Monday, December 31, 2012

Artists! Get those entry forms in! $1000 first prize!

Yes, the deadlines are fast approaching! Theme Division entry forms for the 2013 Spring Obsession Art show & competition are due January 4th. while the OPEN Division with its $1000 first prize are due February 1st.  This year is Ironstone's 16th Annual Celebration of Art, Obsession wine and flowers.

Entry forms may be downloaded from the pages above or from the Ironstone Vineyards website.
www.ironstonevineyards.com.  Please call if you have any questions! 209 728 1251.

Friday, December 28, 2012

Life as a journey

"Life shouldn't be a journey to the grave intent on arriving safely in an attractive and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Cabernet in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO-HOO, what a ride!!"

This was emailed to me this morning... words for thought going into a new year. Anyone know who's quote is this anyway?

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Happy Birthday to ME! the Crystalline Gold!

Today marks the 20th Anniversary of My discovery!  

I, the Crystalline Gold Specimen 
located here at Ironstone's Heritage Museum, 
was discovered by the Sonora Mining Company 
in their Jamestown site 20 years ago today!

Come by today and sing me a song!

Friday, December 14, 2012

50% off jewelry Sale Event


Ironstone Heritage Museum in Cooperation with OROCAL designers are offering a Fantastic Jewelry Sale starting this weekend!

You will find incredible savings of up to 60% on a wide selection of styles and stones above & beyond those produced by OroCal.  This sale is limited to stock on hand, so don’t miss out!

Come by today and find that perfect gift at the right price!

Friday, December 7, 2012

Krementz Vintage Jewelry finds it's way to Ironstone!




Ironstone Heritage Museum has acquired two very unique estate pieces. Vintage Krementz Costume Jewelry dating from the 1950’s – 1960’s.  Both of the samples currently available for purchase are very unique and hard to find examples of the famous Krementz design house established in the late 1800’s. 



The first piece, a unique silvertone and rhynstone necklace screw earring set, is in excellent condition showing no signs of wear. It is a stunning piece, perfect for the Holidays.

12/31/12 update; This piece has sold










The second piece is a rare “Bonnet” pin by Krementz. We were only able to find 2 samples of this piece on the web. Both of the sites offered the pin for sale for a price of $52.00.  Ironstone Heritage Museum is proud to present both of these beautiful estate collector pieces for only $35.00 each. 

12/18/12 update: This piece has sold



Please keep in mind  these are estate, previously owned pieces that will not come around again. If you are interested in purchasing, please contact us here in the Heritage Museum  immediately as they will not last for too long!






















Friday, November 30, 2012

Call to Artists Reminder

Just a reminder to all you artists out there... deadlines for the Open & Theme Division Spring Art Show are fast approaching. With the Christmas Season upon us, don't let this sneak up on you sending you scrambling at the last minute! Forms can be downloaded from the pages above or from our website. 
www.ironstonevineyards.com

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Vaughn Pottery New pieces!

Bill & June Vaughn of Vaughn Pottery have graced our shelves for the upcoming Christmas Season with an outstanding collection of pottery and wearable art pieces.  

Above is June getting ready to set up while Bill talks shop with Ironstone's very own Garden Guy, Larry.

A union of two highly creative minds, each piece reflects the vital roles that both Bill & June each play in its formation.  Bill is interested in the form of the piece and the textures achieved through his choice of burnishing or using slip to finish; or to fire with or without horse hair.  June further develops the pieces with decoration that includes paint, carving, stones, antlers, beads and other found objects. 

Below are just a few from the collection available for sale. These are one of a kind pieces, each with a unique story all its own. 

#147  approx. 11" to top of horn tip   $700

#144  approx. 10"  $375

#142  approx. 10"  $375

#145  approx. 10"  $375

#150  approx. 10"  $350

#149  approx 8"  $325

#148  approx 17"  $750

#143  approx 10"  $375
You may see these and more right here in Ironstone's Heritage Museum. Open 11 - 5 daily.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Bulbs in from Holland

Bulbs are in from Holland, ready to go into the ground and delight you this coming Spring!  
Follow along their progress on the IronstoneGarden Blog at http://ironstonegardens.blogspot.com


Monday, November 5, 2012

Special Message to Artists from the New York Foundation of the Arts


We felt this worthy of sharing with our artist friends ... there is assistance out there, much more needed....

The information below is from the New York Foundation for the Arts newsletter... 



"Hello Friends,

The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is back in our offices for the first day today. On behalf of everyone at NYFA I am writing to express support and concern for those of you affected by Hurricane Sandy. We sincerely hope this email finds you and your families safe and well. I want you to know we are here to assist you in whatever ways we can, and there are some specific initiatives about which I want to make you aware:

1. If you have suffered losses of any kind as a result of the storm, please take a few moments to fill out this survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HurricaneSandyRecovery. It will be vital in our efforts to communicate your needs to funders, elected officials, the media and other interested parties.

2. If you had an event cancelled due to the storm, we are happy to offer you a free event listing in NYFA Classifieds through the end of the year. Simply send the information to: joblist@nyfa.org ATTN: Michon.

3. NYFA's offices at 20 Jay Street (suite 740) in DUMBO are open and we encourage you to come by for free coffee and refreshments. If you are without power you can use computers, Wi-Fi and recharge your cell phones or just spend some time talking to other artists.

4. We have an updated list of emergency resources on the home page of NYFA's website at www.nyfa.org.

In the next weeks, we will be scheduling a series of workshops on topics related to emergency recovery such as legal issues, assessing the value of your work and other insurance questions. As soon as these are confirmed, we will get a schedule out to you.

Finally, NYFA will be working closely with CERF+ (Craft Emergency Relief Fund + Artists' Emergency Resources), the National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response, as well as funders and government agencies to determine the most effective ways to provide coordinated support efforts.

Please know that NYFA is here for you; contact me or any staff member with questions, concerns, ideas or problems. The work you create is vital to helping us all cope in difficult times and, for those of you now going through difficult times of your own, I want you to have my personal assurance that NYFA will do whatever we can to help you.

Best wishes,

Michael "

Thursday, October 25, 2012

CALL TO ARTISTS!

Call to artists, THEME DIVISION entry forms & OPEN DIVISION entry forms for Ironstone's 16th Annual Spring Obsession Art Show now available!  Download from the pages in this blog or go to www.ironstonevineyards.com - events - art show.

THEME DIVISION entries due Friday, January 4, 2013.
OPEN DIVISION entries due Friday, February 1, 2013.

See entry forms for details.

THEME DIVISION winner
     $500. prize

OPEN DIVISION winners:
*     1st place $1000.00
*     2nd place $500.00
*     3rd. place $250.00

All accepted artists eligible for participation on opening SPRING OBSESSION EVENT weekend, March 2, 2013.

Download entry forms and more information from: 
* blog pages listed above
*  www.ironstonevineyards.com
*email for an entry to be emailed to you at cgomez@ironstonevineyards.com.
*  http://ArtDeadline.Com
If you wish to have entries mailed to you, please send a stamped, self addressed envelope to:

Ironstone Spring Obsession Art Show
1894 Six Mile Road
Murphys, CA 95247

You may pick up your entry form at Ironstone's Tasting Room or Heritage Museum.

Friday, October 19, 2012

What does a Quilter wear on the feet?

 What does a quilter wear on the feet? Take a look at these! See more, come out today, Saturday & Sunday see for yourself. It's the Mountain Heirloom Quite Fair.







Thursday, October 18, 2012

Quilts Quilts and more Quilts!

It is Quilt time at Ironstone starting Friday with the Mountain Heirloom Quilt Faire XXXV.

The vendor level is packed this year!  Even overflowing up to our Museum level. Watching all the unloading and setting up today is exciting. Can't wait to take a walk through the booths and see what's new from last year.



Even if you aren't a big quilt fan, this is a must see event. I love the Guild's "store". Every year I find great stocking stuffers and special gifts for best friends and family, all hand made with great prices.

Another treat is always the pathway markers. Made up of a variety of styles of shoes, these eye catching eye candy treats are decorated by guild members into some of the most fun pathway markers you would ever want to see... great ideas for family parties!  But, those aren't out yet! 
We will have to wait until tomorrow to see those little jewels














Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Vintage in Jeopardy?


One of our guests brought to our attention a case up for review by the Supreme Court this month.  They were upset at the thought that if this issue is passed by the SC, they won't be able to sell their mother's vintage glass or their Toyota without permission from Toyota or the German glass maker.  

Amazing how these little issues are decided by so few that alter so many lives and we know nothing until its too late. 

If you care, check it out and pass the word....

Monday, October 1, 2012

Upgrade time & Fall Colors Galore...


            “Due to Upgrades and Maintenance in the Heritage Museum, our vault and Crystalline Gold Specimen will be closed for viewing. We are sorry for the inconvenience. All other areas of our wonderful winery and grounds are open.

Please come visit us and see the wonderful Fall Colors starting to appear throughout the Gardens and Grounds and the smells of harvest that are filling the winery”.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

More Artists Join the fun! "ART & AUTOS" Artists painting up a storm at Ironstone Foundation Concours d'Elegance, Sat. Sept. 22.








      

Lorna Hunt

Though Lorna has drawn and painted for most of her life, it wasn’t until the last 15 years that she has been able to dedicate her time to fine art.  
She enjoys the flow and spontaneity of watercolor, and also the rich, juicy qualities of oil paint. Oil paints are well suited to Plein Air painting, and that combines well with her love of the outdoors.
Lorna feels privileged to have studied with many area artists and to have participated in workshops given by local and nationally known artists.
She emigrated from Argentina to Pleasant Hill, Ca. in the early 60s, raised a family in Livermore, Ca., grew almonds in Ripon, Ca. and retired to Sonora where she can indulge in her artistic endeavors.

  ______________________________________________________________________________










 Sunny Sorensen, sunny.sorensen@yahoo.com 
Sondra Sorensen
N
ative Californian, Sondra (Sunny) Sorensen graduated with honors with a BA in Studio Art from University of California, Davis in 1979. There she studied oil painting under acclaimed California artists Wayne Thiebaud and Roland Peterson; and ceramic sculpture under the late Robert Arneson. She entered competitions for a year after graduation, won a couple prizes, did odd jobs, and eventually took off for Scotland where she lived for two years.
Returning to California, she had to get a real job.  “I had the outlook of an artist—even as a kid I loved to draw—but not the discipline to make it a career move.  At the same time, I was too impatient to teach art¸ but I loved the educational scene, and would have happily become a professional student had someone offered to foot the bill.” Finally she landed a job in a high end private high school and went on to wear multiple hats of  the Tin Cupper, Glad-hander, Organizer, Magazine Editor, Writer, and Designer. To relax, she led Sierra Club backpack trips in the Sierra for ten of those years. Teaching, she thinks, would have been less stressful.
When the millennium rolled over, Sunny retired from the multiple-caps job, with hand and arm injuries due to excessive computer work, waited four years for the injuries to subside, and then turned to pastels, planning to take up art where she left off. “I thought I wanted to paint the Sierra and deserts I had schlepped through over the years. Only there was a problem.  As a delinquent Bay Area Figurative studio artist who at one time leaned toward pop art, I was unprepared to paint landscapes, especially on location. A monumental learning curve loomed before me and all I had to get around it was an untrustworthy bicycle. So I looked up the pastel artists who painted the way I thought I wanted to.” For three years she took workshops from Richard McKinley, Richard McDaniel, Kim Lordier, Gil Dellinger, and Marc Hanson.
In 2008, Sorensen again became interested in figurative work, and although she continues to do landscapes in both pastels and oils, she is leaning more strongly to the live figure. She quickly learned that painting from a photo can be a curse that it doesn’t take the place of what you really see. “One of the reasons,” she says, “is that each individual sees the same scene or subject differently with two eyes. When you paint from a photo, you end up painting what the camera sees with its one eye. If I use a photo, it’s generally as a loose reference from which I depart after the first margarita.” 
Sorensen, who divides her time between Mexico and Hathaway Pines, has been accepted into several competitions, won a few awards, including first place in Ironstone’s spring competition in 2009, accepted commissions, taught a few plein air workshops and runs a summer eight-week  life drawing class at Town Hall Arts in Copperopolis.   Recently she has started up a summertime plein air group, Calaveras Outdoor Painting Society (C.O.P.S.), which has been written up in The Union Democrat (Sept 21, 2012).Anyone with plein air painting experience who lives in Calaveras County is welcome.
__________________________________________________________________________ 
 

Anthony Pooler
 Anthony Pooler,   acp42@sbcglobal.net
Anthony Pooler is a local artist, currently residing in Modesto. He works primarily in watercolor and acrylics. His art education started at an early age, as his great grandfather, mother, and uncle were all artists. He is also an avid fly-fisher and fly-tier. This occasionally leads to conflicts about whether to fish the stream or to paint it.

His formal art education includes instruction at UC Berkeley, with additional classes at Cal State Hayward. Images include plein air work as well as paintings created from photos from his extensive travels. Of special interest as subjects, are landscapes, and vintage and classic automobiles. He is a member of the Central California Art Association and the Valley Suncatchers. His work can be viewed on the website of fineartamerica.com, and frequently at the Mistlin Gallery and other local venues.

Commissions are welcome.


______________________________________________________



    
Cheryl Bloomfield
  Cheryl Bloomfield;   bloom1010@att.net


My love of art began at a young age when teachers would ask me to paint backdrops for school theater and portraits of fellow students. This led to a senior high art award after four years of art classes given by a devoted and creative teacher.

While raising our children, I used my hands to construct orthodontic appliances for six offices in the Bay Area, and oil painted as a “break” from our busy family schedule.   As our children matured, I dove into painting wall murals as a business known as “Have Brush—Will Travel” in homes all over San Joaquin County, California.
I have read and studied art books and artists, but taking plein air workshops by Kathleen Dunphy has inspired me to take off in my creative aspirations. There is so much to learn and an abundance of materials to learn from, that  I can’t soak it in fast enough. I will forever be studying art to learn to convey my message.  I want to show people, who can’t or don’t travel, the beautiful treasures of scenery on the back roads of America, and just how special this country is.

Friday, September 7, 2012

Saturday Night Laughs Out Loud!

Get set! Saturday Jeff Foxworthy steps to the plate at Ironstone Vineyards with a night of laughter and comedy. Jeff is entertaining the family so bring the kids and have fun!  General Admission "sit on the lawn" tickets still available. Here at Ironstone, they open the ticket booth at 2:00 PM, day of the concert so you can purchase on your way to the entrance gate.  

See you Saturday! 

You can check out some of Jeff's jokes here ...  http://www.jefffoxworthy.com/

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Make my day!

Just had a wonderful treat from Cruisers! What is it about ice cream that can turn your day around? I'm not sure, but it worked today! Thank you Thank you Thank you Cruisers!

http://www.cruisersicecream.com/blog.html

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Wild Weekend! Here We Come!

What a Great Labor Day Weekend we have in store at Ironstone!

Kicking off with Bert Kronnick's Free Vintage Fishing Gear Appraisal Clinic on Friday from 11 - 3,  we then head on down to the Tony Bennett and Jackie Evancho concert Friday night with plenty of General Admission Lawn tickets still available.

Saturday is the Opening of Artist Richard Arnold's Knot Rod exhibit featuring his handcrafted beautiful & whimsical wooden autos which are also available for purchase.

Also joining us Saturday is Cigar Box Guitar Maker, Mike Doyle here for a Meet N Greet along with his highly popular Cigar Box Guitars and Ukuleles.

Do join the fun! See you Friday & Saturday!

Friday, August 24, 2012

Knot Rods Cruis'n in on Saturday! 11 AM


 Ironstone Heritage Museum is please to announce that the Knot Rods are coming! 




Opening Saturday, Sept. 1st, Artist Richard Arnold presents his wonderful Knot Rods starting at 11:00 AM.  Richard will be here opening day for an Artist "Meet N Greet" so do mark your calendar!  At bit about Richard in his own words....

Artist Biography  -  Richard S. Arnold  -  Knot Rods

"My art is a story in unique and colorful woods as well as an attempt to keep alive the nostalgic feelings I have for Classic Cars and Hot Rods.

After a career in woodworking including everything from cabinetry to furniture, and rocking horses to rocking chairs, I now have the joyful privilege of combining my passions for both woodworking and old cars into the creation of Knot Rods.

My medium is primarily American grown hardwoods and my subject is currently Classic and Hot Rod Cars of the 1930’s. I create every component of my cars except the dowel used for the axels.

In an entirely handmade process that begins at the drawing board, each piece of wood is chosen and crafted to showcase the best that it has to offer in color, grain and character for an individual car. Each model slowly comes to life by way of many involved and specifically developed techniques. By the time each car receives its final coats of finish more than 100 steps later, it has developed a personality of its own. My leaning is toward refinement so look for my work to continue to evolve.

I was born in San Luis Obispo California and have resided in California all of my life. I lived in Atascadero, fixing up and driving a Model A Ford to High School. I began my apprenticeship as a woodworker under my Dad’s tutelage at the age of 15. Thus began my love of old cars and of wood.

I served in the Air Force from 1968-1971, married two years later, and moved my family to Trinity County from Atascadero in 1981 and then to Camino in El Dorado County in 1989. I have lived in Camino ever since with my wife of 38 years.

When I am not in my shop designing or creating Knot Rods, I enjoy spending time with my four wonderful kids, spouses, and coming up on nine Grandchildren ! Salmon fishing is my constant tug in August and my wife Susie and I love to go to Gold Beach, Oregon and enjoy time there. We also have a ’34 Ford Coupe that begs to be driven in our lovely Sierra Foothills, and we do that as often as we can."

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Hula Girl Has Found a new HOME!

Our lovely Hula Girl has found a new home! Congratulations!
Doyle Guitars Presents 
The Hula Girl Cigar Box Ukulele


Isn't this a little lovely!  I am thinking it is my new favorite. Read more about that in the "observations" column at the right...
along with the story of the drain?!
Straight from Hawaii, this cigar box has found it's true place in the world.  This piece has been lovingly worked into a one of a kind, hand crafted ukulele by Guitar Maker Mike Doyle.  Matched to an exotic wood neck inspired by colors of the box this beauty is just waiting for her perfect love. 

Guitar maker Mike Doyle has included The Hula Girl in his Hot August Night Ukulele Special of $50 off the prices for the month of August only.  Normally $250, this is your opportunity to own a one of a kind "Doyle Guitars" Ukulele, and the Hula Girl no less!

At least come by and strum her cords! She is a charmer!

Friday, August 10, 2012

"Not your Father's Car Show!"

Had to share this link with you! Great story!

http://deadreckoning1.wordpress.com/2010/09/28/not-your-fathers-car-show/

Hot August Night Uke Special!

Hot August nights, sittin on the porch strummin the Uke with a cold beer or chilled glass of Obsession.. 
What!
You don't have a UKE!

Well, now is the time to come by Ironstone and pick up one of Doyle Guitars' one of a kind, cigar box Ukes.

Guitar maker Mike Doyle is offering $50 off all Uke's through August.  

SOLD

 Come by and take a look, strum a tune and see how spectacular these instruments are!  

Coming soon is a photo of the new "Hula Girl" Cigar box.  Now she is something special!  Real nice mellow sound too!