Quinlan Con Part II

Breakfast with Lillian Alberti, Christine Shively-Benjamin, me, Floyd Bell, and Sandra Wright Justiss.

Lillian Alberti at her table.

Lillian's mermaid.

Lillian's Mrs. Haversham.

Cassandra Graham.

Cassandra's old crone.

Kevin Buntin.

Kevin's giant that just woke up and is about to go on a walkabout. He is so cool and his new home is the Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Museum & Library.

Kevin made the little house and trees.

Truly an awesome piece.

Christine and her table.

Her wonderful dolls.

Anki Daanen and some of her dolls.

Sandi McAslan and her table. I met some really wonderful artists, there was so much talent at the convention. If you can make it next year, please do. We had a great time.

Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Convention

I hadn't been to a doll convention in years but this year I participated in the Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Convention, Show & Sale in Essington, Pennsylvania. It was wonderful. If you are interested in dolls or bears or both, this is the place you should be next year. The talent was astounding. I did have a table of my dolls set up and have ideas swirling in my head for next year. It will be bigger and better. I saw an old friend there, met new friends, got lots of business information, networked, and had a lot of fun.

Here I am with the kids.

A view of my whole table. It turned out better than I'd hoped.

This is a needle felted bear by artist Stevi T of Alpaca Encounters. www.stevit.etsy.com

And this is her pirate Steampunk rat.

There were many panel discussions and this one was on How to Find, Create and Encourage New Collectors. The panel included Agnes Intellicato, Christine, Donna Nielsen, Debbie Weimert, Cindy McGuire, and Amy Thornton.

Christine Shively-Benjamin also gave a talk for someone who couldn't make it. It was called, Dolls in the Smithsonian's Museum of the American Indian.

Me and Christine. We've been friends for a very long time.

Lillian Alberti, Diane Troutman, and me.

Some of the wonderful people I met at one of the yummy meals.

Mark Dennis. Love his work. He won two awards the last night.

Here's Christine again. She's a lovely lady and avid collector. I'm going to have to do this in two parts.

Richmond, VA

On my way to the Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Convention, I stopped for an overnight stay at my friend Annie's. So much better than driving straight through from North Carolina. She and her husband Mark to me to the Canal section of town where there's a walkway.

The canals were used in transport a long time ago but now aid in flooding. Richmond had been flooded many times. The worst in the 1771, then again with a couple of recent hurricanes. The one I can remember is Agnes. There is now a very tall flood wall with gates in case it gets that bad again.

The week before I got there, they had a huge art fair. These murals went up all over the city by different artists in a 48 hour period of time. They did some amazing murals.

This is the long causeway where artists set up their booths. Annie said it was packed.

Chair art.

This was very cool. Half bodies sticking out of the bulls eye.

Love the catfish in this one.

That's me standing in front of this one. I love the saying on it. "James, is that you I smell?" I don't know, I thought it was funny.

A folk art type mural.

This bird was awesome. Almost Steampunk like.

A closeup.

This is art someone did in a drainpipe of a building. Pretty cool.

There is also a large park along the walk where they have concerts. This sculpture represents the industrial boom in the early 1900s.

  Here's an old warehouse that is being renovated, probably for condos.

As you can see from the front, it was a R J Reynolds Tobacco Company building. I would love to see what's inside. There's more to come.

Ready for a Paint Job

Busy, busy, busy me. Working very hard to stay focused on these dolls for the Quinlan Convention Show & Sale. I'm so excited. And wouldn't you know it? My brain is overflowing with new doll ideas. Say what? All I can do is write everything down and do lots of sketching. I feel great. I feel alive. I feel at peace.

Here's A Quick One

Once again I missed my Wednesday post. Oh well, life goes on. I'm here right now. And life is good. I'm legal and ready for the Quinlan show. I've got my PA sales tax number. Woo hoo! Still in the thralls of doll parts. I can say that I'm having fun even though my apartment is a mess and it's beginning to freak me out. I will have to put all show things in one corner.

Yay! I was finally able to do something right and get it to where I needed it. Learn something new everyday. Back to stuffing. Have a great day!

Works in Progress- April

Oh my! Missed Friday's blog. Sorry. I was in the emergency clinic all afternoon. My knee had swelled, I was in a lot of pain and it wasn't pretty. Got checked out, a prescription for inflammation and pain and a knee brace. Just when you think things are going great, the universe tests you by throwing banana peels, marbles, and whipped cream on the floor in front of you. Yes, it was frustrating and annoying because it was another bill. Six years ago I would have crumbled up and cried my eyes out and asked, "Why me? Why now". But because I'm stronger and more secure of who I am, I cried only a little bit. Took a deep breath and kept going. Heck! I'm going to the Quinlan Doll & Teddy Bear Convention, Show and Sale.

I did have a lot of catching up to do because I was in pain and when you're in pain, the brain just says 'no'. So here's some of what I've been working on. I still have a week to get things done for the show. I am very excited to be going and a part of that show.

Here are some of the Prim Dollies I will take. They still need some decoration and their hair.

And here are my zombie dolls and bunnies. Initial paint job. Still sewing and will be getting other dollies dressed today. I also have more voodoo doll pins in the works. Thanks for stopping by.

Six Years!

Six years ago this month, I moved from Michigan to North Carolina. My life had been in a holding pattern and it didn't look like it was going to get any better. For several years there was a massive migration of Michiganians to other places. I knew I wanted to get back to my artwork and I knew that it wouldn't happen in my home state. So I packed up my truck and headed south. That year, 51,000 people left the state.

I knew one person when I got to North Carolina. My friend Jon had been bugging me to come visit him. We met in Japan. I decided not to just visit but to move. He helped me get a place and my new adventure began. I had to learn my way around. I started hanging out in the Arts District, meeting people so they would remember me for any job that may come up. Finding places to show my work or sell it. Whatever free even I could find, I went to. I was a little afraid but very hopeful.

The first friend I made was Marta. She also moved to NC from Arkansas that same year. We met at a writer's meeting. My second friend I made was Maya, who saw something in me that I hadn't yet seen in myself. They are still my friends. I have made a few more friends and many more acquaintances. I've learned new things and a lot more things about myself. That I am brave, determined, resilient, bold, talented. I can say that I've worked my butt off in the past six years. I've done doll shows, made dolls for an independent film, have my dolls in several shops and galleries, and almost have my kid's book edited.

I have traveled a bit of the state. I've been to the coast, the foothills, and the mountains. I've even been to my first National Park. There are many more places to visit, like Asheville.

The foundation has been laid. I'm so proud of myself. All my hard work is paying off and I'm ready for the next part of my creative journey. I do hope you hang around to see what happens next in my world.