Sept 13 SoWa Open Market + Artscope Centerfold

Saturday was, you guessed it...rainy!! So I did not end up going to Providence. But as Annie and I used to sing endlessly, ‘the sun’ll come out…to-mo-rrow…’ and thankfully it did and I got to spend Sunday with my tent mate, Saya of Saya Studio at the SOWA open market. We had some fun visitors including my dad... can you find him in the photo below??When she wasn’t swarmed with customers, I was able to share some lively conversation with our neighbor Liliana Cirstea Glenn of Liliana Bead who was so thoughtful and full of encouraging, positive comments. Oh and by the way, her glass work is absolutely stunning.. so colorful, intricate and beautiful! In addition to viewing her work in person, I also enjoyed visiting her website and reading her remarks about the art process. For example, “I have been growing in the imagining and the making of glass beads because this process and its results constitute art for me and art has no limits. I feel that I have finally found a place where I can be limitless and always transforming and that place is behind a flame. With a mandrel and a glass rod in hand, I can go where no one has gone before and explore beauty, identity and skill in just one glass bead.”One final note... in addition to sculpting and creating stained glass, I also paint. And I'm very excited to have won the Artscope Magazine's centerfold contest in the medium of painting. Of the paintings submitted, "Reading Time With Spot" (above) was chosen for the magazine and is featured on pages 32 + 33 in the current (Sept/Oct) 2009 issue. The contest was juried by Ron Crusan, Director of the Ogunquit Museum of Art; Anne B. Zill, Director of the University of New England Art Gallery; and Artscope writer Elena Sarni.

3 Days + 4 Events + 1 Liza = &(@%()@#!

Mashpee, Marshfield, Cotuit & Boston…. Another 3 days back to back and I survived! Phew! It was a little draining, mostly because the weather was so HOT and steamy. And though I would’ve preferred to be at the beach sipping a cool cocktail instead of shvitzing under a tent in a parking lot, incredibly, the hot weather and humidity did not seem to bother the crowds! So it was well worth the sweaty effort. Friday was an exciting day because I had 2 events. The first stop was Mashpee Commons for the Mashpee Open Market. Some standout vendors and all around fabulous ladies (drumroll please)... Cindy Slater of Letter C Design (above) from Connecticut is the owner and designer of her darling paper goods studio. Her stuff is adorable, delicate and girly! And you can personalize everything including notebooks, labels, cards, etc.

And if you’re in the market for something special, as in semi-precious and precious gemstones set with sterling & fine silver, 14K gold and vermeil, you need to check out ZuZu’s Petals, (above) hand-crafted jewelry by Adriana Mead. Beautiful color combos and timeless pieces!
After packing up at Mashpee, I headed north to Marshfield to an art opening at Porcello Gallery (839 Webster Street) where they have 2 of my paintings on display and several of my mermaids in the window. The current show, " A Weekend By the Shore" runs through mid-September so pop by and say hello to Hilary, the gallery director.
On Saturday, I spent the day at a lovely Cape town called Cotuit, very close to Mashpee actually. My tent was adjacent to the Cotuit Federated Church, the sponsors of Craftfest Cotuit 2009. And I have to say, I was blown away by my neighbor, Sandy O’Connor, Red Hill Studio. She is a watercolor artist, recently accepted as a gallery artist by the Copley Art Society and I can see why. Her work is amazing! It looks like she also teaches classes in Hyannis so keep her in mind if you want to brush up against greatness and hope some of it rubs off. Finally to round out the weekend, I shared a tent with my pal Saya Cullinan of Saya Studio, designer extraordinaire and maker of fabulous handbags and accessories. She and I had a night of adventure planned following our day of hard work and fending off sweat, but, unfortunately, our plans were dashed last minute. (damn restaurant week!) Anyway I guess it was a blessing in disguise since I drove straight home following the market, showered and fell asleep at 7:30pm... right in the middle of a movie! So much for a night on the town… I guess I needed the rest after many late nights in the studio and long days in the sun!