Features

A Day in the Country | 2015

May 29, 2015 By Rebecca Leave a Comment

This time next week, I’ll be toting my creations to Morehead, Ky and setting up my space for the 2015 Day in the Country at Morehead Conference Center. This is my 2nd year participating in the event which was originally conceived of and put forth by well-known folk artists, Minnie and Garland Adkins. Eventually A Day in the Country, held at the couple’s home on Happy Gizzard Hollow, became so well attended Minnie asked the Kentucky Folk Art Center to manage it. In recent years, the Morehead Conference Center has become the home of A Day in the Country. It is Kentucky’s premiere folk art fair and brings together more than 50 folk artists from around the state. I am honored to have my name listed as a participant and to have my work offered at this event. As a lover of folk art, it is truly special to me.

AND…this was the show I couldn’t get out of my head last year. I think I talked about it all year long to anyone who would listen. The quality of the artwork was astounding and mesmerizing and all those descriptive terms you try to think of when looking at really moving works of art. If I had to recommend one show to the truly passionate (folk) art collector, this is the one! I say (folk) art collector — because even if you’re primarily a fan of fine art, the pieces that can be found at A Day in the Country, just might broaden your idea of folk art. And if you already love the grit of folk art, you’ll love this show. PLUS—there’s so much more that will be happening that day! You’ll have the opportunity to bid on pieces of artwork donated by the participating artists (including moi!) during a silent auction and during a live auction. All proceeds benefit the Kentucky Folk Art Center. Trust me, this is an amazing opportunity to pick up some artwork at sometimes a steal and feel good about supporting a center committed to representing local self-taught artists. There will be music, food and an outdoor craft market in addition to a private area for collectors to sell or swap pieces from their current collections! In addition, June 6th will be the first day of the Kentucky Folk Art Center Museum’s summer exhibition titled, “Come We to the Summer”. I am happy to announce that I will have a piece in this exhibit and that this is the very first time my work will be exhibited in a gallery show in Kentucky. Make sure to check out the Event Schedule below for more details about the happenings going on in Morehead on the 6th! I guarantee it will be a fun day!

See photos from A Day in the Country 2014.

Filed Under: Announcements, Features, Kentucky Artists, My Appalachia Tagged With: A Day in the Country, kentucky folk art center, morehead ky

Popularity

April 21, 2015 By Rebecca Leave a Comment

There is one post in particular on my blog that is more popular than any other page or post. And it has absolutely nothing to do with my dolls or artwork. This post, a story about growing up searching for morel mushrooms at the feet of my Dad, is the most visited post on my blog. Even now, years after I originally published the story, comments are active.

In my web statistics, I can see that lots of folks are still interested in searching for morel mushrooms in Kentucky. Traffic to my site begins to pick up in March & continues through April & on into May.

What can I say, lots of people love morels. And lots of people love the search for the morel. By this time, after a couple of searches I sometimes close my eyes and see the texture of the morel mushroom. They’re hard little buggers to spot.

With heavy leaf fall and lots of similar textures on the ground it is sometimes very hard to see these little things. It’s no wonder that some mushroom gatherers carry walking sticks with a morel mushroom carved into the wood. Rather than identifying shape, it’s more the texture that you’re looking for. In fact, when I spot a mushroom, the best way to describe it is that my eyes accidentally “bumped” into it. Amongst all the leaf litter my eye just happens upon something more substantial.

So far this year we’ve only found a few mushrooms. One of the most thrilling experiences I’ve ever had was when my husband and I found over 150 in one spot! I was like Gretel, picking up pieces of candy from the Kentucky hills. I followed a whimsical, twisted path, plucking mushrooms from the ground every few seconds. If they had led me into the deepest darkest valley I would have followed joyfully and never made my way back out.

There isn’t much that can beat a warm, sunny spring day in Kentucky. Redbuds in bloom are often breathtaking and bloom about the same time as many other native trees, including the dogwood. This almost always coincides with the mushroom hunting season. And I swear, it can be breathtaking!

The most common search terms for today & yesterday! I love this!

Filed Under: Family Life, Features, My Appalachia Tagged With: dry land fish, Eastern Kentucky, explore kentucky, morel mushrooms, redbuds, spring in kentucky

It’s time for a Spring Sale!

April 20, 2015 By Rebecca Leave a Comment

For a limited time, a select number of my handmade creations are priced at 50% off. Click the banner below to be taken to my Etsy shop. Items available at discount can be found in the SALE category located to the left of the page. These items will be available at the discounted price through April 27th. Have fun perusing the pages! This is an excellent time to pick up a handmade creation at a steep discount! If you’d like to be notified about sales like this beforehand, please consider joining my email list. It’s a simple process and I will never share your information. Thanks for visiting!

Filed Under: Announcements, Features Tagged With: Sale

Inspired By Sweetness Just Outside my Door.

March 10, 2015 By Rebecca Leave a Comment

Sometimes you find that inspiration is staring you in the face.

Literally.

Every morning this is the face I am greeted to when I walk into my kitchen, wiping sleepiness from my eyes. This little face peers through the back kitchen door and as soon as she spots me she begins meowing sharply. Food. She wants food. When does she want it? NOW!

And so I feed her and sneak a pet while her head dips into the food bowl.

It wasn’t always like this.

Around this time last year, this little lady showed up in our neighborhood. From where she came is a mystery. I just noticed her one day outside my studio window, perched atop an old table on my porch used for holding ferns and pretty flowers on my porch. It’s typical to see wandering cats in on our street. Like most places, there is an abundance of homeless critters or perhaps critters with homes who sometimes wander the streets.

Before long this little feral lady had a batch full of kittens. I found them in June nestled under my azaleas and promptly took them to my porch for protection. Little Mama did not like that however and soon moved her kittens. I felt bad for trying to intervene….my intention was to tame the kittens and find them homes. Unfortunately, they didn’t make it.

But, this little lady has stuck around the neighborhood winning hearts and earning tasty nibbles with her sweet, delicate face. This past year has been a time of getting her healthy, getting her comfortable with the human voice & touch. Yesterday, I watched her come to my husband for petting and soak it up. She’s still a little standoffish at times but we can sneak in neck scratches when she’s eating and she’ll come really close to me for treats. There has been a lot of sitting with her while she eats this past year. I think this spring will be great for her! And I think little by little she will learn to trust although I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to pick her up and cuddle.

Although this little lady doesn’t have an official name yet & is still a neighborhood cat as I suspect she visits lots of us regularly, she is the inspiration behind my doll for this month’s PFATT Marketplace.

I’ve named my doll Mittsy, but I suspect our feral gal would think that’s too cutesy.