Sweet September

Welcome to the Autumn Archway into all the best memories, all the familiar scents, all the traditions and all the hustle and bustle in an artist's life. This is the time where our calendars start to fill up and we make plans for all the shows and exhibits and sending our creativity out into the world.

With the cooler weather, I've loved pulling out scarves, looking longingly at cardigans and beginning to think in terms of layers and textures. We'll be sipping pumpkin lattes and looking for those missing mittens in no time. With all that said, it is still shorts weather here in Lawrence, and I'd like you to join me for some eye candy and some calendar dates you don't want to miss.

I have contracted with Two hands Paperie (a paper store in Boulder Co.) for a couple of classes this fall and am looking for students! If you've taken a class with me in the past and can personally recommend me to your Colorado friends for September 13, Fairy Tale Forest, that would be so sweet! Here is a link to the class description and some samples of work for the class: https://twohandspaperie.com/collections/spring-2025-in-store-classes/products/fairy-tale-forest-new-in-store-class-sept-13 Please share this link with friends as the trip is scheduled but I am one participant shy of the class being canceled... yikes!

The second class with Two Hands Paperie is ONLINE! It is my highly popular Embroidery on Postcards workshop - this can be taken by anyone living anywhere! I've been putting together the class kits and they are chock full of materials, snacks and wee gifties.

Here in Lawrence my latest session of Paper and Friends workshops begins on Saturday with Torn Paper Couture - an easy high fashion project made with torn strips of handmade paper.

Click the link to see all the other offerings this session, from paper baby shoes to mixed media wreaths, I've got all your diy holiday gift giving covered.

Starting September 12th, I'll have an exhibit up at the Salina Public Library: "A Kansas Story Time" This collection of over 20 pieces are named for current and historic Salina individuals. Each piece is unique and will come with a bit of the research into these remarkable people. In this exhibit I have stretched my repertoire of garments to include bibs, baby shoes, bonnets, bathing suits and and a bathrobe.

A Kansas Story Time will run from September 13 through October 24 and I hope you can make the trip to see it.

I will be participating in the following annual shows and activities this year and hope to see you there!

Oct 26 Hosting the Lawrence Art Guild's Festival of Trees Art Workshop* This is a volunteer group crafting project to create the decorations for the annual donation from LAG to the Festival of Trees to be auctioned for charity. All are invited, 1-5 at Art Emergency

Nov 28- January 23 Lawrence Art Guild Annual Winter Exhibit at Cider Gallery - click link for hours

Dec 6-7 Winter Art Market at Art Emergency

Dec 13-14 Holiday Art Fair at Cider Gallery

Looking towards next year:

May 2026 Solo Exhibit Lawrence Public Library: Banned Babies

July 2026 Solo Exhibit Phoenix Underground

*Last year we made tiny houses for our submission of "Home for the Holidays" and raised over $800 for the 2024 recipients at the O'Connell Children's Shelter.

Please join us October 26 1-5 at Art Emergency for a large crafting session to make this year's decorations - there will be mini canvases to take and paint your own sunflowers and everything you'll need to make Kansas themed mixed media sunflowers:

I'd like to finish with a few random photos just for fun. While I was in New Mexico last month, I was staying at a historic house/complex that had inherited some of the supplies from my mother's restaurant kitchen. Here are a few snaps of my mother's bowls on her stainless steel kitchen island.

As I scrubbed the surface for the last time, I imagined how many hundreds of times her arms had reached across the shiny surface, cleaning, prepping and nourishing her community of Jemez Springs for almost 20 years. The repetition of motion and parallel action connected me to her across time and universes. The Mission Street Arts Residency was the perfect time to create, think, rest, teach and commune with loved ones both here in this time and those who have moved beyond.

And finally, at work, for staff day, we've been asked for our high school senior photos... here is mine - sitting on the CU Varsity Bridge in 1982 with Nutmeg and Sprout.

It is always interesting to look back on past selves, to think about what was going through that young mind at the time. Let's just say since you haven't seen my name up in lights or on the cover of People Magazine, those early dreams of being a famous actress never came to fruition. Decades later, I am happy with where the journey of life has taken me and hope you feel the same about yours.

Thanks for reading this far, I hope for all of you that this new season coming upon us is filled with community, abundance and self love <3