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Bethany. Beach. Boardwalk. Beautiful…

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Bethany1

The day dawned cloudy and a little hazy, but that did not last long. I had a great spot on the boards, at the top of the main drag in town. 

Bethany2 

The dunes and the beach as my backdrop!

Bethany3

For this show I was in the “Mixed Media” category. So my jewelry display had to be limited, just ceramic components. But they were very popular…

hat

I never wear hats. Thank heavens I had borrowed an umbrella from Betsy!!!

Bethany5

reunion

Pleaseant surprise! Kim was a student of mine whose Grandparents live in Bethany. I was thrilled to see her, to catch up and to meet…

Jack

Jack! (And her husband, of course!)

 

Sorry this was rather brief. This is a big week. Today is my birthday, and I had a productive studio day – mixed media collages are in progress for this weekend at Artsfest. Tomorrow I have to finish earrings for a blog swap, and the infamous Bead Soup! Bead Soup posts will go up on Saturday – stay tuned!

 

 

Fall festivals….

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For man, autumn is a time of harvest, of gathering together.  For nature, it is a time of sowing, of scattering abroad.  ~Edwin Way Teale

 

Although Fall doesn’t officially start for a few weeks now,  years of teaching full time have set my body’s clock to equate September with fall. Here in Delaware we had a wee little earthquake and danced with Irene as she made her way up the coast. Now rain and cooler weather are welcome signs of the season. Fall is my busiest festival and show season as well. After the hectic pace of teaching ceramics summer camp, I spent August on vacation and in the studio. And I am finishing up projects here and there, firing kilns and packing up tiles and shrines up for…

Bethany Beach Boardwalk Festival: I love the ocean after Labor Day. Still gorgeous as always, clear skies, warm sand. Come to the beach one last weekend after the crowds have died down! This one day show is on the Boardwalk and Garfield Parkway, a large and impressive collection of artists and crafters. The annual silent auction contributes its proceeds to art departments of local schools., a generous and worthy cause. The festival runs 10 – 5 on Saturday the 10th. Details can be found here. 

Artsfest: Annmarie Garden on Solomon’s Island MD hosts this fantastic two day show on September 17th and 18th. Music, wine tasting, artists galore – all set in the lush park and sculpture garden setting. So worth a day trip! I adore my location on the wooded path, set among the trees and the shade! I have many artist friends I  look forward to seeing each Spetember, catching up, bartering…(10-5 each day. Details pictures and directions: here. 

Art on the Avenue: This one is exceptionally exciting for me this year. I am returning to Alexandria VA on October 1st – and I am officially selling my jewelry and wearables! I am permitted to bring tiles and shrines as well, as I have in past years But I am spreading m wings and I will have ceramic pendants, mixed media pieces, earrings… a divers e offering of unique hand crafted wearable. I started out metalsmithing and painting in college, and I am in many ways returning to my roots! Hope to see you there! (Sat. October 1st, 10-6 pm. Details and directions: here. 

earrings galore!

But that is not all. I have a few other irons in the proverbial fire: 

I will be donating a piece to the Small Art, Big Auction annual fundraiser at the DCCA. Artworks are to be 12 x 12” and there will be diverse offerings in every media. It is a fun, creative fundraiser for this Wilmington DE arts organization, and who doesn’t have just a little available wall space? 

And classes! Are you interested in trying your hand at clay? metal? Bookbinding? Here is a short list of what and where I will be teaching in September and October; there is something for everyone. Hope you can join me!

September 20& 27th – “Fly away home” ceramic sculptural tile at the Art Studio, Newport, DE

September 28 & October 12 – Ceramic finger labyrinths at First and Central Presbyterian Church in WIlmington DE

October 11th – Resin collage jewelry workshop at the Art Studio.

Stay tuned for updates on other fall classes in the next month or so…Until then, a sneak peek! 

glazing labyrinths

Glazing ceramic labyrinths…

Fly away Home

“Fly away home” in progress…

student work resin

Student work from last fall’s resin workshop. 



 

 

 

 

 

Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble.

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Standing over a cauldron, tossing in snippets of this, portions of that – brewing up a potion, a recipe in a cauldron. You imagine them, sisters three, over a large smoky steaming cauldron, aged, gnarled and bent – Shakespeare’s Three Witches. Or perhaps you imagine a younger more contemporary potion maker – young Hermione sitting, small cauldron inher lap, brewing Polyjuice Potion in Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom. (I DID just get back from vacation to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando…)

Cauldron are symbols of creativity, inspiration, transformation in Celtic myth (see the myth of Cerridwen I blogged recently.) So I find it apropos that I am participating in a creativity challenge/bed swap dubbed “Bead Soup Blog Party”. I have been sent the beady ingredients and I will start brewing up a creation of my own – little of this, pinch of that…and what comes out will transform the disparate parts into a wearable piece, or two, or three…

Jelveh's box

This lovely arrived inthe mail from my talented partner Jelveh of Jelveh’s designs. Eager with anticipation…

BS box 3

So full, so many treasures… 

BS box4

…irridescent beauties….

BS box5

…a riot of color…

BS box6

…metallic medley…

coral and clasp

Sterling and coral…

lampwork and focals

…and the focals! WooHoo. Oceanic landscape and a goddess? Sweet! The detail on the Oceanic treasures necklace is stunning. I want to do that bead justice, and really show it to its full glory. And of course I love the goddess bead for me; and she has a little flower on her bottom… Not to mention the gorgeous colors in the lampwork beads. They range from pinks, mauves, lavenders, blues -and are so harmonious together, just my style. 

Many thanks go out to my Bead Soup Blog Party partner, Jelveh, for this fantastic generous package! And to Lori at Pretty Things for masterminding this whole event! I have to say – I started working with my soup last weekend. I have the focal planned, and have already created a few other pieces since my soup was so bountiful! Stay tuned for the big reveal on September 17th! (There are 362 participants around the world!)

 

 

Harmony: enamel shadowbox reveal…

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Good Morning! Welcome to the Enamel Shadowbox bezel and blog hop! Here in Delaware – it has been a busy few days as we are preparing for Irene…So join me for a cup of coffee, thats what I am having – and enjoy!

The Hop takes place thanks to Lorelei and C-Koop beads; Lorelei posted this contect/challenge on her blog and I was thrilled to be one of the finalists. For truly I felt like I had won the prize! The enameled pendants, bezels actually are created by Sara of C-Koop Beads. I enamel small components, and fell in love with these immediately! Here is the one I recieved: 

empty bezel

Gorgoeus shades of maroon, wine, and gold. The problem: I dont want to cover all of that up! I want to use resin – I create a series of resin penndats, incorporating word and image. The word is usually found text rom 200+year old books. I usually incorporate text in my pieces. Perhaps polymer? I had recently taken a class with the zany Christie Friesen – an was open to polymer’s potential. 

moth vs lantern

The bezel reminded me of origami paper, with its patterns of gold. From Japanese paper – to lanterns; the lantern was the first idea. I actually prefered the luna moth more myself – as it is a symbol of transformation… but in the end the lantern fit better, and preserved the gold pattering on the bezel. These pieces are sculpted from polymer, accented with mica powders, baked, and set in with caulk (my prefered glue). Seed beads were also added to create the blossoms and lantern base. The Chinese character for “Harmony” was written in with Sharpie, lo tech, but effective!

designing

This was the picture as it all came together. I knew I wanted to use my chunky copper chain, and I knew flowers. I wanted the chain to be more elaborate, and decided to run a strand of seed beads through it for visual interest, and color. The color that worked best picked up the light tones on the lantern, not the wine colors as I had imagined. I needed a word. To define the Chinese character on the lantern, and to tie it all together. Harmony. (That is what the lantern says, BTW). So I am stamping that onto copper…

finished pendant

The finished pendant before resin. 

detail

Detail of the chain, three wine color pearls visually balance the stamped copper. 

finished piece

There it is. App. 18″ of mixed media magic. I am pleased with how it came out… Oh right! Resin…

with resin

This morning’s update: resin cured. (Little seepage on the back to be sanded.) I hope you liked that journey through my thought process. I cannot wait to see what the others have done! So go – see those blogs! And please, let me know what you think!

 

Enjoy hopping through these participating blogs!
11. Grubbi
12. Jenny Davies- Reazor (you are here. And I thank you for visiting!)

13. Beth of Elizabeth Williams

 

Bead Fest, bead swap, bead abundance.

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When I left for Philadelphia Saturday morning, with Marsha of Marsha Neal Studio, I had the best laid bloggy plans. We were headed to Beadfest. I wanted to take pictures of inspirational items, gorgeous gems, beautiful beads, and the people…Here is all I managed: 

beads1

beads2

Once there – it was a frenzy of shopping, familiar faces, chatting, shopping… Such a great day! And the camera stayed in my pocket. Oh well. I can show you the loot, and there is some loot…

A highlight of the day was the Bead Swap organized by Diana of Suburban Girl Studio. This wasnt about a contest, or a challenge, or a blog entry – it was simply a great way to meet, and share the beady goodness with friends old and new! My new friend and swap partner was Meredith Arnold – a very talented and humorous lady! I crashed her class and got a handful of her gorgoeus polymer beads! They are a bit of a challenge as I am a gemstone junkie, but I already am starting to have some ideas!

swap beads

Then there is the shopping, the loot, the treasure. Lets start with artist beads, shall we? 

artist beads

goedes and fossils

Geode slices and fossilezed starfish!

loot1

Amazonite, calcedony, mystery gem, sapphire!!!, kyanite. 

loot 2

Moonstone, calcedony (?) and yes, more moonstone…

gems loot

Apatite, mystery gem, amethyst, smoky quartz, rutilated quartz, moonstone, lapis, garnet, labradorite, amazonite. 

I know. I bought quite a bit. I get dazzled by the gemstones in all their glory. But I am officially doing Art on the Avenue in October as a “jewelry/mixed media” artist. Meaning I am juried in for jewelry, a coveted spot, and I am allowed to bring tiles and shrines as well. So excited!

After the shopping and swapping marathon – time for a little wine and conversation! The large group of us settled in at Legal Seafoods, and had a great evening! I thoroughly enjoyed getting to meet and chat with people whose work I admire, people who were inspirational/influential to me when I began making ceramic beads, people whose blogs I read regularly. Thank you all, it was a pleasure!

candid camera

Candid camera with Lorelei Eurto and Diane Hawkey. (Elaine Ray and Cynthia Deis look on…)

dinner 1

Nancy Schindler/Round Rabbit, Lisa Petrillo, Lorelei Eurto, Diana P/Suburban Girl. 

dinner2

Mary and Molly Hubbard/White Clover Kiln, Melanie/Earthenwood Studio

dinner3

Kristie Roeder/Artisan Clay, Melinda Orr, Marsha/Marsha Neal Studio. 

I hope there are many future meetings in our futures!

 

 

Good things happen in threes…

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Well, I am back. Back to the blog. Back to the studio after teaching for the summer. Back from vacation. And I am happy to get to work on a few things that have come my way…

The first is this little gem. It is an enameled bezel by C-Koop Beads. Lorelei – bead blogger extraordinaire, is hosting a challenge/ blog hop. I was thrilled to be pulled out of the proverbial hat as a participant. The real challenge for me is what to do that leaves that gorgeous enamel color visible. I do many bezels – collaged, with resin, found objects, and the like. But this one I need to fill, and yet not fill… Hmm. The reveal will be here on August 27th, so stay tuned! ( The list of all participants, and their log links will be on Lorelei’s blog that day.) 

enamel bezel

Then there is Bead Soup. The Bead Soup Blog Party to be exact. I have wanted to be a part of this for years, and never knew who? how? where? when? This year I heard the siren song in time. The tireless Lori Anderson has matched up all 350+ participants by hand. No random generator, there! A true labor of love. I mailed my package today to my partner. Here is a sneak peak…

bead soup

soup package

That little treasure box is headed to California into the hands of Jelveh J. She is a lampwork bead artist and I cant wait to see what treasures she sends me to work with! Once they arrive, I will detail the beads, and my process, my ideas, and my methods. There will be a focal, a clasp, coordinating beads, inspiration. Sweet! Here is a pix of Jelveh’s work from her site: 

Jelveh's beads

See what I mean? Eagerly awaiting that box! The big reveal will be September 17th. I will post my creations here, but the list of ALL the participants can be found at Lori’s blog – Pretty Things. 

This weekend is Beadfest in Philadelphia. I have to say – I usually dont go, and my wallet thanks me. But this year, I am participating in a swap! Yes, another swap! Purely for the love of beads this time. Diana of Suburban Girl Studio organized the group of us. Swap, meet and hang out, dinner… What a great way to end a day of bead orgy – I mean shopping. My partner is Meredith Arnold – who will be teaching, so I can pop into her classroom and see her students polymer creations. Looking forward to meeting many of the bead blog friends. 

 

Last but not least – I had work featured on the Faux Bone blog. Thrilled! I am experimenting recently with Faux Bone and I am really liking it. Looking forward to taking a class with Robert Dancik (he developed the material) at ArtBliss in Sept. Now if I can just get her finished so I can wear her Saturday to Beadfest…

FB goddess

 

 

The goddess and the lunar hare

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Faux Bone – just what the name implies, a relatively new material, related to PVA plastic, yet non toxic and high quality. It was launched on the market by Robert Dancik, and I have had it on the workbench for months! Wanting to try shaping, sanding, carving, impressing, staining… this versatile material. So here is the first attempt: 

Faux bone goddess

The ceramic oval on the left is my goddess/poppet. To me She is the self, the soul, the creative muse, the feminine divine. Her shape is inspired by Cycladic idols and other ancient sculpture. I wanted to see her in faux ivory of a sort. The copper acts as a structural base for the piece, the dark rich patina of the copper setting off the subtle tones in the FB. From a design sense it serves as a halo, and allows holes at hands (for attachment to a necklace) and feet ( gemstone dangle, of course!)

Cycladic idol  Nile Goddess (Left: Cycladic Idol, app. 2500 BCE. Right: Nile Goddess, app 3500 BCE)

I was happy with how she turned out, although I am still considering giving her breasts… I turned my focus next to me second favorite of my ceramic pendants – the lunar hare. The  hare is a bit of a totem animal for me, and I am greatly inspired by the many myths of the moon hare. From so many cultures, so diverse, yet illustrating a commonality…

Lunar hare

The crescent on the right – is polymer clay. I was baking some other pieces for the Blue Hen and I made a few crescents to test. While i like the sculptural possibilities – this one is too bulky. I think Faux bone will work best here, too. Other things in progress: 

Copper and nickel silver windows/ frames. Images are sandwiched under mica, tube rivets, stamped words… This was a direct inspiration from Melissa Manley – and although she wasn’t the first to ever use this technique – it is only proper, and respectful to give credit. (Her work is amazing, and I am happy to have studied with her, and to call her a friend. ) The piece on the far left: “Such stuff as dreams are made on…” quoted from “The Tempest” – houses an image of Miranda from a painting by my favorite, John Williams Waterhouse. 

copper frames pendants

The piece on the right is a bit different. It is carved wood, housing a collage. The collage is set in a plastic lens and resin. The front image is an Irish stamp, copper, and the word ‘Journey’. The back: 

MM bird back

It is an idea I am experimenting with – crating sculptural frames for collage/lens. My text, as always, is from 200+ year old books. It is a meditation of sorts, to thumb through the yellowing pages, eyes flitting and darting, until the right words present themselves to me. Words I would not have chosen; phrases I would not have composed…

I would love to hear your thoughts, out there in the ether. Do you have a personal talisman? A totem animal? 

 

Cerrridwen, Taliesin…and a Blue Hen?

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Blue Hen plywood

It all started with the hen, the blue hen to be exact. The City of Newark, DE is having a fundraiser – in the style of the decorated animal sculptures you have seen – I am sure – in many cities across the country. As the state bird is the Blue Hen… artists have been given a plywood silhouette, app. 30″ tall. Out birds will be auctioned off in September, and will be displayed (inside) at various businesses in town, and on Main St. The previous picture shows the earliest stages, after carving up my bird, to create a niche inside. Then she was covered in paper – from the Encyclopedia Britannica, or course. And yes, I used the article on “Poultry farming”. 

Blue Hen paper

I knew right away I wanted to create a shrine in the body of the hen. Shrines are my most personal, expressive medium. Although the chicken is not a totem animal I use symbolically in my work, I wanted to challenge myself to make a “real” piece, not just a fundraiser donation. I had committed my name, my time, and energy to this venture, and I wanted it to be true to my body of work… So the only mythic reference to a chicken in Western myth that came to my mind – was the myth of Cerridwen. She is the Keeper of the Cauldron – in which She brews inspiration. She is the Goddess of rebirth, transformation, inspiration. She is a creatrix, a mother, a wise woman… In the classic myth regarding her: She brews an elixir for her son, hiring the boy Gwion to stir the cauldron. After a year and a day – the mythic measure of time for an arduous task – the potion splashes Gwion’s thumb. He sucks it, to cool the burn and receives all the wisdom, knowledge therein. Greatly displeased – Cerridwen pursues Gwion to punish him. The chase takes on epic proportions as they shape shift through many animal forms, each pair representing an element. These animal pairings will be shown on the hen itself…

sawing animals

hound and hare

otter and salmon

songbird and raptor

The greyhound and the hare. The otter and the salmon. The hawk and the songbird. But where does the hen come in? After three transformations, as the chase continues, Gwion turns himself into a grain of wheat. Cerridwen as a hen, simply eats the grain. In nine months, She gives birth to Taliesin – who is to become the greatest bard of all time. Rebirth, inspiration, transformation… 

Hen nearly complete

The niche will hold a small clay tile of Taliesin – whose name translates as “Radiant Brow” referencing the ‘fire in the head’ of divine inspiration and enlightenment. It seemed fitting to have him incubating there. I plan to include the text of the myth with the piece. I know that many will find it more in depth than they prefer. But I feel that keeping the inspiration pure and not simplifying the concept of the work is honest, and a homage to Cerridwen herself. The overall color palette is natural and harmonious, very earthy. I hope it finds an appreciative audience when it goes out into the world in September, and does its part to raise funds for the Newark Arts Alliance.   Please feel free to comment and tell me your thoughts!

( I will add new pix as the work progresses!)

Holiday weekend: shows, summer, beach, neighbors…and water ice

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Shadey view

This was my view a week ago – Saturday July 2nd, to be exact. I cant believe a week has gone by already! Yikes! Last Saturday was the St. Peter’s Fine Art Show in Lewes, DE. It is one of my regular shows, that I enjoy, and this weekend was even more perfect – the weather cooperated! Take a look at that sky…

St Petes view 2

There’s a shot of my street. Honestly – it was such a nice day, smooth at set up, sunny, and don’t forget the water ice. Its a St Peter’s tradition for me. That afternoon lull, when you are feeling a little sleepy… It was great to see familiar faces, and to meet and chat with new customers!

St Petes

One beautiful little incident: a woman was very drawn to a ceramic pendant – a crescent moon and star. She initiated the stealth buy; it was for her daughter, who was going to catch up with her any moment. Yet in the brief time we shared – she told me her daughter was adopted, and she had said to her from the beginning to the present – “I love you to the moon and stars.” She wanted her daughter to have the pendant, as she was away at school, majoring in art. It means quite a bit to me, when people are moved by the work I do – even something as simple as a pendant. And that she felt compelled to share that with me, inviting me into her trust in our short interaction together. Thank you !

mer tiles

My new tile: the split tailed mermaid made her debut at the show. She is a confident mermaid, a bit sassy. I quite like her!

St Petes view

I did stroll my block – sadly I wasn’t able to take a stroll through the whole show… But I met some wonderful neighbors!

(Speaking of block… block printing!) I had to meet Jennifer of Home Sweet after a customer shopping in my booth raved!!! about her block printed fabrics – even unwrapping and showing off her purchases. And I couldn’t agree more. Gorgeous work, bold, colorful, great design, great craftsmanship. 

printer display

Scraps of fabric in a bowl… you mean I can have one?! Like a treasure! And a very green business card as well! You can find her at her site and on Etsy. 

Printed sample

Off the Wall

There you see the lovely and charming Peri of Off the Wall Art. I couldn’t ask for a better neighbor as we explored the Square up credit card services for the first time. ( Review: quick, easy, generally brilliant. Stylus recommended.) Her work is very creative, very fun. Colorful, whimsical, and heartfelt; it draws you in with a strong sense of “joie de vivre”.  Wonderful sayings – not overly sweet, but endearing and sincere, and often punny. The two cards below show you what I mean: “Be who you arrrghh!” (Piratical words of advice!) “We all laugh in the same language” I just love them! Check out her site – great work for kids, or the inner child in all of us. 

Off the Wall art cards

It has been a busy week – we stayed at the beach to visit the ocean, and enjoy the Fourth…unpacking after the show, Oops, caught a summer cold, clean the house… and get ready for the second session of clay camp starting tomorrow! Did spend a few quality hours in the studio yesterday. Stay tuned to see the results! It wont take a week before I post again, promise!

 

 

Reclaim. Reincarnate. Recycle.

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Britannica 1

Britannica 2

When we were growing up we had an Encyclopedia Britannica. It wasn’t always the best reference then – as it was from 1949! Some things were accurate, others not – but it was a starting point for my siblings and I as we researched our term papers… taking notes longhand, in the old fashioned days before the Internets arrived. (We did not however, have to walk two miles to school, uphill both ways. We aren’t that old.) The set had been my mother’s, and came to us from her. It is a classic – leather bound spines, the delightful thin paper that whispers as you turn the pages… Fantastic diagrams and illustrations, in black and white – naturally!

Britannica 3

Britannica 4

The entire set had been languishing in my parent’s  garage. Not the best environment for books – but many people would have let go of the set by now – some thirty years after it was last used. Not us – we are a family of keepers. You never know when you might need that ________later! And I have now decided I need that set of encyclopedias. ( If you are squeamish at the talk of dissection and destruction of books, don’t read on…) This set – it is a treasure trove. I can select pages and diagrams to use in collage for their content. I have volumes of pages to use as text alone; when the subject matter is not inspirational or pertinent to the piece. 

Britannica 5

I keep finding flowers I pressed years and years ago. Was this special? Or simply the budding artist inspired by the natural world surrounding her? ( Pun intended.)

Britannica 6

That little boy cracked me up. Featured on the “Art Education” page of all ironies. Is he concentrating or just plain grumpy? 

I have torn the first pages out. I am working on a fundraiser for my town of Newark. More to come soon. On other topics – the first session of clay camp has ended. Much teacher work to do to finish up from session one and prepare for session two. Thats on next week’s agenda. For now – it is off to St. Peters Art Show in Lewes DE. Will I see you there? Regardless – have a great holiday weekend!