Well, the wait is over… the final art for the 2010 California Rice Commission Leg Day Gift Box, titled "California Ricelands," is complete!

And, not only is it one of our favorites so far, it is one of Merle's favorite pieces as well – sure to inspire many aerial views of the Sacramento Valley in her future work. The final art you see to the right is applied to a gift box lid as well as note cards and other promotional items. You can view the original in person for the next few weeks at Merle's studio located at The Art Foundry. After its "official" unveiling at Leg Day 2010 on March 2, the piece will be traveling to the offices of lucky dignitaries around Sacramento.
(For a larger view of the final art click on the image.)

Documenting the Progress

CRC documented Merle's progress in a video, "California Ricelands Fabric Collage," and it is available for viewing on You Tube. You can also view it by clicking on the image below.

It was a great pleasure working with Merle on this piece and we look forward to seeing her work in the future. For more about the process involved in creating this beautiful piece please visit "Painting California Rice Fields with Fabric: Part 1 of 2" which includes photos of the process and links to Merle's website. And, take a moment to check out the NEW California Rice Commission website (www.calrice.org), everything you wanted to know about California rice as well as great recipes!