those were the days

I have been thinking about the old department stores of Baltimore lately. Thinking about the departments and their services. My memories of the wig department and the tables with oval revolving table mirrors at each wig station, the rug section that we use to run in and out of the hanging rugs, the fabric department with the cool device that counted the yardage as the sales woman pulled the edge of the fabric through, the Santa Clause that came out of the huge chimney that was on top of the Hutzler building at Westview in December that is part of Laura Lippman’s novel "What the Dead Know". ..and those windows, those magnificent window displays, especially at Christmas. We would get all dressed up to go Christmas shopping on Howard Street and look at the Christmas window displays. Easter, we would go to Hutzlers for the children’s’ Easter Breakfast…which usually entailed an Easter Bunny and some sort of puppet show that would scare the hell out of me. I scared easily of such things. ..clowns and puppets…Anyway, I found this site that has tons of photos of very old Baltimore…I found these of the window displays at Hutzlers a bit before my time, but I thought them pertinent to post.

Pics from Artscape

Spent most of the day with Patrick relaxing! There is nothing as wonderful as taking a 3 hour nap in the afternoon! We had to get up and take Patrick to get X-rays of his shoulder and then to the doctor. Whistler was good to him until the last day;( but it allowed me a special day with my man! A beautiful day, just like this past weekend! we coiuldn't have asked for a better weekend to hang in B-more selling our crafts! SO here are some pics..check out all of them here!

Artscape a Success

Just woke up from a very busy and long weekend! Artscape was great! Tricia and I met so many people and got very positive responses. The best complements came from the kids! They would pulled their parents back into our booth! I'll post pictures later once I locate my camera. Please keep posted to my etsy shop, I'll get more wares for you to buy in my store this week! Thanks to everyone who stopped by! Thanks bunches to Sharon who helped us out all day on Saturday!

Brainiac the Art and Life of Matte Stephens

packed up and inventoried...is that the right way to spell that? anyway, i had to go to Target to buy totes for storage because i have run out of space in the sweat shop for new stuff. anyway, decided to do some disteracting blog reading and checked into Matt Stephens latest's work. I love his work. Reminds me so much of my beloved characters of my childhood. i really love the owl! CHeck out his blog here!

Tricia's Wares

Here are some items that Tricia's will be selling at our Peas & Carrots booth for Artscape. I love the stenciled kid aprons!
yeah Tricia!

new pillows

somedays you have these amazing days in your studio when everything seems to fall into place. i started yesterday around 8AM, and this new line of pillows emerged. i wanted to take advantage of my last weekend with no distractions to get as much work done for Artscape that I possible could make...patrick will be back late Wednesday night..he has been in Whistler for the past week...the longest we have been apart. so in order for this time to past I've been coup up in the sweat shop sewing my butt off and going to the gym. finding 44 to be a pretty depressing age if you're not feeling fit...so fit is my choice. and lots of conversations with the cats..louie has learned to play catch!
so here are my new pilla's. I really love the cardinals...these feel more modern , especially on the tweed fabric.these will be on sale at Artscape!! hoping all can stop down and visit. Tricia and I will be in the Peas & Carrots booth close to the MICA store, on Dolphin Street. July 20-22, noon to 10 on friday and saturday, noon to 8 on Sunday. Lets hope there's good weather!

Artscape 2007

Transparent Dialogs

The Gallery at CCBC Catonsville

800 S. Rolling Road

July 15 - August 10

Opening : Saturday, July 14, 3-5

410-455-4246/ www.ccbcmd.edu / http://adim.ccbcmd.edu/

Curator: Osvaldo Mesa

Artists:

Seth Adelsberger ~ Tom Block ~ Abigail Donovan ~ James Long ~ Jennifer McBrien~ Matthew McConville ~ Michele Montalbano ~ Steven Pearson ~ Brooke Rodger ~ Rachel Schmidt

just checkin in

just checking in
latest updates:
Tricia and I went to buy peg board for our display at Artscape
the business cards came in and they look great!
I've been slowly working on my etsy shop.
only one item is posted
thought I'd wait till after Artscape until I post whatever I don't sell
dropped off paintings to CCBC for a show there. Opening is July 15, 3-5..Catonsville Campus More info will be posted later.

laura's hat

we went out to celebrate bday's last night at Rocket to venus in Hampden.i gave laura one of my new hats for her bday. had to have her model it so you can see how the hat looks on an actual head. i can't take credit for the pattern nor the fabric....its a pattern from Lotta Jandotter's book: simple sewing....a must have! the packaging is great, with beautiful photo's, clear written and hand drawn directions and pattern pieces included! the fabic is denyse schmidt of course! these will aslo be at the artist market at Artscape!

sneak preview

so here are some quick shots from the sweat shop...a variety of birdy tote bags, pillows and hats!!!! i found a good use for the left over fabrics from my aprons.
remember...all will be for sale at the peas & carrots booth at Artscape: July 20,21,22.

happy 44

sorry i haven't posted in a bit. its been the end of school, leave for Williamsburg, come home entertain family guests, off to the Eastern shore, back to school for 2 EYE days, then busy in the sweat shop. i've also been scanning the family slides and i found my two favorite birthday pictures from the past. my hair was so white!!!! i was my pop's blondie. you can see him and my other great grandfather in the one picture. i love the dress my mom is wearing in the other picture. i love that neck line as well as that shade of green. i love that everyone was so dressed up to sit in the back yard. i think we kept our dresses on for the first five minutes before they came off.
birthdays at 44 are going to the Y to have the turnstile sing you Happy Birthday and dinner out with my guy!

Charley Harper

today was exam day #2, and i gave my three remaining studio students their questionaire of an exam that i give that simply ask students to respond honestly on how they grew as artist, who inspired them and so forth. In reflection i must say that Charley Harper, who i only discovered this past year, thanks to Todd Oldhamwas my biggest inspiration for my bird party series. i sadly learned today that Charley Harper. passed away over the weekend. I happily learned that Todd Oldham wrote a book on charley that just came out ! I'm going have to ask real nicely for this one for the up and coming bday! You can check it out here.

Creature comforts (talking politicians)

i was motivated after watching tonight' s episode of creature comforts...to look for a good one to post. i thought this one pert-ti-nent...enjoy

Women In Art

thanks jo for putting this to my attention...a great little history in art, amazing transitions....

a new inspiration

i'm finding that one of my difficulties of being a painter, is well, when i don't paint, which i must confess hasn't happened seriously since the painting studio went to the basement in pieces, about 6 months ago, i tend to feel like i'm not an artist. i feel guilty. i feel like i am a phoney studio art teacher and i hate that. but just because i'm not painting doesn't mean i'm not being an artist. i make stuff now. i make bird pillows and tote bags and eye glass cases and pencil and brush cases and aprons....and i draw and plan in my sketchbooks and i do some printmaking..and i try to make all of my units of instruction based around a form of art that i need practice in and i do those assignments, not just to practice but to reinforce why i give such assignments to my students...and to prove that they are possible to do in a certain frame of time in a certain high level of quality. i really love the feeling of production. and production of a well crafted craft! its a different feeling from painting. not as selfish. you think of who is going to wear this apron and how will they put it on and how will they use this pocket and adjust the straps.

it is how artist are i tell myself and my stundets...we go off on tangents, experiment, try new things....but to make what i now do feel the same way, the same satisfied feeling that one feels once completing a successful painting....that is what i'm shooting for.

so thank you design*sponge in introducing people who do the same ...art work, live and make "craft" their art. thanks for introducing Laura Normandin. i love her work. i love how beautiful and simple her "mersey seat" series is. this is some of it here. check the rest of her work and what she does here.

new blogs

after graduation today, I've been mainly sewing and procrastinating by searching on line. i love how the web works..you go to one site and it leads you to hundred...no thousands of others. my most recent finds have been in my looking for crafters in near-by cities...philly is my recent location i found many more links from the Betsy Ross site. as i find those i like i add them to my links for easy assess. having a fascination and a strong attraction to the aesthetics of the 40's to the early 60's.....i am drawn to any thing related to such especially in design. i found a great blog called book-by-its-cover.com. i posted pics from the children's book section that most appeal to me. i love the green and red...i can't seem to get away from these two compliments of The Lollypop Factory by Mary Elting/ Jeanne Bendick. i do not recall this particular book but owning many like i from my childhood. having a teacher for a mother insured you of many books!

the marraige of denise and betsy

so i thought i would make a new dress to wear for graduation tomorrow...have to have someting to look forward to. anyway i bought this great fabric from Denyse Schmidt called Katie Jump Rope - Daisy Bunch, Geranium, from Cia's Palette. i had this great girlie dress pattern from betsy ross. i made some adjustments making the straps a bit wider to pass the dress code. i really love following betsy ross patterns. they are very user friendly with room for adjustments...plus you follow a simple step by step book with hand drawn illustrations !