A delicious piece of Blue Heron Turquoise I picked up in Tucson. Accented with copper and citrine. Hand made 5 piece necklace.

Hello again! It’s been awhile since my last newsletter. I wish I had lots of good news to share, but it’s been pretty dull around here due to the Coronavirus. I usually would have 8 or so shows under my belt by this time of summer but I haven’t done one. I miss the show circuit! I miss connecting with old customers and meeting new ones, chatting with other artists, and the general buzz of a festival. I would have been in several new shows this year including Art Fair on the Square in South Lake, TX, and Omaha Summer Arts Fest but Covid-19 took that away. Some shows have invited the accepted artists for next year, other, we need to apply and get juried into the 2021 show again. Sadly, most of the fall shows are cancelling as well, but there are some that have not cancelled. Here are the ones as of today (Aug. 2) that are still a “go”:

Hinsdale, IL Aug. 15-16

Ethos Celebration of the Arts, Franklin, IN Aug. 22

4 Bridges Arts Festival, Chattanooga, TN Sept. 3-5

Cedarhurst Art and Crafts Fair, Mt. Vernon, IL Sept. 11-13

Edwards Place Fine Art Fair, Springfield, IL Sept. 19-20

Best of Missouri Market, St. Louis, MO Oct. 2-4

Please note that during shows I will adhere to following Covid-19 safety precautions:

Wear a mask at all time (I ask that you do the same, please!)
Have (and use) hand sanitizer before and after handling jewelry/cards/etc.
Sanitizer surfaces frequently
Jewelry is behind glass cases and will be sanitized before and after handling
Keep as socially distant from people as I can (realizing that this is hard during art shows and sales interactions)
Have acrylic dividers between me and my customers
Try to keep my tent as open as possible to allow for air movement

How I spent my Spring

So I spent most of the spring gardening rather than preparing for shows. It was my escape from reality. Getting my hands in the dirt is therapeutic. I’ve been expanding my shade garden (lots of big old trees where I live) for several years and my vision is coming to fruition! Now I am moving plants around, like every good gardener. I was surprised by the bed of wildflowers I planted from seed. I decided not to try vegetable this year in my small raised garden bed (they never get enough sun) and sprinkled a $5.99 bag of pollinator seeds instead. I wasn’t hopeful when I planted them - it was an experiment, but I remember telling my husband that we should have a bed full of wildflowers by the time this Covid thing is over. (They took 45-60 days to bloom - and I planted them in March. Boy, was I wrong). I love the unique shapes, delicate edges and perfect colors of each one!

In My Studio

I have been experimenting with a new toy! I invested in a rolling mill - a basic but mighty tool. I’ve been exploring patterning metals. You roll the annealed metal through with something of texture - fancy paper, fabric, dried plants, and it embosses the pattern on the metal. You aren’t quite sure how it will turn out - the metal may take the exact pattern, or something only reminiscent of the textile pattern. I’ve been using this patterned copper to make a new line of earrings, simple necklaces, and cuffs. I love to patina the copper to bring out the texture.

I’d like to thank you for supporting me (and other artists) during this time. My motivation has waxed and waned since March. Whether you have been a patron of an online virtual art fair, my website, or commented and shared my social media posts, you give me hope that better days are to come and that people value art and beauty, and you motivate me to keep on creating.

So please, keep supporting artists, wear your mask, wash your hands, and stay healthy!