artworks-and-beads

2009-02-11T11:09:00.000-06:00

Good Art Won't Match Your Sofa!

2009-02-10T11:17:00.003-06:00

Unbelievable. It has happened before but every time it does I still sit back in amazement and wonder why I do this? Someone just walked into my studio this morning and said she was looking for an abstract painting. Ok- I'll go along with it...

So what kind of abstract painting are you looking for?

Oh something in rainbow colors with a beige-y background I'm trying to match it to something....and she glanced around the room...

I don't think...

Well, it doesn't look like you have what I am looking for... and she walked out the door.

I wanted to run after her and shout STOP! GOOD ART WON'T MATCH YOUR SOFA!!!!

But instead I sat down and just shook my head. I hope she finds what she's looking for.

The Nightmare Before Christmas!

2008-11-19T13:14:00.003-06:00

It's Holiday time already. I have no idea how that happens so fast. I decided to get creative this year with my display window and since "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is one of my favorite movies I have based my window on "Jack" - an actual floor lamp that I bought in Chicago a few years ago for my living room. My art students really like it. The parents are not so sure....oh well!

What's in your purse?

2008-08-11T12:00:00.003-05:00

A few years back when out lunching out with my girlfriends we started discussing purses. I had just started buying vintage handbags at thrift stores and once in awhile I would find a "surprise" inside. Nothing as mundane as money. No, the items I found were things like old movie tickets, the wedding program of a couple who got married in 1967, the prom program from spring of 1962, a note to call Joe and a number. I got to thinking about my purse and what it said about me right at that moment. So each one of us started digging through our purses looking for atypical purse items. Carol won that round when she pulled out of her purse a baseball. Her son had given it to after the big game a few nights before and she hadn't bothered to take it out of her purse yet and holding that baseball she recounted his big moment as pitcher to win the game by catching a pop fly. How many trips down memory lane can you take by looking at old receipts and theater ticket stubs and errand lists and fortune cookie fortunes...So- what's in your purse?

vintagejewelrysource.com

2008-06-20T12:21:00.002-05:00

I am the proud owner of said domain name. My friend and computer Guru is helping me launch the new site. I am pretty fascinated and just all around passionate about vintage jewelry. OK let me re-phrase that. I love jewelry. I am pretty partial to rhinestones. I love the sparkle and the glam of a well made piece of costume jewelry. I had in my possession a wonderful one of a kind opera bib by the Schreiner Company of New York look in my archives for January 22,2007 for more details about it. I buy and sell a lot of costume jewelry. I keep a few pieces for myself. I sold the opera bib because honestly where will I wear it? OK I DID actually wear it to an event and it was too much fun. Talk about feeling like a million dollars. A few weeks ago a customer brought me a beautiful pearl necklace by Schiaparelli. The clasp was this huge topaz and mocha rhinestone focal point with two strands of gold pearls about the size of chick peas. She needed a pair of earrings to go with the necklace for her daughter's wedding. I was able to find two pearls in my vintage repair drawer to make her a pair of earrings. (A picture is worth a thousand words and my camera had nothing to say on this one)

What's the website about? There are a lot of sites out there dedicated to vintage jewelry. I wanted mine to be a bit more than that. I am getting things together when I can offer vintage buttons, belt buckles and trims. Those of you who collect and wear vintage clothing can check the site out for the perfect vintage buttons to finish the outfit. Or perhaps you have a wonderful vintage dress that is missing the belt- I most likely have a buckle that would match and all you need to do is make the actual belt....see what I mean? Maybe you like to re-fashion vintage jewelry and incorporate it into your own design. I have a lot of items there too- rhinestone clasps, beads, etc...I am also figuring out a missing in action page- I have a single signed earring and you have the rest of the pieces to finish the set- I love reuniting beautiful jewelry pieces with their mates.

Pet Peeve: When I attend an auction and the jewelry is just thrown into boxes with no thought to pieces that match. I was at one auction where there were 8 foot tables filled with pop flats of jewelry. As I was looking things over I noticed that this earring was in that box and the mate was in another box and then even farther down was the bracelet. I am just obsessive enough to have something like that bother me. I gave the auctioneer a piece of my mind about it. Actually it wasn't his fault- the family members who were selling the pieces didn't take the time to really look at it. Needless to say the auctioneer was very kind and he told me it would be several hours before they got to the jewelry and to feel free to match things up all I wanted to. I love small town auctions where everyone knows each other. Now when I show up at auctions they just laugh and point me in the direction of the jewelry.

So what do you think? Vintage Jewelry Source- I can't wait to get it going!

2008-02-23T11:26:00.003-06:00

Here we are in Poland. After discussing different traditions our families brough to America from the old country- I used my example of the food my family eats at Christmas Dinner. I am from Italy so in addition to the traditional American turkey we also have ravioli, braciole and other wonderful goodies. In Poland we made wycinanki(vih-chee-NON-key) symetrical paper cuts used to decorate at Easter time. They were left up in the house for an entire year and replaced at the next Easter.

Passports ready and here we are!

2008-02-11T14:52:00.001-06:00

We grabbed the passports and went to Ancient Egypt. Here's the group showing off their artifacts! Come join us for Art Around the World. You never know where we'll end up next! I was alot of fun having my nices and nephew stop by and have fun with us!

...and in the Afternoon...

2008-02-11T14:48:00.000-06:00

The Ladies of Harley- as in Harley Davidson. These ladies had a great time making this suncatcher that I designed just for them. It features the Harley wings and the front wheel, handlebars and headlight of a Harley.

Ancient Egypt in the Morning

2008-02-11T14:42:00.000-06:00

It was a busy Saturday in the studio. In Art Around the World we visited Ancient Egypt. I have been collecting Egyptian artifacts and novelties for years and the kids enjoyed trying on my treasures. The kids made their own "beaded headbands" and I gave each one a cartouche of their name in hieroglyphics.

Galapagos Islands

2008-02-02T19:20:00.000-06:00

These are the baby sea turtles we made while visiting the Galapagos Islands.

Art Around the World

2008-02-02T19:15:00.001-06:00

Art Around the World has been going on now for 6 months. The kids and I have had alot of fun "visiting" different countries each week. We learn about other people and places through music, culture and customs. Each week when the kids walk in they ask " Where are we going next week!?" In the photo above the kids were picking out beads to decorate their drums from Yoruba. When we visited Africa. Pretty soon our passport books will be filled up and I'll have to issue some new ones. Next week we are going to Ancient Egypt to discover wonderful treasures...

Interview with Sherry Borzo Podcast

2008-01-22T20:50:00.000-06:00

This podcast thing is really cool. Sherry Borzo of dsmbuzz contacted me today because she heard about my Hillary Clinton purse. It was so much fun. The internet is a wonderful tool isn't it!
Here's the link:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/wwwdsmbuzzcom/2008/01/22/Color-outside-the-lines-an-interview-with-Laura-Comito-of-Artworks-Studio

The Hillary Rodham Clinton autograph!

2007-11-21T18:18:00.000-06:00

inside MY BAG!

This is what they wrote about my purse for the auction:

Leadership Leopard
The only woman running for President shows her leadership style in this purse.
Born in the 50’s, this bag has been updated with all vintage recycled materials including rhinestone-studded buttons and millinery trim. The artist, Laura Comito, says she waits for the bag to “speak to her” before beginning and “when you have gold lame you have to have leopard print.” She selected this bag for Hillary because “it speaks to me of power. It’s not frou-frou fluffy. It’s feminine, it’s powerful. So’s Hillary.” Autographed on the inside, it’s the perfect accessory for the Inaugural Ball.
Donor: Hillary Clinton Value: Priceless

Hillary Clinton and Me or my bag actually!

2007-11-21T18:11:00.000-06:00

When Hillary was in Iowa last month Christie Vilsack sent one of her(Hillary's) aids in Des Moines to an art gallery in Valley Junction that I sell my work in- The Lagniappe – she wanted the aid to purchase a purse that was made by an Iowa artist. The Lagniappe called me and asked if I had any cool purses made- I told them I had this vintage handbag with a gold lame handle that I covered in leopard print and embellished with vintage millinery trim and rhinestone buttons- they said that’s the perfect purse for Hillary. I had no idea why I was sending them a purse just figured a customer was looking for something in my style so I mailed it and forgot about it. What a duh moment on my part- I should have put two and two together and figured out that it was THE Hillary. The United Way of Johnson County Iowa called me two weeks later for more information on the purse- asking if Hillary actually came and picked out the purse herself. That’s when the light bulb went off in my head- Hillary Clinton was the person they were talking about. Hillary autographed my purse on the inside and then donated it to the United Way of Johnson County’s “Power of the Purse” auction. My purse raised $625 for their fundraiser.

RAGGEDY HANDS

2007-11-07T14:26:00.000-06:00

My best friend in the world says I need to make these mittens available on my website. I know I should but my IT guy (aka the boyfriend) is too busy remodeling a bathroom. This is the best I can do for now. You want the mittens email me at laura@artworksandbeads.com

tell me if you want small, medium or large. Give me one color you want- like brown, light blue, black, red...etc. The mittens are $16.00 including tax and the postage is $2.00. I will send you a Paypal invoice so you can have your mittens on your hands as soon as possible! Until the IT guy is available that's the best I can do!

close ups of those mittens

2007-10-23T14:12:00.000-05:00

raggedy hands...

2007-10-23T14:08:00.000-05:00

that is what I am calling the mittens that a friend and I started making. We hate to just throw something away and with the felting craze one thing led to another. She knits- I don't. So those sweaters that you accidentally threw into the dryer and they came out stiff as a baord are now getting a new life as mittens!

raggedy hands

recycled

hand stiched

mittens

Untitled...because I haven't thought of one yet

2007-10-19T13:57:00.000-05:00

This is work in progress. Part painted canvas, some shrink plastic and then a paper piece. I love that shrinky-dink stuff. You remember it as a kid? I use it alot in my collage pieces because I can color it reduce it then it becomes really thick and durable and I can drill holes in it and wire it to the background. Just love this stuff. How many people get to PLAY all day and call it work? I'm open to suggestions on what to title it. The white rectangle in the lower left corner says:

"we give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way ~ritual chant"

I like that thought.

a portrait of an artist...

2007-09-20T14:14:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago as I was surfing for projects for my art students I came across this self portrait contest. The Judith P Smith self portrait contest was started by her family after Judith took her own life in 1978. The contest funds a scholarship in her name at Drake University in Des Moines, IA to help defray the expense of art supplies for one art student. Who was she and why did she take her own life? I wonder...did she suffer from depression as many of my creative friends do? If she could come back and paint her self portrait what would it look like?

This contest resonated with me alot. The black and white charcoal drawing is a self portrait from my college days- before I knew I was depressed. The rest was painted, colored, drawn, collaged...etc... over this past year. The sunflowers at the bottom are a tribute to Vincent VanGogh- he had the loving support of his family and still took his own life. This piece is hanging in my studio and the reactions to it are wonderful to observe because each person brings a little bit of them self to the picture. What would your self portrait look like right now?

the classroom

2007-09-14T12:07:00.000-05:00

ANNOUNCING..........

2007-09-14T11:53:00.000-05:00

The new Artworks Studio!

You really should stop and see the new studio. It's absolutely wonderful. I have a gallery space, private studio, office and a classroom just for teaching. It has great natural light and such positive energy. So all that hate moving stuff was worth the moving because this place rocks!

2007-08-24T13:09:00.000-05:00

Did I ever mention that I am 100% Italian? Yep that's me! My grandparents were born in Italy so I guess that makes me 2nd generation American. Lately my youngest daughter and I have been craving pasta with tomato sauce. Home made sauce of course. It's just been too darn hot to make it. We are shooting for Sunday - thinking the weather will finally break. Then we shall feast on stuffed peppers, meatballs and pasta! Maybe I'll let you know what time dinner is!

Oh yeah....about those red shoes....

2007-08-21T11:56:00.000-05:00

I SOLD THEM! I knew I could. They went to a good home all the way in California!

MOVING DAYS!

2007-08-21T11:46:00.000-05:00

That's right. After three years in the same spot I am moving my studio to a new location. I am excited about the move. The space has wonderful lighting and is closer to the heart of downtown and just "feels right". I HATE moving! There I said it. I know hate is a strong word but I really do intensely dislike moving! Why move you ask? I need space to teach private art classes in. I started teaching privately in 1982. I stopped in 2000 because I needed a break, and my mom was requiring more care. I am ready to go back to it. I forgot how much energy working with kids generates. I have my curriculum written and planned out, my supplies on order and just waiting now to get to the end of the month so I can move. I will post some of the kids projects through the year here and at artsonia.com Now if we could just fast forward to August 31st......

the Red Shoes

2007-05-15T11:15:00.000-05:00

I have always had this thing about RED SHOES- no idea why just do. SO I found these red shoes made of leather from Brazil. They rock! They are too big for me but I am determined to find a home for them. I mean honestly- they are RED!