After a few weeks of hectic holiday activity (including a *great* visit with my Austin Brother and my Philadelphia Brother) I went back to work in the studio on Sunday and made a kilnful of shard faces. When I fired late last night, it had started to rain. I worried a bit even though the kiln is under a canopy, but when I opened it this morning, everything was perfect – no breakage, no overfiring. It was grand! Now to surface-finish and sign each piece – what a good way to start the new year. Here’s what I saw when I opened the kiln lid early this morning:

I’m sure Haley’s ADD runs in the family – it’s so hard for me to sit down and bead shard necklaces. I love the way they look and feel, and I have a bunch of request for them, but stringing beads is like pulling teeth for me. Some people might find it relaxing – not me. I did complete one last night for a friend, Barbara. Here it is, and I do love it. But, dang, that’s a lot of beads!

Grandson Haley was featured on last night’s local news with an inspiring message for other kids with learning disabilities: “You can do it!”. Hopefully, his encouragement will keep teens with learning difficulties channeling their talents in creative directions and away from the “other” kind of nightly news. I am so proud of him and predict his career as an author will be just as successful and meaningful as his father’s.

This last-minute idea was wonderful – it was practically a sell-out and I had the best time visiting with friends and talking about art. It’s something I plan to do again on a regular basis every few months.
Many thanks to everyone who came (and purchased).

Yesterday’s show was an interesting one, and I did sell a number of Shards and two shard collage pins. It was primarily a children’s event, however, held in conjunction with a tree lighting and a visit with Santa, complete with real reindeer on the lawn of the Hyatt Resort. Most vendors seemed disappointed that the art show was not the featured event, but more of a walk-through on the way to Santa’s place. But it was fun.

I got an idea for display table pieces that I’ll use when I do another craft show – it’s a folding book, the same model as the Kindle covers, but larger, and with one simple image on it. The image is a photo by Julia Cameron, the 19th century photographer whose work I’m so fond of. The “book” stands up and a rectangular black vase fits inside to hole dried flowers. There’s a small Velcro’d box at the bottom edge for business cards. I can put a magnetic pin on the front. Here’s the idea, and here’s a photo from the show set-up.

Tonight I finished a dozen new Art-To-Wear shard “magnetic adornments.” A friend saw these yesterday and said,”They are a combination of your collages and your shards!” Yep. I like the idea of the bar magnet on the back that keeps them secure on clothing without making holes. I’m taking them to the Hyatt Resort Art Faire on Friday – we’ll see how they are received. Now, back to the kitchen to cook!

Here’s a wonderful dessert for turkey day – I used Cajeta instead of melted caramels when I made it this morning for tomorrow’s dinner. It’s essentially the same thing, and easier than unwrapping caramels. Local apples make it even better!

Yesterday, I drove out to the Hill Country to visit a new friend, an artist I had met at last weekend’s Olmos Park Art Faire. She and I hit it off immediately, and I promised to help set up her website. It was a pleasure because her work is varied and complex. She described her studio to me, but nothing prepared me for the place itself. Designed by the Houston architect Cameron Armstrong, the home and workspace is an amazing fusion of metal and organic material. It’s essentially a small compound of three buildings, all of which integrate progressively with the surrounding stone-and-cedar terrain. I can’t wait to go back!

I like this interview because that’s the way it really happened.

Something new! I got this idea the night before the craft fair and made one to wear:

 It’s a pin, but not really, because it’s a small collage with a shard face that attaches to a jacket or sweater with a very strong magnet meant for name tags. I got so many comments on it (and offers to buy it) that I decided to make a few more. Check them out – I think I’ll make some for Etsy or my own webpage and sell them for $22 or so. Apparently, wearing the one I have is the best advertising! Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?