Hello everyone!

It’s a rainy Saturday, probably my last weekend to plant bulbs…and I saw Holiday decorations up already. Wow! Where has the fall gone?

I am in the process of gearing up for three very different exhibits/venues this season. And what a mad rush!

The first is the Arden Holiday shop, an annual favorite in the Gild Hall in Arden DE. It’s very festive, and marks the beginning of the holidays for me – although it is after Thanksgiving. The info: Sunday November 30^th, from 11 – 4

 pm.  You can find details and directions here: http://www.ardenclub.com/annualEvents.htm.

The second is my first home show… at a friend’s house. I am in an artist’s marketing group, and this is our first event as a group. It should be a lovely affair, hosted by Paula and Norman Bell. (Friday Dec. 5^th – 5:30 – 8. Sat. Dec

 6^th – 10 – 4pm. 509 Rothbury Rd. See my last blog post for the details...

The biggest event: I am showing a completely new, and I think exciting, group of mixed media collages. My friend Betsy Mortenson and I are having our show: Imago Dea - envisioning the feminie divine at Gallery 919 Market in WIlmington! The reception is Friday 12/5 from 4:30 - 8:30pm. Stay tuned for more info here, and pictures too I think...

Here is the info for one of my fall/winter shows: A home show with friends of mine... Should be a good one!

Four Elements: elements of art, elements of nature - four colleagues united by their creative pursuits; expressing their visions in a variety of media.

Susan Amadio - Raku sculpture, mosaics 

Norman Bell - photographer 

Paula Bell - ceramic artist

and me...

Friday 12/12: 5:30 - 8pm.

Saturday 12/13: 10 - 4pm

509 Rothbury R. Wilmington DE 19803

So clearly this is a very large post, full of the above images. I will explain...

I was in Lewes this summer, at a show, and I fell into a delightful discussion with a local Bed & Breakfast owner. She runs the Awaken Inn in Millsboro De, and has rooms beautifully decorated in the 4 elements. That got us thinking; and I did some elemental tiles. She may be hanging some in her inn, on the rooms' doors... We'll see. It was fun to play with the varieties on a theme, especially color and the contrast between shiny glaze and matte areas.

Do you, loyal reader, have a favorite? Clearly I was working with "Earth" and "Fire" here...even adding gold leaf on the flame of the candles.

Here are a few pictures of the campus. The week I was in attendance it rained daily. The greens were lush, dew-dropped and enveloping. The grounds are so gorgeous!

the path to the coffee house...

The view from the coffee house patio...

The Dye shed

My home for the week: Dorm 54. (Although it was the only dorm. Everyone else was in a cabin.)

The view from the Pines dining hall. That's Printmaking on the left; the anagama kiln shed in the middle; and the clay studios peeking out on the right.

These tiles came out of the kiln this morning. They are brand new, something I am trying. When I was at Penland - ( yes, more posts coming soon...) it was all about texture. Carving stamps, imprinting textures onto clay... So when I got home, my first order of business was to continue with texture. I have quite a few stamps that I have carved, and I use them in tiles, usually on edges or to accentuate the icon/figure/image. For this batch I wanted to highlight the texture itself. I textured huge slabs, and used them as the background layer. Then I did my sculpted items on small tiles with beveled edges. I like the strong simple color of the icon contrasting with the intricate colored texture behind.

Here's a detail:

I planned to have beaded details dangling from the base of each tile. The miscellaneous charms I had were often too small in scale. My stash of treasures yielded some oldies - but goodies; beads I have had for 20+ years! Dating back to the early days of beaded jewelry, in the 80's, they were large, yet perfect for this application. Sweet! I love serendipitous moments like that.

These tiles will debut at Art on the Avenue this weekend in Alexandria VA. Wish them well. Would love to hear what you think, also...

The tile on the right - my newest Eartha handmade tile by friend and fellow ceramic artist Parran Collery. (The heart tile, also by Parran, was a gift from friend.) Parran and I see each other a few times a year, and have growing collections of each other's work. This is one of my 2 new aquisitions.

I hesitated - the red and lavender arent my first choice of colors. But I love the image and the message... Well, how foolish was I? To see it pop on the aqua wall, bringing out the turquoise on the fish! Meant to be! Thanks Parran!

My new necklace! I have worn it every day. Shobha Ohal, the artist, was one of my neighbors on the wooded path at Artsfest. I didn't look around very much until Sunday, and was immediately drawn to her jewelry. This piece is Hindi for "happiness" - set in resin in a hand fabricated bezel. And she switched the dangle out to a garnet for me. Beautifully made.

I must confess. I am a bit of a jewelry snob. I made and sold earrings in a local shop as a high schooler. I did metals as a concentration when I was an undergrad at Skidmore. I worked at a fabulous bead store in San Diego and took classes with some incredible instructors. I am addicted to semi-precious gemstones. I make much of my own jewelry. So I dont buy often at shows. But this piece is exquisite.

It is a real pleaseure to meet and discuss with other artists. I enjoy the banter of  like minded creative types, professionals doing artwork for a living. Maybe its a shared art school history that puts us on equal footing, maybe the comraderie of doing a show together. But it is a pleasure, nonetheless!

This was my view this past weekend. Annmarie Gardens is an amazing location, to set up your tent on a wooded path, and be surrounded by artwork: man-made and natural. It was a good show, and great weather. The grounds are punctuated with sculpture...

(

(Nelli Bar "Standing Nude" Bronze on loan from the Hirshhorn Museum)

(Andrew Baxter "Equation" 1999 Bronze On loan from the artist)

This sculpture was directly across the path from me, as if it was a painting being worked on, and the artist would return any moment. It was great fun to watch kids with no inhibitions react to and interact with the artworks.

What a week this is turning out to be! I am trying to get organized, as I leave for Artsfest on Friday morning...after I take a dog to the vet. (Do you ever wonder why you scheduled things the way you did? How could I have thought THAT was a good idea? ) Anyway...I glazed this morning, have the wee kiln firing, and wanted to shoot these new tiles, as they are getting packed up. Have a few more for the kiln tomorrow to pack up warm and toasty on Friday morning when they emerge...

These collages tiles are my latest obsession. I like the immediate working with the clay and the symbol, then the collage bit can be done later after glazing and firing...with more intent or inspiration...

Here's an example of how different two tiles can be - from the same sprigg (mold of the relief sculpture)

More on Penland coming soon, promise!