Welcome to Whittle Art Studio
November 2009
November 19-22 Athens Tennessee Art Center Holiday Trunk Show
November 6, In-Town Gallery Holiday Open House
October 2009
We had a great time at the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands in Asheville, and are looking forward to returning in July. There isn't much time to reflect right now because so much happens during the fall season. New work is due at In-Town Gallery in Chattanooga for the November Holiday Show (opening reception on the First Friday-November 6) . The Athens (Tennessee) Council for the Arts will be having a Holiday Trunk Show November 19-22. I will have some new small works there as well as some of the new jewelry items, so stop by if you are in the area. http://www.athensartscouncil.org/index.php Photographs of many of the etchings are currently being processed and should be up on this site very shortly along with information about purchasing with PayPal, so check back soon.
September 2009 - The weather is cooling down and the season is heating up. Chattanooga has been buzzing with the 35th Anniversary of the In-Town Gallery followed by the Gallery Hop where all the galleries put on a huge community art party. Time to get back to the studio and prepare for the upcoming Southern Highlands Show.
August 2009 - Just when I was settling down with my etching needle, another commission came in for a piece of jewelry. What a pleasant interruption! Each piece that I do is one of a kind, so designing for an individual is what I love best of all. The finished necklace is centered around a piece of dichroic glass that I made a couple months ago, and set between two Celtic trinity symbols. Funny thing is that I didn't plan the glass center. The necklace was designed and the bezel was set for a piece of enamel, but then the glass piece fell right into the bezel. The recepient is a glass artist and married to a minister, so the symbolism was perfect. The design was cut into that wonderful, tarnish-resistant Argentium sterling silver and then engraved. Each link in the chain is hand cut, formed and soldered. It was great fun to do, and I hope the recepient is blessed with all the love that went into it. Now I need to learn more about photography though. I took the picture on a textured background. You can't see it here because I used a smudge tool in an editing program to try to fuzz out the distracting background. There is probably an easier way to do that,.
so if any of you know how, please clue me in *********************************************************************************************
July 2009 is well underway, and the calendar pages are fluttering by. After a delightful 4th of July holiday with my brother's family on Lake Watauga in northeastern Tennessee, We headed up to Paupack, Pennsylvania and had a wonderful visit with family and old friends there. Both locations were balm to my spirit. Besides being surrounded by people that I love, the trips were inspirational nourishment.
Now that I'm back it's time to get all those images that have been going through the digestive process down on paper. I can't wait to see what comes out the tip of the pencil. Check back soon for updates. M
**********************************************************************************************
June 2009 Thanks for visiting. What a whirlwind the first half of 2009 has been! For an artist, time away from the studio is like trying to breath without air. I'm back now, after several months of juggling jobs and burning the midnight oil.
The reception for the new line of jewelry has been phenomonal! Thanks to all of you for your continued support. And no, I'm not going to stop etching. I'm just slowing down on doing shows with them. They will continue to be available at the galleries and directly from me. How could I give up etching with all the wonderful inspiration around me? On our sunset walk tonight Bob and I were guided by a carpet of twinkling fireflies. We sat awhile and looked across a narrow inlet where the yellow porch light of a hidden cabin could be seen through the trees. A pathway led down to the dock where a great blue heron paced in search of his dinner. He ignored the fisherman as his trolling motor rippled the pink tinged waters, and he gave no mind to Bob, I and Bandit as we passed by. Somewhere in that place where etchings are born, it seems like that image is incubating. What a blessing to live in such a beautiful area.
Morgan's Dock
Speaking of incubating, a box turtle laid eggs at the edge of the woods the other day. I put a little fence around the area to hopefully keep the other critters away. I don't know who would hurt turtle eggs. Maybe the same guy that ate all the dill I planted . Hummm, maybe it was the turtle that ate the dill...or the groundhog or the bunnies. I think it's the deer that eats the roses and daylillies. I guess they have to eat too...just, hopefully, not turtle eggs.
On June 28, In-Town Gallery was a sponsor of the Chattanooga Market. For those of you not familiar with the area, In-Town Gallery is located across the river from the Aquarium on Frazier Avenue between the Market Street and the Walking bridges in the hip North Shore District. That's where you can find my work, and the work of 30 other regional studio professionals, when you are in the area. The Chattanooga Market is at the south end of Broad Street in an artsy area called Southside. The Market is a cool looking steel and glass enclosure with walls that open up so that you are protected from rain, but open to the outside. It's kind of the best of both worlds. There were several members of the gallery exhibiting, and in spite of the heat (reaching for the 100 degree mark with 90% humidity) the public came out and some of my pretties were adopted to good homes.
Next on the agenda is setting up shows for the next season. I'll be at Meigs County Fair doing a demonstration the evening of August 21, 2009 so if you are around Decatur, Tennessee, stop by and say hi. More shows will be posted as soon as they are confirmed.
* * *
This is my first attempt at blogging so bear with me. So much is happening that I want to share with you. First of all, I'm in love! Oh, not to worry, I haven't abandoned Bob. Those of you who know him, know THAT would be a big mistake. He's a keeper! What I've fallen in love with is a new medium....or at least an extension of the metal etching we all know and love. I can see this web page becoming a lot more colorful in the future.
So, what is it? Fabricated, etched and enameled jewelry has taken hold of my heart. I'm still working in metal, but applying it a lot differently. I want to get some pictures uploaded so I can share it with ya'll. Right now, I don't have pictures of the enameled pieces, but here are a pair of my dogwood earrings
.
For those of you who don't know the family, let me introduce you:
Here we have Bob and the Bandit. Bandit was rescued from the animal shelter and what a blessing he is. He loves to run and wrestle with his dog friend down the street, but when he comes home, he's a cuddler. Bob thinks he named him because of the mask on his face, but I think he got his name because he stole our hearts.
Then there is Ricky T. The "T" is for trouble. We found Ricky and his sister Lucy and tried to find homes for them both. Lucy now lives in Kentucy, but everyone who took Ricky home brought him back....Trouble. Actually, he's a sweetie to us and I don't understand what the problem was, but people tell me that a cat chooses you; you don't choose a cat.