WHAT'S NEW?

Just a quick post to point out some new additions to this blog. If you've visited before you can tell that I've worked on it...after all, it is Springtime in Texas! The Wildflowers are blooming, the sun is shining, the birds are singing!

FOLLOW THIS BLOG!
One feature (or widget, as it's called) that I've added is the "Follow This Blog" box. It's in the column on the right. Just scroll down a bit and you'll see it. I invite YOU to click on it so you'll know when I've posted something new here.

SUMMER ART CAMP LINK
At the top of the column to the right, you'll see a link to my Casa de Linda Classes page where you can read about the great Summer Art Camp 2010 I have scheduled. You can also download a brochure and registration forms from my website.

WILDFLOWER ART SLIDESHOW
Just for some eye candy, I've added a slideshow widget in the column to the right as well.

Remember, you can also sign up for my e-newsletter mailing list. It's free and be assured that I will never sell or knowingly share your address! Plus, you can unsubscribe at any time.

SUMMER ART CAMPS 2010 — NEW BRAUNFELS, TEXAS

The Casa de Linda Summer Art Camp 2010 schedule is ready! And I am so excited. This summer will feature new camps, new projects, and even three new instructors at Casa de Linda Art Studio in New Braunfels, Texas! More information below or you can go to my classes website and download a brochure.

NEW ART CAMPS FOR SUMMER 2010
Each year I try to offer something new while bringing back popular camps for years before and this year is no exception. So, what's new for 2010?
• For ages 5-9, we have 4 new camps plus we are repeating 4 of our most popular camps for past summers. The new camps are: "Monsters & Aliens," "Fun with Photos," "Little Princess," and "Let's Draw!" Returning camps are: "Prehistoric Times," "Creepy, Crawly Bugs," "Pets are our Pals!," and "Circus, Circus."
• For ages 8-13, we have 5 new camps and we are repeating 3 camps from previous years. New this summer are: "Basic Photography," "Advanced Photography," "Build it in 3-D," "Making Pictures 3-D," and "Advanced Drawing." Returning camps include: "Basic Drawing," "Girl Power!," and "Painting-Famous Artists."

ART CAMPS FOR TEENS AND ADULTS, TOO!
We are thrilled to include on the schedule this year 4 camps for the "big kids" (ages 14-adult). The offerings include a basic and advanced drawing and two painting camps, one on Texas landscapes and one on florals.

SUMMER ART CAMP INSTRUCTORS
I've decided to bring a few new people on board this year for the Summer Art Camp program. They are all accomplished artists and I am honored that they are sharing their expertise with our students this year. Here's a brief introduction:

MAREN PHILLIPS is an amazing artist well known for her portraits of dogs, hummingbirds, butterflies and people. Maren will be teaching basic and advanced drawing camps for ages 8-13 and for teens-adults. I've known Maren for almost 20 years and have been impressed with both her talent and her people skills. She has been teaching art at various venues for more than a decade, including three years with the Coppini Academy of Fine Arts in San Antonio as well as the North East Independent School District's Community Education program. You can read more about Maren and link to her various websites at www.marenartlines.com

PAM POHL is a extraordinary mixed media artist. Best known for her incredible press flower artworks, Pam started experimenting with acrylic abstracts and the use of gel mediums and clay to add texture to her paintings. Pam will be teaching camps in "Making Pictures 3_D" for ages 8-13 as well as a bug-themed and a dinosaur-themed camp for the younger children. While I had known Pam for sometime through our mutual membership in the New Braunfels Art League, I was able to get to know her better several years ago when I interviewed her for an article for the San Antonio Express-News (when I was still doing a lot of freelance writing). Pam enjoys talking with people, and especially children, about her art. Read more about Pam and see samples of her art on the New Braunfels Art League website.

DAVID JACOBSON may be a familiar name since he is my husband and business partner and you may have met him (or read his posts on this blog). If you live in the Canyon Lake, New Braunfels or Seguin area, you may know David for the talks he has given at libraries, garden clubs and even for the Master Gardeners on horticulture topics. But what you may not know about David is that he is an accomplished photographer. Hundreds of his photos of Canyon Lake, Canyon Gorge and scenes of the Texas Hill Country are hanging in homes and businesses throughout Comal County and beyond. He has been selected as the New Braunfels Art League Artist of the Month for April 2010 and a large selection of his photos will be on exhibit at the NBAL Gallery all month. David will be sharing his knowledge of the art of photography this summer as he teaches basic and advanced photography camps for ages 8-13. David is also the official photographer contracted to document the building of the new Tye Preston Memorial Library at Canyon Lake. You can see samples of David's work on the TPML website.

Of course, yours truly (Linda Calvert Jacobson) will be teaching again this summer! To read more about my life as an artist and see my online gallery, you can visit my website.

To read more about the Casa de Linda Summer Art Camp 2010 program, visit our website where you can download a brochure that includes a registration form. If you have questions, feel free to e-mail linda @ casadelinda(dot)com or call me at 830-624-5302.

Texas Wildflowers and St. Patrick's Day

I wrote this for my e-newsletter last week. I had so much positive feedback that I thought I'd post it to my blog for others to read. That's a photo of me taken on the farm where the Bluebonnets bloomed and, as you can see, so did the wild prickly poppies! Enjoy...

So you might be wondering: What do Texas Wildflowers, my art and St. Patrick's Day have in common? How could there be a connection?

To explain that, I need to tell you about my early years, growing up on a farm outside of Floresville, Texas, and a little about my dad.

In case you don't know, Floresville is located south of San Antonio and is believed to have been named for its early founders, the Flores family (who came here from the Canary Islands, but that's another story). But I always liked to think that it was a play on the Spanish term for flowers and was named for "town of flowers." Very appropriate, don't you think?

I am the youngest of four children and spent my childhood roaming the fields and creeks of our farm with my sister. I have many memories of coming across a bed of clover and looking for that elusive 4-leaf specimen. While Irish, that's not the real St. Patrick's Day connection that I'm writing about today.

My dad moved the family from Corpus Christi where he had a heavy equipment business and took up farming and ranching. He'd plan the crops, making use of the land, plowing under the weeds and grass as needed. There was, however, one corner of one field right at the front entrance of our farm that my dad did not plow under. And each Spring, Mother Nature provided the most glorious display of Texas Bluebonnets. Even so, I remember asking him one day why he did not plow that field. He told me that he liked the flowers.

Of course, this flew in the face of conventional farming wisdom of the time. It was the early 1960s and Texas was just emerging from a horrific drought from the previous decade. The neighboring farmers, no doubt, shook their heads in disbelief that my dad would prefer the wildflowers, which many considered to be nothing more than weeds, over a crop that would be harvested or, at least, baled into blocks of hay to feed the cattle.

About the time that the Bluebonnets would start to bloom in March was special in another way. My father was born on St. Patrick's Day. Not only did mid-March signal the start of Wildflower season, but it was also a time to celebrate my dad's birthday.

My father encouraged my art from a very early age and as I developed my skills in my teen years and into my early 20s, he became my biggest fan. He died a few days after his birthday almost 30 years ago. Not a St. Patrick's Day passes that I don't think of him. But more than that, I owe my love and appreciation for Wildflowers to this amazing man who was willing to let a field of weeds bloom, which created not only colorful childhood memories but influenced what would become my life's work decades later.

Thank you letting me share this little story with you today. Happy Wildflower Season and Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Wildflower Days at the Wildflower Center!

The temperature is rising, the native grasses are greening and the wildflowers are growing and starting to share their joyful beauty. This can mean only one thing that spring is almost upon us in Central Texas and the Wildflower Center’s annual Artists and Artisans Festival 2010 is close at hand. The show is this coming weekend March 13 and 14. The Festival hours are Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday it opens at noon and goes to 5 p.m. This annual event brings together an amazing array of artists from throughout the region offering their latest artistic creations. I have shown here for several years and always enjoy being a part of this wonderful event that kicks off the Wildflower Days at the center.

Dalhart Windberg will be on hand Saturday afternoon to sign his latest spring print. Shou Ping will be there too from 1-3 p.m. to share insights into her incredible 3-D paper sculpture on display at the McDermott Learning Center. On Sunday Julia Webber will be signing the official 2010 Wildflower Days art print and T-shirt.

Bill Brockmeier, a dear friend and incredible photographer of panoramic photos, joins in the fun this year as one of the displaying artists. With over 20 artists in the Fest you are sure to find a treasured piece of art that will just have to come home with you or share as a gift!

I’ve been busy creating new wildflower paintings and I have a new line of colorful wildflower mugs that I feel are sure to please along with coasters, keepsake boxes, note cards and other great items, all in my signature wildflower style! Join us if you are in the area or check me out online at CasaDeLinda.com.

Wildflower Painting to Receive Award

Linda’s husband David filling in for her. Just a quick note that Linda is set to receive an award for one of her two entries in the “Art in Bloom” Show at the New Braunfels Art League Gallery tonight. The gallery is hosting a reception tonight from 5 P.M. to 9 P.M. and the award ceremony will begin at 6:30 P.M. Linda was notified a few days ago and does not know which of the two paintings won an award or what the award is yet. We do know that either Crimson Tapestry or Joy Filled Spring will be the winner of an award in the oil, acrylic and mix media category. We invite anyone that can attend tonight to join us at 239 W. San Antonio in beautiful downtown New Braunfels. The Art in Bloom show opened March 2nd and runs through April 6th so if you can’t make it tonight you have the rest of the month to see two of Linda’s newest artworks. I will update this post after we find out more about the award this evening. The events get more prolific as we move into spring. Next weekend we will be at the Wildflower Center in Austin. I will get you all the information on that show this weekend. It looks to be a great year for wildflowers indoors and out!

ART CLASSES IN NEW BRAUNFELS

I have three new classes starting up this coming week.

On Tuesday, Feb. 23, I'll be offering another round of my Basic Drawing for Adults. The 4-week course will be held on Tuesday nights, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Fee is $95, which includes supplies. I have 5 seats available. (Note: this is not on the Spring Schedule...but I had requests so added it!).

On Wednesday, Feb. 24, "Paint Along with Ms. Linda" #2 for ages 8-12 starts. This is a 4-week course that meets Wednesdays 4-6 p.m. Fee is $125, which includes all supplies to complete 2 paintings and snacks. The theme this time is "Tropical Islands." I have 2 seats open.

On Friday, Feb. 26, my "Experimental Painting" for Adults workshop begins. This class will meet from 1:30-3:30 p.m. for 4 Fridays. Fee is $135, again all supplies included. Only 3 seats open. The photos posted here are samples of what we'll be creating in this fun class.

E-mail me (linda @ casadelinda.com) or call me at 830-624-5302 if you'd like to join us!

NEW "WILDFLOWER DANCE" TILES AVAILABLE

I've just added two new ceramic tiles to my online store! They have the same basic design, "Wildflower Dance", as the gorgeous new stacking mugs that I added last month. Choose plain or with the words "Texas Wildflowers!" Check them out!

DRAWING, PAINTING CLASSES AND MORE

Just a quick update regarding art classes at my New Braunfels Casa de Linda Art Studio for February 2010:

SATURDAY MORNING ART for ages 6-9

The next 4-week course starts Feb. 13. The topic this time is "Collage and Mixed Media." We'll have a blast cutting, tearing, drawing, coloring, painting, splattering, gluing and so on. Fee is $125 and includes all supplies and snacks.

BASIC DRAWING FOR ADULTS

A NEW 4-week, Tuesday-night basic drawing class begins Feb. 23. This is being offered because of recent requests and is not on my Spring Schedule. Fee is $95 which includes supplies.

PAINT ALONG FOR AGES 8-12

The next Paint Along starts Feb. 24. These are 4-week courses that meet after school on Wednesday. This sessions topic is "Tropical Islands." Only a few seats are open. Fee is $125, all supplies included or you can opt to purchase a kit for $85 and get the course for $85.

EXPERIMENTAL PAINTING AND MIXED MEDIA WORKSHOP FOR ADULTS

Starts Feb. 26 and meets for 4 Fridays from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Come play with us and try out some new and exciting products and techniques. Fee is $135, all supplies included. Seating is limited so sign up today!

RADIO INTERVIEW WENT GREAT!

Just wanted to post a quick note that yesterday's interview went very well. Thanks to everyone who tuned in and if you didn't get to, don't fret...you can still listen to the broadcast! Just go to Inspired At Home BlogTalkRadio and scroll down to the past episodes. You'll see my name in the title and description. Click on "play" and enjoy!

LINDA GOES LIVE ON RADIO !

Some exciting things have been happening lately and there's more to come! Linda is going to be interviewed live on an Internet radio program this Sunday! The program, "Inspired At Home," airs on blogtalkradio.com from 6 -7 p.m. Central time this Sunday Feb. 7th. We know she is going up against the Super Bowl but not everyone is into football, right? And if you are, you can stream directly or download the program from www.Inspiredathome.com after it airs and listen to it anytime that works for you. So how did this all come about?

Well, it all started with an award that Linda won in January at the CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) winter convention held in Anaheim, Calif. Linda applied for the New Horizons award last fall. Sponsored by Plaid, the maker of many fine arts and crafts products including ModPodge, New Horizons provides both recognition and a cash award to artists and crafts people who have specific projects or other needs to facilitate their work. Applicants must be a member of CHA, which Linda continues to be. We were unable to make the CHA Show this year, so she did not get to recieve the award in person and didn't even know that she was one of the winners.

Last week via her Wildflower Artist Facebook page she found out she was one of the 3 winners for 2010.The other winners are Brenda Pinnick and Tiffany Windsor. We had the honor and joy to meet Brenda at the CHA Show in 2009. She is an incredible artist and licensed designer that has launched a new project called Colored U and also has it on a Facebook page if you would like to become a fan! . Tiffany Windsor is a creativity coach who happens to hosts a live internet radio show called “Inspired at Home” that is all about creativity in the home. Tiffany asked if Linda would come on the show and talk about winning the New Horizons Award and what she plans to do with the money from the award. Yes there is real money and it is significant and Linda is very excited to share her plans for the use of these awards monies. She will also be talking about where she is headed in the coming year with her Wildflower Art, her role as an art teacher and how these creative endeavors mesh together to make Linda what she is today. She will be interviewed along with Mod Podge artist extraordinaire Amy Anderson.

You too can join in and be inspired by clicking on the link Inspired at Home where you can listen to the broadcast live. You don't have to sign in or have any special software...just click on the "listen" button. You can also join in the chat if you are so inclined, but you must be registered to do so. The broadcast will be available for downloading with most players or my favorite I-tunes so you can give a listen anytime that fits your busy schedule. Remember that I-Tunes is also PC friendly so no worries there. Linda is a Mac and I am a PC, which also means that this is David, Linda’s hubbie writing this post as Linda has a really busy week of teaching art this week but wanted everyone to know about all the exciting things going in her world of wildflowers. It going to be a busy spring so stay tuned and until next time "May wildflowers help you find your happy place."

WILDFLOWER TIES ARE A LIVELY ADDITION TO ANY WARDROBE!

Looking to brighten up your wardrobe this Spring with a splash of color? Or perhaps you are looking for a very special gift for a very special person? For less than the price of a steak dinner or a bouquet of flowers, you can buy one of my beautiful Wildflower Ties that will be enjoyed for years to come! Browse my online store to see all of the great designs available and place your order. Soon you'll have a piece of Linda Calvert Jacobson art to call your own that's as functional as it lovely.

ART LICENSING UPDATES

I haven't written about my art licensing in a while so I thought I post an update today. I continue to pursue licensing my wildflower art for product lines.

After 4 years of attending expos in New York and California, I now have an agent who is representing me at the major licensing trade shows. Last year I signed with Artistic Designs Group, which is based in the U.S. but deals both nationally and internationally. They will be exhibiting in the License and Design section of the upcoming Craft and Hobby Association expo in Anaheim, Calif., which was where I first met the agency owners a year ago. They have a full range of shows lined up for the Spring 2010 season, including: Halloween and Party Expo, Houston (by appointment only) Jan. 23; CHA Winter Show Anaheim, CA (Exhibiting-Booth # 2734) Jan. 24-27, 2010; Licensing Gallery at the New York Gift Show, NYC, NY (by appointment only) Jan. 31 - Feb 3; International Home and Housewares Show, Chicago, IL (by appointment only) March 14-16; and Surtex, NY, NY (Exhibiting-Booths 603,605) May 16-18.

Meanwhile, three of my wildflower designs have been picked up again for a line of limited-edition watches that will be sold in the UK this summer. This deal is through my UK agent, Eaglecrown. This is the third year that my designs will be featured on watches and sold on UK TV!

More licensing deals are in discussion and I hope to making more announcements in the months to come. My wildflowers continue to lift spirits and make people happy...and that thrills me to no end!