New Black and White Lovebird Lamp

I've been making some new lamps lately with a more graphic yet still romantic feel. I love limited color palettes so I've decided to do a few lamps that are black and white only. The clay lovebirds in the nest made of weathered wire, old sheet music, and torn bits of canvas are pale yellow. The shade is made from layers of black and white tissue paper and it is rimmed with black fringe. The light is 5 watts, which gives a soft subtle glow and is suspended by a 15-foot electric cord with weathered brass chain. This is a OOAK piece. Please click on this link for more info or to purchase in my Etsy shop!

New Orleans Jazz Fest 2010

I just got back from doing the New Orleans Jazz Fest art fair. Here's some photos of my son Murphy and I in my demo booth. I demonstrated my wire work for 4 days of the fest and it was a blast. I even won the Best of Show award! The people there are so supportive of the arts. I had a great time, ate some AMAZING food and it's wonderful to know that I'll be back next year.

New Stuff in my Etsy Shop

Lg Lovebird Cage on Hanging Plaque
Sm Rollercoaster Cage on Hanging Plaque

It's been waaaaay too long since I added some new pieces to my Etsy shop but now that I've started, I can't stop...each day I'm trying to add at least one. Here are some photos of some of the new pieces-cages that hang from found wood plaques on the wall. I also have a new ferris wheel with a curtain behind it. A few of my lamps will be listed there soon too!

Plaza Art Fair Photos and News

Last weekend's Plaza Art Fair was great-we were so lucky-the weather was fantastic and there were a TON of people there. Also, I was fortunate enough to win a Shared Top Award for 3D Mixed Media!! All in all, it was a great experience and I will definitely be there next year! Here's some shots of the way my booth turned out-so glad we set it up 3 times before the actual event.

New Work for the Plaza Art Fair

Large Light with Ferris Wheel-3' tall by 18" wide

Hanging Circus Light w/ Striped Curtain-18"tall by 14" wide

Hanging Light w/ Circus Wagon-18" tall by 15" wide

Hanging Light w/ Rollercoaster-16" tall by 15" wide

Large Helter Skelter Hanging Light-32" tall by 16" wide

Large Hanging Light 1-34" tall by 18" wide

Ferris Wheel on Wood Base-16" tall by 9" wide

I've been working long days and quite a few nights getting ready for the upcoming Plaza Art Fair, held here in KC from Sept. 25-27. Here's some of my new pieces for the show-I find I really love making the lamps so I've made some new hanging ones that are larger, three of them are almost 3 feet in height and the smaller ones are about 18 inches tall. I've also made a new, smaller ferris wheel with a curtain backdrop. Can't wait for the show!

new found freedom-volume 1

Lucky, the new boss
the satellite office
the studio

Well, I got laid off from my job this week. I was an art director at a "large Midwestern greeting card company" for the last 3 years but a designer before that for many more. I've worked there off and on for 17 years or and have had a chance to make some wonderful friends and learn more than they teach in any art school but the business has changed and the company is growing smaller to deal with those changes. Although I'm really sad to leave my good friends and coworkers, I know I'll see them again from time to time PLUS I have alot of orders to fill from the Philly show along with 4 shows lined up before the end of the year-so I look at this as a new beginning. Thought you all might like to see where I'll be going to work every day now-the commute is alot shorter (just down some steps), I'll have a satellite office when the weather is beautiful, and my new boss is also my running buddy. I began this first day by sprinting up two of the highest hills I could find with him, then he told me to get back to work. Here's to whatever lies ahead!

work wOrk WOrK!

I've been a bad little blogger lately but only because I've been burning the candle at both ends to get ready for the upcoming Buyer's Market of American Craft in Philadelphia, PA. I'm traveling by myself to this big show for the first time so wish me luck...it scares me a bit but is the most cost-effective way to do an out of town show. I'm excited to be seeing a new city for the first time though and meet some other artists and potential clients! Here's some of the pieces I've been cooking up for the show-the cake toppers will be available in my Etsy shop for custom orders. The small wire tents that hang from found wood are new pieces for me-I'm "branching" out-(ok sorry but I can't resist a good pun...or a bad one) and I'm selling these little guys here in KC at Latteland til late August and again in September at the Plaza Art Fair.

Still Life with Gary

It was such a lovely day last Sunday that I worked outside on the back porch again, this time with my sidekick Gary. He's under alot of stress, as you can tell!  He actually spends more time on his back than any other cat I've seen...must be nice huh?  Anyway, these are some more new small pieces I'm working on for a show at Latteland here in KC from June 25-Aug 23. The bottom photo shows the finished product. I may be putting them on Etsy soon also. 

Still Life with Stripes

Here's what I've been working on lately--some new cages in some new shapes! A before and after view. This time I've painted some found wooden squares as bases for the larger cages. Do you like the addition of the wood? I'm trying a bit more solid and substantial look. 

You can click here to purchase or get more info on Etsy.

Oh and also a short story about the found wood--my 13 year old son Murphy and I were in the car one day and drove by a house that had a pile of discarded wood laying by their driveway. I stopped to pick it up (who wouldn't) and as I'm getting the wood Murphy started laying on the horn--he was trying to rattle me, but the people who lived there looked out and saw me and just went back to what they were doing....I told him I don't get embarrassed by picking through other people's trash. He didn't understand. I think we may get embarrassed by different things.

New Work:Circus/WIld West Stages

Well yesterday's Art On The Hill show was slower than I wish it had been but I still believe that this economy will turn around sometime(hopefully soon!)  Until then I'm going to just keep swimming, and making things that make me happy in hopes it will do the same for somebody else. On that note, here are 3 new pieces on found wood "stages". They can hang on the wall or sit on a flat surface. They're constructed of custom printed fabric, wire, found wood, paperclay, metal and tissue paper. They will also be in my Etsy shop-just click here for more info or to purchase.

Circus Wagon 1 and Cavalcade of Mischief

Thanks so much to the people who commented on the booth shot in my last post, and for those who requested a closer view of my 2D wall pieces, here ya go- the first one is titled "Circus Wagon 1" and it's made from tent canvas with tissue paper, custom printed fabric, wire and acrylic paint. It's around 13"high by 17" wide. In these photos I'm showing both these pieces without the larger canvas and frame.

The second piece is called "Cavalcade of Mischief" and it's also made from tent canvas, acrylic paint, wire, fabric and fringe. It's 25" high by 15" wide.

Booth Shot

Okay I finally got a photographer in to take some better shots of my pieces that I'll use for art fairs, etc. I know it's hard to see the detail in the smaller pieces in this shot but I love the light and think she did a fantastic job. By the way, "she" is LisaRae Turnbull-Oliva and I would love to send some business her way if anyone needs some photos! 

Twist of Fate

Here's my latest and largest piece to date. It has a somewhat personal meaning as it's a piece about Hurricane Katrina and what my sister's family went through during and after it. The tent represents New Orleans, formerly flashy and frivolous, then devastated and wilted after the hurricane. The birds are supposed to convey a somewhat spooky element, like the birds perching on the playground bars in Hitchcock's "The Birds" but they also represent life and eventually, hope for the future.  

It stands about 24" high by 20" wide and is constructed of tent canvas, wire, tissue paper, and paperclay.