Getting some of the new Rock Candy pieces placed on the labyrinth just in time for Open Studios this weekend! While this project will always be a work in progress, I’m loving the process of slowly improving the labyrinth and eventually all of the natural rocks will be replaced with Rock Candy rocks. I’m imagining that the center will be ever changing with different sculptures too.
Come and walk the labyrinth this weekend Sat + Sun from 10 – 4 for Todos Santos Open Studios Art Tour!
We are getting things ready for Open Studios coming up next weekend! The Umbels are up in the sculpture garden, the final glaze firing is happening and we are cleaning and tidying up the studio.
We still have lots to do and lots of things that in reality, just won’t get done in time, but it’s still going to be great! We are looking forward to sharing our space with the community!
Also, be sure to check out our neighboring artists! The ceramic and painting studio of Christa Assad is just up the street from me and slightly closer to town is the printmaking studio of La Liebre Press who will have 6 artists showcasing at the same location, so it’s definitely worth heading north out of Todos Santos to see some amazing artists at work! Tickets Available Here!
We are very pleased to announce that we are officially launching Earth Art Studio here in Todos Santos!
We are starting off with the Todos Santos Open Studios Art Tour as our opening event, showcasing my sculptures in the studio as well as in the sculpture garden. Please join us for this inaugural event on January 25 + 26 from 10 – 4!
We have lots of plans to grow! In the works are a Spring group show that celebrates life in the desert, along with opportunities for curated tours of the studio and sculpture garden. And our mobile gift shop, el carrito de arte is starting to take shape too! There are lots of creative and exciting plans ahead!
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Currently we will only be open for events or by appointment, please contact us if you’d like to visit!
Join me at my very first Open Studios event in Todos Santos this January!
Open Studios is a self-guided tour of over 40 local artists studios from Pescadero to Las Playitas. Todos Santos is home to a vibrant community of artists whose talents include painting, murals, ceramics, woodworking, mosaics, and more.
Saturday + Sunday January 25 + 26 | 10 – 4
Artist #20 on the map
I heard that I left some of you in a lurch! I posted that we had successfully wired and plumbed up the generator and kilns and that we were going to start a kiln firing the next day and then I took the rest of December off of posting. Sorry about that!
So the good news is that the kiln fired off great – we had no issues with the generator or the kiln – yay! We were very relived to see the code CPLT (kiln talk for COMPLETE) on the screen! A very packed bisque load was unloaded right before we made a quick roadtrip north bound (hence why I took off posting for the rest of the month!). Now I’ve just been glazing like crazy and we will get the first glaze load in the kiln going in the next few weeks so that I have some fresh pieces to share during Open Studios at the end of the month.
It’s a great way to start off the new year and to launch Earth Art Studio back into business. Thanks for being along on the journey and Happy 2025!
Here’s the monthly wrap up of everything going on at the studio…
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Our generator is hooked up, all connections were approved by the start-up tech and we officially have the kilns back on line. This ceramic studio is back in business baby!
Credit on this project goes entirely to my husband Nate, who possesses knowledge about how all things work to a capacity that I will never understand and instead will just be grateful for.
Plan is to fire up the first bisque load manana – and apologies in advance to all my neighbors within ear shot of the generator noises!
Here’s the monthly wrap up of everything going on at the studio…
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Join our safe subscribe monthly mailing list:
We had hoped that installing the necessary septic system for the studio wouldn’t cause too much of a scar on the desert landscape adjacent to the building, but alas, we were wrong. Instead we were left with a very large area where any thriving plant life had been completely decimated, luckily very few trees were harmed in the process – but still. What to do with such an eyesore?
We talked about replanting the space with local native species, and of course adding art but it just seemed so sparse that it was like putting a bandaid on a gaping wound. So inspired by a friend’s design in their garden, we created a sprawling 25′ wide labyrinth on the space instead. I wish that I had taken a photo of the ‘before’ because the results are pretty dramatic but since there’s no photographic proof, that just tells you how much no one really wanted to remember the ‘before’.
Hundreds of wheelbarrows of dirt later, we evened out the area, removed dead plants and hid the majority of the visible tank lid area. Then laid out the pattern which is a slightly unique labyrinth design that allows patrons to enter on one end, follow the path to the center and then exit, winding out the opposite side. Typically labyrinths have one path into the center that is then followed back out again, as a way to practice mindfulness, meditation and create balance as one walks the path.
Since our path leads literally to the septic tank lid (which will of course be covered and disguised with a very cool sculpture) a friend suggested that one should walk our labyrinth path with mindfulness and spirituality and then just get rid of our shit and keep on going. I have to say, I like this type of mindfulness and it all seems very appropriate to me. Thoughts??
The path is lined by rocks from our property but they will slowly be replaced over time with hand made ceramic rocks from my Rock Candy Series, to add color and another layer of creativity to the space. It will take awhile to replace all the rocks but that is its own journey of mindfulness and meditation. I imagine that the center sculpture will also be changed out overtime too, so that the labyrinth evolves alongside the land it is placed in, regrowing and rebuilding with time.
This was an unplanned element to add to the up and coming sculpture garden but I’m excited by it’s potential and it’s definitely a much better visual than the scar of construction, so with that, you are cordially invited to come and walk the path, leave your shit behind and enjoy the view!
September’s winner was Filipino American History by Melanie Maravilla. Her project will provide family-friendly cultural area events where Filipino American History can be shared, starting on Oct 12, 2024 at the Filipino American History Month (FAHM) Festival in her hometown of Watsonville, California. The project will provide art materials, books, and creative opportunities for families and children to play and learn about rich Filipino history, and to honor historical Filipino contributions to the local community. This will become a stepping stone for reinforcing the Filipino cultural presence in Watsonville, providing opportunities for the entire community to celebrate and preserve Filipino roots and heritage.
In October, Monica Sunzeri won with her project, Cafecito con Pan. Which will help create a sense of inclusion and equity at her school, especially for the classified English Learners and their families. They will be holding monthly meetings such as the ELAC (English Learner Advisory Council) and other opportunities to connect, and they will be including food which always helps bring people together. In this case, they will offer pan dulce and Cafecito (Mexican sweet bread and coffee.) Offering families a bigger role in their child’s educational experience is vital to the academic and social emotional success of the student, but if families don’t necessarily feel comfortable because of cultural, language or other barriers they tend not to attend school activities. So our goal this year is to create a more inclusive space, where we target families that have previously been in the background.
And in November we awarded Trianna Feruza for her project The Heavy Hitters. The grant will help produce the debut album for the group, with a collection of original songs inspired by their experiences growing up in Santa Cruz, California. They’ve spent the last five years contributing to the local music scene as professional musicians, with a deep passion for the community. The 10 track album will be recorded at Santa Cruz Recording, and will employ local producers, videographers and engineers to help cultivate the best version of this project they can and create an impactful collection of tunes.
Check out past projects here…
We love reviewing these amazing, creative ideas – keep them coming Santa Cruz! $1000 micro-grants are given out monthly. Got an Awesome idea that needs a little funding? Pitch it here!
Want to join the Santa Cruz Awesome Foundation Team? Email us here!