tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88280227760558884962024-03-21T17:47:58.149-07:00Amy M. Fiber DesignsAmy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-78594838099957679332018-11-22T06:44:00.000-08:002018-11-22T06:44:09.036-08:00Website updated<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've finished the latest round of updating this site with new photos and info. Enjoy -- and have a happy Thanksgiving.</span>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-12263284211323935072018-11-03T17:03:00.000-07:002018-11-06T12:03:27.918-08:00Website reactivated! <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">After abandoning this blog and website some time ago, I have finally returned to it and, more important, figured out how to post photos of my work so that the process doesn't drive me crazy. I'll be improving and updating pages in the coming days and weeks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">If you have difficulty reading the updated pages or viewing the photos on your device, please email me or leave a comment, so I can make sure the website works correctly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">During the "abandonment," I've concluded that blogging about my fiber life (let alone the rest of my life) really isn't my style. I'm a private person, and not a chatty one. I'll be limiting future posts to when I have new information for any and all of you who may find my work intriguing. I thank you, in advance and belatedly, for your interest. </span>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-11781206781980175542016-06-12T14:51:00.001-07:002018-11-03T16:52:08.282-07:00New work<br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I'm in process of designing a new website. Watch this space for a link when it goes live.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">Meanwhile, I've added a "Recent Work" page with some of my latest gossamer Nuno scarves and needle-felted animal figures. Enjoy!</span><br />
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Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-22955811315489602362015-11-18T09:01:00.005-08:002015-11-18T09:04:26.029-08:00Filling my time when I gallery sit<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">I gallery sit 4-6 days a month at Studio 40 in Spanish Village as part of my partnership there. It's a lovely and comfortable space (You should visit if you haven't yet.) But it isn't a good place for wet-felting, at least not the way I do it -- splashy, messy, equipment-intensive, and spread out on every available surface! </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYROJt12vreUsOhro2YTyqWAb1OHbBF5hZ792W0csST5NEM3tDp1sc967jffzzxov8b-DrXEqDQYLVRfpdDP6wmkVDJtj2TeV5EdW87gRf6_S7Bbi3r42qf-LJl4XDfOQKQe4mbVR2uuY/s1600/Koala-1+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYROJt12vreUsOhro2YTyqWAb1OHbBF5hZ792W0csST5NEM3tDp1sc967jffzzxov8b-DrXEqDQYLVRfpdDP6wmkVDJtj2TeV5EdW87gRf6_S7Bbi3r42qf-LJl4XDfOQKQe4mbVR2uuY/s200/Koala-1+thumbnail.jpg" width="150" /></a><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">So what to do during those five hours in the Village, in between helping shoppers? Prep and finishing of wet-felted pieces usually isn't enough to fill the time. Yet I want to be somehow making art, not reading magazines or watching movies on my computer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">It turns out that needle-felting is the perfect activity. I can work on a small desk, the materials are compact and portable, and I can easily stop and start as people come and go in the studio.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCsQixfrZcW4B8iUhHL5Y3U34fYbbT90z4v0zoKVWZSACt-3mw4qk0EYCNB8v5uIdKcqvuAitJqXYvGscNtzJDsPGn9ba3DE-v6uD61rdyaPFxinYpd2JPYjv-T_4UP32mYpLGP8xGxQ/s1600/Rabbits+-+rainbow+and+bouquet+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCsQixfrZcW4B8iUhHL5Y3U34fYbbT90z4v0zoKVWZSACt-3mw4qk0EYCNB8v5uIdKcqvuAitJqXYvGscNtzJDsPGn9ba3DE-v6uD61rdyaPFxinYpd2JPYjv-T_4UP32mYpLGP8xGxQ/s200/Rabbits+-+rainbow+and+bouquet+thumbnail.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiVsdj3RmGt7uL4kRcogz2h5mI48WvTyx4-AoKFBJWJ7v8mlk-kADdfjBIvPDH9hR-hSmARcVDDcZnNufMBv3Fv-9ooHaFoCutgSCspWKayKIMoJTBxhbqqoRXLnKSgbFVgj_Cnq4jkU/s1600/Reading+Rabbit+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsiVsdj3RmGt7uL4kRcogz2h5mI48WvTyx4-AoKFBJWJ7v8mlk-kADdfjBIvPDH9hR-hSmARcVDDcZnNufMBv3Fv-9ooHaFoCutgSCspWKayKIMoJTBxhbqqoRXLnKSgbFVgj_Cnq4jkU/s200/Reading+Rabbit+thumbnail.jpg" width="138" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">I've always said I don't like needle-felting. It's tedious and repetitive and yet requires full attention in order to avoid stabbing my fingers. That's still how I feel. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";">But I confess: I am madly in love with these little critters I've been making! I hope you can see why. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms";"></span><br />Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-62869127239915389592015-08-16T22:37:00.002-07:002015-08-16T22:37:23.095-07:00Adding some magic<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRv_oxukIroqGCjf79IynFHn4Ba0sY1cvI8iGmElYrFEMd9FV21Ohi91UDaaQVZjOPgiu5xUQTG0ReRPIvp38HCmeF1M_NpQ0onle8wMVNIM7BGOCJ4jRuO-OT1O1El7KMKRjeSu6oM04/s1600/Euc+Series+-+Blossoms+and+Butterfly+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRv_oxukIroqGCjf79IynFHn4Ba0sY1cvI8iGmElYrFEMd9FV21Ohi91UDaaQVZjOPgiu5xUQTG0ReRPIvp38HCmeF1M_NpQ0onle8wMVNIM7BGOCJ4jRuO-OT1O1El7KMKRjeSu6oM04/s200/Euc+Series+-+Blossoms+and+Butterfly+thumbnail.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;"><em>Eucalyptus Series:</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: small;">Blossoms & Butterfly</span></em></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIYPdZF_S4kdmr6GdKlpPSAv21KM7KtN85A777dBz-oPbzU7hV9R_E-bcKsrIgLxoKIOqX_RsoIlRtdQko7y3eHf9HgwWTUY8IUTVspbyPtJcXVLCvVj8SJCG1rlROlwK_L8AqRtmzP0/s1600/Eucalyptus+x+2+thumbnail+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrIYPdZF_S4kdmr6GdKlpPSAv21KM7KtN85A777dBz-oPbzU7hV9R_E-bcKsrIgLxoKIOqX_RsoIlRtdQko7y3eHf9HgwWTUY8IUTVspbyPtJcXVLCvVj8SJCG1rlROlwK_L8AqRtmzP0/s320/Eucalyptus+x+2+thumbnail+2.jpg" width="160" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">A couple of years ago, I created three small wall pieces, each nine inches square, on a eucalyptus theme. One of them, <em>Eucalyptus Grove </em>(See image on my Wall Art gallery page), sold relatively quickly. The other two hung unsold at Spanish Village for quite a long time. And the longer they hung there, the more they bored me. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I finally took them down a couple of months ago and brought them home to my studio to consider how they might be salvaged.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4kOBL0hQjFte5DeHzyKb9ZAgkjEvRvbxsEKlbGQbjJid4nS7epEp7kMdru3urX33AWyFvVWpsG5MONSdqa4s_JmiIsyQLKiS4pbQc8YBJRsc14-r9twHf_sU-mGedOT6qng7CY_tWMg/s1600/Euc+Series+-+Nuthatch+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4kOBL0hQjFte5DeHzyKb9ZAgkjEvRvbxsEKlbGQbjJid4nS7epEp7kMdru3urX33AWyFvVWpsG5MONSdqa4s_JmiIsyQLKiS4pbQc8YBJRsc14-r9twHf_sU-mGedOT6qng7CY_tWMg/s200/Euc+Series+-+Nuthatch+thumbnail.jpg" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; font-size: small;"><em>Eucalyptus Series:</em></span><br />
<em><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS; font-size: small;">Nuthatch</span></em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I liked the work I'd done too much to put the pieces on the recycle pile. But they both needed something more. What might be found on the trunk of a eucalyptus tree? What might hang on a branch besides leaves? What would look natural on the backgrounds I'd already created?</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here are the pieces, before and after. I'm very pleased with them now. So however long they may hang before they sell, at least now I will enjoy looking at them.</span><br />
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<img height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt4kOBL0hQjFte5DeHzyKb9ZAgkjEvRvbxsEKlbGQbjJid4nS7epEp7kMdru3urX33AWyFvVWpsG5MONSdqa4s_JmiIsyQLKiS4pbQc8YBJRsc14-r9twHf_sU-mGedOT6qng7CY_tWMg/s200/Euc+Series+-+Nuthatch+thumbnail.jpg" style="left: 580.66px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 318px;" width="86" />Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-32450871006709511502015-07-21T16:14:00.002-07:002015-07-21T16:27:49.401-07:00Really, still here!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Although I haven't posted here in months, I am indeed still here and still making felt. Life continued to get in the way until recently. But it has moved aside at last, and I am happily following some new directions in the studio. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I've added two recent pieces to my "Wall Art" gallery. I hope you'll take a look. More photos to come soon.</span>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-32270790843731246142015-03-26T10:25:00.000-07:002015-03-26T10:25:36.701-07:00Surprise -- a prize!<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I learned this morning that the piece I described in my last post, <i>Fireflow</i>, won third place in the Fire section of Art...It's Elemental, the all-member show at Spanish Village. I'm thrilled! I couldn't make it to the opening last weekend and haven't seen the show yet, but I am looking forward to it even more now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">If you can get to Spanish Village between 11 AM and 4 PM by April 12, do see the exhibit in Gallery 21. There's also a nice exhibit on the history of Spanish Village, which is 80 years old this year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Life's been getting in the way again, so not a lot of new work to post. But soon... I'm also way behind in my on-line felting courses but even so have learned a lot so far. And I will catch up eventually, I'm sure. </span>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-40783741896649652402015-02-01T14:26:00.002-08:002015-02-01T14:26:27.416-08:00New year, new opportunities<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">February 1 feels like the start of my new year 2015. Life got in the way big-time in January, and I'm more than ready to get back into the studio. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">In December I completed a piece for the Spanish Village all-members' show, scheduled to open in March in celebration of this centennial year of Balboa Park (which is also the 80th anniversary of Spanish Village. The theme of the show is the four elements, and I chose fire as my subject. The piece is a flat work called <i>Fireflow</i>, depicting the power of liquid fire in the form of lava to alter the landscape.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gwYHj3BFJIURBfeRXJelMYXuKMCKnxoxErZqO2LwmeVgg4kw-0AykY90FonplvwVBus4BFPKD6W3crg7eGPj_daMc30Y1wRk07BuyuVnrWXrYuNZce-KTxiZxaNtc0MtBxF9grHBrkQ/s1600/Fireflow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3gwYHj3BFJIURBfeRXJelMYXuKMCKnxoxErZqO2LwmeVgg4kw-0AykY90FonplvwVBus4BFPKD6W3crg7eGPj_daMc30Y1wRk07BuyuVnrWXrYuNZce-KTxiZxaNtc0MtBxF9grHBrkQ/s1600/Fireflow.jpg" height="90" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">At the end of this week I will be starting two different on-line classes with felter Fiona Duthie: <i>Surface Design</i> and <i>Felt Illuminated</i>. Through weekly lessons and assignments, I'll be learning techniques that I hope to begin incorporating right away into my body of work. Can't wait to get started!</span>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-50376076618690574142014-12-07T17:11:00.003-08:002014-12-07T17:50:20.725-08:00The agony and ecstasy of December Nights<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This past Friday and Saturday, San Diego's Balboa Park hosted our annual December Nights celebration. Spanish Village and all the museums stay open till 11 PM both nights, and the park is filled with food booths, live music performances, thousands (millions?) of twinkling lights, even a zip-line ride for the first time this year -- and about 300,000 people when the two days are added together. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Along with my amazing husband (who didn't have to be there but chose to) and several of my studio partners, I worked the 3-11 shift both nights in Studio 40. Many people came in to look, arriving in waves, with the studio empty in between just long enough for us to catch our breaths and sit down for a moment. A few of them even bought some art from us. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We chatted with everyone, kept a vigilant eye out for shoplifting, and </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">frequently visited</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"> the hot cider/hot chocolate booth opposite us and the kettle corn booth right behind that. There were tedious hours, and some exhilarating moments. Finally, each night, we brought all the work back inside, locked up, and limped back to our cars near midnight, footsore and completely exhausted.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The studio looked great, filled with our work and all dressed up for the holidays, with a "teaser" table out front. Now it's back to normal hours (11-4 daily except Christmas and New Year's Day), with hope that locals and tourists will holiday shop till our shelves are all but empty, leaving us in the black and busy making new work come January.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">(This year's December Nights also marked the kick-off for the 2015 celebration of the centennial of Balboa Park, which was created out of chaparral-covered hills for the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition. Many special events and exhibits are planned through the year. Check out </span><a href="http://2015.bpoc.org/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="color: lime;">the park's list of centennial events and exhibits</span></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">.)</span>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-13683851806309947292014-11-02T12:57:00.005-08:002014-11-02T13:27:51.648-08:00Felting through the fall<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We're having our first round of what passes for fall weather here in San Diego, and it's quite lovely: </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">deep blue sky between lots of puffy clouds, both white ones and gray ones - which brought our first rain of the season this weekend; spectacular sunsets; and </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">chilly evenings that require a jacket. I really love this season, after the exhaustion of summer heat. It's likely to warm up again this coming week, but nothing like the 100-degree-plus days we endured in recent months.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This storm only brought a third of an inch of rain, and we need so much more to start reversing California's serious drought. Fingers crossed for winter! In my studio (as throughout the house and garden), I've been trying very hard to conserve water. I now reuse and store soapy water for multiple days' projects, and I pour almost all used water that needs dumping into my garden. And I ponder, how bad does the drought have to get, and how severe the water restrictions, before the responsible thing for me to do is to stop felting altogether? Hope it doesn't come to that.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghC6DrUxC5J10Mu9oVTeJ1D25owxb0Tyj4bD4LkaCrxm0zG0fTJiObdNIYAoaBN0EGSpCLJT8yc7gPAOtgMGd221zk-0BZRATB__TUpw_7DySiDpsw8OPgE8vnyxcZlU52Zoc5Tkn6cOs/s1600/Large+-+4+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghC6DrUxC5J10Mu9oVTeJ1D25owxb0Tyj4bD4LkaCrxm0zG0fTJiObdNIYAoaBN0EGSpCLJT8yc7gPAOtgMGd221zk-0BZRATB__TUpw_7DySiDpsw8OPgE8vnyxcZlU52Zoc5Tkn6cOs/s1600/Large+-+4+thumbnail.jpg" height="117" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I've shifted my focus for now from vessels, of which I have a good supply, to cuff bracelets and what I'm calling "gossamer" scarves. The latter are sort of cobweb felt plus, with extra layers to make them easier for buyers to handle and to clean than the ones I offered last fall. They're still light, airy, and colorful and </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">only</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">weigh about 35 grams (an ounce and a quarter.)</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1UV8ZiM5Ua15spjSwh43sBzPhsCYBbn-xa0kBnJh4SU_4mty0vDmbEim4rWNxIaYnxSdGAVGBpy1FtoNit8oTXhPObhCZTPviG_G4pTTd2ThzwBt-SIgDUIgRHigL-DY-6nICz7yKnI/s1600/Medium+-+4+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1UV8ZiM5Ua15spjSwh43sBzPhsCYBbn-xa0kBnJh4SU_4mty0vDmbEim4rWNxIaYnxSdGAVGBpy1FtoNit8oTXhPObhCZTPviG_G4pTTd2ThzwBt-SIgDUIgRHigL-DY-6nICz7yKnI/s1600/Medium+-+4+thumbnail.jpg" height="115" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The cuff bracelets use new and repurposed felt, repurposed fabric, hand embroidery, and beading - whatever the piece needs to make it fun and special. The first dozen bracelets went on sale last week at studio 40, and there are plenty more to come. I just need to get back in that studio and get busy!</span><br />
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Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-81866650179398032732014-09-02T13:34:00.000-07:002014-09-03T12:12:24.615-07:00Lessons learned<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilVE-hNXo8O1aEINBqFHa5ICTXBFS7bPIPSVrhCcZrhNIZUTt-pUnxm6rl1Rs-k6Yc6OuBcZ9xAOWKsXSEy16B0bY8EfnAoFDTLMZoXXbGHeoRhEFsokkQGHzMN-MdzKAdyoZ2Mz1XSk/s1600/Cuff+bracelets+by+students+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgilVE-hNXo8O1aEINBqFHa5ICTXBFS7bPIPSVrhCcZrhNIZUTt-pUnxm6rl1Rs-k6Yc6OuBcZ9xAOWKsXSEy16B0bY8EfnAoFDTLMZoXXbGHeoRhEFsokkQGHzMN-MdzKAdyoZ2Mz1XSk/s1600/Cuff+bracelets+by+students+thumbnail.jpg" height="128" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Merino wool cuff bracelets: <br />MFS students' work</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Some lessons I've learned this summer:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> 1. You can never produce artwork as quickly as you think you can.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> 2. Life will</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">always </i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">get in the way. Best recent example: My husband's broken finger, on his dominant hand, four weeks before (with surgery two weeks before) my first-ever four-day sale event.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> 3. I hate working multi-day sale events.</span><br /><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"> 4. My work doesn't show well out-of-doors, especially in a steady breeze.</span><br /><ol>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-opbsvpwJ-NCEEBKFkKTk9SPz9tJh0_z7-U-M8j_LNCV1vR_CVH4I7vtuhb5jK4qk7rbqqBioCln6hfsP7RguxY4POt2V43qpFPCFwHT7xOnbHLnNHD_fr3MmUb5OZhyphenhyphen69RmPHV0PYHM/s1600/student+work+1+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-opbsvpwJ-NCEEBKFkKTk9SPz9tJh0_z7-U-M8j_LNCV1vR_CVH4I7vtuhb5jK4qk7rbqqBioCln6hfsP7RguxY4POt2V43qpFPCFwHT7xOnbHLnNHD_fr3MmUb5OZhyphenhyphen69RmPHV0PYHM/s1600/student+work+1+thumbnail.jpg" height="200" width="174" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Finn wool vessel: </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">MFS student's work</span></i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I spent much of my summer preparing for the four-day </span><i style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">US Sand Sculpting Challenge & 3D Art Expo</i><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, which ended on Labor Day. It was an eclectic event held on the B Street pier in downtown San Diego, attracting thousands of people -- but not necessarily thousands of shoppers. A fellow artist made me a very good offer to share a booth with her and two others, and I knew it was the best opportunity I'd ever get to see what a multi-day show, and an outdoor show, was like for me. Now I know. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As planned, I did make about 100 mini vessels this summer</span><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">, most for the Expo, and a few nice, larger ones. Unfortunately, few of them sold there. On the positive side, I won't have to make any mini vessels for quite some time in order to keep Studio 40 supplied! And sales are going well for me at Spanish Village, so really I can't complain.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">My week at the Midwest Felting Symposium (MFS) was well worth the trek to Wisconsin. I learned what I'd hoped to, and more, from my three classes with Pam Macgregor. I saw beautiful things being made in other classes too, and drew a lot of ideas and inspiration from being surrounded by all that felt and all those felters! It was great.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The summer heat is far from finished here, but I am moving on to make work for the cooler months: scarves, cuff bracelets, and who knows what else? I look forward to getting wet, soapy, and wooly again -- just as soon as I can tame the chaos that the Expo left in my home studio.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHWfefxv7LJkqKOtjdVKh1Mmf0tDNXWi3Ywc2TW4jWTwZMEmqsoLbcEHQBtOMLCkJefCvRdB2LqzR7HmE9oqrcJT2sVm_yixaeH3dUrPjTCJsgnF9AQEZJCDVmioZ9WGxnUAU9LJHvJg/s1600/student+work+2+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJHWfefxv7LJkqKOtjdVKh1Mmf0tDNXWi3Ywc2TW4jWTwZMEmqsoLbcEHQBtOMLCkJefCvRdB2LqzR7HmE9oqrcJT2sVm_yixaeH3dUrPjTCJsgnF9AQEZJCDVmioZ9WGxnUAU9LJHvJg/s1600/student+work+2+thumbnail.jpg" height="185" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Finn wool vessel:<br />MFS student's work</i></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-49528701894193040682014-06-17T08:55:00.000-07:002014-06-22T12:05:46.218-07:00Summer of felt<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm in the midst of a very busy summer, and it isn't even officially summer yet! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Right now I'm cranking out miniature vessels for both Studio 40 and the 3D Art Expo on Labor Day weekend -- halfway to my goal of 100. Then it's time for some floral-themed pieces for sale at Art in Bloom. Next I'll take a break from vessels and work in two dimensioms for a while, scarves and wall art.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfG4045Lkz1a8xoWrnNOvUxP3do-vrVPDvqQ9GPLpIKddu0aLHYdDVlE_OWYF2rdwzsf1tqt031YSky27iTcf_EzYNGMYA4SeEJUqKAHN_IWuhyphenhyphenpfEbuHOK5gqStDi0mwQgh2m-IObKI/s1600/Many+Minis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFfG4045Lkz1a8xoWrnNOvUxP3do-vrVPDvqQ9GPLpIKddu0aLHYdDVlE_OWYF2rdwzsf1tqt031YSky27iTcf_EzYNGMYA4SeEJUqKAHN_IWuhyphenhyphenpfEbuHOK5gqStDi0mwQgh2m-IObKI/s1600/Many+Minis.jpg" height="145" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Later in the summer I'll spend a week at Midwest Fiber Symposium in Wisconsin, learning more about vessel-making and about felted jewelery. I expect that when I return, I'll focus on adding bracelets and brooches to my line.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Stay tuned.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-91820962802461252782014-04-20T17:12:00.000-07:002014-04-20T17:12:01.085-07:00All new!<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">April has brought big changes for the better at Studio 40 in Spanish Village. We have a new leaseholder (the person who actually leases the space from the city) as of April 1, painter Neal Evans, who has completely remade the space in the short time since he took over. Compare these photos to the ones in my previous post and be amazed.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjwD-kNztnYfjDtl69h-VpvZPJoRejNGx7L2vOYMI8TyVPvXrwOF25HRryoLEJ3JMZSjV-5HM4mpq1dVvHcUzoF4mczqLWGTvFLUX7KjIqGZi2NIwB6_RG3z5E7Ha_bHIl4c8R2FcVD0/s1600/Studio+40+after+remodel+2+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZjwD-kNztnYfjDtl69h-VpvZPJoRejNGx7L2vOYMI8TyVPvXrwOF25HRryoLEJ3JMZSjV-5HM4mpq1dVvHcUzoF4mczqLWGTvFLUX7KjIqGZi2NIwB6_RG3z5E7Ha_bHIl4c8R2FcVD0/s1600/Studio+40+after+remodel+2+thumbnail.jpg" height="110" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">This panorama shows 90% of the studio, with its new walls, paint, shelving, lighting.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKYw-RdVeU0WGWDG48zP2DQzmFAj6r2zNNHKySjKy4Lp5OoByKB0RO0L5iUmq13RX_-w6M4SUrA17c1RDD3ZWatroVJeOS9gGSi4nNvRkcUGLtTNktWgnxd5iiS2eOThzxevGyKakK9E/s1600/Studio+40+after+remodel+1+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNKYw-RdVeU0WGWDG48zP2DQzmFAj6r2zNNHKySjKy4Lp5OoByKB0RO0L5iUmq13RX_-w6M4SUrA17c1RDD3ZWatroVJeOS9gGSi4nNvRkcUGLtTNktWgnxd5iiS2eOThzxevGyKakK9E/s1600/Studio+40+after+remodel+1+thumbnail.jpg" height="217" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: small;">And this is the main display for my felt: vessels, pictures, and more to come.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Along with me, Pierre Bounaud, Mindy Turk, and Kathleen Romero continue to share the space with Neal. Susan Salazar has moved on and will be in studio 34 beginning May 1. We will miss her as our new team moves forward.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The studio is open every day of the week between 11:00 and 4:00. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I still work every Friday (unless I'm out of town). Please come by and see what's new in sculpted felt. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-64961842386231660392013-12-11T14:15:00.000-08:002013-12-11T14:15:08.426-08:00Settling in<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYllMrYTSTvknOHdv_am4FKjl9mFlvUIilnO1dH2I-lFf4jLk2ucS0ux4e1xYrRwvXSa-swan1tfxK9uurLk8iYnApkPFhhwgtdcGbPcBHJZYXTKcXkv6KBjyWtJP5ku10AQmwElmX3U/s1600/2013-12-03+13.11.17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvYllMrYTSTvknOHdv_am4FKjl9mFlvUIilnO1dH2I-lFf4jLk2ucS0ux4e1xYrRwvXSa-swan1tfxK9uurLk8iYnApkPFhhwgtdcGbPcBHJZYXTKcXkv6KBjyWtJP5ku10AQmwElmX3U/s200/2013-12-03+13.11.17.jpg" width="105" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I'm enjoying being part of the Spanish Village community. As I spend more time there, getting to know the place and my fellow artists, and talking with the many people who visit the studio, I feel more and more at home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Friday has become my usual workday in Studio 40, and next month I'll also be working one Sunday a month. If you want to be sure of seeing me when you stop in, e-mail me first to check my schedule. We do occasionally swap dates.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">As promised in my previous post, here are more photos of the studio.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisY6i5Sh7hsDUYppwCvTx97UQnsSnWg6RafyemWZN9JxMMSIOx0Y8sFMrKHFRTQ6oKn2fbq2NtJHfELJgC3jd8QJsdWAxmLL5p-kO6b5p5kn9UGtfOMJUJAKoGMD6dxhvxVC_BmcRCZmc/s1600/2013-12-03+13.08.11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisY6i5Sh7hsDUYppwCvTx97UQnsSnWg6RafyemWZN9JxMMSIOx0Y8sFMrKHFRTQ6oKn2fbq2NtJHfELJgC3jd8QJsdWAxmLL5p-kO6b5p5kn9UGtfOMJUJAKoGMD6dxhvxVC_BmcRCZmc/s320/2013-12-03+13.08.11.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78qLngjCR7ppgYdg9xmNwMxAd1XMg9nLFTkH_Px727gasJmYlRUaBa4cBt5RFt4gL9_O2LwSKNPjMlcGejpIpWi6GLvtOE5NC-bNNhmg1_UY1M8tvNn8gLc-4GLxskpXQZ_45SXNYrGo/s1600/2013-12-03+13.09.59.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78qLngjCR7ppgYdg9xmNwMxAd1XMg9nLFTkH_Px727gasJmYlRUaBa4cBt5RFt4gL9_O2LwSKNPjMlcGejpIpWi6GLvtOE5NC-bNNhmg1_UY1M8tvNn8gLc-4GLxskpXQZ_45SXNYrGo/s320/2013-12-03+13.09.59.jpg" width="320" /></a>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-60335624079690731612013-11-06T16:18:00.003-08:002013-11-06T16:18:51.458-08:00Studio 40 at Spanish VillageLast week I moved some of my felt vessels into Studio 40, and on Saturday I made my first sale there. I share the space with a very nice group of artists: Susan Salazar "paints" with colored pencil and specializes in drawing animals; Mindy Turk makes beautiful bead jewelry; Kathleen Romero weaves baskets according to her Native American traditions; and Pierre Bounaud (who's even newer there than I am) is a ceramicist. It's exciting to be part of the village, and I hope all of you who are in San Diego can stop in and see what we offer.<br />
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Pierre snapped this photo of one corner of the gallery, showing some of my work, his, and Susan's. The gallery arrangement is a work in progress, as we get to know one another and we two newbies settle in. I will take a few more photos and post them soon. <br />
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If you are near Balboa Park this Saturday, stop in at Studio 40 and say hi -- I'll be working there from 11 to 4. Also happening this weekend at Spanish Village is the San Diego Potters' Guild's annual sale, which starts at 10 on both Saturday and Sunday.<br />
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<br />Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-91010630452823671542013-09-17T23:34:00.002-07:002013-09-18T00:00:49.906-07:00Still here, really!<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Spring fever lasted most of the summer. Turns out I had some undetected medical issues, not serious but energy-draining. It took me four months to figure out that I needed a doctor, rather than yet another nap -- and about two weeks to get it all resolved. I'm happy to say that I am back to my usual self at last, and back in the studio. It's just that I spent most of the past few months in a frustratingly unproductive haze, so there hasn't been much to say or show here.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm still having fun, and challenges, with felting handwoven fabric onto my vessels, plus a side venture into cobweb felt scarves. I'm excited about both avenues and will be showing both in galleries and sales events this fall.</span>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-18846988174818283802013-04-29T16:50:00.000-07:002013-04-29T17:02:23.386-07:00Spring fever<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We fiber artists are not immune from spring fever. I wander into my studio, stare out the window, play around with colors for a while, wander out to the sofa, take a nap...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">In my southern California garden, nature is putting on a show. I draw a lot of inspiration from the local landscape, so it's an exciting time. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcInxfj85tr0m4h6EwxvbMXlDAtAmXNC9vDNYzbvKs7rr5nONi3KhTxJHLvyXWNn0QDtXHZZAT3EMeeXsXpJ4VetRLk6btzUgr7Ftaqol_PZ8Zq9dcbvS-wCchqc2XoXs6eB1ZgtWdLfY/s1600/Passion+flower+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" lua="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcInxfj85tr0m4h6EwxvbMXlDAtAmXNC9vDNYzbvKs7rr5nONi3KhTxJHLvyXWNn0QDtXHZZAT3EMeeXsXpJ4VetRLk6btzUgr7Ftaqol_PZ8Zq9dcbvS-wCchqc2XoXs6eB1ZgtWdLfY/s200/Passion+flower+thumbnail.jpg" width="146" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">When I do manage to buckle down to work, I've been felting handwoven fabric into the surface of my vessels. As a long-time weaver and collector of other people's odds and ends along with my own, I have quite a stash to play with. I like the results so far and will be doing more of this.</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My most successful piece in this new genre is shown at the top of my new Gallery 3 page on this site. It's part of a series of natural-colored basket forms that are now for sale at Zazen in Coronado. Funny to be using browns and tans in the midst of spring's riot! Ah well -- all part of the adventure.</span><br />
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Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-39536540556470323012013-03-04T23:36:00.001-08:002013-03-07T10:37:27.818-08:00Crazy busy fun<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was in production mode through January and early February preparing work for Sophie's Gallery and the Talmadge Art Show. Then I had to immediately switch gears and completely clean out and reorganize my studio in order to host a five-day intensive workshop there on sewing clothing from handwoven fabric with wonderful teacher and friend <a href="http://www.daryllancaster.com/index.html" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: black; color: #cfe2f3;">Daryl Lancaster</span></a>. A small group of us had a blast learning and making together.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Now that I've mostly recovered, and the studio is mostly back in working order, I am giving myself a holiday from shows and major deadlines for the next couple of months. There's so much felting, weaving, and sewing that I'd like to do, and I need to let serendipity be my guide for a while. I want to be a kid in my fiber "candy store".</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblW5tBygT8wjyYBawG-U31LMU9Fa-grxTp8Pmychbs1Z3ri9wWLI-XNE4QIBK6yJ0sWNMntG2be2Y_1CV6nzru9bvDggnJBlZZBxU1JMM13-x5faeam1X21o1V8KT4Dx2lr8QY8XygTI/s1600/Spice+Market+vessel+at+home+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhblW5tBygT8wjyYBawG-U31LMU9Fa-grxTp8Pmychbs1Z3ri9wWLI-XNE4QIBK6yJ0sWNMntG2be2Y_1CV6nzru9bvDggnJBlZZBxU1JMM13-x5faeam1X21o1V8KT4Dx2lr8QY8XygTI/s400/Spice+Market+vessel+at+home+thumbnail.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">At the Talmadge Art Show, I was privileged to sell one of my large vessels, <em>Spice Market</em>, to a gentleman who is a new client. He was kind enough to send this lovely photo of the piece in its classy new home. (Photo used with his permission.) I feel honored!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVv7IyjOUYz1QP9GSeEmm13ZxST-QF19u5SPWzHcQHtRtBcM_8AfhKjTZjpBLT85p7sPsqWTblJDYcHYV5J37PnWt4eA-IknBj6djmYsjqzf0kUFMEB-xDSXLKynJSehPhIGSjPs2Hft0/s1600/Nests+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVv7IyjOUYz1QP9GSeEmm13ZxST-QF19u5SPWzHcQHtRtBcM_8AfhKjTZjpBLT85p7sPsqWTblJDYcHYV5J37PnWt4eA-IknBj6djmYsjqzf0kUFMEB-xDSXLKynJSehPhIGSjPs2Hft0/s200/Nests+thumbnail.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">In the garden my freesias have started to bloom, while the weather bounces from winter to spring to summer and back again. It is full-on nesting season for the local hummingbirds. My husband keeps their feeders filled, I keep the flowers coming, and in return we get endless hours of entertainment watching them. The rate at which they're going through the "juice" makes it clear that there are a lot of babies being raised, though we have yet to see a nest. Sadly, nobody built one in our wind chimes this year. But all this activity, and some old yarn that caught my eye as I was felting, inspired this latest take on my miniature vessels. And yes, there are tiny felt eggs inside. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Happy spring, a few weeks early!</span></div>
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Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-53780888709506358072013-01-19T16:15:00.001-08:002013-01-19T16:15:18.273-08:00Then practice some more<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">There's the desire to change, and there's the ability to change, and sometimes one has little to do with the other. (Insert big sigh here.) I do believe it is possible for people to change, to improve on our bad habits. But if it were easy, we'd all be perfect already, wouldn't we?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The post-holiday crunch always takes me by surprise -- although no one other than me signed me up for mid-winter shows and exhibits -- and I never seem to make enough time to try out all my new ideas. It's so much more expedient to make the same thing again. But after a while that isn't art, it's manufacturing, which is not my goal. Nevertheless, I've been having fun cranking out miniature vessels this week, shaped like hearts in honor of Valentine's Day coming up. Maybe shamrocks come next?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">My previously announced daily practice of reading "Art and Fear" was a bit ambitious as it turns out. But I am managing at least weekly reading of it and still finding it thought-provoking. Maybe some day I'll even reach the end of the book!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The other thing distracting me from felting is that I am suddenly feeling drawn back to weaving. In December I dressed my floor loom for the first time in a year and a half and wove off a length of narrow yardage, which some day will become a vest for a dear friend. At the moment cones and skeins and balls of yarn are scattered all over the studio, grouped in combinations that intrigue me. I'm trying to decide which one to start with, but I'm such a color junkie that I flit from one to the next like a hummingbird drunk on nectar. My felting table is a little island of order in the midst of all this happy chaos. What fun!</span>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-81637117298264286392012-10-30T16:51:00.002-07:002012-10-30T16:51:51.400-07:00Practice, practice, practice
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Art-making is all about practice - develop good skills in your chosen media, develop good work habits, and put it all into practice, again and again and again and again. For me, the discipline - the commitment to keep practicing no matter what setbacks I encounter, what blows my confidence may sustain - this is the hard part. I love the work. But sometimes the internal dialogue of excuses to avoid just going to the studio and doing it can be overwhelming.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Recently I was introduced to a wonderful little book: <em>Art and Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking</em>, by David Bayles and Ted Orland. It was published in 2001 but is still readily available <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/art-fear-david-bayles/1101156158" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">('Art and Fear' at B&N.com)</span></a> . Practically every paragraph rings true for me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Many self-help books for creative people are actually discouraging to read, as they catalogue all the bad habits standing in your way and make you feel like you'll never get it right. What I like about this book is that it actually encourages you to keep going and suggests how to stay better focussed on why you want to do what you do. I'm trying to set a practice (that word again) of reading a bit every day, with the idea that when I get to the end, I'll start over.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm happy to say that so far this fall has been a time of intensive work and progress in the studio. The summer was another matter, but it is done (Where did it go?), and I've moved on. May this phase continue!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">My work has been improving steadily since I began practicing (!) the techniques I learned in July's Long Beach workshops. My vessels have become lighter in weight and at the same time sturdier and more stable. I'm very pleased.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJ3Q25SX0Og7_S4tvN5G9jyJac63MJHA7iE9RbwHdhFG8xlmGHZNBfFOK-mFI1nKGci2EFGkrbeHxHFqhsUDJYnO7if4fmXGo5LNopJdb0m9FaHwWzTmvF8LrKsXxB2P14GKr-uTHuUk/s1600/Owls+1+and+2+thumbnail+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="154" qea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoJ3Q25SX0Og7_S4tvN5G9jyJac63MJHA7iE9RbwHdhFG8xlmGHZNBfFOK-mFI1nKGci2EFGkrbeHxHFqhsUDJYnO7if4fmXGo5LNopJdb0m9FaHwWzTmvF8LrKsXxB2P14GKr-uTHuUk/s200/Owls+1+and+2+thumbnail+2.jpg" title="Two wet-felted owl figures" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I'm also starting to play with some sculptural variations based on the vessel form. I used to make needle-felted human figures, but I really don't enjoy the needle-felting technique. So I'm excited by the possibility of making figures via wet felting. Nothing elaborate so far, just these little owl-ish creatures. But I hope there will be more, and better, to come.</span></div>
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Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-39006593147086882512012-08-09T19:03:00.002-07:002012-10-30T16:52:16.063-07:00What I learned in Long Beach<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I was very fortunate to get into two workshops with Lisa Klakulak (whose name I now know how to pronounce - accent on the middle syllable) at Convergence in Long Beach last month. One day was about making small ornamentation - balls, discs, cords - and was followed by a separate two-day class on felting a small vessel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">At this point you may be thinking, "But you've been felting vessels for four years. Why do you need a class now?" I figured that at worst I'd be bored, and at best I would learn a whole new way of thinking about felt. Well, the best happened!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Lisa is an excellent teacher with an orientation toward technical detail. That's not to say her art isn't imaginative, because it is. But she taught herself felting using a very scientific approach. So she knows not only what to do, but <u>why</u> - what's happening microscopically to the fibers under various conditions, how weight and thickness of fiber, and exactly how you handle it, all affect the results in very specific ways. It's about achieving control over the material so the end product might actually approach what you imagined when you began.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Fortunately Lisa has the ability to convey this information in a step by step way that is easily understood. Not all of it was new to me, but within the first two hours, I understood the reasons for some of the technical problems I've had with my vessels and what to do differently. That alone was worth the price of admission. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">The differences may not be obvious to those who view or buy my work, but I can already see and feel a difference in my results. And I have lots more experimentation to do.</span>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-5622234431784561442012-07-17T14:26:00.001-07:002012-07-17T14:26:40.444-07:00A little feline fun<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdY4Ci5sntiQAWWAb3i5U464-jlZ3eXDkuoXaBjQ_GndMpousEwrppm6NgWX7GSHLya6VmTKng1fZTcoBTXMxeqtfYxxW9uKWK0KtPBHKSnGkHRTf_k7IgcwazHgtM5i0Us4eVGl8cBgs/s1600/When+Cats+Dream+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" hda="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdY4Ci5sntiQAWWAb3i5U464-jlZ3eXDkuoXaBjQ_GndMpousEwrppm6NgWX7GSHLya6VmTKng1fZTcoBTXMxeqtfYxxW9uKWK0KtPBHKSnGkHRTf_k7IgcwazHgtM5i0Us4eVGl8cBgs/s200/When+Cats+Dream+thumbnail.jpg" title="When Cats Dream, felt vessel" width="145" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Last month my vessel "When Cats Dream" was part of the exhibit "Catnip Connection 6" at Spanish Village, Balboa Park, San Diego - a benefit for the Feral Cat Coalition of San Diego County. This piece was an experiment and turned out to be great fun. Maybe there will be more flying cats in my future!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Tomorrow I head to Long Beach, CA, just up the freeway, for Convergence, the biennial conference of the Handweavers Guild of America. I'm really a lapsed weaver these days and hadn't intended to register. But they caught me by offering felting workshops with Lisa Klakulak (http://www.strongfelt.com). I'm looking forward to three intensive days of learning from a master. I'll report in my next post.</span></div>
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<br /></div>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-14191101217379326492012-06-12T19:23:00.000-07:002012-06-18T18:07:53.258-07:00A whole lot of stuff<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Last week I bought some much-needed shelving for my studio. Sounds simple, but you know how one thing leads to another... </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">First, I moved all the bins and boxes that were stacked in the corner where the shelves would go. Then (two trips to Home Depot later) my husband and I assembled the shelving. Then all the bins, and more, went onto those blessed new shelves. So far so good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I also I wanted to move the desk and its hutch from their place, serving as sort of a room divider, across the room to sit against the wall near the shelves. So of course I had to take everything from the hutch and the desk top and stash it somewhere in the meantime. (Isn't that what work tables are for?) Anyway, moving furniture was the easy part. The hard part was coming face to face with just how much stuff I have in my studio: books, magazines, papers, all kinds of aging art supplies, a decent amount of felting wool, and yarn, yarn, yarn.</span> </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfOFZjzhzojx8URtLJn6Th15XkIcgEFdelHMrIql1Nse3nswOpiSkV8Zlk4Sk50p2P2Hs2wdlJvDsHQ6qoKR_KcFo24Uw8usoR_zKgOvqFPQfrGrNayseMrhSYk5vDnuIVHavlejqCwQ/s1600/Blue+yarn+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><img alt="" border="0" fba="true" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimfOFZjzhzojx8URtLJn6Th15XkIcgEFdelHMrIql1Nse3nswOpiSkV8Zlk4Sk50p2P2Hs2wdlJvDsHQ6qoKR_KcFo24Uw8usoR_zKgOvqFPQfrGrNayseMrhSYk5vDnuIVHavlejqCwQ/s200/Blue+yarn+thumbnail.jpg" title="blue yarns" width="149" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Before I became a felter, I had been weaving for nearly 20 years. And if you're a handweaver, or you know one, you know that we are by nature yarn junkies. Despite having woven only two scarves in the past year, despite my loom standing empty more often than not, I still have the most amazing yarn collection. But why? (apart from the fact that I love looking at it all.) Clearly, I need either to part with most of it (NOOOOOOOO!!!!!) or to start weaving seriously again. I'm pondering...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Here is a sampling - maybe 2% of my stash. </span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">And below is my newly reorganized studio, almost ready to felt in again!</span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPIJ3Qd81ZUBpHCrS6D-zi2TEZjIJZde81MDHnwln8KfviZxsiL5Uv2YZ6D-eLmOCAfWSas_wH682pJxpuUEc5TWaenJlaQGeLPVR9T-snOMxZKN1Z6JEVHmuROInCMEKeI-JwTvkOPo/s1600/Studio+view+1+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" fba="true" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilPIJ3Qd81ZUBpHCrS6D-zi2TEZjIJZde81MDHnwln8KfviZxsiL5Uv2YZ6D-eLmOCAfWSas_wH682pJxpuUEc5TWaenJlaQGeLPVR9T-snOMxZKN1Z6JEVHmuROInCMEKeI-JwTvkOPo/s400/Studio+view+1+thumbnail.jpg" title="studio view" width="400" /></a></div>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-28184530981365893782012-04-26T12:12:00.002-07:002012-04-28T13:10:18.832-07:00Time flies in my studio<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Yes, I'm still here! I've been felting away, producing lots of new work for spring shows, and somehow the months have flown past. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We're enjoying southern California spring in all its glory, which means it's summer one day, raining and cold the next - even had snow in our local mountains two weekends ago, followed by 90-degree temperatures this past weekend! Keeps us on our toes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My garden inspires me in all seasons, and right now it is in full bloom. The last freesias are fading, the blue hibiscus and orange lion's tail are vying for attention, mountain lilac and pride-of-Madeira cover the back hillside, and Meyer lemon blossoms smell divine. It all means lots of color in new felt. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5go6XyY7Dj3OXDex4aGSd7AxHyfB8AOn_rxHAO4O3L7t-7qS1WH9NBhjbvIeumZ8U5CBVBHI6ntbY5CWW4Gj5smFyQlNlt-0Za8MwndUSeAK28ZbZ-qpyUW_kM2Y97WoWho-zxJZotAA/s1600/IMG_2495+004+cropped.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5go6XyY7Dj3OXDex4aGSd7AxHyfB8AOn_rxHAO4O3L7t-7qS1WH9NBhjbvIeumZ8U5CBVBHI6ntbY5CWW4Gj5smFyQlNlt-0Za8MwndUSeAK28ZbZ-qpyUW_kM2Y97WoWho-zxJZotAA/s320/IMG_2495+004+cropped.jpg" title="In the Secret Garden, Artwear, spring 2012" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Last weekend's Artwear show was a success and a lot of fun. It was my first time there as a guest artist, and I enjoyed meeting the other artists, new clients and potential clients. The setting was a fantastic house and garden in Carlsbad, 40 miles north of San Diego. Here is my booth in the "Secret Garden" on a brilliant morning. The vessels really glowed in the sunshine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm pleased to report that I've recently been accepted as a member of Spanish Village Art Center, located in our wonderful Balboa Park. I'm exploring whether to associate with one of the studios there or remain a member-at-large; watch for a post about that soon.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hjWKwJ93u8YwkcPijcdogNFFLu0SMIyvqCI8iRf6xchEGOZbEsWo3ovPOYae20ChfKDUMY4O5RDbqGR7zHtPfcT1x6RBRv8eqXR67VL4KTaqYcDbfnLbAYExLwtK1e5_IVB9Djr8Jkg/s1600/Mini+purple+thumbnail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hjWKwJ93u8YwkcPijcdogNFFLu0SMIyvqCI8iRf6xchEGOZbEsWo3ovPOYae20ChfKDUMY4O5RDbqGR7zHtPfcT1x6RBRv8eqXR67VL4KTaqYcDbfnLbAYExLwtK1e5_IVB9Djr8Jkg/s200/Mini+purple+thumbnail.jpg" title="New vessel size - mini treasure keeper" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">New to my vessel collection this spring are mini vessels. Each is a unique "treasure keeper" for your rings, a beautiful bead, a few handy paper clips... Lots of fun to make, and a terrific way to use up bits of wool and silk that accumulate in my scrap drawer. Come see the assortment in my booth at the Talmadge Art Show on May 6.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br /></span>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8828022776055888496.post-79999452584815126362012-01-16T10:17:00.000-08:002012-01-16T10:25:10.827-08:00Serendipity<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I'm often not as well informed as I'd like to be -- I find it hard to keep up in this age of information overload. But sometimes things work out anyway.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Last Thursday at my yoga class, a fellow class member who is a painter mentioned an exhibit right here in San Diego that she thought my work would be "perfect" for. Unfortunately, she said, the deadline was only two days away.</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nbkEn4BdoarsawaIc6vVE5x1N4rOQLfrHQilDxNE6fVsM3GpkSdrBaz5pfgDNY12m9ChR1A3gOG7XWwsUuDKivsn-5bb8zzCaEmvinvC3XCNAiblUFPQVHtr9lfAzCADyMhfFyGhJpc/s1600/Gold+Canyon+thumbnail+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" kba="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7nbkEn4BdoarsawaIc6vVE5x1N4rOQLfrHQilDxNE6fVsM3GpkSdrBaz5pfgDNY12m9ChR1A3gOG7XWwsUuDKivsn-5bb8zzCaEmvinvC3XCNAiblUFPQVHtr9lfAzCADyMhfFyGhJpc/s200/Gold+Canyon+thumbnail+2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">The show was "Small Images", an annual event at Gallery 21 in Spanish Village (Balboa Park.) It was news to me, but what did I have to lose? I came home from class, went straight to my inventory, and found four felt vessels that I thought were worthy of being entered. (Most of my favorites right now are either sold or out on consignment, and since I didn't have time to make something new specifically for the show...) The next day, paperwork in hand, I headed down to Balboa Park and submitted my work. And two days later (i.e. yesterday) I heard that one of my vessels, "Gold Canyon," has been accepted! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Show dates and details are at right. I'll be sitting the gallery till 1:30 on Wednesday, Feb. 15, if you want to stop by and say hi.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">I've also expanded my gallery pages here with recent work. Please take a look.</span>Amy M.http://www.blogger.com/profile/07477327016644507702noreply@blogger.com0