Meet the Artists

Last night's 'Meet the Artists' event was a fantastic time. My former student Teryl is creating fun and funky PMC pieces and her friend Meddy brought some enormous pantings! There was great food, oodles of art, and a wonderful evening. I hope you can join us next time.

Selling at 80 mph

What a weekend! I just came back from Wheaton, Illinois where I took part in the Cantigny Fine Art Festival. The weekend started off inauspiciously with a major storm - 80 mph winds and torrential rain - just in time to set up! Sadly, I didn't get any photos of this phenomenon. Many tents ended up flying like kites...one or two landed on my car. Luckily my tent stayed put.

I did get to try out my new display. It was a breeze to set up and tear down each day...just take the frames (with jewelry still on them) with me. However, if they are customer friendly is still up in the air.

Also, my aunt and cousin were in town for the day and we all went out for a delicious dinner at Tango in Naperville, Illinois - home of the world's longest steak...and amazing tapas! Having grown up in Naperville it was kind of fun to see how the town has changed and view it with new eyes. I also was able to catch up a bit with my best friend from childhood. Not a bad weekend, despite the weather!

Country Roads...Take Me Home

Monday Lucky and I braved thunderstorms and big gusty winds on I-80 to head back down to Corning, Iowa for a visit. (The above photo is Corning in good weather, not from our actual drive down!)


I was asked to join in on a segment of Iowa Public Radio to speak as a former resident artist for the Corning Center for the Fine Arts. Did any of you catch the show? I was told that I didn't sound like a total spaz. ;) You can check out the segment on rural economic development here.

Arts and Culture in . . . Adel, Iowa?!

This weekend fuzzi-mom and I attended Atherton House's 11th Annual 'Kiln Opening'. I had read a blurb about it in Juice and we went with no expectations. Wow! Talk about impressive. There were so many fantastic pieces for such a small town. In fact, there were over 90 potters from across the country represented at this showing. Here are some photos of a few of my favorites.

[photo of fuzzi-mom's mug to come soon]

Sunflower Pottery
Bob Andersen of Pella, Iowa was one of the demonstrating artists on Sunday. He does fantastic bold and whimsical pieces. This stunning turquoise mug became fuzzi-mom's Mother's Day gift. Bob took some time to chat with her about what each design element meant and how it came about, as well as sign the piece for her (it was one of the few that wasn't signed). I wish I could have taken one of everything of his home with me!


Double Creek
This mother/daughter team from Eustis, Florida create vivid pottery pieces that call to mind a 'Sticks'-like aesthetic. The in-your-face colors and chalk pastel appearance were a breath of fresh air. Totally unlike any of the other pieces we'd seen that day.


Michael Cohen Tiles
I also snagged a trivet/tile from Michael Cohen of Pelham, MA. His work is striking in shades of cerulean and turquoise with deeply imprinted designs under a thick layer of glass. We first visited the show on Friday but stopped back on Sunday. Quite a few of his pieces had sold and I was glad I snagged mine when I did.

A singularly beautiful raku'd vase and lid by Kerry Gonzalez.


Eartha Handmade Tiles
Mmmm pretty. Depth + unusual colors + whimsy = fantastic! Look at that octopus! And the bird tile at the bottom. The asymmetry and balance between the bird, flower and night sky creates a dynamic appeal all of its own. I think the frame and 'windows' of each piece really create a strong design. These are on the must-have list ;)

Glenda Jordan Ceramics
Vivacious, vivid, verdant organic ceramics in a lovely light lime green. Delicious and refreshing pottery for your special events and everyday purposes. Love these!


Lollipop Pottery
Like a scoop of refreshing rainbow sherbert this husband/wife team from Perrysburg, Ohio make charming and quirky bowls and plates. I'd love to have a mix-matched set of these birdy bowls. Perhaps when I have a place to call 'permanent home'.

Lisa Muller Studio
These groovy tiles have such depth and vitality. Each little tableau invites you to create a hundred different stories. My favorite is the stack of sustainable birds. Guess I must have been on a real bird kick this weekend.


Motawi Tileworks
Sharp crisp lines vie with curvy sinuous forms in Arts & Crafts style tiles. I love the graphic appearance of these pieces. I think you could design a room around any one of these.

Royce Yoder
What's warm and cool and earthy all over? These sensuous and covet-able vases by Royce Yoder. They invite you to touch them, lingering on the smooth but rippled texture. Check out the curvy beauty in the back.


Three Wheel Studio
I usually prefer my art (and my clothing) loud and funky as opposed to pastel, floral, or lacey on principal. But with Dwo Wen Chen's* pottery I am more than happy to change my mind. These elegant pieces have actual flowers, leaves and twigs pressed into the clay before firing the first time. The delicate and realistic watercolor-like palette highlights the texture in the clay and gives the piece life. The japanese maple leaves are one of my favorites.

* A fellow RISD-ite!


Cache Valley Pottery
Again, not my typical design aesthetic and I'm thrilled to have my tastes expanded. Sharon Brown Mikkelson's cave animal designs have such life and movement. Her pieces have a look that is both primal and totally contemporary.


This horsehair raku work by a studio in Wisconsin was something I hadn't seen before. Both fuzzi-mom and I liked the earthy and organic appearance.

I do believe that this Kiln Opening will become one of my yearly must-dos. Hope to see some of you there next year!

Steampunk Saturday

Yesterday we went to a....


in Kansas City. The bead show was fairly impressive for a small show and quite crowded but the main draw for me was the steampunk pendant workshop. It seemed like a fun opportunity to do some cold connections in a style I don't normally use. Here's the piece in progress...

Although the workshop was from 1-4pm we still didn't have enough time to finish up. Here's the (mostly) finished piece. We had a blast and I hope to be offering some steampunk workshops at my studio soon. Please email me or leave a comment here if you are interested. Thanks!

EXTRA! EXTRA! - interweb silence shattered by new fuzzishü post!

Riiiight. So obviously this 'regular posting' thing needs some work. I'll get on that.

As to the Las Vegas show - Mom and I drove out from Iowa through Nebraska (flat and boring), Colorado, Montana (blizzard), and Utah (great Indian food in Provo); then returned via New Mexico, Arizona, Texas (got me a tumbleweed), Kansas (also flat and boring, except for hwy 50), and Missouri. Yes folks, you read right. We saw 10 states in less than a week. Whoooosh.


The show was a bit, hmmm, quieter than I had expected and my booth was waaaay overcomplicated for what it needed to be.


Need to revise it for the next indoor show. I did manage to pick up my first wholesale order (yay!) and got to enjoy the company of my booth neighbor Rhonda, of Figs & Ginger (as well as one being one my former studio mates at RISD), and her husband Elijah. We did not, however, get a chance to really go explore the town and don't even ask about the first night we spent at the Hooters hotel. Yeah. :I

So, what now? Why no post til June? Well, good question. The new line I debuted at ACRE is a mixed bag. Beautiful but oh so tricky to make. Here's a preview...


...the next post will be devoted to the new line. All of my time pre-Vegas was devoted to getting ready for the show. All of the time post-Vegas? Well, I can't tell a lie, it was also spent in studio ... and a short stint (read 12 hr days!) as a line chef at a new Mexican restaurant at town but that's another tale for another blog!


I had planned my first summer show to be ArtFest Midwest in Des Moines (June 26, 27) and have feverishly been preparing for it. Then I got a call a week before the Smoky Hill River Festival in Salina, Kansas asking if I was still interested in participating. I had been high on the wait list and they had a last minute opening. So, off to Kansas we went. A little completely unprepared. But it was a good show except for the wind. My EZ Up has aspirations of being a kite.


We managed to lash 'er down with the help of some of my neighbor artists and weathered the weekend. Heard some great bands (Black Violin grew on me especially), met some fantastic artists, and generally enjoyed ourselves.


Which brings us to this weekend...fuzzishü will be at ArtFest Midwest out at the state fair grounds in Des Moines (not flooded, yay!). I will be up front demonstrating metalsmithing techniques and showing my work as well. I hope to see you all out there. Come for the art, stay for the demonstrations. :D

Viva fuzzi-vegas

Holy cats, where has the time gone? Over a month since the last post. Sorry bloggeroos. I've been busy in the studio preparing for a huuuuuuge event coming up next month. Big, very big. Big like Godzilla big.

Get this....fuzzishü is going to Sin City. We are participating in our first wholesale show and crossing our fingers and shoelaces that we aren't in over our heads. And like Godzilla we are going to take a big bite out of this city! The new line of work is almost ready to unveil (stay tuned), the business cards are being printed, and the booth assembled. Things are hectic here at the fuzzi studio but bear with us. Bless this mess, pardon our dust, and all that jazz.