Mythic creatures at Paradise City Arts Festival - Lisa Hey and Jillian Barber

It was gorgeous weather last weekend in Northampton for the
Paradise City Arts Festival. Crowds and sales were up from
last year, so the atmosphere was positive and energetic.



Snarval, the dragon was there...looking for other
mythic friends. We definitely found some!

Lisa Hey, who was exhibiting for the first time at the
Paradise City Arts Festival, had a booth not far from
mine. It was filled with mythical felt sculptures.



Lisa's magical one-of-a-kind sculptures are created
completely through the time consuming process of needle
felting, using the sturdy built up felt as the armatures.
Her blending of story, mystery and vibrant color is a wonder.


I loved the rabbits with antlers! They reminded me of some
of the characters in the tales my Dad used to tell!
To learn more about Lisa, her process and work, go to her
Etsy shop at: www.etsy.com/shop/ursasuzanne Or better yet, go
see her in person at the next Paradise City Arts Festival show in
Marlboro, MA in November. Info at:www.paradisecityarts.com
She told me about a wall piece she was working on for
that show which sounded astounding!

Shows are also about connecting with old friends.
Jillian Barber, www.jillianbarber.com and I used to show at the
same fairs years ago, but our paths hadn't crossed lately. Jillian
is both an award winning photographer and ceramic sculptor.
Fortunately we were able to reconnect last weekend. Jillian's
booth was filled with wonderful ceramic mythic creatures as well
as masks and other sculptures.



Her ceramic sculptures are intricately carved often
with textures of antique lace and shells, then painted
with under glazes and fired multiple times. I especially
loved these two creatures:



But it wasn't just women bringing along the myth
at this show...next week's post will lift up two male
artists who added to the magic with their metal
sculptures.

Journey on!

Stairs and Dragons

In February, when I created the 10 foot dragon for my customers'
metal spiral staircase, a friend asked what I might create for a
regular staircase. Good question, I thought, then set the query
aside. Until recently.
As I was trying to think up a special new piece for the Ann Arbor
Art Fair July 22-24, I took a look at the staircase in our house:



What might go here? Another dragon perhaps?
After all there is a Thai dragon at the base.

and so I started to play. I wasn't sure how big
it should be, but 5-6 feet seemed about right:



Next, up to the studio to see what materials I had for the
head. As those of you who know me are fully aware, my
studio is filled with all sorts of collected, gifted items, and
some which just seem to appear. I found a piece of strange
wood perhaps from the farm in North Dakota where my
hubby's dad was raised. We think it was among the
things brought back from Oregon when my mum-in-law died.
Definitely dragon head material!


If anyone knows what type of wood this is, please
let me know!

Next to the wood were these deer antler tips gifted me
by a friend who shows up at shows with all sorts of strange
and wonderful goodies for me!



Dragon horn material? Why not!
I had been wanting to use some of the old hand stitched
textiles made into a purse by artisans in Afghanistan which
I purchased at a fair last July in NYC when our granddaughter
was born. So I grabbed those as well.

I covered the basic wire armature with polyester, then muslin
as before and finally black leather. Then we headed off
to play with grandkids in Virginia and NYC for a week.
They are used to me showing up with strange items in the
van. I told them they could help name the new creature.
They came up with the name Snarval. I said it was probably
a water dragon, so my granddaughters immediately decided
the dragon's claws sculpted the sea creatures and underwater
landscape.

I did some stitching in Virginia, but most work was postponed
until I was back home.

It will be completed to display in Ann Arbor (my booth
number is A306) so be sure to check back in for my blog
next Tuesday to see the completed dragon. I'll put up a
post just before the show opens and then report back after
the show.

Now back to beading, stitching and claws!

Journey on! Wendy