Tonight's the night

Here's the link for more info (and you can find directions to my new space
at Brazee right here on the blog).

Open studio! Friday May 8

I'm flying high!

So, I reached the end of the heavy-metal round of chemo, and am celebrating by throwing open the doors to the studio for the second Open Studios of the year at Brazee Street Studios.

Yes, I may be a bit wobbly, and more than a bit bald, and bruised. BUT the weather is fabulous, there are some new greeting cards in the studio, plus copies of "Harper Ever After", the Charley and Edie Harper book I penned the essay for, for sale ($5 off the list price), and the studio is freshly painted, and cleaned (thanks to the loving Mr. P and  The Kid).

On top of all that, a cool exhibit is opening in the C-Link Gallery, and there will be lots more happening throughout the Brazee campus from glass blowing demos to ballroom dancing (not kidding).

Look for me on the first floor, right across from the gallery!

Note: image above is from a recent find: Vol. 3 of the Encyclopaedia Metropolitana or Universal Dictionary of Knowledge, London, 1845.

I will be closed for tonight's Open Studios at Brazeebut please pop by to see the other studios

I try not to miss a single Open Studios event at Brazee Street Studios, 

especially not the opening one of the season, but must pass this time.

 There will be lots happening tonight, so please drop in to see

 the other artists' studios; live glass blowing demos;

 "WORD IMAGE OBJECT," the new exhibit in the gallery

 by Miami University Department of Art students.

See you in May! Come chemo or high water ...   

Holiday madness!

Just posted this Studio Schedule on the Open Studios page, but thought I'd post here, too …

Additional holiday hours at Paper With a Past studio

12:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday Dec. 11

12:30- 9 p.m. Friday Dec . 12  *see below

10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday Dec. 13

12:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday Dec. 18

10 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Saturday Dec. 20

* "Stuff I Can't Bear to Cut Up" Special Event

12:30-9 p.m. Friday Dec. 12
(before, and during Open Studios)

Antique and vintage paper from the archives

that is artful enough on its own to be framed and hung on a wall,
from maps, fashion plates and children's book illustrations
to magazine covers, advertisements and anatomical engravings.

Some are matted, some are not.

All have insanely low prices.

Stop by to browse the print bins for that perfect present.

They're back: 2014 Open Studios

  Just updated the Open Studios page with this year's dates. Hope to see you!

Tonight's the night ...

Final Open Studios of the year 6-9 pm tonight at Brazee Street Studios. I will swing my doors open at 5 pm. Have rehung art, restocked cards, and added some holiday goodies. Hope to see you there (1st floor, right across from the gallery, which, by the way, has three pieces by me in the "Multiplicity" exhibit)

Friday night Open Studios … plus two new shows at Brazee

Gulp. It's time for another Open Studio. As always, I will be in and open at 5 p.m. earlier than the regular hours. Two annual holiday exhibits open in the gallery - just across the hall from my studio, Multiplicity features multiples/series by artists, and Hang It Up is a fun show of handmade ornaments.

I have three pieces in Multiplicity, my trio of cakes … part of what I am sure will be an ongoing series. They were cooked up for the anniversary celebration of a local bakery, and were just shown in "Food for Thought" at the University of Cincinnati's new Blue Ash gallery.

Now, they're back home! I think "Love's Offering" - made with antique needlework patterns from Godey's Lady's Book and Victorian flower scraps - would be a perfect wedding, anniversary or engagement present …

© Love's Offering (2013)
mixed-media collage: antique, vintage, recycled papers
12"x12" on hardwood panel
$225

© Classic 14-Layer Marble Cake (2013)
mixed-media collage: antique, vintage, recycled papers
12"x12" on hardwood panel
$225

© The Beginning of the End: Eve Offers Adam
 a Piece of Fruitcake (2013)
mixed-media collage: antique, vintage, recycled papers
12"x12" on hardwood panel
$225

Studio open today

Just a quick reminder that I will be in the studio 10 a.m.-3 p.m. today (Saturday June 15). Since last night was the first time I was able to make the monthly Open Studios at Brazee Street Studios - my studio's home - I thought I'd extend things into today. The rest of the building is open, too, so you can also visit the gallery, glass shop, hot shop and, if any other studios are open, those, too. Usually, there are people working in the metal shop and hot shop.

Surprises at tonight's Open Studio ...

New petite collages.

Since I missed the first two Open Studios of the year, I am pulling out all the stops for tonight's (6-9 p.m., Studio 1C, Brazee Street Studios in Oakley). First, I will be open at 5 p.m. Second, I also will be open 10 a.m.-3 p.m. tomorrow (Saturday).

Meanwhile, as I was creating a slew of new Fit To Be Tied collage tags/bookmarks, some grew a bit more complex and a tiny bit larger. Voila! Sweet Petites were born. Yeah, the name's a bit precious, but til I come up with something better, well, that's it. 

The first five in the series feature antique engravings of women from Godey's Lady's Book and Peterson's Magazine; Victorian flower scraps (thanks Shirley Tenhover); vintage paper flowers and dried flowers (thanks Tim Leslie). They are matted in acid-free, conservation grade mats and ready to pop into  a standard 5" x 7" frame.

New Fit To Be Tied ® collage tags in the works. 

When I said a slew of tags, I meant it. That's them, above, on the work table, awaiting laminating - new this time around - hole punching and their vintage seam binding ribbons. Finished them last night, just in a nick of time.

Last, but certainly not least on this Father's Day weekend, finally got my act together and had a pile of vintage 1932-33 car ads from Fortune magazine matted. The over-sized ads - 11" X 14" - are in mint condition, the mats are wide and conservation grade, and, of course, they're matted to fit a standard-size frame. As much as I love the car ones, well, the Firestone tire ads are the real eye-poppers.   

The stash just got larger

What can I say?!? I succumbed when a friend told me that he was destashing his long-time print collection. Once the drawers of the flat files were opened, I was a goner. Not a good time to even think about sorting it all, but it MUST be done. There are Open Studios at my studio home - Brazee Street Studios - Friday night. Aieeeeee.

New at Friday's open studios: collages, cards, tags and the debut of archival prints of my work

Julian Had Popped the Question But All Anna Could Think About
Was Her Order of Bacon (2012)
mixed-media collage: vintage illustrations (McCall's magazine,1937;
 Art of Food & Drink, Dover, 1974), recycled cookbook and paint sample,
 ink, watercolor. 5"x5" on archival mat board.
Price: $75 (matted), $90 (framed).

Friday night's Open Studios at Brazee Street Studios - 6-9 p.m. - offers the first look at all the new collages in the Food Colors series.

Also new in the studio: a special Father's Day card, a slew of collage tags - just finished 25 or so - and for the first time: prints! These are high-quality reproductions of collages, printed with archival inks on 100% cotton rag paper. The selection is small but will be expanding, and for now, they're available at the studio only.

Reminder: I'm on the first floor now- right across from the Brazee Street entrance and the gallery. where a delightful show is opening: Glass Woods.

Holiday hours at Paper With a Past Studio

I adore this DIY craft project Santa from the December 1868 issue of Godey's Lady's Book, so I thought he'd be the perfect image for the announcement of extended holiday hours at my studio. I put all this info on the studio page but thought it would be good to repeat it here. Instead of being open only during the second Friday night open studios, Paper With a Past will be open noon-8 p.m. Thursdays ('cept Thanksgiving) and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays through Dec. 22.

Please stop by to see what's new. I'll be whipping up all kinds of holiday goodies from ornaments to greeting cards to tags to, well, whatever else comes to mind. I'll also be squeezing in some new non-holiday collages. For directions to the studio: go here.

Oh, I'm usually at work every afternoon, so if you want to stop by at another time, please call or text 254-9776. I'll try to keep my cell on - really! 

Tonight: Mini Madness at Brazee Street in Studio 2A

Here's a glimpse of the 5"x5" collages that will be shown at tonight's Open Studio (6-9 p.m., more info here, including directions). Top photo: my paper collages. Bottom photo: painted-canvas collages by Susan Mahan. Nice contrast between the two. Hope to see you later ... (oh, Susan's collages will be up through Oct. 31, and can be seen by appointment by contacting me).

New! New! New! At Friday's open studio

As noted a few days ago, I've gone tag crazy again. This time, the batch includes a slew of Halloween tags, some with nifty vintage finds. Check them out, sip some wine, munch some cheese and look for some other new surprises in my studio during Brazee Street Studios' open studios 6-9 p.m. tomorrow (Friday Sept. 9). All the details are on the page just below the blog header above - just click on the shaded blue box.