Holiday Happenings and New Sculpture

We're in the thick of the holiday season, and I have a few upcoming events to share.

On December 17 from 5-8p, I'll be hosting Winter Warmtimes, a last minute handmade gift and beer event at Abandoned Building Brewery in Easthampton. This will be a laid back evening where you can taste some of the delicious brews, enjoy some snacks, and shop the wares of 9 local artists for those last minute gift needs including oodwork, ceramics, glass, steel, jewelry, knits, bags and other accessories, handmade paper, and clothing.  Mention this blog post for a 20% discount at my table during Winter Warmtimes. 


Artisans of WMASS has organized the Happy Handmade Holidays sale again this year which runs for three weeks. This week, get free shipping from participating artists, and next week receive a 20% off coupon when you shop. Check out the website or facebook page to find out more.

While you are in Easthampton, dont forget about the Revolve Pop Up Shop in Eastworks, Easthampton. There is a great mix of handmade wares available and it looks fabulous.

There is also a Small Works Show at Hope and Feathers on display from December 4- January 17. 

I delivered a sweet forged tree wall sculpture for the show. 

I hope you will keep in mind your local artists and artisans when you are shopping this season! Head over to my etsy shop to browse for glass jewelry, bottle stoppers,  and critters, as well as steel candle holders and planters.  (When you do, you might notice that my craft business will be taking on a new name next year- Blue Barn Studios- and its beginning to trickle out into the world ;)

Now if you'll take a little trip with me from "craft" land to "fine art" land,  you can peek at some new sculptures in progress. I've been experimenting with latex, wax, paper and other materials in addition to my usual steel and glass.  I've been reading and thinking about concepts of disease, bodies and modern medicine.  I'd love to hear your reactions- what do you see? what do they make you think about? what do they make you wonder?

I'm also excited to share that I received a grant from the Northampton Arts Council for a sculpture show next summer at the Northampton Historical Society. The show will draw on the historical collection, using artifacts related to illness and disease to inspire contemporary sculptural responses and spark conversations.  

September Festivals

I've been busy preparing for this weekend's Mattoon Street Arts Festival. This is one of my favorite festivals that kicks off the fall season.  Come visit me this weekend in Springfield from 10-5, mention this blog post and get 10% off your purchase!  I'll have a bunch of new steel planters and candlabras, as well as the usual suspects- cute bud vases, beautiful pendants, mesmerizing marble stoppers and fresh veggie earrings.

Next weekend, Kitchen Garden will put on the Annual Chilifest, which is being held this year at Mike's Maze in Sunderland.  Artisans of WMASS is hosting the artisan shop, which will feature a spread of local handmade pottery, glass and steel, upcycled wares, handmade paper, journals and ornaments and more from Malea's Pottery, Sew What Gallery, Katie Ray Arts, JillyMama's, Lou's Upcycles, Moon and Sundries, and 230am Studio.  I'll also be doing a glass beadmaking demo on Sunday at 1:00 pm if you'd like to see some glass melting!
 

 Mug by Malea Rhodes     

             

Wallet by Lou's Upcycles

                                                                                         

I'll also be making beads all afternoon on Saturday September 20 at Oh So Pretties in Wilbraham. This will be part of the "Taste of Wilbraham Shops" event and I'm sure there will be some good sales at the shop.  Oh So Pretties caries tons of great local artwork by some of my favorite Artisans of WMASS members. Upcoming Classes:  Glass Beadmaking hosted by Hadley Parks and Rec on Sundays, September 21 and 28, 1-5pm and Intro to Glass Beadmaking at 413 Glassworks in Cheshire. on Saturday September 27.   

Summer Flying By

Wow I can't believe I haven't written since April! The Muck Boot Banquet last mentioned was a great success, with joyful, curious, handmade-bonnet-wearing viewers tromping around in the theater of (can you believe it?) an about-to-burst springtime orchard.  You can see some picture here thanks to Mark Dannenhauer. Now that we've been enjoying the heat of summer, that feels far away, and I'm looking forward to the fall show just around the corner. Save the date- October 16-19 - when The Royal Frog Ballet will be bringing you the 7th Annual Surrealist Pumpkin Walk and Cabaret.   

My biggest news is that I've just returned from my first residency in the Masters of Fine Arts program at Vermont College of Fine Arts, and it was.... wonderful, intense, and invigorating.  I'm mostly thrilled, and a tiny bit apprehensive, to be diving back into the world of critical discourse, art theory and lots of thinking about my creative practice. During the residency, I got to meet an amazing group of students and faculty, hear lectures discussing ideas of trauma, darkness, the archive (and much more), have my work critiqued over and over again, and figure out what I would research this semester. As I embark on this journey, I'll try to blog a little more frequently to share where it is taking me.  I'm thrilled to be working with sculptor Olivia Bernard as my local artist teacher.  Below is a recent sculpture that I brought for critique. 

Other things I've been up to this summer? Teaching some welding classes....

 

Helping to facilitate a Photovoice project for Holyoke High School ELL students through the Western MA Writing Project and the ELL Summer of Power Program, and here is an awesome poster they made...

Experimenting with a line of fruit earrings that will hopefully be released this fall...

Creating candelabras and planters for sale at various shops and galleries such as Blue Gallery in Provincetown and 413 Glassworks in Cheshire. 

Last but not least, if you are interested in welding or melting glass with me, check out the list of upcoming classes on the left and get in touch!  

Mucky Boots? Spring Treats!

It's been a long winter, and I'm thrilled about all things spring beginning! Beyond enjoying the warm weather for hiking, biking and not freezing in my studio, this means new projects, events, and a spring sale.  Read on...

I'm working with the Royal Frog Ballet crew again to put on a new show called the Muck Boot Banquet on April 17 and 26.  Performers, chefs, musicians, sculptors, dancers and farmers will converge to stage an outdoor performance and eating event at Park Hill Orchard in Easthampton, MA.  Part spring celebration, part dance theater, part kinetic sculpture installation and part feast, the piece is a celebration of season and place. Vibrant, vivid, sharp, comic and tasty, it takes the audience through a walking feast of sensations. Song, scrumptious spring victuals, flowers, extravagant hats, lusty stories, and frolicking nonsense are all on the menu!

My theme is frivolity and I'll be making a maze of sorts, speckled with opportunities to play and enjoy each other's spring energy as the show wraps up. For tickets, visit the fancy shmancy ticket reservation page NOW! Tickets are selling out quickly.

I'm excited to share that I'll be teaching a Women's Welding Workshop on May 17/18 at my home studio. If you've ever wanted to experiment with steel fabrication, here's your chance!

I mentioned Local ARTery: Arts and Crafts Demonstration Day in my last post, but want to make sure you remember because its going to be fabulous!  Artisans of WMASS is putting on Local ARTery at Yankee Candle on May 3, and it promises to be a really fabulous event.  Over 30 artisans will be there demonstrating how they make their work, including jewelry,  glass, ceramics, weaving, knits, painting, tie dye, shoe making and more. Come learn and support the many talented local artists!

Other quick notes:

• "Spawn", the large piece that I built for last month's show at APE Gallery, will now reside at Abandoned Building Brewery in Easthampton. So... if you didn't get a chance to check it out, go sample a beer from Easthampton's first microbrewery and look it over. 
  
• To share my spring enthusiasm,  I'm offering 20% off my steel spiral mobiles between April 14- 20, and 20% off vegetable earrings and pendants between April 21- 28.  Order through etsy and use the coupon code SPRING20. 
  
• Save the date, May 31, for Hadley Creates, an afternoon of craft workshops with local artisans Heather Beck Designs, Lou's Upcycles, 230am Studio, and Katie Ray Arts. This will be an affordable opportunity to try your hand at various crafts. More info coming soon. 
• I'm painting a mural with my students at SMK Elementary School in Ware over our spring vacation.  I'm so excited to see the childrens' energetic and colorful drawings take over the entrance to our school! Here's a bit of the design in progress. 
  

• An interesting event you might want to check out (I know I will) is the new Alchemy Fair in Holyoke on April 26/27. Craft, Food, Workshops and Entertainment all brought together at by AWM member Malea Rhodes Pottery at Gateway City Arts Complex, Holyoke, MA.