No New Year's Resolutions - Artist's musings

So, I finally had a few minutes to myself and started thinking about what's in store for me, my art, my life for 2009. Now I'm not really a person who makes resolutions every year. I mean things like "lose weight" and "get more exercise" and "eat better" are kinda life long pursuits!

But I am very goal oriented. I'd rather focus on positive pursuits, and the three aforementioned resolutions always leave me feeling depressed when I fail miserably. So...let's just take those three for granted and move on! Here goes:

1. Do at least 2 juried art shows. I've only shown my work on the web and in galleries to date, mainly because it's tough having enough inventory to fill a 10x10 tent. (good news/bad news!)

2. Do a few art and crafts fairs. Probably a good place to start, don't you think? I can get my feet wet, so to speak, at little risk and work my way up to the juried shows.

3. Take at least two classes or workshops. I'm very interested in enameling. Have been trying to find a good way to add color to my pieces besides using stones. One of my fellow team members from the Art Jewelry Collective has started enameling and has had great results. Take a look:

http://charmdimsur.etsy.com/

Pretty neat, huh? And they seem to have been sold right away! Nice! So, back to my goals:

4. Develop a separate line of designs for less expensive metal work. One for the high end, one for the middle of the road pricing. Bangles, cuffs, earrings that are fairly simple and fast to make. They might be good for the art fairs. My change- a- bead earrings are doing quite well, and they've even started to sell on Etsy, though I suspect they stand out like a sore thumb on my site because it's not my "usual" style. Like the ones below -

I think if I accomplish all of this, I'll have a very busy year! My personal goals will remain personal....you don't need the details, do you? But you can add "eat better", "exercise more", and "lose weight"! Hey, I'm just saying.....

Toodles,

Gallery Opening

Wow, time flies so fast! I had just gotten back from Europe, now I've had the gallery opening, and next week is Christmas. Yikes! I'm not really ready, but I hope to catch up this weekend. The gallery opening was great. What a thrill for me...it was my first as the featured artist and I have to say, I didn't realize how much work it would be. I had 40 pieces and the installation took two days! By the time the opening arrived, I was exhausted. If you've never done one, let me tell you - the stress is something else. First, getting the pieces ready, then the installation, then worrying "what if no one shows up?" and finally - "what if nobody likes it?" Well, the roof didn't cave in, the gallery was packed, and many pieces went out the door! I was thrilled. Of course, none of this would have happened without the love and support of my girls, the ya ya's.

Then last week we had an Art Stroll downtown, and many artists set up tables on the sidewalks. It was cold, for Florida, low 60's, so the gallery served hot chocolate and tons of cookies, baked by ya yas Audrey and Judy...talk about sugar overload. We sponsored a horse and buggy ride and the children loved it. Again, the gallery was packed. I'm proud to report that my displays have been stripped almost bare. So guess what I'm doing between now and Christmas??? yup, making more stuff to fill the empty spaces. Hey, I'm not complaining!

This is me and DH (dear husband) at the opening, standing in front of "Electra", part of the strong women series.

"Electra"

"Cassiopia" "Pandora's Box"

Well, that's all I have for now. Lots of exciting things going on, and despite the poor economy, Christmas looks to be fun this year with tons of parties, a boat parade, a gallery event tomorrow and food! Lots and lots of food! Eat well, y'all and have a very Merry Christmas! Toodles,

I'm Back!

Well, I've been gone almost a month! I never realized how much I would miss tending my on line store, my on line friends, and my torch! But I sure did manage to enjoy it anyway!

For those of you who don't know, I spent 3 days in Venice, Italy and then hopped on a ship and cruised for 17 days. We went to Rome, Sicily, Dubrovnik (Croatia), Spain, Portugal, Corfu, Cadiz, Madiera and Nassau. The cruise ended in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida...about a 5 hour drive from home. The ports of call were wonderful. We ventured out on our own and wound up walking, taking a train or a bus through the countries, and avoiding a lot of the tourist traps. There's just so much to tell you, but I'm going to do it in segments.

Fast forward to the ship....6 days trans Atlantic! There was an organized 5K walk for the Susan Komen foundation for breast cancer. I was really excited to be able to participate in the walk, for a cause I feel very strongly about. If you remember way back, my life cuff was inspired by the death of a dear friend....and she had breast cancer. So it's a bit of an understatement to say I'm a little emotional about it. I was able to complete the walk....and it was very cool to be walking the circumference of the ship...9 laps, with two long term survivors. What an inspiration they were!

Here's some pics:

Like I said before, it was a great experience but I'm glad to be home. Even though it means I'm doing 5 tons of laundry....who wore all those clothes anyway??? But I sought and found artists in every country we visited, and I came back inspired by what I saw and ready to go to work.

I'm preparing for a gallery show that opens Dec. 5th and right now, I'm feeling under the gun. But like everything else, it's just another challenge....and I'm up for it!

Till next time,

Toodles

Gallery Musings...

I went to an opening at the Progress Energy Art Gallery in my town Friday night. This is the gallery where I've been putting some of my pieces and will be the featured artist in December. Anyway, this opening was unbelievable. The name of the show was Persona Obscura and featured incredible masks by Sergio Flores.

There were several other new young artists there, all having their first shows as well. The amazing talent showcased here Friday night was something to behold. But I need to give you a little background so you'll know why I'm so thrilled with what I saw.

This is a sleepy little town. It's been very slow to support the arts, though the elders have made several attempts to turn this into an artists' haven. It was, in fact, reputed to be the hideaway for some very famous movies stars back in the WWII days, and the town has put up murals on old building walls to depict the "good old days". The art gallery made several attempts to showcase local artists, but until recently, the focus for this little town has been the water, and all the accompanying activities. That changed when Karen Tolliver became the gallery director. Under her leadership, a legion of supporters has been steadily growing....though much of the works shown were oils and photos....lovely art, but somewhat quiet and staid. Recently, we've been showing more wearable art, and collage art...and we still have a long way to go...but we're getting there!

So...along comes Friday nite. Dark art, some even grotesque in it's own beautiful way, hung all over our little gallery. The artists, some with their models, dressed in black with multiple piercings, along with their fans, families and friends filled the place to the rafters. A large hearse, on loan from the local funeral home, was parked out front. Wine flowed generously. It was quite a sight, and I'm sure it set this town on its' ear. But for me, the real thrill was watching the older gallery "regulars" mix with these young, incredibly sweet, new artists. They embraced this new talent and welcomed them, they shared the thrills of the night as they all discovered how truly united they were in wanting to give the art it's proper recognition. I know that Karen and the artists were very nervous as the opening approached, worried about what kind of a reception this type of art would get. But I'm here to tell you...this was the best attended opening I've been to since I joined. It was a ball! (And I bought a mask and a digital painting for my art wall...)

This town is ready...and these new artists are just the shot in the arm we need to wake up everyone to let them know we're here to stay!

Toodles,

Art Jewelry - Thinking outside the box

Sometimes I get so caught up with the business side of things, I forget how much fun I have creating new things...and stepping outside the box...a little shock and awe never hurt anyone! So, though my time for playing has been limited...I have a couple of new things I've been playing around with. And some of my friends appear to be having fun too! I've probably said this before, but one of my favorite toys is my hydraulic press. It's pretty evident that I use it a lot. But my second favorite toy is my torch! When I'm not setting things on fire, or burning myself, or accidently melting something...I'm experimenting with color and hemming and fusing. It's a big learning curve...one of the things that makes it so difficult is the lack of control ....the results are always different. I suppose that control comes with tons of practice, and that would be nice - but the element of surprise is fun too!

And here's a couple of things from my Etsy friends....

http://www.studiomarcy.etsy.com http://pattylakinsmith.etsy.com Hey, we girls just want to have fun!

Toodles!

Collaboration - What a wonderful thing!

Yikes, has it really been that long since I posted???? I've been pretty busy with creating, family stuff, boat trips, etc. but I need to be flogged for not blogging more often! I have been collaborating with a couple of other Etsy artists and I love working with them. The community feeling most artists share with one another is something to be remarked upon, because the sharing is something that allows us to learn and grow. Whenever I need advice on a design element or technique, someone is always there to help me out. And I pay it forward by offering help when asked. Ok, sometimes I offer when not asked, but that's another story!!!

One of the remarkable artists I admire so much is Patty Lakinsmith, http://www.pattylakinsmith.etsy.com/ , who makes the most remarkable lampwork beads. Recently she sent me a gorgeous bead and here's what I came up with. Oh, did I mention that she's remarkable? :)

And here's a close up of the bead. I wish I had about ten of them!!!

I love the way this piece looks and hangs. I think the colors of the wonderful bead are really highlighted with the "antique" finish of the metal, don't you? This has presented a real dilemma for me.....I want to keep it for myself and wear it...but I also want to post it in my Etsy store so that folks can see it. Maybe they have a bead they would want made into something like this.

Oh, what's a girl to do??

I've also kept up with my custom orders and recently did one I'm very proud of because of the significance of the piece to my customer. Her Dad died and left her some stones and she wanted to have them made into a cuff. He was a forester, so the design element included leaves, of course....one of my favorite things. Here's the original sketch:

And here's the result:

Well, off to the studio! Toodles,

Jewelry, Beads and other musings....

I've been so busy lately that sometimes it feels like I'm just spinning my wheels. The shop has been doing great, and the custom orders have been really keeping me busy. I also have been preparing for a member's show at the Progressive Energy Art Gallery. It's my first at this gallery, so I wanted to make sure I showed some of my more unique designs. The opening was last night, and it was really fun. I even bought a couple of things made by other artists that I really love. Here's a couple of things I made for the gallery showing.

Cleopatra

I can just imagine Ole Cleo floating down the Nile wearing this piece! It's my newest in the Strong Women series. (It's the first time I've done a neckpiece that opens in the front and I like how it turned out)

Athena

This design has been very popular for custom orders, but this time I made it in Copper and Sterling Silver.

On another note, I've become addicted to lampwork beads and other glass beads. I have no idea what I'm going to do with them but I am working with a couple of bead artists to collaborate on some designs. One will be incorporating beautiful focal beads into my designs and the other is to design some pieces that will allow the wearer to change the beads whenever she wants. Maybe to match the outfit she's wearing. In any case, I'm thrilled to be doing this and honored to be working with both these wonderful artists. I won't name them yet....but when we're done, I'll introduce the designs and collaborating bead makers. I only hope I can do justice to their wonderful art!

Ok, gotta run, Toodles!