I'm so excited to be the Kentucky Arts Council's featured artist for September! Being a part of KY Crafted has been really given me many fabulous connections and opportunities. They've been great! You can view the porfolio they posted online here.
I was invited to do a demonstration at the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea. If you have never visited the Artisan Center, you should. They always have a fabulous art exhibit on various themes and feature so many KY artists. I really love having my work for sell there as well as working with them. So, I was delighted to be able to to a demo. I took my paper cutter, sewing tools, paper, and book covers and bascially sewed and chatted with folks about book binding all day. It was really fun as well as relaxing. I focused on repurposed book covers, namely old Reader's Digest, and showed how I use those to create a new book. One important thing to remember is that all book covers get thrown away...only the insides of books can be recycled. This is a way to re-use those book covers. Check out the video and pics...all of them are courtesy of the Kentucky Artisan Center at Berea!
Lots of preparations for KY Crafted: The Market! It will be my first time participating, and I'm so excited!
I headed down to Orlando, Florida last week for my first wholesale show. It was quite a different experience than retail. The buyers were in work-mode, searching out the best products for their stores, galleries, and boutiques. I met some great buyers who are very interested in the quality and purpose of my products. In addition, my booth neighbors were fabulously entertaining and helpful folks from North Carolina and Tennessee, who answered questions and kept me laughing.
I took a detour on the way home and stopped by Daytona Beach for a day. I was able to relax deeply and take a genuine break. I walked miles and miles on the beach and enjoyed the time of moving more slowly.
Sand art. The water washed this away right after I took the photo.
Hello, Luna.
Thanks to Janice Jackson of Elegant Events by Jan, I got to participate in my first bridal show here in Lexington. Here are some of the sample guestbooks I created. If you are interested in something similar or a different design all together, let me know!
I spent November and the first bit of December finishing up my show season. It has been a full year of numerous shows, and I am so thankful to everyone who came out to all of them. I began selling Christmas gifts as early as September and have created many custom orders given as gifts for friends and loved ones. Many of you shared your hearts and your journey. I heard stories of far off travels, of those grieving beginning their way on their healing journey, and of those who were fighting through a variety of hard circumstances. Many of you keep journals and reflect regularly, many of you sketch and "doodle". I can't count the number of times that you told me that you didn't have anything really important to write, but you write anyway. So do I. I write because it is good for my soul. It helps me stay aware and remember and make decisions. It also reminds me to play. Some of you even brought your journals and sketchbooks to me to show me the beautiful and fun ways that you are using them. Thank you. I deeply appreciate how you have shared yourselves with me in the incredibly diverse ways that you have. It is that sort of connection that makes doing this so rewarding. As I take a deep breath from this year of traveling from show to show often multiple weekends in a row, know that I am whispering prayers of gratitude for each and everyone of you.
I'm so excited to announce that I am now a part of the KY Crafted Program, which is a branch of the Ky Arts Council. Kentucky Crafted is known for supporting and providing opporutnity for KY artist. It is quite a process to get juried into it, and I am celebrated it fully!
This past weekend at the Madison Chautauqua Festival of Art® - Madison, IN was gorgeous! Thanks to all the people who came out! I loved hearing all the stories from repeat customers of how these journals had been used and who all they were given to.
Also, I had a write-up in Round About's Madison Chautauqua guide. To read it, go to http://roundabout.bz/. Click on "Madison Chautauqua" on the left and then click on "Eco-friendly Artist". Thanks to Stevie Moore of Studiospectre for adding his two cents :)
Business Lexington recently pubnlished an article about ReImagined by Luna. It's a nice overview of the business and my perspective on why I do what I do and why I work with repurposed materials:
“I’ve kept a journal since I was six or seven. It’s been an ebb and flow of how often and how much I write, but I’ve always had one,” Oesch said. “When I first started thinking of bookmaking as a business, I thought I could do it part-time through the winter and farm the rest of the time. I quickly learned that any small business is full-time — and overtime — and chose to pursue bookmaking after doing a year of farming.”
“When you recycle something, you take it and break it down and then re-create something out of it, like paper for example. When you repurpose, you go ahead and take a material and reuse it. You don’t have to take it and break it down to make something else,” Oesch said. “I think it is also helpful to use recycled materials because it stimulates other people’s creativity. If I repurpose something you might otherwise throw away, you might not be as likely to toss it next time around.”
I got in late last night from a one day art festival in Columbus, OH. I'm taking a quick breath before heading to another art show this coming weekend in Louisville, KY. Each show has its quirks and perks and never ceases to be filled with quality people. It's those small nuances and meeting new folks and seeing regular customers again that make it fun. Here is a quick tour from this past month...
Starting in Evanston, IL at the Lakeshore Arts Festival:
This is how I pass time while driving.
View from my booth. I was excited to be so close to Lake Michigan for the weekend!
Woodland Arts Festival here in Lexington, KY:
I use to go to this arts show when I was little and was enchanted with all the art and artists. It's really fun to be one of the artists exhibiting now. I also love that it is in my hometown. I seriously saw people that I haven't seen in years...including (but not limited to) two of my babysitters from over twenty-five years ago.
Some of my friends who belly danced with Mecca.
Most of these Woodland photos are courtesy of my friend, Jason Souders.
Art in Speed Park in Sellersburg, IN:
This is a such a sweet show with high quality artists. It's nice that it was on the heels of Woodland because it is small enough to give the artists a chance to chat and catch our breath while still "working". Work is relative anyway, right? The more I tell myself that I am "playing", the more fun I have "working".
Upper Arlington in Columbus, OH:
This one day show was on Labor Day, and speculations kept saying to beware of rain and potentially getting washed out. Somehow, we were by-passed. It drizzled a bit at one point, but it was overcast and dry. It was my first time at this show, and I definitely enjoyed it.
New designs that premiered in Columbus! More on these later...
In preparation for the Berea Craft Festival, I joined Tara Bellando at WKYT. It was on July 4th for a short interview about the festival. I said it there, and I'll say it again...Indian Fort Theater is one of my favorite venues. It is such a beautiful wooded area and feels enchanting with all the high quality artists that participate in this festival. Some of my favorite artists are there, and it really feels like we are all a family getting back together.
This year, the weather vacilated between clear skies and sunny to torrential downpours. It went back and forth every day throughout the show. One of my booth neighbors luckily had a shovel so I was able to dig a trench and divert the rivers that wanted to pass through my booth. I felt like a little kid playing in the mud. We also have had such a drought that we needed the rain. During one of the rain storms, Josie (of Mayapple Creations) and I grabbed hula hoops and danced around in it. Sometimes, it helps to just go ahead and embrace the inevitable.
Oh, I also finally got a new chair and am so excited that I simply must show you.
Another artist, Steve, gave my a labyrinth that he made. He had seen my labyrinth logo at a gallery show we did together and was inspired to do the design. I love that he shared it with me!
Well, happy birthday to my business. This month, I've officially been doing ReImagined by Luna full-time for two years. I'm celebrating with a nice cup of tea, a couple fishing trips, and general dancing around. Please feel free to join wherever you are :)
::Quick re-cap of the past year::
On the road again...
I've spent alot of time on the road these past few weeks with all these shows back to back. It's so fabulous when the days are sunny and gorgeous. It makes driving long distance so much easier. I landed this past weekend in Columbus, OH at the Easton Art Affair. They had these nifty signs for each of us to put on the front of our booths.
One of my favorite things about this particular show was my booth neighbors. On one side, I had Jamie who does really fun, quirky drawings of animals. You can check them out here. On the other side, I had Erika and Clayton who made gorgeous rock wall hangings, sculptures, and water fountains. See them here. Erika supplied me with food throughout the weekend, including these beautiful cherries. It was the perfect start to a Saturday morning!
This trip was special in that I got to stay with Jennifer of Gallery Girl. We met at a show last year via another artist and immediately took to each other. Jennifer is fun and light-hearted, and her paintings demonstrate it. Take a look at them here. They are so whimsical and cheery--just like her. Staying with her was a delight!
Oh, and I got to meet her friend, Debbie who was just lovely. I would love to kick back some more with both of these ladies.
If you missed it, here I am with Tiffany Wilson of LOCAL 12, WKRC-TV, the morning of Summerfair! I love how she keeps shaking one of my bell journals....fun! ( I'm near the beginning and again near 6:30)
I went on a field trip last week...kind of. As many of you know, I have Beau Graphics, a local print shop, do much of my printing needs. They are incredibly helpful and have assisted me in multiple random projects. One of those being a small book that they arranged in such a way that I was able to bind it and create a custom cover for it. Being a printing press, they have these awesome huge tools that I would never have room for even if I could afford them. One part of the book making process that is often overlooked is prepping the paper for the inside. They come in large sheets and each piece has to be cut multiple times and folded. Here is how I do much of that:
Beau Graphics has some much bigger equiment that do the same thing without all the work. Their equipment is old enough that it is still all manual; however, the machine cuts the paper rather than it being all the work of your arm and shoulder. I can't begin to explain just how much paper I have to cut. I have cut so much at a time that I've had blisters on my hand from moving that lever up and down. This is why my trip to Beau Graphics last week was so amazing. Check out their old school monster cutter:
and paper folder:
I still use my studio paper cutter every day and finish off each signature that goes in the journal with a cut from it. The machine folder is also a bit moody and only likes certain sizes and types of paper. Much of the paper is still individually hand-folded. However, it helps quite a bit to have access to these machines and to be able to use them for part of the process. Speaking of paper, I had some help yesterday with sorting and doing the final cut.
Sierra offered her assistance and became a pro at prepping those signatures. It was amazing how much she accomplished in her short time in the studio. Cady, the little sheltie, also made her way into the photo, but she mostly just tried to distract us. See all those piles of paper? That is how all the books begin.
"Here it is: Are you still standing? The answer is, Yes! (And no adverbs like "barely" are allowed here). If you are still standing, ragged flags or no, you are able. Thus, you have passed the bar. And even raised it." -Clarissa Pinkole Estes
All day Sunday, I kept thinking “S.S. or Still Standing”. Clarissa Pinkola Estes references this frequently throughout her stories of pushing through difficult circumstances. I was at my first art show of the season this past weekend. For those of you who have done or do outside shows, you understand that one of the biggest stressors is weather. There was potential for scattered storms throughout the weekend, and I had mentally prepared to deal with rain. The days during the show ended up being beautiful and sunny. However, a couple huge storms rolled through Saturday night with lots of rain, wind, and hail. I arrived Sunday morning to a tent that had been wrestled to the ground by water that had accumulated on the roof. The tent frame was mangled and broken in several places. At first, I was sure I would have to pack my things up and go home. It was beyond repair, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it work by myself. That is when the first wave of support showed up. Several of my artist neighbors came to help me get the water out and devise a way to make it work for the day. We ended up using extra poles I had with me and, quite literally, zip-tied and ducked taped it together. We made it work and, thankfully, there weren’t any high winds. The tent stayed standing for the day. I felt so cared for and appreciative of everyone. Numerous artists and volunteers at the fair stopped by throughout the stay to check on me and make sure I was ok. I kept thinking how it was the best case scenario considering what happened. My tent frame was broken. Yes. And yet, all of my product had been safely stored away in plastic bins, none of my display was damaged, and even the tops of my table cloths were dry enough to use for the day. Incredible.
The next concern was getting another tent. I knew I needed a more stable one and, ideally, one that I would not have to be worried about leaking. Paper products and water do not mix well, and it’s always unnerving when it rains even a little bit. I also knew that the kind of tent I wanted was more than I can currently afford. On Monday, I began to contact folks in the artist community to see if anyone knew of a used tent for sale. The Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen replied with an artist’s information. Thankfully, the tent was still available when I called. That is when I realized that the universe was conspiring in my favor. I drove down to Corbin through the gorgeous hills of southern KY to meet Ora Alsip. He is a photographer and takes has gorgeous photos of rural communities and settings. He showed me a photo of a moon bow, which I had never heard of before. He said the best time to see one is the night before the full moon if the weather is clear. It was not only a pleasure to meet him and his wife, but he took time to teach me how to set-up the tent and showed me the easiest way to do so. What had seemed like a mess the day before turned around into a beautiful experience. I am now the proud owner of a stable, water-proof tent and am so very thankful to Ora and to the artist community for being so caring and supportive.
Some of what did not get damaged
Spring is in the air and with that comes lots of...weddings! Are you planning a wedding or know someone who is? I would be honored to create a custom guestbook for you or your friend. I am offering a Spring discount of $15 off to the first five brides who place on order with me.
For everyone else, "like" my facebook page, share this and sign-up for my newsletter to be considered for the April giveaway.
Offer is good through April 20th. The winner of the giveaway will also be chosen that day. Thanks for participating!
Eli Scarr filmed and edited this video. He created it for consideration at the downtown Lexington Pavillion screening by the Lexington Film League on April 22, Earth Day. Scarr has other community-themed videos on his youtube channel: cineaste16. His youtube video Clean Acres Farm was produced for Alltech's online film festival last year.
Here is an excerpt from my interview with Bluegrass Boogaloo:
Apart from creating things, what do you do? / Is creating art your full-time job, or do you work outside of creating these magnificent items?
I create full-time, over-time, most of the time. I also write and read quite a bit while enjoying a cup of hot tea. I love frolicking through the woods, camping beneath the stars, and watching the moon’s travels. I look for adventures on a somewhat regular basis, dance frequently, and research whatever pops in my head.
Please describe your creative process.
Oh, well, this changes frequently. I have several lines of work now and tend to create what I need to fill orders, re-stock, etc. Then, *bam*, inspiration happens and I’m researching new shapes and histories on certain images and creating something new. This inspiration is more directly sought after when it comes to custom orders as I am working with a deadline; however, I appreciate the challenge and continue to be surprised at how fabulously it keeps “working”.