Category Archives: My Work

A Year Without Shows

It’s been a while since my last post. I apologize to everyone wanting to know what I have been up to and whether I am still working now that I am no longer doing shows. Yes, I am still working.  I have come to value my time in my studio as a time of quite and nurturing. Here is an image of one of my more recent pieces.blog-image-cut-vessel

Baltimore ACC, the Smithsonian, the Pasadena Contemporary Crafts Market, all have come and gone and, for the first time in many years, I wasn’t there. This year without crafts shows is almost  like the year after I left my PhD program at Indiana University. My body has a certain rhythm that ties it to events, times of the year, schedules, places, colors, people. . . Without those anchors I sometimes feel lost.  Even though  I am not retired I seem to be experiencing some of the dis-associations that retirement brings with it. Continue reading →

Problem in the Craft Marketplace

I have made an important decision about how I market my work in the coming future. I have decided, now that I am turning 70 this year, that I will not travel to do crafts shows that are far from home. I will also reassess whether to gradually stop doing all shows. I realize this means less exposure for my work and perhaps even less income until I can find, or the crafts community can find, a better way of reaching the public and encouraging them to collect our work.  I am struggling with building an alternative to the craft shows I have loved and which have formed my “community” during my whole working life.  Selling directly to the public has nourished me in very special ways which I would never have gotten through gallery sales or other mediated forms of marketing. It is this community that has allowed me to develop my craft as an art form.

There are several factors entering into this decision:

Celebration of Craftswomen 2013

Celebration of Craftswomen 2013

Continue reading →

A Very Busy Year

So far the year has been very busy. So busy in fact, that I feel somewhat disoriented because I am not getting enough time in my studio. As I get older I have realized how much quiet time alone with my creative process centers me and lets me do all the other things in my professional life. Continue reading →

The Year of the Exhibition

It is only the beginning of February and this year is already shaping up to be the biggest exhibition year I have ever had. The exhibitions are varied in intent, scope, and size. They are also asking for more pieces than I have made.
Here is a list of what I have committed to so far:

  • March 2 to March 27 – Joyce Gordon Gallery, Oakland, CA
    This an exhibition in honor of International Women’s month.
  • March 18 -representing The Crucible at The SF Symphony concert
  • April 13 – May 5 – The Art Spirit Gallery, Boise, ID

Weather and Suppliers

There hasn’t quite been a summer in the Bay Area this year. It has been mostly foggy in the mornings turning sunny and pleasant later in the day until the fog rolls in again and usually produces a glorious and multi-colored sunset. It hasn’t been hot, just pleasant at times and gloomy at other times. Weather affects my palette, I have learned. If the day is without sun, my colors brighten. I lean on more transparencies and darker colors which eventually will glow when the sun finally comes out.

It has been a busy few weeks with crafts fairs almost every 2 weeks and widely separated by geography. I hope to have a relatively calm October that allows me the space and time to replenish my work and nurture myself and my surroundings. Continue reading →