Give Away Winner + KMAC Show

As usual, I'm a day late and a dollar short, as my granny would say.  I tossed all the entries onto the floor, and my dog Scout was again imposed upon to choose the winner, primarily because she is stuck to me like glue 24/7.  The first slip of paper she sniffed was the one with the name (drum roll, please)---

 Egmont (The Artist Within Us)!  Congratulations to you, Egmont; I hope you will enjoy your prize!

As you can see, this chore was extremely tiring for Scout; she had to rest up for several hours.  OK, not really- this is what she did when I tried to get her to hold still for the photo!

A couple of weeks ago, when my son came to visit, we went to Louisville to the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, to see the show "Moving Forward, Circling Back: Celebrating 50 Years of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen."  I was so excited to have my work chosen for the show, but was not able to go to the opening reception because it happened right at the beginning of the school year. 

   
                    In the lobby of the museum, there is a wall covered with "hubcap art", which I thought was very cool.

           On one of the gallery walls was this signed poem by Kentucky writer Wendell Berry...

Above: digital art "Metamorphosis" by Bruce Robert Frank; wood vase by Paul Ferrell; ceramic plate by Wayne Bates.

I was greatly impressed by the quality, beauty and scope of the exhibit as a whole, as well as the way it was displayed.

Above: Fused glass by Ann Klem.

Colin viewing some of the pieces in the show.

Ceramic and mixed media "Too Tall Voodoo Doll" by Gayle Cerlan.

Above: ceramic vases by Amelia Stamps; "Green Crystalline Bottles" by Satian Leksrisawat;  "Black and White Cream and Sugar", porcelain "Teapot on Tray with Cup" by Linda Bowman

 

"Things I Love About the New York Subway", silk, by Rebekka Seigal;  Hickory chairs by Brian Boggs; "Seventeen 1934" fiber by Alma Lesch";  "WABI: Living with Solitude & Simplicity" handspun wool by Dobree Adams; "Dysfunctional Spoon: Bird's Nest" forged steel by Roberta Elliot; chenille throw by Churchill Weavers

  

Quilt "Chasing the Rainbow" by Janet R. Serrenho

Above: ceramic plate by Patrick L. Dougherty; metal sculpture by Dave Caudill; wood sculpture by Gregory K. Williams; glass by Brook F. White Jr.

Above: "Spring Parrots" dyed papers, by Carolyn Whitesel; draped weaving by Philis Alvic; "Prayer" monotype with mixed media by Sharmon Davidson

I've shown only a small sampling of the wonderful art in this historic show.  There's still time to see it if you're in the area; it runs through October 15th.


Below, a peek at a few pieces from the museum's permanent collection.  If you like folk art, you'll definitely want to see it!

Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, Louisville, Kentucky

Stacks

I have photographed my stacks for Seth Apter's Stacks Project, and here they are.  These are my stacks of vintage books, which seem to be growing.ever taller. I'm kind of obsessed with collecting them.  Some of them will be used for mixed media and altered book projects, and others I just love to marvel at. 

Who doesn't have stacks of stuff sitting around?  If you're an artist, you're bound to have at least one- it must be some kind of rule, or law.  Or is it that we're all messy, or hoarders?  Anyway, we might as well admit it.  Seth's gone so far as to embrace it, and put links to all the hoarders'- uh, I mean- artists' photos on his blog, the Altered Page.  Check them out here.

And don't forget to sign up for my give away!  All you have to do is leave a comment on the previous post.

Hello, I Love You- and a Give Away

Hello all!  You may or may not have noticed my absence lately, but I wanted to explain.... There are several things keeping me away from blogland, but the biggest culprit is the increased workload at my job; the beginning of the school year has been overwhelming, taking up most of my "art-making" time.  Also, I've had computer problems, not least of which is the apparent comatose state of my printer, which means I cannot print out images for transfers, nor can I scan anything, which is how I usually get images of my smaller pieces, which is all I have time to make right now. (whew! did you follow that?)  On top of all that, my mouse was working only intermittently, and not without much coaxing and cursing.  The mouse seems to be all better now, but the printer, alas, must undergo more tests and possibly a hospital stay, if I can find someone to fix it.  OK, blah. blah, blah, whine, whine, whine- enough about that.

Now for the good news: I've wanted to do a give-away for a while now, so this seemed like an opportune time.  I so appreciate the wonderful people of this online community; your support and encouraging messages have meant so much to me, and always lift my spirits.  Whenever I ask for your opinions or advice, you invariably come through with insightful and practical ideas.  As my 8th-graders would say: you guys are BEAST!  As a thank-you, I'll be giving away one of my small collages, But Still (shown below),

 But Still

as well as a package of decorative papers and vintage book pages (examples shown below).

So, this is how it will work:  Leave a comment on this post, and your name will be included in the drawing.  You don't have to be a follower, just a commenter.  If you "like" my facebook business page, your name will be put in twice.  Then, on Spetember 30, I'll toss all the names on the floor, and one of my goofy dogs (whichever one is handy) will "sniff out" the winner.

 Arlo (left), Scout (center), and Sunny (right)

(cuter when they're asleep)

FYI, I'll be participating in Seth Apter's "Paper Stacks" fun on Wednesday, September 21 at The Altered Page.  Be sure to check it out!

And the winner is... ! + A Summer Collection Show

First, I want to express my thanks to everyone who entered my give away, and to my new followers.  I appreciate your kind and wonderful comments, and each and every one of your visits!

My daughter left before 4:00 yesterday, so the honor of choosing the winner fell to my dog, Scout.  As you can see, she was very excited about it.

Well, okay, maybe not so much.  But anyway, I took all the names and tossed them onto the floor, and the first one she sniffed was...

...deb, of Dryadarts Weblog!  Congratulations, Deb!  Email your address to me at sharmon.davidson@gmail.com, and I'll put your prizes in the mail ASAP.

Saturday, I took a piece to the Scott County Arts and Cultural Center for the exhibit A Summer Collection: Works from the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen.  The center is in a very old (and no laughing here) jail.  The building is on the historical register, and is soooo cool!

The gallery is in the front, which was actually the jailer's house, but I think they're trying to renovate the rest of the building as well.

This is the front of the Center, and it's just as beautiful on the inside.

Here's the poster for the show.  (They forgot to include my image, but oh well.)  Please come by if you get the chance!

Collage Materials Give Away

I'm so excited to be doing my first give away, which was contingent upon reaching 50 followers.  When I returned from my trip, I discovered to my surprise that I had 52!  So, thanks to my new followers, here we go:

1. You have to be a follower to win, of course.
2. Just leave a comment on this post, and your name will be entered into the drawing.
3. On Sunday, August 1, my beautiful daughter, Caitlin, will close her eyes and draw a name from the magic bowl.

4. I'll post the name of the winner, who will email me his/her address, and I'll put the prizes in the mail.

The lucky winner will get an assortment of pieces of handmade papers and other collage materials, like the ones pictured below,

along with this small collage I made.

Good luck to everyone!

Flutterbyes, Dragonflies, and a Give-Away

In my last post I mentioned that I'm doing a give-away when and if I get to 50 followers.  I don't really know why 50; I guess it's a round number (I like round things!), and seems like a good excuse to celebrate!  I will be giving away, among other things...

... some of my cool collage materials, including Asian book pages, joss papers, and hell notes;

... several pieces of various beautiful handmade papers (not all are pictured);

and something made by me, to be disclosed at a later time, like when I decide what it is!

I won't be posting for the next week or so, because I'm going to be on vacation, visiting my son in the Washington, DC area.  I'm sure I'll be seeing all kinds of interesting sights, and I'll post photos when I get back.  In the meantime, I'll leave you with some flutterbyes, who were having a huge party in back of the log house, while the dragonflies hung out by the pond.  Enjoy!