prepping for City Arts Market, December 4, Eastern Market, Lancaster

normally this isn't a huge deal regarding preparation...it's such a lovely, comfy, Indie, community show...but it's a little harder for me this year to get ready, because I'm juggling little Mimi and her ravenous feeding schedule, and Max's demanding need for lots of snacks and toy finding activities.

but when I've gotten a moment (naps and preschool, etc) this is what my kitchen cooks up. little piles of Wensleydale wool...ready for felting. i got a litle more hardcore this year, felting this many pieces at one time. this grouping will make six flowers for three layer hair clips or small pins.





and when everything is cleaned up, then we can talk about dinner:-)

"Central Market" Chair at the Hotel Brunswick

So Friday was the Building Character event. That day or the day before, I found out that I would be able to display a chair in the window of the Hotel Brunswick! www.hotelbrunswick.com
This hotel is right downtown, on the corner of Queen and Chestnut. Currently they are displaying art from local artists. The Obama headquarters has moved out so the space is empty and currently for rent.
So since I was bringing two chairs to Building Character, I decided to make a new chair for this occasion, and I had three days to do it. I decided on another red chair since the hotel window background is black. I have been reading the Central Market Cookbook lately, (the descriptions of the downtown market at the turn of the century are just wonderful to me...something like, "the carriages drive down the city streets under the street lamps, with shutters closed...bleary eyed children help their parents unload fruits, eggs)...having driven down the streets to Eastern Market in the early morning to set up my stand, this was just really sweet for me to read.
So here's the chair at home, and set up in the hotel window (drop off was today). Thank you to Hollis for offering me this neat opportunity.
As I was painting this chair, I realized that I am developing an open bright folk art-y style. I know that I was really really influenced by the Niederhoffer house, as I spent so time there, surrounded by so much folk art it was unreal. When you see that much folk art at once, over a period of time, you see honesty and whimsy, but not forced whimsy. I know my letters often are not centered or styled in a certain font, but it is my own thinking, my own writing, and that is why I say I'm a folk artist.
I hope that the chair inspires people as they walk past the Hotel Brunswick. The chair celebrates the Lancaster, so I hope it makes people smile and be proud of Lancaster.
The edge of the seat says all kinds of things you can get at market. my favorite part is the front of the seat where I put, "Friends, Flowers, Fassnachts, Fish" it continues around to say, "cheese, gorp, fruit, chocolate, etc etc.
Available for sale for $240

Snow Blitz

The first significant snow of the year arrived last night. I am now officially on a weekend painting blitz. I completed four doors today, with a few more in the works tomorrow. (mostly small doors).
Here is what happened when I realized I could use crayons on unfinished wood!
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=9769995 (just seal it with a sealer when you're done!)

In other news I ordered my new business cards. Am I crazy?!
They say: Call for an Appt. to Visit my Studio!

but they also say a couple of cool things:

Available for Commissions and Shops
and
Support the Arts in Lancaster City!

and they look really cool :-) "Art made from Salvaged Treasures"