Gresham Art Walk

On July 17th, I went to peddle my wares at the 9th Annual Gresham Artwalk. I took along my lovely assistant Dian (and her lovely assistant Bob, who came in the a.m. to help us set up). We met a lot of very nice people and had a lot of fun. The show was very well organized, the volunteers extremely helpful. Sales were rather modest, but I came out somewhat ahead. I did meet several folks who expressed interest in having me do my signature collage/beading treatment using some of their own family photos, so there's the possibility of a commission or two. That would be exciting!

I have to say, I'm not sure I have the stamina at my age to continue with these larger outdoor art shows. Getting up at 4:00 a.m., building a shop, tearing it down - by the time I got to sleep, I'd been up for 18 hours. That's a record for me! I'm still working on getting my energy back over a week later. I wouldn't have missed this for anything: it was an interesting, educational experience & I met some great folks. I just think it's taken too much out of me; I think I'll do better in the long run with the smaller school benefit shows I've been doing the last couple of years, looking for new retail outlets, beefing up my Etsy activity, and maybe my own website sometime soon. We'll see how it goes.

In any case, my thanks to all the customers who were kind enough to purchase my work, to all the friends who helped with advice and equipment,and to the organizers and volunteers who kept things running smoothly and were so helpful.

Lazy Afternoon

Having one of those lazy afternoons; can't quite get motivated to do much of anything. So, took the camera and went for a lazy walk around the neighborhood, taking just a few shots of odds & ends I noticed along the way. Here a couple of my favorites. Will I do anything else with them - make drawings, start a line of photo-image cards or prints? Not sure yet. At the moment, I don't feel like doing anything....

Another Marriage

I've managed to make another combination of two of my art forms; this time I've put together drawing and collage. I started with a drawing based on a vintage photograph, using a very soft, dark pencil and oil pastel, and added pieces of wallpaper from a 1932 sample book. It's a new thing for me after a long break from drawing. Not sure yet where it's going, but I'm intrigued.

Marriage

Finally! I've found a way to combine my two passions: jewelry and collage.

The Romantic

Balance

One thing I struggle with in my art life is balance. I'm concentrating on my jewelry lately, as that's where I have the most monetary success so far. But I love my collage as well, and have difficulty finding time to fit it in. Add to that an almost full time job, and the fact that I'd also like to fit some drawing back into the mix...

In any case, I recently realized that none of my non-jewelry work has shown up in the blog, and decided to post a few of my favorites. I may just throw one in without text now and then, so that more of my pieces will be out somewhere in the world for others to see.

A Bonanza of Buttons

Trust that the universe will provide, and the universe will provide. Not only did I enjoy quite respectable sales at galleries and shows this holiday season; but have received a bounteous supply of buttons as the new years begin. At one of the shows I met a generous young woman who'd collected a multitude of buttons at estate sales. She was cleaning things out, and ready to let go. Last week she dropped by to give them to me. Afterwards when I sat down to go through them, I was astounded by the volume and variety: mother-of-pearl, plastic, metal, walnut shells; all sizes, all shapes... hundreds of wonderful buttons. I felt as if I were sifting through a pirate's treasure chest, or that Santa had just come. And then there were more. A co-worker at my day job regularly haunts thrift stores, and she presented me with a stash of buttons she'd found. Not only that, but I've been commissioned to make her several pieces of jewelry from some of her favorites. I feel blessed, and grateful for all the folks who gather supplies for my work. And itching to get started on some new work to take advantage of my recent bounty.