Next Wave

My sweet friend Megan moved back home to South Florida after college here at UF a few years ago. She landed the perfect job for her not long after that and has become the Assistant Director of Education at the lovely Lighthouse Art Center, a gallery and school located in her home town of Tequesta.

'Galaxy' dish in blue

Recently Megan sent me the call-to-artists information for a new show that will open at the end of June that features artists under 35. I stalled on it since we were headed to the big cities (Boston and NYC) on vacation just a couple days later. When I returned, I was surprised to find out that the deadline for submission was two days later and got myself in gear to photograph the pieces I planned on submitting. Well, good thing I wasn't relying on creating new work for the show because I would have never had the time, and then would have never had the opportunity to be a part of this exciting exhibit.
The board of directors quickly made their decisions and I was officially notified that all three of my submitted pieces were accepted! The large galaxy dish, sea glass pendant, and sand dollar pendant will be on display from June 24 through September 1.

Collin and I are making the drive down for a two-day stop so that we can visit with Megan and also attend the opening reception for the show on the 24th. The night boasts a micro-brew tasting and an awards ceremony for the artwork in the show. It's been a long, long time since my work was exhibited in a gallery and even longer since I submitted it to a juried show with the potential for an award. I'll be crossing my fingers they fall in love with one of them and that I can go home with a new feather for my cap.
Read more...

Busy Lady

Lots of time spent on Love, Lindsey Kaye this week so far. I am getting more and more excited for the shows coming up!
I even spent some time on the computer last night finally making a new banner and avatar for my Etsy shop and re-opening it back from vacation mode. And I thought I would have it back and running at the end of August. Hah!

Sunday and Monday evenings I spent working at the kiln. Somehow I managed to fire more than 20 pieces in just two sessions of a couple hours each. Enameling is not a quick process, but I'm getting more efficient. I think my design and craft are getting cleaner too; something I've striven for in this medium.

Check out the slick lighting on that necklace, eh? I invested a little money in a simple lightbox and lamp set I found (surprisingly) on ThinkGeek.com. Lucky absolutely destroyed the homemade version I rigged up with a cardboard box and tissue paper. It did it's job for a while but wasn't really what I needed anyway. This one folds down into a neat little tiny pack, including the lights. I think I might stop in at Michael's craft store sometime this weekend to get a few more background patterns, too. I have lots of paper but so much is just too busy for a project like this. Better saved for handmade cards and goodies.

More to come soon; I have tiny hearts, blossom necklaces, copper hoop earrings, sterling pendants, and a menagerie of animals still to do. I'm happy that our social life is still full but much more quiet. Prioritizing this time to work has energized me for more!
Read more...

Keeping Up

If I have learned one thing about myself as an adult, it's that things are rarely as bad as they seem before you actually get started.
As a child, I hated imperfection. A general term, but one nonetheless that could encompass whatever I thought was 'wrong' with something. Perfect to me meant arriving somewhere on time, dressed appropriately and prepared. If I was going to be late to dance class, I would rather just skip it. If I could get there on time but wasn't prepared or dressed (or whatever) properly, again I'd rather not go at all. My fears were in the faces of those who would notice. Notice that something had messed up the plan somewhere along the line and that I couldn't keep up with what I felt were my responsibilities. Fast forward to college and it continued. Woke up late for class; a 'normal' person might throw on sweat pants, forgo the makeup and get there a few minutes late because what mattered was getting there for the lesson. I, would curl into a ball and imagine the hundreds of faces watching me slink to the back of the room as I interrupted the lecture with my crazy ponytail attempt to cover up bedhead.
Therapy for my OCD helped me transition through these feelings to the place I am now. I might not arrive exactly on time and I might not look perfect, but I can find a comfortable medium for myself. I'm no longer paralyzed by a fear of 'imperfection' like I once was. Today I know it's never all-or-nothing. Rarely are there cases where it would be best for me to just stay home instead of being a few minutes late. I am thankful to have had the help I did in understanding this.

Sometimes I look back and can't believe how much more a relaxed person I am now than I was just over 5 years ago.

Recently I have started planning out the work I'll need to do in order to build my inventory for GLAM and Atomic Holiday Bazaar. All lumped together it's incredibly overwhelming. When I break it down though, I can see there is a reasonable amount of work but that it's not impossible.
Not so impossible seeming that I feel like I should just quit, like I should just not waste my time starting because I won't be able to finish everything as 'perfectly' as I want.
All I have to do is work at it, slowly, and enough will get done so that I feel accomplished. So that I will feel competent and that I have put forth enough energy.

Last week I did enamel on Monday night like I swore to myself I would. I finished 5 small teardrop pendants and they're ready for assembly once I drill the metal flowers. This Monday, I let myself off the hook because I wanted to relax with Collin on our anniversary. Tuesday we wanted to take Early on a long walk so that we could wear her out before trying to endure the hell that is clipping her nails. Last night we were dog-sitting for a friend and I didn't think that I could concentrate and maneuver around two big happy dogs while working. Tonight is my favorite TV night. One night after another of potential work gone because I am not prioritizing what I need to. Or, what I tell myself I should be prioritizing.

I'm rambling, and thinking 'out loud' here about all of this. But I feel that with everything I've learned about myself, I should be able to relax and allow myself to not have guilt over choosing other 'work' or even play over this work I have weighing on me. Then again, once I allow myself the luxury of not worrying about getting this done I feel anxious all over about not keeping up.

Lame.
What I really need to remind myself is that last year I had from now to the middle of November to fire and assemble and order all my supplies for GLAM. And I needed to conceptualize and execute my entire setup and branding and pricing.
If I can do that and be well-received and successful. I can do this too. I know the shows are a little bigger, but the work is faster and I am better now at what I do.
I can do this.
I just have to get myself to.
'Good enough' is good enough, and I will never accomplish everything I want to in a day. Things take time and when it's all done I will look back and think, "that work wasn't as bad as it seemed".
Read more...

An Atomic Holiday

Just a couple weeks ago I sent off my application to be included in the 2010 Atomic Holiday Bazaar.
Not even a week later I had an acceptance letter waiting for me when I logged into my email account first thing in the morning. AWESOME. Gotta love a prompt and enthusiastic welcoming to the show!

In it's fifth year already, I am blown away that I didn't know about this gem of an indie craft fair until last year. Maybe it's because I wasn't involved in my own business back then, but really, what excuse did I have for not knowing about it when I was living in Sarasota? I drove by this building where it is annually held every day.

Oh, I love that coastal Florida art deco architechture.

I am really optimistic that this will be the best show of the year for me and that means lots and lots of work this summer building my inventory for the Fall and Holiday rush. I have shows scheduled for November and December with one I'm wavering on for October. I've been really happy about using only profits from my artwork to pay for my needed supplies, but I think I'm going to have to give myself a little more cash to get everything I'll need to have enough work for all these shows.
It also means that I don't get to take too long off from creating while we're packing up and moving in July and August. I'll also have to get my enameling area ready for working pretty quickly even if that means leaving other (more fun?) home decorating projects aside until I feel confident that I'm not avoiding the real work to be done in the studio.

My goal for the summer is to work more consistently. I can't exactly keep a schedule because I like to plan studio time around when Collin will be working in the evenings too. This lets us at least have a couple nights a week to relax, cook, and eat dinner together. I need those nights. So, on nights when he is out I like to enamel, or photograph, or edit photos, or post them online. Right now I've been doing a whole lot of nothing because I have a larger stock of inventory. I don't want to let that lull me into a sense of security though.
Ideally I would make time for myself to enamel, photograph, edit and post items online once a week each. Maybe I can keep myself accountable by fitting in a blog post about new pieces and progress on here?
For now these sound like nice goals. I'm just glad people are reasonable here and no one really schedules art festivals in the middle of the oppressive Florida summers - I would be too tempted to sell and I need to pace myself to keep from getting burned out. Read more...

G.L.A.M.

The woman who runs this event contacted Meggan through Etsy.com the weekend of our art show at Heart's Desire. While I was a little bummed she didn't find me herself (I have Gainesville as my location, too!) Meggan was kind enough to pass on the event information so I could apply for myself.

An email to the SassyCrafter, a week of wait, and I'm in!




The show will be November 22 just a few blocks away at the Thelma Boltin Center downtown. Just one week before this will be the Downtown Arts Festival - a much pricier and bigger event taking over all of downtown with booths full of paintings, glasswares, jewelry and street food. OOOOhhh the street food at an art festival - don't get me started. I already have plans to walk around the festival like usual, but this time with fliers in hand for our own show the next weekend.

I also get to cross another item off my 101 in 1001 list (sell at a local art show).

I know I'll be working like a mad woman with just about a month to make everything I'd like to sell. All while constructing our Halloween costumes (Thor and Sif, husband and wife Viking Gods) and letting myself have fun for Gator football, The Fest/Halloween weekend, and an occasional Thursday Ladies Night at 101 with the girls.
Of course, with all this going on I signed up for another show coming December 4th. My friend Megan (one G - I know a lot of Meg/g/ea/h/ns) works at the Lighthouse Center for the Arts down in Tequesta, FL. She's started an amazing monthly event where young artists come to show/sell and demo their work on a Friday night. Food, music and tasty beverages are all part of the fun and I am really excited to go.
It's been too long since I've seen Megan and I'm all for another opportunity to sell my pieces. I am really nervous about doing a live-demo and talking in front of people though. Something tells me the library card I picked up last week will come in handy as I try to research some more on enameling technique and teaching so I can be clear and concise. I think my worst teaching nightmare involves dropping a piece of 1500F metal and glass, setting fire to the table and building. Unlikely, but my work table at home has the burn marks to prove this has happened before. I don't know if I'll be making much for this show specifically (unless I sell out at G.L.A.M.) but who knows. The show at Heart's Desire ends on November 30th and I am going to try to get anything that didn't sell a few days early to take home with me after Thanksgiving and bring to the LCA event.

Oh, and I have those custom orders from friends and family that have been trickling in these past couple weeks. Thanks facebook, my business appreciates your social networking capabilities!
Read more...

Lovelies

Looks like that little art show is getting some attention down south. A small magazine in Sarasota called West Coast Woman is writing a feature on the Bradenton show. The event was originally going to just be listed in the calendar but with it as a feature the writer asked for some photos. Meggan and I spent some time yesterday taking pictures of our things to send her way (and some fun sister pictures just because). These are the ones I passed along.









I realized after I was editing some of these that I only took photos of a few things and those were all similar in shape or color or design. Crap. Maybe I can get Meggan back here in a few days with that fabulous DSLR of hers to take a few more. I took some on my own with my little point-and-shoot but it's just not the same. Look out next week for more photos of more lovelies.

Collin will be on the road to the Palm Beach area for work all day Wednesday and Thursday. This isn't so bad (that money is much needed) and I can enamel Wednesday all night with the pop music station on as loud as I want (without being embarrassed). Thursday he'll miss my allergy skin test but I'm sure I'll take some photos of that fun time. I have a feeling that I won't want to work much after my forearm is injected with all the stuff that makes my immune system work on overdrive.
Read more...

I'm working on it

Yesterday Erin sent me along the press release for the gallery show in October - how exciting! A real press release that has my name in it and tells people that I make things and that those things will be on exhibit and for sale in an art gallery.
It is very hard to express the squeals of excitement that have come out of my mouth over this for you via the internet. I am both simultaneously excited and freaked out. I am relieved that the whole family and all the Betty's will have their items on display as well. A big party, with all your favorite people. It's a very non-harsh environment in which to reveal my enamelware and Etsy.com store to the world (hah).

Here are some little earrings I've made. They probably won't be sold on this kind of hardware, but that's what I had in the jewelry box today.


I finished writing up my storefront information; about me, store policies, shipping, etc. Etsy is so easy to use! I'm glad I signed up for an account way back when I did so that I can have a little more street cred with an anniversary date of about a year and a half a go and 8 whole positive feedbacks (from shopping, of course). I was contemplating setting up an additional account for selling, something with a new shop name not connected to my own. I even went so far as to procure this name for myself on etsy, blogger and wordpress should I ever change my mind.
Instead, I stuck with what I have. Having my real name connected to my store will keep consistency (and that anniversary date and feedback that is oh so important in my mind). I can also integrate my shop with my blog if it ever becomes something other than a part time hobby.

love, LindseyKaye - it has a fabulous ring to it, no? Also, I think it's sweet that upon sending people their purchases I can include my business card and it will serve as a slautation and thanks; a reminder that this was handmade with love.
I have yet to list any items - I'm waiting until most of what I'm making for the show and site launch are done to pick between them and figure out who will be sold where. Until then the shop is set to "vacation mode" with some information about the upcoming show. Hopefully if anyone stumbles upon it until then they will be intrigued enough by the pendant in my profile photo and the fact that I'll be in a real art show in a real art gallery to come back.

What do you think?
www.lindseykaye.etsy.com

Simple and clean. That's what I'm going for these days.

Read more...

make it hot

ENAMELING!

This is my attempt at motivating myself to start making things with my hands again.
Maybe sometime this weekend I can get a few hours in on this puppy. I was having problems with heating last time I fired her up, but I hope the problem is either gone or can be fixed easily.
Let's hope I don't have to order any parts or anything.
I'd like to start working with the "watercolor" enamels I got for Christmas and maybe make a sweet little dish or two.

My "studio" (what was once our dining room table, since the wedding I've moved my workspace to the spare room desk)


Lumps of hard glass enamel make shiny smooth dots and swirls.




Taken during the fourth firing on this piece - melting lumps at 1500F. When they're smooth and molten, I stick a long sharp tool through that little opening and drag it through the melted glass.


Et, voila! It comes out like this:



This is another one I made that night. The two biggest pieces yet. They're about 8" wide and because my kiln is so stout, I couldn't enamel the back. It still looked sweet though, and I painted some varnish on the back to seal the copper fire scaling.



Her are more pieces that I made as gifts for those of us who helped us so tremendously during the wedding. Hopefully they're all being displayed with love in their new homes.







I don't like the idea of the little initials on there so much anymore. I think if I start making these for reals I want to have some other kind of non-alpha marking to brand them. A specific color swirl or dot combo? Another metal piece but twisted into a shape of sorts. A number?
Maybe I could number all the pieces I do, big and small, and that could be their name identity.

I hope that someday I can make a little extra money selling these on etsy. People love their copper enamel jewelry over there and I have found very few people selling larger pieces like mine. Certainly none with swirl and cloisonee work. Walking the Spring Arts Festival this year I wished I could build up an inventory to sell like that. Perhaps sometime this year I can do art walk in St. Augustine, or here in Gainesville?
Someday, maybe.
I always have to remind myself to start small, and keep loving what I do. No need to turn this into a chore.
Read more...