Realms for the Holidays

Call me crazy, but we are doing two concurrent festivals over the holidays, Pacific Arts Market for our lotions and soaps, plus the Allied Arts Festival for my barrettes, shadow boxes and assemblages.

Pacific Arts Market

Pacific Arts Market is a true cooperative, owned and operated by the artists. I’m stoked to be joining this group for the first time. It will be located in Sunset Square, next to Jo-Ann Fabric. The market will be open the first three weekends in December, Friday through Sunday, Dec. 4-6, 11-13 and 18-20.

Allied Arts Festival

The Allied Arts Festival will be returning to last year’s location, across from the Bellis Fair mall entrance on Bakerview. This is in same shopping center as Burlington outlets, in the back corner. It’s a great space wth lots of natural light.

Stop by both and support local artists!

Inspiration from the Museum of Innocence

My inherited son, Ian, gave me a remarkable book for Christmas, titled The Innocence of Objects, about the making of the Museum of Innocence in Istanbul. The museum is filled with shadow boxes, something near and dear to my heart. The boxes are exquisite.

The Hand of Rahmi Efendi

Dolmabahce Pier box

Toy Train box

Tombala set among other memories

The museum was created by a man named Orhan Pamuk, who took decades to make this vision a reality. He collected everyday objects recollected from his childhood, then in addition to meticulously arranging them in shadow boxes, gave them their own life and meaning by writing an indelible love story which Pamuk also titled the same name, The Museum of Innocence.

One of these days, I intend to visit Istanbul and this amazing museum.

Writer and museum creator, Orhan Pamuk

New creations

I’ve been having fun in my studio making shadow boxes and other assemblages.

Image shadow box

I’m finding a few themes that are recurring: self image, love, motherhood, beauty, music and things with wings.

Sad Cupid shadow box

Some of the items I’ve collected over the years. Others I find at garage sales and on eBay.

Baby's first shoes shadow box

I fell in love with these bronzed baby shoes.

Egyptian tin

And, I’ve always had a thing for containers of any sort: tins, boxes, bottles…

Fell asleep with her tutu on shadow box

I gave this one to my sister, Debbie, who has always been a talented ballerina.

Green silk embroidered shoe shadow box

Shoes are also a recurring theme.

Angel box

And anything with wings.