My Little Barn Show is Coming Along

Big Show in the Little Barn July 20+21
579 Old County Rd, Westport MA

I'm part of the South Coast Artists Open Studio Tour this year, the weekend of July 20+21. The 10th year it's been around, there are over 50 artists from Dartmouth, Little Compton, Tiverton and Westport participating. Many of the artists have works in progress to see or demos to participate in. You can download a brochure, complete with map, here. I'm converting our little barn into a gallery and will have work ranging from $30 to $1,200 in all the mediums I work in. Watercolor, oils and digital prints will be available to take a look at and purchase. I've got a lot to do in the next week and a half and will feed you bits of progress as it comes together. This will be a kid friendly event so bring the whole family.

2' x 2' Poppyseed oil on birch plywood.
Landscape No. 10,  2012   Photo by Eric Gould

2' x 2' Poppyseed oil on birch plywood.
Landscape No.5, 2012  Photo by Eric Gould

2' x 2' Poppyseed oil on birch plywood.
Landscape No.23, 2012  Photo by Eric Gould

Moonlight White Garden Dreams

One of my favorites, Moonflower.
Just planted some around our little barn door.
Photo courtesy of blogger jonesgarden

My dad, loves to garden and landscape. As a child, I spent many Saturdays planting trees, making terraces, and scavenging for special garden stones with him. He once told me it takes 5 years to make a yard your own. Having 30 years in my last yard, I knew every cup of soil in each bed. Each plant was my choice, give or take a few. This new place has a wonderful wild quality to it. But when I start to weed and yank and plant, it feels like an overwhelming jungle. I have to keep reminding myself to enjoy the planning and dreaming part of the process. I've asked my friend Katherine Tracey at Avant Gardens to help me plan the perfect all white garden that will be beautiful in moonlight. Fragrance is important to me too. While I work on getting my jungled tamed, visiting her exquisite nursery in Dartmouth will get me through. All these plants can be found on her website here. If you are interested in white, pink, blue, yellow or whatever color, there's a search on her site to guide you. Remember they specialize in the rare and uncommon. You won't be finding what they sell at Home Depot.

One of the prettiest gardens I've ever enjoyed.
Paul and I shot it for Avant Gardens last summer.
Photos courtesy of Paul Clancy Photography

Just a few of the white beauties Katherine suggested 
for my dream garden. You can find all of these at Avant Gardens. 
From top left, Helleborus Joseph Leper, Nicotiana, 
Oakleaf Hydrangeas Snowflake, Oxalis White Pillow, 
Echinacea Milkshake,Asteromoea Mongolica, 
Helleborus Niger, and Stewartia

Yay! Book Deal!

I'm so excited to be sharing this great news.
I'm writing a how-to make paper hats book. The hats will be
geared for children made by adults, based on all new designs.
Each hat will be made from recycled material and antique ephemera.
Paul has built a cute little pop-up studio in our tiny barn
and I'm matching up adorable children to my hat designs.
I'll keep you posted on the progress.

Secrets + Transparency

I'm showing my work/art (and life) in a presentation for the AIGA at AS220 in Providence, June 11. Doors open at 6:00, me at 6:30, followed by a film about the multi-talented designer Herb Matter. Some of the topics I'll try to cover will be secrets+transparency, hearing voices and feeding imaginary friends. Tickets at the door $3-$5, depending on if you are a member.  I believe snacks may be available.

Not so mild tile

My collection of green pots on the mantle
16 OnCenter built for me at the church.
Roseberry Winn Pottery
and Tile wall of linen and butter.

Oh yeah, there were a few tears shed over leaving my beautiful Roseberry Winn tiled wall at the church. Mike and Bruce helped me design it, pressed and fired each piece, and oversaw the installation. I never tired of it's buttery color and how it looked with the mantle made by 16 OnCenter. I do see a few potential spots perfect for tile in the farmhouse. And Mike tells me he has plans in the near future for some tile design expansion, so hopefully, a collaboration will happen again. Here are some inspiring tile beauties I came across today on Remodilista.

From Exquisite Surfaces

Via Remodilista

From Purpura

From Made A Mano

Spring Bling

Photo by Sadie Dayton

Twice a year I get to design a catalogue for Swarovski's Touchstone Crystal and I get a little seasonally mixed up. I do the Fall book in Spring, and Spring in Fall so I am always seasonally challenged. I'm in the last month of creating Fall/Winter '13 and I should be excited about seafoam green, but I'm actually already giggling about Tory Burch's Klimt inspired, turquoise and burgundy line for Fall. But back to Seafoam green, which only comes around about 2-3 times a century; the model shots for the new spring/summer book were taken over two very cold days last November but thanks to an amazing team, with Sadie Dayton shooting and Joji Goto styling we found some sunshine.  Add in piles of bling with product photos by Ira Garber, the incredible retouching of Suzanne Dunkl, and styling by jewelry designer Troy Hines, the sparkle happened.

Photo by Sadie Dayton

Photo by Sadie Dayton

Photo by Ira Garber

Cover Envy

Wish I had done these. Dansk Magazine I love you.

Smells like paint

Finally the earth smells sweet again and I want to make lots of paintings of those smells. I have a new landscape series I'm working on. Poppyseed oils on linen, juicy, juicy hues. I'll be selling them at my studio sale this summer. I'm part of the South Coast Artist Open Studio Tour this year, July 20+21. If you've never been it's worth jumping in and cruising my neighborhood. Not only a beautiful drive, but so many artists to choose from. I'll be showing in my little barn in Westport. So mark your calendar. If you see anything you want to snap up early let me know. My art can be found here on my flickr site.

I love having my work around as it develops.
I like saying good morning to them, having lunch with them,
 and test driving them in different light.

For this series, the linen measures 14" deep x 11" wide
and each painting is about 8" square.

Mornin Rumi

"Today, like every other day, we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.

Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground".

-Rumi

Light That Makes Me Leap

Once in awhile I have insomnia and getting out of bed in the morning can be a challenge. But all Paul has to do is put one of his amazing cups of coffee near my nose and say "the light in the dining room is beautiful right now". I leap. This past weekend I made curtains for the first time in (30) years and linen was half price so we have a few new tablecloths, too. Don't be too impressed. I just stitched around the edges, washed them and let them fray. I found this DIY at TwoTwentyTwo helpful for curtains. I love that her mom came for the weekend to help. I called my mom while I was finishing mine, because the last time "I" made curtains she came for the day to help. She was happy I could finally whip up a few on my own.