The Latest

I'm happy to announce that Portland's Cannibals Gallery now carries my work. They have a small selection of my bottle cap and button jewelry, as well as five of my collages (shown above, "O Lonesome Me".) It's a wonderful place featuring art using mostly recycled materials, by local artists. Also, coming up in December, I will have work in Guardino Gallery's annual Little Things show. A number of artists are invited to show works no larger than 7" in any dimension; and it's cash and carry, so you can buy affordable art for gifts and take it with you on the spot. Shown above, a bib necklace of bottle caps and buttons, and another piece featuring several unusual found objects. I'll post exact dates for Little Things Soon.

What I'm Doing

Finally completed another oil pastel, this one of a long-lost friend who had some magic about her. Now in the delicious position of dreaming about what the next one will be. Stay tuned.

Spending a lot of time on jewelry lately. Making a lot of these cap-on-cap earrings, which can be quite affordable as the materials cost is next to nothing. This style has found a good home at Mag Big, a local shop on SE Hawthorne that features Portland designers and artists. The owner Cassie has a lot of energy and enthusiasm, and works hard to promote her artists. My husband will also have his cards and other pieces in there very soon; and I'll be showing her other types of work of my own as well. It's a lovely shop - if you have a chance, check it out. Support our local artists and entrepeneurs!

Spring Is Here

Aaaah. Nothing says spring like the crisp, clean scent of freshly washed bottle caps drying on the windowsill.

It's My Life

Finally, I was able to steal a little time and go back, literally, to the drawing board. This one had languished, not quite done, throughout the retail holiday season that makes up my day job, and the period of rest & recovery that makes up the early part of my new year. This piece turned out to be one of those where I'd reached a sticking point anyway, unsure how to complete it; and when I came back to it months later, it took only one short session to resolve the difficulties. That happens to me often. Guess I should embrace it as part of my process.

The break gave me some time to think about art & where it is for me, what subjects get me going. A few years ago, I returned to drawing after a break of some years, spurred by a gallery owner who'd seen some of my older drawings. She'd seen self-portraits, which I'd never intended to show, and requested that I do some still life pieces in a similar style. I did a few small ones, and liked them. Even sold a couple. I still like them, but as I mentioned in a previous post, I needed a big change to be able to come up with a direction that has more resonance for me. That's when I went back to the subject matter that I find most compelling: events and people and images from my own past. This is what I know, what fascinates me, the only subject matter that - well - matters to me. When I try to cast about for other subject matter I get bored easily; try to force it; don't feel attached or energized. I hope the new work will strike a more universal chord with viewers by virtue of my passion in making it, but I don't have any particular expectations. This is work I do because I must, because my feelings about it are so strong. If the focus on my own life seems self-centered or egotistical, so be it. I'm my subject and I'm sticking to it.

Post-Buckman Report

Well, so I lied: this post is not about drawings, as I promised in my last one. I simply haven't gotten that far yet. This one is about what a great time I had at last weekend's Buckman Art Show & Sell. With the help of my new jewelry cards, I sold a little over twice the number of pieces I've typically sold in the past. Thank you, Morgan! Folks were sticking to the lower-to-mid-price range, since we're not out of the recessionary woods yet, but it was a very busy show and they were buying. It was fun and lively, full of good energy.

I especially enjoyed connecting or reconnecting with fellow artists: old friends Lisa Gastelum (TQB Designs) and Lisa Kaser; Ann Hymas (Circle Couture) & Taya Koschnik (Tasi, w/ her sister Silvija with whom I didn't get a chance to speak) - Thanks, ladies, for the awesome trades! Christopher Reitmaier, my cohort in the use of bottle caps (I think each of us showed pieces made with odds or ends given by the other), just to cover the highlights. I have to thank Taya for making my highest-priced sale of the day while I was taking a break (the necklace pictured above). That's another great thing about these shows. Without official booth-sitters, we take turns with our neighbors to make sure none of us are chained to our tables without relief. And I must thank my neighbor Samantha, who's involved with the running of the show, and who volunteered to haul my work (and my husband's) to & from the show, as we don't have a car. Much better than dragging it all in my granny-cart in the rain.

And, the spirit of generosity abounds. A quite dapper gentleman in a pinstriped suit and a bowler hat came to see me. He'd liked my button pieces when he visited the show last year, and this year he came back with a small bag of gorgeous vintage buttons for me. I was touched not only by the actual gift, but that he'd actually remembered and saved them up all year to bring to me. This is one reason I know I'm on the right path - ever since I started making jewelry with buttons and other found objects, abundance has come my way. With every show, there comes a perfect stranger willing to share collections of buttons, in some cases family heirloom buttons. Or friends who collect bottle caps for me when they're walking their dogs or traveling. One friend has brought me bottle caps from a surfer beach in Hawaii, and from trips to Australia and New Zealand. (Although the pickings were slim in New Zealand: apparently, they just don't throw trash on the ground like we do in America...) The universe does provide, and I'm grateful.

In any case, it was a great show. And as soon as I get through with my taxes, I'll turn my attention to drawings for awhile, and keep you posted.

Time once again for the annual Buckman Art Show & Sell - for me, that's always a harbinger of spring. New life, new ideas. I'll be there with my jewelry: collage pendants, gemstone beads & pearls, and Brew Buttons. I have some new styles available in the Brew Button line. In addition to the holed buttons with nuts'n'bolts, there are new pendants and pins using interesting shank buttons layered onto one or more bottle caps (shown in top photo). Because they cost less to make in materials and labor, I'm able to offer them at a lower price point than the bolted variety. I also have some new pins using vintage dominoes with buttons or old jewelry parts (shown in center photo).

Another new thing: I've recently had my business and jewelry cards redesigned and will be debuting the new look at Buckman. They're fresh and bright and show off the jewelry to its best advantage. (My graphic designer is the very talented Morgan Harrington. Feel free to contact me if you're interested in using her services!) The cards, with jewelry, are shown in the bottom photo.

My next post will be about my drawings. I did manage to complete another one before I had to throw myself into show preparations, but have had time only to contemplate what the subject of the next one will be. Once Buckman is over, I'll carve out some time to begin a new one. I can't wait to lay out that large, white sheet of paper and start out on the tightrope walk that is drawing. In the meantime, I hope to see you at Buckman: Friday, March 11 - 5 pm to 9 pm, and Saturday, March 12 - 10 am to 5 pm!