garden greenery

Garden delights

As a young artist I always loved the iris' color and petal shapes. I often made drawings and paintings of irises, and I remember spending long hours trying to create the image of an iris in enamel on copper. I have a number of different wonderful iris plants in the garden and I thank my wonderful brother for giving me some tiny bright purple ones (not pictured) and Teresa for the other large ones (I have photographed). And thanks to April for actually posing for the camera.

new posts

I am uploading these items to Etsy today - (work that did not sell at the Java's show). I am also busy working on some new foundlings and sewing some pillows. I need to get to the studio and think about new art work - but the temperatures are keeping me in the air-conditioned house.

Hearts and Crafts at Java's Update

I had a super day on Gibb's street selling my wares, drinking Java's coffee and having wonderful conversations. For some reason I kept looking at the ground and I enjoyed a great number of shoes, feet, legs etc. here are a few photographs I took-

And there were lots of dogs close to the ground as well -

This guy was across the street from me - I just like the way he looks with his suitcase full of art.The jewelry in the pic below is made by my dear friend Judy Fishgold. The pieces are discarded broken antique jewelry made new again. She was set up next to me and we made a great trade - we have traded before and I hope it becomes a wonderful tradition. Her squirrel in the background got lots of attention...
I also bought two beautiful pots by Dulcie Miller, I truly enjoy her work, and some button bobby pins. I didn't spend all the money I earned, I think I did just right.

Hearts and Crafts at Java's

Its springtime and craft time! Java's Cafe is proud to host the second annual Hearts and Crafts Indie Craft Market, featuring the beautiful handmade wares of more 30 local artists. The Rochester sun promises to shine along with the creativity of Rochester artists. I will be there with many new felted and hand sewn items including eyeglass cases, zippered bags, and flower pins.

Please come by -

Sunday

11 -5

Hearts and Crafts at Java's on Gibbs st. (near the Eastman Theater Parking Garage)

new mixed media work

For years I have been trying to really mix media, but for some reason I have not felt successful.

Unitl now.

I am very proud of this set of four pieces titled, And then there were none. They are approximately 22 h x 16 w and have xerox transfers, acrylic paint and collage on large maps of the U.S.

new work

I have almost completed the work for the Bits and Pieces Collage Exhibit that opens June 4th. These are five of six pieces in a series called Problem Solving. They are not the purply pink that the photos show - I cannot seem to get the tone right in photoshop - they are actually a lovely warm creamy color. They are 8x 10 and wil be matted and framed for the show,

(I hope).

Roots

These pictures are of the grass that I grow at Easter. I plant grass in my matte ivory McCoy vases, because here in Rochester we often don't have green grass in the yard by Easter. When our kids were little I started a custom of growing the grass indoors, so the Easter Bunny would have a place to hide the eggs. I went to dispose of the grass this year and one particular vase produced this interesting object that looked so wonderful I had to photograph it.

Embarrassment of Riches

I have it my mind to write a lengthly post about my amazing wonderful children. I am the luckiest person on this Earth to have the two of them. They are both creative, independent thinkers and kind, giving friends. I will write more at some point, but I wanted to get this completed even if only briefly for now.
Our dog is pretty wonderful too. Aster took all of these photographs, she practices photography daily and creates terrific images. We found that Polaroid Land Camera in the trash! I love that there are interesting props all around the house for her to use.

foundlings

I am sewing, stuffing, embroidering and painting alot lately. I finally found the energy to post a few things on Etsy. I will get these three babies up later today - at least I photographed them...

apologies

I have not had an opportunity to blog, so sorry. I will try to get to it this week . But here is a picture of a fading tulip from after Easter. It is so wonderful to see the tulips blooming in the gardens here in Rochester. Lilacs will be next! I am off to sit at the Knitting Guild's table at the Artistry in Thread Exhibition at RMSC. I'll be there 12-2, please find me and say hello if you are there too.

Also

Bill Moyers was once again illuminating and upsetting.The evening was spent discussing the horrible wall street and big banking screw ups and their ability to continue to make billions of dollars during this so called "crisis."

But my favorite part was a very interesting side story about Binghamton, NY. I don't know how I missed this amazing news item. After more than eight years, the fight against terrorism and its cost has Binghamton's mayor rather annoyed. In the midst of passing a budget that cannot begin to cover the city's needs and having to make choices about laying off workers or raising taxes, Matt Ryan wants to do something dramatic.

He has designed an electronic counter that would continually calculate how much money Binghamton citizens have paid in taxes to fund America's two-front war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan. Money that could (should) have been spent at home.

The war cost ticker will be privately funded, and will be present for all to see on the outside of city hall.

The other item I enjoyed was a show tune called "Betting against the American Dream."

This is the chorus:

We're gonna bet against the American Dream. We're gonna be on the winning team. Purchase risky debt on a massive scale and then place a bet that the debt will fail!

Hundreds of millions from Magnetar, the economy collapsing like a dying star.

No one will know 'til it's on NPR

and who cares?!

It's time to hit the town!

This sucker could down!

The housing market's losing steam,

And all we gotta do... to make our dreams come true... is bet against the American Dream!

Record Store Day Today

Record Archive is celebrating Record Store Day in the most stupendous way!

With Live music all day:

11:00 am Roger Kuhn

12:00 pm Boneyard

1:00 pm Bogs Visionary Orchestra

2:00 pm Sports

2:45 pm The Professor of Rap

3:00 pm Joe Henley

4:00 pm Miss Tess

5:00 Nevergreen

6:00 Velveteen Fox

Also tons of limited edition exclusive music just for independent record stores!! Hurry in!

Food by Sticky Lips http://stickylipsbbq.com/stickylips/main.html

HTB PRINTING TSHIRTS ON DEMAND $5 http://www.htbkicksass.com/

I don't know what this is, but I am excited to find out!

HUGE $1 SIDEWALK SALE!

And the party continues on at Abilene! http://www.abilenebarandlounge.com/Home.html

Felted Bags

When I am not in my wonderful studio, I have been working at home, focusing on felted travel bags to be sold at the Memorial Art Gallery Store. I may be able to have them for sale the day of film screening of "Who does She think She is?" I won't have the chance to meet with the store manager until next week - but I am pretty sure it will work out. If you are interested in purchasing any of these bags feel free to e-mail me, (topolski@rochester.rr.com). They all have zippers and cotton fabric linings and range in price from $35 - $55, depending on size, amount of work, and zipper pull - most of which are hand made glass beads. I am excited about some new designs. The hand sewing has been really hard on my hands though. I woke up this morning with no feeling in either hand and when I rolled over in bed I hit myself so hard with my own hand it really hurt. I only wish I could sew with my toes!

collage

I have been invited to be in a group show in June, called Bits and Pieces at Shawn Dunwoody's gallery called Four Walls. So, I need to get some new collage work completed and framed by the middle of May. Nothing like a deadline to get one motivated. I am working towards completing the blue and green pieces I showed in the previous post. I want them to seem like pages from a travel guide, have a map like quality with the theme of tourism and travel and "getting away from it all." I just scanned these images to have forever in my digital files so that I am free to cut them up and use them in the collages maybe...