As the World Turns...and My Life Evolves

I know it is not realistic to expect my life to not change...to maintain an even keel forever.  Yet sometimes I wish for it...yearn for it anyway...no bumps; no bruises.  In the past 10 months I have been through all sorts of adventures - some good; some bad.  For a recap..................

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.

All of these things led to some very serious reflection and introspection. Did I really want to keep up with the now "frantic at times" pace developing as my work gains recognition? If so, where should we move? How and where will I create my art? What about retirement and relaxation? What about the money it takes to finance my art dream? What did I want to do???????????????

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

Hello!

Whew!  I know!  I know! It's been awhile since I last wrote anything to you so let me update you on some of the goings on in my life and that of Sapphire. We have both been very busy. 

I attended my last scheduled class at Pacific Northwest Art School at the end of July.  Jorie Johnson, of Japan, was our instructor.  Our assignment: Construct a complete garment without any seams.  I made...a full length dress!  I had already tackled a coat and a vest so the next thing was either a skirt, a longer coat or a dress.  I had been toying with ideas about a dress already, yet I was unsure of a few of the construction details...but Jorie had all the answers!

And while what we were creating was quite interesting...it was my fellow students that awed me.  I may have a few details slightly askew but essentially we had students from: from Israel, Kazakhstan (an artist with a thousand more artists from her country working under her in an artist cooperative), Canada and around the USA from CA, WY, ID, WA, and Ohio.  There were two college textile professors, a costume designer for a Repertory Theater in WA, a Past President of an Art School, a Immigration and Naturalization Officer, a budding artist/mom, a Rancher/Artist and several local Whidbey Island fiber artists. Wonderful discussions during breaks!

Toward the end of August we attended the second Artist's Reception in the POAC Sandpoint (Idaho) Art Walk 2012.  I took this opportunity to introduce some of the Art Walkers to sheer felting.

With September beginning we headed even further north to Priest Lake and Entree Gallery Trunk Show.  It was a lovely late summer day and we had a delightful place under the willow tree on the grounds...and I tried to demonstrate sheer felting for these folks but the wind was blowing enough that is was darn near impossible to get any of my fiber laid out.  I improvised by wetting out my surface before laying my fiber so it had something to stick to right away, but still it was too much for me. {Sigh}  That piece is headed for the recycle bin!

Then just two days ago we held Coeur d' Alene's first ever Studio Tour!!!  We had at least 150 people through Sapphire Studio in just 7 hours.  By all accounts it was a good turnout and hopefully will be funded again next year.  I enjoyed all the people that took the time to come by and see me explain and demonstrate just what it is that I do.  A bonus was the time spent meeting more artists living in this area.

I also took time to formulate and launch my Fall Class Schedule which you will find on a TAB at the top of my blog...just under the header picture.  Since opening my studio I have pretty much been busy creating or traveling.  Hopefully Fall and Winter will allow me to devote some time to teaching in my studio.

Oh!  Did I mention that I was invited to model my newly felted dress in a "Runway Show"?!  Never been down that kind of runway before...yikes!  This event is held each year as a fundraiser for Kootenai Environmental Alliance.

More to come...but for now I have to go get some sleep,
Janet

Hello,

You know how it gets...you intend to do things...but you just don't?  Well that's me and blogging...Is it that life is just so busy or am I just that lazy...jury is still out on that one...but anyway here I go:

I have been quite busy.  We have returned to our local Farmers Market where sales were slow early on but picked up this Saturday when the temperature also up...as in the 90's!  That is too darn hot for my happiness, but since we had been wet and rainy for what seemed like months on end...I'm trying not to complain (too much).

May found me planting my seedlings in the garden It is growing nicely though I lost some to rot due to all our rain. I went to Pacific Northwest Art School for a class. I hosted some low-key Open House days at my studio in June. I also got asked to be the featured artist for Blue Flag Studio & Sandpoint's POAC 35th Annual Art Walk which runs daily from June 23rd to September 7th.
www.artinsandpoint.org
www.blueflagweaving.com
www.pacificnorthwestartschool.org

I have some awesome art up there...I hope some of you will be able to make it up there to see my newest art!  Since vessels are 3-D there is more to see on other sides...for now you just get a preview.

I have a series of new vessels I have started with the theme: Interpreting Nature.  The first one is dedicated to the mighty oak trees and is nearly done.  The second is about the ocean and is about half done.

I have more art in the show in Sandpoint and I will write about it in my next post.

Ta ta for now everyone...
Janet

Pacific Northwest Art School

Hello Everyone!

Yes, I am still alive and felting!  It's been an interesting winter/spring.  Very busy.  And now I am over on Whidbey Island (in Puget Sound of Washinton state) to attend a class on vessels taught by Sharon Costello. Www.blacksheepdesigns.com at Pacific Northwest Art School (PNW).  This is a sample of the views from the cottage I have rented. 

When I return on May 29th I will be setting up for the first time at the Sherman Avenue Farmers Market on Wednesday and then holding an open house at my studio on Saturday, June 3rd from 1 to 5pm.  If you are a local following my blog, be sure to stop by and say hello!

Janet

Christmas in October

I love Christmas! Really I do...especially when it comes two months early! Let me explain. There is a wonderful place called Pacific Northwest Art School.   http://www.pacificnorthwestartschool.org/  I have attended classes before. The instructors are top notch and the staff tremendously helpful. And on Tuesday this week they released their class registration for 2012. Today I got my verification that I am officially enrolled in two classes. Yea! So Merry Christmas to me...and happy birthday...happy anniversary....ground hog day... You get the picture. So read on and find who I will be working with this next year...


Jorie Johnson lives in Japan and will be here to teach us her art methods in making felt clothing. I have a book she co-authored with another great felter, Chad Alice Hagen, titled Fabulous Felted Scarves. Jorie has an exhibition of her work in Vancouver, BC, Canada which opened October 14 and goes through November 15th.  http://www.maiwa.com/home/workshops/111213.html  She is a part-time instructor in Japan's universities and also teaches in the USA, Europe and Asia. If your like me, and unlikely to make it to Vancouver to see her exhibit there, her works are in the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum, de Young Museum, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Bank of Boston, Nuno Corporation, and in tons of publications! For inspiration her website is http://www.joirae.com/ Check her out.

Sharon Costello was the first instructor I ever had in the world of felt and I enjoyed her teaching method a great deal. She only makes it over to the west coast from New York every other year or so. Next May she will be here to teach us how to make felt vessels. Sharon, like Jorie, has been in the world of felt for the past two to three decades. Sharon has studied in Turkey, Scandinavia and the USA and is now an expert who shares her knowledge with others. She is also the organizer of Felters' Fling, a week long fiber retreat and teaching school where she brings instructors from the world around to help American felters learn new techniques from other parts of the globe. She has published books, produced two teaching videos and had her work featured many times including on the Home and Garden Television Network. Her website is http://www.blacksheepdesigns.com/

So looking forward to working with these two wonderful people...can hardly wait!

Janet