Hello from SC

[Madadh Allaidh]

I created an account a bit back and then spent some time becoming familiar with the community and the site controls. But I thought I shouldn't take too much longer before saying hello. Hoping all is well with you and yours.

[Toolbox]

Hello and welcome to Powwows.com!

[LISA IRONMAKER]

Hello and Welcome to Pws.com Enjoy!!

[eagleclanriverband]

Welcome!! Glad you joined in.

Have fun!

[Madadh Allaidh]

Many thanks to ya!

[OLChemist]

Welcome to powwows.com

[Madadh Allaidh]

Welcome to powwows.com

Many thanks again, OLChemist. I'd like to add that in the short time I've been here, I've found really interesting reading in your posts, especially.

[subeeds]

Hi and welcome. Glad you decided to stop lurking.

[Madadh Allaidh]

And thanks to you as well, Subeeds!

*laughs* Well, in truth, as there are few topics here that I can speak on (legitimately at least) the chances are that I will for the most part drift back into that gap between quiet and invisible.

But there may be a time or three that a subject will have room for a random thought here or there. I did see a thread somewhere for movie quotes... perhaps I could bust out some of my beloved Toshiro Mifune?

[OLChemist]

Well, this sounds interesting. We have lots of room for random thoughts. Just remember all thread eventually work their way around to food.

And thank you for your kind words. :)

By the way, if I may ask: what clan are you?

[Madadh Allaidh]

Food is a mighty fine subject. A recent discussion comparing fry bread with hoe cakes (what I grew up with) may have actually sent me down this rabbit hole.

I'm Clan Fraser of Lovat by way of MacSimidh, the highland part (though Lady Saltoun is the current overall chief of the Frasers and head of the Frasers of Philorth - the Lovats have our own chief in Simon Fraser who is either the 16th or 18th Lord Lovat depending on how you look at history... and the 25th MacSimidh).

My own folk originated out of the Inverness-shire region, spent a generation or two in Cork (where I picked up my Irish bits), hit the Appalachians for some hillbilly, traveled down the spine of the mountains and then split off into both the Carolinas.

At least that's how it's always been put to me.

I don't have TV service, but people keep telling me there's a show with Frasers in it now as well as a book. I haven't been inclined to seek them out as yet, despite everyone I know saying, "But you have to!" *laughs* I have the impression that they are romances. I suppose I will eventually, though. I did ask someone if they had mentioned "the 45".

[Madadh Allaidh]

Thought I'd take a minute to add the other part of my life that is really important to me... Art.

I don't make a lot of money at it and I've always had to have a dayjob to get by, but I'm never a happier creature than when I'm puttering over a project. I recently joined an art guild which allows me access to their members only events, so there's been an uptick on opportunities, which has been grand.

I'll add the FB page I use to keep folks updated if you're bored for five minutes or curious. *grin*

https://www.facebook.com/FrankieWolf/

[OLChemist]

I'm at work and can't look at Facebook (dang firewall). So, do tell?


When not in my lab, I'm a silversmith/jeweler and powwow regalia maker. I also occasionally weave (European tradition, not Native), throw pots (again European tradition), fuse glass, and carve stone and wood.

I not frequently attend workshops in your neck of the woods -- at least your neck of the woods by TX standards -- at Arrowmont and Penland. Those local craft guilds can be a really good deal in you have a tool intensive activity. I belong to two in the DFW area. And there is always the artist to artist exchanges those kind of events foster.

A bunch of folks on here are artists -- Wardancer, Subseeds, WyoRose, and others.

[Madadh Allaidh]

Ah... I have discovered the "Like" button here.

For myself, I classify artistically as self-taught (and educationally, an autodidact... *laughs*). Beyond what every kid tends to get in public school art classes, I've explored on my own.

Joining a guild late last year has been an interesting new experience. I have known "of" other artists, and followed or admired their work, but never really had artists as "friends and peers". But I'm starting to meet and socialize with a few now with new contacts from the guild.

And on that note, considering your own artistic background, you might find the work of one of my new friends interesting. He is a found object artist who dabbles in many things, but lately he has been concentrating on original jewelry pieces. He goes by a brush name at times (OldMan Rustbucket) and uses his given name at times (Bobby Baker). His official sites use the name "Found & Altered". You may not be able to access any of them behind your firewall, but just in case:

https://www.instagram.com/foundandaltered/

https://www.instagram.com/bobbywbaker/

We've been talking since we met about working on a collaboration together. I have recently worked on a series of pieces created from the broken remains of my back yard fence. I started to type out that story but it's a bit long, so here is the Cliff's Notes version: My neighbor dropped two trees through my fence, got out of being responsible for it under a live tree versus dead tree loophole, left me with everything in my lap and I was irritated.

Where that explanation leads to is the broken fence. I salvaged all the pickets, posts and other wood bits, trimmed them down and started using them as "canvas" for a series. My anger into art, in a sense. Bobby liked what I was doing and suggested we work together some day. I have a bin full of the picket tops (spade shapes) that we're considering for that.

His wife, Catherine Baker, is also an artist. She's currently exploring cold wax medium, and turns out, in my opinion, gloriously luminous abstracts. I tell her often that I am saving my coppers to buy at least one of her pieces. Someday.

https://www.instagram.com/wolvesartflowers/

It's been a grand thing getting to know them, though our time so far has been limited (all in all, in the flesh, our conversation has been less than 30 minutes worth). Bobby has really been hitting any of the nearby Maker's Markets he can trying to keep afloat. But we three are planning to get together at the end of June for some seriously rambly conversations and potential planning.

Anyway - you might like some of what they're doing.

As I am an art lover as well as an art creator, I always enjoy seeing what other folks are up to. I also firmly believe in giving "leg-ups" when I can, so if you have places where your work can been seen or where you're trying to earn a little dosh, I'm always happy to mention them to everyone in my range. If you're going to have any upcoming shows or attend any markets... that sort of thing. My circle is smallish, but I still throw it out there (some of those folks have much wider circles - you never know where it might go).

I had to look up the workshops you mention. I find that most such things are too spendy for me when I run across them. They offer them sometimes through the guild, but again... kinda geared to more monied folk, it seems. *laughs* I had a fine notion of living in Asheville when I was young because it was a known art friendly community. That didn't get very far (apparently art friendly also equals expensive). It would have been nice, though, both for the art and the nearness to Grandfather Mountain.

I'm hoping to get into ArtFields (ArtFields, Lake City, SC Art Festival) next year. Tough competition though - open to the entire southeast. Out of thousands of artists, they only select 400 to compete. But I might as well try. The awards are substantial. If you happen that way with your work, do let me know.

Grand to see that other artists are here as well (though with a community this large, one should not be surprised). I don't suppose there's a forum or thread that showcases that here? Again, I love to look at art as much as I love to create it.

[OLChemist]

Well, I got in.

Very nice. I like your sense of color. A very nice luminosity of color on some those pieces.

Your influences are hard to pin down. Lindisfarne Gospels? Then Katsushika Hokusia meets Art Deco... Ryoichi Ikegami? One of the Token's pieces was a veritable homage to Katsushika Hokusia's Mt Fuji print. Others evoke the Prairie School tiles. Do you work in lino, woodblock or screen prints? Some of your work invokes the stylistic vocabulary.

Also, on the Prismacolor pencils... Have you tried Urtecht Art Supplies? They have single pencils in the $1.10-$130 range. ASW has really good prices on sets. But you only need those once, LOL.