April Showers
Apr 2011
Oh my goodness, please make the rain stop! I long for sunny and dry. I’ll even settle for sunny and wet. When it rains here everything looks gray, the sky, the streets, the houses, the air itself. I need color!
The Spring Best of the Northwest was a great show. Lots of people, lively music and yummy food to go with the art. This is turning into a must-do event each year for artists and art-lovers alike. As I mentioned last month I decided to give a percentage of my sales to the Red Cross and to Shelterbox (see last month’s post). I’m pleased to say that $225 went to those organizations for the Japanese relief efforts.
Did I mention my work was featured on the print publicity for the Spring Best of the Northwest show? You can see my piece in the sidebar; mine is the lower right horizontal pendant.
I’m teaching a class this weekend on Booth Design for the NW Art Alliance. It’s the second time I’ve taught this topic and I’m having fun with it. The NWAA is starting to do classes for artists on all sorts of topics like photographing artwork, web and email marketing, online show applications, etc. It’s a wonderful resource for artists who do juried shows.
I’ve updated my Galleries List in the How To Buy tab. Some new places to find my work are Handscapes Gallery in Beaumont, NC and 2 Wilde Hares in Pittsburg, CA. If you see a piece on my website that your local gallery doesn’t have, just tell them and they can order it from me especially for you! Here in Western Washington I’m represented by Manya Vee Selects in Edmonds and The Artist’s Remarque in La Conner.
Hope to see you at the Edmonds show in June!
The Spring Best of the Northwest was a great show. Lots of people, lively music and yummy food to go with the art. This is turning into a must-do event each year for artists and art-lovers alike. As I mentioned last month I decided to give a percentage of my sales to the Red Cross and to Shelterbox (see last month’s post). I’m pleased to say that $225 went to those organizations for the Japanese relief efforts.
Did I mention my work was featured on the print publicity for the Spring Best of the Northwest show? You can see my piece in the sidebar; mine is the lower right horizontal pendant.
I’m teaching a class this weekend on Booth Design for the NW Art Alliance. It’s the second time I’ve taught this topic and I’m having fun with it. The NWAA is starting to do classes for artists on all sorts of topics like photographing artwork, web and email marketing, online show applications, etc. It’s a wonderful resource for artists who do juried shows.
I’ve updated my Galleries List in the How To Buy tab. Some new places to find my work are Handscapes Gallery in Beaumont, NC and 2 Wilde Hares in Pittsburg, CA. If you see a piece on my website that your local gallery doesn’t have, just tell them and they can order it from me especially for you! Here in Western Washington I’m represented by Manya Vee Selects in Edmonds and The Artist’s Remarque in La Conner.
Hope to see you at the Edmonds show in June!
Gearing up for shows
Mar 2011
With Spring comes the show acceptance and rejection letters. I’m lucky, I get accepted into the majority of shows I apply for, but there are always some elusive ones. Shows that I apply to each year and don’t quite make the jury’s cut. Some I’m outright rejected for and some I get on the waitlist (always a bridesmaid, never the bride). But this year after being on the waitlist for several years I got in to the Edmonds Art Festival. WooHoo! It’s held Father’s Day weekend in Edmonds, WA usually on a lovely sunny weekend.
And I’ve been accepted into the Spring Best of the Northwest show too and that’s this weekend (March 26-27) at Magnuson Park, Hangar 30. With the tragedy in Japan on all of our minds and because so much of my work and materials are Japanese influenced, I’ve decided to give 15% of my sales to the Japan relief efforts. Half will go to the Red Cross and half to Shelterbox. All of us know the Red Cross but you may not know about Shelterbox. It’s a UK based international organization that provides, well, a Shelterbox, to people coping with disasters. The Shelterbox is an ingenious thing. It contains a 10-person all weather tent, ground covers and sleeping blankets, a tool set (hammer, shovel, saw, etc.), cooking utensils, a campstove or woodburning cooker, a children’s play pack, and other essential things for immediate survival and comfort. Please check their website(s) at Shelterbox and ShelterboxUSA .
Watch the sidebar for more show listings as I get my accept/reject letters in the next 2 months.
And I’ve been accepted into the Spring Best of the Northwest show too and that’s this weekend (March 26-27) at Magnuson Park, Hangar 30. With the tragedy in Japan on all of our minds and because so much of my work and materials are Japanese influenced, I’ve decided to give 15% of my sales to the Japan relief efforts. Half will go to the Red Cross and half to Shelterbox. All of us know the Red Cross but you may not know about Shelterbox. It’s a UK based international organization that provides, well, a Shelterbox, to people coping with disasters. The Shelterbox is an ingenious thing. It contains a 10-person all weather tent, ground covers and sleeping blankets, a tool set (hammer, shovel, saw, etc.), cooking utensils, a campstove or woodburning cooker, a children’s play pack, and other essential things for immediate survival and comfort. Please check their website(s) at Shelterbox and ShelterboxUSA .
Watch the sidebar for more show listings as I get my accept/reject letters in the next 2 months.
Winding Up and Winding Down
Nov 2010
It’s been a long Fall of excitement and of loss.
The excitement comes from beginning to wholesale my silver work and getting a resoundingly positive response. I’m just starting to get the word out about my silver and bronze work to my wholesale customers and everyone who has seen it has placed an order. So exciting! I very much appreciate the risk that gift and art shops take every day as they try a new artist or try a new line from an existing artist. They make that leap of faith when they place an order that it will look as good in person as it does on a web page or in a brochure; and that their customer demographic will see it and appreciate it the same way that they do...and, most importantly, that it will sell. Now that I know it’s a viable wholesale line, I’ll continue offering it to my customers one by one until I know how much stock to keep on hand vs. how much to make as ordered.
I have two holiday shows coming up: the Best of the Northwest Fall show on November 12-14 at the new cruise terminal in Seattle. This is a craft show extravaganza with 200 booths, music, wine tasting, food booths, etc. Discount tickets are available online at www.nwartalliance.org (regular admission is $8, discount admission is $6) . And the Phinney Winter Festival December 4-5 at the Phinney Neighborhood Center in Seattle. The Phinney show has been happening for decades and has a loyal customer base. Over 120 booths and music, food and fun abound. It’s a unique show beloved by both customers and artists. General admission is $4 + a can of food, or for Phinney members it’s $2 + a can of food. You can get more info at www.phinneycenter.org .
That’s the end of the 2010 shows for me. January/February brings the show applications for next year so from now until early Spring I can focus at my workbench and try some new techniques I’ve been eager to play with. Maybe I’ll finally get around to making those little boxes that have been flying around in my head for a couple years!
The Fall has brought some personal loss with the passing of my husband’s mother at the age of 90. Mary was a driving force in her family and her independent nature and sense of humor will be missed. She raised three outstanding children and helped to raise two outstanding granddaughters. Her husband of 66 years is coping with a great void in his life. We are trying to fill it as best we can. It’s been a time for reflection and reminiscing with lots of sharing of stories and memories, laughter and tears.
The excitement comes from beginning to wholesale my silver work and getting a resoundingly positive response. I’m just starting to get the word out about my silver and bronze work to my wholesale customers and everyone who has seen it has placed an order. So exciting! I very much appreciate the risk that gift and art shops take every day as they try a new artist or try a new line from an existing artist. They make that leap of faith when they place an order that it will look as good in person as it does on a web page or in a brochure; and that their customer demographic will see it and appreciate it the same way that they do...and, most importantly, that it will sell. Now that I know it’s a viable wholesale line, I’ll continue offering it to my customers one by one until I know how much stock to keep on hand vs. how much to make as ordered.
I have two holiday shows coming up: the Best of the Northwest Fall show on November 12-14 at the new cruise terminal in Seattle. This is a craft show extravaganza with 200 booths, music, wine tasting, food booths, etc. Discount tickets are available online at www.nwartalliance.org (regular admission is $8, discount admission is $6) . And the Phinney Winter Festival December 4-5 at the Phinney Neighborhood Center in Seattle. The Phinney show has been happening for decades and has a loyal customer base. Over 120 booths and music, food and fun abound. It’s a unique show beloved by both customers and artists. General admission is $4 + a can of food, or for Phinney members it’s $2 + a can of food. You can get more info at www.phinneycenter.org .
That’s the end of the 2010 shows for me. January/February brings the show applications for next year so from now until early Spring I can focus at my workbench and try some new techniques I’ve been eager to play with. Maybe I’ll finally get around to making those little boxes that have been flying around in my head for a couple years!
The Fall has brought some personal loss with the passing of my husband’s mother at the age of 90. Mary was a driving force in her family and her independent nature and sense of humor will be missed. She raised three outstanding children and helped to raise two outstanding granddaughters. Her husband of 66 years is coping with a great void in his life. We are trying to fill it as best we can. It’s been a time for reflection and reminiscing with lots of sharing of stories and memories, laughter and tears.
Too early to think about Christmas?
Aug 2010
I’ve also been playing with bronze and copper jewelry to complement my silver work. I’m loving the new color combinations they bring to the table. They are a little trickier than silver in the kiln but the results are beautiful.
The Boise Art in the Park show is coming up next. It’s one of my favorite shows: a beautiful setting in the Julia Davis Park right along the river, over 200 booths, and the Boise Art Museum does a fabulous job putting on the show. It’s been going on for over 30 years and has a huge following from both artists and attendees. Might be worth a trip to Boise to see artists from all over the country displaying their craft. The show is always the weekend after Labor Day...this year it’s September 10-12.
As you can see from this month’s picture, the Best of the Northwest big Fall show has a new home! After many, many years at Magnuson Park and a few at Seattle Center, the show has found a great new space at the new cruise terminal in Seattle. It’s hard to find an indoor space big enough to hold over 250 tents but the cruise terminal fits the bill. I’ve been there before and it’s a beautiful, well-lit site right on the water in the Magnolia neighborhood with lots of parking available.
In The Mood in Bethlehem, PA is a new shop carrying my work. And my bamboo pendants got a great mention in Chopa’s blog here and here.
I hope you’re not quite ready for the holidays (I can’t believe I said that in August!) and that there’s a lot more summer left for you. See you soon!
Sun at last!
Jul 2010
I have 2 new galleries added to my roster this month: Chopa in Aurora Colorado specializes in zen home and gift ware and An Artisan’s Marketplace in Plainville, Connecticut is a lovely Victorian farmhouse and was named a Best of Connecticut winner in 2009 by Connecticut Magazine. And there was a great blog mention of Laughing Girl Arts jewelry at Big Green Purse.
Next up on the show circuit is the Bellevue, WA Festival of the Arts. Those local to the Seattle area will know it as the “Cost Plus show” since it’s held across the street (and on the same weekend) from the Bellevue Museum show in, you guessed it, the Cost Plus parking lot. It promises to be a busy Bellevue weekend with 3 big art and craft shows going on at the same time. The two mentioned above and the Sixth Street Fair in downtown Bellevue. Come see me at the Cost Plus show in booth #116.
And I just got my booth assignment for the Boise Art Museum show in September. I’ll be in the same place as last year: booth #127.
Hope your summer is sunny and more predictable than ours has been!