During June and July last year, I participated in a Fiber Art show at the JACC (Jacklin Arts and Cultural Center) www.thejacklincenter.org in Post Falls where several of my pieces sold including the one pictured below. Sorry about picture quality! This is from my cell phone. I finished this piece the day before the show opened and it sold for $425 so I have no other pictures of it. Oops! It is hung on a huge pine bough and is about 9 feet long and about 3 feet wide. Sunset over Coeur d' Alene Lake.
This show lead to another great opportunity as I was contacted by Susan Jacklin asking me to be the JACC's featured artist and make 10 pieces for their major fundraiser event in December. And Susan also arranged to have a special Ladies Night Out trunk show of my other work in December with dates adjacent to the fundraiser.
After I was in Art on the Green in Coeur d' Alene August 2013 (which was terrific for me...see earlier post), I next was in the second annual CdA Studio Tour & Sale. This year though I was hosted at the studio of metal artist Teresa McHugh. The day was beautiful despite bad weather just a day prior. Sales however were less than last year which was a big disappointment. The event itself continues to struggle though hopefully it will go on and gain the support it deserves.
After that I again participated in the Junk2Funk Fashion Show and Auction put on by the Kootenai Environmental Alliance (KEA) in October. For the event I created a chair for the auction and a beautiful gown for the runway show. My theme was a sun-kissed flower blossom.
This is my sketch. I was using a very stylized sunflower painting by another artist as my inspiration.
Except for the silk dupioni train, this sun-kissed blossom ensemble was created with all cream colored wool, silk and silk velvet. I hand painted dye onto each part of the outfit before assembling the gown, headpiece, arm gauntlets and drawstring bag.
My sun-kissed chair is an upscale of a used chair that was completely reconditioned. It is hand painted in acrylic except for the cushion which was hand felted of wool and raw silk. I also added two bells for a bit of whimsy. Sold at auction for $180.
In November, I was in the Custer's Arts and Craft show at the Spokane Fairgrounds where I showcased my latest coat creation.
Then it was off to the JACC for the Soiree and Trunk Show. Wonderful women, especially my biggest fan Kathy L., came and spent the evening with me for the Ladies Night Out where I had new cape/wrap skirts to unveil.
Then my vessels were auctioned as part of the fundraiser a few days later. Whew! Most of the vessels shown below measure about 12 to 14 inches high and about 9 to 10 inches wide.
In between all of these shows I was busy creating and teaching at my new studio on the lake.
That covers most of the "good" things that happened over the past 10 months. The less than fun or "bad" things were:
- Heating bills of $900, $1,000 and $1,300 through December, January and February...Ouch!
- Back surgery for my husband in February 2014 (this may be good/bad event)
- Moose attack on my little 11 pound dog; major surgery for hip injury in March 2014 just 3 days prior to loading our first Uhaul truck. I cannot begin to describe the terror of watching this attack!
- Landlords from another planet thought it cute to raise our rent $300 a month...March 2014 and 2015 and 2016! Are they kidding?! Not even my nice sized studio and the view I had from it for part of the summer was worth anything close to a $900 a month increase over the next few years!!!
- The act of packing and moving just a short 14 months after locating to "dream studio and house" was depressing.
In was very hard to find a home that could also house my teaching studio and fit within our budget 14 months ago when we moved out on Lake Coeur d' Alene. This time we searched the area all of February and much of March without any luck. We could stay for a bit with the rent increase and keep looking...but then we revisited the idea of moving to Whidbey Island. We had contemplated this idea prior to me leasing studio space in town in 2012...even before moving to the lake to combine house and studio. Was it still an option??? No way to tell without looking.
So just days after back surgery my husband and I journeyed to Whidbey to take a look. I have always loved my time on Whidbey Island in Coupeville where I've attended classes taught through the Pacific Northwest Art School. www.pacificnorthwestartschool.org Luck was with us again as in just one day we found a home that met most all our needs. A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! We waited for our application to be processed and started packing. It took 2 weeks of moving, two 26-foot Uhaul trucks and a load in each our vehicles to get everything moved but we did it! By April 5th we were officially residents of the great state of Washington.
While I must admit to huge despair and depression after getting the letter from our landlords, (I do hate it when a dream crashes) I am again feeling optimistic. Whidbey is such a welcoming community AND there are artists everywhere! I am going to enjoy meeting and collaborating with all my future artist friends. I have made some tough business decisions. I will not be selling at shows this season though I plan to enter the county fair and the Coupeville Arts and Craft juried show.
I dissolved my corporation and have decided a more streamlined business format will suit my purposes. I plan to spend more time "retired" and less time chasing shows and sales. I am going for involved, but low key. I have let my website go and plan instead to create a presence on Facebook. I have joined the Whidbey Weavers Guild (They do so much more than just weave!) and am going to apply to the Whidbey Surface Design Association as well where I can meet and connect with all these wonderful artists! www.whidbeyweaversguild.org and whidbeyislandsda.wordpress.com
So what's next? I need a new name for a fresh start...something simple and easy...just like I hope life will be for the next year or so....
jK Felt
J.K. Felt
KINGS Felt
King FELT
JMK Art Works
Any suggestions???
Thanks for reading my long missive and I appreciate your input!
Janet
