Yikes! First Shop Sale

Holy Moly. I've already sold a hat in my new shop and rather than feeling happy about it, I am panicked because I was counting on my nice little display being a place holder while I make more inventory. Now I'm scrambling.

I used to have several of these abundant displays when I did craft shows.
Now I only have about 4 hats total to show.

Two years ago I was still recovering from major surgery so I suspended all my sewing, removed my wearables from galleries, and took a hiatus from that endeavour. The kind of sewing technique used in my work is actually quite hard on the body and I didn't have the stamina for it. Now I'm better and have planned to start up again - slowly at first. My inventory of hats and jackets is woefully low and if I make any more sales my new shop will look even emptier. Oi! I need to "hit the ground running."

I will show you anything new. Soon.

Radial Symmetry

A while ago I received a letter from a high school teacher far away who had seen some of my kirigami online. She asked permission to show my mandalas to her math class which was studying radial symmetry, thinking it might add an interesting dimension to the concept.


In that spirit, here are some recent mandalas I've cut which are pretty good examples of radial symmetry. These all have a floral design.

My New Little Shop: The Art-to-Wear Room

At the end of the little hallway, as yet undecorated, is a sweet little room where I will be featuring my wearables. There is much more to do - I especially need to make more inventory - but this is a good start.

Welcome to My New Gift Shop

I've been absent from this blog for a few days as I worked furiously to set up my new little shop. I have two plus rooms in the old bible factory on Route 4 west, just outside of the village of Woodstock, Vermont. Technically, I am part of the consignment shop, "Something Old, Something New" but my rooms are separate and function pretty much like my own shop. The beauty of it is that I don't have to be there all the time. I will be able to be in my studio producing while the owner runs the store.

Here you see the entrance to the consignment shop with a little sign pointing to my rooms.

I've set up the basics now, have priced and tagged everything. Now I need to decorate a bit more, put things on the walls, and make more hats! I will formally announce my shop in a few more days. I invite you to stop by. It's very modest right now and the great "booth" rent is balanced by the fact that I'm not in the village, where most of the action is. While I intent to approach this positively, I am under no illusions that my lack of visibility in town may prove fatal in the end. This is an experiment. If I can drum up interest for my work, at some point I may be able to move into town. We shall see. For now, I'm having fun.

Here are some pictures of the first room you enter when you come into my domain. This is the "Gift Room," where I have my cards, prints, and kirigami. Scattered among my wares are other pretty little things I intend to sell, to keep the consignment customers interested and to help pay the rent.



Tomorrow I will show you the Art to Wear room. Here's the little hallway that leads to it:

1000 Markets is No More

I sadly announce that the beautiful online artisan gallery, 1000 Markets, will be closing its doors in a few days, and so the lovely little shop I had there will be closing. My two Etsy shops will still be open and you can always contact me directly through my website if you require anything.

This is a sad development because 1000Markets was one of the few juried artisan sites on the web. It also did not accept supplies and vintage items like Etsy, Artfire, and many of the others, so customers knew that everything on the site was of high quality and either made by hand or derived from original artwork. (It is always a struggle for artists and fine crafters to gain a foothold in a marketplace overwhelmed by manufactured goods.) Most of all, 1000Markets was a beautiful site, very tasteful and appealing. So many of the other online venues look like a jungle of advertising, although I see that Etsy has now changed its shop format to look more like 1KM.

I will miss them.

Delicate Kirigami Designs

I've been on a roll lately. 'Tis the season for creating kirigami "snowflakes" for the upcoming holiday rush. I have an opportunity to display and sell 100 hanging papercuts at a big event in December, so I'm cutting every night. I'm even dreaming of designs to cut. Here are some I've finished recently. (Click on the image to enlarge it.)


I'm still setting up my small shop. Hopefully it will be done by this weekend. Tourists have already arrived in town to see the changing foliage. As soon as the shop is set up I can get back to painting. Stay tuned.

A Twelve Pointed Snowflake

Last night I tried my hand at a twelve pointed kirigami orientation again. Natural snowflakes are six pointed, so a multiple of six is more authentic when making paper snowflakes. This is more difficult to fold and cut, however, and there isn't as much room for creating pretty motifs, so I generally cut an eight pointed "star" which I call a mandala instead of a snowflake. When I teach workshops someone always brings this up and I have to be familiar with how to cut a more authentic flake. Thus, every once in a while I practice. The flake above is 12 pointed and the one below is 8 pointed, as I normally cut.

Sculpturefest 2010

If you are in Vermont for foliage season, I highly recommend you visit Woodstock and turn up Prosper Road to Charlet Davenport's farm. Every year she hosts a Sculpturefest, a free walking tour of sculpture by local and national artists. There is such a delightful "Vermonty" flavor to the event. Bring your walking shoes because the installations are scattered over several acres of field and forest. This weekend I gave myself the pleasure of walking and viewing. HERE is the website with info. Trust me, though, these photos do not do it justice.



I try to give myself some art- viewing time every week to keep my juices flowing. Artwork, like writing, can be a somewhat isolating experience. You can easily get caught up in your own head, stagnating in one's own self-criticism, unless you get out and feed the Muse.

Kirigami Hearts

New kirigami hearts, destined to be laminated and strung for hanging.

Under an African Sky

A large Kirigami mandala, ready to frame.

Sizing Up the Situation

The other day I took advantage of a half price sale at the art store and bought some more canvases. In the back is the giant 4ft x 5 ft canvas I've been so afraid of. In the front is the measeley little 11x14 canvas I began practicing on.

After stacking them up in the bunk room (they don't fit in my teeny studio) I had an "aha!" moment. When I began the first painting it became apparent almost immediately that I was, again, working too small so I prepared several surfaces that were nearly twice the size(16x20.) But they also seemed too small as a practice for working large. So I aquired a 24 x 30 canvas - again twice the size. It wasn't until I bought two 36x42 canvases (again twice as large) that I felt on the right track. Finally, this size feels large to me - but not overwhelming. Perhaps I was right in feeling intimidated by the thought of painting on a surface that was 8 times larger than I'm used to. Really, though, I might have been better leaping into deeper water right from the start.

I'm still going to follow my plan of doubling the size every painting until I'm ready for the big one. I'd like to be painting right now but... got to get that shop opened by this weekend.

Mermaids in Seaweed

And so, to add to my mermaid collection, a large kirigami mandala, ready to frame. This will be for sale on Etsy today.

My New Little Shop - Beginnings

I haven't had much to show you recently because I've been working on a new project: my own little shop - sort of. There is a consignment shop (furniture, housewares, art, etc. - no clothing) just outside of the village of Woodstock, VT called "Something Old, Something New." I've consigned things and bought things there. A few weeks ago I was talking with the owner and - I honestly don't remember how we gravitated to this - she and I agreed to collaborate. She was wanting to downsize her store but didn't want to give up her location on Route 4. I've been wanting my own shop as long as I can remember. So, as of next week, just in time for foliage season, I will be taking over two nice little rooms and a hallway in her sprawling collection of rooms at the old Bible Factory on Route 4. Although I will be a consigner, the space will be dedicated to my things and I can decorate it any way I wish. The sign outside will have an addition saying "featuring Emerlye Arts."

I've always wanted a little shop but Woodstock is such an outrageously expensive little tourist town that the cost of a storefront of my own has always been prohibitive. This is a wonderful opportunity of having a public space for my artwork, wearables, kirigami, etc. without actually having to own anything. I already have my wares in several other stores outside the area so am used to paying commissions.

I've not moved into the space yet - that will happen later this week - and it will probably take me a month to get it spruced up to my satisfaction. I will show you photos of its progress. This is what one of my rooms and the little hallway look like. It still has some of the other consigner's things in it, so it looks messy. The rooms are sweet, though, and full of light.

This is the doorway from the main store into my suite of rooms.

Here it is again, looking from my space out into the main shop.
The black door is the building entrance.
To the left is a small alcove into a closet and bathroom.

This is one of my two rooms. How will I ever fill it?

There is a lot of space. At first I will be using some of the furniture from the main store but later I will get my own furniture to use as display bases. They will be for sale to help pay some of my expenses. (I used to be in the antiques business so this should be fun.)

This is the little hallway that connects my two rooms.
More wallspace for hanging.

I can't show you a photo of the smaller room, as it came out too dark. I will most likely set that room up for my wearables. We'll see.

Oooooo. I'm so excited. I hope this little arrangement works out. At least I will be able to get things out of my house and reclaim my living room! Stay tuned.

Star of David

Stars in Their Eyes

I was cutting stars the other night and got the idea to try a six pointed hebrew Star of David - not as easy as it seemed if you eschew drawing before you cut, as I do. I'll practice more but these are my first attempts. I'm listing a couple of them in my Etsy shop, in case you are interested.

Rufino Tamayo

Thanks for introducing me to Rufino Tamayo, another mid-century Mexican abstract artist.




When I am in a slow period, I find it very helpful to go look at art for inspiration. I stalk galleries, books, and Google Images to give myself a beauty fix. I imagine you do the same, yes?

Orozco & Labor Day

Right now I have nothing of my own to show you although I am laboring very hard on a project I will reveal soon - which puts me in mind of the Labor Day holiday we just celebrated, which got me thinking about the wonderful worker art from the early and mid 20th century.

Jose Clemente Orozco painted wonderful murals throughout the library at nearby Dartmouth College. I view them often and think they are wonderful - but they are more than a little angry and militant, which isn't my style.


A populist mural painter I find more cheerful is Diego Rivera, husband of Frida Kahlo.


Here are some in his "Flower Seller" series.


I also love the murals of Coit Tower in San Francisco. HERE is a great explanation of it as a public works project during the Great Depression, along with more photos. How wonderful that back then putting artists to work was part of the economic recovery plan - something missing from today's stimulus.




Here's to having a happy and fulfilling job - or at least one that pays the rent!