Nanci's Creative Castings

Bottles Full Of Dreams

2012-02-11T16:11:00.000-05:00

Throughout my life I have involved myself in many types of arts and crafts - back in the day when I seemed to have a lot more free time - jewelry, painting, crochet (although I don't dig fabric and fiber all that much anymore), polymer clay, wire wrapping, ceramics, (and still some hope to be working with glass someday)! Totally right brained! Since then I have since thrown myself fully into the leaf casting, and a lot of the rest of this work was set aside.

But, 16 years ago ,when my husband was diagnosed with cancer, and I had to give him injections of Neupogen, which came in extremely tiny bottles, I felt I needed to do something positive with these expensive little vials of glass, something that would give my mind an activity besides worrying (FYI, hubby's doing very well these days!). I started to use the bottles as a base for bead weaving, and came up with this-

Total height is 1 3/4 inches, plus the seed beads are size 14/0, which is much smaller than the average bead 11/0 (like what you would find on Native American beadwork). The higher the number,the smaller the bead. I actually have some size 22/0, but have never been brave (or crazy) enough to work with them!

Plus a polymer clay stopper to match.

Several more followed, no patterns used, just whatever I felt at the time. This was a later attempt...that's a Quarter it's sitting on!

This next one is still my favorite-

Yes, I actually beaded myself a snake, complete with a little "basket" for it to stay in!

The snake is totally separate, beaded on poseable wire

Isn't he cute?

Even the bottom's beaded!

...I found other bottles for beading, like this Tabasco sample (YES, I washed it out very well!)

From this....

...To this....

And more polymer clay formed onto the top - for this slightly larger one I used size 11/0 beads

I found these two great little bottles with jeweled caps at some flea market. They are actually NOT finished (I want to bead the bottoms), so you might catch a glimpse of a thread here and there. 14/0 or 15/0 beads.

Another great bottle, which I'm a little disappointed in - I used high quality seed beads on this, and the pink color you see is the blue beads' color lining seeping into the white! Don't think there is any correcting it, though =-(

Of course,this went on long after the spousal unit felt better - I was on a roll! This one is wearable and is on a chain. I called it a Treasure Bottle, and was so proud of it till said spousal unit blurted out, "Hey, looks like a coke bottle!" Uh, no, he didn't mean the soft drink! Anyway, that wasn't my artistic intention behind this project :-}

Can't recall where this little glass tube and stopper was found, but it was just the right size for my beading needles!

For this one, I didn't need to go around any curves, so I used Japanese Delica seed beads, which are shaped like tiny cylinders and are very uniform.

The stopper was also embellished with a polymer clay flower. I have used this for my needles (hey, that could go with the coke bottle!... I'm KIDDING!) for several years now.

2011-12-31T16:50:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year! Wishing all the magic and love of the new year comes your way! Hope to see you all in the coming months =-)

Sources Of Inspiration

2011-11-14T20:34:00.001-05:00

When the snow flies and the sun sets much too early, even I have a hard time remembering the many colors leaves can be. I'm sure I could find a few people who can recall walking with me in the Fall, and wondering why I would suddenly stop short and lunge for the ground! Did I trip? Was I having a seizure? No, I would spot a beautifully colored leaf and would grab it for later reference! Unfortunately, leaf colors don't keep past a day or two. BUT, (Reason number 87 as to why I love digital cameras...!) with my camera, I can freeze the diverse leaf colors in time and refer to them whenever I want!

I discovered most of these leaves last weekend, when the wind was gusting to 50 miles an hour and I had a yard full of leaves from trees that were probably miles away - that's why most of these are under plastic. I wanted to take the pics in the daylight, when the colors would be truer, but they were trying to take off!

The most colorful and diverse tree in my yard has to be this Japanese Maple - I was disappointed when I first bought it - it had been mismarked and the leaves turned out a plain green in the summer and I wanted a red one. But once it matured, I discovered that its Fall color was breathtaking! The five leaves below all came from this one tree.

The two oval leaves are from a "Burning Bush " (Euonymus). Proof that I can paint a leaf PINK and it will still be realistic!

The underside of a waterlily pad...

Even a shot of my red Castor Bean...

And.... a couple of "my" leaves inspired by my Autumn finds!

Last Show 2011~ Harrison Rally Day

2011-09-21T14:42:00.000-04:00

...A cool, cloudy mid September morning in a small NW Ohio community. This was fun, because it is a downtown street festival and it has a mix of the activities a lot of people think of when they hear "street festival" in the Midwest.

One being: historical celebrations :

This event is named for a rally held in Perrysburg in the 1800s for William Henry Harrison. If you've heard of "Tippecanoe and Tyler too", it was the Whig party's campaign song based on General Harrison's exploits at the Battle of Tippecanoe fought in 1811 against Chief Tecumseh, and his vice presidential running mate, John Tyler. Mr. Tyler, the 10th president, succeeded Mr. Harrison on April 4, 1841, a month after Mr. Harrison's inauguration. (This last bit of info was totally copied from another website: I generally run as far away from History as I can as a rule...)

Quite a large "small" Festival, 240 booth/tents were set up along the streets of Perrysburg,Ohio.

...Here's mine!

And it wouldn't be a Midwest street fair without a parade!

Of course, the local high school's marching band, too...

Always displayed proudly at my booth!

And we all love our classic cars! My Dad actually had a black '57 Chevy that I still remember riding in! He sold it when I was 10 :-(...

Then the sun came out and totally transformed the day (Although, as you can see, our booth was WAY too close to the railroad tracks!)

The local fire department showing off for the kids...

I HAD to get a picture of THIS guy! I didn't even ask to take his picture - I figure that if one walks around with two dogs in doggie harnesses hanging on him , he should expect it! Don't think anyone would have believed me anyway if I hadn't provided proof!

My Hibiscus Blossom display

And the Faerie Doors! TWO more are now out in the world attracting our tiny friends =-)

I'm so thrilled with digital cameras, because I always take such important and well thought out photos, like the sun glinting off my FunGi....

I always like to take an "artist's eye" shot from inside the booth! Good parting shot, too. Later!

FYI

2011-07-30T22:27:00.000-04:00

Quick update ~ tomorrow I will be participating in my favorite art festival ~ Art On The Mall at The University of Toledo. Yes, it's going to be 90 degrees, but hey, I only wished for no rain, so I can't complain :-)

Ginkgo Pendant

Hope to see you there (-=

2011-05-31T22:00:00.001-04:00

I was going thru a lot of angst this past Winter ~ did I even WANT to continue this leaf casting business? I have made seven or eight HUNDRED pieces in the past six years, and the shows are a lot of physical work for both hubby and I! This is the longest I have ever continued along one path without faltering or giving up, and I do love it, but of course there's always a lot of re~thinking to do during the cold, dark months.

BUT, after my first event this season, I started to remember why I wanted to do this in the first place!

Besides being surrounded by beautiful plants at the local Farmer's Market, I get to see old friends that stop by, and always make a couple of NEW acquaintances. And the most important part ~ I love to see repeat customers and collectors of my work, and also it's really awesome to cultivate a bunch of NEW fans!

Oooo! Look at all those Heucheras! I have most of them, but there's a couple...

*********

...And for those of you who have the idea that I'm a baby hater, I had to grab a pic of my newest acquaintance, and his Mom, who is another artisan I'm buddies with on the art/craft show circuit.

I mean, how freakin' cute is this?! But then, I fall for all four month olds in dark shades!

It wasn't crazy busy, so I had time to check out the various nurseries that were set up there.

AND, on Saturday, an extremely nice couple purchased my largest Bird of Paradise leaf for a table centerpiece, THEN came back on Sunday and bought the Butterbur, which was my second largest leaf! Bazzinga!
They were really happy with their castings, which I'm always happy about ~ my "babies"found a good home!

Bye, Bye, Birdie! :-D

~~~Faerie Lore II~~~

2011-05-25T23:06:00.000-04:00

The term Faerie is derived from "Fé erie", meaning the enchantment of the Fées, while Fé is derived from Fay, which is itself derived from Fatae, or the Fates. The term originally applied to supernatural women who directed the lives of men and attended births. Now it has come to mean any supernatural creature tied to the earth, except monsters and ghosts.

In Ireland, the Faeries are called the Aes Sídhe (singular Aes Sídh). Sídhe happens to be the name for the earthen mounds and hills that dot the Irish landscape. Irish mythology, legendry, and folklore claim the Faeries live under these mounds, so the term "sídhe" has come to mean Faerie in general, but it more properly refers to the palaces, courts, halls, and residences of the Faeries. However they are known by a wide variety of euphemisms, including "the Fair Folk", "the Good Neighbors", "the Little Folk", "the Little Darlings", and "the People of Peace". This is done for two reasons. The first is to avoid attracting their attention and the second is to avoid insulting them.

~~~ Faerie Lore ~~~

2011-05-19T11:19:00.002-04:00

Fairy peoples are thought to have descended from the race of Elves. Elves are an ancient race of magical, slender creatures with pointed ears thought to be extinct. Unlike fairies, they lack the ability to fly, which may have made the fairies a more adaptable race. Elves were once very closely associated with the land and with nature and fairies took over many of their roles in this tradition.

Fairies are now air, water, fire and tree spirits. These are also the four points that make up a pagan pentagram (air, water, fire and earth) and the fifth point is spirit, which the fairies incarnate represent.

Transforming Nature To Art

2011-04-01T23:09:00.003-04:00

What it takes to complete a cast leaf pendant and necklace...

Sometimes I'm asked, "How long did this take you to make?" or, not as pleasantly, "Why do these necklaces cost so much?" Since a lot of people just do not realize the time and labor it takes to create craft or art pieces, I decided to add up the time it takes to make just one of my pendants (because, actually, I want to know, too!)

(The numbers in parentheses represent the approximate time for each phase).

First, I have to select a leaf. Do I just run out to the garden and cut a leaf off a plant? No. The leaf has to be without rips, bends, bites, or blemishes, it has to be pleasingly uniform and the right size, and if I'm making earrings they also have to match! THAT alone is a toughie! (10). Then I have to mix the cement and carefully spread it on this light, flyaway 1" leaf. If the air temperature is not just right, it may be too thin and I then have to apply another layer in a day. (20) I then have to peel the leaf off a day or two later, file any messy edges and soak it in water a few days so it cures (20). Then I hand paint it (15). Next the bail is glued on and the "dewdrop" is attached (FYI, I make the dewdrops by actually SPLITTING beads in half!) (15).

The final procedure is mixing the two part polyurethane THOROUGHLY and spreading the sticky, messy compound on the leaf, going back several times to brush off the excess that pools on the piece (60) It takes 24 hours to dry, and if at that time I discover it had not been mixed enough, the poly will be cloudy and the piece is junk! There is no way to determine that while it is setting. This polyurethane was developed for furniture and the like ~ as usual for me, I use a lot of products for reasons NOT intended for that product, so I have to improvise ~ there are no guidelines or instructions!

SO... once that is finished, I can choose to sell it as a loose pendant, in which case I only have to place them in ziploc bags, punch a hole in it to hang, place a card of heavy black paper (I cut out myself) behind it with the name of the leaf written on it, place the care and description card (also written, printed and cut out by hand) in the bag, and price it! (10)

I sell these for $18.50 (plus tax). So, for 2 1/2 hours of work,this comes to $7.40 hr.

If I do make one of the custom neckchains for it, with the "organic" components such as Freshwater pearls, beads made from semiprecious stones or shell, terra cotta, brass, silver, copper, horn, etc., that adds at least another 45 minutes to the piece (along with the extra cost of the beads). Stringing beads is not brain surgery, BUT it does take time to think about the design and determine which colors and components to use. I sell the pendants with these for about $28, which sets me at the same hourly wage.This is not counting ANY materials cost! Unfortunately,for a lot of artisans, these are GOOD wages, too!

Do they LOOK as if all that work goes into them? I don't think so, and I don't feel that they SHOULD ~ they should look as if the leaf and colors just quietly came together. And that's what I believe is just an element of good Art.

Levis Commons 2010 - Revisiting the 2010 Art / Craft show season

2011-03-24T11:39:00.001-04:00

Another installment in the saga of my trials and successes in the Toledo art/craft show circuit...

Friday- setup. Took 3 hours - sunny and HOT! Staff passed out water to us. ( And WE just passed out! LOL)

Sat. - Cloudy start - hot & humid. Rain started 10 - 10:30, rained until 3 - got too cool for my sleeveless attire! Great artist amenities - coffee, donuts, bagels (think there was even a toaster in the artist "hospitality" tent!) juice, water, pop, fruit, and Andrew Z's supplied pizza! The hard part was getting to the food tent without getting soaked! Still had good sales, but really dropped after 5:00, and the show was open until 7:00! Drizzled until close. Dusk when we left. (Wind picked up about then, and I of course was worried the canopy would blow away, but everything was fine).

Sunday. Cloudy start - much better. Sun and breeze. TOO much breeze. Warm chocolate chip cookies donated by Max and Erma's. Was chilly most of the day, but sales were again good. I did purchase one thing, but I hated to leave our tent to go shopping, since it was spread out quite a distance would take me too long. Teardown went smoothly. (This is the Michigan Artist's Guild, which is the same Guild that hosts the Ann Arbor Street Fair, and I could really tell ~ everything was well organized and everyone knew what they were doing)! It WAS the most expensive festival I have ever done ~ guess you get what you pay for!

On A Bright, Sunny, Icy Day

2011-02-20T00:09:00.002-05:00

...With nothing even I want to do outside, I decided to clean my paperweight collection, and after seeing them in the sunshine, had to create a little photo journal of my favorites!

...Got a thing for butterflies, too...

A lot of them were acquired at garage sales, thrift shops, places like that, but a few were actually found at art shows. This is one of those...

And of course, anything with a nature theme is very appealing to me!

A millefiori type

How about butterflies AND flowers?

Another art show purchase

More flowers

One of my favorites

Even vases with paperweight type accents!

And my VERY favorite - one given to me by my husband ~ this is actually acrylic with a real seedhead inside! (Looks like dandelion, but much larger).

Revisiting The 2010 Art/Craft Show Season...(2)

2011-02-19T19:31:00.000-05:00

Another installment in the saga of my trials and successes in the Toledo art/craft show circuit...

"In Another Garden" Garden Tour

Perrysburg, Ohio

6/19/10

(My third year participating)

"Awakened to a thunderstorm @ 4:30 AM. Stopped before we left from home - was nice rest of day. Pretty warm, but we were in a nice spot in front of the homeowner's garage in the shade. I did visit 3 of the gardens that were on the same street - even found one of my pieces in the garden next door to the one we were set up in, and sold my first Faerie Door! Homeowners were great AND made a large purchase, too!"

notes: This tour is interesting because it is situated in a different part of town every year. I actually used to go on this tour as just another garden aficionado, and have many fond memories of all the gardens I was able to see. That is my only complaint about becoming a vendor - I can't participate in the tour itself! :-(

Revisiting The 2010 Art/Craft Show Season...

2011-01-22T21:38:00.000-05:00

This past year I began a little continuing journal in my sales book, partially for helping me remember how each show went, how sales were and what our impressions were of each event, especially if we had never participated in that particular show before. And also for something to do! Even at a busy show, there's always some down time.

As I was working on my year end books, I started to re-read the entries and thought they might be of interest to or could even help new craftspeople who may be thinking about diving into the art show world....

Toledo Farmers Market Flower Day Weekend 5/29/10

(My fourth year participating)

"Got up @ 4:30 A. Arrived @ 5:20 - first ones there! Set up canopy for 1st time in space #40, same place as last year. 62˚ when we arrived - NO RAIN! - light breeze. Went up to 85˚ but low humidity.

Slow start as always but really picked up - got to stay in the same spot Sunday so pitched in the $5 for security.Didn't use the sides - just covered up most of it. Left 4-4:30."

Toledo Farmers Market Flower Day Weekend 5/30/10

"Got up @ 6:15. Arrived 7:35 or so. MORE nice weather. A lot slower, but several big sales ($80, $74, $65) made it pretty good. 88˚, but not horrible - low humidity again. Things died by 2:30 - 3:00 - left by 5:00 (4:30?)"

notes: I mentioned rain because in our area, rain is always more likely than not in the spring. Since there are vendors who set up there weekly, they have preference over spaces and sometimes you have to set up in a different space on the second day. The 5 dollars is the charge for overnight security. Well, if I have to pack up everything and move the next day, I have no reason to need overnight security, so I wait until I know where I'll be the next day. The crowds thinning by 3:00 seems to be the norm.

..So that's the first show - next post, "In Another Garden" -The Toledo Day Nursery Garden Tour
.

One Last Post Of 2010

2010-12-31T20:45:00.000-05:00

VERY SIMPLE; VERY SHORT~ HAPPI NEU YEARE! :-)

Art In The Family

2010-10-28T00:14:00.000-04:00

I grew up around a very good artist- my father. It was just a fact that he would be involved in the creation of one or another painting at any given time during my childhood. He complains now that I never complimented his work. That's because I took it for granted. Weren't everyones' fathers painters? Unfortunately, one of my parents' faults was overprotecting me to the point that I never got out around other humans to find out that actually, no, NOT everyone's parents were artists! But, that's the way it was.

If you are a follower of mine on Facebook, you probably know that dad is now currently in a nursing home, whether to eventually come home or not is still to be decided. But I visited his neighbor last week (who is actually the owner of a business next to his house) and took some pics of a couple of paintings he purchased from Dad hanging in their office.

I have a secret, though....that large painting spent many years under my bed, unfinished. only the Native Americans were painted - no background. When my husband saw it, he told Dad he would pay him just to FINISH it, not even to sell to us! Took him many more years to finally decide to complete the painting, his neighbor happened to see it just before it was finished and immediately made an offer on it! So it has lived in above pictured room ever since.

Also unfortunately, my dad is one of those artists who think that if you're not a PAINTER, you're not really an artist! So I keep hearing the sentence: "Too bad you never became an artist!" {{{sigh....}}}

Magic Always Exists If You Believe

2010-10-03T13:02:00.001-04:00

As I have taken on the responsibility of creating the doors/portals the Faeries require for their homes, I am always looking for new and unique flora to create them from. A few weeks ago, I decided that the flowers of my three Hibiscus plants would make awesome doors. However, when I went to see how many blossoms were out, I was disappointed to not find a single flower left! But that's how Hibiscus are ~ they only bloom for a certain period of time, then they're done.

Strangely, though, the very next day, a pink blossom appeared, although I hadn't noticed any more buds.

I grabbed it and cast a door from it (I really hated to pick the last blossom of the year without enjoying it all day, but I couldn't pass it up!). It turned out perfectly, and I was content that I was able to create at least ONE Hibiscus Faerie Door this year.

But then, that same week, MANY new blooms appeared, almost as if someone had somehow rejuvenated the blossoming process!

I myself have never had a hardy Hibiscus rebloom and wasn't aware that they even could, but there they were... and as of this posting, three weeks later and also into OCTOBER, they are still blooming! AND I have created several more Doors from them.

Did the Faeries

help me out? Was there a little Magic Dust involved? I like to think so :-)

Beadaholicicity

2010-09-20T22:41:00.000-04:00

If you ever ask, I will usually tell you that I really have no vices to speak of. Well, that's probably not entirely accurate...and I may have to rewrite that statement! No, I don't drink (a lot) or smoke, the usual vices that are referred to, but - oh baby, get me near a bead store, and all my control is gone!

...So the spousal unit had to work this past weekend, and that was my chance to go shoppin'! He did accompany me to a bead store in Ann Arbor a few years ago, and ever since that day, I haven't been able to drag him to another (LOL!). No matter - this is a trip best accomplished alone!

Yes, I still have thousands of beads, and no, I don't create much in the way of beadwork anymore - but since the Faerie Doors have been doing pretty well, I'm running low on the "Faerie" related components (stars, moons, butterflies, etc.). Thus, I persuaded myself that I just HAD to run over there for "a few" of those.

My very favorite bead place in town is "Meant To Bead" - they've been around for years now, and I think they "get" us bead freaks, that is, they have just about anything a beader could want or need! Findings, pearls, Swarovski crystals, wire, tools, thread, - and BEADS! Glass, vintage, pewter, sterling, ceramic, stone, shell, etc., etc. - BAZILLIONS of 'em! In all fairness, I can find less expensive components at my favorite catalog/online store (Fire Mountain) - but if I want unusual beads ASAP, this is the place to go in Toledo (www.meant2bead.com). I rarely don't find what I need there!

These (below) were awesome! Any kind of glassworking, especially lampworked beads, is the same as magic in my eyes...someday, maybe...but for now, I just admire and appreciate the stuff. I almost purchased the top center piece, but since I generally wear my own jewelry (to advertise), I talked myself out of it......for now. ;-)

Black Swamp Arts Festival 2010

2010-09-14T18:10:00.004-04:00

Although every art show is the same in many ways, they are also very different from any of the others. Of course, we set up basically the same, have to bring the same materials and supplies, and have the same hopes and goals for the day(s) of the show.

But then, the weather always is an unknown (Check with the weathermen? Yeah, right... ), our "neighbors" are usually artisans we have not seen/met before, and the space or area is never the same. Of course, since I never have two pieces exactly alike,my inventory is constantly changing, too!

Sunday was beautiful...

And something new and exciting (to me!...) always happens at each event I participate in. This past weekend it was...

1) Several people telling me that out of all the artists there, it was my art they liked the best (a few were men, too),

2) Someone affiliated with the Arts Commission asked me if I would be interested in having a one person show (no details were discussed; but hey, even being ASKED meant a lot!),
3) Hans Ruebel, one of the other artists in the Kuhlman Corp. exhibit, stopped by my booth to say hi, which was very nice of him

4) I made a great trade with Larry (of Lars Glass ~ one of my "Art Show mentors") for one of his Sun Chains, something I had been yearning for thru the past 3 shows we had both been to, and
5) One woman who acquired a Faerie Door from me 3 weeks ago shared with me that she had been having an awfully bad day at the time, and finding her Faerie Door really brightened her mood ~ wow ~ what more could an artist want?!

...And I'm ashamed to say that I judged someone by their appearance, something I always try not to do ('Cause I have no room to talk!Have you seen how I dress at these things?!)

Anyway, coming back to our booth around the close of the second day, I discovered my husband conversing with a man who looked...well, I'll use his words- "I've been a "bum" all my life!" ( Hey, I work in downtown Toledo ~ believe me, I see a LOT of "bum" like creatures!)...So that was my initial thought, until we spoke with him for awhile, and realized he was no bum, just an artistic, free spirit who lives happily with his wife of 29 years (like us), childfree (also like us!) but not very many similarities beyond that. His wife then joined us, and we had an interesting and fun conversation with them about their lifestyle, (minimalist and mostly "off the grid"), our life, and art ~ and my preconceived idea of them quickly disappeared. These are folks I will remember for a long time... and Sam and Brenda, I look forward to seeing you again!

Levis Commons 2010 - In Retrospect

2010-08-23T14:37:00.002-04:00

Art shows are such an experience! I often wonder if I could live my life on the art show circuit - could NOT having a 9 to 5 job make up for the physical labor and worry it takes to do shows? Probably not, especially with my medium - if I had fiber or jewelry, something easily transported, and could fit everything I would ever need into a truck or van, I think I could handle it. OR if I was 20 years younger! ;-)

Anyway, I did participate in the Levis Commons Art Fair this past weekend, and did quite well! Despite a near washout on Saturday and being windblown on Sunday, it didn't seem to faze a lot of the shoppers, and of course, it doesn't harm anything I sell! All of the birdbaths are displayed outside of the canopy, so the display factor was increased Saturday by showing off how just well the birdbaths looked filled with water!

Saw some old friends (Rhonda/Ken and Janine/Jeff!)...and made new friends!....

And I really like to talk to the other artists - every one of them have interesting stories OR great tips on what they do in various situations (like how to keep your canopy's top from filling with water! LOL). I learn something new every show. With this show, I was somewhat concerned that our display was too "homemade" looking compared to everyone else's, but no one seemed to notice or worry about it - they were more interested in my work - as it should be!

I do have to mention The (Michigan) Guild of Artists and Artisans, the same association that organizes Levis Commons as well as the Ann Arbor Summer Art Fair . When I saw all the rules and regulations regarding the show, I actually lost sleep over all of it! Yikes! What if "they" don't like this? What if "they" don't want me to have these things over here? Well, I should not have worried. Evidently those are just set out so if someone IS being inconsiderate or unreasonable, there is something in writing.

Actually, everything was well organized (and VERY well advertised, so I stopped whining so much about the cost to be there). We always pack sandwiches and sundry food items for a show, but they had a very well stocked "hospitality" tent for the artists, with donuts, bagels, water, coffee, bananas (and my sincere appreciation goes out to a couple of local businesses, namely Andrew Z's- for providing PIZZA on Saturday and Max & Erma's for the WARM chocolate chip cookies on Sunday!), so we didn't want for much.

My work, as usual, didn't receive any awards, which is not surprising at an art show like this - there is just too much around I myself would consider extremely Fine Art, but it would be nice to at least SEE a judge glance my way once in a while! Hmmph...

Did have fun, nonetheless, despite the rain,the long hours, the wind, the dumb questions ("Oh, does this one hang?" - While pointing to a leaf HANGING up on the lattice... ), and getting thru the inevitable period of time during each setup and takedown where Hubby and I fight the urge to punch each other in the eye! (He's very organized; I'm not - need I say more)?

A New Venue! Levis Commons Fine Art Fair 2010

2010-08-16T14:07:00.002-04:00

On August 21 & 22, I will be set up at the Levis Commons 6th Annual Fine Art Fair. This is the closest to a "real" art fair I have participated in so far, since it is promoted by The Guild of Artists & Artisans in Ann Arbor, MI., which also handles the Ann Arbor Street Fair, the largest art fair in this area of the country. I have not, and probably never will, be involved with that one, since A) I would need 3-4 times the amount of inventory I currently have and B) I would not want to go beyond the capacity of our truck just to haul more cement!

Plus I'm cheap~Levis Commons is costing me plenty, and Ann Arbor would be way beyond that! Of course, it is true that you have to spend money to make money sometimes, but I have my limit. There is a rule of thumb I have heard from other artists, and that is you should make ten times what you spend on the booth fees for it to be considered a very good / great show. Since the fees are conservatively around $700.00 (USD) for one space, and I have maybe, on a GOOD day, $3000.00 in my TOTAL stock, you see how I could never reach that goal (believe me, three grand would make me happy enough, but that would be every last thing I had!)

But, back to Levis Commons ~ expensive though it may be, I'm happy as a rat in a restaurant dumpster to be participating this year. It is a very nice event, plus this is the first year I am finally confident enough to want to be included in the big leagues, and am looking forward to the experience!

..But Wait! There's More!

2010-08-09T22:25:00.000-04:00

...So I told a few people, "I can't believe I only got this small blue Victoria Stone - I normally would acquire more than one little piece, unless it was really expensive."

Well, this morning, in my usual rush to barely make it to work, as I was rummaging around in the jewelry I hadn't worn in a while, I came across this....

NOW we're talkin'! A nice large pendant! Oh, yeah, I remember now - I DID order more than one...my poor, blonde mind totally misplaced that information (happens to me all the time, unfortunately!) I don't know if it's actually worth anything monetarily, doesn't really matter - the story is enough to make them valuable to me!

My Victoria Stone And A Pleasant Surprise...

2010-08-02T22:54:00.001-04:00

I love the blue skies on a bright sunny day, so I am naturally drawn to that color. Years ago, I found a stone in a jewelry supply catalog called a "Victoria Stone". It was described as being somewhat like as a "Tiger Eye" gemstone, but man made. Instead of the straight inclusions in the stone, there were many fan shaped crystallized patterns. It came in many colors, but of course I ordered a sky blue cabochon (with a smooth polished top and flat back). I also ordered a fairly inexpensive, gold filled ring setting for it. I'm sure in those days I would not have spent a lot for anything like that, so it would have had to be a cheap deal!

I have worn that Victoria Stone on and off as a pinkie ring for many years, and have gotten a lot of compliments on it and inquires as to where I got it. As I was thinking about that, I realized I had not seen those stones mentioned for quite some time, so I went online to check on the reason why. Surprisingly, here is what I found:

“The Story of Victoria Stone”

by Vyonne Mack-WGMS Club Member

This article was printed in the McPherson Rock Club

Bulletin (Kansas)

Victoria Stone is also known as “Imori Stone”,

named after its Japanese creator, Dr. Imori. It is

not an artificial or fake stone. What Dr. Imori was

able to accomplish was to actually blend several

different minerals using a special process known

only to him to come up with an Imori Stone,

commonly called Victoria Stone.

This beautiful reconstructed gem is mineralogically

similar to Nephrite Jade. It has a harness of six,

specific gravity of 3.02 and a refractive index of 1.62.(For those of you who are rockhounds out there! ~ nanci)

It was laboratory produced from natural raw

materials such as quartz, feldspar, magnesite,

calcite, fluorspar, etc. for a total of seven different

minerals-fused together under high pressure and a

high temperature and again mineralized to make this

gem by adding special crystallizers and habit

regulators.

This is not an imitation or synthetic but is a

reconstructed natural stone. The boule of Victoria

stone was slowly cooled down for 35 to 40 days to

make it crystallize into the pretty fan shapes.

Victoria Stone is minerlogically similar to nephrite

jade, but the arrangement of the actinolite crystals

is different. Instead of the crystals interlocking and

tying together as they do with jade, they have

crystallized in fan shapes to provide the beauty of

the stone. As a result of this difference, the rough

stone is more likely to crack or splinter if overheated.

Victoria Stone could be bought by the boule or in

slices when it was produced in 15 different colors

from 1960 to the 1980’s –green, sky blue, reddish

purple, yellow green, blue green, sky indigo,

chocolate, yellow, deep indigo, white, quiet green,

quiet yellow, quiet blue, grey and black.

The faceted Victoria Stone came in 8 colors,

including sapphire blue, emerald green, amethyst

purple, ruby red, topaz, aquamarine, garnet and

peridot green.

This is a scanned copy of an original sales color chart.

Dr. Imori died without confiding in anyone how the

process worked and no one has been able to duplicate it. There is only a limited and nonreplenishable supply of Victoria Stone in existence, when this material is used up to make jewelry and cabochons, it will become scarcer and about impossible to find.

And I found this article, also...

"Victoria Stone (aka. Iimori Stone) is one of the most beautiful stones you may run across. As much as I hate to apply the term “rare” to a stone, this one is very rare. It is rare because it is man made. Dr. S. Iimori, a Japanese doctor, created this stone in his laboratory in the late 1960s or early 1970s.

The sad thing about this stone is that Dr. Iimori was so secretive about his formula, that he took it with him to his grave. If I am not mistaken, in all fairness to the good doctor, he died suddenly in an automobile accident. The primary ingredient of Dr. Iimori’s creation is known but proportions and the secret ingredient is what the mystery remains. Upon his death, Dr. Iimori’s son continued to operate the laboratory but alas, he could not duplicate his father’s recipe.

Dr. Iimori’s primary ingredients were quartz, feldspar, magnesite, calcite, fluorspar, etc. These minerals were crushed to basically a powder then heated to a molten state. He then added his secret ingredient that made the stone crystallize with the wonderful fan shaped patterns in the stone."

So... my cheap Victoria Stone ring is not so cheap after all (I also hadn't realized I purchased it so long ago)! Of course, now I'm wondering why I didn't get more of them at the time...

And, although my stone is a fairly tiny thing, I do believe I will be getting a nicer setting for it soon!

Art In The Park 2010

2010-08-01T23:52:00.001-04:00

~In the middle of my angst-ridden summer, reveling in and appreciating the acclaim I am receiving from my events and the Kuhlman Corporation exhibit, while at the same time fretting about the shows every two weeks and if I'm going to be able to keep up this pace with no vacation time left from my "real" job!

I would almost kill to have all the vacation time I had at my old job (in the days before "Creative Castings", when I didn't really need it!), while conversely, I would not want the irritation and stress of that same job! I have never been a realist. A realist would say, "This is the way it is, and no use whining about it", instead of buying Lotto tickets, wishing for an unknown wealthy relative to expire and leave me an inheritance, or for Robert Redford to come along and offer me a million bucks to have sex with him so I could quit!

But on to the useful information. :-) My next event is this Saturday and Sunday, in Port Clinton Ohio, at Lakeview Park.

Lakeview Park...

...and the lake! (Erie)

This is our first time here ~ all I want is good weather, and the rest will have to be up to us! Hope you can stop by, see my new pieces and the birdbaths that have shells (I actually found on this same beach) incorporated into them. I risked life and limb to get them (see below).

Ran across this beautiful creature while picking shells. But all involved went their separate ways without incident!

A Right Brainer Lost In A Left Brained World...

2010-07-08T09:54:00.003-04:00

While cruising around online one day, I discovered what has been wrong with me all my life! I guess "wrong" is the incorrect word, BUT - think about this: Just about everyone I ever knew was/is very organized, good with math, very realistic about life ("it is what it is"), don't do much with computers, have good memories, and like to go to their respective daily jobs, day in and day out.

And here I am, always daydreaming about what could be, a total incompetent at housekeeping, absent minded, clueless about math (if I don't have a calculator and my fingers - or my left brained spouse - forget it!), and can never seem to get any one job done at a time.

I also remember when I started my first job, and spent a week crying myself to sleep when I realized I was facing working at an outside job (when I couldn't do the things I wanted to do) for 40 or 50 years of my life! I don't mind the work - but I feel a 40 hour work week is way too much - there's no time to LIVE! But everyone else doesn't even seem to think about it - in fact, many work much more than that! I myself have an endless list of things I want to do if I ever have time, and can see that I will never accomplish most of them unless I come into a lot of money! No one else seems to feel the same...

So it's been tough for me (sorta).

BUT, on the other hand, spelling and grammar (withOUT spellcheck) always came easy to me, and of course I love to create. Anything. And usually can teach myself most of what I need to know in that area. I don't know very many people who can relate to that, either.

But then, I ran across a site that explained it all...I'm right brained!

When a person is Right Brain Dominant, they are thought of as the dreamers, the artists, and the musicians of the world. Just because they are not as good with numbers and remembering facts does not mean that they are "dumber" than a left brained person (someone please inform my spousal unit of that!). They just have their strengths in different areas. They do have similar characteristics and they tend to hold similar occupations.

Above are just a few things associated with the right cerebral hemisphere of the brain. People who are right brain dominant are usually good with these things. Here are some more characteristics of a right-brained person.

Prefers rock music (!)

Right brain controls left side of body

Prefer visual instructions with examples (!)

Good at sports (wow...definitely not THAT one)

Good at art (!)

Follows Eastern thought*

Cat lovers (!)

Enjoy clowning around (!)

Can be hypnotized (!)

Likes to read fantasy and mystery stories (!)

Can listen to music or TV while studying (!)

Likes to write fiction (!)

Prefers group

Fun to dream about things that will probably never happen (!)

Enjoys making up own drawings and images (!)

Good at geometry

Likes organizing things to show relation

Can memorize music

Occasionally (!)absentminded

Likes to act out stories

Enjoys interacting affectively with others

Thinks better when lying down (not sure what THAT'S supposed to mean...)

Becomes restless during long verbal explanations

Enjoys creative storytelling (!)

Prefers to learn through free exploration

Good at recalling spatial imagery

Reads for main details

Skilled in showing relationships between ideas

Preference for summarizing over outlining

Solves problems intuitively (!)

Very Spontaneous and unpredictable (!)

Dreamer (!!)

philosophical (!)

*Eastern and Western thought: A doctor in an a country like China would first ask a person how they are doing and what else is going on in their life before they give them medicine. A doctor in North America would just ask them what their symptoms were and then give them medicine.

Below is a list of occupations USUALLY held by a right-brained person. (There are always exceptions.)

Forest ranger

Wildlife manager

Beautician

Politician

Athlete (There it is again! Not a chance...)

Artist

Craftsman

Actor/Actress

...Which side do YOU use?

The Male Factor

2010-07-01T10:16:00.001-04:00

I love to watch men.

- Oops, that wasn't quite what I wanted to say! - While that IS a true statement, that will have to wait for another post at another time...;-}

What I mean is, I love to watch men at the art and craft shows I'm set up at. Most of them attend because their wives or ladyfriends want them to, and spend the day following them around and trying not to yawn too often. They walk past the jewelry, the fabric purses, the pottery, the geese clothes, etc. with a glazed look in their eyes and shuffling along like "Dawn Of The Dead" extras. They see my booth, glance inside, start to walk away, but then catch sight of the word "cement". They move back, touch one of the leaves, pick it up, look at the back of it - all very quietly and with slightly furrowed brows. I can just see the gears turning in their heads! They cannot reconcile what I'm doing with their experiences they may have had involving cement/concrete. Yes, he may have poured a sidewalk last year, but how can THIS actually be created from the same material? Many do ask questions about the process, and it really piques their interest.

Anyway, they usually go away very impressed, and (whether they purchase anything or not), I'm happy that what I do is appreciated by BOTH sexes! I even have male fans who are quite young (20 something), and that is even more unusual!

That's another advantage to selling leafcastings as opposed to jewelry - men wouldn't stop at a jewelry booth - what fun would THAT be?~

"In Another Garden" 2010

2010-06-20T21:16:00.002-04:00

Despite the thunderstorm we awakened to at 4:30 AM that began the day, it had stopped by the time we arrived at our destination at 6:00, and despite the weather predictions of very hot, very humid, and stormy, they did not come to pass. Yes, it was warm (it's SUMMER, after all), but the humidity was tolerable, plus there was a perfect breeze much of the time. The location of our booth was on a pretty stained and stamped concrete driveway with the white garage door behind, as a result I think I now finally have some decent "booth shots" for art shows.

Oops, my bins are showing! I hate when that happens...

The view from inside the booth, facing the adjoining garden...

...And the best part! The owners of the aforementioned garden also displayed one of MY leaves in the flowerbed! Wish they would have washed it out though. It rained the night before and the gardener probably overlooked it. Did not get to meet them, but I was very excited to see one of my "babies"!

At The Market 2010

2010-06-01T16:08:00.000-04:00

Some of the sights at this year's Farmer's Market Flower Day weekend...good weekend, but 4:00 AM sure came awfully early Saturday morning!

The setup this time, with the Maumee River right behind us...

OMG! How cute can I get? (BTW, that is NOT a baby bottle under the stroller, but I saw it in use - it's a portable doggy water dish!)

Surrounded by flora ~ I'm in my element!

As I've mentioned before, I have leaf ~ themed everything! Purses, jewelry, checks, sunglasses - plus my leaf clothing, some of which you'll never see me wear in REAL life! I'll only wear it at shows, and deny everything at work the next day! ...which might be difficult after I post this picture...

An American Idol Finalist Visits Downtown Toledo...

2010-05-20T00:33:00.001-04:00

I can't help myself ~ I love to watch American Idol! Perhaps it's because I love to sing, too ~ the only difference between us, though, is one thing.....I CAN'T sing! Pretty much tone deaf - I still crank up my home stereo to unhealthy audio levels so I can sing my heart out and can pretend I'm actually hitting the notes! BUT I can marvel at the ease with which most of these young people can sing and live vicariously through them.

So Crystal Bowersox came to visit DT Toledo last Friday. I work down there - and the area she stopped in to sing - Levis Square - is located a very few yards from my office! Needless to say, I was in the middle of that huge (for Toledo) crowd! Even the parking garages were crowded - I probably know a lot of those folks in the picture above! We have also had many horrendously cold and rainy days lately, and fortunately, Friday wasn't one of 'em!

I didn't get as close as I hoped to, just pointed the camera in her direction and hoped for the best - but one pic came out really well! She did perform one of her original songs, "Holy Toledo", which I'm starting to really like. It's not just a song supposedly about Toledo - a lot of times it's just a generic song with the city's name stuck in it somewhere - it's a genuinely good song, written with a lot of feeling, and it was inspiring to us, in a city that's going through some very tough times, to hear someone (who no doubt will soon be a star ) in the heart of that city singing that particular song...

...Crystal made it to the Top Two tonight, and we are wishing her the best!

New Places...

2010-05-14T11:07:00.001-04:00

Some of my work is now carried by Silver Lining Gallery in Waterville - I'm in their newsletter this month!~

Opening the treasure chest of local art!

Join Us at the Zoo

The Silver Lining Gallery is participating in the Destination Toledo Summer Expo at the zoo on Monday, May 17th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. We will have a display booth featuring, not only the gallery, but all of the other wonderful businesses in Waterville . Be sure to stop by our booth to say hello and sign up for the Silver Lining Gallery gift certificate drawing.

Waterville Clock Tower

There’s Always Something NEW at the Silver Lining Gallery!

Stop by soon to check out all the new art at the gallery. The Silver Lining Gallery is fortunate to have many new artists interested in showing their work in our shop. In addition, our established artists frequently bring in new items so there is always something new to see! Stop by soon to be amazed by all of the wonderful choices available.

Here are just a few of the new artists at the gallery:

Acrylic paintings by Michael D. Hall

Glass by Debbie and Bob Less

Leaf casting by Nanci Shufritz (!)

Silver Lining Gallery business hours:

 Tuesdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
 Wednesdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
 Thursdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
 Fridays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
 Saturdays 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Closed Sundays and Mondays

The Silver Lining Gallery Mission Statement - Opening the treasure chest of local art

• PROMOTE local artists by displaying their work

• OFFER eclectic creations for the enjoyment of all

• ENCOURAGE giving the gift of art to others

• ENHANCE the community by creating an environment for the arts

The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life.

~William Faulkner

Silver Lining Gallery
122 Mechanic St.
Waterville, OH
419-441-0025
www.silverliningart.com
Co-owners: Sherry Seiler and Lisa Exner
silverlining@bex.net
.

The Quest For The Unobtainable

2010-05-09T21:50:00.000-04:00

I bet you think this post is about striving for wealth, or power, or fame - something along those lines. Well, no, it's about my great creative ideas using hardware or craft items UNTIL I find out no one makes the particular items I have in mind!

Well, here's what I mean...Example #1~ I normally don't like to add "silly" stuff to my leaves, but when I first began, I thought the waterlily pads were sort of boring (especially before I started painting my pieces), so I found little ceramic frogs/toads to attach to them, and discovered they were really popular. Enough so that I had trouble finding more! I finally found a local florist shop that agreed to wholesale ceramic toads, snails and turtles to me (they were floral picks), and they worked great! Then the store closed, so that was no longer an option (yes, they even gave me the name of the company, but they ignored my emails). Well, I'd just look online! Oh sure, I found lots of frogs and toads on Ebay - unfortunately, they were either the wrong size, too unrealistic (like wearing clothes or playing instruments ), or "collectible" - i.e., expensive!

...So here I am, making molds of the critters, and casting my OWN amphibians in cement! Then I have to paint them...yes, it was a good save, and it makes each one even MORE one of a kind, that's true, but it is also more labor intensive!

Example #2~...When I was much younger, I was fascinated by greeting cards that had glitter and rhinestones glued to them to enhance a scene, a flower, etc. I especially liked the "dewdrops"- tiny clear glass cabochons that looked like dew on flowers. I even got to the point that I would lift all the cards with dewdrops out of the rack, because inevitably, some of the stones would get knocked off loose in the card rack, then I'd pilfer them! (Well, I knew no one was going to go thru them and glue them back on, and I couldn't bear to see them thrown away!)

Here it is, thirty (or so) years later, and I decide that dewdrops would be perfect to add onto my leaf pendants. Simple; I'll just go to the local craft store, right? Well..., not so much. While they had faceted rhinestones up the wazoo, none were smooth! Still, I wasn't worried - again, I was sure I could find them online! Surprisingly, that didn't seem to be the case either. I found only ONE online store that carries them, and first, they are slightly larger than I'd like, and second, they're acrylic while I really had glass in mind.

So here I am, buying little clear glass beads that I'm actually physically BREAKING IN HALF to achieve the look I want! Again, more time and labor!

Example #3~I wanted to cast little steel nuts {no Iron Man jokes, please....I'm laughing though -"nuts" is a funny word! :-) }

into my small bird feeders so I could just buy rods with threaded ends to screw them onto. Guess what? No one MAKES steel or aluminum rods with threaded ends - they are either threaded the entire length of the rod (which is unpleasant looking), or not at all!

.....So here I go again, manually threading aluminum rods individually because NO ONE MAKES WHAT I WANT!!! hmph.

Free Comic Book Day 2010

2010-04-28T11:19:00.001-04:00

(****Shameless Promotion Warning ****)

...of spouse's business!

How many times do you hear "free" nowadays for real, without a catch? Well, this Saturday, May first, Monarch Comics in Toledo http://www.monarchcardsandcomics.com/ (4400 Heatherdowns) will actually have FREE comic books available to everyone! Comic shops across the country will be participating in Free Comic Book Day http://www.freecomicbookday.com/, but it is up to the individual dealers to add any exceptions/stipulations, like "free with $_.00 purchase", but there's none of that at Monarch! There are many FREE comics available, many different titles, and not 3 page pamphlets - these are real comics (and I think they even throw into the mix some of their extra backstock issues, but don't hold me to that), and FREE to anyone who stops in!

Where will I be? At an annual plant and perennial swap far from there! lol After 28 years, I know better than to get in the way!!!

Stop by and tell them I sent you!

A Stroll In Downtown Toledo

2010-04-23T22:15:00.000-04:00

It was a beautiful day today, so I took a walk around on my lunch hour...

Here's a sculpture across the street from my workplace, in front of my OLD workplace! Impressive building, huh? Too bad it's empty ...:o(

...A closer look

This is a memorial sculpture inspired by Art Tatum in front of the brand new arena - the dark spaces are illuminated in blue at night. The parking garage at the far left is where I park, I also manage the parkers using that facility.

This is the old but renovated Valentine Theatre

This is close to the Valentine - (I apologise to the artist, but I think it borders on hideous)! If I was a five year old, it would scare me!

Close to the water (Maumee River) - the panels are holographic when the light hits them just right.

Hark! There lies yon river I spoke thereof...picture taken thru the oak tree that I procure the leaves from for some of my pendants

I'll continue my tour in a few days!

Happy Earth Day!

2010-04-22T09:15:00.001-04:00

I'm sure this is not big news to you all - it's all over the place! - but today is the 40th celebration of Earth Day!

And here's my Earth Day message: You don't have to recycle, and compost, and drive a hybrid, and garden organic, and use rechargeable batteries, and reuse 'gray' water, and use flourescent lightbulbs,and plant a tree, and conserve energy and gasolene usage all at the same time - just do SOME of those things! That's the problem. Some of us are really trying, but many more don't do ANYTHING! And the scariest part is, they don't CARE! Well, they should- especially if they've had children - they may not care, but their descendants might, don't you think?! If every one of us would just do whatever they could towards conservation, it could really make a difference. And if you're reading my blog, it's more likely than not that you already feel the same way, so today, I think we should all find one or more of those "uncaring" folks and try (tactfully) to convince them a little that, like it or not, we're in this together!

Peace!

Nothing Gold Can Stay

2010-04-08T08:55:00.001-04:00

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leafs a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.
~~~~Robert Frost

Much of the charm of Spring lies in all its ephemeral beauty....

we have to enjoy it while we can!

A Wish For All Of You...

2010-04-03T23:31:00.001-04:00

Photo courtesy of The Daily Kitten website

I hope everyone has a peaceful and fulfilling Easter Sunday. And if you don't celebrate - I wish for you to have a happy Spring (or Fall, for those of you in another hemisphere!) day surrounded by those who love you!

~nanci~

To Frou Frou Or Not To Frou Frou

2010-03-24T13:56:00.002-04:00

My spousal unit and I have "discussions" all the time about decorations in our booth. Granted, considering all we have to transport (and really don't want to expand beyond our truck), there isn't a lot of room for extra frills. Of course, being a man, he sees no reason for it, but I know that I'm more attracted to a booth that has sparkles, a pretty cloth backdrop or flowers, as most women are. (I'm just making generalizations ~ some men are attracted to stuff like that too ~ heck, my dad collects dolls!). The only concession he has made encompasses some small leaves covered in glitter (craft store-after Xmas sale) that I hang around the signs and frame.

In the past year though, at indoor shows, we have decided to use our canopy frame in our space, since I'm getting to the point where I need the extra display space. Last Fall I purchased some garlands of red and yellow leaves to make the canopy look more like a gazebo, and surprisingly, I'm getting no complaints from my other half! I have since acquired some "Summer" garlands to use when we have the full canopy up at the outdoor shows. I guess because they're so lightweight (and can pretty much fit anywhere), it's not bothering him. I really think it makes a difference, though.

I have only one problem: I really get irritated when someone is looking at my work, compliments it, then points at one of the decorations (that cost me a few cents each) and asks, "How much is that?" (Seriously ~ that has happened several times!)

Note the glittery leaves on each side of the sign (Hmmm...note to self - I was going to look into something to stiffen that sign...)

I really need to train myself to quote them a (high) price like they really ARE for sale without saying anything else. That would have one of two results: 1) if they're dumb enough to pay it, I make a profit or 2) they would realize how ridiculous that question really was! Hey, a win-win situation!

Nature Bling?

2010-03-02T22:03:00.002-05:00

I have always been a "nature girl" who loves plants, animals, the sun,flowers, etc., and being away from the not-so-natural, manmade world.

The soft greens, browns, blue and white skies, just make me happy and content.

Then there's the other me, who loves bling! Not as in 'expensive jewelry' - I just love glitter, sparkles, spangles, mirrors (diamonds are still OK, though!) - anything that reflects the light. I always describe myself as a little monkey, because they like to collect sparkly things. My husband, on the other hand, describes me as a"crow" (well, because they do the same thing - I like MY description better, however!It'd be too easy to throw the word "old" in front of "crow")!

Of course, glitter can be found in the natural world - the evening sunlight on water, the sun coming out right after a fresh snowfall (or an ice storm!), the stars on a clear night, dewdrops on a Lotus leaf,even flakes of quartz in stones scattered on the ground...

So, these days, even as I create my concrete leaves, and want to use the muted colors of Nature, part of me wants to stick just a little bit of flash on them! I have attached clear glass "raindrops" to the Lotus leaves, added a touch of metallic colors on others, pearls and glass beads on the Hibiscus stamens and am now putting tiny iridescent"dewdrops" on the leaf pendants......

And of course, my Fun-Gi, with their metallic impressions and jewels and copper stems, are an outlet for the "wild" side of my imagination, so not TOO much bling ends up on the leaves!

Reuse, Reduce, Recycle, Repurpose, Etc.

2010-02-24T11:39:00.002-05:00

My dear spousal unit has been reusing the plastic grocery bags since they first started offering them at the stores (he owns the oldest Comic Book shop in our area!). When I began participating in craft shows, I did the same - and our families all save bags for us.

When I contemplated entering ART shows, however, I started to wonder if I would be the "other side of the tracks" person in the show if I didn't buy new, pretty bags for my customers. I started to check the prices on bags online, and, while I was in the "considering placing an order" phase, we went to an art show (as shoppers/browsers). One item I purchased was an inexpensive pair of earrings for $12 - hey, they had LEAVES on them! Anyway, they wrapped the earrings in pretty tissue paper, placed them in a bowed out cardboard envelope that had a pretty print on it, and tied it with a small piece of ribbon! Was I impressed? Well, actually, sort of, but at the same time I thought A) A tiny bag would have worked just as well and B) The artist would be making more money and/or could charge a little less for his larger pieces if he didn't spend all that for packaging! Between that experience plus the fact that I really couldn't find a bag that would fit my work any better than the grocery bags, I decided against buying any bags.

And, I have to admit, no one has ever looked at us funny or acted insulted because we used newspaper and Walmart bags, from the other artists OR our customers! Maybe ten years ago they would have, but in these "Green" days, it's more appreciated. If I feel that maybe the customer is a little funny about the packaging, I just smile and say, "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, right?!" and they laugh and nod! I'm really glad that I decided to stick with my reused bags, and I have since discovered several artists who do many of the larger art fairs and still use recycled bags.

Only one problem I can see - most stores now sell inexpensive cloth bags to use in place of the plastic bags for responsible shoppers, which I DON'T use because, of course, we need them to reuse in our respective businesses! Now I feel that everyone thinks I'm not environmentally conscious! (Can you tell I worry a little too much about what other people think?). Also, the idea of a "bag tax" of 5 or 10 cents per bag is being considered for the people who don't use the cloth bags, which I would think was a good idea, except that, again, I need those bags!

Things You May Not Know...

2010-02-08T22:18:00.003-05:00

My work has sometimes been seen in unusual places. The most interesting setting might be here, at St. Luke's Hospital in Maumee, Ohio, where a red cabbage leaf decorates the Birthing Center!

It's a cute spot ; I guess I shouldn't have moved the baby in the picture below- but it was covering my leaf!

The next spot we are visiting is the Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge, in Oak Harbor, Oh.....

Some of my work has been in their Visitor Center - here are some of my leaf pendants in a display.

Curb's Candle Co. in Toledo has carried some of my castings as well.

I am in the process of collecting photos of any of my leaves displayed in the gardens or homes of people who have purchased them or had received one as a gift. If you also have one, please send it- when I compile enough of them, I'll post those, too.

Art By Necessity

2010-01-30T21:51:00.002-05:00

My husband (and I - but it's mostly his) owns the oldest comic book shop in our city (26 years!). It's not in this location any more, but when we first opened, we needed signage and, although my father is a wonderful artist and was a signpainter for many years, I had to paint our signs myself (I'll skip the childhood angst stuff - suffice it to say he didn't want to). Well, I had never painted much at all, but I always say that I can generally do a fairly decent job if I'm inspired. So paint I did...

Oops, OK, my dad helped some- he "blew up" this pic of Captain America for me, so all I had to do was trace it on the door and paint it. I thought this was the greatest thing - definitely made our store recognizable!

Heres' a closer shot

Then the business 2 doors down wanted a sign, so I did another (don't worry, they didn't pay much for it!)

Then I painted another for the beauty shop next door - I was on a roll! I was only working part time in those days, so I had the time! These are old film photos, sorry they're not clearer, but it was a long time ago! So, BTW, don't try calling any of these places - they're long gone! (Hey, wait, our store's phone number is still the same! Give him a call if you need comic book related items!) OK,enough of my shameless promoting of the shop (It's at 4400 Heatherdowns, by the way).... :o)

The Leaves of Winter

2010-01-28T10:22:00.001-05:00

The snow had melted some, so I went out to check my "inventory" of raw cement pieces I still have. "Hey!" I thought, "Not much more to do!" ..Then I looked to the left, And noticed....

OY! I guess I still have a while to go.....The large painted one is the largest Castor Bean leaf I've ever done - but it's too bulky to take anywhere!

While, indoors, here's one finished and one waiting....

Work Is Continuing

2010-01-25T11:11:00.003-05:00

I have been on a quest for white cement (or any kind of a white cement or concrete product - mortar, resurfacer, whatever) ever since I cast my first piece, because I know the colors would be so much more vibrant if they were painted on white instead of grey. For some reason, everytime I read something ANYWHERE that goes like, "AND it can be found at any of your local home and garden stores!", OURS doesn't carry it. I have a Lowe's, a Home Depot, and a Menard's all within a couple miles of my house, and they don't carry white cement products, or things like smaller diameter copper pipe than 1/2" (which I could really use, also), etc., - and if I ask them if they can special order it, they all tell me No, in that special way that REALLY means, " Yeah, right! And go through a little extra work for YOU? No Way!". So much for being helpful to the do it yourselfers - sure,they can help, as long as it's something they already have in store! Yes, I have found it online, but I'm not paying shipping costs for CEMENT!

My second choice would be to paint a base coating of white, but the colors don't blend as easily on white paint. I HAVE found that white primer works quite well, and of course it is primer, so it would bond the paint to the piece better, and, although I usually don't have trouble with the paint adhering, it couldn't hurt! Here's my first try at a primed Rhubarb leaf, and I'm really happy with it! (Yes, the "worktable" that you see is the clothes washer!) This is only the first color after the white base coat....

..and here is the next color! I already see a drastic difference, and I'm really happy with it! I'm afraid I just added another step to my procedures, but if it improves the quality, that's what I'll have to do!

Back To Beadin'

2010-01-20T22:11:00.004-05:00

As I was beading the other day (yes, I still work on jewelry - I love doing it, and I have oh, probably tens of thousands of beads [millions, if you'd count each SEED bead!] all over in my house - gotta do SOMETHING with 'em! ), I realized I really wanted to incorporate the jewelry aspect of my art with the garden side of it.

(NOTE: Don't mention to my husband what a great love I have for beading - he has another side to it! Basically, he just says quietly," I can hear you cussing over there - must be beading again, huh? " I have no idea what he's talkin' about...)

I still do have the cast leaf pendants, but I also have a LOT of what I would call "natural" or "organic" beads - coral, bone, semi precious (garnet, turquoise, pearls), Job's Tears (which I grow myself) - even manmade materials, but still closer to what occurs in Nature - copper, silver, terra cotta, etc. I guess I could even slide by with glass, since it does occur naturally sometimes (near volcanoes!) I have already opened an Etsy shop, but decided to open up a separate store, just for this jewelry, so I now have "Nanci's Organic Jewelry Creations"! I will post the link soon, but since I only have 3 items in there at the moment, it's not too exciting right now!

..Just a fraction of all the beads I really have!

I'm also making some "Pseudo Pandora" bracelets, just because they're so popular (AND so expensive!). It IS a nice idea, a high quality fashion accessory in which you can add different components or beads to follow seasons, or holidays, or just how you feel that day- and they ARE pretty! But $35 -$45 dollar per BEAD? Seriously? There are websites where you can build yourself a virtual Pandora bracelet online, I tried it out and none of my bracelets came in under $1000.00! So much for that.

..So I decided to make my own, using the many beads I have collected thru years of shopping in bead catalogs, bead stores, craft shops, thrift stores, parents' and grandparents' jewelry boxes - noo, they're not interchangeable like the Pandoras, but I

figure I can make oh, maybe 40 of these for what one of THOSE would cost me! A bead for different holidays? How about a whole bracelet for each holiday!

Leafin' In The Snow

2010-01-12T23:05:00.003-05:00

Sorry about the lack of posts recently - mid winter's not an exciting time of year for garden art! I do have an event lined up for early March now, though, so things need to speed up! My New Year's Resolution is going pretty well - I am determined to get all my raw cement pieces painted before the Spring leaves start appearing, and so far I'm "keeping my nose to the grindstone" - (you'd think it'd at least get smaller -LOL) and, despite my losing interest a little after the holidays, I believe I have my Mojo back and am again enjoying my chosen craft. Every winter I worry myself - I have started many projects over the years - art related or otherwise- and the normal lifespan of most of them was maybe a few months! I am beginning my fifth year as a leaf caster / nature artist, and after four years and well over 600 finished cement leaves I am amazing myself at my continued interest and excitement with my work. A lot of people think I'm kidding about this (except the ones who know me VERY well), but I am extremely lazy! If I could sit at home and do what I want WHEN I want, I would be very happy. If someone had told me 5 years ago that I would be working full time AND working every other spare moment on garden art, I would have laughed them out of the room! A full time job was plenty of work for me, thank you! And necessary - unfortunately, quitting to cast leaves full time is not an option. Believe me, I am not doing this because I have nothing else to do, or that I need to keep busy - it's

just something I have to do.

Don't feel sorry for me - I'm definitely not killing myself - I know a few people who could probably do a lot more than what I'm doing, but this is it for me! I have a philosophy in life - and I hate to say something so cliche' as "Stop and smell the roses", but that IS how I

feel. I think a lot of people rush around and do so much that they're killing themselves! Most of the workaholics I know either have cancer, or heart disease, or are diabetic, OR are dead already! I see it over and over again. I do feel it's important to be productive on a daily basis, but it is also important to relax on a daily basis, also. OK, I'm off my soapbox now (Wow, this must be Cliche Day!).

Farewell 2009...

2009-12-30T22:58:00.002-05:00

Isn't this a nice rendition of Times Square? This is actually a sweater I found at a thrift shop! Yes, I am actually planning to wear it tomorrow at work! It WAS for the year 2000, but witha little tweaking (and fabric paint) it becomes very current!

..So if you see this sweater, say hi, 'cause I'm pretty sure I'm the only person goofy enough to wear it in public!

Have a fun and Happy New Year!

Time For Resolutions

2009-12-27T21:57:00.005-05:00

...They're watching me!...

Well, the holiday's over, so that means vacation's over! I have at least 40 cast leaves inside and outside, waiting to be painted. Every year I swear I'll have everything finished before the new leaves are ready to cast, but I always have a few left! So there are 3 leaves waiting for their final coating of sealer waiting for me right now in the studio (i.e., the laundry room), and I need to buckle down and paint at least one each day especially before March, which is when seed starting season begins! That is when I have to fit yet another purpose into the studio/laundry/cat's room! But that is hopefully when I will be able to transition some of my "leafin" work back outside! So my New Year's resolution is to get the paints out and continue with this commitment I began 4 years ago!

I "Heart" My Leaves!

2009-12-22T21:56:00.001-05:00

Speaking of little things, I have also just developed a little

"trademark" - a small Morning Glory leaf pressed into the backs of my

castings. Isn't that sweet? A little heart shaped reminder that they are

made by hand. Actually, the truth is that I can't seem to eradicate all

of those damn weedy Morning Glory vines from my yard, so I thought I'd

at least find a use for part of them! All plants have a purpose,if one looks closely enough!

Almost A New Year

2009-12-05T21:10:00.002-05:00

And all in all, it's been great! A few new shows that went very well (a couple that did NOT, but that's the nature of the game), pretty good weather for almost all of them, and our new canopy worked out just like I wanted. Even works well at an indoor show! So things are as good as can be expected, considering our local (and national) economy is not well these days.

I am looking forward to the new year for another reason - I won't have to write "'09" in paint pen on rough cemennt anymore! Seriously, a zero and a nine are hard to write legibly! When 2010 arrives, a ONE and a zero will be much easier! O.K., so it doesn't sound like such a big deal, but it's the little things in life that are important, right?

So goodbye to 2009, and i look forward to next year, and even MORE to the year after that (2011! Woo-hoo!)

Dumpster Diving - Fun For Everyone!

2009-11-27T17:46:00.001-05:00

One of the few problems I have with my castings and traveling is what to use for packing/cushioning material. Most bubblewrap is too thin - it works, but only if I use several layers. Newspaper is great, but it looks sloppy, tears easily, and gets wet if I have to pack in rainy conditions. The best materials I have found so far are foam rubber (but that stuff is incredibly expensive) and heavy duty bubblewrap, which is hard to find AND expensive. As a result, I am always on the lookout for better packing material.

So, one day last week, as I was walking to the park for - I'm positive- the absolute last time this year, I was thrilled to find this pool cover by the street in front of one of my neighbors! It was pretty clean, and it is actually ...BUBBLE WRAP! Very thick, strong bubble wrap, too!

So I dragged it home, spead it out in my backyard, continued back to the park (where I did see a deer!), came back, swept a little dirt off the cover and proceeded to cut this thing into nice sized pieces for packing in the quickly fading light of dusk. I'm glad we have had a dry spell, I don't know if I would've messed with it in the rain, but now I have a LOT of packing material for just a little bit of labor. Sometimes checking out other folks' garbage is a fortuitous thing!

A Season Of Inspiration...

2009-11-07T23:56:00.040-05:00

I'm sure that some of my friends and acquaintances can recall walking with me in the Autumn season, when I suddenly cry, "OOO!" and drop to the ground in mid sentence! No, it's not a heart attack - I just spotted a pretty leaf! There are so many colors and combination of colors on leaves this time of year that I have to collect them just to remember them all!

The Japanese Maple in my garden

Same tree...

Two leaves floating in the pond...

More out of my garden

Some fallen leaves I photographed so I can refer to the colors later

This is the back of a waterlily leaf - I paint some of the lily leaves I make with these colors - everyone probably thinks I make these colors up, but the backs of the leaves are usually quite beautiful!

Another Admirable Artist

2009-10-31T22:35:00.000-04:00

This is my early Xmas gift to myself - a C.L. Whiting handbag! Now, normally MY handbags come from thrift stores and discount department stores, but when I saw the incredible work on these (called Leaf Leather), I had to own one!

Here's a little background on the artist.....

New York and Italy both play a part in the talent behind C.L Whiting, a person people nationwide respect as a Master Leathercrafter.

Many familiar with the art of leathercrafting say what C.L Whiting does "is impossible to do!"

But, when people realize this artist is not only accomplished in all forms of artwork, from watercolor to oils; as well as pastels, it makes more sense. And when it is understood that the work C.L. produces on leather is a combination of countless years of perfecting these forms of art, Leaf Leather's achievement becomes more understandable.

Leaf Leather's story began in upstate New York more than 20 years ago. This is where C.L. Whiting developed a love for nature and a passion for detail. While working part-time at a small leather shop and studying art at a New York university, the opportunity arose for C.L. Whiting to become an apprentice under an Italian engraver who was retiring and desired to pass along his technique for making fine detailed tools to someone who would appreciated it.

After years of study and countless hours of time, C.L. began to create a one of kind, unique process that no one in the world could imagine possible. By combining the artistic art forms learned in school, along with those specialized engraving skills gained through this apprenticeship, she discovered the ability to produce tools in the shape of leaves with uncanny microscopic detail.

C.L. withdrew from the university and began a decades-long development of more than 5,000 tools in different leaf patterns. Only after these tools were honed to her satisfaction did she realize the uniqueness of her new art form, and only then did the products you now see begin to be produced.

Leaf Rustling

2009-10-22T22:06:00.003-04:00

No, not the rustling sound of leaves - the, uh, PROCURING of leaves from various sources. Yes, as I tell everyone, most of the leaves I use DO come from our garden, but I do also like unusual leaves from plants that I don't have room for in my yard, such as Oakleaf Hydrangea and the Kalopanax tree. Or Okra. Or grapevines. The grape leaves that I cast

are pretty popular with the wine aficionados around here, so I made my semi annual trip to the local botanical garden which is only a few minutes down the street from me, and stocked up on grape and various other leaves. Hey, what are they gonna do - arrest me for pruning? Of course, it was not just for that; it was one of the last (and only) warm autumn days left, and I walked around and took pictures and said goodbye to Summer.

The swans were enjoying the day - the tiny swanlet we had seen in July had become almost as large as its parents (I guess a baby swan is a cygnet. I think I like "swanlet" better!), and the trees were showing a lot of color. Plus I got some exercise!

I call this "Under The Kalopanax Tree". Artsy, huh?

MY Favorite Artists -Part 1

2009-10-19T22:30:00.001-04:00

I have enough "stuff" of my own around the house and garden to keep me from collecting very much in the way of other artists' work, but there is one show in my area where I find Amy Citko Designs. She creates art out of Borosilicate dichroic glass, crushing/breaking it up somehow and making "sparkly things" out of it. Let me point out right now, I LIKE sparkly things! Hubby tells everyone I'm like a crow - I dive after anything that glitters! But, anyway, I found Amy 3 years ago at the Levis Commons Art Fair in Perrysburg, Oh. These are the same promoters who handle the Ann Arbor Street Fair in Michigan (and that is a big one! Too big for me, as yet!), so I am assuming Amy would also be found there.

My first purchase

Amy claims that these are weatherproof, they can be left outside all year, which I have not done (because I hate winter and figure it destroys everything it touches!), but after having this outside all summer for three years, the copper is starting to patina, but there is no change to the sparkle on the piece! So I would bet it could be left out - I just can't do it, though.

...This is what I acquired last year - I think it's my favorite so far

This is a little different piece I acquired this summer - Hubby sort of talked me into it, and even though I really like it, I would rather have the more sparkly stuff.

Although- when the sun hits it and I get this.....like little flying saucers cruising around the yard...I do become very fond of it!

I'm Confused...

2009-10-18T23:22:00.000-04:00

Bought some new masks that aren't quite as heavy duty as my big respirator thing, just when I'm sanding or filing the rough spots. I THINK they're the right ones......?

...Or is there a new medium around that I haven't heard of?

Still Here!

2009-10-11T23:09:00.000-04:00

Been very bad lately! As I've mentioned before, Autumn gets me very depressed, and usually I have time to get used to it, but along with the quickly-shortening days, it has been a lot cooler than it should be, so it's put me in a funk.

Well, here are a couple pics of my potted Sumacs - the colors ARE pretty...

I have to rush home from work every day, and cast what I can for the two hours of daylight I have left with hands growing numb with the cold. I know - if that's the worst that happens, I'm doing great- but I don't feel much like blogging! I apologise to my readers - there aren't many of you yet, but I appeciate every one of you! I will be posting info on my next show(s) soon.

Some Impressive, Talented Artists!

2009-09-15T13:31:00.016-04:00

I am not real impressed by a lot of artwork that I see - not because I'm such an expert, or even that I know what constitutes beautiful artwork, but IMHO only, since I have a little talent, and my father is such a talented painter, a lot of what I see is nice, but not amazing. Certain arts, such as glassblowing, constitute something resembling MAGIC to me, as far as I can tell! I have never tried it, and so can't look at it and understand how it's done. Other artwork, such as pottery or jewelry, is something I understand, but if someone takes it in a new direction, something I would not have thought of, it is impressive to me. Here are some artists I was fascinated with at the Black Swamp festival....

I seem to be attracted by pottery, and, although working in concrete is WAY different, I can relate to what potters do in some ways. I did not purchase any of them, though - every place I could think of to put a piece seems to be taken up by a leaf! Hmmm. I tried not to say to them what always bothers ME, though -" Oh, your work is beautiful! Such good prices! How Unique! Too bad I'm (choose all that apply) A) downsizing, B) broke, C) A parent of young children, or D) moving." Oh well, C'est la Vie!
Some more colorful pottery by Parsley Pottery (I like that name!) in Cincinnati, Oh. (NOTE: While I do not mind photos taken of my work, many artists DO, so please ASK before taking photos of artwork! And if you do ask and they say no, don't get upset - they need to protect their livelihood.)

...And some amazing sculptures!

This is Larry Mack of Lars Glass Originals http://www.larsglassoriginals.com/, he has been a friend of ours for a long time, and has been in this business for a long time, too (of course, he probably started when he was 5 or 6, right, Larry?)

But now that I am starting in the art field, he has become more like my "Mentor"! We have been at some of the same events, and he gives me good advice and information on what shows may be successful for me and shares different techniques he has found that work for him at these shows. Our artwork is at totally different ends of the scale (he works in glass; that's more of the stuff filed under "Magic"!), so we're not competitors at all. We own some of each other's work. In fact, here's one of Larry's glass and copper pieces in my garden, fashioned to place in a birdbath ( NOTE: did you know that copper inhibits algae groth in fountains and birdbaths? Just throw a couple copper pennies in it - or get one of these sculptures!)

.

Good Show!

2009-09-15T13:25:00.007-04:00

My apologies for not updating this sooner (still recovering!) But I only have 2 words to describe last weekend - PER-FECT! Started off with finding out no one was on one side of us, since this is very space - intensive, that really helped a lot! Set up went well, there was a hospitality room provided to the artists, with food, coffee (!), water, restrooms, etc., the weather was just what I would have ordered if I could have - temperate, light breeze, sunny...

...ready for the crowds!

The crowds were great - a constant flow of buying customers, no weirdos (sic), we were close to the food and music (see below).

From the people who said they showed up just to see me because they had seen my blog (finally!), to the lady who told me she went thru the whole show, could only afford to purchase from one artist, and chose me because my work was the most unique.....

And I don't think I'll forget the person who wanted one of my nicest birdbaths as a memorial gift for a friend whose gardener spouse passed away.....

The view from our booth Sat. night. (below)

Coming back from a short walk and is - that?.....Naw, couldn't be MY booth with the crowd of people around it! Feels like I'm having an out of body experience!

So next time I complain about the weather or the sales or the food (WAAA!), remind me of this past weekend!
.

NEW PIECES...

2009-09-11T12:20:00.005-04:00

...That will be going with me to Bowling Green! Getting into some Fall coloring. Tis is a large Okra (!) leaf that can be placed in a flower bed, used as a centerpiece, or hung as wall art with the aluminum hanger in back.

This one is my only large Gunnera leaf I have at the moment (it doesn't throw very many leaves at a time - I'm just happy I am able to keep it going in my climate!) Another that may lay flat or hang.
Another big Okra formed into a birdbath, it has a copper fitting cast into the bottom and comes with a 2 1/2' copper pipe. The birdbaths can also be used to lay flat on the ground (the fitting can just fit into a little indentation in the ground for stability).

Well, gotta go! Hubby and I have a truck to load! :o)
.

BLACK SWAMP ARTS FESTIVAL NEARLY HERE

2009-09-05T21:52:00.006-04:00

Well, only a few more days! Here's a press release that gives all the info...

Planning is Complete…Donʼt Miss this HUGE Regional Event
Bowling Green, OH--Wood County - The 17th annual Black Swamp Arts Festival will feature a variety of visual artists from across the country, local and national musical acts, and an interactive youth art area
– all free of charge.
The Festival running from Friday, Sept. 11 at 5 p.m. thru Sunday, Sept. 13 5 p.m. It will open Friday with live music on the Main Stage. A large variety of food and drink
will be available in the Concessions Garden situated adjacent to the stage. Juried and Wood County Invitational Art shows will be open Saturday and Sunday. Festival guests will be entertained with live music and art throughout the weekend.
As music rings through the Downtown on Saturday and Sunday, patrons can enjoy the two fine art and fine craft shows featuring artists from across the nation as well as from the Wood County community.
The Juried Art Show features more than 100 artists in varied mediums ranging from watercolor, jewelry, sculpture, photography, multimedia and glass. Along with past festival winners and familiar favorites, many new and exciting artists will
display and sell their work.
Additionally, more than 40 local artists display their work in the Wood County Invitational Art Show. All art shows are open Saturday, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
For more information visit www.blackswamparts.org

RANT~Refused Service- Am I Too SMALL Of A Business To Matter? You Decide!

2009-08-31T17:30:00.008-04:00

The strangest thing happened to me this weekend. As I have mentioned, I seal my pieces with an outdoor concrete sealant - but I am always looking for a better one! So I found this company online - Top Secret Coatings, Inc., and it looked to me as if that might be just the thing, except that the various products ranged in price from $60 to $115 a GALLON! Well, nothing's too good for my customers, so I sent the company an email - this is the unabridged email I sent-

Hi Peter,
I am an artist in Toledo, Ohio, and my primary media is concrete (if you look at any of my websites or information, I use the word "cement", which I know is incorrect, but I like the way it sounds more- I guess you'd call it artistic license!).

I cast leaves and flowers in cement, handpaint them in acrylics and seal them with a concrete patio/floor sealer. The sealer I have been using is fine for most of my pieces (It does stay slightly tacky, though). However, recently, I have been forming them into birdbaths, and I have had some problems finding sealers strong and waterproof (and clear) enough to really protect the paint itself. Some of your products may be just what I am looking for, but some are fairly expensive. If they work for what I need, the price is a non issue, but if I purchase them and they DON'T work, I would hate to waste the money or have to ship a gallon back! I know this is an odd application, so you probably could not recommend any of the sealers - in the past, when I do ask it a certain product would work, I am always told that it is not recommended to use over paint. I just have to try them myself, and, surprisingly, I have not found any that really DON'T work, just some that work better than others.
My question is this: is there any way I could purchase samples of your products? If not, does anyone carry your products in my area? That would make it easier to determine what may work for me,
THanks in advance for your time!

OK, was that a impolite, mean email? After what happened next, though, I'm even doubting myself.

Here is "Peter's" whole reply:

Nancy,

I don’t like dealing with people that tell me up front they plan to send products back if they don’t like them. We just don’t need the business that bad.
Sincerely,

Peter Harrett
Top Secret Coatings Inc.

WELL! What did I do to deserve THAT? Don't they like to stand behind their $115 per gallon products? Doesn't he like women? Or is it that maybe I'm "small potatoes" and he only wants large corporations' orders? Despite what I wanted to email back, which would go something like,

"Dear @#*&$#%,

You can take your sealer and (&#^*%$#^ with ?{(#$^*%@ and #$)*&@$ and the horse you rode in on, too, you &^%#$*&^!"

...I didn't.I didn't think that would be very ladylike! So, instead, here was MY reply,

Hmmm... well, I guess you're the ONLY company in the U.S. in this economy that doesn't really need new business!!! I would only send it back if it could not work for me (not if "I don't like it"), and ONLY if that was your policy - I pretty much only said that to point out WHY I was wondering about SAMPLES. Maybe if you had read the whole email you would have figured that out...
That's O.K., though - I do not want to deal with a company that is as blatantly nasty as you apparently are! I will make sure to mention this on my websites, blogs, newsletter, Facebook and Twitter (and to the Better Business Bureau) how much you DON'T need the business! I wouldn't want you to be bothered! .Thanks for nothing.

Time out!...................A nice, soothing picture to calm me down!.......................

...It's not over yet! One more jab from Pete:

Your threats are proof I pegged you right on.

What?! NOW I'm starting to think I'm dealing with a total paranoid!

So I wrote back:

Pegged as what? A customer? They're not threats - I will not lie or change anything I wrote. I can't see where I offended you in the first place. I will just send the complete correspondence (including this last one!) between us and the BBB can sort it out.

Which is exactly what I have already done. So, as I promised him, here it is, and remember, ladies and gentlemen, Top Secret Coatings doesn't need the business, especially from women and small businesses - leave poor ol' Pete alone! :o)

Wall Mural (sorta)

2009-08-27T22:05:00.008-04:00

When we moved into this house (our current one), it was freshly painted in off whites, tans, and browns - VERY neutral! BUT we weren't about to paint over it! Still, after a while, the kitchen walls just about neutraled me into insanity! So I got the urge to do some stamping - bought a variety of green acrylic paints, foam stamps, paint markers, and dragged the ladder indoors. My only problem was controlling myself- if a few leaves look nice, wouldn't a LOT more look better?..... So,with DH's (requested) help and opinions, I eventually went around all 4 walls and I think it turned out quite well!

Here's a detail of the design above the sink area....

..And I sneaked in a heart shape in the vines above the stove! Awww.... I'm just a romantic at heart (so to speak :o)
.

New Signage

2009-08-16T22:02:00.010-04:00

Hey, nice banner! Well, after trying to find inexpensive and waterproof letters to create my own signage (and totally failing), it was easier AND cheaper to have my design made into a banner. I'm very happy with the results,( except the Velcro isn't holding well), but I'm working on that!

Ancient Chinese Secret...

2009-08-13T21:56:00.015-04:00

Here's a story: about 4 years ago, I had just started leaf casting, and was deciding to actually make a small business out of it, when I went to a local arts and crafts festival. One craftsperson really impressed me- she made ornamental - gosh, I don't know what to call them- towers created by gluing old crystal bowls, platters, candy dishes, etc. into sculptures as tall as I am! The glue/adhesive she used was extremely strong plus was crystal clear- I could not tell they were glued at all! I asked the artisan what kind of glue that was. She answered," Oh, we had to research for a long time and had to try many different ones until we found this one. This will not yellow and is very permanent."

Hmmm, notice something? She never DID actually tell me what it was! Then it hit me (slowly, being new as I was to the art business) that of course, she would be stupid to tell me what she used - if I liked her product so much I may purchase one, but if she tells me what she glued them with, I would just leave and make my own! As I was in the process of doing the same thing, researching and testing different products (and already my work was

looking more refined than the usual leaf castings I had seen), I decided that was

going to be my policy - I was not training others to be my competitors! Of course, any one could do what I did and discover the same recipes and supplies I use, it's just that they have to put in the same effort I did! No one helped or trained me at all.

Certainly, that's not all there is to it - an old saying is you should welcome competition in your field - if you are really good at what you do, others will not be able to match the quality.

My casting...

...NOT mine! :o)

I do feel that way, but i also realize that while most of my customers understand and recognize the quality of my work, some do not! I have heard people tell me a dozen times, "Oh you must be the one whose work is in (store name), they look exactly the same!" When I check out the leaves they're referring to, I'm always shocked! They are either unpainted, rough cement, or colored with a quick wash of paint or stain! While they are kind of cool in their own way, they are NOT even CLOSE to what I do. so if someone can't tell the difference, they may buy someone else's leaf castings in place of mine.I guess that's the point of this post - I have been contacted by many people lately about my giving them tips on how to do their own leaf castings, and, although I feel bad, it ain't gonna happen! But this post is, I hope, a good explanation of WHY...

Things I Have Learned (About Working With Cement/Concrete)

2009-08-08T11:14:00.008-04:00

First of all, I'm surprised that no one has yet told me "You do not work with CEMENT - Portland cement is just one ingredient in CONCRETE, which is cement with additives in it (sand, aggregate, latex, fortifier, etc.)". ....And they would be correct! - technically, my work is with concrete; I just decided that "cement" sounds better. Hey, a little artistic latitude, plus most people don't know the difference anyway, but I wanted to put that out there, to clarify the correct term and to prove that I actually know the correct term!

So, with that out of the way, I have to start right at the beginning, when I used my bare hands in the cement, no dust mask, etcetera! Oy. Finally started to research this material I was playing with, and discovered that it is definitely a little more involved than "mud". First, apparently cement can BURN skin on sensitive individuals (evidently I'm not one of those), and even if it does not, repeated exposure could result in the development of contact dermatitis, and that would NOT be good!

Repeated inhalation of the dust can also eventually cause Silicosis, and that is , well, here's what I found online -

"Silicosis is a disabling, nonreversible and sometimes fatal lung disease caused by overexposure to respirable crystalline silica. Silica is the second most common mineral in the earth's crust and is a major component of sand, rock, and mineral ores. Overexposure to dust that contains microscopic particles of crystalline silica can cause scar tissue to form in the lungs, which reduces the lungs' ability to extract oxygen from the air we breathe. Typical sand found at the beach does not pose a silicosis threat.
More than 1 million U.S. workers are exposed to crystalline silica. Each year, more than 250 American workers die with silicosis. There is no cure for the disease, but it is 100 percent preventable if employers, workers, and health professionals work together to reduce exposures.
In addition to silicosis, inhalation of crystalline silica particles has been associated with other diseases, such as bronchitis and tuberculosis. Some studies also indicate an association with lung cancer"

- Hmmm, looks like something I may want to avoid, eh?

Materials that contain crystalline silica:

Brick
Blasting abrasives
Concrete
Cement mortar
Granite
Sandstone
Slate
Mineral deposits
Rock and stone
Sand
Topsoil
Asphalt

Occupations that put workers at an increased risk of silica exposure include:
Construction
Demolition
Mining
Sandblasting
Stone masonry
Abrasives manufacturing
Agriculture (dusty conditions from disturbing the soil, such as plowing or harvesting)

(Oh, great; I'm a gardener, too!)

Glass manufacturing
Ceramics, Clay, Pottery (Pottery?!)
Railroad track setting, laying, and repair
Painting
Plumbing

Leaf Sandcasting

Okay, so I added that last one! But I'm pretty sure it belongs there!

Woo-hoo! Sorry, boys, I'm taken - hold yourselves back

Now, I'm quite certain that if you make 3 cast leaves for your garden, you do not need all that protection. But I'm going on 4 years now of working with that stuff almost daily, so I figure I'd better be safe than sorry. Still, everytime I develop any kind of cough, I start to think, "Oh, no! Silicosis!" (did I mention I'm sort of a hypochondriac?).

New Stuff!

2009-07-28T21:26:00.003-04:00

One of the few larger Gunnera leaves I have, painted in more Autumn -like colors. Turned out very well!
...And since the summer is staying very cool this year, and my Lotus hasn't thrown very large leaves yet, I wanted something to substitute for now. I came up with multiple waterlily leaves, which is still an aquatic theme, but larger (and more awesome) than a single leaf! This is the only one I had so far, it sold within an hour at the last show, so I will be working on others, along with the Lotus.

Break Time (?)

2009-07-27T23:25:00.005-04:00

For my second year there, Art On The Mall was consistently busy, with nice weather (too windy, but dry) and the event people and volunteers were exceptionally considerate and accessible. On the survey they gave me, I told them there was nothing I could see that they could have done better (...except maybe provided free ice cream? - hey, it's worth a shot! ). If I am still doing this next year, I am certainly planning to be back!

Sold all of my Lotus birdbaths- fortunately, looks like one of mine is finally starting to throw big leaves! I know what I'll be doing the next few weeks!

Nobody Warned Me This Would Happen

2009-07-12T23:19:00.001-04:00

I really enjoy participating in art and craft fairs- of course, or I wouldn't do it! BUT, it never occured to me that, in order to be ready to go at 7:30 or 8:00 or 9:00 AM, you have to be starting at 5:30 AM or so! Not being any kind of an early bird (all they get are worms), I really dread climbing out of bed in the middle of the night. Coffee is my drug of choice on THOSE mornings!

THEN, half asleep and irritable, we get the dumb questions all day ( all artists/crafters get dumb questions, I'm sure they're different depending on what their art is)- "So, you make molds from leaves?" "No." "So you cast a leaf and make a mold from it?" "No." "So you Plaster of Paris a leaf and THEN make molds from it?" "NO! NO MOLDS!"

"So, is dese things ashtrays?" "No." (Does anyone even USE ashtrays anymore?)

" What are these made out of?" "They're cement." "Oh, so at what temperature do you fire these?" "They're not fired -they're CEMENT." "Are they dishwasher safe?" ... "Hey, my sister does pottery, too".etc...Sigh.

Actually, I don't normally get irritated, it's sort of humorous ( "let's count how many times we get THAT question"), and the people who end up becoming my customers rarely ask stuff like that, I've noticed. Come to think of it, though, I don't remember getting as many dumb questions when I was making jewelry...

Art On The Mall

2009-07-04T13:15:00.008-04:00

...For the first time, I am now a "returning" artist! This will be the second year I will be set up here, it is a really nice, uncrowded show on the campus of the University of Toledo. Primarily, the artists are alumni of the University - I am not one of those, but they have accepted me there anyway! So I am a little proud of that fact! I just tell everyone I'm a "pretend" alumni! ;o)

Working Vacation...

2009-06-15T22:50:00.004-04:00

Art In The Garden, June 13
Was on vacation from my "real" job last week. I was probably busier than I normally am when I'm working! Had two shows on consecutive weekends, a two day and a one day, and another one day this Saturday! Whew! Even though I have to really push myself to have enough stock on hand, it is a life I think I'd love if I didn't have to have an outside job!

One of the artists I refer to - if you ever run across this guy, please check out his work! He is, by far, the best in his field (I own one of his pieces, would have more if I had more wall space!)
The most interesting part of it is meeting all the other artists and craftspeople and getting to know some of them. It's fun to share stories and find out the opinions of the more experienced show circuit folks, the ones who actually make a living at what they do! How cool. I haven't quite convinced my husband to go to med school and become a brain surgeon so I can quit and have my art career full time! Have to keep working on that...

And of course, can't forget my customers! I have realized that as a rule, people in general either "get" what I do and love it, or have no idea why I would make these stupid cement things! I have determined that maybe 20% of a crowd of people love my work, and out of those, maybe half will purchase something. It is not for everyone, and, as I whined about before, there are not a lot of gardeners (or artists) in my area. I'm sure things would be much different in some other area of the country. So, while I have a lot of organizers of craft shows approach me, I don't participate in a lot of those -they have to have high attendance numbers to find enough of that 20% who are MY people!

"Art In The Garden"

2009-06-10T23:03:00.004-04:00

Here's my booth at the Old West End Festival last weekend

This Saturday, June 13, is another event we will be participating in. "Art In The Garden" will be on the premises of Garden Delights (5723 N Main St.), in Sylvania, Ohio, 10AM to 4PM. This benefits The American Cancer Society's "Relay For Life", which I am glad about, since my husband is a cancer survivor. Speaking of him, Saturday is also our 28th wedding anniversary! What a way to celebrate! Hope we see you there!