Artistically Speaking

A beautiful bride (and the groom wasn't bad either!)

2008-09-30T21:43:00.004-04:00

(this is the wedding of the famous knitted dress!

Shmap!

2008-09-29T22:35:00.003-04:00

Sounds like some sort of science fiction laser gun - schmap! schmap! aha! But actually its a pretty neat travel/information guide online at schmap.com and they are using one of my photos for the Union Oyster House in Boston! Its somewhere down there, in that cluster of dots there. They used a lot of other photos too, but its fun to see my picture in an official atmosphere! And these look like really cool maps. Lots of info. Check it out!

Treasure Chest

2008-09-13T14:01:00.002-04:00

I had the most exciting antique-ing find of my life last weekend when I came upon this wonderful treasure chest at the Five Corners Antique mall in Essex.

I have no words to describe my excitement. Look at all that thread! Those colors! And the bias tape collection in the bottom? Simply perfect.

Now that I've taken pictures (I wanted you to see it in all its original glory!) I get to organize it all, sort through and decide where everything goes. Oh my, this might just be too much for me!

Local Art

2008-09-07T23:41:00.002-04:00

Paper Doll postcards are now for sale at a local Vermont-made boutique - Candles and Creations, in South Burlington. I am a huge fan of ego-boosts, and dropping the cards off at the shop was so great. I love it when people love my work. Who doesn't?

If you are around the Burlington area, do drop in at this lovely shop. The owners, Casey and Heather, are two very talented women living my dream of owning their own art shop and having their studios right in the store. They have been scouting Etsy and other art + craft areas for local people with new and neat things for sale, and the shop is a terrific collection of area talent. Candles, jewelry, paintings, bags, cards, games, wood pieces, and so much more. And now my little cards! Thank you so much, ladies!

On the subject of local art, this weekend was Burlington's South End Art Hop. I only made it to a couple locations (Cirque du Soleil in Boston took precedence this weekend, can you blame me?), but I did stop in at the Flynndog and saw the exhibit of Bread and Puppet flags and sculptures. Standing surrounded by these huge pieces that are used for such real and honest purposes was truly powerful. I have such an immense respect for the work that the Bread and Puppet people have done for such a long, long time.

New Studio

2008-09-05T11:48:00.004-04:00

Here are a few photos of my new studio/office. Its small, and somewhat cramped (especially right now because there are still more art supplied to find proper put-away places for), but it makes me so happy! I have a window that opens to the back yard and our neighbors' terrific sunflower garden, I have a closet, and best of all, the room has a proper ceiling* and is right off the dining room. It feels real.

It is a bit small, and it does double as a guest room, but I have put that to my advantage, using a stack of twin mattresses for a table. I think its a rather ingenious solution, thank you! They can be spread out for a makeshift guest bed (takes up the whole entire room!), and when they are stacked they are the perfect height!

And the walls still need that coat of white paint. That will feel good.

My cds are in here because they are too embarrassing to have out in public (mid 90's alt-rock hits anyone? Remember the Calling?)

And yes, I already need to tidy! That's what having a studio is all about though: it's totally being used. So much in the works already.

*I have read that ceiling height has been linked with creativity, with higher ceilings being more inspirational. At my old house, my studio was spread out over the upstairs, and I really do think the low, slanted, dormer ceilings were somewhat a stifling. So a proper, square ceiling has been my dream for quite some time. And it came true! How lucky am I?!

Ms. Nellie Ashford, Painter

2008-09-04T01:14:00.002-04:00

I met Nellie Ashford at the New Taste of Stowe Arts Festival. She is a very special exhibitor, coming all the way from Charlotte, NC under often very difficult circumstances. Nellie is a self-titled Folk Artist, her paintings are mainly of families, children, dancers - they are all lively and vibrant and loving. Nellie told me that as a Folk Artist, she can do what she wants, break the rules! Her pieces are combinations of painted imagery and collaged fabrics.

Nellie gave me this piece after the second festival. I am so very honored to have it.

Some Prints

2008-09-03T09:08:00.002-04:00

A very dear friend from High School visited this weekend, and we managed to get in some quality printing time together. Actually, once we started, we could hardly stop! It was great fun working together - we had no specific ideas in mind when we started, and we both worked on all the pieces, adding touches separately or together. Th big pieces are my favorite, but they don't fit on the scanner bed, so I will show them when I figure out how to get a good picture.

All images are water-based printing inks on rice paper. Around 5x6 inches.

Festivals #2 and #3

2008-08-25T14:11:00.004-04:00

Festival #2 was the Southern Vermont Arts Festival, held right outside Manchester, VT, and the Hildene's Meadow - a beautiful field on the Lincoln Family estate (Abe's son lived there). I didn't get a chance to visit the house, now a museum, but have heard it is wonderful.

The festival was terrific. An awful lot of work (I was thoroughly exhausted at the end of the day, mainly just from talking to so many people!). But really a lot of fun as well. There are so many amazing exhibitors, and their work is just incredible.

Festival #3 was a last minute super-surprise! A brand new music festival at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center found itself with no art exhibitor coordinators just days before the show. Step up Craftproducers! We were able to organize a really great mix of artists for the show, and we got to go enjoy the festival! Gillian Welsh, Steve Earl, the Swell Season, Levon Helm, and, get this, Bob Dylan. It was pretty awesome. I didn't get photos of the exhibitors, but here's one of the stage!

1/6

2008-08-25T00:17:00.003-04:00

Re-located while cleaning. A copper plate intaglio print I made last year. I also did a painting of this image. For a while, I was very interested in the female back. I didn't want this to be a seductive type of pose, more of a casual stretch. Not sure if it comes through or not. But I like the print.

I am still here!

2008-08-16T02:10:00.002-04:00

Crawling slowly out from the piles of boxes and desks (I had so many desks - who knew?) and more boxes...

Started putting my studio together this evening. Very exciting. Only I realized that I have a bit of a catch22 - had to get the stuff put away so painting the walls can happen, but now everything is so neatly put away on the shelves and I'll have to move it all again to paint. Hmm.

In other exciting news, we finally cooked dinner. The first actual home-cooked meal I have had in... wow, I can't even remember! Between the festivals and the moving cooking really got lost. I never really knew how much I would miss it.

I shall post pictures soon of my progress, if only to document it for myself so when I look back I can see how far we have actually come. Because there is certainly a long way to go.

Wishing you a very happy weekend!

Painting, Packing, Moving!

2008-08-07T22:13:00.002-04:00

The title says it all. A few days back from the Southern Vermont Arts Festival and I am going insane with the, um, joys! of moving house!

I won't trouble you with pictures of my packing. Its really not a pretty sight, I can assure you.

Instead, here is the dining room transformation in the new house - I really love it, can't wait to finish!

This is kind of before.

This is the poor pup who doesn't understand the need to spend such a long time indoors not playing.

And nice blue walls!

Now I just have to get the other house packed up.

Another Day, Another Festival

2008-07-30T22:57:00.003-04:00

I am getting ready to drive South, down to Manchester, Vermont for the Southern Vermont Art and Craft Festival this weekend. Tomorrow is setup day, the festival opens Friday. See you there?!

Sometimes little things make me feel quite clever, and I would like to share this one with you. Several weeks ago I had a hankering for waffles. I think those berries brought it on. In a handy moment, I made an extra large batch and stuck the extras in the freezer. Now I can just pop a few in the toaster and violà! Breakfast in a flash!

I do realize that other people thought of this way ahead of me. But my own waffles are so much tastier, and quite probably healthier. So I do feel clever.

#200

2008-07-29T19:57:00.002-04:00

Sign seen on my drive home from Syracuse this past weekend:

A message I fully support. Now if only I could remember to make it over to the farmer's market...!

New Taste of Stowe - Part II

2008-07-28T23:34:00.006-04:00

I made it to the field about 10am on Thursday, in time for the exhibitor check in. It was really great to finally meet in person and put faces to all those names I have been seeing over the past several months at this job. Not so great were the heavy rainclouds that hung persistently about and periodically dropped buckets of rain on our heads and on the festival field and all the gravel (subsequently mud) roads throughout. It was a fairly dismal day, made exciting by events but with an ever-present fear that this might just be the weekend's forecast.

Imagine our feelings of relief when 6am the following morning brought bright blue skys and mountains glistening from the overnight thunderstorm. Friday was a gorgeous day. We finished the set up and the public began to arrive as soon as the gates were open. It was not a mad crowd, that would have been an unusual - although certainly acceptable - turn of events for a Friday morning. But it was satisfactory. This was our first festival of the season, but some of the exhibitors reported that at other festivals, attendance has been down by some 20-50%. We had significantly better results than those, but the current economic situation was apparent. Interesting how that works.

I spent most of Friday touring the tents, meeting and chatting with exhibitors. There are some really wonderful people who attend this show - I am looking forward to seeing several of them again in Manchester, VT next weekend!

Saturday, I had to make a trip to Syracuse, New York to visit another festival - it was a big weekend!

New Taste of Stowe Arts Festival!

2008-07-23T23:43:00.005-04:00

This weekend all the work of the last seven months starts to pay off - our first Art Festival of the Season! If you are local, please do come by, there are some really amazing artists and artisans selling their work, and the food is going to be simply incredible. The show is in Stowe, Vermont, a top-quality resort town for those unfamiliar with the area, and several of said resorts will be attending the show, offering spa treatments and gourmet menu samples. If you are in the area, you can visit craftproducers.com for details.

We are so hoping for these crazy thunderstorms to pass on by!

'Round and About

2008-07-19T21:20:00.001-04:00

I saw this in the park a couple days ago and it made me smile.

Best wishes for the weekend!

A Playful Pup

2008-07-16T01:38:00.002-04:00

Acrylic on 2x2" stretched canvas.

Treasure hunt

2008-07-14T21:44:00.005-04:00

In perusing around blogland, it seems that many people are on a search for one particular piece of furniture - that perfect piece that has all the individual aspects of design and function personal to the searcher. I am always looking for something, and I have to admit that it changes often. Perhaps I am still defining my taste (in which case I probably should really think carefully about some of the big purchases I am ever so tempted to make!). I love the idea of having a single item that is the epitome of perfection and being able to search around the world for it if necessary. Wouldn't the feeling be incredible when it was actually found?

Truth is, I don't have that kind of patience. Either that or I have incredible luck. I decided to search for a loom and found one almost immediately. And the same with the letterpress. Craigslist and I get along well. But that dear friend has not come through for me (immediately) on my newest quest: the Perfect Buffet.

My perfect buffet actually comes in a few different completely different shapes and sizes. First is what I am going to call 1950s Dutch, although I actually haven't the slightest idea if that is correct:

Its a beaut. Its actually $6800 worth of beauty, which I am sure it is completely worth, but which is also so out of my price range.

Buffet #2 would be thrilling to find. It is inspired by the one in the background in this amazing apartment. What got me with that one is the old wood - do you think I could find an antique workbench hidden and forgotten in the back of someone's barn? That would be ideal.

These are a couple I found on Overstock.com, nice but missing... something...

Summer Wealth

2008-07-08T23:46:00.003-04:00

Tuesday afternoon I made a stop at the Charlotte Berry Farm, a truly wonderful place. This was my first visit, my first berry farm experience ever actually. I will go back.

I felt so rich coming home with my boxes of fruit, so glistening and ripe and such amazing colors.

All that was not eaten up that evening went into the freezer for smoothy making and waffle toppings. I'm not going to say they will last until this winter, because most likely they will not. We tested the frozen fruit smoothies this evening, and I must say, they were amazing.

What do you put in your smoothies? I used a random mixture of the strawberries, blackraspberries and blueberries, some plain yoghurt and a bit of orange juice. They were so creamy and a particularly incredible shade of red-purple.

I do believe another round of berry-picking must happen sooner rather than later!

Patriotic?

2008-07-08T08:39:00.006-04:00

I am not sure what exactly I was going for with this one, it ended up looking quite patriotic, or something to that effect. So be it. I like profiles.

Recent Paintings

2008-07-07T00:33:00.004-04:00

I am going to show these one at a time over the next few days. They are all acrylic on 2x2" canvas, and all are or will be available in my shop. Have a great week!

Its been a Big Week

2008-07-05T11:42:00.004-04:00

Wow, ok, where to start? As claimed in my last post, I did indeed get a slew of miniature paintings painted - fun! Also some other projects with which I am quite pleased. But those didn't happen so much on the weekend as on the days I had to stay home from work due to an unhappy run-in with an ill tempered zebra mussel resulting in a late night trip to the emergency room.

Not so much fun.

The new paintings are going in the shop, and I will share pictures of them here over the next few days, but first I want to show you the other things I made.

Ever since I made the abstract cover for my quilt book, I have been wanting to create some fabric flags or banners. I had patchwork ideas like the quilt book cover in mind, but I also wanted to incorporate some text, simple words or phrases. Turns out the awesome wooden type I found works quite as stamps! I brushed them with india ink and stamped words onto the fabric. They are watersafe and I really like how the letters are a little wonky.

The words I could create were somewhat limited by the fact that I neglected to get a letter "R". Oops!

I stamped the letters onto colorful cotton and stitched them onto a natural linen backing. There is a channel at the top for hanging.

I would like to try a few more of these, but I also know how my brain works and instead of mass production, it is quite likely I will move on to something else new... !

(These hangings will be in the shop shortly as well)

Paintings in Miniature

2008-06-26T23:55:00.003-04:00

I went ahead and added these to the shop. To show them off in a pretty way, I put together this simple little tripod made out of bamboo skewers.

My intention these days is to learn how to work like a real adult and also do all the creative things I dream up. How do people manage this? I have a sneaking suspicion that if I spent less time on the computer (checking out other people's craftiness!) I might end up producing more myself. An interesting idea...

This weekend, I declare to let the computer rest a while and dream up a few new miniature scenes.

A new venture...

2008-06-25T09:29:00.004-04:00

A few months ago my Craigslist.org perusing landed me an antique Chandler and Price tabletop letterpress, formerly of the Pioneer village near Port Henry, NY. It is currently sitting in my mudroom, as I slowly find and accumulate the necessary parts to make it run. A trip to some antique stores while in Tucson early in the spring resulted in this beautiful little collection:

And I have just received notice that two sets of beautiful cursive font I ordered have been sent! Now I need to spend some quality time with a wire brush and get the press into working order. There are several other parts still needed, including all the necessaries for putting the type together and setting it in the press - if anyone out there has suggestions on where to find these things on a very limited budget, I would love to hear from you!

I am incredibly excited about the metal type, but there is something about wood letters that just gets me. The lower case "e" especially - I could have bought en entire army of those happy little fellows.

2008-06-24T23:41:00.001-04:00