To New Friends and Old

To New Friends and Old

I just wanted to give a warm welcome to all the new readers ~ it was lovely to meet you this weekend!  And to those who have readers for much longer, a heart-felt thank you to those who stopped by.  It was lovely to talk with you ~ to put faces to names, to hear about your travels, to chat about project ideas, and to just be reminded that there is indeed someone on the other side of the screen.  I know you didn’t come to the show just to see me, but it means a lot that you took a moment to say hello.  Putting words to screen is a funny thing… it can sometimes feel a bit one-sided; at worst narcissistic.  But it can also be quite magical when the other half of the conversation suddenly appears.

Cain Park was a lovely show!  Picture perfect, save a few moments of rain.  The highlight of the weekend was selling The Guardian <waves to new owner!>  It is always a wonderful thing to sell a signature piece, and even better when it happens in person.

I occasionally get asked if it’s difficult to part with the pieces I’ve made.  Truthfully, not as much as you’d think.  I enjoy the process as much as the product, and honestly, taking a sweet photo of the finished piece while paying the mortgage feels pretty darn good too.  I am lucky to have a lot of original artwork throughout my home, but most of it was purchased from other artists, or given as gifts.

But I thought I’d take a moment to share a few things I have kept over the years.

Before I learned to really cut and manipulate metal, I used it as a base for collage.  This is an early piece of mine, with aquamarine chips and a pair of stork scissors.  It’s a small piece, but something about it always appealed to me.  I tucked it away at shows, and huh, it never sold.  Eventually I owned up to wanting it, and it has been hanging in my studio ever since.

These two little guys were extras from the monthly art card series (March & July, to be precise).  They’re still available in my shop, but I’ll admit I’ll wince a little when I let them go.  Part of me wishes I’d had the foresight to keep one of each design since I started offering subscriptions — I’d have a few dozen by now, and it would be quite fun to see all of them at once.

On the other hand, I just can’t bring myself to list this piece yet.  Something about the color, the simplicity… maybe the chaotic parts of life are making me crave a square foot of calm, empty space.  Either way, I think I’ll hold onto it just a pinch longer.
Thanks for reading!  Take care, and have a lovely week~

Chris