GLOW ART

I have been playing with block prints on wooden panels all summer and with Halloween approaching decided to work some glow in the dark screen printing ink into the mix-- it is super fun when i turn the lights off in my studio at night!
This final piece shown on the bottom is THE OWL KING'S X-RAY.  I love the implied narrative you get when you add a title sometimes....

A One Woman Art Factory

I've been working hard getting ready for the holiday events to start...especially excited for Halloween!  I've got a full schedule of markets and fairs lined up starting the first weekend in October and I'm determined to be ready! Plus in Florida no one wants to go outside in August anyway, so why not stay inside and make art?!

You can find a line up of all of my scheduled events and other places to find my work for sale posted on my website http://craftyhag.com/Events.html

Psyche on Display + Bears

so... recently the state of florida decided it needed to allow bear hunting to stem the population growth... personally i think people are more of a problem with our continual sprawl and cementing of habitat... so i've been working on some pro-bear posters...  which brings me to my real thought of the day which is how at a recent art festival that i participated in, i noticed that some artists display their skill and some display their psyche...  obviously i'm one of those latter ones that put my beliefs and passions and uncertainties in my work for all to see, vs. art that is more decorative in nature.  Not everything i make is filled with meaning, sometimes it is just fun to make an octopus or a jack-o-lantern... but always my subject matter is near and dear to me...

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!

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