A not-so-subtle reminder ...

Sign of the times

This is the sign that will be posted on my studio door as soon as I get off this computer. I haven't missed an Open Studios since moving to Brazee Street Studios. But, I guess it was inevitable. I'll be at the annual Indian Hill Church art show tonight (6-9 p.m.; $5 donation) and Saturday (10 a.m.-3 p.m.; free admission). 

Other artists showing include Carol Abbott, Jan Boone, Greg Storer, Kay Hurley, Susan Mahan, Bruce Neville, Pat Olding, Donna Talerico and, well, too many more to list.   

It's a wacky few weeks, so I'm making a list ...

I've been so busy in the studio that I've neglected to spread the word about upcoming sales, shows, etc. Yikes! So, here goes ... wait, I will not be at Friday's Open Studios at Brazee, you'll see why below BUT I will be open for December's - and will have extra hours next month, too ...

The Grand Tour: The Davenport Sisters
Were Perfectly Capable of Putting Themselves on a Pedestal $185
Mixed-media collage: antique, hand-painted fashion plate (Godey's Lady's Book);
vintage U.S. Geological Survey map (Mt. Evans Quadrangle, Colo., 1957)
and illustration (Harter's Picture Archive, Dover, 1978); recycled note card & book page proof;
watercolor; pearlescent watercolor; colored pencil; marker; ink.
8" x 11.5" on acid-free, mat board. Framed with conservation glass.

Lost Horizons (art about history): Just 16 pieces were selected from a pool of 626 for this survey of how artists are addressing history in their work. I submitted five collages form The Grand Tour series - which is all about rethinking history - and the one above was accepted! Opening: 6-9 p.m. Friday Nov. 9. Continues through Dec. 7. Manifest Gallery, 2727 Woodburn Ave., East Walnut Hills. More info.

Cherry Bomb
$225
Mixed-media collage: Victorian scraps, found watercolor painting,
 recycled wrapping paper and grocery store brochure,
 watercolor, marker, ink. 5.75"x11" on acid-free mat board.
 Framed with conservation glass. 

Indian Hill Church Fine Art Collector's Weekend: Dozens of Cincinnati area artists participate in this annual sale. This year, they've added a preview party on Thursday and a lecture about Rookwood Pottery on Saturday. I'll be showing a variety of collages from all my series, including the new "Paper, Scissors, Rock" and "Bomb" series. 7-9:30 p.m. Thursday (Young Collector's Preview Party), 6-9 p.m. Friday Nov. 9 ($5 donation) & 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. Nov. 10 (free admission). 30% of sale proceeds benefit the Episcopal church's outreach programs. More info.

Ho! Ho! Ho!
Archival prints on cotton rag paper. Limited edition.
5"x5" matted to fit either a standard 8"x8" or 8"x10" frame.
$25 each. 

Multiplicity/Hang It Up: I've made new prints from my Ho! Ho! Ho! series of Santa collages for my studio home's annual holiday show. These are the first prints from the series. Opens 6-9 p.m. Friday Nov. 9 and continues through Jan. 3. 2013. gallery one one, Brazee Street Studios, 4426 Brazee Street, Oakley. More Info.

sssshhhh

Secret Artworks: Hundreds of artists create 5"x7" works for this annual fundraiser for Artworks. (I donated three collages.) Each piece sells for the same price - $75. The "secret" part is that you don't know whose work it is until it's sold. Preview the art in Weston Hotel Atrium Nov. 12-15 and right now online. Oh, and there's a twist this year: they're auctioning some of the new pig sculptures that lined the streets of Cincinnati during the summer.  5-9 p.m. Friday Nov. 16 at MCA (the old Contemporary Arts Center), 120 E. Fourth St., downtown. More info.

One of three new calendars. The others are
 Out On a Limb (bird collages from the series) and Paper With a Past (a mash up).
Signed, limited edition, packaged in a clear box.
$12 each

18th Annual Studio Collection Sale: Gather 12 women artists into the ballroom of a funky old lodge, add food, door prizes and music, and you have a sale that's more like a party. I've attended the show for the past six years or so and recommended it to others, so, I was thrilled to be asked to be a guest artist this year. Look for cards, collages and new goodies such as the calendars. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday Nov. 17, Harmony Lodge, 646 East Epworth Ave., Spring Grove Village (former Winton Place). More info.

Random acts of paper

Lately, I've been lucky to receive terrific paper donations from friends. The gifts have ranged from vintage greeting cards and stacks of savings stamp booklets to strips of vintage wall paper and dozens of vintage paper dolls.

The circa 1952 birthday boy on the tag above came from a box stuffed with treasures that Cincinnati Enquirer TV/radio/media reporter/critic John Kiesewetter had carried around in his trunk for months. The material was lovingly and selectively packed up from his late father's home. 

A zippered linen bag crammed with savings stamps came courtesy of Barbara Henshaw, who had seen my highly-organized stash in the studio, as well as the Mad Women collages in which savings stamps play a prominent role. I'm just starting new Mad Women pieces, so the stamps arrived at a perfect time.

Speaking of Mad Women, I just finished some new tags, above, that are Mad Womenesque and that include some of the vintage wallpaper that graphic designer, printer, Seed Bomb entrepreneur and blogger Maya Drozdz dropped off last week. They'll be turning up in some larger pieces, too.

Finally, there are the 1960s-era paper dolls that marketing wiz Mary Lynn Tangi gave to me a few months ago. They're now on the work table - those are three of the four, singing Lennon Sisters above - and will be starring in the new Mad Women collages. It was easy to tell by how carefully the dolls had been stored - with clothes, accessories, original books - that Mary Lynn cherished them. 

I find it fun giving new life to just about any paper, but there's an extra layer of satisfaction when the paper comes from people I know.

Sign o' the times

Just had to post an image of the spiffy sign that I had printed for last week's City Flea. It's 2 feet x 3 feet and is propped against the wall, because I couldn't get the easel I brought with me to stand up on the little bump out in my space.

The original design was postcard-sized and announced my move this spring to a bigger studio at Brazee Street Studios. With a bit of tweaking, the designed morphed into a general poster. This is one reason to save graphic files at a high-resolution ... you never know how they might be used!