Working Weekend...

It's that time of year when all I want to do is revel in the fall weather but it's a busy time for me art wise with lots of events coming up and work to do... but I did squeeze in some fun, a great night on Friday first going to the Pilsen East Art Walk to see my dear friend Erica's exciting opening at Margin Gallery: there were tons of people out and art studios and galleries open all along Halsted Street and into the neighborhood, lots of good energy and interesting art and fabulous art studios to see. Later met up with Rich & friends at their great new practice space just blocks from our house off elston. I was hoping to get back to Pilsen on Saturday to see more art...but it didn't happen.

I did manage to finish up several paintings and prepare all my tags and pricelist and bio for my hanging at the Starbucks in Roscoe Village tonight....it's always that deadline that makes it all happen. I could have hung a bit more than the 20+ paintings but need enough work to take to the Kentuck art fair in Alabama later in October. I've included a few of the new finished pieces and the upgrade I made to my "Corn" painting from the Fields Project, I decided to mount the canvas on MDF, it really adds a certain something. It is a bit abstract...but I like it.

Chi-Town Kitty

Here she is...my donated pieces for the Treehouse Animal Foundation's Annual Cats on Parade: Day / Night / Half & Half:

Chicago on the Feline

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Ever the procrastinator...I started painting the fiberglass cat for the Treehouse Animal Foundation Cats On Parade event today. Did some serious sketching last night and decided to paint the city on the cat...as I was working I decided to go for a half day half night effect. I'm pretty happy with it...post varnish pictures tomorrow before delivery.

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Speechless...

I think I have allergies, not normal for me. But I started feeling strange over the weekend, and worse Sunday afternoon as I set up to show some work at the River North Dog Owner's Association's "Social at the Park" Fundraiser for their new dog park. I was a little hoarse to start with, but by the end of the evening I could only whisper...that's all I can do today. It's hard to be quiet, so when I speak I whisper, and it's kind of funny because people start whispering back to me...like we are discussing a great secret!

The event was set at the end of Erie Street on the terrace of the Erie Cafe overlooking the river and a lovely Chicago skyline. The weather was perfect and it was lots of fun seeing so many different sizes and kinds of dogs - all for the most part getting along.

3 Commissions Completed!

Adorable Nel in her birthday hat...shipping to California today...Sweet Lucy - shipping to Arizona..and dearly departed Stretch the Cat a trade with my pal and extraordinary Chicago Jewelry Jodi Rae Brownstein.

Trades...lovely benefits of being an artist!

Kass Copeland is a Chicago artist and illustrator who creates wonderful witty assemblage/collage pieces. She also does a lot of design work for Red Moon Theater. I got this beauty as a trade at a recent art fair we did together...

LUCKY ME ! It looks fabulous on my peacock blue walls. Title: "The Bad Fairies". She assured me they were not evil just mischievous. I asked her to name them, they are Prudence and Cornelia...she said the dog's name is up to me...hmmm..any suggestions?

Traffic Circles

I just started another session at Lill Street in Corinne Peterson's "Dreams, Myths and Stories" class and realized I never shared my finished work from the spring session. This started out from a drawing I shared in my January Newsletter with a wish to make a functional tiered server...instead it turned into a very whimsical sculpture...sometimes it's nice when things don't turn out the way you expect them to...happens to me a lot when it comes to ceramics!

My Creative Friends...living their dreams

Today I visited the lovely shop of Chicago jeweler Sara Lenart (1924 W. Byron) with another wonderful copper enamel artist and friend Mary Laskey. We all belong to "Art Girls" a group of women that has grown to an evite list of almost 20 over the last few years. Most of us met doing art fairs and decided it would be fun to get together outside of the shows and more often than once a year at the annual Bucktown Art Fest's Patron's Party. We started out meeting once a month at restaurants and have moved more towards rotating potlucks at eachother's homes which is great because there is nothing more interesting than seeing the living space of other artists. On Thursday we met at the home of amazing jeweler Kathy Frey - she just had her first book published! Our talk on thursday was of blogs...and art business and a cook book that we'd like to put together. These art girls are some fabulous cooks...we have quite the tasty pot lucks and you will often find a spouse or partner sticking around to fill a plate - in spite of the sometimes deafening sound of a dozen women joyously conversing around a few bottles of wine...!

So back to my field trip to Sara's store...I am dreaming of getting a store front in Chicago, one where I can be more accessible to my customers and have more space and ceiling height(!) to work in. It's  a very big move to make so it was great to hear nothing but positives from Sara who has had her space for over 2 years...very inspiring.