find me in stores
I am STOKED to announce that I’ve got my first ever solo show booked, and YOU ARE INVITED!
It is at the Galleria located at the Grand Theatre in Williamstown, NJ, and is timed to coincide with the theatre’s run of MATILDA: The Musical.
Needless to say, I am super happy about this turn of events, and super excited to select the works I’m going to hang (which will naturally be for sale)!
I’ve been working on some new pieces for fall, and there are now some at both Olde Pear Primitives on Lafayette Street in Cape May, NJ and at MADE. Artisan Marketplace on Broad Street in Woodbury, NJ.
What you see above are hand-painted papers cut into hearts that form Halloween garlands on black & white baker’s twine, which are stocked at both locations, four pieces that I left at Olde Pear, and my shelves at MADE, where I left garlands and one of the little 5”x7” pieces.
Party on
This 5”x7” collage includes paint and sparkles. $25 plus shipping!
What you see above and below are the three 5”x7” collage pieces that I currently have here in my studio, ready to mail out. If any of them call to you, they are a steal at $25 (USD) plus postage.
I have been having a good time painting inks and paints onto heavy watercolor paper in shades of orange, white, and black. Despite being essentially those solid colors, each paper has at least 6 or 7 colors involved—for example, the “black” is blended from black ink, Payne’s Grey ink, and some indigo and Burnt Umber acrylic paint, and includes some speckles of orange, green, purple, and white.
Halloween garlands
$8 each or 2/$15.
I will try to update my website this week to add some new pieces to the site, but if any of what you see here is YOURS, by all means, let me know! You can email or fill out the contact form here on the website. Or, y’know, holler at me on social media.
And I somehow managed not to post here in about a month. Let’s just say there’s been some stuff going on, and leave it at that. Not bad stuff, just busy stuff.
Like, I created these new mixed media pieces for summer. The pieces include paint and collage, as well as tissue flowers that are hand-sewn to the canvas. They are each 8”x10” in size, and available for sale. If you’d like one, hit me up and I will sell it to you for $50, US shipping included.. (I’ll be adding them to the online shop later this week at $53, plus shipping.)
In addition to celebrating summer, I’ve been adding stock to my shelves at MADE. Artisan Marketplace in Woodbury, New Jersey. Just take a look at this gorgeousness:
And! MADE is going to have an official grand re-opening on Saturday, September 14th. The shop will be open that day starting at 10 a.m., but the real festivities will be from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and will include an art auction, live music, refreshments, and hands-on crafts. You should totally swing by there before that if you are in the area, because the entire place is radiant. And the Painted Bridge Coffee shop, which is attached, has amazing La Colombe coffee.
One of my happiest things to do is to create new art. Right now, I have three pieces under way, and they are not done (or necessarily near done), but here they are:
All three of these pieces were once other (finished) works of art that weren’t working for me, so they’ve been splotched and splashed and dabbed and this is where they are now. Which goes to show that in making art, as in life, you can always start over or have another chance.
Of course, one of the reasons I called this post “Oh happy day” has nothing to do with starting over and everything to do with following through: I GOT PAID! Because of course I like making art, but I also really like selling it, and I got paid for pieces that sold at Olde Pear Primitives in Cape May and at MADE. Artisan Marketplace in Woodbury. Yay!
If you are looking for pieces, you can check either of those shops or shop online here.
And don’t forget you can sign up for my newsletter to get updates and offers and such!
I mean, technically, we aren’t ready, but at least we’ve decided (a) when we are leaving to go to my cousin’s daughter’s wedding, (b) where we are staying, (c) what we are wearing, (d) what the gift is, and (e) when we are coming home again.
And we’ve picked a wedding card. For the first time ever, we are using one of MY cards. I know that might sound strange, since I’ve been turning art into greeting cards for almost two years now, but it really is the first time we are using one for ourselves. This is, in part, because I adore greeting cards and often shop for them everywhere I go (especially if I’m in locations with museums or independent stationers and a good card assortment).
Sonnet 116 by W. Shakespeare
Shall we to the marriage of true minds admit impediments? Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or threatens with the remover to remove. Oh no! It is an ever-fixèd mark that looks on tempests and is not shaken. It is the star to every wandering bark . . .
This will be the card that goes with (okay, contains) our guest. This card is available at Olde Pear Primitives in Cape May, NJ, and at MADE. Artisan Marketplace in Woodbury. It, and all of its friends, are also available in my online shop, which you can access using the button below!
And hey! If you are interested in signing up for my mailing list, where you will get information on new products, what is happening, plus more. Just click on over to my “home” page and fill in the form!
Well hello! It’s almost the middle of June (what? how?).
There’s a full moon coming on June 15th, by the way, so if you are a person who is into moon energy, keep an eye on that, and maybe figure out what no longer serves you and what you want to release and do that.
June is known for being wedding season (which means, by the way, that it is also anniversary season), and it turns out that I have three greeting cards that are perfect for that:
If any of these are your jam, they are available in my online shop for $5 each, or 3 for $13.50 (and there are another 20 or so options from which to choose). These cards are also available at Olde Pear Primitives on Lafayette Street in Cape May, New Jersey, and at MADE. Artisan Marketplace in Woodbury, NJ (though I think you only get the discount on multiples at my site). They are all blank inside, and if you’d like ideas for easy copy to add inside, I’ve got you covered here:
Wishing you a lifetime of happiness!
Celebrating your life together,
I/we are so happy for the two of you!
You go together like tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches!
Okay, so maybe that last option is a bit too out there, but those first three are solid starters. And here’s a pro tip: if you don’t plan on writing too much more, just start with your phrase in the middle of the middle of the inside of the card, not at the top, so you don’t feel like you have to add a whole lot more.
I popped into the local library earlier this week to pick up a bag full of books, and was immediately reminded that I still have paintings on display at the Monroe Township Library in Williamstown, NJ. From left to right, the three paintings are “Beyond Fences”, “Muriel’s Garden”, and “Shine”. Here they are, from two angles:
Saturday morning, my sweetheart and I drove up to Merchantville to check out the Mystical May Holistic Street Festival, where I was delighted to see vendor friends Dot Pakstis (Dorothy Claire Crystals) and Jody Thorpe (Mystical Blossoms) and to meet Jeannie Francis of Spirit to Sole Connection and do a bit of shopping at Aradia’s Treasure. And then we drove down Route 130 to head to Woodbury, which is where the wonderful creator space MADE Artisan Marketplace is located.
MADE Artisan Marketplace is in the process of moving into a renovated building at 65 N. Broad Street in Woodbury, between the Courthouse and Charlie Brown’s, if you know Woodbury at all. It will contain selling space for local artists, classroom space, gallery space, space for Say It With Clay, and spaces for artists in resident. PLUS there will be coffee—PAINTED BRIDGE Espresso Bar will be located in the space as well!
Below you can see my artwork set up on a couple of shelves. I will also be dropping off greeting cards, which will go elsewhere in the space. You can also see me with MADE’s indefatigable owner, Jamilah Damiani.
BUT WAIT! That isn’t all we did on Saturday. Because once Morris and I left MADE in the early afternoon, we drove down to Cape May, where our first stop was at Olde Pear Primitives. I had a great time catching up with owner Genevieve Lugo, and I dropped off some new stock. Below you can see a photo of Genevieve and I taken by Morris, and some pics of the products I made taken by Genevieve. (I didn’t make the cool metal tree, nor did I do that awesome painted woodturning image of the state of New Jersey, which was created by the talented Ashlesha of Henna by Ash.
I hope you noticed the super cute red, white & blue heart garlands that are on the tree and lined up in a box. I hand-painted those papers and drew every single star myself, then punched out and strung the hearts on baker’s twine. They look so charming on that metal tree!
After we left Olde Pear, Morris and enjoyed a nice stroll over to Beach Avenue, where we walked along the sidewalk that skirts the dunes and looked out over the ocean. We eventually made our way down to the Rusty Nail, where we had adult beverages (a mojito for me, a bourbon-based drink for Morris) and a tasty dinner. Eventually we wandered back to our car and drove home, where I spent the next several hours packing and working on pricing for my event on Sunday.
Sunday, Sunday, SUNDAY! (I totally just said that aloud like the announcer for a local speedway, in case you wondered.) If you’ve been keeping up with my blog, then you may remember me mentioning Decompress South Jersey. You can read my last post, which was all about it and included photos of my kids when they were (extremely small and) at Will-Moor Gymnastics old location.
I really loved my setup at Will-Moor, which you can see from two different angles above. And it was great to catch up with other vendor friends, including April of Willow Moon Candles, Rita of Jularee, Aimee of Relics Revisited, Jody of Mystical Blossoms, and Margeaux of Proud Mary Designs. It was inspiring watching Alisha teach Zumba, Stacia doing aerial yoga, Cheryl leading Buti yoga, and oh, it was magical listening to Jody do a sound healing session with her singing bowls.
And that’s, to paraphrase Walter Cronkite (yes, I am old—he was an extraordinarily popular and famous newscaster when I was a kid), the weekend that was.
I am so excited about an upcoming event. On Sunday, May 19th, I will be one of the vendors selling inside Will-Moor Gymnastics in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. I will, however, be OUTSIDE the main event, which is a wonderful four-hour wellness event featuring four separate workshops. Attendance at the main event will cost you $35, and gets you all four workshops including Buti yoga with Buti and the Beast, silks with Light as a Feather Yoga, Zumba with Alisha Negron and Sound Bowl Meditation with Mystical Blossoms.
I will be bringing along greeting cards as well as original artwork, including quite a few chakra-related pieces. It will be super fun for me to be back at Will-Moor. And no, I haven’t been there as a vendor before. In fact, the last time I was there, it was just about 21 years ago, as a proud mama. Both of my girls went to their weekly program as part of their daycare program back in the day.
Seriously, how cute were my little girlies? (They are both equally cute now, just older. And a bit taller.) Below you can see some of the pieces that I intend to bring along. They include two chakra rainbow pieces, as well as four abstract landscapes, all of which are matted and ready to frame.
I consider myself a lucky girl, even if I am typing this while wearing a wrist brace on my left arm and nursing a bum right hip. I’ve had a LOT of my business dreams come true since I started my art business in August of 2017. Last year saw me accepted into a major, juried art show, selling at street festivals, with tambourines for sale in a local gallery here in Williamstown, and interviewed on TV about my art practice, among other things. Like the studio addition on our house, which is just a gorgeous, light-filled space. One of my goals was also to get my pieces into stores, and I’ve already told you about Mystic Ginger Collective, which is seriously just the best salon space I’ve set foot in—it’s simply filled with positive energy, and as a person who is susceptible to that these days (I’ve gone full “woo”, I believe), you can just feel things become lighter as you enter Kellee’s space in Blackwood.
But today, today was a specific business dream come true. You see, somewhere around December of 2017 or January of 2018, I sat down and wrote a big list of goals, some of which were perhaps more in the “wish” category. And one of my fondest desires was to have my art in a shop or gallery in Cape May. And today, that dream came true, when the beautiful shop Olde Pear Primitives opened in its new location at 523 Lafayette Street in Cape May, New Jersey.
Some of this is to say that making vision boards and writing out your dreams really does work, at least some of the time. I mean, if that’s all I ever did, I doubt this would have come to pass, but the fact that I brought that idea from the ether into the real world by writing it down first, and then took action by networking and attending events, one of which led to this amazing opportunity . . . well, let’s just say, it’s the Universe at work. I’m super happy and thankful today!
Technically, this was still 54, since it was taken about 10 days ago
On Monday, I turned 55. There are days when I feel it, and days when I don’t. Most days I don’t feel my age—I don’t think about it at all, and I essentially exist out of time. And though I will always answer truthfully when asked my age (or round up — I know, it’s backwards), I usually feel somewhere in my late 30s. Birthdays and mirrors can therefore be a bit of a shock.
This year was an unusual birthday celebration, since I am back in South Carolina for at least another week, and therefore away from my sweetheart. I woke up to a birthday card he’d sent along with me (and another from my aunt, who came to offer respite care for me so I could get home last week for my own medical treatment). I woke up to a text from one of my best friends, and another from my daughter who is overseas in the Peace Corps. My husband sang “happy birthday” to me on the phone, and did a marvelous job in each of the four keys he chose for his rendition. My parents wished me a happy birthday with a card and a gift. I spoke by phone with my other daughter, heard by text from my brother , and got email photos of the best hand-made birthday card from my nieces and nephews. And there were scores of messages on FB and other social media.
All in all, it was a good day. And I realize I have posted about several good—even great—days lately. And I got to thinking that all this good news doesn’t give you a true idea of things.
Because, in fact, yesterday might have been okay, but it was not actually a great day.
I am, at heart, a homebody, and I have been away from home too long. I would be ever so much more chill about that if Morris was here with me, but of course he is home with our cat, teaching tai chi and qigong classes and largely fending for himself (though I did manage to cook three dishes for him while I was home for a couple days last week, so he’d have home-cooked food). I’ve been here in South Carolina for five weeks (so far), with only 2-1/2 days at home. Plus I was away from home for two weeks in late January/early February to visit other family in North Carolina. It’s been wearing. It’s been frustrating. It’s been lonely, even.
And I share this in hopes that you will realize that all the “wins” you’ve been seeing are not the whole of my story. Those wins are real, and are—in the case of having my cards and art in Cape May—quite literally a dream come true.
But there’s a lot that isn’t going well just now. I feel untethered. I miss my husband and my house and my cat. I miss my studio and my art supplies. I miss the ability to play music or watch what I want on TV, if that’s what I want to do. I miss cooking dinner. I miss my light-colored walls, miss being able to burn incense if I want, miss setting my own schedule each day. I mean, I set a schedule here, but it’s very much dictated by the demands of my father’s feeding tube.
So, yes, I’m excited to have artwork on display in the Monroe Township Public Library in Williamstown, NJ. That’s a big win! What I didn’t tell you is that I’ve had two recent instances where my work wasn’t accepted, one with a private entity and one with a state organization. And yes, I’m thrilled about having my work listed on Fine Art America, and represented in The Grand Galleria in Williamstown, and at Mystic Ginger Collective in Blackwood. But so far, I don’t believe anything of mine has sold at those locations. And yes yes yes, I am over the moon at having my greeting cards and artwork in Olde Pear Primitives in Cape May, but of course the store hasn’t opened yet, and also that niggling voice of “what if” keeps coming to whisper in my ear. I do the best I can to ignore it, of course, but still . . .tl; dr
All of which is to say—and if you are still here and reading this, thank you—that I appreciate you being here, and want you to know that my life is just as messy as anyone else’s. Yes I’ve had wins, which have been on display, but there are a bunch of other losses along the way, both business-wise and on a personal level. So please know that if you are struggling, I see you. If you have been reading my public-facing stuff and thinking “wow, she’s got it so good”, this post is to remind you that public-facing stuff isn’t the full extent of any life. And that life is inherently messy. I know I’ve sometimes read posts by other people and felt a bit envious that they are succeeding, especially if it’s during a time when I feel like I’m . . . not.
But here’s the thing: I believe that we can all succeed. Yes, at the same time. I believe that life isn’t a competition. That we all deserve to feel safe and accepted and loved. That we all deserve to take whatever actions are necessary for us to achieve that. That your success does not mean that I have failed in some way, or am less-than (and that my successes don’t take away from or diminish yours in any way). I believe that we all deserve to be happy, and that we can choose happiness for ourselves, and then choose it yet again.
If you are a long-time reader here, you know I believe that we can choose to be happy. And you also know that I understand that we all have what I call fallow periods, where we aren’t necessarily getting a ton accomplished. In fact, I wrote a post about fallow times, and about how important self-care is during those time periods, and it was just what I needed to remind myself of today. And please know that part of what I’ve been doing (and you’ve been seeing) is me celebrating my wins, whether they are large or small. Because celebration goes with gratitude, and all of that raises your vibe or your energy and can lead to a happier life. Here’s my post from last year on “Six ways to celebrate the little things.” It’s me choosing abundance, something I strongly encourage you to do, even though (as I wrote here) an abundant life doesn’t mean things are always easy.
So this is me, raising my glass to you. Here’s to another trip around the sun, and to choosing happiness, self-care, celebration, and abundance.
I am so excited to have several new card designs available for you! They are all made from my original artwork, as I’m sure you’ve come to expect, but I went and used a design program to add text to two of them.
As tomorrow is my birthday, it’s fitting that one of the cards is quite specifically a birthday card. The other card with added text says “Thinking of You”, and is, I think, appropriate for the regular sort of thinking of you purposes, as well as being used as a sympathy card.
Cool and Calm
“Chart your own path” and “Thinking of you”
Colorful
additions
“Happy Birthday!” and “Janet’s Light”
As always, greeting cards are available in my web shop, and are priced $5 each, or 3 for $13.50. If you would like more than three, please get in touch. I’m happy to quote you a price and hook you up. Feel free to browse greeting cards here.
And starting next Saturday, April 13th, all 24 of my greeting card designs will be available for you to shop in person at Olde Pear Primitives, located at 523 Lafayette Street in Cape May, New Jersey!
Earlier this week I took a short break from South Carolina and flew home to New Jersey, where I got to see my husband (YAY!) and my cat (YAY!) and have an IV for my rheumatoid arthritis (yay?) and take a quick trip to one of my favorite towns in my state, Cape May, to live out a bona fide business dream.
Here’s a little roundup of the flight, husband, and IV. That’s a shot of the Virginia coast from the plane window on my way home, Morris with Kismet as we played cards, and me in one of the fancy new infusion chairs at my doctor’s office:
And then! On Friday, Morris and I drove to Cape May. Specifically, to Olde Pear Primitives, which is fixing to open on Saturday, April 13th. Olde Pear Primitives is located at 523 Lafayette Street, right on the corner by the light (near the Acme and the bike rental place, if you know Cape May at all). It’s a cheerful, welcoming space, run by a cheerful, welcoming proprietor. See?
Me with Genevieve. You can see some of the jewelry and pillows and candles already in stock in the space! Photo © Morris L. Siegel 2019
Below are some images of my work on display at Olde Pear Primitives © Genevieve of Olde Pear Primitives.
Can I just share with you all how excited I am about having my work in a shop in Cape May? It’s literally a business dream come true for me. I will be selling my greeting cards (all 24 of them!) there, as well as tambourines, hot air balloon pieces, sailboat collage paintings, the small “Shine” piece you see above left, and some heart collages. You can find more about Olde Pear Primitives on their Facebook page, but the grand opening is on Saturday, April 6th! I am sorry that I’ll be missing it, but I will still be in South Carolina for a bit longer. I can’t wait to visit once it’s open, though!
And yes, I am now completely distracted from singing the Beatles song of that name. It’s such a syrupy song, but I still completely and totally love it.
Here for me is currently in South Carolina, where I am staying with my parents as my dad continues to recover from surgery to remove a cancerous esophagus. He is doing remarkably well, which is good. And I am keeping super busy with his home care, which is . . . busy. I have, however, also been finding time to learn a bit more about watercolors, so here, have a small bouquet:
Everything’s coming up roses . . .
There right now is New Jersey, where my home and studio (and husband and cat) are located. Other things located there: TWO businesses where you can currently buy my art, ONE that is opening on April 6th, which will carry my greeting cards and some art, and ONE MORE that is opening in late April. You can find a list of “Where to find my products” any time on my ABOUT page at my website, or by clicking the link in this sentence, but here’s the list:
The Grand Galleria at 405 S. Main Street in Williamstown, NJ, has several of my art tambourines in it. The Galleria is typically open when shows are on at the Grand Theatre.
Mystic Ginger at 102 S. Black Horse Pike in Blackwood, NJ, has several of my art tambourines as well. Mystic Ginger is the coolest hybrid space: part salon, part herbalist, part sales gallery for local artists. Open Tuesday through Saturday, hours vary. Their website is here.
Olde Pear Primitives at 523 Lafayette St. in Cape May, NJ, opens on April 6th. You will find my complete line of greeting cards, as well as some original art pieces, for sale when the new store space opens in a few weeks! Find them on FB, or at their website.
MADE Artisan Marketplace, 65 N. Broad St., Woodbury, NJ. MADE is currently in the process of renovating and moving into the building once owned by Franklin Davenport, who was Benjamin Franklin’s nephew. The mixed-use space will have gallery space, maker spaces, and selling spaces, plus an attached espresso bar. It’s gonna be cool! And likely will open near the end of April. More info to come, both here and on MADE’s website.
Where is an internet business if not everywhere? You can always shop for greeting cards, art tambourines, original literary collages, and paintings of various and sundry sorts on my website. Just pick your category from the top of the home page! And hey, while you’re at my home page, why not sign up for my email newsletter? It gets you info on what’s up, when, and passes along lots of tips and info on living life in a positive manner. Because we all want “to lead a better life”, as McCartney wrote and sang to open the song that loaned its title to this blog post.
You can see some of my greeting cards here. It’s a slideshow, so click to swipe!
You guys. Exciting things are happening for my art business. Like, REALLY exciting things.
In just a few weeks' time, you will be able to purchase my greeting cards and some of my original artwork at the new location of Olde Pear Primitives in Cape May, New Jersey. To say that I'm excited is a complete understatement. Seriously. To have my work in Cape May, and at a business that supports local artists, is one of those "someday" business dreams of mine coming true.
More info to come, but in the meantime, ALL THE CONFETTI!
