"Off With Her Head"

Although we are nearing Halloween, I can assure you that this blog post does not include gory guts or rolling heads. Today I'm writing about a peculiar tale that dates back to 1865, Alice In Wonderland.

Alice In Wonderland

Tea Party

It all starts when Alice falls down a rabbit hole meets a slew of characters, The White Rabbit, The Mad Hatter, The Caterpillar, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, The Cheshire Cat, The Queen, Knave, and King of Hearts just to name a few. From tea parties to lawn croquet with a flamingo and finally a the Queen's famous quote "off with her head", the story has many layers of creativity and whimsy.

The Rabbit

The Mad Hatter

It's no wonder that a local artist chose Alice In Wonderland as his theme.....and you don't have to climb down a rabbit hole to see this display because it is the centerpiece of his front lawn. 

I first saw his display about six years ago when I first moved into the area. The theme that year was the Tour de France. He had about a dozen bikes set up on his lawn as if to mimic the actual race. I was awestruck by his attention to detail and how he was able to take straw stuffed people and position them to tell a story that is immediately recognized. I have seen him replicate Gilligan's Island, The Lion King, and The Super Bowl. All of them fantastic!

Twiddle Dee & Twiddle Dum

Cheshire Cat

The Playing Cards

This has now become one of my MUST stops this time of year. If you live locally take a ride up Bridge Street in Hamilton to experience this scene. I'm sure you will be amazed at the time and detail that this artist puts into his work. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next year, but until then I will stop and imagine myself falling down a rabbit hole and enjoying a cup of tea with my new friends.

The Caterpillar 

Do You Have A Costume?

This past Sunday I was at the mall; anyone that knows me knows that malls are not my favorite thing. They tend to be noisy, crowded, and in general overwhelming. There are two places that I do like, and that make the mall experience a bit more enjoyable for me,
1. Pretzel Time pretzels, 2. Anthropologie. Both are a treat for me, especially Anthropologie.

As I buzzed into one store and out of another I noticed a display that they had on the upper section. The textures and colors intrigued me so I went to have a closer look. The Massachusetts College Of Art & Design currently has a display at the Burlington Mall, that I think you'll agree is pretty impressive. Students took everyday common materials, and created a piece of wearable art.  Wow, what a talented group of young adults. Here are some of the pieces that stood out to me. I can even see them as a Halloween costume, can't you? Do you have your costume yet? If not I'd suggest grabbing a fist-full of straws and getting busy.

Chill Out Irene & Sit On A Hammock

Last week as the East Coast prepared for the arrival of hurricane Irene I found myself taking down lawn furniture, umbrellas, and my beloved hammock. I’ve enjoyed many summer days and evenings on my hammock; endless hours staring at the blue sky, cuddling with my little lovely, enjoying a book, and swinging peacefully back and forth. Taking down the hammock in preparation for the forecasted hurricane is like taking away a little piece of my heaven so instead if disassembling it I simply dragged it into my garage.

Courtesy of The Big Hammock

As I did I was reminded about The Big Hammock, an art project in Boston by Hansy Better. The concept that Hansey had was to design, and build a huge hammock and install it on the Greenway in Boston. She called this project The Big Hammock.

Situating a hammock within a public park is intended to create a new way to interact with and admire the urban and historical setting, complimenting the Greenway as space of public leisure. The hammock was on a self supporting steel frame and was 8’ x 38’ and hung 36” from the ground. Isn’t that so cool!

Courtesy of The Big Hammock

I’m happy that my hammock isn’t the size of The Big Hammock, and is much easier to drag into my garage than the The Big Hammock, that way if Irene really picks up speed I can simply open my garage and enjoy a little piece of heaven.

I think Irene needs to chill out and sit on The Big Hammock for a while, I’m sure she’d find it most relaxing.

Click here for a video of The Big Hammock

Manchester Arts Festival - #2

Today I continue my walk through the Manchester Arts Festival with Eugene Quinn. 

http://www.eugenejquinn.com/

As paddle surfing has grown in popularity here in the North Shore, when I saw this painting of a surfer on the beach it really caught my eye. Eugene's use of color is magnificent, and sets the mood for all of his oil paintings. You must make his studio in Rockport, MA one of your stops, I promise that you won't be disappointed.  

http://www.etsy.com/people/OrabelleBaby

These colorful little ladies created by artist and mom Shayne Ostrowski caught my eye as I walked the festival. Shayne started Orabelle Baby after having her first child. Frustrated at not being able to find clothes she liked she decided to create her own line. If you are looking for modern clothing for your little lovely Orabelle Baby has colorful dresses, skirts, shirts, and much more. 

www.artfeltcreations.com

A I continued my walk I stopped to watch artist Susan Kenna in the ancient art of needle-felting. Each bead that she creates is individually designed and made of 100% wool. The process is really fun to watch, and the end product is really beautiful to wear. 

patrickehorgan@yahoo.com

Artist Patrick Horgan uses the ancient art of Gyotaku to create his art. Gyotaku is a Japanese word that literally means “hand-rubbed fish impression” and involves brushing a thin coating of ink on the surface of a fish, and making an impression of the inked fish on a thin sheet of paper. Who would have known that fish are not only delicious on the grill but also look amazing on rice paper?!

Have a great weekend. I'm off to Maine next week so stay tuned for fun stops to share when I return.

Manchester Arts Festival - #1

I love being around creative people. As a creative person myself, it helps me look at things differently and inspires me to be artistic in everything that I do; whether it’s re-purposing a chair, making a special card for a friend, wrapping a gift, or simply getting dressed in the morning.  

A couple of  weeks ago I stopped by the Manchester Arts Festival which took place in Manchester-by-the-Sea. This year’s festival featured  fine art, sculpture, textiles, pottery, jewelry, apparel & accessories, garden ornaments, photography, paintings, and more!

These photos should give you a glimpse of the day, and hopefully these artists will inspire you to create.

Here are some that caught my eye during my stop.

Kreative by km KreativebyKM@gmail.com

Just like Kristen, her creations are colorful, sweet, and adorable. At the festival Kristen displayed many key fobs, handbags, camera straps, baby one-seez, and small clutches. 
  

Agnesmagnolia.etsy.com

I'm a sucker for nautical, screen printed items, and little pooches so when I ran into Agnes Magnolia I had to stop. Three friends / artists form Agnes Magnolia. They handcraft and hand screen print their items using organic materials when they can. For their story about how they got their name, and their pooch mascot, visit their Etsy shop.

Snowbound Pottery www.snowboundpottery.com

Potter Anna Kasabian creates these little lovelies by hand, in her hands, not on a wheel. They are so delicate and beautifully glazed; a must have in any room of a home.

JennSherrDesigns.com

Back in the early 90's I remember making decoupage purse and jewelry with my friends Tracey and Cathy so when I saw Jenn Sherr's booth I had to stop. Her decoupage bracelets and handbags have been featured in many newspapers and magazines, and have made their way into the "clutches" of celebrities. 

That's it for today, I'm going to shuffle through my pictures and show you some you more tomorrow. Need a gift? Support and artist!

I Loved It, So I Hung It

Remember last month when my sister gifted me with Sam, the designer that transformed my living room into a more functional space? Well, one of the projects that has been lingering since his visit is a photo / art montage for the back of  my couch. That's quite a project that requires, time and patience. Both of which I do not have. So this past week I was on the hunt for something temporary to put behind the couch until I could tackle the picture project. 

Now, when I say hunt I mean "let's go into the back yard " and see if there are any relics that need excavating. Since I live in the woods I always seem to find things buried in the dirt. Apparently years ago people buried their trash, and now I'm finding it. Kind of fun. So off I went, gloves in one hand, and shovel in the other to see what treasure I'd find......and then there it was. The flat steel rim of a wagon wheel. I had some leftover garland that I had made out of sweaters so I started to wrap it around the wheel, and suddenly it became ART! I know that art is  subjective, so if you don't see beauty in this it's ok, but  I loved it, so I hung it.


If you need a designer to help you hang your art, here's Sam's information
617-791-5953


If you need an excavator to find your art you can always contact me ;-)

What's Your Gift?

Photo: Eric Schwartz Front of the MFA

We all have a gift, there are so many that I'd be hard pressed to list them all. An artist, a caregiver, a builder, a professional athlete, a leader, a writer, and the list goes on. What's your gift? Some people can answer that question quite simply. For me it's always been a question that's puzzles me. I can do a lot of things fairly well, but there is not one that I'd say was my "gift". I love it when I hear a story about someone who found their gift. They always seem so confident about their direction. If I only had one direction maybe it would be simpler to know what my gift was. Is it possible to have more than one gift? Now you see why I'm puzzled. 

Photo: Jeremy Schwartz - Close-up of Chihuly's 42'  Icicle Tree

One of my stops this weekend was to the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts) in Boston where I saw an exhibit by Dale Chihuly, an artist that knows what his gift is and is extremely gifted. I'm not sure if you've ever seen his work , but if you have I'm sure that like me, you were "blown" (no pun intended) away. 

Photo: Isabella Schwartz

Dale Chihuly is often considered the greatest artist working in American glass since Tiffany. He has the extraordinary gift of blowing glass into forms that resemble leaves, tendrils, blossoms, baskets,and sea forms. After a car accident left him blind in one eye, making it impossible for him to blow, Chihuly assembled a team of glassblowers from around the world. In his studio he creates masterpieces that use the same techniques used by master Venetian glass makers. He has permanent collections in over 200 museums. That's impressive. 

Photo: Blue Island Girl

Here are some pictures that we took during our visit. If you can make a stop to the MFA I would HIGHLY recommend it, because these photos do not do the real thing justice. His installation Through the Looking Glass runs through August 7th. 

Photo: Jeremy Schwartz

Photo: Eric Schwartz My favorite blue chandelier 

To Whom It May Concern..

To whom it may concern, 

Thank you for your artistic expression. My family and I thoroughly enjoy passing by and stopping to see what's in store. 

Keep up the good work. 

Sincerely, 

I Stopped Along The Way 

On my way to church on Sunday I always recognize a house along the way that continually has a still life set up . The home is bordered by a fence so these various artistic forms of expression are up against the fence. From what I can tell it seems that the owner updates these scenes every month. Last month I stopped to see if I could talk to the artist, but they were nowhere to be found. So sad, I had so many questions to ask. For instance are they doing this for their own enjoyment or do they realize that artists like myself notice this sort of thing and actually stop? Regardless of the who's and why's I really appreciate the gallery. It brightens my day. Here are a few shots of last months and this months work. I especially like the saying on the canvas. Appropriate as we head towards Mother's Day.


There are only 
two lasting bequests
we can hope
to give our children
one of these is roots
the other , wings
Carter

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