Parts of Art

 It happened again today. I’m at an art show with my Parts of Art jewelry. Now mind you, my inventory is pretty extensive, since last year we went into pause mode on shows and I spent extra time making wearable art. Still though, sometimes at the end of the day of making jewelry I look at the work and think “Oh. My. God. What was I thinking? Who would wear this?” So on and so on. That inner dialogue can just go like a runaway train. But then, I go to a show and put out my wares, and sooner or later here she comes.        We had a wonderful time sharing our love for wearable art as well as a few laughs. She had spotted it right away in my display case, and although I showed her a few other pieces, this was clearly the one I made for her before we met. And we both knew it. There were earrings that matched the bracelet, but she said that in her opinion “matching” is for older women. Then she added that “When I turn 70, which is soon, I might come back for those!” ...

    I have always believed that people love to see behind the scenes in the artist studio. It’s like looking behind the curtain and seeing what goes on backstage, to see how the art is crafted, what tools and materials are used, and how the artist thinks.        To this end, I am thrilled to unveil a new video that tells my story of the origins of Parts of Art.  A big shout out to the producer and videographer   @Moguefilms .                                           Here are some of the pieces seen on the video.                                              Want to see more?                                     ...

       Shenanigans  | SHəˈnanəgənz |  pl. noun  informal  secret or dishonest activity or maneuvering :  “ widespread financial shenanigans had ruined the fortunes of many .” •  silly or high-spirited behavior;  mischief . ORIGIN  mid 19th cent. : of unknown  origin .         There will come a time when said shenanigans are over and our lives  will return to some version of normal. So what, until then, do we do?           This past year and a half, as you may already know, I have been immersed in a body of work called “Of the Woods ”. It has been quite an exercise of patient endurance for me, to come up with a series of new pieces and get them completed, photographed, and professionally framed. It’s been like planting seeds in ground that would produce fruit eventually, but its artwork instead of food. And because I had made the decision to give it a year and...

Okay folks, I know I recently declared that I am done with jewelry making until further notice.   Famous last words!   I just hit a great after Christmas sale on beads, and they WANT to be made into some amazing new upcycled pieces of wearable art.  Then yesterday I pulled some delicious dried paint off the artist palette. Yeah, I can’t help it. It’s too hard to resist!                                                                       I mean come on!! Aren’t they all just too good to wait?!      So to celebrate the New Year and give all of us some time to play and make art in the studio, I am excited to announce a special event at a special price: Upcycled Treasure Workshop   It promises to  be a super fun time filled with ideas an...

       So it turns out as I suspected. I got into a show that was clearly NOT a juried art festival. It was a two-day arts, crafts, and wine festival, complete with the usual   plethora of made-in-China crafts and commercial vendors. Ok, so I should have known better. I mean, I pretty much knew what I was getting into when I signed up and sent in my money. So why did I do it when I knew better? The reason is simple and valid: my son and daughter-in-law live right across the street, and I want to spend time with them.    So, no big surprise that my well heeled ladies did not attend this particular venue.   I had to make a decision what to do with my head. How to make the best of it when a show is not the best fit?   Here's some ideas:  Work on inventory. I use the time to go through my inventory of wearable upcycled art and tweek, re-do, and otherwise artfully alter. It's always needful and profitable.  Plus, people li...

I wrote this on the back of an envelope at my last show: I’m sitting in my new white tent, four hours from my peaceful country studio.  It’s raining. Again.  And this time I’m too far away from my studio to spend yet another rainy afternoon there.  Which brings me to the age old question: Why am I here?  And, more importantly, What does it take to keep getting here?  So here’s my four part answer to the question about what it takes, which I believe also answers why am I here.  Show up Maybe once or twice in my 30 plus years of doing art shows I have experienced the perfect show. Perfect weather both days. Perfect location, lots of customers who bought exactly what I made for  them without questioning whether I had it in orange  (I don’t) or if I am from here (I’m not) or if I teach classes (nope). Other than those two perfect shows (which I actually may have fabricated in my memory) all other events have been a ...

Here’s another satisfied customer!  Mom says: "Meara did most of the work herself (I bent the wire for her to connect the findings). She had a good time piecing it together. What a fantastic idea to sell the kits at your shows. ” Before I started selling the kits at shows, I “tried it out” on two 11 year old twins. They did great! With very little instruction, they each produced a pair of unique and artful earrings. Since then I have sold many many kits, not only for 11 year old girls, but to women who wanted a fun craft for ladies night out, for birthday parties, for stocking stuffers, for grandmas to make with her grandkids, for jewelry makers to add to their repertoire with new materials, and to jewelry lovers of all ages. At a recent show, one of my customers came by who had purchased a kit the year before. She was wearing the pair of earrings she had made from the kit, and was ready to purchase again. I loved seeing how she took the contents of the ...

       Now that autumn is officially here, and the natural color palette of the landscape is warm and muted, I am focusing on the beautiful muted green called sage. Here’s  a description and recipe from Bustanoby’s Color Manual, 1939: Sage green Grayish green of  dull character, resembling the undried narrow, wrinkled leaves of the sage plant, used as a seasoning in cooking. Sage Green was recorded as a color name as early as 1596. In the reign of King Henry VIII, when the enjoyment of food was a high art, it was customary to have kitchen gardens growing sage and other plants, used as subtle seasonings for foods. This practice is still followed today in some rural localities. 16 parts Zinc White 8 parts Yellow Ochre 1 part Ultramarine Blue Speaking of the autumn palette, here is what I have recently pulled from mine:  Always looking for harmonious blends, I find that sage green pairs well with lavender and black. ...

     This neck piece was one I made several years ago, from a very thick and variegated section of an artist palette. The palette was not from the usual source (my husband) but was given to me by a friend who is a prolific painter. It must have  had 10 to 15 layers of dried acrylic paint on it! In fact, the top layer was so splattered and multicolored, I came to think of it as the Jackson Pollack palette.  Here are some of Pollack’s painting from his “drip” period:     Not that Pollack ever used a palette! He actually became best known for the large canvases tacked to the  floor of his barn studio,  on which he dripped paint straight out of the paint can.         But if he  DID  have  a palette, this is probably what it would have looked like! Here is the necklace in the design build phase at my work space:              I cut selecte...

In this lively workshop we will focus on designing and producing the components of mixed media art jewelry. By the end of the session, guests will be able to take home pieces of wearable art of their own design.  Parts of Parts of Art include handmade textured paper, acrylic paint skins, canvas remnants, polymer clay beads, paper beads, and various painted and textured surfaces. All tools and materials will be provided to guests. Snacks, coffee and cold drinks will also be available.  Parts of Parts of Art workshop will take place on Saturday, May 26th. Schedule for the workshop:  10 AM introduction and demonstration  10:15-11 design and build parts of parts of art 11 coffee & snack extravaganza 11:15-12 put all the parts of art together The workshop will take place in my inspiring and peaceful country studio outside Alexandria Indiana. Once your registration is completed you will receive directions and details. See you th...