Art in the Park in Dana Point

Art in the Park 2011 a photo by smashgirl on Flickr.

I had an incredible weekend down in the harbor at the Festival of the Whales "Art in the Park"! I met fellow artists and chatted with people from all over the world. I sold some of my mosaics which was great but my greatest joy came from the opportunity to share my 'Save Our Oceans" mosaic. When the idea first came to me back in January of 2010 with the yellow sunglasses, my hope was to educate with this project. Many people stopped to take a look at my art and the kids were drawn to it like bees to honey. They all wanted to touch it...it's full of colorful toys embedded in grout. The biggest shock to people was the fact that all of this plastic trash was collected in a single thirty minute period on Doheny Beach one day. I overheard parents telling their children to pick up trash and don't let it go into our oceans. My heart was happy that day, my project was educating and entertaining kids and adults. My hope is for this art to be installed in a public place to continue it's job on saving our oceans. Stay tuned!

Save Our Oceans was entered into the Chaco Waves for Change Art Contest and won honorable mention!

56/365 This is hot.

This is hot.
Originally uploaded by smashgirl

I love vintage finds...this caught my eye and I had to have it.
It's an electric food warmer...or as my mom called it, a "hot plate".
We had one growing up so I'm sure the nostalgic element played a factor in my decision to make it mine.
Keeping it hot, retro style!

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55/365
Originally uploaded by smashgirl

Wishing for more minutes in the day...
So many things to fit in, I like being busy but just wish I could have
more time.
I guess I could sleep less???

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54/365
Originally uploaded by smashgirl

Avocados...I consider them one of the staples of my house.
Milk...
Bread...
Bagels...
Bananas...
Cheese...
Coffee...
and definitely chocolate!

53/365

53/365
Originally uploaded by smashgirl

Reach for the sky...
Follow your dreams...
They are within reach...
Stand tall...
Stretch farther...
Grab hold and fly.

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52/365
Originally uploaded by smashgirl

My niece...the gamer. She takes after her cousins :)

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51/365
Originally uploaded by smashgirl

Cool shoes...they belong to my niece. She's pretty cool too. She's ten years old and hardly utters a word. Reminds me of myself at that age. I was painfully shy and hated when my parents would force me to speak to relatives. So I let her be...I talk to her and she listens. One day she'll overcome the shyness and she'll never shut up. Just like me :)

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50/365
Originally uploaded by smashgirl

Holy Hailstorm...I've never seen hail at my house before. Hard to believe last week was beach weather!

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49/365
Originally uploaded by smashgirl

I love seashells...these tiny little ones will be used in my next mosaic.

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48/325
Originally uploaded by smashgirl

January 2010 the yellow sunglasses gave me the idea for making a mosaic using trash I found on the beaches of California. Today, it is complete...my largest and most important piece of art that I've created. I'm extremely happy that these pieces of trash will never make it to the ocean. I hope this art will educate, and encourage everyone to help keep our oceans clean.

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47/365
Originally uploaded by smashgirl

My cup is runneth over with creativity. Ahhh...it feels good to be back in the studio!