key. There are taxidermy deer heads on the wall that have weird artistic surgery, Bloody Jesus doll iconography. There was a wall of black and white Obama charcoal paper drawings and back lit Barbie type doll close up photographs mounted in what look like television screen frames. There is quite a lot of art packed into a shop like atmosphere with a number of different artists represented floor to ceiling. It is a nice departure from the galleries that attempt to make the visitor see only what is highlighted on a bright white wall at eye level. At Cannibals the art plasters the wall at every level from floor to ceiling. Many of the artists are quite proficient professionals and a few even may be classically trained. It is dark but it is a nice departure from the norm in Portland which has become way too predictable. I like art galleries that take their own course ignoring the crowd and blazing its own new pathways. Cannibals seems to seek our artists whose visions just might not fit in very well in a more common denominator gallery. I found a number of the pieces on display to be particularly disturbing but my last visit did not give me enough time to ponder why which makes me curios enough to go back and find out way.
Next to the store is a vintage clothing retail store called Keep Em Flying owned by the same person who runs this unique gallery. Some of the artists in the gallery are quite original and others run of the mill artists. I sense they have a nice community of artists represented there
and maybe a few that will grow in status in years to come. The thematic darkness of a lot of work in there is pretty unusual for a Gallery in Portland where most are either cuteness for cuteness sake or salons of art as an investment or at least something that matches the living room couch for interior decorators. This is not that sort of gallery. Cute in this one can be positively disturbing. Now maybe I just saw the Halloween show in October ,2008 to come away with this very dark impression but My recollection is that Cannibals has always been on the dark side.

516 NW 21st , Portland, Oregon 97201-1106 to have a look see. They probably don't have early morning hours as I recall. If you miss the times when the gallery is open still go by and look though the shop windows after hours.

Darlene Schaper-Art and Curiosity Shop

My Submission for the CAP Auction This Year

ART EVENING & AUCTION­

Decemberville Sale at Stars

Little Boxes Shopping Black Friday Local Pays Off!

Plucky Maidens Junk Fest

Day of the Dead Celebration at Cannibals Gallery

Embellished Prints Hopping Out to my Stores

My favorite way to spend a lazy afternoon lunch

My Wonder of the Week- A Two Headed Chick

"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever." - Jacques Cousteau

A Night at the CAP Auction

Were paying with love tonight!!!!

The Year Of the Rabbit

The Urban Farm is Coming Along

Can Art Change the World?

Paxton Gate on Mississippi

“Oh after you mop the floor and clean the barn, can you finish the Sistine chapel in your spare time? Ross Fletcher

In my quest to find value in what I do I came across this article by Maria Brophy of http://mariabrophy.com/

Why Artists Should (Not) Be Paid for Their Artwork and other misconceptions!

Heart Warming! and Bravely Done

Promote Global Worming

Salvage Works an artist's dream

The Heart Of The Matter Art about love and.....

Saw this great giveaway on PAC's Blog

Portlandia New comedy about Portland

A Book of Rabbit and Friends

Bunny Crave Hosts its First Giveaway! Winner announced on Jan 30th

Be Kind to Yourself in the New Year

Not your ordinary gingerbread house

Cannibals Gallery ~ "That which dos not kill us, makes us stranger."~ Trevor Goodchild

Girlfriends My old BFF's

I am getting in the cyber Monday mix with the PDX Etsy team BOGO sale.

Think you don't have the money to live in a palace? Think again...

For More Information...

Hartland Mansion

BunnyCrave at Posies Cafe

Transcending: Words on Women and Strength by Kelly Corrigan

America's Largest Antique Show at the Expo

Sunny at the beach in November?

I visited the Art Yard

Portland Open Studios this weekend

Rabbit Lore

Cannibals, an Art Gallery in NW Portland Cultivates a Dark Aesthetic like No Other in the City

ART EVENING & AUCTION