MEMORIAL DAY

Memorial day weekend is the official start to the crazy fish chasing summer that goes on around here. King salmon season opens, people pore down to the peninsula hoping to catch the big one. Good luck to all the anglers! This major influx of bodies are not really beadwork buyers but it does bring a small bevy of curious people into the gallery. I get comments like, "nice to see some Alaskan art that's not made in China." Yesterday I had a couple who were marble makers from Virgina. I learned briefly about the process of marble making, heard tales of the marble convention they would be attending soon and we commented on how much in common marbles have with beads, but alas no holes. They gave me some samples, I gave them some volcano ash (from Mt. Reboubt exploding last year) to use in their molten glass, they bought THE BLUE BEAD BOOK and left. I'm glad to have the galley and these little interactions during the day. The bead table can be a very isolated place. It takes many, many long hours to make great beadwork and distractions are welcome. So on that note, Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all the troops, now and in the past!

BELOVED BIRCH

You know how I love my spring, the baby leaves, sticky and bright emerging from the buds on the long quiet branches. This is a tribute to birch, one of my favorite trees and a subject I keep revisiting in my beadwork. Living amongst  the dark evergreens, mainly the prickly spruce, the deciduous trees are special and cherished.

ART IMITATING LIFE 2

Working hard at the bead table this morning and had to pause to remember back when. This is a picture of our place the first year we landed in Homer. Mile 148 cobweb filled shack.  I was so thrilled to be a first time home owner after always moving from place to place. You can detect my happiness in the piece of beadwork I did to commemorate the homey cabin life we were living. Sweet memories... Oh yea, and there are still moose in the yard all the time!

ART IMITATING LIFE

So often we are inspired by places and people in our everyday lives.  This piece gave me a chance to do a portrait of Kathleen, but also I was able to do a piece of beadwork that was a picture of a beaded dress that I made.  Love it! right?