My night job...

I have finished these special orders for a couple of market customers. They will be picked up on Sunday. I love the switch plate, I think it is a great color combo! This is what I do at night, I have a few more pieces that I want to complete before Sunday. Now I'm off to the church to work on some bigger pieces. I am painting more displays and furniture.
The week seemed to go by so fast- I can't believe it is Friday!

I'm FAMOUS!

well, not really, but, The Groton Independent had an article about me and the gallery moving. It was on the front page!
This morning I finished painting the walls- chartreuse, orange and violet- wow is it colorful! I LOVE COLOR! Now I need to work on a couple of special orders for the Farmers' Market. I will be really happy when everything is done, moved and open for biz! I am looking forward to being in my new studio and working on my own artwork.

My arms are sore!

My arms are sore from painting! I went through another gallon of primer yesterday! I would like to finish up the rest of the priming and painting this week. The electric has been started, and should be finished by the weekend. Then the ceiling will be going in- a corrugated metal ceiling, which I am REALLY excited about! There will be track lighting along the walls, and Jeffery, my electric guy is going to re-wire my grandmother's funky chandelier and hang it for me! After all that is done the black and white checked floor will be installed. I also need to get the picture rail, floor moulding and shelving done (thanks DAD and MOM). I have a heck of a lot of work to do before I am moved in and open by mid June! I am lucky to have found such fab workers to help!

A poem for a spring day!

This is a poem that was written by my 7 year old son Wilson!

Spring Wakes Up

Pretty,
soft,
smells good,
no sound.
Grows from the ground
in the warm sun.
Green stems,
pink petals
FLOWERS!!

Have a wonderful spring day!

Back to my art!

With Cornell graduation and the holiday weekend, I am expecting to be BUSY at the Ithaca Farmer's Market on Sunday! I have been working on my own painting when I can, and I finished these beautiful mugs just today! This pair of posh coffee cups were hand thrown by my friend Gary Rith. Another glaze experiment, it wasn't the color Gary was looking for- lucky me, olive green is a fab background for my decoration!

Deals on paint!

Yesterday I went to Sherwin Williams for paint- I know it is an expensive brand, but good stuff. I went to the "off tint" area, and found quite a few cans of weird colors that I can use- great deal at a buck a can! You can't beat it! I am armed with primer and an array of strange colored paint, so off to the church to jazz up some display units. My new space is going to be quite colorful and bright. The floor is almost done, it will be tiled with my favorite black and white checks. However, I want to finish painting the walls before we lay the floor. Off to wield my roller!

UPDATE!!!

The floor is going down in the "gallerage"! I am so excited, Jamie, who is doing the job says it will be done tomorrow! That's what I like- a fast worker! I need things done pretty fast because I am hoping to get moved in and open for biz by mid June. I do still have to do the ceiling too- that is if the price is right.

Wils is off on another field trip today- this time of year the kids go on a lot of field trips. He is very excited about seeing a concert by the Cayuga Chamber Orchestra. His teacher told the kids to dress up a little- no blue jeans. Wilson tried to tell me she also said don't wear any underwear.
I didn't buy that! He HATES wearing underwear- too uncomfortable, I aways have to check to make sure he has it on! The joys of motherhood!

The Gallerage!

I have been messing around with a new sign for the new shop. I want something that says funky and fun! This is such a different space than the church, and I need new graphics! I also like the idea of calling this a "gallerage" instead of a "gallery". It is a garage, and I'm not trying to fool anyone, but, it is the grooviest garage ever!

I have a vision!

I have a vision for this space- I know it is hard to see, but this is going to be the coolest shop in town! Right now it looks like a garage, and it is, but give me a little time... I started putting the primer on the wall yesterday. I got about 3/4 of the way done and had to run to Lowes for 2 more cans! This wall is really soaking it up! The final paint color is quite different- it will be a VERY bright yellow green when it is finished. I think the hanging art will really POP against this color! The other side is my steel wall, I think it will be a fab place for magnets and hanging kid's artwork- it's kind of like a huge fridge! I hope to get a couple of clear panels for the garage door, and the entrance will be painted red- good feng shui!

OTHER BIG NEWS: Wils got a new bike! It is bigger than his last one, and he is still getting used to it. This kid LOVES to ride his bike!

Opening the paint can!

Today I will start priming my BIG wall- it is about 13' high by 28' long! I have tinted primer, so hopefully that will help the coverage. The wall I am painting is a chipboard plywood, so I expect it to suck up a lot of paint. I decided to forget about sheetrocking. I think the wood kind of adds to the "industrial" feel of the space, plus it is really nicely done and insulated, so I can save the cash here! I can't wait to see this painted with fabulous artwork hanging on it! I love to paint, but this project it a bit larger than I usually work.

I'm plowing ahead!

My new gallery is in an old gas station! I'm going from one extreme (a church) to another (a gas station). I do love a building with character!
This is probably what the old Texaco station looked like at one time. It has gone through many transformations since then. One thing that does remain, and something I absolutely LOVE, is the original enameled steel siding panels. This is now one of my interior walls. It looks like the side of this station in the photo- white on top, with a red stripe along the bottom. The cool thing about this wall is magnets work on it! I will have the floor put in this week. I need to wash my steel wall and paint the other, very big wall, before that happens. So I will be starting this project today. I am sticking to my style as far as decorating the new space. I will be using a lot of bright colors, and funky displays- also freshly painted. I am glad I finally made a decision about moving- this is going to be great- although a lot of work!

New shop update...

As I have said many times, (my mantra) I am moving to Main St.- well I am! I have been a busy gal. This morning I had a wonderful surprise from my FAB hubby. He told me I could have a floor! I was basically going to "cob job" the cracked uneven floor with a drain in the middle of it- with some kind of creative covering. Don told me I can spend the money on a new level floor! The space is an old car wash, so I am planning on having a pretty industrial look to the place. I can't wait to open the large garage door so all can see the great work from local artisans! People will have to come in just because it looks so interesting! Plus you can get a cup of coffee and a sweet treat at the bakery too!

Gallery will be closed, while I move to my summer location!

I'm still here!

Things are moving forward with my relocation. I am slowly moving my gallery and studio to Bun Appetit Bakery. I will fill the seating area at the bakery with as much local art work as I can, and I have decided that the garage area will be my studio and storage area. I cannot afford the renovations on the garage yet, but It will be fine for a studio space and storage. I do have plans to do a few things- on a VERY tight budget, to make the space a bit more interesting. I can do a lot with paint and an extension cord (there aren't any electrical outlets)! There is something I really like about opening the huge garage door, and sitting there painting! I need to put up some shelves and picture rail in the "gallery" area. This will take me a little time to finish, but I can do it!

Seeing old friends!

This is my best friend Janice! It was so great to see her this past weekend. Jan is from the Ithaca (Newfield) area, but she moved away about 13 years ago. This past Saturday was her Birthday- I won't say how many years, but it was a really big one! There was a great party on Saturday and it was so much fun seeing her and a lot of other people I had lost touch with over the years. Janice now lives in Oregon where she owns a classy doggy daycare center called Fidos. She has anywhere from 20-30 dogs a day! It was SO GOOD to see my friend Jan!

I finally remembered to look up my Art Trail page- I look pretty impressive! Now if I can figure out my location problems I'll be all set. I will be moving a bunch of work to Bun Appetit Bakery today, so I am starting to make my mark on Main St.

Bag lunch and a big smile!

Wilson went off to school with a bag lunch and a big smile this morning! His class is taking a field trip to the planetarium at SUNY Cortland today. He is very excited about it. I remember going to the planetarium when I was a kid, I loved looking at the constellations. I always had a hard time finding them in the real sky though, The Big Dipper is still the only one I can ever recognize.

Jodi from Bun Appetit Bakery has been asking me to fill up her Bakery with more Locally produced products. On Monday I will be moving some of my fabulous artisans to her store at 215 Main Street. This is the first step in my transition. I will be selling from (hopefully) 2 smaller locations at opposite ends of Main St. Then by June, I am staying positive here, I will be moving into another storefront at 103 Main St. next to the Groton Hotel. Keep fingers crossed- I really want this to happen!

SPIKE & EMILY UPDATE!


I am finally done painting Spike and Emily for my friend Gary! I hope he and Maude LOVE this cat mat as much as I do! I will be putting on the layers of poly today and the kitties should be using this by the end of next week!

New Look????

I'm thinking I need to jazz things up here- I am still getting the hang of things. Trial and error is my way of learning how to do this stuff. We'll see how it goes. I kinda like the pink! I have a busy day with the gallery, and Wilson's activities- hope it's a good one!

More work, work, work!

Here are a couple more displays of my work at the market last Sunday. I DO LOVE color! Today I need to finish unpacking everything I took with me. I think I will be moving things around as well. Time for a change.

Speaking of change, I have had news about my new space (the original spot) and if all goes as planned, things will work out the way I wanted them to. Although, I am a bit skeptical after what happened last month. Still waiting to see, and staying hopeful.

Shop News...

I still don't know exactly what will be happening with my move. However, I have a very interesting back up plan. So for now I am pretty sure I WILL be staying in business! I just need to work out the details. I am feeling a bit better about all that, and things will work out.

My class was a bit small last night- only 2 people came, but we had a great time and made good progress with our floor cloths. Now I need to get going on my own stuff. I plan on doing a bunch of painting this week- I am off to market again on Sunday, Mothers' Day is usually pretty good for my sales!

REMINDER!

I am starting another floorcloth class tonight. Classes are Mondays 6:00-8:00 May 4,11,18 and 25. The cost is $100.00, this includes all materials needed for a finished piece. You do not have to be an artist to enjoy this creative outlet. I still have room so please let me know if you are interested in a little "playtime for grown-ups". Call 607-898-4063 if you would like to join in.

Matisse and Market!

Our kid's class was a bit small this week, but everyone did a great job with their Henri Matisse cut out pictures. The peanut butter cookies were a hit too!



The first market of the season is always a bit hectic for me- I have to get back in the "groove" of moving my work to a fresh air venue.
It was a beautiful day, lots of vendors, good food, and yes I did some shopping and eating! The sales were pretty good for the first Sunday market of the year.

How did this happen???

I can't figure how all the type on my blog got so small! I need to put on my glasses to read it. I'm wondering if Wilson was messing around with something. He likes to play tricks like change the language, so I will get on and everything is in Arabic. It is pretty funny, he knows how to do more things on a computer that I do- and he is only 7 years old! I am always surprised when I get a comment from him on this blog. I wonder if he is sending notes to anyone else on my mailing list???