Wings and Knots

I have two new pieces that I have not shared yet.  One is a collage made with painted papers that came together easily and was a joy to make.  I have started three collages since then and all three have been on and off difficult.  One may be destined for timeout.  Another will need lots of 2 AM epiphanies to fully reveal itself.  And one is just a beautiful pain in the tush that's a lot of teeny tiny tweezer work.  So it's always a win when a piece just comes together with no fuss.

I think it's on a 10 x 10 wooden canvas and is titled, "Growing Wings."

I also finished a new zen piece that went from a tiny blob to fully done after one weekend where I found myself unable to walk away from it.  This piece has already sold.  I used multiple needles and broke a few in the process.  After some trial and error, I can say I officially love doubling up on French knots.  It took an upholstery needle to make the piles of French knots happen, but it was worth it.  This was also my first time using an oval hoop.  I usually use circular hoops and am also not a huge fan of plastic hoops, but I found this oval hoop at an art recycling place.  I enjoyed it so much I am now on the prowl for other unusual shapes.  I think the reason I didn't like plastic hoops was due to constantly adjusting the fabric because it slips more.  I was definitely adjusting the fabric the whole way, but it didn't bother me this go around.  Growth!  The family who bought this piece are planning to keep it in the hoop.  When the person bought this piece he sked me to take a picture with his family!  Naturally, I did not think to take a picture as well, and there were kids in the picture so it wouldn't have been a good idea.  But now I'm thinking that I will ask artists to take pictures with me when I buy their pieces.

I titled this one, "Fingerprint."

I am preparing for the first art fair of the season - Artsfest in Springfield, MO, which will be May 2nd & 3rd.  And by preparing, what I mean is that I am still moving at my normal snail's pace but spending as much time as I can working on my current pieces.  Hopefully at least one is spared the fate of the dumpster! 😆

I am determined to keep up on book reviews of the best books I read this year.  I have had pretty good luck with books so far in 2026.  How is everyone else fairing?

Here are my recent favorites:

This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page (Adult Fiction)

Libby Page also wrote The Lido, which I loved.

This was an incredibly sweet and cozy read despite the premise centering on a woman grieving the loss of her husband. The idea of a loved one buying a year of books to help their spouse process and survive their grief and even flourish, is brilliant. Libby Page takes this idea a step further with the found family and friendships that Tilly finds through the bookstore. How her relationship develops with the bookstore owner, Alfie (what a name!) is tastefully done and oh so sweet and genuine. Tilly's life changes multiple times throughout this book, and I was rooting for her every step of her multiple journeys.

The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong (Adult Fiction)

2026 is turning out to have some very adorable, warm, fuzzy reads. Even if the cuteness stops right now, I would have enough to carry me through to 2027. In addition to being adorable, this book is also incredibly imaginative. I felt like I was right there in Shpelling with Aurelia and Certainty, sorting through the magical items, getting to know the people who lived in the village, and watching the unwanted magical items transform the village in a big way. I was initially a little horrified by the use of magic to help the villagers. I know it sounds terrible, but I'm a bit of a rule follower, and I wanted Aurelia and Certainty to succeed, so I thought for sure they were going to be in trouble! And they kind of were, but how it all played out, especially Certainty's job (HOLY MOLY WHAT A JOB!), made me realize this was one of those times rules were meant to be broken.

I loved being taken on a wild slingshot ride of both both foul and poetic language, cursing that was always hilarious, things like "typical guild cowshit," and "no matter what-what fuckery they forced me to sign," completely new words like, "Thaumaturgy," and many, many metaphors like this one:

"Shpelling looked as though the gods had picked up a handful of cottages and shops and trees, shaken them in their fists, and rolled them like dice over a game board of hill fields."

Oh and there's a catdragon named Hope! I love my dogs, but I'm ready to level up if anyone knows of any catdragons who need homes.

Everything She Touched: The Life of Ruth Asawa by Marilyn Chase (Adult Biography)

I started out reading the physical copy, which was a little heavy and just large enough that dragging it to bed was too much of a workout. I bought the Kindle version, which was the right move, because this book is meant to be savored, pored over, and liberally highlighted. Ruth Asawa was an amazing woman. I read a children's biography of her, and I knew an obsession was forming. Not just for Ruth Asawa but also for Josef Albers, who was one of her teachers and was very focused on how colors change based on what other colors they are with and also how important it is to transform something in art but keep its roots intact.

Naturally, I checked out all the books I could find on both artists from the library and dived in. This particular biography is a treat for the soul. My only complaint is that Marilyn Chase would talk about something (like Ruth Asawa's wedding dress) and not include the picture. This happened a frustrating number of times.

No matter. What I hoped to glean from this book was Ruth Asawa's artistic practice, more information about her family's internment at the concentration camps and how it shaped Ruth, how much living she managed to cram into every day, her efforts to make art accessible for children, and anything relating to the different techniques she used. This book has all of this and in so much detail with so many artifacts such as letters (even the letters her family wrote to the government to free their innocent father, who was imprisoned in a different camp), it's staggering. I am now ready to purchase the hard copy of this book, so I can spend the rest of my life rereading it.

Here are my favorite moments:

"Albers's views on the relativity and interaction of colors were fresh and daring - he argued that colors changed when placed side by side, like people who change in relation to each other."

An excerpt from an interview with Ruth about Josef Albers: "One of the problems that he gave in school, was never to see anything in isolation; that you can define space and you can define an object by defining the space around it."

From a letter written from Ruth's husband, Albert to Ruth prior to being married: "I will take no more love from you until you have given your own work the love it deserves." How romantic is that?

Ruth even put Josef Albers's color theory to practice when making a red and green tomato sign for their roadside stand. "Putting contrasting colors of the same intensity side-by-side creates a vibration - making viewers blink."

A quote from Ruth: "Insomnia is nothing more than a fear of losing time."

Someone who received one of Ruth's sculptures wrote Ruth that "her new sculpture was mounted in her apartment, and breathing elegantly."

Ruth talking about bronze casting: "Ruth still adored the slow-motion ballet of found-rymen in silver fireproof suits, tilting the crucible to pour molten bronze heated to 4000°F into ceramic molds. After the shimmering heat cooled, and the bronze relief was cleaned of impurities, a rich coppery brown patina was applied and waxed for luster."

Ruth and Albert's ashes were incorporated into clay that was used for ceramic pieces for family members. "True to her teacher Albers, Ruth made sure her earthly matter was not destroyed but rather transformed until, in the end, Ruth Osawa herself became a work of art."

The Good Kind of Busy

It has been a busy, busy past few weeks.  We unfortunately had to let one of my employees go, and we continue to have an abundance of orders.  There was one week in February where we slowed down, but that has been our only break since October.  The good news is I have one employee who is a go-getter and just an all-around amazing person.  We also both enjoy the work and have a good sense of humor about the moments when the shit hits the fan.  We also have someone who is interested in part-time work who is starting soon.  This has enormously lowered my stress levels.  It gives us time to spread the word about the open full-time position, eases the workload, and this person is someone I think N and I are going to work really well with.  

On that note, if you know of someone who lives in the Kansas City area and loves learning new things, problem solving, building and creating awards, gifts, and pieces of art, and most importantly is someone who is accountable and really going to care deeply about our customers and projects, I am hiring!  It's also a really fun place to work.  Both N and I bring our dogs to work, we usually have music going, and are really collaborative in spirit.  Plus the customers and their stories are everything. 

I also had an art show that I just wrapped up literally today!  I don't know if this is the typical artist experience, but I just keep having these incredibly amazing experiences with showing my work.  I have been so fortunate to meet such beautiful, artistic, and caring souls with each opportunity.

Having an art show at Beggars Table was an experience I'm never going to forget.  The whole setup and how they do it is a dream.  It is both a church and gallery, which is quickly becoming my favorite combination.  This is the third church I've seen recently that also supports the art community.  I was so nervous for the First Friday reception!  But Beggars Table has "hosts" for artists, who seem more like buddies than hosts. My two hosts, Andrew and John, were there for every question I had and super supportive.  During First Friday, Andrew (who has the unicorn job of bookmobile librarian) and I chatted off and on the entire evening.  It was so nice to talk about books with him inbetween all the times I worked up the courage to thank people for coming.  

In addition to First Friday, Beggars Table invites their artists to a Sunday service during the time their artwork is up and gives them time at the end of the service for an artist talk.  It was a beautiful place to have service, and the music was particularly lovely in the space.  I had lots of opportunities to talk to people about anything and everything relating to art.  Robert and I then took down the artwork today.  I will be encouraging all the artists I know to apply for a show at this gallery.  In addition to prints, I sold five originals, which I'm over the moon about.  I even got to meet just about everyone who bought an original, with the exception of one piece.  

As with a lot of moments where I'm trying to be fully present, I failed to take pictures.  But I do have a couple from our setup day.

Aside from work and the art show, I have been spending some time getting ready for my first art fair this year - the Artsfest in Springfield, Missouri.  I so enjoyed going last year with Robert, I told him there's no way I'm not applying again.  It's such an artsy town that's very dear to me.  When I was growing up, it was the place my family went to once a year to visit their mall (a mall that is still standing surprisingly), and it was the first place I lived when starting my college journey.

This year for Artsfest I will have new prints, a few new originals, stickers (which I've had many requests for and finally caved, and now hell I get it), and hopefully notebooks, but we are struggling to get the details finalized on these, so I may bring them out at my next art fair.  We shall see.

It's been very busy but the good kind of busy.  I should be able to devote some time to blogging and time to reflect and relish all the good that's come our way.