Winter "Wonderland"

I would be enjoying watching the blizzard outside much more if a) my husband was home and not at work and b) it wasn't preventing me from travelling to my best friend's house in NY for New Year's Eve.

Oh well. At least the snow has inspired me to look back through my vacation pictures (to remember warmth and summer)! Here's what was created as a result:

Saguenay Crossing


The scene was captured while traveling across the Saguenay River via ferry... for the second time. Our car battery was very weak and died on the way across the first time, so we got to make the trip again while getting a jump. Luckily it was a free ferry! But yes, next time we travel to Quebec, I will learn how to say "Can you jump-start my car" in French.

On the 6th Day of Christmas...

Happy Holidays everyone! I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule/Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa... or simply a peaceful midwinter. I spent my holiday with family, and will be heading out later this week to celebrate the New Year with more family.

Togetherness


I think this time of year has a quiet, magical quality to it, underneath the hubbub and busyness of the holidays. It's a time to reflect on the past year, be grateful for the gifts we've been given, and at the same time to look ahead toward the future.

In the past year I have seen my photography business grow - I've been featured on wonderful blogs like decor8, have grown my online presence, and started selling in person at art fairs in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. I ended the year with a bang - participating in the wonderful Foundry Holiday Show. I was blessed with the support of my husband, family, and friends, with the time to spend on photography, and with the creation of new friendships and new professional connections.

Next year, my goal is to have my work shown in galleries. I have one likely possibility lined up so far, and I am researching more ideas and options. Aside from this main goal, I plan to do a few more art shows, and really ramp up my online shop.

As you sit, firmly rooted in the present, looking back on the past year and forward toward the next, what do you see?

Dreams...

A fellow Arts in RI member, Lisa B, and I met up for coffee today. One thing led to another and next thing we knew, we were taking a tour of this lovely space:

Future home of an Arts in RI brick & mortar shop? Maybe....

Animal Photographer...

Man, I am on a roll today with the blog posts :-)

I had to share this with you, though. I heard about this photographer via Twitter (are you on Twitter yet??) And thought his work was very interesting. Here's a sample:


(photo credit: Cooper)

See how he's taken that photograph from an interesting perspective - the cat's eye view? Well... it's because he's a cat! His name is Cooper, and once a week he wears a lightweight digital camera on his collar, which automatically snaps a photo every two minutes.

Now, I must confess, I don't really like cats that much. But even I have to say that this cat collar camera is pretty freaking cool!

To learn and see more, visit Cooper's blog.

Recap

Alrighty - I promised a quick recap of how the Foundry Show went, so I guess I'll deliver :-)

It was a great experience. The artists are incredibly talented, and wonderful people to boot. The spirit of teamwork, with everyone lending a hand to make the show work, was great. I met some new friends, and got to know some existing friends better.

It was a stressful show, mostly because it was my first year. I learned a lot about what did sell (small items like magnets) and what didn't (my usual sellers - matted prints). So, I spent a lot of the week in-between playing catch-up and making more magnets and little ornaments and the like. Next year, assuming I get into the show again, I'll have a better sense of what to make ahead of time. That will be good.

I did get a few breaks during the show - most memorably, going Christmas tree hunting with my family during the first snowfall of the year. A lovely experience :-)



How is your December going?

Hump Day Happiness

*cue The Price is Right theme song*

It's time for.... Hump Day Happiness!

Yes, I am feeling goofy this morning. Goofy and grateful! Here's my list - what's yours?

Today, I'm grateful for:
1) Having been part of the Foundry Show
2) The Foundry Show being over and having my life back
3) My new pottery class - I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying it!
4) How quiet it is today with the layer of snow on the ground
5) The latest mug in our collection - it's beautiful, and makes me feel happy!

Thanks!

Thank you PianoBenchDesigns, for getting me to the front page of Etsy!



In other news - the Foundry Show is officially over! I'm going to recover, rest up a bit today, and then tell you all about it. It's good to get back to my more usual routine!

Etsy Love

Thanks for the beautiful front page, annarubyking!

Getting my Hands Dirty

I took my first pottery class last night - Wheelthrowing for Beginners. It was a blast. The video below is sort of what I did, only mine was a lot slower and not so neat looking!

It was fun to find a creative outlet that wasn't photography - just for a change of pace.

Holiday Season

Today I took a break, and went Christmas tree hunting with my family. My parents, their dog, my sisters, my brother-in-law, my 2-year old nephew, my husband....

We wandered the tree lot as the first snow of the year was falling, and found the perfect tree.

Now I'm home, exhausted, but more relaxed than I've been in a while. I have a ton to do to prepare for round 2 of the Foundry Show, but I can't get started on it until tomorrow morning when Staples opens and I can buy some printer ink. So, no point in stressing about it now. Ahhhhhhhh.....

Come stop by and say hi next weekend - the Foundry Show runs Thursday, Friday, Saturday, & Sunday. It's beautiful, the atmosphere is great, and there is so much talent and teamwork put into it.

Foundry Show 2008 - can you spot my booth?

(From Michael Hauck Designs)

Enjoy the season, and all of your holiday preparations!

Can I Resist?

I really, really want this notebook. Particularly as I've recently decided I should be keeping an art journal to help guide me in my journey....


"Best Notebook Ever" - by girlscantell

Can I resist the shopping temptation, or should I give in to the justification ;-)

What I've been up to...

Insanely busy day today! Got to the Audubon Holiday Show at 8am to set up, stayed until 4pm, packed up, booked it over to the Foundry Artists Show to put up the stuff that didn't sell at Audubon, left at about 6:15, got home, marvelous hubby had made dinner....

Now enjoying a glass of wine and attempting to relax. Will probably research a new card printing company instead of relaxing, since my old standby let me down and I missed an important deadline. Oi! It feels like bedtime already, but it's only 8:23!

Here's where I've been spending my time:

Foundry Booth


Audubon Booth


Hope all is well with you out there in cyberland!

Today's Lineup...

A Moment to Relax

Ahhhhhh....... a relatively calm evening, how lovely. I used the time to play with some photos - I've been trying to get a certain look for a long time now, and I'm definitely getting closer.





I hope you enjoy them!

(2nd photograph taken courtesy of the Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, Roger Williams Park, Providence, RI.

Hello!

I hope those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving had a lovely holiday weekend. I know I enjoyed my break away from the siren call of the internet. I am in total frantic mode - the Foundry show starts this week! Luckily there's only been one catastrophe so far (a leaky faucet caused a small flood in the basement - right near where I store my stuff! Some calendars were ruined but the rest has been saved, and the faucet has been dealt with).

I've got to bring everything to the Pawtucket Armory and get my Foundry booth set up in the next two days. Opening night for Foundry is Thursday, and Saturday I have another show at my local Audubon refuge. Never a dull moment! If I can make it through the next two weeks, I figure I can do anything :-)

So - if you find my posts a bit lean in the upcoming days, I hope you'll understand why and send a few good luck vibes my way!

Goodnight all!