Syracuse Arts & Crafts Festival

Well, the much anticipated weekend has past. It was a PERFECT weekend for the show. The weather was EXCELLENT! The folks that were around me at the Plymouth Church location were wonderful new acquaintances. People spent loads of time looking and wondering what this thing called felt was... I did do demonstrating all weekend and completed 2 eyeglass cases and nearly finished a great troll. It is amazing to me that more people are familiar with knitting and throwing it in the washing machine to full the piece and call it felting. I guess we can thank instant crafts for this misnomer.

Felters Unite! We must get the word out - felt is the manipulation for fleece from fiber animals - mostly by hand and is the oldest means of creating fabric known to humankind... Felt must be introduced as an excellent, beautiful, and even "green" art form!!!

Can it really be???

I just looked at the calendar, or maybe it was that I just listened to the commercials blaring at me from the "tube" (NOTE FOR YOUNG READERS: Tube: ancient term understood by humans from a previous millennium)...Sunday is the 4th of July... It can't be! The days fly by - the warm breezes come and go and the summer is half past...

Now you must understand, I have not been comatose...not really, it is just that I have moved down below into the "lower level" (READ: much cooler in the basement to wrangle wool!) The basement felting studio is a wonderful place on a hot summer day, but the days seem to pass more quickly when you live "down below"!

DECISION: 1. I will move my felting frenzy to the backyard in the days to come. 2. I will sit outside at least once a day and listen to the birds... 3. I WILL find some sort of shoreline with water and I WILL submerge these toes!!! (Where oh where is my beautiful ocean view off of Watch Hill, RI!!! I do get homesick for New England...)

Take time to enjoy the Summer Breezes like my latest woolly buddy Max who actually did catch his big fish!!!

Painting with Fiber

Here are a few of my latest pieces...
Amazing fiber...so fun to paint with!!!

Reprieve!!!

Amazement! Joy! FREEDOM!!!
I was rechecking my information for the next shows on my Spring & Summer list and found wonderful news... I actually have absolute freedom until after the 4th of July. What was even more exciting - it actually proved to spur my creative juices... VERY INTERESTING!
So back to the felting table...HAPPILY!!!

Summertime Shows

Finally, a free weekend...my artsy life has been full to the brim with one show after another... This past weekend was the wonderful Westcott Art Trail in Syracuse - wonderful people, crazy weather, great music and food...
This weekend...my Great Blue Heron took flight and went to its forever home - it was like saying good-bye to a child as they leave for college (but no bills accompanying!!!) The lovely lady that chose to take the heron home is from a family of bird lovers that have a special affinity for herons...she stood outside my booth and contemplated my bird...it was a match!
Now to see what other fiber birds find homes this year!

The Business of Art-making

I woke this morning with my mind filled with the dreams I had enjoyed of amazing vessels, unique felt designs to try and even some cute felt booties to create...so off to the studio bright and early - with my morning cup of tea. No sooner had I arrived in my color-filled studio when I was hit with the pangs of the "Business of Art-making..." I had bookwork to finish, summer shows to apply to and then there came those hours of online research to find the right little box to house those cute little booties... No sooner had I finished all of that oh so important business stuff when I realized the day had passed and it was time to run to the local art supply to pick up those "necessities"... So the sun has set here and there are no newly created pieces in the studio BUT the Business of Art-making is complete for the time being. So I ask you, why can't the artists of the world afford admins? WHERE OH WHERE ARE THE MEDICI FAMILIES OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM?

...in the beginning...

My artistic journey began before my mind recalls...and is flowing into an amazing ocean of creativity and joy...

I promise to share with you the continuing journey as it unfolds...

...so come along and watch as a willing sheep's fleece becomes creative expression and art!