misty mawn at the barn swallow

My friend Misty Mawn's new show pieces of landscapes opens tomorrow at The Barn Swallow, my favorite gallery/artisan shop just west of Charlottesville.  Misty blends endless mediums, elements of collage, and painting to form visions that end up somewhere between the whimsical and modern renaissance. She studied studio art at Moravian College and is also teaching workshops around the world. You can read more about her work and life on her blog.

Misty also has an etsy shop where she sells original art as well as prints. The opening reception is from 1 - 3, on Saturday, March 1. Please stop by if you have a chance. For more information and directions visit The Barn Swallow's website or call 434-979-4884.

 

the american craft show in baltimore

I took a road trip this weekend to visit the American Craft Councils flagship show in Baltimore. I am considering applying to one of the ACC shows, and wanted to find out more about the event and how my work would fit in. I was in for a treat - there was an overwhelming amount of talent, creativity, and energy represented at this show. The ACC now has a selection of artists specializing in green craft, and the effort to promote emerging and alternative craft trough their searchlight and new wave programs are admirable. I met many artists who were happy and willing to talk about their work and share their thoughts about the show, and the business of craft creation in general. Thanks to all of you! 

Here are a few of my favorite artists from the Baltimore show.

1. Allyn Cantor - painted fabric assemblages

2. Douglas Thayer - cast concrete and wood furniture

3. Ali Dryer - vintage inspired hand bags. Ali also have an etsy shop.

4. Megan Auman - steel wire sculpture and jewelry

5. Christine Schukow - found objects shadow boxes

6. Rosella "Pat" Peck - miniature washi paper kimonos

7. Teresa Chang - porcelain dinnerware and teaware

8. Helen Elliott - porcelain enamel and steel wall panels

9. George Peterson - wood bowls and sculpture 

 

pure linen

Even the most modest meal is enhanced by its environment –  candle light, real china, and linen napkins... 

 

We use cloth napkins all the time at our house. It is nice not to contribute to the landfill more than necessary and they just look and feel better than paper. For everyday use we have a stack of cotton napkins at the ready, but for festive occasions I love to set the table with my linen napkins. They are not as delicate as they look. Ketchup and red wine spills are their worst enemies, but soaking them in hot water and mild detergent right away keep them from staining.

 

Japanese maple leaves fall randomly across the bottom part of these napkins. They are printed in fresh shades of green on natural off-white linen. The napkins are generously sized and finished with mitered corners and decorative top stitching. They are available in my etsy shop, and I hope to add more varieties of dinner napkins later this spring.

My etsy shop

Inleaf goodies at etsy.

I am happy to announce that my etsy shop is open. Etsy is a great community of artists, crafters, creative entrepreneurs, and admirers of anything handmade. Etsy will help me showcase my work while my friend Matt and I are working on a major web revamp of the inleaf site. Etsy has thousands of members who create and sell wonderful objects that are far away from the mainstream. Here are a few of my own favorites:

Top row: handle with care pillow from fede, rewrite - mini notebook from remake, i lost count from novembermoon. Bottom row: pleated grey mini-zip from yorktownroad, flecks appeal necklace from ATDesigns, dilapidation wall hanging from lizplummer.

winter break

We just returned from a short winter vacation at Wintergreen, a ski resort nestled in the Blue Ridge mountains just west of where we live. For many of you a ski vacation in Virginia probably sounds like a joke, but we had a lovely time and did get some good skiing in. The snow was man-made, pretty slushy by days end, and you had to watch out for the occasional grassy spots on the most popular slopes. Still everyone in my family was happy and we enjoyed wonderful evenings with my in-laws, filled with delicious meals, tasty wines, games, and lots of kid's laughter. I am restored and ready for another productive and exciting week.

pillows in the works

Happy Monday! This week started out as a blank slate. No orders to ship, few deadlines on the horizon, and the studio is fairly orderly. I will spend this week making pillows. I have stacks of printed fabric just waiting to be assembled. Most of them are new designs that I look forward to see take form. The viburnum branches shown here will become long lumbar patchwork pillows, with vintage ribbon details, and contrasting backs. I also have a pile of linen strips printed with japanese maple leaves that will be appliqued onto beautiful coarse linen, and then made into pillows in a couple of different sizes. A sample of the smaller size, 16" x 12", is shown below. Pillows are my favorite objects. They are small in scale, relatively quick to sew, and can be quite expressive. When finished they become movable pieces of art that truly can enhance any environment.