November News- HAVEN Art Exhibit, Welding Class and Studio Sale

Happy fall! Hope you are enjoying the last bits of brilliant color.  

I'm working hard preparing for my upcoming show, HAVEN, at Western New England University.  I'll be showing a variety of recent sculptural work, including a brand new 30 ft. wall piece made especially for this particular gallery's curved wall.  This piece explores a really different avenue for me- in form, material, and color- and I'm excited to see what you think! Here's a sneak peak of the work in progress.

What is HAVEN?

Donna Beck, Beryl Salinger-Schmitt, and Katie Richardson, working across very diverse mediums, have found a commonality at the heart of their work in themes that often express concepts of haven, however simple or complex, vulnerable or strong, solitary or communal. This exhibition explores the idea of HAVEN, with the suggestion that place-making and space-making are rooted in a primal instinct to provide shelter and sanctuary in order to nurture.

On Black Friday, I'm hosting a studio sale so that you can get great handmade gifts for the holidays and I can clean out my inventory!  From small glass treasures to large steel wall sculpture, everything will be on sale.  Stop by to enjoy a snack and a drink, check out my flameworking and welding studios, and shop for beautiful handmade gifts at your leisure.  

 

Oh yeah- did you notice the new logo?! It's been a long time coming. I'll still be using my name and website at katierayart.com for my sculpture and installation work, but Blue Barn Studios is the home of my fine craft work. There's a new website BlueBarnArtStudios.com and etsy store in the works. The website isn't completely finished yet, but you can take a look anyway. Thanks to Scout Cuomo for all her awesome work on the website. 

Want to make your own art and housewares out of steel? Join my upcoming welding class! If you're interested, but this doesn't work for your schedule, let me know and we can organize a future class at a time that works for you. 

As always, you can find my work in various local shops and galleries this season. Check my website listing here.  I'll also be featured in this year's Hilltown Christmas Place at Paul's Sugarhouse and Snowfarm Seconds Sale- both great venues in Williamsburg for shopping handmade.

June Events

I hope everyone is enjoying this beautiful Memorial Day Weekend. I'm off on a hiking adventure tomorrow, but wanted to make sure to get the word out about two June events before I go.

On June 7, you can come to my blue barn in Hadley and work with 4 local artisans to create your own projects. Try your hand at glass beadmaking, papermaking, upcycled fused plastics, or hammered metal jewelry. Each workshop is 45 minutes and you can choose to try 2 or all 4.  Pre-register at valleycreates.com.  Also, if you know any youth ages 8-12 who might be interested, we have a special morning session just for them, subsidized by a generous grant from the Hadley Cultural Council. This event is also sponsored by Artisans of WMASS.

Secondly, on Saturday, June 13 during Cultural Chaos in downtown Easthampton, I have a three person show opening entitled HAVEN opening at Nash Gallery with artists Donna Beck and Beryl Salinger-Schmitt.  This should be a sweet show in a great location, right in the middle of the street festival. 

The “HAVEN” exhibit will include paintings, sculpture and mixed media works that suggest place-making and space-making as a primal instinct. Many species construct and interweave materials for the purpose of refuge and transformation. For example, this can be seen in nature in the form of a nest, a cocoon or a shell. The three participating artists will interpret and recreate man-made “havens” through manipulations of their specialized mediums.

Hope to see you soon at one of these events!

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!