The Secret is Out!

"Tickled Pink," 7" x 5", made by Pam Geisel, October 2009

I made this by arranging small pieces of pink and brown fabric in a piece of innerfacing then I covered it with tulle and quilted the pieces in place using brown and pink thread.

More about Tickled Pink.

ArtWorks, a group in Cincinnati whose goal is employing student and emerging artists to create art that enlivens the Greater Cincinnati community, has an annual fund-raising event featuring the exhibition and sale of 5” x 7” works of art from local, national and international artists. This year they have 1747 pieces of art and all are for sale at $75 each. The secret behind each piece is the identity of the artist, which is revealed after the work is purchased. Tickets for the event are $100 per person and include a voucher for one of the pieces of art (they also have an option for couples for $125 and only 1 piece of art).

The event was held on Nov. 20, and although it sounded like a lot of fun, I was unable to attend.

There is a follow-up event, the Post Secret ArtWorks sale on Fri., Dec. 18 from 9 am-7 pm and Sat., Dec. 19 from 9 am-11 am at the ArtWorks Gallery located at 811 Race St. in Cincinnati, Ohio. Secret Art will be sold for $35 each or 2 for $60, and Secret Art from previous years well be sold for $10 each.

Where the Really Big "E" is now

Back in August I blogged about the Really Big "E" that I appliqued for my part of the Quiltsy Team's banners that we made for the Etsy offices. Etsy has received all the banners and posted photos of them in their new home. If you want to see more photos, including close-ups, just go to to this Flickr page.

Glen Helen's Nature Arts & Crafts Show

(Photo by the Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce)

Well I survived another year co-ordinating the Nature Arts & Crafts Show! Actually, I had a very good show and I think a lot of the other artists did also. And, as always, it was good to see the returning artists again and also to meet the new ones that I'd been e-mailing for the last several months.

I want to thank to the volunteers who collected the admission fee, baked and sold the bake sale items, and helped with clean up. And a special thanks to Niki Dakota, who invited me to talk about the show Friday morning on WYSO, the local Public Radio Station located right here in Yellow Springs. I was nervous about being on the radio, but she made it easy, and even fun.

Yellow Ribbon fabric mosaic

"Yellow Ribbon," 10" x 8", made by Pam Geisel, November 2009

This fabric mosaic is made with green and yellow fabric fused to a white background, covered with tulle, then quilted in place and framed.

This close up shows the tulle and stitches.

More about Yellow Ribbon.

Glen Helen's Nature Arts & Crafts Show, Nov. 21-22

The Nature Arts & Crafts Show is more than an art show for me. While I've sold my art there since 2006, I've been co-ordinating the show since 2001.

Every year we have several new artists, but many of the artists return year after year so there's also a wonderful sense of community among the artists, and it's fun to catch up with these friends, most of whom I only see once a year.

Photographers Ron Austing and Ken Becker, fiber artists Barbara Jones and Jack Southern, and stain glass maker Dave Roach have all been doing the show since before I started co-ordinating it. And although Charley Harper, a fixture at the show for many years, has passed on, his son Brett is still selling Charley's work and they will have some at the show.

For some returning artists, this is the only show that they do, or the only one that they do in the area, and others have mentioned to me that this is their favorite show.

Some of the artists new to the show this year are Ginny Baughman who makes art with found objects, Julie Gootee whose pendants and earrings use real butterfly and dragonfly wings, Christine Klinger who paints abstract landscapes and floral paintings, Rose Lawson who makes hand-woven beaded art, Geno Luketic whose pottery is functional and decorative, and Bootsie Robison who knits clothing and accessories from sheep and alpaca wool. Photographer Daniel Powers, who participated in the show before I was involved is returning this year.

The Glen Helen Nature Arts & Crafts Show is a fund-raising event for Glen Helen, a 1,000 acre nature preserve located in Yellow Springs and owned by Antioch College. This is the 28th year for the event which features nature-related art and fine crafts made by local and regional artisans. We have photography, watercolor and oil paintings, jewelry, stained glass, fiber arts, pottery, sculpture, and many other wonderful items.

The show is held at the Glen Helen Building, 405 Corry St. in Yellow Springs and is always the weekend before Thanksgiving. This year it is Sat. Nov. 21 from 9 am-5 pm and Sun. Nov. 22 from 11 am-5 pm. The $4 admission fee goes to Glen programs.

Quiltsy on Etsy

If you've never heard of Etsy before, it's an on-line site for buying handmade items where I have a "store." I'm also a member of the Quiltsy Team (the name started out as QuiltEtsy, we just dropped the "Et" at some point). Here's a link to my Etsy store.

Quiltsy team members are a talented bunch! Some of them make non-quilted sewing items like aprons and purses, some of them make knitted and crochetd items, and other make jewelry and art dolls, so you're likely to find something that would make a great gift for someone on your list, or maybe even something for yourself!

ART to BUY Holiday Gift Gallery at the Dayton Visual Arts Center

DVAC (Dayton Visual Arts Center) is having their annual "ART to BUY" Holiday Gift Gallery. It is open Nov. 6 2009 to Jan. 1, 2010. I've got some art for sale there.  

Some special dates:
Fri., Nov. 6, First Friday Opening Reception and Artist Demos, 5-8 pm
Fri., Dec. 4: First Friday, open until 8 pm
Wed., Dec. 23: Beer & Peanuts Last Minute Shopping Party, 5-8 pm
Fri., Jan. 1: First Friday Closing Reception, open until 8 pm

The gallery is open Tues.-Sat. 11 am-6 pm with the exception of Thanksgiving and Christmas (and will close at 2 pm on Thanksgiving eve, Christmas eve, and New Year's Eve). DVAC is located at 118 N. Jefferson St., in Dayton, Ohio.