Welcome to my work space

I think it is wise of art and craft show promoters to request a photo of the art in progress. After all, the art is supposed to be made by the artist, not pulled out of a box labeled "made in China", and a pretty sure way to tell if the artist really made the art is a photo.

It's also very telling of how organized or unorganized an artist is at the work space to see a snapshot of the work in progress.

That being said, welcome to my work table!

Each week I work with one color combination, such as black, gold and white, as was the chosen palette last week. This allows me to make several pieces that are similar but not identical. It's kind of an organized chaos in a small space, but it works for me. I usually make several pairs of earrings, one or two necklaces, and a bracelet in that color palette. I piece them together and by Friday morning usually have a fresh crop of Parts of Art. I choose a few representative pieces for my Etsy store, and add them all to my inventory. On the weekends I go to outdoor markets and sell.

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Paint and Palettes

I’ve always been a lover of paint and paint palettes. I vividly remember the excitement I felt opening that rectangular tin filled with round cakes of watercolor paint in elementary school. I was hooked! From that point on, I have wanted to explore and express within the inviting purity of paint. In 1988 I had a beach side shop where I hand painted women's clothing. I was using acrylic paint in abundance. One morning I had cleaned my palette off, and had peeled a large colorful piece of variegated and textured acrylic paint from it. Some friends of mine came into the shop (actually it was my minister and his wife). During our brief conversation, I showed them the peeled up paint and said, “This is too pretty to throw away, but I don’t know what to do with it.” The husband said, “Oh, you should cut it up and make it into jewelry!” We all laughed about it. It was like "Yeah right, I should try ...

Winter Work

Now that my show season is over, it's time for what I lovingly call winter work. Winter work is studio time. It's when I light the fire in the wood stove and sit down at the drawing table and/or easel, both of which are pulled close to the wood stove. It's winter work because when the weather cools off and the leaves fall, the studio is the most inviting place in my life. The warmth of the fire and the smell of the wood and the blank slate on the easel are what inspire and motivate me to work. At one of my shows I bought this glorious coffee mug from Paige @rockbottomceramics. It sits on top of the woodstove and keeps the coffee warm for hours. It's a studio staple. There is purposely a blank canvas on the easel, or in this case, a smooth panel which will eventually be gessoed and painted with an expression of light through leaves. The blank canvas is self care. It's a sign of hope for my future. What will go on ...

Up and Running

Show season is up and running! Next up: One of my favorites, the Crosby Festival of the Arts. It will be held in the beautiful Toledo Botanical Garden June 28-30. I'll be in booth 178 - the Purple Zone- which is where I've been located before. One thing I love about this event is the location. M y booth is situated close to the herb garden, which is laid out on an inviting pathway, full of life and color. I look forward to taking photos of the gardens, which will eventually find their way into my art. Here's some from last year: I'm excited to return to the event with my mixed media collage paintings. I've been at work on some new pieces, which will also be available. Here's a sneak peek at the latest work: I'm still aiming to capture that path of light through leaves. I combine paint, papers, ink, wax resist, linocut printing, colored pencils and canvas. My aim is to combine these various ma...

Parts of Art

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