Reflections on an endless summer. Wearable Art “To Go!”

This summer I poured a lot of energy into helping a fellow artist who works in visual arts. The experience really made me think about what it means to be an artist and what a luxury it is to be able to express oneself in various media – painting, music, writing, and in my case, sea glass! I haven’t veered terribly far from my original hope for my work.  When I started 15+ years ago, I wanted to focus on wearable art in the form of hair accessories, then jewelry.  I had always hoped to be the “go to” person for beautiful hair pieces.  Most of the other work and the styles evolved from my original idea – to create a puzzle from the bits and pieces of pottery and sea glass I had collected.   For me, the full gratification comes when I find the right home for one of my pieces.  I don’t want my work in the studio for too long.  I want to share it and celebrate it with my friends and clients who appreciate its unique, indigenous quality.  This inspires me to create more and go in new directions.

Additionally, this year is very special as it’s the 10^th anniversary of a group that I helped create here on Cape Ann, the seARTS Wearable Art group.  This group of fellow artists and friends have allowed me to build something very special – a unique brand here on the north shore and Cape Ann in particular.   Our 2016 event is a Salon – From Understated to Outrageous, the many Expressions of Wearable Art.  The anchor of the event is a keynote panel that includes world renowned artists alongside curators from the MFA and PEM.  How cool is that?  It means a lot to me to bring this group together– whether for our past holiday shows, our amazing runway series “Celebrate Wearable Art!” or just over coffee in my studio.  We help and inspire each other and at the same time, bring exceptional people together to immerse themselves in this unique genre of art and build a following for hand-made, one-of-a-kind wearable works.    So please come and visit on the Cape Ann Artisans Tour October 8 & 9th and I hope you find a piece of my collection that can become one of yours!