Smudge

Smudge, my goofy orange and white long-haired cat, had to be rushed to the emergency animal clinic in Queens on Saturday because he had a "urinary blockage." D and I noticed he was acting different… walking slower, getting in and out of the litter box without going, and hiding/sleeping under our bed without coming out. He started meowing a particular meow, the one that says something's wrong. Thankfully I know him so well I can recognize the subtleties in his cries. I can't even possibly convey how much I adore this cat. And how scared and upsetting the whole experience was.

Oddly enough, it's not the first time he's scared us. Last year, on the exact same weekend! I kid you not. The Renegade Craft Fair in Bklyn was going on in Williamsburg and after a morning trip to the farmers' market, D and I foolishly brought home lilies. We did not know the dangers of lilies and and cats at that time. Smudge had to spend three days in the hospital, having his stomach pumped and fixed to an iv. It was a horrifying experience. And now I feel like we're going through a similar hell all over again. This poor cat has been through so much, and he's only four years old!

The doctors at the Animal Clinic of Queens are taking good care of him though, and that makes me feel better. He's hooked up to a catheter and an iv and they are monitoring him to make sure he can urinate on his own and that there is no more blood in his urine. He won't be able to come home until Wednesday they said.

I miss him so much. D and I have been visiting him every day and he seems thankful when we're there to have a break from his cage and the head collar he has to wear to keep him from licking. He has been purring when we're there and seemingly happy to hear my voice and feel our love. I'm hoping it's relaxing him, at least a little. Seeing him like that, all hooked up and sad and anxious about his surroundings is truly breaking my heart. I just want him home.

So I know this post is a little off subject from my usual topics, but I wanted to share what's been going on for me personally. Between this and father's day, it was a really rough weekend emotionally. I'm thankful Smudge is getting the care he needs and will be home and better soon.

SOFA ny 2007

You know what's funny about blogging? Sometimes, it can feel trying to come up with something to talk about, and then other times, it's like I have to keep a running mental checklist of all the things I want to be sure and talk about…

Today I'm addressing just one of the many things I've had on my mind that I want to share. I attended SOFA NY at the armory in Manhattan well over a week ago. For those who are not familiar with the acronym, it stands for Sculptural Objects and Functional Art. It's held twice a year, once in New York, once in Chicago. I missed SOFA NY last year because D and I were in the midst of moving into our apartment so I promised myself I would not miss it again this year. I was surprised to find however that in two years time, not too much had changed about the exhibit. Maybe it's never as thrilling as the first time? Maybe because it's all the same galleries exhibiting? I don't know. I just wasn't blown away by EVERYTHING I SAW like I was the first time I went to SOFA. There were really only a handful of art jewelers that stood out for me.

The most exciting work was by Melanie Bilenker represented by Sienna Gallery in Lenox, MA.



I had seen her work in magazines and was intrigued by the concept… she creates simplistic, graceful line drawings of "everyday moments" using her own hair, piece by tiny little piece, encased in layers of resin. Photos definitely do not do this artist's work justice! To say they are stunning in person is an understatement. They are so compelling and beautifully crafted. The instinct to get closer and closer to the works is intense. I just had to hold one in my hands and experience the detail up close. Bilenker achieves a great amount of depth within a tiny space and out of such subtle lines created with her own hair! Breathlessly intriguing. The ebony backing/sides of the brooches I held were a fantastic compliment to the works as well. Experiencing her jewelry in person for the first time was definitely the SOFA highlight for me.

The other artist's work whom I enjoyed visiting at Jewelers Werk Galerie in Washington, DC was Vera Siemund. Her work for me is so bizarre, and yet I'm totally compelled by it. The pierced piece below is a favorite of mine, but she has some larger, heavy looking enameled pieces that are also fantastic.

One thing I can say about SOFA, is that it's definitely a treat to be able to visit the many different high end, extraordinary art jewelry galleries, all in one place. Even though it did not blow my mind this year, I still felt inspired to see works by "my people" in person! I went home and drew in my sketchbook for an hour or so and it felt wonderful.

Anna Monichi's blonde chair

Anna Monichi, is the Italian designer behind this clever and hilarious chair that I really wish I owned. She contacted me recently and I'm so glad she did - what an amazing chair!

From the bench…

Earrings, earrings, earrings! I'm in production mode right now, trying to fill some gallery requests as well creating some back stock of hand earrings. Eyes will be next, then probably mouths and maybe some feet. Thought I would share a few photos from my studio…

Thinking Blogger Award!

Wow! I was bestowed the honor of receiving a "Thinking Blogger Award" by bead artist Lori Greenberg and I can honestly say I am shocked! Really I was convinced that there were 3 people in my life that read this blog regularly: Dave, my mom, and my friend Kate. It didn't bother me much however, I guess because the purpose of this blog for me was more an exercise in self-discipline than anything. As well as a forum for celebrating my successes and pondering and blabbing on about random musings as I contemplate my journey through the highs and lows of my creative life. But to learn someone else, someone unrelated to me, is reading my blog… regularly?! I really do feel honored. See her post here.

If there's anyone else out there reading and/or lurking in the shadows, please feel free to say hello and let me know you're there! It would really make my day.

So here's how this works: since I was tagged, I now choose my top 5 blogs, those I read regularly and the ones that make me think…

1. Art Biz Blog Art coach Alyson Stanfield's blog, this one is the ultimate thinker! It persuades me to focus on all the things I often (don't wanna!!) think about to keep me on track with my business. An endless source of helpful information.
2. Plastic Girl Liana Kabel's blog, the blog that started it all for me! She inspired me to start midgesmind and I continue to visit her Plastic Girl blog for insights and inspiration. I think she's fabulous.
3. Design*Sponge I visit this blog regularly because I'm always inspired by the great design blogger Grace Bonney highlights. I've discovered more artists and designers through this website than any other. Makes me ponder current art/design trends.
   
4. The Carrotbox I had to include this blog because it has introduced me to SO many jewelers around the world that I wouldn't have known about otherwise. Always inspirational. Always gets me thinking about art jewelry.
   
5. I Totally Hear That! I have to second Lori Greenberg's choice with this one. Hands down my favorite music/pop culture blog. Writer Mark Blankenship has got it right, especially when he says things like… (in reference to the Miss Universe Pageant): "I know, of course, that women all over the planet are subjected to constant human rights abuses and that in America they still hit glass ceilings every day. However, I naively believed that misogyny and objectification were only peddled as entertainment in lad mags like Maxim and Stuff. I didn't know that such things were still being sold to us in the guise of female empowerment." Yes.

Now for the rules, should you thought-provoking bloggers choose to respond and continue the award giving:

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think,
2. Link to this post so that people can easily find the exact origin of the meme,
3. Optional: Proudly display the ‘Thinking Blogger Award’ with a link to the post that you wrote (here is an alternative silver version if gold doesn’t fit your blog).

The G train

There are many times when I think living in NYC is such an amazing, beautiful experience. Today was just not one of those days.

I had spent all day with aching feet (from cute but uncomfortable shoes), traveling from various points in Brooklyn and Manhattan - a FedEx center here, a doctor's appointment there, buying silver and supplies in the diamond district etc., etc. - until finally rounding out my exhausting day riding the V train to Court Square in Queens where I was to transfer to the dreaded G train: the final stretch of track that lay between me and my home sweet home. I board the open doors of the crowded G, struggling to find a space, and then comes the announcement:

"Attention ladies and Gentleman, there is a smoke disturbance at the 21st/Van Alst street station - police and fire trucks are on their way. We do not know how long it will be before the train will be able to start moving again. Once again, there is no Brooklyn-bound G train service at this time while we wait for the fire to get under control."

One stop away, damn 21st st. station! So I wait. And wait… (fortunately equipped with the new book D gave me to read) 45 minutes later the announcer officially confirms that the train will not be running anytime soon and that we need to find alternate forms of transportation. Back up and on to the V train into Manhattan again I go. Ughhhhh! I just wanna get home and take off these stupid shoes!!

Public transportation is such a wonderful thing and it's times like this when I realize how very dependent city dwellers are on it. It was mass chaos on the G platform, people were screaming and cursing and angry to be confronted with such a travel nuisance - at rush hour, of course. And even though it wasn't the announcer's fault, people were losing their tempers with her about it. I felt for her in that moment. It was so utterly out of her control. It's this sort of thing that reminds me of the importance of patience.

I did get home… eventually. And you can bet I'll be getting back on the train again tomorrow.

Open For Business!

So I've been talking about it for months on end, and the day has finally arrived when I can say, "yes, you CAN buy my work directly through my website!" My SHOP is up and running at last! D and I ended up using etsy as the platform for the shop because well, quite honestly it's the most user-friendly shopping cart system out there right now. Eventually it would nice to have my own storefront for e•commerce set up right on my website, but for now the link will do just fine. Just click on "shop" in my website, choose your item from the list of what's available and you are then transported to my etsy store where you can purchase via paypal, check or money order. Easy as pie! I'm also excited to become an official part of the etsy community.

More items will be added within the next few days so check back often! Thanks for your patience, I hope you'll find it was worth the wait.