Parts of Art

       My dear sister recently reminded me that of us three children, I was the one who was most content to stay inside and color while my siblings craved being outside.  Okay, she was right. I remember being 6 or 7 and spending time in the closet. And by closet I  mean the toy closet, so it was a cool place to hang out. But I wasn’t in there just to play with toys; it was mostly to make art. Once a friend of my mom’s came for a visit and her young daughter was with her, so the girl came into the closet with me and we made jewelry out of newspaper. Go figure, it was fun!         Now don’t get me wrong. I spent plenty of time outside. We lived at the end of  long dead-end street. Between our house and our neighbors there was a vacant wooded lot, across the street there were two vacant wooded lots, and behind our home was a huge open field.       It really was the perfect place to grow up and be out...

       It was a summer art show in southern Indiana. We were set up in an open field in a park on a very hot muggy weekend. There was not a great turn-out of visitors, and those that did come were just too damn hot to try on jewelry. The artists in the booths next to me and across from me were grumbling, as artists tend to do when it’s not the perfect show. I spent my time drinking large quantities of water, cooling myself with cold washcloths, and doing my best to not give in to the negative vibe around me.       And then along came this wonderful lady, all sunshine and smiles. She took a real interest in my jewelry and wanted to see everything I had in her color choices. She seemed oblivious to the heat. For the next 30 minutes or so she tried on and oohed and ahhed over several pieces, ultimately deciding on a bracelet and two pairs of earrings.        Once again, it was as though I had made the pieces just for...

      I always tell folks when they purchase a kit from me to send me a picture of the finished earrings and I will post it on my blog. I even tell people that they will be FAMOUS!! ( to all 5 people who read my blog!) So occasionally I get pictures of the earrings that are made from the kits. Here is the latest entry, and here’s the story of the artist:                    This past June I was set up at the Old Mill Festival in Noblesville, Indiana. Across from my booth was a very cute, very old school camper that was artfully decked out and looked inviting. I had to go check it out. What I found was two lovely ladies that have taken their passion for art and their love for teaching on the road.  Look at what they’re doing!!       How fun is that?! I want to take one of their classes just so I can hang out in the cool camper with kids!       I love that o...