I am so sorry I haven't been updating! I haven't even posted the Advent Calendar of the Day - you'll have to go back and check them yourselves! Interestingly enough, I had a lot of hits the other day, even though I had not updated. I went to my Bravenet stats, and apparently a lot of people have suddenly been interested in Advent Calendars - of the nudie variety! And, they are shy about asking me the URL! ;-)

I have been off on a creative jag - I can't say too much about it for fear of someone stealing my idea. I am pleased with the response that I have gotten from my students concerning my Christmas gift to them. I stayed up way too late last night, designing a card to present to them in class today. You see, I am giving them t-shirt transfers of their own choosing. I have quite a few designs posted on my bulletin board, and I told them they could choose one for me to print out for them.

I removed the full-page designs, including the collage I made myself. The reason for that is that I am going to sell those. I am well aware of copyright issues, and some of the things I am giving to my students are protected. I won't be selling those. But, if I generate enough interest from my gifts, I might be able to make some sales from those. I also am going to allow for only 1/2 a transfer per student. I didn't see the economy-pack at Costco last time I visited, so I want to conserve the ones I have.

I have come across the websites of some phenomenal art while browsing the Internet. I have been heavy into Mexican and religious icon art. I was blown away by the work of Teresa Villegas. She has this installation that she produced called La Loteria: An Exploration of Mexico. It is a series of small canvasses - her interpretation of the popular Mexican bingo game. In the exhibit, she uses symbols and icons from her culture. I love it! My favorites are La Mesa and La Virgen. She also does large scale works, and I just looked at those today. Here is one called El Juego De Vida (The Game Of Life), and another called La Virgen Del Pastel De Chocolate (The Virgin of the Chocolate Cake!). Does she remind me of Frida - of is this kind of representation common in Mexican art?

I also love the work of Maria Elena, an American who moved to Mexico in 1958, but now lives in Oregon. Here is what is says in her bio: "In 1985, the Mexican Government awarded her permanent residency status and declared her an official Mexican "National Treasure", honoring her lifetime of living in, and painting Mexico." Pretty great, huh? Her gallery is extensive, holding over 200 thumbnails of paintings she has done. She also has greeting cards and posters available, and allows her work to be licensed. I really liked her paintings of Santa as a pinata, as in Infiltracion Navide�o, although my husband was disturbed by the idea of bludgeoning Santa in search of sweets! ;-) I also loved her scenes of Day of the Dead, like Esqueleto Rosa and this one.

So, I am still out here, but I am learning to work with Adobe Photoshop, and about how to launch my new business ideas. I have even made a business card - that's the easy part! I am having fun, even if I haven't decorated my house for Christmas!