Pinta and Sol's magic trick

[from Pinta's Journal]
This is my big brother Solomon. He just graduated from the UI this past weekend. He has a degree in Spanish now. Even though he thinks it's no big deal everyone is real proud of him.

Check out these two pictures...

Yep That's ME and him in both of them! Aren't we cute?

-Pinta

"Reflections" by the Kids...

I guess this is part of why I like... teaching...

I'm missing those little guys and their energy... and their teachers... What a fine batch... at Sorensen Arts & Humanities Magnet School.

Introducing...

My mom promised me that she would let me do a blog. She had Susan (her web designer) help her figure out how to post (again!) Now she's real happy. She thinks that if you teach something to someone else, you learn it even better... so today is my lucky day! Here is a picture of me and my new pal "Eddy" and his owner, Carly. Eddy's a Jack Russell terrier. He's lots of fun. When he was over to play recently, he got himself stuck under the deck. We had to dig him out!

Bye for now

- Pinta

Sorensen Magnet School residency

I recently returned from a great residency at Sorensen Elementary, an arts

and humanities "magnet" school in Coeur

d'Alene, Idaho. I was able to visit the school a week ahead and do a preparatory workshop just for the teachers, and what a difference that made. They were able to try out the processes themselves, create sample projects...

And then they spent time during the following week preparing their classes for the residency through designing, researching and thinking about how beads are used in different cultures around the world...

All 350 or so of the kids created a swell project in beads and most were left wanting more!

Bead Packing & Prepping

That ping pong table has been working very hard recently. Here I am with my ace assistant (and daughter) Paige.  We're prepping beads for upcoming classes and residencies, and also for my loom kits. I feel doubly lucky because not only is my assistant graciously fitting this in during her last week before she heads off across the country for a college exchange year in North Carolina. ... but I am usually not this well organized this far ahead!  

OK! I am back at the computer and just renewed acquaintances with all the files in that black box in front. I'm actually better organized than I remembered... from when I left off awhile ago on this Million Bead Project book... It's my personal memory thing - ADHD? - when I'm working on one project I forget all about anything else I might have done.

Anyway, the real push has begun. I have my outline (table of contents) and that blue notebook is full of specifics for each chapter. I will go through the pictures next (I took way way more than necessary, but I didn't know that at the time!) and then I'll put the general story line together... After that it's a matter of sitting down at that computer and... 

Heck! I'm just going to estimate... 200 hours from now I'll have a first draft!

I need another thing to keep track of - Yes!! 

No, this is going to be fun! 

Cheers!

Here is Susan, my web designer, in her office. We're working on some of those many many many final details....

Yea! It's nearly ready to launch.

It has been great working with the principal of susanweaver.net!

PS. I hear she likes chocolate. I'm gonna do something about that!

Shipwreck Beads - A trip!

Normally I do not like to shop, but I make an exception for beads, and especially when I get a chance to visit Shipwreck Beads in Lacey WA. It's home of "The World's Largest Selection of Beads". Here I am ready to check out (both those carts are mine) with 30+ kilos of glass size 6/0 seed beads, the size we used in the first Million Bead Project. I'm a little nervous (the kind of nervous you get when you're about to spend a large chunk of money) but I have been buying beads from this company for many years. They have THE broadest selection of high quality beads, in one place, that I have found anywhere. I'm pretty sure that only the factories in Czechoslovakia would have more!

The visit was even more fun after

I got a chance finally to meet the owner, Glenn Vincent, his very capable store manager and HR person (as well as beader extraordinaire and teacher) Carol Bauer, and others such as Pat, who helped me from the warehouse, and Angela up front at the check out.

The whole staff at Shipwreck, a family owned business for 40 years, has always been friendly and helpful over the phone. But now it's even more fun to do business when I can picture some more faces.

Among the 16.5 billion beads in the store right now (Glenn's figure) can you see me hiding in the warehouse?

Wonderful morning.  I'm looking out at the pie cherry tree, whose fruits are turning deliciously red... Just another few days and they'll be ready to pick....

Meanwhile, Susan has been chugging away at my website... and I am so happy! I love collaborating. When the other party is loaded with talent and we're on the same wavelength, and I have no idea what they're doing (and I know I couldn't / don't want to do it) but I am thrilled with the results!  Ahhh. Life is good.

Check out more of Susan's graphic and web design work at:   www.susanweaver.net 

I am also really ticked to have met with my book designers, father-son team Robert and Erik Jacobson at:    www.longfeatherbookdesign.com

So...My next assignment... Million Bead Project BOOK. Keep cranking, girl..! 

But maybe I'll sneak out on a break and snap a picture of those ripening cherries... 

Just 3 weeks ago I traveled to the Spokane Indian Reservation, in Washington State, and taught a bead looming residency for "Culture Week" at the Wellpinit School. It was a wonderful experience! I knew that the kids would be talented, as so many of their elders are already fine bead artists, and they surely were. They "ate up" the beads, and probably used more per student than any group I've taught.
In the picture above, I am demonstrating how to bead across a really wide piece, which a few of them are ready for now!
I was honored to be invited to join in the "gathering" and social dancing at the start of each day, and to attend a special Culture Week pow wow and feast on the last morning. Elders had specially prepared buffalo, salmon, jerky, camas root, moss delicacies (including soup!) and even a frosty 'ice cream' made out of a special plant. It was amazing. Everything was tasty - and I'll bet pretty darn healthy too.
Thanks to everyone I met there: teachers, staff, elders, my hostess, the sponsors, and especially all the great kids!

¡Hola! My name is Pinta, and I am here to help my person, Jeanne to do my website - OOPS  it's Jeanne's website I guess.  Oh well, I'm the star anyway.  At least everyone notices me, and that's a good thing!

Welcome to my new web site!

Thank you for visiting my new web site. This will be my "blog" where I can post information about my current projects.

There is still much material to be added to the site, so please check back.