A Celebration of Old Roses, Sunday May 20, 2012

What’s your favorite rose? Impossible to choose? Well, I have just the event for you – the 32nd Annual Celebration of Old Roses, one of the best happenings in El Cerrito, is coming up next month. Always held the Sunday after Mother’s Day, this year it’s on May 20th, from 11:00 to 3:30. Sponsored by the Heritage Roses Group, it’s at the El Cerrito Community Center, which is just a few blocks east of the main drag in El Cerrito (San Pablo Avenue), at 7007 Moeser Lane (cross street Ashbury Ave).  The event and parking are free.

The heart of the Celebration is the hundred-foot display of roses — everyone from expert cultivators to garden-fanatics to hobbyists to people who just have one rose bush in their yard bring cut roses to share and show off. They’re grouped and arranged by type, and the result is an intoxicating display of scents and colors. So pull out your shears, clip off a couple of your best roses, and bring them by! Have a rose that you can’t identify? Bring a bloom and get an expert’s opinion…

In addition to the roses (including heirloom and hard-to-find roses from specialty nurseries), an array of arts and crafts and rose-related products will tempt you — just view, or  purchase if you can’t resist! You’ll find jewelry, china, books, cards, prints, calendars, honey, and much more!

I’ve had a table with my artwork and crafts at the Celebration for the past seven years.  I’ll be there with the things I make from my original photographs, rose and flower-related, including jewelry, scarves, tiles, boxes, vases, sachets, and much more!  Go to smell the roses, then stop by to say hello…  If you have any questions about the show, please email me at HeidiRand [at] gmail.com.

Celebrate California Arts Day

Do-It-Yourself Arts Fair

El Cerrito Community Center

Saturday, October 15, 2011 – 2 to 5:30pm

The El Cerrito Arts & Culture Commission will host an Arts Fair on October 15th at 7007 Moeser Lane. The Fair will celebrate arts and culture by showcasing local artists and providing fun, hands-on workshops for kids and adults.  The event will also include free demonstrations, displays, and opportunities for all to learn about local artists and art resources.

Garden Delights display

I’ll be there with an assortment of my original nature-based artwork and crafts, to demonstrate the many different kinds of things you can make with your own photos, drawings, or designs. 

Pillow made with inkjet printed fabric

I’ll also have my laptop, and can demonstrate how to use Photoshop Elements and other programs to enhance and transform photographs.

Egret allium blended collage

For more information, visit the City’s website.  You can also find out more about California Arts Day at the California Arts Council website.

Fourth of July Festival Fun!

Get out your funky bunting and put on your dancing shoes! It’s celebration time again in El Cerrito, only a few days until the amazing free Fourth of July festival put on by worldOne — with incredible free music, great artisan booths, food, games, tons of fun for everyone!  Booths and rides are open from 10 to 6 pm, and the great music continues until 7 pm. The worldOne website has a full schedule of the music events.   And this is the City’s web page.

Corey Mason, director/founder, and Debra Sue Kelvin, co-producer, are the heart and backbone of this great event.  This is Corey at the Festival last year… Learn more about worldOne radio, and about the festival at worldOne’s website. Here’s a fun promo clip for the Festival. This year Corey and I worked to add two more 12-foot banners made from my mandala designs, to the six we had last year.

You can see more of my photos from the 2009 Festival at my smugmug site. The Festival starts the evening of July 3rd, with a DJ set of music from 5 to 7 pm.  The main event is Sunday, July 4th, from 10 am to 6 pm.  The Festival is at Cerrito Vista Park.  There’s lots of free street parking and it’s about a mile from the El Cerrito Plaza BART station.  The address is 950 Pomona Ave, El Cerrito.

Stop by the Garden Delights Arts & Crafts booth to say hello…  see you there!

Celebration of Old Roses, Sunday May 15th 2011

Ahhh, it’s rose season again …  Are yours blooming yet?  What are you seeing in your neighborhood?   Ours just started busting out with the few not-too-cold days we’ve had.  The ever faithful Sally Holmes is climbing our fence, the Ispahan that George cut way back last season is starting to bud.  The Blue Girls aren’t blooming yet, but the Graham Thomas and Butterscotch (both yellow roses) are doing great. This is a butterscotch rose. No scent, but it’s a stunning rose with colors that range from rich caramel to full yellow, with blushes of pink on the edges.

Oh, what timing!  George just handed me an incredible Heritage rose that’s in full bloom and smells heavenly.

And coincidentally, the 31st Annual Celebration of Old Roses, one of the best events in El Cerrito, is just around the corner.  This year it will be held on Sunday May 15th, from 11:00 to 3:30 (the week after Mother’s Day). It’s sponsored by the Heritage Roses Group and will be held at the El Cerrito Community Center, a few blocks east of the main drag in El Cerrito, San Pablo Avenue.  The Center is at 7007 Moeser Lane, cross street is Ashbury.  The event and parking are free.

The heart of the Celebration is the hundred-foot display of roses — everyone from expert cultivators to garden-fanatics to hobbyists to people who just have one rose bush in their yard bring cut roses to show. They are grouped and arranged, and the result is an intoxicating display of scents and colors. So pull out your shears,clip off a couple of your best roses, and bring them by!  Have a rose that you can’t identify?  Bring a bloom in and get an expert’s opinion…

In addition to the roses, an array of arts and crafts and rose-related products will tempt you — just view, or  purchase if you can’t resist!

I’ve had a table with my artwork and crafts at the Celebration for the past six years.   I’ll bring the work that I make from my original photographs, rose and flower-related, including jewelry, scarves, tiles, boxes, vases, sachets, and much more!  Go to smell the roses, then stop by to say hello…   If you have any questions about the show, please email me.

Photo Art : Altered Imagery Workshop

Do you have folders-full of photographs on your computer that are okay, but you want to transform them into art that you’re really proud of, that you can print and frame — for yourself, for gifts, or to sell?

Cattleya orchid

Ready to take the next steps with your photos, to stretch your creativity and artistic imagination?   If you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area, I’ve got just the workshop for you!  Sunday April 10, 2011 from noon to 3:30 p.m., at the Canyon Trail Park & Art Center, 6757 Gatto Ave., El Cerrito, I’ll be teaching you the magic that you can find within your own photographs.

Egret allium blended collage

We’ll explore how to enhance your original photos to achieve unique and artistic effects using Adobe Photoshop Elements. Elements is a very powerful, but affordable, image processing program.  The techniques that I teach you, though, can be accomplished with other programs, and we’ll discuss those other programs, including GIMP, a free image processing software that you can download from the internet.

Making a kaleidoscope

Space is limited, and we’ll work on your images at the workshop, so pre-registration is required.  For more information, or to pre-register, email me at heidirand@gmail.com.  The cost is $50. If you can’t make the workshop, email me for other options, including private classes and ebooks.  And here’s a list of my other art and craft workshops.

Dorian and Lars

Beyond paper : inkjet printing on alternative surfaces

In this one-day workshop, you’ll learn to make creative and unique artwork by printing on surfaces other than paper.  I’ll introduce you to several different products and techniques to print directly on fabric, vellum, transparency film, and more.

Butterfly altar

You will learn how to coat surfaces for inkjet printing with Golden Paint’s Digital Grounds and inkAID.

Golden's digital grounds

We’ll also print directly on metal and wood veneer — since a printer with a straight path is required for these surfaces you may not be able to do this with your current home printer).

We will complete at least one printing project per person at the workshop.

The workshop will be held on Sunday September 19, 2010 from noon to 4:00 p.m. at the Canyon Trail Park Art Center in El Cerrito, and the cost is $60 plus materials. Class size is limited and pre-registration is required, if you’re interested, please email me at heidirand@gmail.com

Photo art : altered imagery. One-day workshop

Sunday August 29, 2010.  Noon to 3:30 pm at Canyon Trail Park & Art Center, 6757 Gatto Ave., El Cerrito.  $50

Egret swirl

Learn to transform your photographs into works of art with software programs and techniques.  We will explore how to enhance your original photos to achieve unique and artistic effects.  We will use Adobe Photoshop Elements at the workshop, but will explore techniques that other image processing programs use.

Angel trumpet

Pre-registration required.  For more information, or to pre-register, email me at heidirand@gmail.com.  If you can’t make the workshop, email me for other options, including private classes.

Inkjet Transfer Techniques Workshop

One-day workshop :  Saturday July 17, 2010

Noon to 4:00 pm at Canyon Trail Park & Art Center, 6757 Gatto Ave., El Cerrito.  $45 plus materials

Butterfly window hanging, Transfer Artist Paper

We will explore using inkjet transfers to enhance your artwork and to create mixed media, collage and other works.  Learn several techniques to transfer images and text to a variety of surfaces.  Transfers are ideal to get your images and designs onto surfaces that you can’t fit through your printer.  We will experiment with many different products, including a new heat transfer polymer material, Transfer Artist Paper.  You will complete at least two transfers at the workshop.

Double exposure on canvas, heat transfer

Pre-registration required.  For more information, or to pre-register, email me at heidirand@gmail.com.  If you can’t make the workshop, email me for other options, including private classes.

Lisianthus box lazertran heat transfer

Art Quilts & Fabric Hangings : One-day workshop

Workshop taught by Heidi Rand

Canyon Trail Art Center, El Cerrito California

Saturday June 19, 2010 – noon to 4:00 p.m.
$50 + materials

Lars quilt

Further adventures in the exciting new world of fabric printing!  Offered for the first time — a hands-on workshop where we will explore printing your fabric and designing a small art quilt or hanging.  Even if you’ve never made a quilt before, this workshop will teach you basic art quilt construction.  We go beyond quilts used for bedding, by adding embellishments and mixed media elements, and framing or hanging options.   Basic inkjet printing and sewing knowledge is helpful, but not required.

Golden butterfly art quilt on canvas

I’ll show you many examples of the kinds of art quilts and hangings you can make using your inkjet printer and sewing machine. You’ll get lots of new ideas about what to do with your images and designs, and the knowledge to go home and start making your own personal fabric-art piece!

Lavender rust quilt

Bring a flash drive with your images, or letter-sized images to scan.   If you want to begin sewing your piece at the workshop, bring your sewing machine and some possible backing fabric.  Pre-registration required.   Please email me at HeidiRand@gmail.com

Upcoming workshops:

Saturday July 17, 2010 noon to 4:00 p.m.  Inkjet transfer techniques. El Cerrito Canyon Trail Art Center

Sunday August 29, 2010, noon to 3:30 p.m. Photo Art : Altered Imagery. El Cerrito Canyon Trail Art Center

Sunday September 19, 2010, noon to 4 p.m. Beyond paper : inkjet printing on alternative surfaces.  El Cerrito Canyon Trail Art Center

Sunday October 24, 2010, noon to 3:30 p.m.  Exploring lutradur.  El Cerrito Canyon Trail Art Center

Sunday November 21, 2010, noon – 3:30 p.m.  Handmade gifts with your inkjet printer. El Cerrito Canyon Trail Art Center

Have questions? Interested in registering?  Please email me

If you can’t make the workshop, I also have an ebook to teach you to print on fabric and online classes at CraftEdu

Saturday June 19, 2010, noon to 4. Art quilts and fabric hangings. El Cerrito Canyon Trail Art Center

This Sunday! Celebration of Old Roses

Is your garden exploding with roses like ours?  We have the most intoxicating roses climbing the fence (Sally Holmes), draped over the trellis (Ispahan), peeking around the orange tree (Double Delight), trying to hide from the deer (Blue Girl), climbing up the willow tree, and just blooming gloriously (Graham Thomas, Butterscotch) …..

Blue girl rose kaleidoscope

So timing couldn’t be better for the yearly Celebration of Old Roses, sponsored by the Heritage Rose Group, and held the Sunday after Mother’s Day.  This year the Show will be this Sunday, May 16th from 11 am to 4:30 pm.  It’s at the El Cerrito Community Center, a few blocks east of the main drag in El Cerrito, San Pablo Avenue.  The Center is at 7007 Moeser Lane, cross street is Ashbury.  The event and parking are free.

Butterscotch rose

The heart of the event is the hundred-foot display of roses — everyone from expert cultivators to garden-fanatics to hobbyists to people who just have one rose bush in their yard bring cut roses to show. They are grouped and arranged, and the result is an intoxicating display of scents and colors. So pull out your shears,clip off a couple of your best roses, and bring them by!  Have a rose that you can’t identify?  Bring a bloom in and get an expert’s opinion…

Sally Holmes rose

In addition to the roses, an array of arts and crafts and rose-related products will tempt you — just view, or  purchase if you can’t resist!  My favorites include a vendor who sells rose and nature themed books, and two vendors who offer rose flavored jellies and jams and  locally-produced honey.

Garden Delights display

I have had a booth with our artwork and crafts at the Celebration for the past five years.  This year I’m going to be in the main hall again, competing with the rose display for attention.  I’ll bring the work that I make from my original photographs, mostly rose and flower-related, including jewelry, scarves, tiles, boxes, vases, sachets, and much more!  Go to smell the roses, then stop by to say hello…

If you have any questions about the Show, please email me at HeidiRand@gmail.com