Countdown to Art Walk
I may have mentioned last week that things were a lil' busy around the castle last week... here's one of the reasons why.
In two weeks, I'll be participating in this month's Edmonds Art Walk. It'll be my first exhibit, apart from having done some craft fairs at work. If you're in the Seattle area or the south end of Snohomish County, please come check out my latest art!
Here's when and where:
Third Thursday (February 18th this month), at the Resident Cheesemonger. (I'll be the art monger at the Cheesemonger.)
So when you arrive -- ahem, when you arrive -- you'll see two framed pieces as you walk in the door, replacing these cheese festival posters...
... an assemblage on this table, and some of my Recession Tarot notebooks as well.
Here's when and where:
So when you arrive -- ahem, when you arrive -- you'll see two framed pieces as you walk in the door, replacing these cheese festival posters...
I promise to let you sample the cheeses too!
Okay, I'm busted. The cheese tasting is part of the event. You know, store owner gets a new draw for the store, artist gets a place to exhibit work... that's what these art walks are meant to do.
Now remember, there is some serious cheese in here, so temptation abounds. Eat the cheese, hang the art. Not the other way around, although my art is deeeelicious. Next post, I'll show you what I'm bringing to the Cheesemonger.
Welcome to the Dollhouse!
Since I've been telling you a fairy tale recently, I think it's time to show you a few glimpses of fairy tales come to life.
Like an undersea grotto where a mermaid uses a bubble for a baby crib...
... or a treehouse with a nest for a bed (Girls are allowed, really. That sign's just for show.)...
... or maybe a fantastical kitchen where the sun literally bursts through the window.
All these and more are in the new book [cue the drumroll....]:
Mixed-Media Dollhouses! Now available for pre-order, don'tcha know.
This baby is the result of nearly four years of dreaming and super-secret hard work. Tally invited me to participate right at a time when I was feeling pretty down about my art. Talk about a pick-me-up... You know how you can feel an idea uncurling in your brain? It was like that in the beginning, as Tally and Julie set up a Yahoo! group for us to discuss how to make the dollhouses. We created seven themed houses in all, each made of altered cigar box "rooms." Each artist chose a room in each house, like the kitchen, attic, bedroom, etc. (On the book's cover, my treehouse "bedroom" is on the left, second from the ground.)
Besides Tally, Julie and me, you'll recognize some names of the other contributors: Kelly Snelling, Deryn Mentock, Gale Blair of Paper Whimsy, Mary Haldeman, Debrina Pratt, Theresa mARTin, Caryl Hoobler of Caryl's Realm, Paula Dion and Lupe Padilla. (Dang, that's like a whole day's worth of links to peruse.)
The book will hit Barnes & Noble shelves on March 1st. More to come in the weeks ahead -- and if you're coming to Artfest this year, Tally and I might even be able to show you the book in person!
This baby is the result of nearly four years of dreaming and super-secret hard work. Tally invited me to participate right at a time when I was feeling pretty down about my art. Talk about a pick-me-up... You know how you can feel an idea uncurling in your brain? It was like that in the beginning, as Tally and Julie set up a Yahoo! group for us to discuss how to make the dollhouses. We created seven themed houses in all, each made of altered cigar box "rooms." Each artist chose a room in each house, like the kitchen, attic, bedroom, etc. (On the book's cover, my treehouse "bedroom" is on the left, second from the ground.)
Besides Tally, Julie and me, you'll recognize some names of the other contributors: Kelly Snelling, Deryn Mentock, Gale Blair of Paper Whimsy, Mary Haldeman, Debrina Pratt, Theresa mARTin, Caryl Hoobler of Caryl's Realm, Paula Dion and Lupe Padilla. (Dang, that's like a whole day's worth of links to peruse.)
The book will hit Barnes & Noble shelves on March 1st. More to come in the weeks ahead -- and if you're coming to Artfest this year, Tally and I might even be able to show you the book in person!
The Crab Claw, finale
Dang, but it's been busy around my castle. I haven't forgotten you, though. Here's the finale, after the recap:
Once there was a girl who was born with a crab claw where her right hand should have been. At first no one seemed to notice the claw itself, but they did notice what it clung to: words, hair, other people. As she grew, her clutch turned into an iron grip. Then one day, as the girl sat on a riverbank dangling her claw moodily in the water, the claw clamped on a stone and became stuck between two larger stones. The girl screamed and tried to wrench her claw free, but she was trapped. Finally the girl noticed she could free herself if she just opened her claw and wiggled it the right way. It...
As they say in the Grimm's Fairy Tales: My story's done, the tale is won. Or something like that. Tell me a story... what's the fairy tale you've been telling yourself recently?