Artist or Creator

Here are some of the new things I have brewing in the cottage. The owl shadowbox is not exactly new but I have upgraded to a larger size. This is an 8x10 frame and the owl is larger than the last bunch. I was a little overwhelmed at the response to the owl shadowboxes and sold all but one at their debut event. FYI I do plan to list some in the store this week. The blackbird is something I've had in my head for awhile and the bird was drawn about a year ago. As soon as I sketched him out I thought of the song "Blackbird" by Paul McCartney, I love that song.Not sure the bird is complete, I need to change the ribbon for sure and I was thinking of adding some tags to the key. You'll see soon. I thought of putting the bird onto a hand painted Nashville bag and still may do so yet.

I do need to thank my friend and booth partner Jodi Reeves for giving me the encouragement to "branch out". My stash contains paint, brushes, mod podge, wire and a whole lot more. A year ago you would find mostly fabric, thread and buttons. Which brings me back to the title "Artist or Creator"? I have never considered myself an artist, although I know art is not exclusive to a painted canvas. I have been comfortable with creator and think I will stick to that. As women we have the ability to create life! It doesn't get any better than that. I know for myself after I became a mom my creative button clicked and life has never been the same since.

So now that I am putting paint to canvas and "branching out" I think I'll stick to the creator label.

I do have to put a word in about the Webb School of Design event in Bell Buckle......
I helped Jodi the first day (I did not show) and she was interviewed by the Shelbyville paper!
Then she won a ribbon ! Her art was purchased to hang in Webb School! Jodi was the Diva of the Day! Go check her out and get the scoop here.

The handpainted owl bag

If you have been reading the blog you may remember the play date post. My very talented artist friend Jodi Reeves came over and "encouraged" me to do a hand painted handbag. I have been wanting to do some other type medium and branch out a little. So what the heck I'll give it a shot. I do okay with sketching but putting down paint is another story....it's harder than it looks.

Recently Jodi did a post about her bags and comparing styles said she was "Green Acres" and I was "Manhattan". Well if that is the case my art is "refrigerator art" and she is "gallery art". I feared my bag would just sit there until a family member took pity and asked to purchase it. However I finished the bag Friday night before the show (didn't take a picture) and sold it Saturday!!! WOW never in a million years would I have thought. The even stranger thing is the customer paid me more than the asking price, was I being "PUNKED"?

Knowing I didn't even take a picture my friend Michelle aka Wicked Moxie came to the rescue with her camera. Note always take pictures of your creations!! So here is my first hand painted with first attempt at free motion machine stitching handbag. I did enjoy doing it and plan to do more, so keep checking back.

CRAFT a creative community this Sunday

CRAFT: A Creative Community will hold its monthly "Sunday CRAFT Fair" on Sunday, April 6, from 11 am to 5 pm in the rear parking lot of the Lipstick Lounge in East Nashville. Local artisans will present and sell original hand-crafted items and artwork at affordable prices. In the advent of rain, the fair will be held the following Sunday, April 13, at the same time and location (11 am - 5 pm, 1400 Woodland Street).





For 2008, CRAFT has begun a new feature on its weblog, http://craftacreativecommunity. blogspot. com/.


Each month, featured artisans explain their craft in their own words, giving insight into what, how, and why they create. This month's featured artists, Salithia Buchanan of Crystal Garden, Sarah Tams of Route Thirteen, and Stephanie Powers of Higher Vibes, all create jewelry, each with a distinct style and perspective.





Crystal Garden's Salithia Buchanan began her journey as a wire jewelry artist in 2005. Her fluid, organic designs meld semi-precious stones, crystals and wire to create one-of-a-kind pieces that are at once ethereal and earthy. Buchanan finds inspiration for her wire-wrapped crystal and stone pieces everywhere -- organic shapes, tribal art, nature. Many times her inspiration comes from within, motivated in part by the realization that we are all made from the same earth -- the same elements and minerals -- that make up the stones, crystals, and metals she works with.





Sarah Tams, of Route Thirteen, sees jewelry making as the final destination along a long road of creativity that has led her through drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, and graphic design. Her graphic background is evident in the classic, clean-lined sterling silver, copper, and gold designs she forms, hammers, and molds by hand in her studio. Tams' work, simple and elegant, is versatile enough to be worn night or day.





Stephanie Powers is sometimes known as "The Rock Lady" – a nickname that has roots as early as her kindergarten years, when, as she remembers, she searched for eye-catching stones instead of playing games. Her love of stones and crystals, and her desire to help heal others and herself, led to her creation of Higher Vibe, an online store featuring jewelry handcrafted with healing stones.





In addition to jewelry, CRAFT's April event will showcase functional pottery, fiber art, clothing, and home furnishings, soaps and candles, and much more.


CRAFT's website, http://craftacreativecommunity. com/, provides more information about upcoming events and their ever-growing roster of participating artisans.





CRAFT is a network of artists and crafts people in the Middle Tennessee area who have banded together to show and sell their work in an atmosphere of fun and friendship, celebrating creativity. Drawing their operating ethic from the simple maxim "Life is too short for ugly stuff", the artisans of CRAFT: A Creative Community have established the monthly Sunday Fair in order to promote and support local craft, local artisans, and the spirit of community that nurtures such creativity. With its Sunday Fair, CRAFT aims to establish craft events that become part of the fabric of the community and that serve as a "home base" for artisans to share original, handcrafted things of beauty and functionality with the general public.





For additional information on the Sunday Fair, or on CRAFT: A Creative Community, please visit http://craftacreativecommunity. com/.