365/2013 - Day 274

another great day of working on both shows

First -- I finally remembered to shoot the banner for the October and November/December exhibits at the Northville Art House.  Curating one show, coordinating the other -- I got teary looking up at the banner -- this is such a dream come true for me...I can't even tell you.

This morning I met Joan up at the Art House and we did a quick walk around the gallery to talk about my initial concerns for hanging and layout for "Under the (Inspired) Influence".  We had a great brainstorming session,  Joan gave me some really good ideas, and I went back home to think about things and to have a cup of coffee with the cats.

While I was home I got a call from Anita Andersons who asked if she could bring some additional artwork for the show and some for the Store.  Oh man -- YES, please!!!!  I met Anita back at the NAH soon after it opened at 1:00 and updated Patti.  When Anita arrived we went up to the gallery to look at the collages she brought in -- oh man -- I adore Anita's collages.  Two of the three framed ones will be in the show and all of the unframed ones will be for sale in the Store during the run of the show.  Not just prints of Anita's collages, mind you -- these are the originals. 

So then when Anita left I went back down into the Store to talk with Patti and get some teaser shots of the incoming artwork from the artists in the show.

I am not showing you everything you get in one of Leann Meixner's mysterious VooDoo Kits...you will have to come and see for yourself!

Mike Sivak's table top shrines (they light up) and some of his "portraits"...I love this stuff SO much.  And why yes -- those are my Tookies and Tooklets right behind Mike's items.

A sneak peek at Diane Hawkey's fabulous beads.

Some of this jewelry is by Juana Moore.

A few of Anita Andersons' unframed collages.

Then I needed to get back home because my sister Sue was coming back to finish staining my front porch.  I really like the color and the way it is turning out.  THANK YOU, Sue!

Then it was back to the NAH one more time to meet up with Mary Fortuna who needed to install some of her artwork herself.  Mary hung a shelf and set up her wondrous beeswax figures herself because the work is extremely fragile.  Mary also brought two watercolor & prismacolor pieces that haven't been seen in this area before...I feel very honored.

Mary Fortuna installing her wondrous beeswax figures.

And then (after making a quick stop for a fresh bag of ice) it was finally back home again for the night.  I entered more of the "[small] Work Exhibit" entries into my logs and now I am ready for meds/elevation/cold pack.   I am tired tonight -- a really good, satisfied tired.  It is another big day tomorrow -- I can hardly wait!

The entries are coming in at a good pace for the juried "[small] Works Exhibit" for Nov/Dec.

365/2013 - Day 233

they are in!

Patti Witte (the new Art House Store Manager) asked me if I would make some Tookies and Tooklets to sell in the store.  I said, "Sure!"   Today I delivered 6 Tookies (finger puppets) and 4 Tooklets (dolls). 

It would be cool if I could see these on a fairly steady basis.  They would be a nice lower price point item for the store and I could make a little bit of pocket money. 

Patti making the UPC labels for my little guys.

Just hangin' around, lookin' for customers.

The fanciest Tooky I have ever made.

One of my early Tooklets.

I like this display situation for now.

 Tookies are $5 and Tooklets are $10.

Stop by the Northville Art House Store sometime -- regular hours are Wednesday through Saturday from 1-5 p.m.  Call (248) 344-0497 for information.

365/2013 - Day 229

starting a new spikey guy

But I want this one to be smaller than the first two spikey guys.  I am also trying to put the spikes and other embellishments on before I get the body partly sewn this time.  It is obviously much easier to work with while it is flat.  I am using a thin sewing needle today and it is hard to do much more work on this guy today -- my wrists and fingers are beginning to hurt...I want to keep sewing, but I have to stop for tonight.

I forgot to take the early steps pics...I am sewing flat this time and will add shape as I go along.  It is hard to see in these photos, but the material is the color-changing t-shirts stuff that my sister gave me.  This shirt is a light green that turns yellow when it gets warm.  I am sewing on the "wrong" side of the fabric for a little different look.

And this is as far as I got tonight, my hands are complaining...thin sewing needle.

Also today...

Patti at the Northville Art House Store asked if I would make some Tookies to have as a lower price point item.  She liked both the Tookies but hadn't seen any Tooklets...she liked them both when I made some samples and showed her.  I think I came up with a way to display them.

I think this thing is meant for holding photos or xmas cards.  I put a colored paper clip through the Tookies and Tooklets and in person they look pretty cool -- we'll see how Patti feels about it.

These are some of the Tooklets I came up with...

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and some of the new-style Tookies

365/2013 - Day 223

and now, a few Tookies

Today I have been making a few Tookies to be sold at the Northville Art House Store along with the Tooklets.  I am making these on spec for now, we'll see how many/which ones Patti will want for the store. 

Patti found a ceramic hand and was thinking she might put the hand in a basket and display the Tookies on it (and around the hand IN the basket), but the fingers are too bent over.  I remembered I have one of those wooden articulated artist's hands, but they have sharp little poke-y pegs on the hand part that people could nick themselves on...also the articulated knuckles catch on the inside of the finger puppets...and I have see firsthand that people tend to try them on repeatedly and that is just not going to work.  Oh -- also the wooden hand's fingers only go back and forth, not sideways and they are too close together for the puppets.

I also remembered this wire holder -- I think it is meant for xmas cards or photographs to be displayed -- but it holds the Tookies pretty well.  Again, the problem will be that the spiral-y wire will catch on the inside of the puppets.  The Tookies could hang by teensy safety pins or those teensy clothes pins off of the wire branches...that might also discourage people from trying them on.  We'll think of something.

I like these Tookies a lot...they can be slightly more elaborate and/or larger than the ones for Art-o-mat because they don't have to fit inside of a box for vending.  I can let the horns get really wacky on these.

Tonight I am going to try to get more Tookies packaged for Art-o-mat.  I would love to ship them tomorrow while Sue and I are together and out and about.

365/2013 - Day 220

sewing again

Patti (the new manager of the Northville Art House Store) asked me if I would make some Tookies to sell in the Store.  Today we had a meeting and I showed her the sorts of things I had available to work with.  I also showed Patti an early version of a Tooklet with a pocket on his back.  Patti told me the date she'd ideally like to have them by and I told her I'd go ahead and make some and see if she likes any of them.

When I started going through my materials tonight I found that I have a couple of Tooklets in progress.  Tonight I fooled around with one and I like how it is going so far.

An in-progress Tooklet and a spike that will serve as a tail.

Adding an arm (after smooshing the head down a bit).

Not done yet, but I like him so far.

I like his tail!