Next Up: A Puppet Show at Florida CraftArt

Excited to share...
I'll have an interactive “jumping jack” piece in this “World on a String” puppet art exhibit at Florida CraftArt,  plus my Big Black Wolf puppet sets will debut there too--so be sure to stop in if you’re in St Pete or Tampa area! Opens June 26 but is on display thru Aug 15.
my jumping jack “the sixth swan” is inspired by a Grimm fairy tale where six brothers are turned to swans and their sister must knit them each a magical shirt for them to return to human form but she runs out of time and the last brother’s shirt is only partially finished so he retains one wing for the rest of his days…
my paper puppet sets are of course inspired by red riding hood but in my tale the wolf and a tree character are the protagonists... at least in my version! that is the beauty of them you can make up your own story....
Details about the show at http://www.floridacraftart.org/…/world-on-a-string-exhibit…/

SHADOWSPEAK: My upcoming exhibit with Polly Johnson

I'm pairing up with an amazing ceramic artist Polly Johnson from Sarasota for this duo exhibit at The Studio@620 opening June 5, 2015....  we both work along similar lines of inspiration--black and white, hints of narrative, a dash of darkness, and a haunting familiarity like you know this but didn't realize you knew...  ceramics, printmaking, and lots of amazing fun to be had!

this is my inspirational quote for the show:

"If we are to become all that we can be, we must not be afraid to boldly venture into the dark unknown of our Shadow."
excerpts from this source: http://www.aseekersthoughts.com/2011/02/shadow-symbol-myth-and-metaphor.html

here is the facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/679862525493958/

as well as the studio@620's event page: http://www.thestudioat620.org/events/shadow-speak

so you can stay tuned and plan to attend! see you there!

Elements art show mixes chemistry with creativity...

Today I am trying to work on my art for the upcoming elements art show
i selected germanium because at first i misread it and thought it said geranium… and then i was all ‘hello, germany!’ which i love of course… but now i’m doing some research and its kind of a rock n roll element so… not sure how that will play in to my final piece, i guess i’ll just see where inspiration takes me! 
I did read this blurb which is interesting:
“Germanium was used extensively in electronic component production the 1950s and ’60s, but was abandoned in favor of silicon components, which boasted superior performance, consistency, and value. Today no one cares about rare and finicky germanium components except certain audio geeks — especially the ones who play guitars.“
rare, finicky, and geek all in one sentence? yes i chose the right element for me.
also, apparently it has super healing powers (insert healthy skepticism here)
when worn in a magnetic bracelet it has the power to (and i quote): increase body immunity function     adjust blood pressure,blood fat,blood sugar and some physiological function      cure cancer  Anti-aging function  Resist cancerigenic factor   Cure various disease and health care function
also, Germanium can be used as an x-ray lens, because even though it’s opaque to visible light, it transmits and can focus x-rays.
Germanium was discovered in 1886 by Clemens Winkler who named it after his country, Germany.

And that is our science lesson today!

upcoming events

my second skate deck for part deux of the shifty tricks show

inspiration can come from anything even pie or math puns

while pondering what to create for my monthly free art friday distribution i thought originally i would do something st patrick's day themed since the date will be 3/13 but then i thought wait a minute... 3/14 is national pie day (because of the 3.14 pun on pi) so then this happened...  it is a process, sketching out ideas what do i think about pie--and i struggled to make the food look right so i went instead to the fork then suddenly there was a crest exalting the glory of pie... and i looked happily on what i had made and thought yes indeed this is good.  can't wait to share a slice with folks!

Maker's Nights are Your Chance to Get Hands-On

Every time i do an art show people ask me for classes but I don't want to be that formal.  As a result I offer "Maker's Nights" at Strands of Sunshine! I'll be leading some hands on workshops in March and April--we'll carve rubber stamps and use other techniques to create cards and other works of art. A fun opportunity to try your hand at making things without a large commitment of time or expense--all supplies provided! The catch is only 8 people per session as it is a small venue so interested participants should sign up quickly.  Looking forward to sharing my passion with more people!

Sign up in person at Strands of Sunshine (#8 Sixth Street North in St Pete) or call Amy at  727-823-2878.  Fee of $35 due at time of registration.