This past Sunday we headed out for a day at the RenFest. It was gorgeous weather and we had a great time strolling, chatting with friends, and shopping a little…
Thanks to my talented husband for supplementing my photos – I will post again later this week with more sculpture by the amazing Feywood. It was a great day!
Stay tuned tomorrow for the reveal of the “Create with Cabochons” challenge!
My first Beadfest as an exhibitor has come and gone. It was most definitely worth the days spend firing and glazing in a frenzy! I had a wonderful time – seeing my pieces well received, meeting new friends, catching up with old friends. And I managed to fit in a little shopping and a bit of barter (tomorrow’s post). For now – a recap of the booth, and a few of my neighbors. I regret not taking more people pictures…I seem to have focused on the beads.
Lampwork lovelies from my neighbor Sue Kennedy of Sue Beads.
What patience! Hundreds of raku beads from Amy at Xaz Bead Company.
One of a kind ceramic focals and buttons from Mary Hubbard at White Clover Kiln.
Green Girl Studios – pewter charms, buttons, pendants…
Lampwork from Heather of HBM Studios.
Lampwork focals from Anne of Gardanne Beads.
The show was great, although long hours on one’s feet. The atmosphere was very invigorating, and creative. I am thrilled to be part of this community; I am very glad I took the leap and applied. Although it seems very quiet here at home, alone – I am full of ideas and energy – so thank you friends!
At Spoutwood Faerie festival – there are so many talented makers, artists, craftspeople, performers, artisans… there is no way I could give you an overview. Let me give you a series of pictures to highlight a few of my favorites, my friends and neighbors…
Gorgeous parasols…
Butterfly Bones – resin at its finest, many organic materials. Stellar display! (Shop here.)
Wing and Talon Leather – I was glad to get to meet and hang out with Donovan, my neighbor. He is a gifted artist, and makes the most exquisite masks. All by hand, hand tooled, hand painted, no assistants – his vision, his creativity. Those barrettes made me want to grow my hair long. Seriously. ( Shop here.)
Echo and Wild Jewelry – Confession – I own MANY of Jeannie’s pieces. I tend to purchase a new one each year at the MD Rennaissance Festival. I have been acquiring them for years… Over the last few years we have become friends as well. Her vision and her spiritual outlook mirror mine, she works in sterling, I work in clay…
Molly Stanton of Elven Elysium. Its polymer. Look again, believe me. Gems, cabochon set, beaded stands, dangle… Molly is a gifted sculptress; you should see her figurative work!
Dancing Pig Pottery – another artist who I know from attending the MD Rennaissance Festival – I got to meet Virginia at Wicked Faire in February. Isnt it ironic that the potters always get along famoulsy, even when doing work as varied as hers and mine? I now have a fantastic mug of hers for my morning coffee! ( shop here.)
Like I said – just a few, a little eye candy for you! These artists are all creating their work themselves, 100% hand made. In the days of collectives, and corporate entities disguised as handmade artist/craftspeople – its nice to support the real deal! (That last comment refers to a recent Etsy scandal…)
Lucky Charms. Hearts, stars and clover? Yes, and more!
The crafty creative chicas at Ornamentea in Raleigh NC hosted a “Lucky Charm Swap”. Send in 7 charms, made by your own hands. Pay for shipping. Recieve 7 charms! What a deal! So here is the first package of bead goodness:
How tickled was I to recieve charms from Diana P. of Suburban Girl and Elaine Ray! Friends and fellow ceramics people – and both hearts. Too funny.
Hey wait – Dawn Gallup is my friend from ArtBliss! Thats her adorable clover charm on the vintage Irish postcard. Nice!
And love the other charms – thank you one and all. Check out the origami box this one arrived in…
But I did say the postman rang thrice… Package number 2! My custom, one of a kind quote bead! Erin of Tresori Trovati drew names from the contributors in her Challenge of Music blog hop. I won; and I love that she found this quote here on my site and surprised me with it! Lovely! Her packaging is top notch…
Oops! I untied the ribbon in my excitement before I thought to take a picture…
“Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist.” Rene Magritte
(Hand stamped and hand painted polymer.)
My third delivery – just arrived today from Staci at Artisan accents. We had met at Berks Bead Bazaar – and she sent me some beads I passed up, and regretted leaving behind… So excited – I respect the polymer, although I prefer “real” earthenware and stoneware. I love her antique finishes.
So tomorrow definitely a studio day; looking forward to designing with the new bits and baubles. Today was errands, housekeeping, settling in after a weekend out/reunion with the college girlfriends – what did we do? I will post a few pix tomorrow. The hint: “Aloha” …until then…
OK – Good morning! Sorry I wasnt “here” sooner. This is the first Saturday in over 2 months that I haven’t rushed off early to teach Ceramics classes at the studio. But I can’t think of a better morning than coffee and a blog hop/swap!
I met Sally Russick at ArtBliss in DC. Can I just pause here to rave about that retreat! Close to home! Fantastic national teachers? Great hospitality! Fantastic hosts – Cindy Wimmer and Jeannette Blix! Ok – back to the blog post… Sally posted about an ornament swap – a million years ago – it seems. Of course I was interested! Make a pretty and recieve a pretty? Yes! Meet new friends? Yes! Keep in touch with old freinds? Yes!
When it came time to make, and mail said ornament, I realized time had crept up on me. What was a generous time frame, well – I procrastinated a bit. I usually work in clay. Earthenware and stoneware. Now with drying time, firing time. glazing… it wasnt going to work. So, I turned to polymer. I like it. I want to experiment with it more. I respect it after taking a class with Christi Friesen. The most frustrating thing is weeding out the old and crumbly in my stash that frustrates me every time I try to work. Fresh polymer is quite nice!
I wanted to do a winter theme. My preference in decorations are seasonal, and having email-chatted with my partner Christine Altimiller and perusing her blog – I thought this would be a good fit. ( Enough chatter – pictures please!)
I went with the shrine shape as that is a style I work with often. A reporoduction of an antique postcard shows a winter angel decorating a tree. She is framed in polymer and stamped copper.
For the dangles I knew I had to include river rock, a fav of Christine’s and an artist’s bead – one of my stamped ceramic eucalyptus charms. The pod print recalled snowflake shapes in my mind.
The ornament I recieved, you ask? It was as if Christine had been in my house! So perfect! She must have super mind reading powers…
Driftwood, ethereal beautiful seed beaded snowflakes in icy blues and lavendars! Delicate and gorgeous!
I was completely stunned. I am so appreciative of the delicate seed bead work done here! The time and patience it takes! Mad skills! Thank you to my ever talented and creative partner for sharing this sliver of winter magic with me!
So – refill your coffee and please head over to Christine’s blog – One Kiss Creations! And definitely check out the other ornaments. I am feeling festive already!
When I was middle school art teacher I used to show the movie “Labyrinth” to my 6th grade students. I wanted to impress upon them that there were people out there, working, and creating incredible art. That art can be a lucrative job… Just look at the film with only 2 humans and all creatures! Never did I think that I would meet, let alone go to events with Brian and Wendy Froud – the designers of said magical creatures in the movie. My original copy of “Faeries” by Brian Froud and Alan Lee is dog-eared to say the least…
FaerieCon is a gathering of all creative peoples, from far and wide. There are painters, famous and up and coming. THere are artists whose work you recognize in major retail stores, and comic book shops. There are artists with work on tote bags, calendars and tee shirts. There are sculptors and metalsmiths and designers and artisans. There are featured artists and artists vending thier artwork.
I am happy to be an artist exhibiting my work with the likes of:
Brian Froud – “Gwenhwyfar”
Amy Brown – “Restless Thoughts”
Brigid Ashwood – “The Locust Queen”
Linda Ravenscroft -” Maiden Spring and Jack in the Green”
Jane Star Weils – “Dryad Sister”
Charles Vess – “Faery Processional”
Helena Nelson Reed – “Lady of the Wildwood”
* This list – almost exclusively 2d artists does not in any way slight my fellow sculptors out there!
* All works are copyright of the artist. Many are watermarked to prevent copying. If you like their work, support them and the arts – buy a print! You won’t regret it!
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:
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!
Then there is the shopping, the loot, the treasure. Lets start with artist beads, shall we?
Geode slices and fossilezed starfish!
Amazonite, calcedony, mystery gem, sapphire!!!, kyanite.
Moonstone, calcedony (?) and yes, more moonstone…
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 with Lorelei Eurto and Diane Hawkey. (Elaine Ray and Cynthia Deis look on…)
Nancy Schindler/Round Rabbit, Lisa Petrillo, Lorelei Eurto, Diana P/Suburban Girl.
Mary and Molly Hubbard/White Clover Kiln, Melanie/Earthenwood Studio
Kristie Roeder/Artisan Clay, Melinda Orr, Marsha/Marsha Neal Studio.
I hope there are many future meetings in our futures!
Siren, songstress, petite pixie of a bard – SJ Tucker. Got to hear part of her set Friday night, and finally got to meet her and chat in person. The new cd “Mischief” is amazing, naturally. 
My friend Dawn of Cucina Aurora. (Sorry you cant see my ears in that picture…) Great to see her again, and catch up…
Raven Grimassi and Stephanie Taylor. It was lovely to meet them, and yes, that is John Matthews peeking out in the background…
While I am doing new work, decorating for the holidays… I am also still feeling I have Faerie (Con) dust sprinkled on my shoulders. Perhaps it is part to the Fairy strands I have in my hair…
But a few more pictures I wanted to share:
The Gypsy Nomads played the Good Fairies Ball on Friday night with Woodland. (Samples and photo galleries – take a look!) Had to post a few Nomad pix, they have become friends over the last year or so…
Another FaerieCOn person that has become a good friend – for although we only see him twice a year, we make the most of it – is Mark Lewis. Storyteller extraordinaire! and MC of the event – tune in Dec 12th and see his guest appearrance on the TV show “Leverage” as Santa! (Its a good show anyway…)
Yes, he is playing 2 recorders in this picture. A few of his stories are available as podcasts. Listen to them. They are wonderful.
One thing about FC that I am sure I have mused on in previous posts, is the sense of community. THere are no separations between attendees, performers, VIP’s, artists/vendors. It is refreshing to be respected and recognized by your peers, and adds to the air of excitement to be mingling with the famous. Lets be honest – it was exciting to have Brian and Wendy Froud seated behind me at dinner in the bar! And they were left in peace, respectfully during their meal. When they are at their table, signing autographs then its fair game, but otherwise they are usually left to mill about in (relative) peace.
So in this shared environment of respect and creativity – I had an opportunity to not only meet but talk with two artists whose work I had known and admired for years – Linda Ravenscroft and Helena Nelson-Reed. Linda was at the Faerie Magazine booth, with her husband John, also a very charming individual. We chatted about many things, including the location of the Fairy Bridge in Wales – featured in the original watercolor sketch of Linda’s that I purchased. (Soon to hang framed next to the Charles Vess print from last year…) Helena and I struck up easy, comfortable conversations on numerous occasions as we were out of our booths strolling around. I am thrilled to say that soon 3 of my pendants will appear in her talisman necklaces. And an incredible print of hers will be hanging in my library… Trading with another artist is the most satisfying!
( Sorry for the iphone pix. Had Linda’s husband John snap this of she and I at her booth.)
RenCon was a great time – I have new favorite bands on continual loops in my head; new inspiration percolating for wonderful new tile designs; new fans and collectors of my work (Thank you all!) – but the people! The VIPs’ were open and accessible. The fellow vendors were interesting, interested, enthusiastic, sharing. The attendees were excited and appreciative. Whew!
I had great neighbors on my hallway, and I thank them for such a wonderful time!Let me introduce you:
Gypsy Nomads: 
I think I need to listen to Track 3 every morning. No better way to start the day! I dont describe music well – but go listen to things on their website. They are infectious! And they are both visual artists as well, which thrills me, a bonus. These two were my across the hall neighbors providing a soundtrack for the weekend and performing both nights. And I look forward to seeing them live at FaerieCon! (Although I think they will be at Spoutwood Farms May Day Faerie Festival!)
Dancing Hands, FGM: 
(Fairy Goddess Mother, that is…) Here shown doing Fhairy strands in E’s hair. Everyone knows her, everyone loves her, she is a joy to be around. Its that simple! Not only will she be attending Spoutwood – there is a Charles Vess drawing of her for this years advertisement! 
Kathryn Elizabeth Noska: Kathryn is a painter, poet, and self described ‘stonesayer’ and when you see her work you will understand. The stones speak to her, and she to them. Her paintings are exquisitely detailed painted from life, and she captures the characters in the stones themselves, showing them to us on canvas. I did not try to capture the painting’s detail on film (Just go take a look for yourself!)… and Kathyrn herself proves an elusive subject! From her booth: 
Kathryn’s amazing hand bound book of her drawing and poems. 
And her oracle stones. So lovely!
Goblin Bazaar: …” eclectic array of things from the realm of Fae captured and created by Kimberley Coffman as is inspired by the strange and wonderful world around us.” So true! Kim’s work is magical. Her fae are original, exquisitely painted one of a kind sculptures. I was enchanted!
Clearly she takes good care of them, since not a one looked unhappy in their traveling containments. And her skills with a woodburning tool – really? 
Kim, (onthe right) with Sarah of ToadstoolNtreestump.
Thank you one and all for making the weekend so magical! See you in November!
Jenny Davies-Reazor 