This May comes with the end of old things and the beginnings of new ones. This year two of my galleries sadly closed their doors. Some Things Looming and JAM Gallery Malvern have both closed (though JAM will be open through May and I still have a few pieces of jewelry there for the time being.)
But in happier news, I have been invited to show work at a new(for me) gallery in Downingtown, PA!Ivystone Studio is a contemporary art gallery located inside a beautiful restored stone barn. This weekend I will be dropping off some of my sculptural holloware pieces and next month Ivystone is a stop on the Chester County Studio Tour, making it a perfect time to stop in and check it out!
Goggleworks is hosting its juried exhibition in May and Eye of Ta’roq was accepted into it. The opening reception is April 28th from 5:30 – 7:30pm and the exhibition runs April 29- June 4, 2017.
First, let’s check out the other two Super Bowls that were made in this year’s challenge.
First this libation cup by Lew Shieber. I love that he says about the project this piece is a part of “from a culture that doesn’t exist in our history, but might have in an alternate time.” That is totally how I think of my work!
This year I decided to try and do a simpler bowl. Not the biggest thing I’ve ever done (like last year) not the one with the most parts or the most rivets. Simple and easy with a few subtle bits to break up the larger whole.
Well that kind of worked. The bowl was the size that I wanted, but it morphed away from my original simpler design to become what it was meant to be. This one it probably the least bowl-y of all my bowls, but it does still have that concave resting place in the middle of it.
The original design was somewhat yin-yangish, but I ended up rotating the placement of the two larger pieces making the whole design more dynamic. The u-shapes help reign it in a bit drawing the eye back into the bowl and the base (as always) was a bit of a struggle to figure out but ended up complementing the bowl.
Organizer basket by Donna StoufferPeep Show by Joan HiserPill Box Hat by Paula Lewis
Monday night we had the big reveal of our 2016 Yellow Breeches Chapter Challenge – Boxes. I’ll start with all of the other fabulous boxes that were shared and end with my finished product – Zigzagery. The first box was Paula Lewis’ Pill Box Hat, it was a fun addition!
Bird House by Allen SwainstonThe inner beaded box by Kimberly Swenson
We had woodworkers who brought a puzzle box (Jim Whetstone), a bird house (Allen Swainston), and gourd/woodcarving rendition of a “peep” show by Joan Hiser.
We had a stained glass box by Dan Hayward, a glass mosaic box by Kimberly Swenson that housed the box she really wanted to make which was a beaded masterpiece, and Donna Stouffer created an organizer basket box full of little tiny baskets!
Puzzle box by Jim Whetstone – created in a similar vein to my 2015 piece ScavengerChain maille Marble Box by Leslie Halaby-Moore
Leslie Hallaby-Moore wanted to create a chain maille box and she made one to hold a marble (so she doesn’t lose it). Connie Hollenbaugh made a dragon cave box that had painting, etching, beading, and clay.
Shots of Connie Hollenbaugh’s Dragon Cave
The best thing was that everyone had a story to go with their box. Many times it was a story of frustration, but that just led to learning a new way of doing things. As you can see the results were fun and fabulous!
You can see all these boxes live and in person at the Yellow Breeches Chapter Booth at the Carlisle Harvest of the Arts next weekend (September 24, 2016) in Carlisle, PA where you can also find the booths of many of these and other fine craftsmen.
Hammermarks 