Update-View From A Booth-Ethnic Arts Festival

Greetings All,
I forgot to post my new clients and some old ones. Below is Jessie Kaplan who walked away several times and came back because she had to have "Moon Light-"I the first is a series of pieces that I've started. You can tell by the expression on her face that she's a satisfied customer. Thank you Jessie
The piece below is called "Tall Tall Grass" after a children's book I would hear the teachers read at St. Vincent De Paul's daycare center in Chicago. I love the book and when I was asked to do an exhibit at the Harold Washington Library in Chicago in 2009 I was also asked if I had any pieces that would fit in the children's library. I didn't at the time, but I soon came up with some and this is one of those. It now belongs to Rachel Breivald and is hanging in her baby's room and to them I'm grateful/thankful. I know that they love it because they too came back after walking away without it.

Below is David and Heath. I think that David looks like Ernest Hemingway and he thought that I did not remember them. They have come to my booth each year that's I've done the festival. They buy birthday presents for a friend that lives in Vermont and she love's my pantsuits and I love the fact that they think of me each year. I can also add Juliette Malone and Dorothy Easton to the list and I thank them all for their support.

View from a booth at the 25th Annual Ethnic Arts Festival in Evanston, IL

Greetings All,
I made it through another road-trip and I truly know that it's getting hard and hard for me to bounce back from them. I love meeting the people and educating them about what I do, but the packing, hauling, and standing is taking a toll on me.




The people are always the best part of doing these types of event other than the sales and they were very slim. I find that I'm still fascinated by people and love watching them. This group was standing outside of my booth and they were texting each other as they were standing there and I could not believe what they were doing so ask them and took their picture. Am I getting old or am I missing something?

Gwen McGee-Boyd (above) and her booth partner April Childress had a great weekend and I did come to realize that I it's time for me to move on and do diffrent things. They have out grown me and they support each other well. It was a great run, but now it's time to move on. I'm sure that I will see them around and I thank Gwen immensely for all of her support and help.

Some of my favorite things are hand dyed fabrics and clothing from Marion Anderson and her family (below). When I started out do fiber art I bought or traded with Marion for some of her wonderful fabrics and now I'm doing my own dyeing/painting, but I still get a kick out of her wears. Thank you Marion for inspiring me.

I have a great appreciation for stone and those that work the stone. "World Of Sculpture" owners Robin/James Napier were there with their great Shona sculptures (right) and there was also a native persons father/son that I've seen for years and can't remember their names, but I love the father's old corny jokes and their work (left). It was good to see them again.

I also met a awesome fiber artist that uses sweater (old/new) to create some colorful garments her name is Brenda Abdullah (below) and check out her design at http://www.brendaabdullah.etsy.com/. Love your work and it was nice meeting you. See you around.

Below are some living Divas that I just had to take their pictures. The little cutie on the left/right was just so adorable with her Dora The Explore back-pack that I could not resist. The two mature divas in the middle are two friends, Sylvia Cook (interior director/artisan left) and Milaka Jackson (artist/educator right) came out and stopped by to say hello.

I also noted how fascinated I've become with tattoos and how many people have them and all types. Here are some of the one that I did get photos of.

This family (below) taught me that mom is mom always and loves her babies and this I know is true because I just found out on Face Book that my son has a new tattoo and he's still my "Fugy".

Zuri Quilting Guild of Nashville, TN

Greetings All,

Those quilting sisters in Nashville, TN are at it again and here is a short video by Peggy Lucus of what they are up to. Enjoy, I sure did.

New Art/Pig-Out!

Greetings All,

I forgot to post pictures of the feast that I went to where our hostess with the mostess prepared a wonderful salmon wrapped in Filo with sun dried tomatoes, pesto, and cream cheese. The salmon was so good that I forgot to take a picture and she served a wonderful green salad with feta. We finish off the meal with a delightful wine by Hitching Post and ice cream and cake. Below is a collage of the prep and ingredients.

The next things I forgot to post about were my new pieces added to my art collection. Dr. Margaret Burrough co-founder of the DuSable Museum of African American History here Chicago was passing out to all of the artists/vendors a signed poster of her-self and she's a spry 90 years young and still going strong. I will display it with another black/white print that I have of hers. Thank you Dr Burrough.


Above (left) is a wonderful poster by artist Arlene Turner-Crawford who I found out is a fan of mine. For the last several years I have donated a piece to the Muntu Dance Company for their silent auction and she's been the one biding on them and buying them. She gave me the poster because I said I was one of her fans and I love black/whites. Thank you Arlene I enjoyed to tour of your awesome collection.

Big Sky-VI (right) is the piece that I traded with Arlene for the last piece that I've added to my collection for now. Arlene created a mix-media piece to honor Betty Carter (below left). We both love classic jazz and love us some Betty Carter.

Betty is created from paint, shells, paper, beads, acrylic and one of my favorite gemstone Amethysts. Betty's spirit just sores and radiates from this piece for me and I love have it in my space. Every time that I look at this piece I can hear Betty sing.

13 Ways To View A Blackbirds

Greetings All,

This is a gentle reminder that "13 Ways of Looking at Blackbirds" is opening this week at the Circle of Arts in Charlevoix, Michigan. This exhibit which runs July 17 - September 19, 2010. So if you are in the area do check out the show.

25th Annual Ethnic Festival 2010 and Pieces of the week.

Greetings All,
I'm preparing for the 25th Annual Ethnic Festival in Evanston, IL July 17th & 18th. I love this event because of the crowd, food, music and it's on the lake Michigan's shores. I'll be there with Gwen McGee-Boyd and we will be there both days so if you are in town stop on by and say hello.

My latest piece (below) is a small wall hanging of a little brown girl in her toe shoe standing on point. It was a request of a potential client and it is going to became a larger piece or a series I'm not sure yet. I love the color combination because it reminds me of "Neapolitan" ice cream and/or coconut candy of my youth when my dad would bring these treats home and sometimes he would sit and join us in eating them which made them even more special."That Other Galaxy" (below) is a part of my latest explorations with mix media. It's made with hand dyed cotton, paper and plastic bags. It's a small work and is now placed in a shadow-box.



"Regina-I" (left) is a discharged black cotton piece named in honor of the artist Regina Benson. For some reason once I had discharged this cloth if made me think of her and I love her work hence the title. It's quilted with variegated thread and embellished with black seed beads. There are two more in this collection and I will post as completed.

"Is This Where Agent Orange Live?" (below center) is the 1st component in a commission piece that I have for a great collector of African American art and one of the co-founders of "Diasporal Rhythms" an organization that expand appreciation of the visual art created by contemporary artisits of the African Diaspora. This piece is also comprised of hand dyed cotton, plastic bags and paper towels that I use to clean up spills when I was dying/painting fabrics. He will get such a kick out of that and I'm so very glad to call him friend.

The last piece (right) is called "Senor Naranja" because it reminded of a trip I took to Mexico City many years ago and there I saw older men with straw hats on that looked like this. Again I used paper towel and plastics bags fused on top of satin fabric.