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The Manzanita Muse Studio Newsletter
We're been having an identify crisis. Are we Manzanita Muse Studio as we set out to be,
or are we Islemuse Studio as reflected by our web address, islemuse.com?

Studio Newsletter for July 6, 2007 by Dianne Bersea and Jodi Forster


	Newsletter Archives: Did you miss our last newsletters? See them here: March 05..., May 0 5..., July 05..., September 05,..., January 06..., May 06..., September 06, December 06..., March 07

NOW LISTED
Workshops for 2007
including

Gibsons Art School
Firesign Art & Design
Denman Island Art Centre



	Jodi's NEW Feature Page CLICK HERE



	Jodi Forster shell rattles are now also available at: Windsong Gallery in Gibsons and Explore Gallery on Quadra Island. Click for details.

Newsletters by e-mail.

Are you enjoying our newsletters? Is there something you'd like us to talk about? More images of work in progress? More about our process? Let us know. We'd like to hear from you

Add your name to our e-mail newsletter list. About 4 times a year we send a direct e-mail newsletter to keep you up to date on shows, workshops and new developments in the studio. Click on e-mail connection below.

jodi@islemuse.com
dianne@islemuse.com

Note: Our studio name is changing to reflect our web domain name. Maybe. It doesn't seem quite right to do so, not to mention all the work involved. But we have been advised to consolidate our image under one name "Isle Muse Studio" by a friend who is a Harvard MBA. But then what does he know???

Hi everyone, and thank you to all the folks who are sending visitors to our site. It's good to hear that you like what we're doing. If you have questions or comments contact us via nav bar to left. Purchase enquiries too!

Thank you also to those who have shared ideas for making our web site even more interesting and clear. We have lots of ideas too, and, as usual, it's just a matter of finding the time to put everything in place.

In this Newsletter
you'll find:

Jodi's New Art

Jodi's Rattle Workshop!

Workshop Season

Upcoming Workshops

Sketching the US South West

A glimpse into the Studio

Our Studio Wish List

Scroll down to visit

Jodi's New Art
"A month in New Mexico and Texas provided wonderful inspiration. I did a number of pen and ink drawings that are now being translated into watercolour and ink paintings. This one is called "Mesa Sunset". It's approximately 26" x 16".

Rattle Workshop with Jodi Forster
Thursday evening, August 16 and Friday morning August 17 .on the Sunshine Coast. "That's right! This is my first rattle workshop. If you would like to create your own shell rattle from a west coast moon shell and then embellish it with gems, join us at:

to register call 604-803-4607 or e-mail penny@swarainspiritations.ca or visit

For more rattle workshop info go to swarainspiritations.ca/newsletters

It's workshop season for sure! Dianne's first watercolour workshop went ahead in early June despite some dreadful weather. We were originally to do a beach camp but the weather drove us into town and under a large tent. The creative mix of gourmet food, the miracle of watercolour and high spirited painters made for a fabulous weekend. Thanks to Wendy and The Wine, Women and Watercolour Dot Calm. Here's a couple of pictures of the light and dark of it.

Upcoming watercolour workshops Firesign and Denman Arts Centre are now full. Gibsons Summer School of the Arts has only 2 vacancies. If you've missed doing a workshop this summer, Dianne is also doing in-studio mentoring and private mini workshops. Or join Dianne for Painting the Hollyhock Garden in July 2008.

Sketching the US Southwest. New Mexico provided lots of sketching opportunities for Dianne too. "Sometimes I just sketched from the van as our friend and patron, Ulrike, drove. I call this "Extreme Sketching"! It was fun to catch the sky, then take in some of the background scenery, and finally drop in some elements of the foreground as we barrelled along the highways. The resulting images are inevitably a composite but I'm quite pleased with the results. Of course I also did more sedentary sketching too. With about 3 dozen sketches and 1200 photos I have lots of reference to work from. I'm especially excited about creating art from our visit to New Mexico and a spectacularly rugged ranch in west Texas."

A Glimpse into the Studio
Here's a look at what we're working on now. Jodi is onto her New Mexio inspired work. Dianne is busy with both acrylics and watercolors of her favourite west coast landscapes. "Although not visible here, I am doing some extreme format acrylics that are really pushing me to experiment with image & design."

Wish List for Manzanita Muse Studio

Dianne Says: "We are getting such incredible web stats...160+ visitors a day! And great response, feedback and even sales. I know we need to do a lot to our website to make it easier to browse, and easier to find new work. As I've said a million times "We're working on it!". It's always a balancing act between creating new work (being an artist) and getting it out in the world (being a marketer). I also want to translate my paintings into designs for quilts, felting, silk paintings, screens, and stained glass. Jodi's work, both recent and previous images, lend themselves to wonderful fabric designs. We need your help to move forward."

Wish list:
1. More feedback about our site. All suggestions welcomed..
2. Quilters, fabric artists, stained glass artisans to test our designs.
3. A fabric design company to buy designs.
4. A major gallery that can work with each of us to build strong, productive relationships.
5. And more of all the good things that keep coming our way -- fine friends and incredible support for our creative vision as a studio and as individual artists. Thank you! With love from Jodi and Dianne

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