| Just some info on me and my family and our journey's to where we are now. |
This is me ... I had this photo taken for work as a Realtor.
| This is my family, my Aunt Pat on the left, me in the back my Grandmother in the front and my Mom to the left.
This picture came about when Woman's Day was doing an article on women than were still active at older ages. My Grandmother got a full blown article written on her and this was one of the photos.
My Aunt has since passed and I so miss her.
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A little bit about me and how I got here:
Pre Ceramics:
Being part Irish I come from what I hear is a long line of artist. My Great Grandfather (legend has it ...lol) was an self taught artist and lived in Ireland. He was fond of drawing pictures of the locals with charcoal. Which my Grandfather picked up and was very good at, we still have some of the drawings. He was a plasterer which for the Irish is not unusual at all.
My earliest memories of an art influence was when I was a little girl. My Dad had this huge, well to me it was huge set up in his garage. I loved to sit at it and dream of being an artist. There was a roll of paper that came over the easel part of it was a huge roll and it seemed endless, my Dad would sit there and draw the neighborhood kids and what ever else he felt like. I can still smell the oil pastels in the drawers, which I still love to smell if not just for the memory it evokes. The quill pens and colored inks. Molding clay and figurines to follow. My dad could paint, sculpt and draw and I knew that is what I wanted to do. I found out later in life he was offered a job with a greeting card company but turned it down cause he not only was afraid but not sure it would support his family. He did the same thing with Disney. If you know of the ride Mr.Toad's wild ride, he drew all over the inside of the ride while working construction there. Not sure if the ride is still there or not.
I started drawing around 6 or 7 from looking at a magazine called Ranger Rick ok so this will date me. ( I still have them) then at the time Walter Foster art company was not to far from my house, so with my Dad and his talent we had tons of books and I just went from there. Once in Jr. High, I took a art class and that was it. Finally in High school, I enrolled in a art class and I was a goner. I hated sewing and cooking and asked if I could please take the class 2 times. I did! Finally my senior year at OHS, my teacher (handsome) took notice of my work and submitted it to the Luguna Beach Museum exhibit for high schoolers. He did not tell me, he surprised me on the field trip. I got an award and got to attend a summer program at the Luguna Beach school of art. Sorry I did not like the school so I did not attend.
At that time he encouraged me to go to art school but I was soo insecure about it, I did not go. :(
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Decorative Painting:
Second phase of my journey - I took my first tole painting class in a garage of a friend of a friend. I was easily frustrated... when a lady in the class held up a square brush and the teach asked for a round one. I did love the class and I knew I wanted more.
My friend took me to the local tole shop in Oranges, Nana's and we got a video to learn how to paint. It was all down hill from there. :) I then just bought books and taught my self to paint. It was pretty easy and I loved it.
Next phase I came kicking and screaming. :)
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| Ceramics - Phase 3 part one.
Hmmm where to begin. Quickly.... my Mom my Aunt and my Grandmother all started doing ceramics before I was born. ( still have some of there first pieces) and I so remember the case of her ceramic supplies, old Duncan under glazes that had no color to it in the jar, so knowing what it was before you painted, you complain now...you should have seen it then.
In the early 80's my family moved closer to some other family members and they were doing ceramics. Mom went to the local studio down here, Talk of the town ceramics and from there it turned into a business, she sold to all kinds of stores, her any my Aunt out of the trunk of the car. Shortly she was teaching porcelain dolls, buying molds, decals. You name it. I hated going to the ceramic shows they took ALL DAY!!! But we enjoyed the time together and now I cherish those memories. Dona molds was our favorite! Mom decided that it was time for me to take classes with her, we had taken plaster painting classes growing up, but Ceramics yuck.
I must have cleaned 12 mugs and said that is it... so Mom agreed to have them pre cleaned and I could paint with acrylics. Over the years it came and went and we all enjoyed it.
Then in 1994 it all changed...
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The shop:
November 14th, 1994 we signed the escrow papers for Talk of The Town Ceramics! That is my Mom and I.
Our first Christmas was unbelievable... we could not believe how busy it was. We stayed till 2 in the morning, cleaning and changing things. We started with classes on Wend and Thursday nights, Tuesday days and Saturdays. At first we hired a teacher and she was great, but she was overwhelmed and slowly I ended up teaching classes, we move the classes around to Tuesday day then a night class, then Thursday day class and finally a Saturday class. We specialized in some fun seminars for China Painting, clay roses, brush strokes... you name we had it. It was packed!!! Class numbers were in the 20's and the room was full and buzzin.
We did really well the first couple of years and then the tide started to change, it got worse. At one time we were one of the largest wholesales of green ware in the Inland Empire. My Aunt Pat was at the shop every weekend, then when she retired, she was there as much as she could be. :) She became a major part of it in many many ways.
We did all the shows, Bohler, KM Showerks, Ceramic show, decorative painting, paint till you faint. I met Jeanette McCall in 1998 she was at her booth for the first time in Calif, my Mom introduced us. I was teaching a brush stroke class and we just hit it off. The next time she came to the show which was in the O.C., I was first in the class and she had me help her set up and I ended up assisting her to the point I never finished my class. Most people at that time thought I worked for her. When the next show rolled around, she called me and asked me to come work her booth with her. I studied with her and learned her technique, I then would assist her at the local warehouse here teaching the piping technique, and then on to Las Vegas several times. It was an amazing experience, then she left the business for finished work in China, that is when my new partner Christopher and I picked up the pieces. Next section.
As the shop started to slow down and the industry was falling apart, mold companies going out of business left and right, we decided to close our doors. BUT my Aunt did not want to see it stop, so she said NOPE, I will do what it takes to carry on. So we closed up, move out and started all over again, with her in charge.
Thus came Noah's Art. We wanted the rainbow to be a symbol of God's promise to everyone, that after a horrible rain, the sun comes out and it is a new day and a promise he will not do it again. We have been in our last location since Jan 2000.
We sadly lost my Aunt Jan 08, and our calendar still stays at the last day she was at the shop. But we know she is standing by rooting us on.
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The shop: a bit more-
After we moved and got settled things really moved along. I found a new color line called "Colors for Earth" and just fell in love with it versatility and vibrant colors. Patty Boothe took me under her wing and got me up to speed on the colors how they worked. I soon got stuff published and then finally we got our own products "Unique Piping Slip" and "Shannon B's dimensional paste" including a line of brushes. The shop was doing great, classes were great and it was like the old days. It was exciting and doing it with family and close friends... who could ask for more. I traveled all over the U.S. teaching the art of ceramics.
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Lastly -
My partner Christopher and I were and still are successfully in teaching the art of piping both with our fired piping slip and non fired paste. I have been lucky enough to have been published in both international and local magazines. We both have our line of brushes that work with the technique and style.
We worked so well together that we now work together in Real Estate as well. He became a broker a couple of years ago and I went with him and I think we work well together.
So here we are 2009 and still ticking. We do private classes and are going to be doing some punishing this next year. Stay in touch so you can see what it is. :)
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