"Reach of the Sacred Heart", c. 2012, Krystie Rose Millich

I’ve been extremely neglectful in sharing this, with all the craziness of the last few months, but, great news; I’ve been accepted as a Member Artist at a wonderful gallery in Denver’s Santa Fe Arts District, the CHAC Gallery.  CHAC, the Chicano Humanities and Arts Council, is a 33 year-old non-profit arts organization that works with the community to promote Chicano/Latino art for both children and adults.  CHAC  features the art and culture of the vibrant Chicano/Latino community of Denver and the surrounding areas through its programming, two Santa Fe Drive art galleries, and community programs.  Popular annual events include the Members Season Opener in January, Santos & Crosses in August, Chile Harvest Arts Festival also in August,  El Dia De Los Muertos (“Day of the Dead”)  in November, and Our Lady of Guadalupe & Christmas Mercado in December.  I am honored and excited to be a part of this valuable organization, learn more about the art and the community, and have a chance to share my take on Mexican and Latino art and folk art.

I’d love for you to come on down and check out my latest (and LARGEST!) collection of art on exhibit at the CHAC Norte (North) Gallery through the end of February! I have a whole wall and displays of my work, including several wall hangings, some tables, gift items, and jewelry! This includes my piece above, “Reach of the Sacred Heart”, the first piece I have made with the wonderful Royal Mosa tile I acquired for my shop after training with Flair Robinson, the Telluride artist who beautifully uses this tile in many of her pieces.  Tons of amazing bright colors, creative bits of materials, and lots of Latin flair!

Come on down for  Jan. Third Friday on the 20th from 6:30 to 9 pm,

Feb. First Friday on the 3rd from 6 to 10 pm,

or Feb. Third Friday on the 17th from 6:30 to 9 pm,

OR during regular Gallery Hours;

Wed. & Thur. 10-4, Fri. 12-5, and Sat. 12-4.

You can find my work at the back of the gallery, on the orange/terra cotta colored wall that faces you as you walk into the large back room with the bar (which includes, ahem, lots of nice drinks and treats!). The Gallery will also be full with lots of other fellow artists, who have wonderful, fabulous work; Rob & Tammy Yancey in the front room, Crystal O’Brien, Joe Martinez, & Ellen Pruitt in the large back room with me, and special areas featuring the amazing work of Stevon Lucero, Suzanne Martino, Michael Penny, and Robert Martinez. Next-door, the Main CHAC Gallery features two Pueblo artists this month: Maria Lopez and Anthony Armijo, with beautiful small and large scale works that will take your breath away! And, if you’re looking for some cool little thing or art gift throughout the year, you can always visit their wonderful “La Tiendita” (small shop) in the Main Gallery during regular gallery hours.  For more info. see www.chacweb.org!

Happy New Year! I’m a little late in getting this info. out, so please accept my apologies! Following are the Supply Shop and Open Studio Hours for January:

Sun. 1/15-5-9 pm

Mon. 1/16, 1-5 pm     (MLK Day! 15% off in the Supply Shop!)

Mon. 1/23, 4-8 pm

Thur. 1/26, 4-8 pm

Sun. 1/29, 5-9 pm

Also; please be on the lookout for upcoming posts and registration links regarding the next Tempered Glass & Jewelry Classes in February and the next Outdoor/Garden Mosaics and Beginner’s Mosaics Classes in March.  I will be attending the Society of American Mosaic Artists’ (SAMA) Conference in February, and will be bringing back lots of good information, techniques, and updates from the world of mosaics!  While there, I will also be meeting with several other mosaic artists about coming to Denver as “Visiting Instructors” to teach us their special skills and techniques in a variety of mosaic methods!  This year will be another year of growth for TileMosaicGirl, with more instructors and more classes! Be on the lookout, GO BRONCOS, and See you Soon!

I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it…Less than two weeks now until the 2010 SAMA (Society of American Mosaic Artists) Conference in Chicago!  SAMA is an organization for mosaic artists and fans, from those just beginning to discover mosaics to those that are seasoned professionals.  Of course, I’m kind of the “just beginning” end, so, this is my first conference!  I’m looking forward to meeting lots of other mosaicists (yeah; it’s kinda a word!), learning lots of new things, ‘networking’, and checking out the VENDOR marketplace!  Thank God, I’m flying SW, where they don’t charge for bags, b/c I’m bringing a whole empty one for lots of new GOODIES!!!

The photo above (titled, “The Unknown”) is a piece I’ve submitted for the Art Salon/Auction at the show; we’ll see how it does!  I’ll also be volunteering on the ‘Mosaic Marathon’, where we all contribute to the making of a huge mosaic installation to donate to a local domestic violence shelter.  It will be so fun to actually be designing & breaking & gluing some sh*t down w/other mosaicists!  I think the conference will provide some great inspiration, skills, and information to both inspire my work and add to my class content for my students.  I don’t know if I’ll be able to go every year, but I’m at least glad to be able to go now, at this more ‘beginning’ time as a mosaicist!  For anyone out there who’s familiar w/ SAMA and wants information and/or reports on the conference and its activities, I’ll be doing some posting (hopefully during, but definitely after) and can answer any questions you might have.  If you’re not familiar w/ SAMA and you’re looking for some information on mosaics, supplies, classes, artists, designers, etc., see their website  for all kinds of resources!

Just went to an event last night for the ‘Denver Handmade Alliance’ (http://denverhandmade.org/blog/), a group of local crafters working together to support and promote their art businesses. The group started out as an etsy local team (and still is!), but also includes those crafters not on etsy. Crystal and Brett from Vital started the group after wanting to make some local connections with other etsians (Vital can be found on etsy at http://vital.etsy.com and http://vitalhome.etsy.com ). Vital is now so successful that Crystal and Brett work their business full time via etsy and craft fairs and also have a local gift shop, Tomte.craft (http://www.tomtecraft.com/). You can visit their Denver store on the West side of Commons Park, right by the downtown side of the (white) Highlands walking bridge that goes over I-25; 1644 Platte Street; 303.717.0371.

Denver Handmade Alliance has a terrific blog, a great group of involved crafters, and many opportunities for getting involved to support a local organization that can support each other! I’m looking forward to joining with other crafters to find affordable and worthwhile craft fair opportunites, promote each other’s art and teaching ventures, and spread the word about all the great handmade “stuff” people can find in Denver! You can also find DHA, Vital Industries, and Tomte fan pages on Facebook and TomteCraft and VitalIndustries on Twitter!

Just found out about this mosaic artist via another mosaic artist, @shonalockhart, one of my followers on Twitter (thanks; Shona!); I checked out her stuff and it is REALLY cool, plus she teaches classes in Virginia.  Check her out:

http://tinyurl.com/yjl3bq9