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.   

September News ~ Mattoon St Festival, Chilifest and more

On Saturday you can find me at the Mattoon Arts Festival, one of my favorite shows because of the great variety of high quality handmade work, the ambiance and friendliness of the people who live on Mattoon St, and the swarms of appreciative shoppers. I definitely recommend this one. I'm working hard to create this week so I can bring lots of fun things to the show including my spiral mobiles,  lots of cute bud vases and maybe some funky, new steel candelabras. 

But first, you can find me in Easthampton from 5-6 this Wednesday (9/4)  for the closing reception of my sculpture show, Sheltered, at the ECA's City Hall Gallery.  The work on display is a wall of sculpture including some new and old work along the themes of home and nesting, protection and exposure. 


And don't forget about the Chilifest! It is growing to a two day event this year, featuring all kinds of spicy fun.  I'll be managing the local art area where we'll have a shop of goodies from 10-15 local artists,  as well as seat weaving, glass beadmaking and blacksmithing demonstrations, and a make and take papermaking workshop for ages 8+ on Saturday all sponsored by Artisans of WMASS.  

In other news, my welding studio is in the drywall stages and should be opened for business soon! I'll be offering an introductory welding workshop in the fall, as I've heard lots of interest from folks in the area that would like to learn. More soon.... 

Fall Farm Festivals

Well the summer has been grand and I'm just pulling all the strings of life back together after a wedding/ honeymoon hiatus. Things came together really nicely just in time for our wedding and we got the place looking great, which is perfect because we are hosting the Chilifest so soon. I'm pretty sure we have the only bright blue barn in Hadley, so we are easy to find.

The 5th Annual Chilifest (formerly hosted by Stone Soup Farm, now Kitchen Garden) will be held on Sunday September 16, 12-5pm, and it is going to be awesome. We've really ramped it up this year- we've got great bands, food vendors, People's Pint beer, local artisan marketplace sponsored by Artisans of WMASS, chili cook-off, the whole nine yards. Mark your calendars because its going to be a lot of fun! 

But before that! Wait! This weekend is the Tomato Festival at Red Fire Farm. Katie Ray Arts will be there too, with lots of veggie gear, spiral mobiles, beads and more. Spark! Art Share will also have a booth, so come visit us. If you sign up for a Spark! share now, you'll be getting it for half the price for half the year. Its a great way to give it a try with less commitment.                                          Anyway, these are just a few of the great farm festivals going on this summer and fall. I hope you get to enjoy all that the area has to offer with these celebrations of local food, culture and community.   

I'm also teaching a beadmaking class this Sunday at Northampton Beadery. If you've been looking to learn, here's a perfect chance, and if you can't make this one, there are more coming. Here's a sneak peak into my studio, where you are always welcome to visit or come learn. 

Summer News and this Week's Events

Summer is sinking into me, punctuated by the fabulous fresh food I enjoy from Kitchen Garden and great hiking and biking. This week, I'll be heating it up in my studio though, preparing to be at the Northampton Tuesday Market tomorrow with lots of veggie gear, and then heading to Crafts on the Common on Saturday in Amherst with plenty of new sculpture.  We've also been working on barn renovations, and I'm excited that my glass studio now has proper ventilation and a beautiful window with views out onto my baby orchard! The barn has a new concrete floor, will be painted soon, and then my welding shop will be moving back.  Watch for an open studio weekend coming in the fall.

SHOWS
 Come visit me and sample all the tasty, local produce in Northampton tomorrow.

Then on Saturday, stop by the Common in Amherst for one of the best-established and most well respected craft fairs in New England to see a stunning array of local handmade products to benefit a great cause- Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Hampshire County.

Shop and support a great cause at the Amherst Crafts on the Common   Saturday, July 14, 2012 ● 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. ● Amherst Town Common

 

Admission is free, and the event will be held rain or shine on the Amherst Town Common. The fair showcases quality jewelry, ceramics, furniture and more for sale from more than 100 juried artisans. The fair also features great food, a silent auction and booksale, and musical entertainment by some great groups. 

 

I'm focusing on metal sculptures for this show and I'll be using my great new mesh walls to display sculpture and other new metal work.  Stop by to see the newest addition to my repertoire- decorative planters made of a steel and glass to hang in your home.   

SPECIAL: Mention this blog posting at either event and get 20% off your entire purchase at my booth. 

SPARK

In other news, Spark! Art Share continues to flourish, and as we continue to spread the word, we hope you'll help!  This month's Spark! Art Share comes from 230am studio,  the creative home of mixed media and paper artist, Donna Beck. Working with handmade paper, pulp, surface-decorated papers, found objects, fibers, beading and stitching, she creates a wide variety of mixed media artwork.  She'll be at Food for Thought Books on July 21st distributing the Spark! shares and she'll have additional work on display for anyone who comes by. 

WORKSHOPS

In addition to my upcoming introductory beadmaking class at Northampton Beadery on August 26, I've joined forces with the new Yellow House- a community center for learning in Palmer, to teach a 2 part workshop in October.  Check out their websites, or as always, contact me to make arrangements to come to my studio or set up a workshop in your home. 

CHILIFEST

Last, but certainly not least, save the date for the 5th Annual Chilifest, hosted by Kitchen Garden (formerly Stone Soup Farm)- September 16, 12-5 at 81 Rocky Hill Rd in Hadley.  More details coming soon, but I can tell you it's going to be a blast. We've got a stellar musical lineup, 3 fantastic local food vendors, chili cook-off with prizes and People's Pint will be pouring brews. It'll be a great time!