Szozda Gallery - Full Circle

I have been busy as a bee preparing for the opening tonight of the show, Full Circle at the Szozda Gallery in Syracuse. My vessels are part of a three woman show, my wonderful artist friend Linda Esterly recommended me for this event. It is a thrill to be showing my work alongside her amazing collage paintings. Her expression of inner being emanates from each piece.
It was such a thrill to see my vessels on display as Caroline the owner of Szozda was tweaking the lighting to be just perfect. My work in 3D is fairly new, and I am enjoying the challenge of it... it is very symbiotic...it evolves beneath my fingers. I perceive a piece and begin and by the time it is completed I see something so very different and exciting! So come to Szozda if you are in the area - the show will be on from now until April 3. I will be doing a felting demonstration at the gallery on Saturday, April 2nd, so if you would like to see how the wool transforms from fluff to art please join us there on the 2nd from 11 to 4.

Winter Means Art Fair Applications

After a few months hiatus and managing the various issues of life, it is time to plan for 2011... Out to the post went the contract for a show with my artist friend Linda Esterly, at Szozda Gallery on Fayette Street in Syracuse in March 9 thru April 3, a short stent at Jowonio School as the Artist in Residence for a fun felting experience with loads of students under the title: "Everyone is an Artist!"... Finally applications off to several Spring and Fall shows. The most fun show this Summer will probably be participating in the Finger Lakes Lavender Festival in Skaneateles, NY July 9-10. What fun to meld my felting art with the wonderful sights and smells of the Lockwood Lavender Farm...

So it is back to the fiber studio for this artist!

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!