Freaking Out

I have gone to part time status at my day job, so I can focus on my art-to-wear business. I'd be lyin' if I said I wasn't scared. And nervous. And a little wigged out. I have decided to do two more art/craft shows this year (yuck), and I am working on dates for a trunk show at Dundee Gallery (sweet!). I have much work to do, but I'm taking it slow and steady. I made several lists this weekend. Things I'd like to have done for the trunk show, ideas for presentations, new works. I have some ideas for repurposed clothing, too. I'm trying to put the whole Bead and Button show out of my head. It's not helping me focus :)

So...you'll be seeing new works here in the next month, and details on my next Big Project.

Poll

Is my mom the only one reading my blog?

Bead Art

I found this cool site:
BeadArtists.org
If you are looking for inspiration, that be the place. The glass artists are awesome. Check out this gallery if you don't believe me:
The Glass Turtle

I'd also like to mention this bead artist and her website, Jessica Beels. I did an informal e.mail interview with her a few months ago, and this is what she had to say about beading and the art community in NYC.

I am originally from New York City, but I've been living in Washington,
DC, for the past 20 years. I have had some sort of craft business
(knitting, strung beaded jewelry, beadweaving, handmade paper) at least
part-time since I got out of college. About 12 years ago, when I was
doing more soldering and silver work, I tried having a studio outside
my home for a while, for safety reasons. But, in addition to it
costing a bit more than I really could afford, I found it difficult to
make the time to get to the studio and then stay long enough to get
"real" work done. So, I made sure that, when we moved into a larger
house, I had room for an in-home studio. It's not very big (maybe 8' x
10'?) but I have lined it with shelves all the way up to the ceiling on
three sides and I have three narrow 6-foot worktables to spread all of
my projects out on.

These days, I do mostly sculptural beadwork - hollow-formed 3D pieces,
mostly jewelry) and sell it at juried craft shows on the East Coast and
in a few galleries. I have been trying to enter more juried
competitions and group shows, in an effort to gain visibility without
having to spend an entire weekend on my feet, selling my wares (and not
making stuff!).

Re. the art vs. craft question. It's been on my mind for decades. I
was an art history student in college (focused on 17th-century Dutch
painting) and I got a masters in Early American Culture (decorative
arts, focusing on an Arts and Crafts era jeweler) at the Winterthur
Museum in Delaware. The line between art and craft is a very fuzzy one
and nowadays seems to be linked more to the market and visibility than
to the stuff itself. "Art" is used as a tag for something that is
considered so "good" that one needn't use it, you could just look at
it. Or, if something is made with a traditional craft technique, but
with a narrative or other "hook."

In the world of craft shows, yes, crafts are taken very seriously. But
at things like the SOFA (sculptural objects and functional art) shows,
I wonder whether they are trying too hard to differentiate themselves
from what they are - craft. Or why not just acll is "Art" and deal
with the competition? It all comes down to what the buyer wants it to
be, I think. When I call my work sculpture, certain people perk up,
even when it's jewelry. It's as though knowing that there is a
(wink-wink) difference makes you smarter or more in touch and savvy and
therefore you can raise your price or change the label or get more
credit for the same piece of work.

That said, I think that people who respect crafts as well made, usually
functional pieces get more LASTING respect than people who like your
work as ART. The attachment has to do with the piece and the process,
not just the effect. But that's a pretty sweeping statement.

Ultimately, the respect question comes down to whether you respect your
own work for what it is, regardless of what you call it. My work is
simply not narrative and is rarely considered "art" by people who
distinguish between the two. My work is about the process and the
material, and that's why I like it. For most people, that makes it
craft (especially since it's 99% functional), but I don't deny that
it's art in my world.

And my Dad would agree. As a representational painter in an
abstract-heavy popular art world, he is crafting paintings and painting
because he likes to produce something that looks like what it is. He
is not painting in order to make a statement about the world, really.
He's honing a skill and hoping to present a picture, an idea, that
someone connects to for their own reasons (not to put words in his
mouth).

Unrelated topic:

I'd also like to take a moment and bitch about Etsy. I haven't made a sale to ship since the 3rd. And I'm getting nervous, and a little upset. I've heard through the forums that they are doing no advertising. Since joining the Etsy community, I have spent quite a bit in fees, and I'd like to see a little effort on their part to find BUYERS, NOT MORE SELLERS.

My nephew

This is Charlie, and he is the cutest kid ever on the face of this planet Earth.

Shipping and Receiving

I'm packing up my treasures to send to Bead and Button. How nerve wracking. I'm still waiting to hear from my insurance agent. That, too, is nerve wracking.

I got my Federal Tax Return yesterday. That made me happy. And I promptly mailed a chunk of that to my credit card. And with the scrapings a bought a couple of new workout hoodies at the Lady Footlocker, where everything was 70% off. Deal.

Today, I'm working on PMC beads and firing them tomorrow, so I should be listing those Sunday on Etsy. I have sold all the beads I have made, but the charms and large beads are not moving. Gotta figure out where my peeps are!

Exciting news

Both "Mrs. Peacock, in the Atelier, with a String of Pearls" and "Belly Dancer's Bra and Belt Ensemble" have been juried into Bead and Button's Bead Dreams 2007 bead competition! I'm really excited and am hoping I win because I'd really like a kiln and nice Lindstrom tools. So, if you are going, please vote me People's Choice. Ha!

I have been fooling a bit with wire again, and this bangle is my latest offering. My hands get tired wrapping the wire, but the results are so worth it.