CRAFTY INTERLUDE

I thought I'd interrupt the Portland vacation recap with a little bit of craft. It has, after all, been a while since any of my own personal creative expressions were highlighted here. (Note to self: get back in the studio!)

Kurt and I spent the weekend doing some nesting: I did some spring cleaning and house rearranging, while Kurt worked in the yard. One of the little organizational projects that showed itself to me was figuring out how to organize my growing collection of awesome earrings. It didn't take long for me to come up with an idea. I took an old wooden frame out of my studio, found a scrap piece of brass screen in Kurt's man cave, and put the two together to make this handy earring showpiece. The best part: it only took about five minutes to put together. And now I have all of my wonderful earrings on display, instead of in a knotted mound. Putting the finishing touches on the day's outfit has never been so easy.

Actually, there is a little bit of Portland in this post. If you look closely at the frame of earrings, notice the ones on the second row, second pair from the left. I got those at the Museum of Contemporary Craft's gift shop. More on that wonderful place to come.

THE WORLD RECYCLED

I happened upon the work of Shannon Rankin on Flickr just yesterday. After scouring her collection of photographs, I popped on over to her Etsy shop, where I found this lovely creation. From her Flickr profile:

In search of connections among geography, anatomy and botany, I combine the visual elements of maps, anatomical illustrations and natural forms to explore themes of travel, healing and time.

Maps depicting mountain ranges, roads, lakes and rivers resemble internal biological features, reproductive anatomy, skeletal structures and networks of the human body. Symbols of cities become acupuncture points, and meridian lines, like rivers, represent an internal system of communication and transport. Geometric seed patterns made of globe-like pieces of map reference small worlds, suggesting the potential for a broader landscape. The ephemeral nature of maps speaks to the fragility and transitory state of our lives and surroundings.

Her work is so immediate, so thoughtful. I am especially fond of her pieces that incorporate embroidery. I purchased the collage pictured here, though, because, as you might guess, I am a sucker for the ledger paper and that "120" up in the corner.

Shannon's work makes me think of jeweler Kim Young, whom I met at the the Kentuck Festival in October. Much of her work incorporates pieces of tin globes. I couldn't resist her creations, either. I have three pieces of her jewelry, a pair of earrings made from parts of tin globes included.

Which makes me think: I just ordered a GPS navigator. The days of paper maps and tin globes will soon be a thing of the past. The good news, though, is that there's more material out there for artists to use in their work. Recycle on.

One of my very favorite exhibitions ever is the "Recycled Re-seen: Folk Art From the Global Scrap Heap" that was at Santa Fe's Museum of International Folk Art (also one of my very favorite museums). Check it out online or get the show catalog. You'll never look at trash the same way again.

BALTIMORE ON MY MIND AND IN MY EARS

Yesterday's post got me all sentimental about my college days spent in Baltimore. With Baltimore on my mind this morning, I decided to wear some earrings that were made by my college friend Heather Perry. She's still making jewelry. You can view her beautiful new work here.

COLLABORATION

The Kentuck Festival was incredible--a gorgeous day, fabulous work, wonderful artists, awesome music. And I came home with many a treasure, so my back account is a little worse for the wear. I promise to make a treasure post, as soon as I document all the handmade goodness that now lives with me in Mississippi.

Until then, I thought I'd share this lovely little collaboration I had with my jeweler friend Magally Lopez. In 2003 she approached me to create miniature versions of my paintings to be mounted in silver as brooches. We made two; one is pictured here. They were seriously fun to make, and both of them sold. I don't know why we didn't--or haven't--made more. Four years later, we're both busy, but we should certainly make time to collaborate again.

I was reminded of these pins over the weekend. One of my favorite vendors at the Kentuck Festival was Kim Young. She makes wonderful jewelry using recycled metal: old globes, candy tins, and fishing tackle boxes. I bought three pieces. Looking at all of her wonderful work made me want to become a jeweler. And then I remembered these pins.

Maybe it's time to make time for another collaboration.