Chesapeake, 7.5 ft x 11ft commissioned public mural at North Beach, MD, hand-made architectural tiles, 900 lbs of clay, installed.  Tammy Vitale, Tam’s Originals

This is a new picture of "Chesapeake" for an article I’m pitching to Calvert Life magazine.  They are interested and wanted a vertical picture with the Bay in the background.  Unfortunately, the way the mural is set up and without a wide-angle lens, I was only able to get one picture that had a bit of water that you can’t really tell is water (right – see the water to the right?).  i like this one with the plants in the front.  I think it’s pretty.

I took this Tuesday right before loading in new work at ArtWorks@7th Gallery in North Beach.  After which I visited with Dale of Nice ‘n’ Fleezy Antiques (below ArtWorks) and had dinner at Thursdays Restaurant across the street from the Gallery (their shrimp fajetas dish was enough for 3 full meals so I took some home).  Then I went to the monthly meeting of the cooperative and went home early and fell into bed (by 9:30) since all morning I was packing and finishing artwork for ArtWorks, UMBC Women’s Center and Alchemy.  Oh yeah, had to finish a totem when I got home because they wanted each artist to have a piece on the "show" screens at the front of the gallery.  So neighbor/jeweler/co-opmember/friend Tricia said she’d stop by on the way home and pick it up since she was doing her load in on Thursday (today). I left it outside for her and never heard her come through but it was gone in the a.m.

So Wednesday was the big trek to UMBC Women’s Center.  What a great ride.  The day was gorgeous and the temperature just right and having gone over the trip with Husband and with map and directions in hand, I went directly to the center. The Women’s Center is (thankfully) on the ground floor and Jacqueline Little, who has been coordinating this with me, helped carry in work.  I was all a fluster about getting to Alchemy so didn’t spend as much time chatting as I might have.  I took two torsos and told her about the work I’m hoping to do for ArtOMatic – more political and feminist – and she said they’d be very interested in showing that also.  Which is great.  Now I can go ahead with this work that is tap tap tapping to come into being and know that it will have a place "out there" to be.  That is exciting!  Then I flew out of UMBC to SAlchemy/Silver Spring and that trip was so fast I arrived at the same time as owner Brenda Smoak…following her into the parking spaces next to her store (what a blessing in Silver Spring!).  She has one of my bumper stickers:  People Who Abandon Their Dreams Will Discourage Yours.  Auspicious start.  The trip from UMBC couldn’t have taken more than 1/2 hour.  Woohoo!

Ever walk into a store that smells so good, has such texture and beautiful colors that your body gets all happy and relaxed just from walking in there?  Such a store is Alchemy.  Brenda said pick a space – things tend to get moved around daily as more work comes in, but pick a space for now.  My work looks best in groupings so I hung it all on one wall and it looks wonderful.  People moved in and about while I hung, including an artist whose work I know from ArtOmatic 2002 and 2004 and whose path I almost cross a lot.  She wound up looking at a house in Pennsylania that Husband and I went up and looked at (no yard – great space – rushing creek outside, already set up for selling pottery.  Waaaay out in the boondocks.  $115,000 – take that DC suburbs).  And she says she’s also in Hoopla Traders.  When she saw me hanging she recognized my work, and said, "Tammy?" And so finally we met each other.  She does wonderful ceramic jewelry in boxes that hang so when you aren’t wearing it, it becomes an art piece, but is doing regular jewelry right now at Alchemy.  Another woman came in and asked if that was my piece still up in Kefa Cafe.  I said yes.  She recognized the work.  Nothing like having people recognize your work to bring a BIG smile to your face!

Then home to finish administrative stuff:  send UMBC an artist’s statement (email) and postcards and business cards (snail mail because I forgot to bring postcards, tho I did have a few business cards).  Send Brenda a statement on each of the pieces I hung so that she can put info tags next to them.  Each of my pieces always has a story attached to it, so I typed that up.  Connect Linda Rae Dixon, the fairy and mermaid lady, with Brenda.  Slosh through 28 emails waiting on my desktop.  Do some internet browsing.  If you want the results of the browsing, visit my myspace blog where I will be sharing them today. 

Oh yeah, and deal with our cottage where we are having a 12′ x 14 foot added since February.  I’ve seen houses go up faster!  Follow-up on a phone call that said Common Grounds Coffee House in Prince Frederick is closing (yikes!  yes it is!  that’s my mid-county meeting spot with the best coffee in the world that shows my work and they’re closing!!!!!  But keeping open the Owings store where I never go because it’s too far – except to check work and I loaded some in to fill spaces up yesterday on the way home from Alchemy).  Check the newspapers for whether or not we got any press for ArtWorks’ big 3rd anniversary bash this weekend (yes, an article in the Calvert Recorder).  Adjust photos I took Tuesday and send them off to Calvert Life with an email note.  Start thinking about loading out of Bronze Door Spa today (Thursday) and getting ready for jurying by Unique Boutique Friday with all day Saturday at ArtWorks (setting up extra work outside, if I can find any, and if it isn’t raining).

Isn’t it great to be an artist?  All you have to do is be in your studio and create to your heart’s content.  Right.  But I love it anyway.  Wouldn’t change it for anything including a day job and a regular pay check.

I know I have local readers here (I have a location indicater on my site meter).  I hope you all will come to Artworks at 7th Gallery , 7th Street and  Bay Avenue in North Beach, this weekend and introduce yourselves.  10% off everything in the gallery! Would love to meet you!

Thought for the day: 

Watcher:  I am the one in the corner who sees behind closed lids, the one who counts heartbeats between breaths.  I am the one who knows who you are.

The Source:  I am the one from which two and three emerge, the container of the whole before gender or color is aware of itself; I am the one who is thunder, dreaming.

Creator:  I am the one who emerges from chaos, the one who is conduit from what might be to what is.  I am the one who bears the messages – listen to my song.   Tammy Vitale, soul cards