Taking stock

I've been a little out of kilter the last couple of months...I feel like I've lost my mojo...stumbled on my path...took a wrong turn...whatever metaphor you'd like to insert here...but things have been "off"

I had two shows where I just didn't connect with the audience...and a couple of creative experiences that were frustrating rather than invigorating...

And then I remembered my word for the year, essence...and I realized that I had not stayed true to my essence...

I continued to fill a role that I held before...but the circumstances had changed...

I attempted to have a little something for everyone...and ended up with little for myself...

I hesitated in making important decisions...biding my time...

And in a moment of frustration, pain and exhaustion, which actually lead to broken glass...
it became clear to me...

I needed to stop what I was doing...it wasn't working...and instead pick up the piece that spoke to my soul...

to focus on my art...and scale back other projects that, while interesting, are a distraction...

to participate in a community that thrives on bringing out the best in others in cooperation, not competition...

to cultivate my creative essence to fuel my dreams...

Interesting that this assessment came in June...as a throw-back to my non-profit planning days, a mid-year alignment was always a good idea...so fortuitous for me...hoping I'm back on track now...

Do you have a word for the year?  How's it going for you?

Stationery supplies...

I have a thing about stationery supplies...and I know I'm not alone...something about feeling organized...
and ready to tackle any project at hand...and when the supplies are of a vintage nature...all the better!

A couple of weeks ago...while I was supposed to be "working"...I snuck away to an estate sale...just a couple of blocks away...picked up a few things in the garage...but it was on Sunday when I returned for the "we are ready to make a deal to get rid of everything" sale...that I found the real treasures...

These are the things that make my collage artwork sing...old raffle tickets with their faded color...

the red bordered gummed labels...
a series of numbered tags...#1 to #24 (but #2 is missing...mmm...)

This old paintbrush is priceless...

and the well-loved typewriter eraser that is ever so gently worn in just one spot...
over the years, correcting misspelled words...

Kim Klassen is hosting a new link-up called Friday Finds...sharing whatever special finds you discover during the week...not anything grand or glorious...but rather those simple pleasures...that can bring such delight...I think its going to be my new Friday addiction...that is, after I check out the estate sale ads in the local paper...

A whirlwind of a weekend

This past weekend was The Farm Chicks Show in Spokane, WA...it was my first time as a vendor...such a whirlwind of activity...from driving across the entire state of Washington...to seeing old friends and making new acquaintances...to a bone-weary body...to an overstimulated brain buzzing with ideas...it was all rolled into one Farm Chicks experience...

A few pics of my booth...so much in one little 10' x 10' square...

As many a vendor will attest...there is not much time to get out and see the show for yourself...but its difficult knowing that there is so much great junk out there and you can't experience it!  So tried as I may, I ran around quickly Sunday morning and took a few shots of what caught my eye...so please excuse if they are a little out of focus!

The weekend wouldn't have been possible without the assistance of a few wonderful people...Serena Thompson, creator and the organizational force behind The Farm Chicks...Janna and Kent Lufkin of Raw Materials Design who were terrific dining buddies...Jody Carlson Cain of Latitude Studios , sounding board ...and the Southern Man for driving the beast of a rental van, lugging a ton of steel rod and sweet-talking all the women in my booth with southern charm...

Now...what am I doing with the leftover boxes in my dining room? ...stay tuned...

On the road to the Farm Chicks show

All of the prep, paint, glue and nails has come down to this...this morning I leave for The Farm Chicks Show...
I'm like a bird taking flight - off into the blue yonder...







In the midst of all the packing and organizing, I was struck with a moment of inspiration of what to do with those rusted springs that I bought last year at the Farm Chicks show...a bit of old cocoa mat hanging basket liner...a handful of feathers...a wooden bird covered with vintage wallpaper...a specially chosen dictionary word for good measure...

If you're coming to the show...I'm in Booth 170, Bay 2...
please stop and say hi!

If you're not coming...you can live vicariously through my posts on my four corners design Facebook page...didn't know that I had a FB page?...well, its time to hop over, check it out and "like" my page so you can stay in the loop with what's going on at the show...

So now you know what I'll be doing this coming weekend - what about you?  Whatever your plans are for this first weekend in June, I hope that it gladdens your heart...

A package deal

Its down to the wire now...almost ready to hit the road to Farm Chicks...all of the art/cards/projects/junk has been packed and priced...there's just a few more details to finish up...

And those details pertain to the rest of the package...from what you view when you approach my booth - to the goodies you see inside - to what you take away - even if its only a business card...I have planned for all of it... those of you who know me understand that little happens by accident...but when everything flows together, there's a cohesiveness...and you and your product are recognized and remembered.

Since this is an indoor show, I wanted a different display for my artwork...I didn't want to use my outdoor canopy frame...so I decided to construct a basic frame out of galvanized pipe, from which I will hang my display panels which hold my artwork...the metal pipe fits in perfectly with the junk vibe of my work.  I enlisted the help of two of my cohorts at Lowe's...Dennis and Ron in the plumbing department...they were godsends!  I came to them with my initial idea...they helped me figured out the details...and then cut and threaded all of the pipe...and they didn't think I was crazy...especially when Dennis told me he used to work at the Reno Lowe's and would always know when Burning Man was close at hand by the odd requests for building things that were a bit out of the ordinary...

When all the pipe was cut, threaded and assembled in sections, Dennis drew me a diagram of the display, color coded nonetheless...

I can't thank the two of them enough for their expertise, time and patience...

The other project that required expertise assistance were the aprons I made for myself and the Southern Man to wear during the show...I wanted to have at hand all of the necessities for transacting business...an apron seemed the logical answer...I looked around my studio for materials...and came across several director chair covers that I picked up for pennies a couple of years ago...I liked the colors and the fabric and thought they might be useful some day...that day arrived...I went to work...

I took the completed aprons to Kate of Full Circle Studio...and she applied my logo onto the front of each apron, using her hot iron press...its the crowning touch!

There are certainly a thousand and one details to remember...good thing I'm a list maker...
can one ever be too organized?

Investigating inspiration

I always jump at the chance to visit an artist's studio...I'm completely mesmerized by their space...how is it organized...or not...what surrounds them in their creative area...what are their tools and their raw materials...

So when Kate of Full Circle Studio suggested we get together to swap creative ideas, I immediately checked my calendar and put the date in ink!




Before we started on our project of experimenting with transferring my collage images to fabric, I had a chance to investigate and look around...





The desk area...

The worktable...with a lovely view of the garden...

One of Kate's inspiration boards...

Soon enough it was time to get to work...Kate has a commercial grade hot press iron...she creates the most beautiful images that are printed onto flour sack towels (available for sale here!)  She thought that some of my images might lend itself to this process...I brought along a variety of fabrics to dabble with...

First the files were set up in Photoshop and the images printed onto transfer paper...

the hot iron press...
yes, that's the temperature...363 degrees...

placing the transfer onto the fabric...

smoothing out the fabric
once the transfer is complete...

















And here it is...the towel with my transferred design...

 
 

























But this was only part of the fun we had...can't wait to share what else we printed up that day...