Making a Cigar Box Guitar

…a neat DIY project, just perfect for an iCreate or your own personal creativity project.  Instructables is an interesting DIY site and resource too. It feature a wide variety of 'how to' instructions from recipes, gardening, repairs, building, sewing and more…

Charlie G Wathney writes, 

"I made this cigar box guitar for my brother for Christmas. The scale length is 23 inches. The fret board radius is 14 inches. It has Classic Guitar strings on it (DGBE). So its like a baritone Ukulele."    

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Inspiration Farm: Cultivating Food & Creativity.

…a perfect fit for iCreate…next up: a brief update on the recent dehydration workshop from NMSU Extension hosted by Claunch-Pinto SWCD ~ plus information on the return of the popular monthly gardening workshops.

 

Published, Jan 21, 2013

"Changing times calls for changing lifestyles." says Brian Kerkvliet. "So we put more energy into the land? The more you get your fingers in the soil, the more endorphins rush through your head. You get excited by all of that." 

Using permaculture and biodynamic practices, Brian's family is endlessly experimenting and innovating to find what works. His wife Alexandra and daughter Rosalie introduce us to the goats, pigs, and cows who are essential players in their farm's web of life.

Painted Pie

…iCreate's kind of story, creativity and outreach...

You never quite know how you are going to impact on the lives of others, their hopes, their dreams or their desires.  In this beautifully crafted animated short inspired by the post-Impressionist (notably Vincent): an old lady painter and a young homeless boy are destined to meet and it will, perhaps, bring both a type of peace. Accompanied by Little Person by Jon Brion I do have to admit that this made me well up a little, but then as anyone will tell you I’m a great big softy.

Created by four students, Painted Pie is two meals within itself: a breakfast for the eye and suppertime for the heart.

Painted Pie

OFFCenter Calendar - Jan 2013

…Winter Open Studio Hours Tu-Th: 1-6 pm, Fr: 1-5 pm, Sa: 10am-2 pm (exceptions for special scheduled events)  Happy Holidays & Best Wishes for the New Year! Moveable Masterpiece Reprise! Moveable Masterpieces Friday, Jan 4, 5 - 8 pm OFFCenter's emerging and established artists together with your family and friends can move from "masterpiece" to "masterpiece" on Friday night, (Jan 4) as you paint artwork together. Make an offer on any painting you like at any stage. All proceeds benefit OFFCenter Community Arts - a safe place for everyone to make art free of charge. Independent Drawing & Painting Group at OFFCenter Tuesdays, 11:30am - 1:30pm Starting in January, 2013, Art Instructor Dave Blecha will lead an Independent Study Drawing and Painting class on-going throughout the year. The class will require pre-registration and be offered in 6 week segments . A class fee of $30 will be charged for each 6 week section. Ths class is intended for artists who are looking for in-depth facilitated exploration into the experience of drawing and painting. The first section is scheduled to begin on Tuesday, January 8th from 11:30am - 1:30pm if the minimum enrollment of 6 people is reached. To register, email studio808@qwestoffice.net or talk to Ron at (505) 247-1172. Amy Biehl HS Seniors Exhibit: "Heart and Mind" Opening Reception: Friday, Jan 18th The Heart and Mind Show will feature the artwork of Amy Biehl High School students reflecting their experiences as volunteers within the various community organizations they serve as part of their curriculum requirements. An opening reception will be held on Friday, January 18th from 5-7pm. Exhibit Dates: Fri. Jan 18th - Fri. Jan 25th GIANT PUPPET PARADE LEADERSHIP TRAINING Celebration Art From Concept to Creation, Principles of Making a Giant Puppet Parade for adults 3 sessions - 9am to 12noon 2nd Sundays, Jan 13, Feb 10 & March 10, 2013 *$5. donation suggested per individual We are inviting enthusiastic community members and group leaders of community or school groups to attend this leadership workshop. It is intended for amateurs, musicians, dancers, artists, teachers and any individual willing to learn new creative skills and then share those skills to help others to create giant puppets, costumes, banners and more and join the 2013 "We Art the People" folk art festival and giant puppet parade in September and other events! *With your $5. donation you will receive: The Handmade Parade Puppet Building Manual with 24 pages of planning tips, recipes, and how-to sketches. Pre-registration Required: Please register by calling or emailing Sunny Birklund, Parade Coordinator at 505 944-6605 or sbduende@msn.com. Call for Art -- "Well Red" "Well Red." - the power and passion of the color red First Friday ARTScrawl Exhibit Opening, Feb 1, 5-8 pm Artists are invited to submit up to 2 pieces in any medium exploring the myth, meaning or feelings from the color red. Subject matter is open, but pieces must be dominated by red hues. Bring your artwork into OFFCenter during our regular Open Studio hours from Tues, Jan. 22 through Tues, Jan 29 Call for ART -- "Upside Down Downside Up " From Edwards' Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, pp. 58/9 Upside Down Downside Up Exhibit Opens ARTScrawl First Friday March 1, 5 - 8 pm Up Through March 29 Artwork due during regular Open Studio Hours: Feb 22 - 28 Artists submitting for this show will work with both the original artwork and the copy being produced inverted at all times during the process. Working in this way disorients the perception of the person copying the work and forces the artist to draw what they actually see. From this altered perspective lines and relationships are seen differently and certain values pop out or recede as the copying artist forms a new relationship with the copied work using this technique.* Submitting artists must choose a work by a renowned or recognized artist (past or present) to copy and all submissions must be no larger than 16" x 20" including matting and framing. There is a limit of 2 submissions per artist and all artwork must be received between Feb. 22nd and Feb. 28th during regular OFFCenter open studio hours. Each submission MUST be accompanied by a small copy of the source image, and the artist must include the title and artist of the original piece, name of submitting artist, size of piece, media utilized and price on a provided template. The source image and the resulting artwork is considered one submission. *For more instruction/information See Betty Edwards' book "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" for "upside down drawing." http://www.drawright.com   Donate Your Vehicle to OFFCenter! You can now donate your old vehicle (running or not) to OFFCenter Community Arts. It's fast and easy. Just go to this link, fill out your vehicle information and they'll pick up your vehicle, assess the scrap metal or resale value, send you the forms for your taxes and send OFFCenter a check! Help Raise Awareness about OFFCenter click logo for wedsite Help raise awareness about OFFCenter by writing a review of your experience of OFFCenter on one of the leading websites that allows people to find, review, and share information about great nonprofits. The Great Non-Profits website is used by donors, volunteers, journalists, and concerned citizens to learn about the nonprofit services available in their communities and beyond. Just click on the logo to visit the site and write your review. Free Weekly Workgroups ON-GOING CREATIVITY WORKGROUPS (FREE): just drop in! Writing Group with Mandy Gardner - Wednesdays: 3-4pm Painting and Drawing with Dave Blecha - Thursdays: 1-3pm Card Making with Karen Turner - Thursdays: 3-5pm Basic Guitar with Kay Stillion - Fridays: 2:30-3:30pm Basic Ukulele with Kay Stillion - Fridays: 3:30-4:30pm Knitting and Crochet Circle - Saturdays: 11:30am-1:30pm You can always access our schedule of events/workshops at our online calendar: http://www.offcenterarts.org/calendar.htm Winter Open Studio Hours: | Tu-Th: 1-6pm, Fr: 1-5 pm, Sa: 10am-2 pm (exceptions for special scheduled events) Questions/Comments:  studio808@qwestoffice.net or (505) 247-1172