silver tree art is a papernstitch spring exhibitor!

i love what happens on the papernstitch blog and in the gallery.  

take a look at the fantastic creations on the site.  enjoy!  

creative spaces: handmade holiday 2010

here are a few spaces of my booth at handmade holiday, my last show of the season for 2010:

and a couple of image of susannah of zou zou's basement:

creative spaces: back alley arts 2010

a few booth photos from this show I was invited to participate in.

Good Treats: Great Gifts Holiday Market

Great Gifts Holiday Shop is a juried holiday market in Charlottesville, VA located at The Bridge. Visit the soft opening this Friday so see amazing art in the gallery & handmade goodness in the shop or go during December's Holiday hours. We've already enjoyed our first visit and will return again when the Shop is up and running. Enjoy!

Upcoming Shows: Oystoberfest

Upcoming Shows: The Steward School Fall Bazaar

life stories: buyers market of american craft: august 2010

among my favorite moments are the opportunities i have to tell and share stories. each piece of art i create is meant to tell a story. at BMAC i enjoyed meeting talented artists and fabulous gallery owners & buyers for a variety of shops. i look forward to revealing shops to you as the orders continue to come. for those who introduce my art to new shops that place an order, i'll be offering a referral gift. cheers!

enjoy the images from my booth: silver tree art. i'll upload some other images of additional artists in coming posts. this summer has been filled to the brim and i know i have a lot of catching up to do. silence in one space means words bursting in other spaces & places. there's so much goodness to share. i'm a bit excited.

the booth from a long-view.

block printed moleskine cashier journals.

peeking from behind the sunflower picked from our garden.

bright yummy treats for your home, body, and spirit.

art star craft bazaar, philly

booth sharing at this year's art star craft bazaar:

tasha mckelvey pottery.

feet ready for the ride home.

and a custom order: creating a pendant from a special cap celebrating a 3oth birthday. she's had this in her purse for over a year in search of the artist to create the pendant. i'm honored to receive this gift of creation!

Appreciation

Catching up on a little color love from Mary Lou Zeek Gallery, which carries Silver Tree Art in the gallery shop! Blog entry from October 2009.

IndieFixx Summertime Galleria

summertime is truly upon us.  we're enjoying the warmth of the outdoors & bounty of the garden (ours & our organic farmer friends).  i'm also finding inspiration in so many amazing artists, illustrators, and crafters around me, from local to across the world.  over the summer, i want to share some of those inspirations as i encounter them, whether for the first time or a return to their creativity.  

i've mentioned indiefixx's great feed your soul downloadable art project.  now meet the indiefixx galleria, a juried gallery of indie goods that features a variety of folks.  i am happy to be among those juried for the summer galleria.  check out my wears as well as these other folks!  you'll certainly enjoy the creativity that's here, and maybe find something to make your own.  discounts apply, but you need to visit the listings to discover them.  

cheers.

Called to Create

Fidelia's Sisters, a fabulous online publication of the Young Clergy Women Project, is a great space in which I've often been invited to share.  In May's addition of Christ & Creativity, you can find an interview about my call to create.  YCW is an avenue of kindred spirits who challenge me to create, to preach, to teach, and to love in superior ways.  YCW is an exceptional group of young women in various calls that I am blessed to be a part of.  (Not language I use lightly.)

Enjoy.

motherhood

You can never have too many mothers.  Article on Salon.com that Soule Mama recommended on her blog.  Interesting read.  Have a look. 

yesterday i had two wonderful conversations with two amazing women who can each be identified as mother, minister, wise woman, wife, and friend.  (among other titles and hats they wear.)  each brought ideas and suggestions and questions to the table as i attempt to find steady "work" and summer employment.  what does "work" mean and why's it in quotations?  well, when i'm doing what i love, it doesn't feel like work.  when i'm dealing with difficult people it does.  so, there's a balance i strike:  i do what i love as much of the time as i can.  i'm open and willing to make myself available to other opportunities, because they arrive for a reason, too.

for some time i've been in discernment about the next step, the evolving direction of ministry and vocation.  today i'm moving myself into a realm of marketing and business plans and working toward gaining a business license for my business name(s).  whew.  

we women are smart.  we are resourceful and we are good at helping each other.  yes, i mentioned comparison and sometimes competition coming up, but on the whole i have experienced a cooperative spirit that desires for all to succeed.   in a round-about way, the article linked above shouts out that we do need help as mothers and that there are resources (hopefully) around us as we raise our children.  my son certainly has others who aid in his development, others that he loves, that he defines as family when they have no blood relation but are as meaningful to his life.  

throughout my spiritual life i have recognized those who i find a deep, godly connection.  my spiritual autobiography mapped out these relationships back in seminary.  some of those and newer relationships (in the last 5 years) are what are bringing me into a "new way of being" now and for the moments to come.  their wisdom and experience are in a way mothering me into a new space, where i feel nourished and ready to move forward.  i love the many mothers that have been in my life.  and in echoing the article and the importance of balance between males and females, i love the other fathers who have been intentional and loving and caring.  warm, caring feelings this morning as i reflect on all this good care, good intention, and good sense.  thank you, mothers.  thank you alloparents.  thank you, fathers, and those who showed me what fathers look like.  thank you, wisdom.  thank you, mother god.  

all in a name

today i received an email from a woman in missouri who also uses the name silver tree in her art work.  she shared some of her story surrounding her name and asked for my story.  i thought i'd share it here, as she is not the first to ask, but i found the words flowing.  thus, i'm quoting myself, using capital letters, which i never do here:

I'm happy to give you a little history of my name for my art.  I like to say that I grew up in a tree ( a wisteria tree ) in my grandmother's yard.  There my creativity took the shape of mudpies among the sounds of bees & smells of those flowers, which also topped my creations.  My doodles & block prints always have some form of tree, and trees are especially calming to me ad my creative spirit.  Thus, tree.  I love working with silver and have made jewelry in various forms since I was a teenager. Thus, silver.  What I do is art.  It took a long time to admit that my "creativity" produced art.  I always thought of art as a part of me, but never fully acknowledged myself as an artist until a few years ago.  

Thus, Silver Tree Art is what I call my art & wears.  Also because what I do takes the form of "branches".  I am the tree itself and what grows from me includes my various art forms & lines -- block printing, jewelry, writing, quilting, stained glass, cooking, gardening, etc.  I also lead bereavement groups and conduct art & spirituality retreats as well as workshops and retreats for children & youth.  I am an ordained minister and enjoy these retreats/workshops/groups very much, as they are a part of that growth from my core -- the tree trunk.  The tree has become a very important symbol to me as well, because i attribute my creativity -- coming up from the roots --as a source springing up from my ancestors, the collective creative spirit, and the Creator.  my various endeavors, or you could say the many hats i wear -- the branches -- can give voice to the various aspects of my life, which all come from the core of me.  My art is also seasonal, which takes the tree metaphor full-circle.  I am not always working with the same medium or using the same material, but they cycle back into the picture.  

in case you were curious, there you go.

techno-savvy, well sort of

announcing my site:  www.silvertreeart.net. (tooting my own horn here.)  i'm so proud to have designed and directed you to this site.  really, it's been a bit harrowing, but it's done!  in the words of Lightning McQueen, "Ca-chow".  yes, we watch Cars every other day.  

for the richmonders, check out today's weekend section in the paper.  there should be something fun in the arts column of Jo Lord.  article below.

peace.

sunday's spring bada-bing

what a hit! the show was great and there were MANY more talented individuals than i had the privilege to meet. woo hoo! check out the photostream with pictures from the show that a fellow artist uploaded. You'll note that I've linked my booth with my oblivious self (not recognizing the picture was taken!). Good stuff.

enjoy these glimpses. i'll be in a new lakeside shop--more to come--and a NC gallery soon to open. good stuff.



i'll be looking for more birdcages and other shelving for setup in some shops. this was lots of fun to use. love what i came up with and so many others did, too. the best compliment was that this should be featured in the mary englebreit magazine! how sweet.