Southern Floridians, come and say hi!

I've juried into my first outstanding show in Southwest Florida ... The Estero Fine Art Show, to be held February 27 and 28, 2010, outdoors at Miromar Outlets, just off I-75 at the Corkscrew Road exit in Estero, Florida (just north of Naples/Bonita Beach and just south of Ft. Myers).  Fabulous fine art, beautiful handmade high-end crafts, live music and fabulous food.  Not to mention outstanding outlet shopping right next door.  Come on down and say hi!

Back to the beach!

Our bags are packed, my loaded car is on its way south, and by this time tomorrow we'll be at the airport ready to board our flight to Southwest Florida International Airport in Ft. Myers.  The temperatures on the Cape are about to plummet with talk of a few snow flurries later this week, so I'm thinking our timing is pretty good this year.

Looking forward now to feeling the warm sand between my toes and hearing those Gulf Shore waves rolling onto the beach.

Next post will be from sunny Florida!

A pair of ibis forage for breakfast on Vanderbilt Beach

An off-season love letter to Cape Cod

My beloved Cape Cod:

I adore you always, but never so much as during the off-season.  After the crowds have gone home; after the leaves have finally begun to turn yellow and orange and red; after the traffic is gone and the cranberries have been harvested and the sounds of motor boats on the lake have quieted and all that remains is the sound of a lone seagull circling high above the waves ... and you're mine again.

Here is a loving pictorial tribute to our neighborhood and one of my favorite places on earth, taken during a sunny, brisk early Cape morning.  As we pack our bags and prepare to leave you for the winter months, please know you have my heart and I'll yearn to return to you in the spring.

The Captain Freeman House on Route 6A in Brewster

The Brewster Ladies Library, where I've spent many pleasant hours.

The Stony Brook Grist Mill atop the Brewster Herring Run.  There is actually a sign here asking visitors not to touch, pick up or play with the herring.  :)

The legendary Brewster Store, reproduced in hundreds of paintings and prints.  A favorite spot for the local townsmen to grab a cup of coffee and chat early in the morning.  In fact, if you squint, you can see a few of them sitting on a bench next to the entrance!

Chillingsworth, quite possibly the finest restaurant on the Cape

All has gone quiet on our lake.  This photo was taken from the western shore facing east; we live high atop the lake on the northeastern side.

A well-known landmark in our lakes region, the Pleasant Lake General Store.  During the summer months the parking lot is swamped with cars and bikes.  Just about everyone stops here for ice cream, water or a sandwich as they tour the Cape Cod Rail Trail, a 15-mile-long bike path that runs from Dennis to Wellfleet.

Fall foliage arrives at last in our own front yard.

Creative ways to display a small collection ...

I've enthusiastically begun collecting miniature whimsical hand-painted cat plates thanks to my friend Barb Plevan (http://BarbPlevan.etsy.com) -- Barb and I go way back together from my days as a miniaturist, and I just love her bold, bright, confident folk art painting.

Not satisfied with hiding these wonderful plates in my dollhouse where they're difficult for family and friends to see and admire, I decided to mount them on a wall instead.  Here's what I did:  I bought a color-coordinated 5 x 7 easel-style frame and replaced the glass with a sheet of textured paper.  I then removed the easel mount and replaced it with a wall hanger.  I carefully glued each plate onto the paper backing which, in turn, is glued securely to the frame back.

I love the fact that this display idea allows viewers to enjoy these tiny works of art not only from a visual, but also a tactile, viewpoint.  Who wouldn't want to reach out and caress these adorable kitties and feel the tiny raised bumps of the stitches on their sweaters?

Loading the car ...

We're in the process of loading the car with my show gear to set up tonight.  Finally, an indoor show, so no worries about the weather!   I'm excited about some of the pieces I've created since my last show.  Sneak preview:

Tribal Coral Box Bead Necklace

Seahorse II

Creation

Dive

The Artisans' Guild of Cape Cod Show runs two days -- Saturday and Sunday, October 10 and 11, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Indoors at the Nauset Middle School, Route 28, Orleans, Mass. on beautiful Cape Cod.  Just a short walk to the Left Bank Gallery at 8 Cove Street, where you can see more of my work!

Here it is ... my Etsy MetalClay Team charm bracelet!

Wow.  Just wow!  The charm swap package arrived and I couldn't wait to assemble my bracelet.  I used some bulk sterling silver chunky byzantine chain which I oxidized and added a great big lobster claw clasp for security.  It took me hours to arrange the charms so that the finished bracelet would look balanced in terms of sizes, colors, shapes and textures ... but here it is!  (My own charm, round in shape with a texture of waves and a seashell showing, is at approximately 5 o'clock in the final photo.)

What a fabulously talented group of women!  Just look at the amazing creativity and works of art represented here.  I will cherish this bracelet for the rest of my life.  Two additional bracelets are being assembled for donation to worthy charities.

Thank you to all my wonderful friends on the Etsy MetalClay Team!

Etsy MetalClay Charm Swap (Spoiler Alert!!)

These are a few of the fine silver charms I made for the very first Etsy MetalClay Team charm swap.  The charms are currently in the hands of our charm swap coordinator, Teresa Boland, who will be mailing the charms to the swap participants early in the week.  Two extra bracelets are also being donated to carefully seleced charities.  Thanks, Teresa, for all your hard work coordinating this wonderful project!  I can't wait to get mine and assemble my charm bracelet!

Each charm features two very detailed spiral button shells -- a large one and a smaller one -- fused onto a background texture of foaming surf.  The reverse side has the same texture plus my hallmark, stamped .999.  I oxidized the charms and polished off only the high spots, leaving interesting hints of color on the charms.  Although the design is the same on each charm, because of the placement of the texture and individual molding of the seashells, each charm is slightly different and has its own unique character.

My goal here was to create a charm that would be recognizable to my team members as my creation based on its resemblance to my signature body of work -- three-dimensional seashells floating on waves -- without the need to check my initials on the reverse side.  Hopefully this goal has been accomplished!

Okay, on to the next thing ... :)

I've now spent the better part of a week cutting and fusing glass, and I think I've finally gotten it out of my system ... at least for now!  Here are the last two projects completed in glass ... two channel pendants.  Over and out.  Back to my silver work!  I still want to roam around town taking pictures of the landmarks in my neighborhood and post a mini-travelogue.  On my to-do list!

I've got glass pains!

It had been a very long time since I sat down and replenished my supply of dichroic glass cabochons.  Well, I went through my inventory and was aghast at how small the stash had become ... so for the past few days, I've been hunkered down in my workshop cutting glass and fusing.  So far I've already made hundreds of new dichroic cabs, but it only seems to have sharpened (pun intended) my appetite for glass, glass, glass!!

So I took a short break from cutting and fusing to order more glass in ever more interesting colors and patterns.  Where will it all end?

Mango Tango Designs now at Left Bank Gallery!

I'm very pleased and proud to announce that selected pieces of my work will now be available for purchase at the wonderful Left Bank Gallery on Cape Cod. Every lover of fine art on the Cape and Islands is familiar with Left Bank -- the work they carry and the artists they represent are legendary, and I'm so honored to be a part of this outstanding new opportunity!

If you're planning a trip to the Cape or if you're in the neighborhood, please stop by any one of the three beautiful Left Bank locations in Orleans and Wellfleet:

http://leftbankgallery.com/

These photos are just a sampling of the pieces I have at the gallery ...