Congratulations to Mary Ann Heidemann

Punk Rocking Unicorn by Mary Ann Heidemann (rocker length 8 inches)

Mary Ann Heidemann's Punk Rocking Unicorn won First Place at the Presque Isle, Maine, County Fair.  Way to go, Mary Ann!  Well done!

Critters Now At Longbranch Gallery, Mineral Point, Wisconsin

Devil Dog, driftwood twig sculpture by George C. Clark

Miniature rustic twig rocking horse by George C. Clark
(rocker length 8 inches)

These pieces, which were briefly at the Illinois Artisans Shop in Chicago before it abruptly closed, are now at the Longbranch Gallery, 203 Commerce Street, Mineral Point, Wisconsin.

My Miniature Rustic Twig Rocking Horse Workshop at Shake Rag Alley Last Weekend

Every July the Shake Rag Alley Center for the Arts in Mineral Point, Wisconsin, hosts a 4-day WOODLANDERS GATHERING featuring classes and workshops in the rustic arts, including everything from blacksmithing to jewelry making using natural materials like stone, fibers, shells, and wood.  I have been teaching workshops in miniature rustic twig furniture there for several years now, and last Saturday we made miniature driftwood twig rocking horses.  Here are some photos from the workshop taken by me and my wife Pat.  That's me in the Hawaiian shirt.

More Bad News: Chicago Illinois Artisans Shop Now Closed

When you are committed to a policy of saving money by busting public employee unions, gutting the state's education systems, cutting funds for hungry children and crippled workers, it just wouldn't be right to waste tax dollars on culture, so Governor Rauner has closed the Illinois State Museums and their adjuncts, the Illinois Artisans Shops.  Does anyone want to buy that mastodon skeleton from the closed museum in Springfield?  Think what a great centerpiece it would make at meetings of Rauner's $100,000 Wine Club!