Get Out and See Some Art this Weekend!

Hi there. How are you?

I was asked to exhibit my work at the Carbondale Public Library this month. (Did I mention that I now work at the Library?) Yep, I'm the new Teen and Youth Program Coordinator there. I spend each morning at home in my studio and then spend the afternoons at the Library. Love it!

So back to my exhibition.... A collection of my my current mixed-media works are on display in the Library. All pieces are for sale and a portion of the proceeds go to the Library. If you're local, hope you can stop by and take a look! If you can't here's a little look into my exhibition.

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Paducah + Bricolage = Fab Day Trip

Bricolage Art Collective is a fabulous art gallery/shoppe, in the heart of downtown Paducah. I'm happy to report that you will now find a collection of my original work, embroidery hoop prints, pillows, and cards there.

Though Bricolage has been open for some time now, they are having their official grand opening on Saturday. Let me tell you, Bricolage is beautiful! They have curated a lovely collection of local and regional artist's work, Paducah centric gift items, and vinyl records in a gorgeous space.

Friends, if you have never been to Paducah, it's worth checking out. The downtown/Lower Town Arts District has a great mix of shops and restaurants, an art house cinema, and galleries. There is also a fab new brewery about 10 minutes from downtown. Paducah makes a great day trip from Southern Illinois! (Can you tell I love Paducah?)

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Well, That's all for now.

Expect to hear from me in a few days with some more news! Ta-Ta.

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P.S. If you'd like to be first to hear what's going on in my world, do join my mailing list. (Click here!)

The "June 20" are Finally Complete!

"Scratch", 8"x8", collaged paper, black ballpoint ink and white Prismacolor pencil on cradled hardboard, $250.

Well hi there! How are you? Did you miss me?

I'm sorry I've left this blog inactive for such a long time. I just haven't had the time or the will to write.  The bug to blog finally hit again, so here I am!

I'm proud to report that I have finally met my goal of crafting 20 new pieces in the month of June! Well, actually, I made 19 new pieces in June and just got around to #20 (pictured here) this week. Better late than never right? You can see all 20 pieces here.

This new piece is based on a photo I shot out at Scratch Brewery, in Ava, Illinois. Scratch has quickly become one of our favorite places in Southern Illinois.  Out in the middle of nowhere, the Scratch team has built a charming indoor/outdoor tasting room where they brew and serve incredibly tasty beers. Yum! Scratch is filled with all sorts of interesting chairs, so you'll be seeing more pieces based on photos I've shot there.

So let's talk about this new piece. I was immediately drawn to the contrast of the mismatched wooden chairs against the rusty red siding. I had actually photographed this spot on several different trips to Scratch, but finally captured the perfect shot/lighting on our last visit. As my followers know, I'm very drawn to cast shadows, and I liked the shadows these chairs cast onto the siding.

This piece is indeed for sale! I don't tend to list these larger originals on Etsy as they don't sell there, so if you are interested in this one, do shoot me an email.

Do let me know what you think of this new piece! Hope all is well in your world. Ta-Ta!

Holiday Happening - Autumnfest in Southern Illinois

Hi there. How are you today? 

The holiday season is upon us. Can you believe it?  My first holiday show happens this weekend,  right here in Carterville. 

Autumnfest Arts & Craft Fair

November 10th & 11th 2012
Saturday, 9:00am – 4:00pm
Sunday, 10:00am – 4:00pm

John A Logan College
Carterville, Illinois
*I'll be in the Multi-Purpose Room.

I will be debuting my fabric hoop prints at this show. (So excited about these!) 

 Last night I did a little test hanging to see how they'd look all together.  

I picked up this the louver door at a yard sale for $2.00. Score!

I will also have a large selection of prints, cards and original works available along with my 2013 calendars. Hope to see you there!

Ta-Ta for now.  

And don't forget...I'm still offering a 20% discount on anything in my etsy shoppe with code EARLY20.

Weekly iPhoneography

Hi! How are you?

It was a pretty week in Southern Illinois....Kinda hard to believe it's November!

My parents came down for a visit. We took a walk around Campus Lake at SIU. 

Matt on one of the many "diving" boards that dot the lakeshore. 

 

Matt made Mexican style pickled vegetables. Heavenly!

Have a great rest of the week. Ta-Ta!

Week/Weekend iPhoneography

Hi there! How are you?

My now weekly iPhoto post seems to keep creeping later and later into the week! Better late than never. Right?

The week started out warm and sunny. I wore my flippies to work on Thursday. 

On Friday, winter came. I had to break down and turn on the heat and break out my boots and coats. 

Despite the cold, there was still much goodness to be had at the farmer's market, which runs all the way through November! 

Matt went up to Rockford to visit Jack. 

He attended a Halloween party dressed as Giorgio Tsoukalos of Ancient Aliens fame.

I stayed home and went to see the Woodbox Gang at SIU. 

 I didn't get any good pics of the band but managed to get these of the ceiling and pipe organ.

We had to finally say goodbye to the garden on Sunday. 

Before the frost set in, we were able to pick a slew of green tomatoes.

 I've had them in paper bags since I picked them and they are ripening nicely.

Have a great rest of the week friends! Ta-ta!

Another iPhoto weekend

Expect to see this chair make an appearance in my work!

Hi there? How was the weekend?

We had another stellar Southern Illinois weekend. 

Beautiful weather, good food, fun times with friends and great live music. 

 Here is my weekend in pictures.

Hobo Knife at Vulture Fest in Makanda, Illinois

The door to our friend Hugh's house in Makanda. 

Hugh lives above the boardwalk in the center of downtown Makanda.

A charming little vignette in Hugh's apartment

We capped Saturday night off with a martini garnished with Mexican style picked vegetables homemade by Matt. Yum!

 

Have a great week friends. Ta-Ta. 

P.S. Have you read yesterday's blog post? There's a DISCOUNT CODE! Woo!

Autumn Walkabout

Hi. How are you?

It was a beautiful autumn weekend in Southern Illinois. Today we took a great hike in a nearby state park.

I used the panorama feature on the iPhone to capture this majestic tree.

Happy fall all. Ta-Ta for now!

Weekend iPhoneography

Hi! How was your weekend?

This was the first weekend in ages that we got to stay home and do some more Southern Illinois exploring. As always, I documented our weekend with my trusty iPhone.

On Friday, we tried out a Thai restaurant we'd never been to (yum!), heard some excellent live music at the Carbondale Friday Night Fair, and had a nightcap at Walker's Bluff (the new tasting room is awesome!)

We found this awesome looking caterpillar munching away on our tomato plant.  It's amazing how well camouflaged it was amongst the leaves!

We did a little walking in downtown Carbondale on Saturday.  Trains still run right through downtown. We got caught by this one for a time.

The weather this weekend was incredible! We took advantage of it and did some hiking in the state park. 

I tried out the new panorama feature that came along with the recent iPhone iOS 6 update. 

I'm just enamored with autumn light. It has such a distinct, crisp quality at this time of year.

Lastly, we cooked! (Man, my oven needs cleaning! Ick!) Matt made homemade biscuits complete with lard and bacon drippings. (Yum!) I tried out 2 Pinterest recipes. Crockpot Apple Pie Oatmeal for breakfast and turkey sausage, kale and bean soup for dinner. (Double yum!)

How was your weekend? Do share!