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Commission fine wirework by one of the world's foremost wire sculptors- call (707) 445-4931
February 28, 2006
Que Banh of Victoria, BC Canada has won the February prize - a wire Hummingbird sculpture!
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February 27, 2006
LAST CHANCE! Enter to win a wire sculpture - in our FREE GIVEAWAY
Tomorrow (that's Tuesday, Feb 28th) we'll select the Wire Hummingbird prize winner and announce them on the Monthly Giveaway page. There's still time to squeak in with a last-minute entry - so hurry!
Miscellaneous February News
It's been quiet but busy at the Wire Zoo studio - today we're photographing several new small and medium works before shipping them out to the people and galleries that ordered them.
On the farm, the first batch of chicks hatched - at 8 days old they're healthy, robust and growing rapidly. At night, they hunt down moths attracted to the light in their outdoor brooder.
March will have lots of news and photos - the Northwest Horse Source is publishing an article on Elizabeth Berrien , and she'll appear at the Northwest Horse Fair & Expo in Albany, Oregon in mid-March. Watch this page - it's about to get real busy!
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VALENTINE'S DAY Feb 14, 2006
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A note from the artist...
So I get jaded... as usual, my strategy was going to be to hit the day-after Valentine's day 50% off sales in the Chocolate dept. I just can't get serious about major marketing holidays - when if we don't go out and spend spend SPEND we are somehow betraying our nation's economy (already plenty betrayed by the export of so many jobs - but don't get me started!)
I have a father-in-law who, bless him, actually complains if we send him a store-bought Father's Day card - we only call him that day to mutually razz the crass commercialization of our culture. We don't need a Hallmark card to honor this good man - we do so by letting him know how we appreciate him directly, at properly random times. And vice versa.
Today has been fun, in its own loopy way. Windy and clear - pruned part of a cherry tree, climbed down before the ladder and I blew over. Checked the aviary. Sure enough, the cockatiels know damn well when it's Valentine's Day - Every year, they mark the calendar and noisily carry on in public, preparing for the next generation (sorry guys, I have to do Planned Parenthood this spring - no time to hand-tame cockatiel babies.)
In the living room incubator, 30 chicken eggs get ready to release baby chicks (due Sunday/Monday). The nice ones are guranteed a posh life exchanging free-range eggs for free-run privileges, the sociopathic ones speak with Mr. Darwin and my arsenal of cookbooks.
I'm working things out with geese - Toulouse & embdens were charming til puberty hit, then went sociopathic and offered to ingest the neighbors' toddlers. They were delicious. The geese, I mean. eventually I got hold of some Pilgrim goose eggs, a vintage American breed. They are quite mellow, even as adults! Even at breeding & nesting season, like right now, the goose girls will invite me right into the nest and let me examine the eggs. They actually WANT me there at hatch time, to help explain what's going on! I mean, you sit on these eggs in a zoned-out trance state for a month, and suddenly you're surrounded with scrabbly noisy little web-footed people? Confusing, for a first-time goose mama.
This weekend Nick and I went to a local poultry show (bird flu? we'll cope if and when it gets here). On behalf of our 18 laying hens, we went recruiting for a couple roosters - the girls think their current rooster is a wussy, and want a bit more action. We bought a brace of black cochin roosters. WOW - they are HUGE!!! We call them the Poodle Boys, because that is what they look like. Google up cochin roosters and you'll understand waht I mean. The girls are impressed. ..
My grand intentions for the day (find cheap chocolate, build a second henhouse, start the rainwater collection system, zap the local dogs with electric fence + peanut butter) went down the drain early - I got a call from another big agency for a bid for wire sculpture for a medical convention. Lots of measurements and calculations...
In the meantime, I'll keep wiring the regular stuff. Did I mention Nick came home with SUPERB chocolate from a local chocolatier, Sjaak's, and a decent bottle of red wine? I accepted whole-heartedly, even if it IS a commercially crass holiday. have already dispatched the Turkish Coffee Chocolate, plus an undisclosed amount of the Pedroncelli Zin, will now proceed to roasting an ex-sociopathic rooster with aromatic veggies and rice.
Hope you all survivie and/or celebrate the day well...
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February's prize is a 3-D Hummingbird wire sculpture similar to this one, hand-made by Elizabeth Berrien and suitable for hanging by a wall or in a window. Enter our free contest now!
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January 29, 2006
CHINESE NEW YEAR - YEAR OF THE DOG
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Express your appreciation for the devoted canines in your life - Commission a wire portrait to capture your tail-wagging friend's distinctive expression and spirit.
All breeds are possible, Elizabeth Berrien is expert at discerning and delineating the specific lines that define an individual dog's unique character. To see a variety of dog breeds in wire, explore our Dog Page
Some other members of the Chinese Zodiac are the Rooster, Ox and Pig, Dragon, Horse and Tiger
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Elizabeth Berrien gets a bear hug from Biff, her 10-ft, 3D wire Kodiak bear.
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Over the years, Bears have been one of Elizabeth's most challenging and rewarding subjects.
Living on a farm in rural Northern California, she has ample time to watch Barnyard Animals.
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This Rooster is modeled from one in Elizabeth's own barnyard flock.
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January 18, 2006
A note Elizabeth Berrien wrote this AM to Marvin Bartel, author of a wire sculpture lesson plan:
"I'd like to express my appreciation for your outstanding wire sculpture art lesson. You expand upon many topics dear to my heart - open-ended creativity (which I call "Innovation"}, not "borrowing" (which I also consider stealing), and varying the creative approach as much as possible.
I agree, wire demonstrations should avoid any whiff of step-by-step instruction or "here's some examples of early works for you to copy". Then again, whenever I give a wire workshop I bring along some partial works - having a bit of "knitting" while I stand and talk makes me more focused and less fidgety. To spare participants from having to sit patiently while I talk, I have wire stock distributed beforehand, so they can tinker while I do. School-age kids make no effort whatsoever to figure my technique, which is akin to freestyle bobbin lace gone manic - they're busy inventing their own approach. College-age (up to 87) students sometimes get demanding - "hey, I want to learn how YOU do it, NOW!" My answer is that as a master chef, I serve fine food but don't feel compelled to hand out my personal recipes - but I can make any dedicated person into a good cook.
I have a wire sculpture lesson [Teach Innovative Wire Sculpture ]plan at http://www.wirelady.com/berrienwireteachpage.html, which now has a link to your fine wire sculpture page. Wouldn't mind a reciprocal link, but I leave the possibility up to you. Reciprocal feedback would be every bit as welcome -
Your entire approach to creativity is wonderful. I'm glad that even in "retirement" you carry on the good work via your website.
Finest regards,
Elizabeth Berrien
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Dancing Bear! Flying Pig! Boot-Nosed Wyvern! Who says fine art has to be deadly serious? Elizabeth enjoys working on the downright frivolous - a pair of bears to dance beneath a plum tree? Absolutely! A life-sized flying pig? Yes! Pigasus flies in Tasmania... See what happens when Whimsy gets the better of the artist...
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January 14, 2006
WIRELADY WEBSITE WINS 2 GOLD MEDALS
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Art Space 2000
Gold Medal
Website
Award of Excellence
2006-2007
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"...sites are judged on content, functionality, graphics and usefulness
to the general public. We spend a lot of time reviewing sites and not
all make the grade. You have done a great job, keep up the good work!"
The Wirelady website is as low-tech as Elizabeth Berrien's sculptures themselves. No gimmicks, bells or whistles... we designed and maintain the whole thing using only a notepad.
A grateful tip of the Wirelady Hat to Web Mentor Howard,and his wonderful Howard's Web Page Help. Without Howard's ever so diplomatically phrased feedback and guidance, this site would still take 5 minutes to download, and be near-impossible to navigate.
We also thank everyone who visits this site and gives us good feedback. Every time one of you tells us what you'd like to see, or what you'd like clarified, we can make the site a little better for everyone.
What would you like to see next on this website?
Email us: wirezoo@earthlink.net
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January 13, 2006 - Happy Friday the 13th!
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So you wonder how a wire sculpture might look in your garden, or in a more park-like public space? Well, we have FOUR new pages of Landscape sculptures for you...
Now you can envision life-sized wire animals in formal landscapes, wild and rustic surroundings, even against the sky. If you've been wondering how to add a spirit of mystery and grace with metal art for your outdoor environment, commission one of Elizabeth Berrien's sensitively wrought wire landscape sculptures.
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January 9, 2006
By popular demand - Expanded Traveling Exhibit Section
See the 14-ft wire sculpture Giraffe, Tyrannosaurus Rex, and other life-sized wire animal sculptures travel to different west coast locations - Hayward City Hall, San Francisco's Randall Museum, the Daly's complex in Fort Bragg, and in the Melvin Schuler Sculpture Garden of the Morris Graves Museum of Art.
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Happy New Year! Stormy Weather...
The lights came back on in our farmhouse and studio today - after a four day outage!
We've weathered severe winter storms with 100mph winds, thunderstorms and flooding. For a while, our entire Humboldt County was cut off in all direction by floods and mudslides across the essential highways.
We did okay - stayed warm and dry with adequate food & water. But we discovered we were less prepared than expected in several areas. Our 5-gallon kerosene storage can was down to less than a quart, so we had to ration lantern use and make the most of short winter daylight. We were able to stock up on ice by day 3, but hope to have our generator back online before the next big storm hits...
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New Web Design for the New Year
We hope you like the new look of the Wire Lady website - the deeper background gives better contrast to the wire sculpture images.
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World Class Wire Sculpture · Elizabeth Berrien
Inquiries: (707) 445-4931 · Email: wirezoo@earthlink.net
Content and images copyright © 1968-2006 Elizabeth Berrien. All rights reserved.
Updated Apr 5, 2006 · this page valid HTML 4.01
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