Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Craft Boston...dragons, stories and eyes oh my!


 A quick post as I get ready to set up for CraftBoston this weekend: www.craftboston.org

I've been busy since ACC Baltimore.  The storyteller above is
honoring the year of the Dragon , sporting a cape which came
from the land of dragons. The bright hand woven fabric was
gifted me by friends who enjoy traveling in the Far East. 
I'm still working on a name for the new figure. It comes with
three masks and lots of story shards in the leather trunk. Here
is tale teller donning the dragon mask. with a mini dragon
book looking on.  Name suggestions anyone?


I've also been refining my "eye" designs for e-readers,I-pads,
and smart phones.

I still have envelope type pouches, but have additionally
designed covers for I-pads and e-readers which are more
book-like than pouches.  E-reader covers come in two sizes
 to be able to accommodate the range of readers out there.


Re phones: To help solve the problem when you want
to bring along your phone, but your pants don't have
pockets,  I've made some small leather pouches with straps,\
the perfect size to slip any smart phone in or out.
(Of course they also would be good for other "eye-catching"
uses.)


For those who prefer a little color, I've incorporated
the bright colored eyes from Kelly Kotulak and added
a bit of paint!
 

If you're in the Boston area, please drop by over at the
Seaport World Trade center this weekend. I'll be in
 booth #347 - Hours:
Friday 10-6, Sat. 10-6 and Sunday 11-5

Attending Craft Boston is always  inspiring. I'll
see whom I can find there to share in a future blog.
In an effort to try something new, Sunday has been
designated steampunk day.   Anyone who shows up
wearing a steampunk outfit will get $5.00 off admission!

Adventure on...and over!  Wendy

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Fun, form, and inspiration at ACC Baltimore - Evan Chambers, Bernard Katz and David Bacharach

 
The ACC show in Baltimore was as spectacular as usual.  Sales and
attendance seemed to reflect a bit more optimism and improvement
in the economy...nice for all of us.  Some of my major pieces found
their new homes - Wudaineon the dragon is off to Houston Texas
along with Spike the Pupbeast and my avian couple,  Beadle and
Esatair are on their way to Florida...good homes for all.

But, as I have said before, it isn't just sales that inspire me to do
these shows.  It's being surrounded by amazing artistic energy
and discovering new (to me at least) artists. The desk lamp
pictured above is by Evan Chambers http://evanchambersobjects.com/
one of the "new" glass artists  at Baltimore this year.   I sure
would LOVE to have one his lamps on my desk!!! Little aliens
with hawk feet...what more could I ask!  Here are a
few more that were in his booth..but check out his website
to see all his awesome creatures as well as his beautiful more
classic vessels.
 

What amazes at a show like ACC Baltimore is the incredible
variety of excellent work even in the same media.The booth
mine faced this year was  also glass, but with a very different
focus. I had the treat of savoring the gorgeous sculptural forms
of Bernard Katz: http://bernardkatz.com/ and the pleasure of
getting to know him and his family better and to brainstorm on
electronics his side passion:

Bernards forms flow and interact  beautifully. It is easy to picture
them in an elegant settings - both in homes and in more public spaces.

The thing I'm always looking out for is craftspeople I know well
who are  pushing the limits, experimenting  and surprising me. David
Bacharach did that for me this year: bacharachmetals.com/studio
I've known David for many, many years, but always love to check out
his booth. How could I resist a booth with such an avian focus:

David said he'd had the birds before, but they never have taken over
the booth as they did this year.

I enjoy the interstitial dance David's woven metal wall tapestries
and sculptural basketry provide.  He is one of those long time
exhibitors unafraid to surprise and change inspiring me  to venture
on boldly!

My eye items were very well received. Thanks to feedback
I've come up with additional designs which I will offer at
shows at Craft Boston http://www.societyofcrafts.org/cbspring/springinfo.asp
and CraftNewYork:http://www.artrider.com/CNY12.html
in March.  Stay tuned!

Adventure on!   Wendy