Kalaya Steede

Amber is sometimes referred to as a window...a window looking into the past because many species, some extinct, have been identified thanks to amber and its ability to preserve.   It is said that amber has healing qualities because it contains the "essence of life".  Life that has been dated back millions of years ( Ref. 1 ). Anywho... A few weeks ago I received a box full of beads that belonged to grandmother.  I was like...jackpot!!!  These babies are amber!  Then Hobo says that they are fake.  I said no way baby!  These are the real deal.  Your grandmother was old and so by definition these must be old and therefore real amber gems!  So how does one tell if these are real or not? Fear not because I know how to tell. Amber is buoyant in salt water. If I were by the Baltic sea amber would be just floating along and I would grab them all up!  I am sure it is not that easy but you get the picture. First, one must have salt water that is saturated.  M

I had the most intensive Faux Bone workshop EVER!   Robert Dancik decided to play in NOLA in the month of May teaching anyone who wanted to learn about Faux Bone at Thomas Mann's studioFlux and I was up to the challenge. What is Faux Bone you ask?   Well, it is PVC but a higher grade of PVC.  It is non-toxic, malleable, can be stained, dyed, twisted, and was founded by Robert. It comes in sheets of various thickness just like metal but sawing is like cutting through butter. I started off making one of Robert's designs so I can learn everything about the Faux Bone. After cutting out my shape and sanding to make it real smooth I used a Dremel engraver to draw my designs into the bone.  Next was to make those engraved sections pop, basically just adding some acrylic paint in the crevices and then wiping the excess off.  Last was to give it a good stain to make it look as though it had been aging for thousands of years. How do you like me now? Remember

Looks like summer is here and with summer comes change.  People move out but then people move in. Introducing you to our new neighbor up the street. CoQ RougE Gallery is located at 4815 Magazine St.   504.266.0440 Patricia Low is the owner/artist of CoQ RougE and her story is one that everyone dreams about.  Well...I dream about!  Patricia, transplanted from California, many moons ago, where she majored in Fine Arts but after hearing all the "starving artist" stories about actually starving she decided to switch her major to graphic design.   However, working here in NOLA as a graphic artist did not stop her strong desire to create pieces of art, from painting... Picture by CoQ RougE to her famous Voodoo Dolls... After years of working in the industry and participating in local art markets in New Orleans she decided to follow her bliss and open her very own gallery. Patricia filled this 200 square feet of space with local art from our s