Albacon 2012

 I had a splendid time at Albacon 2012 in Albany, New York.  Fun panels, fun and interesting people, seeing old friends from the Floating Art Show made for a great weekend.  Here are my photos of my display from the art show.  

Everything looks so much better once they're matted and framed.  I'll try to put up a DIY on how I frame my work in the next week.

Jody

Off to a Good Home

Three Lovely Little Cats

These three small oil paintings on Bristol Board are going to be packed up and sent off to a new home today.

Jody

Getting Ready for Albacon

I'm going to be Artist Guest of Honor at Albacon next weekend, so it's time to frame some new artworks for exhibition. So many supplies!  I do my own framing with pre-made frames. I'll try to take enough pictures to have a tutorial.

http://www.albacon.org/

It's October 18 -21 in Albany, NY.  Looks to be great fun!


Jody

DIY: Drawing on Stones

Memories of Summer

I was spent several days on Shelter Island in June and collected a bag full of smooth white stones from the seashore.  I thought they would make nice mini-canvases for some simple drawings or doodles.  Below are the steps for making the simplest of paperweights and a little record of the events of the summer.

Shelter Island

Clean your stone so that it is free of dirt or seaweed.  Draw your design in pencil.

  I will use pictures for reference, but this is just a simple starfish.

FW Inks are permanent and opaque.  You can use either a very fine brush or a pen for your drawing.  Keep a cup of water handy for rinsing out your brush or pen before the ink starts to clog.  Hold the stone in your non-drawing hand and turn it so the surface you’re working on faces you.  Steady your drawing hand by keeping part of your palm or wrist on the table or tucked against your side.  Clean off excess dried ink on your brush or pen with a tissue.

FW Ink dries quickly.  If you make a mistake you will have to sand it off!  When your drawing is finished and the ink is dry, use a kneaded rubber eraser to remove the graphite pencil lines that are left. 

Finished!

I found these stones useful for keeping my papers in place when the ceiling fan was on!

Jody Lee

www.astudiobythesea.etsy.com

"House Wars: Battle"

My Drawing Board

I've finished the cover art for "Battle" by Michelle West and am turning it in today.  The center character is a master mage named Mairelon, who has risen into the air to fight a demon.  He has magically formed his armor about him and his sword, and since he has a special connection with wind and air, his sword doesn't look like it's made of steel, but of glass and swirls.  The field of sleepers concerns the problem the characters are contending with, which is a mysterious sleeping disease that has fallen upon the city of Averalaan Aramelas.  I hope I spelled everything correctly.  The strange butterflies in the air are the dreams of the sleepers, which if crushed, will kill the dreamers.  I didn't want them to be too pretty, so they are designed with bones, cobwebs, thorns, and points.  The finished painting is surrounded by my color rough, final drawing, and other reference.  I will take off the masking tape in a moment!

The Craft Fair in Hyannis

The latest incarnation of  the shop

Cape Cod is gorgeous.  I never went there before having to take my son to sailing events.  So when I saw I had to take him to Falmouth in the summer, I signed up with Castleberry Fairs for their show in Hyannis in July.

I decided to not use the big jewelry display board I used at the Holiday Handmade Cavalcade.  It's hard to fill up all that space.  I attached my beadboard panels to a six foot table on risers, covered it with a tablecloth, and it made a nice "counter" with the white folding bookcases from Target.  You can see the weights on the bookcases - they're very flimsy, and the one on the left arrived broken in 5 pieces.   It was a lot of work but the weather was incredibly beautiful and perfect, and the lovely and talented Eileen Lipkind brought me lunch on Sunday.  She's a member of the Creative Glass Guild of Etsy.

http://pinterest.com/emldesigns/lampwork-beads-and-jewelry-i-love/

I haven't listed the prints yet, but they are made.  I'll try to get that done in September.  Right now I have two book covers to finish, and have my nose to the drawing board!

Falmouth YC

At the same time my son was sailing in the c420 North American Championship at Falmouth Yacht Club.  We stayed at the Tides Motel just across the street from the club so I could leave him and his crew to their own devices while I did the craft fair.  At sixteen and seventeen, they really didn't need or want ol' Mom hanging about too much.  The motel was a wonderful treat.  The windows opened right on the beach and I've never stayed before at a place where I could hear the ocean waves as we went to sleep at night.  The son and crew finished sixteenth out of 144 boats, just out of the silver.  It has to happen to somebody!

Black & White Beads

"Monochrome Garden"

When the International Society of Glass Bead Makers asked for entries for a show of beads in monochrome, I was intrigued.  I never managed to make anything for the show, but the idea remained in my mind, and I finally got a chance to experiment with it last month.  Here are some of my black and white beads. 

 "Molecule Choker"

I used enamels, cane, and super thin dense black stringers.  I call this my "Molecule Design," but I was definitely inspired by the marvelous work of german lampworker Melanie Moertel.  

 "Molecule Necklace"

The focal beads are on Sterling Silver 16" Omega chains and the necklace is made with sterling silver chain and various natural stones.  None are yet up on my etsy site, but they are for sale.  Everything takes time...