Sun & Moon, Earth, Water 11 x 17" tiles, commissioned, $400, designed and executed by Tammy Vitale.

Here are several pieces I worked on this week, along with a mermaid order from the Buyer’s Market show and finishing up a few pieces I had laying around to get a full kiln load ready to fire.  And today I got in a large order of beads and focal pendants (the next to the last before I cut myself off – no more until I sell a few more to pay for all this!).  I loaded work into Leonardtown Galleria, the sister store of Heron’s Way Gallery, including cards and matted photos of birds from Florida (like the heron on yesterday’s post).  I definitely want to stay with wholesale on my larger work, but I think in order to take care of bills I need to keep an eye on local sales.  I plan to focus on shows with the Calvert Artists Guild – which puts on several a year – and I have a solo show coming up with the Lexington Park (MD) library which loads in next week.  I plan to do mostly 2D, photos and cards with some jewelry on opening night (it isn’t cash and carry so I’m not sure about leaving jewelry that isn’t being watched).

Taexalia tagged me for a meme which recently, and since I haven’t done one in an age, or had one offered that I haven’t already done several times, I went and looked and it’s one I haven’t seen yet.  And fun.

Rules: 

1.  Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).

2.  Open the book to page 123.

3.  Find the fifth sentence.

4.  Post the next three sentences.

5.  Tag 5 people.

"Tell readers what to do after reading your newsletter.  Do you want them to get a sneak peek of your latest sculpture before it goes to the foundry?  Attend your opening  with a friend?  Alyson B. Stanfield, I’d rather be in the studio:  the Artist’s No-Excuse Guide to Self-Promotion [great book – all of Alyson’s great ideas in one spot so now I don’t have to go searching my saved files for something I remember from one of her newsletters or blog posts).

I’m tagging Jana (because she loves memes), Brenda Marks (because she tagged me once and I never did to the meme, and I feel bad about that…so I’m returning the favor with the understanding she can do the same), Ei (just because) (ok – now I’m nervous – my link thingy is acting weird – I can only highlight one word at a time – does that mean this whole this is going to erase itself?!), Andrea (because she’s into everything and I’m nosy) and Karen (because I love her art and want to see what she’s reading these days).

Ok – I’ve been social, I’ve been in the studio, I’ve been out and dropped work at two places, I’ve fed the dogs (I haven’t exercised…resistance, resistance, resistance) and so I can now go play with jewelry (and exercise tomorrow morning because husband is up and out early, again, anyways.  If I get up and just go I won’t have time to make excuses why not).

thought for the day:  [on writing an artist’s statement] "Get a notebook.  A writing teacher once advised me to write with a pen on paper rather than on the computer.  ‘The hand,’ she said, ‘ is closer to the heart.’…something magical happens when you physically write things down, focus on your words, and believe in what is on the paper.  Use an inexpensive spiral notebook.  If you use a notebook that is special and precious, you may be constrained because you don’t want to make mistakes.  These practice writings are all about making mistakes!    Alyson B. Stanfield, I’d rather be in the studio:  The Artist’s No-excuse Guide to Self-Promotion [since I already had it open and ready to pick a thought from!]