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Fra Angelica Gallery - Blog
 The holiday season is here, and a number of great events are coming up. BAYarts Holiday Open HouseNovember 21st 10am - 4pm BAYarts, Bay Village Expanded gallery space for the holidays. You'll find my handknit wearables and jewelry, as well as one-of-a-kind art from a variety of artists. Also, I'll be knitting in the gallery during the afternoon of Saturday, December 5. Stop by and do some shopping!!! Christmas Cornucopia Craft ShowNovember 22 11am -- 5pm Saint Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, Rocky River I'll be there with jewelry and purses. A number of other local artists are participating. In addition, there'll be a white elephant sale of gently used items and a bake sale. Galleria Holiday PartyDecember 3 11am - ??? We'll have a variety of artwork from Artist Review Today Gallery and a holiday party. Stop by to see art by some of the best local artists. Many of us will be there to greet you!
 While knitting at River Colors a couple of weeks ago, I noticed a great fiber necklace designed by Heidi of Stitch Cleveland. Called "Chain Addiction", it's a multi-strand crocheted piece that lays beautifully around your neck. So, armed with my Size I crochet hook and some gorgeous, soft yarns from River Colors, I crocheted a few of these beauties in a variety of colors. You can wear it as a necklace or as a scarf inside your coat. Check them out at BayArts in Bay Village and at Artist Review Today in the Galleria downtown.
Artist Review Today was featured on "That's Life", a television show hosted by local celebrity Robin Swoboda and filmed in Cleveland. Aired on Thursday, October 1, it was filmed at the gallery and showcased the beautiful artwork on display. Michael, the owner, discussed the gallery's focus on local art and artists. I'm disappointed that I didn't see the show, but several friends did and said they recognized my fiber art. What a thrill to have my work and that of my friends at the gallery on television!
 You'll find me selling my handknits and jewelry at a boutique table at the sixth annual Wearable Art Fashion Show and Sale. Sponsored by the Textile Art Alliance of The Cleveland Museum of Art, the event will be held on Sunday, October 18 at LaMalfa in Mentor. In addition to the boutique, the show features a stunning fashion show and luncheon. The wearable art, some of the best in Northeast Ohio, includes one-of-a-kind garments, coats, jackets, accessories, jewelry, and other imaginative fiber wearables for day and evening.
Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites LaMalfa 5783 Heisley Road Mentor
10:30am Boutique Preview Shopping and Artists' Raffle 1pm Fashion Show and Luncheon 3pm - 5pm Boutique open to the public $5 at the door Tickets Boutique Preview, Fashion Show, Lunch, Runway Sales: $45 Advance reservations, call CMA: 216-707-6820
Maggi Jackson is a truly unique knitwear designer, originally from Northern Ireland. She creates wonderful, innovative designs and markets her own line of yarn to support her patterns -- linen, Irish tweed, cotton, rag, ribbon in beautiful, organic colors. Now through November 28th, River Colors Studio has designated Saturdays from 10am - noon as official Maggi KnitAlong times. We recommend the Cloughjordan Wrap (book 16) and the Trapiche Wrap (book 14) as great projects for this knitalong. I've knitted both pieces and have the samples available to view.  Posted to the left is a picture of my Cloughjordan Wrap done in linen. The original is knitted in Maggi's tweed, also a good choice. The tweed is much heavier and suitable for our Ohio winters. The linen gives the design a beautiful drape, and it can be worn in all climates. I love wearing this wrap so much that I've started knitting a second one, using some Indigo dyed cotton that I purchased from my friend Joann at Three Pines Studio in Cross Village, MI. Joann is an expert dyer, specializing in indigo.  The bottom photograph is a picture of my Trapiche Wrap, knitted using Maggi's tweed, linen, and angora. It includes a few ruffles not knitted in the original. I had a lot of fun knitting the Trapiche and completed it in less than a week. I was obsessed, to say the least, and stayed up until well past 1am several nights because I just wanted to knit "one more row". Erika at River Colors just got in some great new buttons in a lighter shade of lavender that I added to the wrap on one end. They provide a nice compliment in color and texture. What a fun piece to knit and wear!
The 2009 Cleveland Labor Day Oktoberfest is scheduled on September 4 - 7, Labor Day Weekend. It will be held at the Cuyahoga County Fairgrounds, in Berea. Food and beer (brats!!!), music and dance, artists, crafts, and loads of fun. The schedule is Friday (5pm - midnight), Saturday & Sunday (noon - midnight), Monday (noon - 9pm). The festival includes an Art Market and Craft Show, with over thirty artists participating. In addition to wonderful arts and crafts for sale, artists will be demonstrating the processes they use in creating their artwork. Artist Review Today is participating as a vendor, and bringing a variety of art from the gallery. You'll find wall art, ceramics, jewelry, wearables, photographs, books, cards, etc. I'll be there on Sunday and Monday to assist in the booth and offer some of my items for sale. The weather forecast is for a gorgeous weekend (high70s and sunny), so why not come to the fair! What better way to celebrate the gorgeous summer we've had.
  Some knitting friends and I visited Middle Bass Island last Thursday. Middle Bass is one of a group of small islands in the southwest corner of Lake Erie. We caught the ferry at Catawba Island for a short , forty minute ride  to Middle Bass. A perfect day -- Lake Erie looked like a sheet of glass and shimmered as the sun bounced off of it. My friend and fellow artist, Mary, met us at the dock. Mary owns My Aunt Irma's, a charming retail shop on island, where she and her family have a home. Visit her website at http://myauntirmas.com// She offers colorful, fun, and comfortable resort wear and jewelry, as well as her own original handknits (scarves,  shawls, purses, sweaters) and art quilts. Mary is closing the shop and retiring after this season, so our visit was bittersweet. We love the shop and all the wonderful, funky, eclectic treasures, but we know that this is the last time we'll visit it. Mary has had a shop on the island for more than twenty years and is happy with her decision. (However, I'm always so sad to see a small, especially a business owned by a woman, close.) Our all-too-short day on the island was wonderful. We had lunch on the patio of a great restaurant, Walleye's, and most of us enjoyed the delicious Lake Erie Perc  h. We also saw the peacocks, which are absolutely beautiful. Sadly, the islanders are frustrated with them. They aren't native to the island -- someone brought two about two years ago, and they've multiplied. However, I still think they're gorgeous and am always amazed at and awed with the beauty of the natural world. Today the colors of the island and the lake can't help but inspire: the luminesence of the lake water, the subtle neutrals of the seagull greeting us at the dock, the vibrant colors of the male peacock. Each provides its own palatte of colors.  To say we had a wonderful day sounds so trite, but it couldn't be more true -great weather in a beautiful setting - a group of friends visiting, shopping, sharing our love of knitting, and just enjoying the natural beauty of the island.
We're having a big, blowout sale at Artist Review Today in August. Preview party is Wednesday, August 12 and the sale is Thursday and Friday, August 13-14. Artists are clearing out their studios. You'll find some great buys on wall art, ceramics, fiber, jewelry, etc, as well as art supplies, yarn, fabric, beads, buttons. Many items under $10 and nothing more than $50. Stop by I promise, you'll find some great deals!
 No trip to northern Michigan is complete without a visit to Mackinac Island and The Grand Hotel. In the late 1880s, Mackinac Island grew into a popular summer getaway for people from lower Michigan and Ohio. The Grand Hotel opened in 1887 as a summer retreat for people arriving by lake steamer from Chicago, Erie, Montreal, Detroit, and by rail from Cleveland and across the country. (Room rates at that time were $3 - $5 per night!) The above drawing depicts the hotel as it was in 1890. The island, between "mainland" Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, is one of those rare places that gives you a glimpse into a simpler life. A little fudge, some healthy walking, a chance to see some beautiful scenery. No motorized vehicles a  re allowed on the island, but horses are everywhere. A carriage ride up the hill from the ferry dock to the hotel is a lot of fun and even a little magical. You'll swear you're back in the late 19th century. Victorian inns and homes with wide verandas, long wood balconies, and turrets line the hillside. The Grand Hotel's Front Porch - at 660 feet the longest in the world - is a wonderful place to sit and relax and enjoy the scenery. It is graced by 100 white rocking chairs and thousands of bright red geraniums. Over the years, it became a meeting place for folks on the island as well as a "Flirtation Walk" for romance. We enjoyed sitting on the porch for a time during our all too short visit to the island and the Grand.
 Several times a year, I meet friends "up north" in Michigan's upper Lower Peninsula. We've become friends with Gene and Joann, owners of Three Pines Studio ( http://www.threepinesstudio.com/) in Cross Village. Gene and Joann are artists and also represent about fifty local artists (ceramics, fiber, jewelry, glass, wall art, etc). A wonderful creative, inspiring environment all year, during the summer they offer a variety of classes. This year they offered "Viking Knitting", a technique I've been wanting to try for a while. An ancient technique that's not knitting the way we usually think of it (using two needles) but is actually a type of weaving. Archeologists found examples of this type of chain at various sites in Scandinavia dating from the 8 th Century AD, which is the Viking Era. Delicate or chunky (depending on the size wire), these chains could be used in a variety of types of necklaces and bracelets. Nancie Wiseman's book, Knitting with Wire, includes an explanation of the technique, but I wanted some inst  ruction on getting started. So this was a great opportunity to combine two things I love -- northern Michigan and working with wire. We used 26 gauge sterling silver wire and wove chains, similar to I-cord, around wooden dowels. We then pulled the raw chains through holes of various sizes in wooden drawplates to tighten the weaves and make the chains pliable. We finished the ends of each chain by hand coiling a heavier gauge wire and then made them into bracelets.
 A few weeks ago we created a "wearable art" section at Artist Review Today. Hats, purses, scarves, wraps, ponchos, coats, t-shirts, ties, etc., are displayed together. Several artists create the wearables, and it all seems to work together and looks terrific. Opposite the front door -- it's colorful and inviting, with a great expanse of wall for hanging all kinds of great knitted and handdyed stuff. We've noticed that people gravitate to that section first. Stop by if you're in the area and have a look!
 Image is everything. And my friend Lorain artist Peg Asensio and Lorain-area building owners are out to brighten up the empty storefront windows of downtown Lorain. Peg, who has her studio near Fourth Street and Broadway, enlisted the help of her friend and origamy artist Barb Zilko, also of Lorain, to decorate street front windows. Spurred on by the recent volunteer efforts of Lorain resident and downtown property owner Joe Skodny, who took it upon himself to decorate a downtown street corner for fall, Halloween and for Christmas, Peg spoke to Skodny and Mike Challendar of the Lorain Growth Corporation about what they could do. Since Easter, the results can be seen in the storefronts of the old Woolworth building and the former Seymour Jewelers building. Peg, Barb, and other area artists decorated the windows with large, papier-mache Easter eggs for spring. Currently the windows hold flowers and bugs for summer, and butterflies are being added in conjunction with Relay for Life. The idea behind the displays is to bring a little color and whimsy to downtown Lorain and hopefully encourage more community art projects, Peg said. "There is no visual arts presence in the city of Lorain," she said. So far, those artists who have participated have been friends of hers, and I'm pleased to say that she asked me to participate. She wants to get the word out so people in the community can get involved. She has no funding and suggested that we use materials that we have on hand -- wire, beads, fabric, metal -- to fashion the flowers and bugs. I also gave her some art pieces that I'd made with silk ribbons flowers. The project may expand into other empty storefronts, if the building owners give the go-ahead, and Peg is hoping to get more artists involved in the window displays.
I went to the TNNA trade show in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday. What inspiration. The TNNA show is for "people in the needlework business". I haven't gone in a few years, so it was fun just to feel a part of the industry again -- even though I don't have a "bricks and mortar" store. All of the yarn companies, button companies, needle companies, etc, were there. I want to continue experimenting with freeform knitting and was looking for some specific small companies whose products aren't usually available in yarn stores. People doing unusual yarns (specifically handdyed silk yarns and ribbons) so that I can mix many colors and textures in my wraps. My fa  vorite company is Tilli Toma s. I already had a few skeins of her wonderful handdyed silks with beads that I picked up in my travels, and I was familiar with some great projects knitted using her yarns. Tilli is delightful and very helpful. I ordered some of her wonderful Dupioni silk ribbon strung with glass beads. Each color was more beautiful than the next. I also ordered some of the beaded silk yarn. Absolutely gorgeous. I also love the Hanah handdyed silk ribbons. Stunning colors. These gorgeous ribbons are offered in a variet  y of widths and colors. They could be knit, used in fring e, and also used to make s ilk ribbon flowers. A few years ago I did a lot of embroidery using silk ribbon and also made silk ribbon flowers. These ribbons inspire me to play with the silk ribbon flowers again, both in my knitting and jewelry making. How about a beautiful cabbage rose, maybe beaded and with some delicate wire embellishments, on a velvet ribbon worn as a choker? A vintage look but with a twist. These ribbons are a real inspiration. What fun to see all the creativity and energy of the wonderful folks in the yarn business. Makes me want to knit non-stop to get all my ideas translated into finished products!
 We're very excited to announce that we've established a relationship with Sarah Cavender Metalworks. Her woven mesh necklaces, bracelets, and handbags are available at Artist Review Today. She specializes in metal mesh pieces, with each piece handmade using materials made primarily in the USA with stones imported from Europe. Her pieces are beautiful to wear and to admire as true objects of art.
The June Art Show at the Galleria opens this weekend, with the Opening Reception on Friday, June 5 at 6pm. Lots of great art by some of the best regional artists. Great food, drink, entertainment in a beautiful setting in downtown Cleveland
 Stop by Artist Review Today to see the new pieces of Pewabic Pottery we have on display. We're offering the charming Snowdrop Vase, a historic design that was re-issued last year. We've also got mugs in five of their stunning glazes, some beautiful trivets, and some 4" x 4" tiles, perfect to use as coasters. Pewabic Pottery was founded in 1903 by Mary Chase Stratton and is nationally renowned for its unique iridescent glazes. They have continued to fabricate heirloom quality vessels and tiles for more than 100 years. Fra Angelica Studio is pleased to offer a variety of Pewabic Pottery for sale.
 We're pleased to offer Kim's Kitties from talented Indiana artist Kimberly Rorick. Individually hand-formed from a durable porcelain, each colorful kitty is hand-painted and glazed to give it its own unique personality. They're available in an assortment of colors and designs. Tall and Short Kitties: These whimsical little kitties sit pretty on your table or window sill. Flower Vase Kitties: These adorable vases have a small opening in the back allowing them to hold water for a single rose bud or a small assortment of flowers.
 Stop by Artist Review Today to see the new Echo of the Dreamer jewelry we've just put on display. We have a stunning array of bracelets, rings, and necklaces. I especially love the bracelet fashioned from vintage dominoes. Echo of the Dreamer jewelry is a collaboration between a talented mother and daughter from New York City. They use vintage elements and semi-precious stones set sterling silver to create unforgettable jewelry.
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