Treat Yourself…Mackinaw Valley Vineyard Art & Wine Festival this Sunday

First off, I have to apologize for not posting anything in months! I’ve been hired as a full time medical photographer and just about everything else has gone be the wayside (temporarily, that is!).  Tomorrow, Sunday, July 15th, is the Mackinaw Valley Vineyard Art & Wine Festival and I’m scrabbling to get ready for it! Nothing like waiting until the 11th hour, but that’s me!

This is a charming event, in a beautiful countryside setting, noon to 6 pm, with fabulous art from just about every genre, music and of course, fine vino. The BMW Car Club of America will once again host its “Show & Shine” at the event.

I’ll reveal many new pieces from my “Metal Wirkz” Series. Below is one of my newest designs, hand-cut, forged and flame painted to give it this great patina. My other collection,”Elements”, infused with semi-precious stones, fossils, sea glass and various findings will be represented too.

So come on out, unwind before the busy week ahead and ENJOY! See you there!

One More For the Luthy Art Auction

Being the “ambitious” one, I designed one more necklace for today’s Luthy Botanical Garden Art Auction. It’s a sweet  number, made of forged copper that has an oxidized finish. Kind of reminds me of the old fashion tinsel that used to adorn Holiday trees!

“Copper Tinsel”

I’ll have a few garden-related photos in the auction, as well!

And FLASH!!! NEWS BREAK—I talked my significant other, Kevin May, into entering some of his fabulous photos. How about that?! If you’ve never had the opportunity to see his work, check this out: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevinmay/

Two Fabulous Art Auctions this Weekend!

Circle the date—Saturday, 1.28.12! Two very special events will be taking place, one in Peoria, IL — Luthy Botanical Garden Art Auction 2012, which will benefit the purchase of new plants for the gardens;  the other, 2012 Hootenanny Art Auction at Sleepy Creek Vineyards, Fairmount, IL, to benefit fellow artist, Bob Chapman, who needs emergency eye surgery and has no insurance to cover the costs. Check out some of Bob’s incredible art: ChapmanFineArt.com

Here are a couple of my offerings for these events:

Luthy Botanical Garden Art Auction 2012

2012 Hootenanny Art Auction

Hope you can stop by and support one of these worthwhile events!

This Saturday…last show of the year!

Can’t believe that my last fine art show of 2011 is almost here. Tell me, where has the year gone? This Saturday (10-5 pm) I’m participating in the annual Artists’ Gift Show at the Peoria Art Guild. There will be approximately 20 local artists displaying and selling their fabulous creations—featuring jewelry, paintings, pottery, photography (and more!)

Here’s a selection from my new Metal Wirkz Series, made of red brass and aluminum. These trend setting earrings are big (yet feather light), bold and really make a statement!

September already…really?

So I’m gearing up for another art show. This time, it’s the Delavan Fall Art Fair which is being held in conjunction with the 2011 Delavan Fall Festival. After this, only one remaining outdoor show! Then come a few holiday venues, so look out!

Being my second appearance at this event, I’m really excited about the show. Last year, the incredibly talented Morgan Elser http://www.morganeart.com, invited me to be one of the artists at the show, and you know, I really didn’t expect much, but boy, was I wrong! Delavan has an amazing community that supports the Arts, like you wouldn’t believe! It’s a rather small one day show in comparison to others I’ve exhibited in, but that means nothing, considering the number of folks that attended this event. Not only local art lovers were there, but it seemed like the whole Tri-county area showed up to paid us a visit.

At the helm this year is Karli Johnson, coordinating the countless events that will make this show a huge success. We’re very fortunate to have her leadership, guidance and talent! There will be 20+ artists, exhibiting a multitude of art mediums, from jewelry (that’s me!), to painting, pottery, textiles, photography, illustration and sculpture. Some of the artists will be demonstrating their special art techniques, as well. Come out and support this event for raising awareness about the importance of Art Education and generating funds for the reinstatement of Delavan Schools’ Art Programs. [In the event of bad weather…bite your tongue…, it will be held at the Delavan Armory, 206 E. 3rd. St.]

Only a couple of days left to prep for this “jewel” of an event. I’ll leave you with some of the goodies I purchased on my recent buying trip…and just maybe I’ll incorporate some into a few new designs!

Oh, and remember this Saturday—Delavan’s Fall Art Fair 10-5 pm. I’ll be looking for you!

“Planting seeds for Art Education & watching the talent grow!”

4th Annual Washington Fine Arts Festival!

Cooler temps and bluest of blue skies are predicted to grace the 4th Annual Washington Fine Arts Festival this weekend! With over 100 artists exhibiting and selling their art, “Art in the Park” is the perfect way to spend your weekend.

You’ll find me in Booth # 57 at this year’s festival. This is my second year for participating in the event. Last year was brutally hot and humid, and even though I’m prepared with portable fans, misting water bottles, etc., my fingers are crossed for the gorgeous weather that’s been predicted.

There’s a new addition to my collections this year, my “Metal Wirkz Series”. All of the pieces are fabricated by me of either red brass, copper, and/or aluminum and are extremely lightweight and comfortable to wear. Since I still haven’t started torching (yes, I’m still getting up the nerve! Plus I need to perfect the safety conditions for working with fire in my studio), the creations are all cold connection designs. What I really love doing at the moment is adding textures to the metals and often applying a patina to the surface. Really the options are endless! Below is a “sneak peak” of one of my newest designs. What do you think?

So, if you’d like a relaxing thing to do this weekend, drop by the Washington Fine Arts Festival Saturday or Sunday 10-5 pm both days. Fabulous art, incredible music (forgot to mention Peoria’s own, Paul Adams, a very talented musician, will be performing Saturday!), yummy food, and free parking!

So it’s becoming a very busy summer…

Busy, busy, busy…[BREATHE, Jan…]! Okay, it seems like I keep adding more “to do” events to my already hectic schedule. Just was accepted into another art show this morning—more to come on that…

Diligently moving forward on my new “Metal Wirkz Series”. I’ve been building up my inventory, but have been selling the designs almost faster than I can create them. Guess that’s a good thing! The design possibilities are endless, so I’ve had to resort to actually sketching ideas in a notebook. And yes, all of the years I’ve been designing jewelry, I’ve never had to do that before. My mind is on overdrive!

So here’s a little glimpse of what’s going on in my studio. It’s much messier in there than it looks!

And the finished result…tah-dah…a very lightweight textured red brass and Swarovski crystal necklace…

29 WAYS TO STAY CREATIVE