Music Party at Primo Art Spa

We had a blast at our Primo Art Spa Music Party, Monday, 12/30/13. Joy and I invited our students and their friends and family to come over for music and cookies to celebrate a great year of music making. They also got in on a photo shoot by Joey Halvorson for the Feb. issue of Her Voice. Sheila Helmberger wrote a story on our Primo Art Spa. Here are a few highlights from our party.

Parker playing, her sister Peyton singing, and Ava looking on.

Joy and I baked cookies for the event.

The kids could decorate their own cookies.

How many can we have, Mom?

The photographer, Joey Halvorson, chatting with piano mom, Rachel Rahn.

I wonder what they're cookin' up for the New Year?

Ava, Peyton, and Parker wanted to keep playing piano all day.

Girls after my own heart.

I love a piano...

Young player, watching, learning, and admiring the advanced player.

A great day to hang at the Primo Art Spa!

What artistic dreams do you have for 2014? Can we offer you space to create, a class, voice lessons? What's your word for the year? My friend JeMA picked brave. I chose Prosper and fun. I'll write about that on my writer's blog, Play off the Page. Joy said she and her friend Genesa want the phrase ridiculously happy!

Have a Very Blessed New Year!

In a world of creative constipation, we're here to get things moving!

Engagement Party at Primo Art Spa

Congratulations to Nate and Joy on your engagement. 

Happy Planning!

Christmas Day, 2013, at The Aalgaard Farm

Cheers to the happy couple!

We celebrated with Joy making us a pineapple/chicken stir-fry with jasmine rice.

Genessa, a friend from Portland, tried out her new shortbread pan.

Shortbread cookies with orange zest and chocolate drizzle.

We decided that we don't count calories during the time from Christmas to New Year's!

Fun snowflake pattern to commemorate her time in wintery Minnesota.

Krista and Mary, indulging.

Another friend from Portland, OR, skyped in.

Relaxing together.

The Christmas Tree with special ornaments.

The Primo Art Spa has many wonderful engagements coming up in 2014. Visit often for details, or email us to set up a time for music lessons, art or writing classes, or pottery sessions.

primoartspa@gmail.com

218-232-6069 (Mary)

503-975-9906 (Joy)

We're here to help you get things moving in 2014!

Gift Ideas at Primo Art Spa

Pottery classes for kids and adults are a huge hit at the Primo Art Spa!  Contact us to set up a time to build your own fairy house or other creation.  This is a great time for parents and grandparents to spend time with the kids, or for adults to work on a gift for themselves or others.  Cost is $35 per project.  Requires 2 sessions.  primoartspa@gmail.com 503-975-9906

Creating houses from clay

Food Art: decorating cookies

Joy has pottery houses for sale.

We have gift ideas and certificates available at Primo Art Spa. Book a session for you and the kids or grandkids to make pottery projects, jazzy jars to fill with yummy ingredients, puppets, or painting on small canvases.

Jazzy Jar class, 6:30, December 12, 2013

We'll provide the jars and paint/decorations, and a recipe if want to fill it for a gift. (Candy or decorations are also fun to put inside.)

Other gift ideas: 

Pottery classes, $35 per project which includes two sessions, materials, firing, glazing, instruction, and space to create. Purchase a gift certificate, or book a time to make something yourself.

Voice Lessons: A gift certificate for six lessons with Joy for $175. We could also print a gift certificate indicating that you are gifting someone lessons for a certain amount of time. 

We can also write up certificates with your specific requests, a certain amount of art time/classes, piano lessons, voice lessons, writing lessons.

Blog Set Up and Writing Lessons: Mary offers set up and help with writing blogs for $100. If you have other writing needs, contact Mary, 218-232-6069.

A Spa Experience with the Arts Set up a time with some friends to use our space to create pottery, paint, and relax in the arts.

Contact us at primoartspa@gmail.com.

Art Days, Master Class for Musicians, Jazzy Jars, and More!

The Primo Art Spa is gaining momentum. Last Sunday, we had Kathy and her three granddaughters, age 16, 11, and 7, creating pottery, puppets, and painting. It was wonderful. Thank you for coming to our Art Sunday. If you'd like to use our art space with some friends or family, or some quiet space for yourself, please contact us to schedule a time. primoartspa@gmail.com, or call Joy 503-975-9906 (cell phone, texts accepted).

We'll be making these at Primo Art Spa

Thursday, Dec. 12, at 6:30 pm

Primo Art Spa

The Primo Art Spa located at 323 N 2^nd Street in Brainerd, was co-founded by sisters Mary Aalgaard and Joy Ciaffoni, who are providing workshops, classes, and events in the arts.  We have several events coming up, and are available by appointments as well.  Call to set up a time to write, blog, sing, paint, work with clay, do a Zen Tangle,  jazz up a jar for a gift, or make a puppet!  503-975-9906, or primoartspa@gmail.com

Masterclass for Musicians

Join us for a Master Class for advanced student musicians and adults. You are invited to play any instrument or sing for the group. We will offer positive feedback to enhance your performance, ways to add color and emotion to your songs. Cost $10, includes refreshments. Please let us know if you'll need an accompanist.  503-975-9906, or primoartspa@gmail.com

Jazzy Jars

Thursday, December 12^th, 6:30 pm.  Paint or decoupage a glass jar to fill with ingredients for treats like cocoa, cookies, soup, etc.  Jars, and recipes provided.  Cost $15.  Please RSVP to 503-975-9906 or primoartspa@gmail.com.

Also, we offer a package for you and some friends to enjoy A Spa Experience with the Arts. (See above tab). This would also make a great gift for someone!

And, Joy has a few openings for voice or piano students. If you've been considering it for yourself or someone you know, please contact her. She also offers gift certificates.

Franklin Arts Center Sale

The Franklin Arts Center in Brainerd is hosting an Open House and Art Sale this Saturday from 10:00 - 3:00. Along with the many other locations for arts and crafts sales, you can find all your holiday gift needs locally and from local artists. Also, that day, Joy and I, along with other musicians, will be providing entertainment. The Side Dish from Prairie Bay will be in our Parking Lot for lunch. Joy already has many houses on display at the Pottery studio. Here are a few that will be there.

Joy added bling to some of her houses.

I think it works especially well on the house of cards.

They're even cuter in person.

Happy Holidays!

Stop on over and say Hi. We'll also have some goodies to share!

This Sunday, we'll be open for Art Sunday, at 1:00. Come over and make your own holiday gifts, houses, pinch pots, puppets, and painting or drawing on mini canvases. Open to all ages. Young children need to be accompanied by an adult. Let us know what you'd like to see offered at the Primo Art Spa. We're working on dates for puppet theatre for kids this spring, and a play writing class for teens and adults, as well as more classes and jazzy jars/gift jars.

In a world of creative constipation, we're here to get things moving.

First Spooky Night at the Primo Art Spa

The trick-or-treaters ran around like ants on the pavement on All Hallow's Eve in North Brainerd. We worried that we'd run out of treat bags. Some kiddos looked at the bag and said, "Cool, a bag. Thanks!" Some said, "What's this?" Most of them said "Thanks," and ran off to the next house. Some were tiny little bugs scooting up the steps. Some were big kids, well seasoned in the art of trick-or-treating, with extra large pillow cases. My favorite costume was "The Fonz." Wish I'd snapped his picture. I was impressed that a youngster knew about "The Fonz." Super heroes, particularly Captain America, and creepy guys are still popular. Many little girls were princesses or fairies. A few folks were inventive with the costumes. One family looked horrifying in a bloody accident theme. I gestured up the street to the emergency room entrance.

One little spookster said, "This IS a witch house." 

I cackled back at him.

Good witch sister

Evil witch sister

Witch sister is that?

Claude the pumpkin head

Extra creepy pumpkin.

Some dumb trickster knocked this one off the ledge.

That's when we turned off the lights and locked the door.

We were almost out of treats by then, anyway.

"Let me read your fortune."

Hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween evening. We had a blast greeting the youngsters and waving at the parents. We started making plans for next year, a Friday night haunt. There might be a cauldron and potions involved. Mwa Ha Ha Ha Ha!

Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble

William Shakespeare

Happy Halloween!

We're getting excited for the spooky holiday. On Sunday, Oct. 26, a few folks stopped by to work on their pottery, decorate cookies, and help us bag up some trick-or-treats!

The process is half the fun!

Cut out shapes for the season, plus a butterfly as our Art Spa logo.

Naked cookies, waiting for the frosting and the frosters!

What are you making?

yum

The butterflies were the most fun to frost.

Meanwhile, the potters were painting

The Red Roof Inn for a Fairy?

Attention to detail

Then, we filled treats bags for the big day!

Our treats bags include: candy, a note about the Art Spa, and a temporary tattoo with our logo.

Stop by for a Halloween Treat!

We aren't too scary, just a coupla sisters with a cackle and a broom!

We'll be open most Saturdays for Art Saturday, starting at 10:00 am. You can work on pottery, painting, puppets, and more. $10/hour per person. Let us know what you'd like to create.

You can also bring your own supplies and use our space as inspiration. We welcome adults and kids. Young children need to be accompanied by an adult. Or, book your own time at the Primo Art Spa! Check our pages (above) for an Art Spa Package for you and some friends.

Next Class for Musicians:

Join us for a Master Class for advanced student musicians and adults. You are invited to play any instrument or sing for the group. We will offer positive feedback to enhance your performance, ways to add color and emotion to your songs. Cost $10, includes refreshments. Please let us know if you'll need an accompanist. 

You can join this class by visiting our facebook page for this event.

To keep current on our class offerings and open art times, keep visiting this blog and like us on facebook. Email us with questions or comments!

primoartspa@gmail.com

Zen and the Art of Patience

We've been busy with a class on The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. Joy and I are hosting the class at the Primo Art Spa. We found some creativity cards that go along with the book. After a lively discussion on the week's work, we draw a card. The first week I drew Empowerment. I loved Empowerment. I felt empowered by drawing the card Empowerment. During the week, I posted on our facebook page some thoughts and experiences with Empowerment. My hope was to get people thinking about what empowers them by finishing the sentence: 
I feel empowerment when_________.

I wrote: I feel empowerment when I put myself and my creative work on the schedule, AND follow through. I feel empowerment when I am invited to view and review plays.

This week, I pulled the card Patience. I thought, Ugh, I don't want this card. After journaling about it, and trying to settle down my racing heart that matched my speeding schedule, I realized that Patience is exactly what I need. I need Patience with myself to take the time to write. I need Patience with my family, knowing they're busy too and grow up way too fast, and that time with them is precious.  I need Patience to get through the day, to give myself grace for not getting everything done that needs doing, to take my time getting from here to there, and letting some things go.

Do you need any help with Patience?

One thing that helped me is creating Zen Tangles.

This is a fun and relaxing art form. You start with four dots on your paper, four corners, if you will. Connect them with four interesting lines. They don't have to be perfectly straight. In fact, nothing about this art is perfect or symmetrical. The point is you let your pencil move freely to create the areas, then fill them in with patterns. I made the lower one at a women's retreat. The art teacher had us make the patterns with black Sharpie markers, then we used water color paints over the patterns. At home, I made the above one using different colored pens. I'll use it as my bookmark for my Artist's Way book. You can google Zen Tangles and get many ideas, buy a book, or make up your own. It really is a meditative art activity. It helped me quiet my mind and slow down for a while. Plus, it is interesting and very non-threatening art. I love it.

We are open on Sunday, October 27, 2013, at 2:00 for an afternoon of pottery and Halloween cookie decorating. You could also help us fill treats bags for Halloween. We're giving out candy and temporary tattoos with our logo. What a hoot!

On Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013, at 2:00, we're hosting a Master Class for Musicians. 

Join us for a Master Class for advanced student musicians and adults. You are invited to play any instrument or sing for the group. We will offer positive feedback to enhance your performance, ways to add color and emotion to your songs. Cost $10, includes refreshments. Please let us know if you'll need an accompanist.

Also, Primo Art Spa is donating a gift basket for the Heartland Symphony Orchestra's fundraising event next Friday, Nov. 1, 2013, at Craguns. Go to their website for more information.

Open House recap and more classes

Hi Everyone!
We had fun at our Open House on Saturday. Lots of great energy from kids and adults. Puppets were playing and singing. Kids were creating and eating. And, everyone was getting moving on their artistic creations. 

Coming up next is a class on "The Artist's Way." It's a book by Julia Cameron that takes you through a 12 step program to a more creative and fulfilling life. Joy is leading it. Mary will also be there, and we hope several of you will join us. We're holding this class from 11:00-12:30, over lunch hour, so we can eat together and work towards a more creative life. Cost is $120 which does not include the book. You can find it at any bookstore or online.

Master Class Music Workshop will be on Saturday, October 26, 2013, starting at 2:00. This is for advanced student musicians and adults, voice or any instrument, who want a chance to perform and get some positive feedback. We'll talk about ways to enhance your performance and get emotion and color into it. Cost is $10. Email us primoartspa@gmail.com, or call Joy 503-975-9906 if you have questions or would like to attend.

We will be open most Saturdays for Art Saturday from 10-noon. Call, email, or check our facebook page if you want to make sure we're open. If you'd like to come at another time, just let us know. We'd love to host a group to do some art, music, or writing. We can email you a survey so we know what you're looking for.

And, now, a few photos from our Open House. You can see more on our facebook page. 

Girls and puppets

Elizabeth bought a few of Joy's houses. Thanks, Elizabeth!

Delicious snacks including Joy's world famous chocolate cake.

Entertainment by the sisters and puppets!

Cheers from all!

Casting a spell? Or, maybe explaining marionettes.

Mr. Happy was so happy to have a party.

Pottery with Joy.

Winner of the door prize. Chocolate Cupcakes!

Intricate details in the house building.

Joy made a zen tangle as the cover for her journal.

Nate learning book binding for his journal.

In a world of creative constipation, we're here to get things moving!