In the past, I’ve focused on some of My Talented Friends… other artists I admire.
This time, it’s one of the daughters of my longtime friends Kel & Kelly who is starring in
a local production of “Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” this weekend
down in Pontiac, Illinois with the Vermillion Players.

As one of the Narrators of the show, Kieran is on stage for a large portion of the show.
Traditionally, the role of the Narrator is performed by one actress… but this time around,
in an effort to get as many kids into the show as possible, they’ve split the role amongst
four girls. But of course, as the proud Uncle Gary, I do believe that Kieran stole the show
with her incredible voice and engaging stage presence. Watch for her… she’s going to be
a big star on Broadway some day soon!

And the talent doesn’t end with Kieran in the family… just off in the wings are Maddie
and Merryn who were also in the show. With a group of family & friends in the audience,
the three Krenz girls did a wonderful job and had an incredible evening. If you have a chance,
there are two more performances tonight & tomorrow night. Go, Go, Go Joe!!!

Subjected to the hectic, frenzied & totally unorganized experience of my VERY first
craft fair… Gerry & Rosene have been with me since the beginning of my pottery career.
Unbeknownst to them, Gerry & Rosene were across the aisle from me when I showed up
to set up my booth. It was my very first art fair – and I knew nothing!!! They were veterans
of the art fair circuit and watched in disbelief as I spread my pottery all over the floor,
the aisle, anywhere I could so that I could empty the crates that would become my shelving…
it was everywhere! And nothing was pre-priced… I was a wreck. Luckily, they were there
to help me through this crazy experience!

Gerry & Rosene were the owners & artists of Pine Needle Crafts – focusing on “primitive”
home decorations. Since then, they have retired from the art fair circuit, as well as “crafting”
all together. Instead, they have decided to turn their other passion into a new business
venture. Their incredible garden down in Central Illinois is spectacular vision with layers,
colors, textures and whimsical touches everywhere you look. Once a year, they open up
the garden in the Spring for their own garden sale of hostas, perennials & annuals.

This weekend, I made the trip down to visit… and sit back to relax in their garden.
It’s always great to see them, share stories while playing in the dirt, relax in the hot tub,
and enjoy some incredible brownies!!!

Besides the rusty bikes… which are a great accent for any garden… I need to get one…
one of my favorite focal points in their garden is this groovy bridge that crosses the creek at
the bottom of the garden ravine. The plank bridge was simple & plain… until they put their
collection of rusty garden tools to “use” as their not-quite-conventional handrail. Love it.

So their yard is incredible. The front of their house is full of flowers and rusty accents.
Turn around the side of the house and enjoy a large deck overlooking the backyard.
A few steps down, and you see an incredible “spread” of garden unfold before you.
Layers & terraces take you down to the bottom of the ravine, across the bridge and
back up the other side. Around every corner, there are spectacular plants & flowers. Some
have bright colored flowers, while others are more appreciated for their foliage & textures.

But it’s not just flowers… like I said, it’s also an incredible assortment of rusty metal
accents – and you know how I LOVE RUST!!! So it’s great to look around… see the
beautiful garden they’ve created and be inspired by their passion & excitement.

Plus… mixed in amongst the sloping garden… one of my own ceramic totem poles!
Being slightly upstaged by a beautiful Siberian iris.

In addition to gardening, Gerry is still working in the wood shop making bird houses!
Over the years, I have received quite a collection of Gerry’s pieces… many with great
barnboard sides and rusty metal roofs. Rosene stays crafty as well – mostly with her
hand-painted garden plant identification markers. Yes… EVERY PLANT in their garden
is marked with a hand-painted sign! Crazy, I know…

But then it’s time to drive back to the city after a very enjoyable day in their garden.
And a car load of potted plants they’ve sent me home with. Plants that were left over
from their sale, as well as cuttings & divisions from many of their spectacular garden.
For those of you that have seen my condo garden, you can thank Gerry & Rosene for
the majority of the plants that are flourishing there. They have been such generous
& supportive friends over the years… it’s great to have Talented Friends!

Over the years, I’ve gotten to know a great watercolor artist on the art fair circuit.
She does beautiful paintings of birds and botanicals. And as she’s getting ready for
the kick-off of her art fair circuit, we’re getting a quick look at her newest piece!

Check out her website to see more watercolor works by Anne Gilna.
Go to my “Links” for a quick transfer to her website!

So… my friend, studio-mate and fellow TV Jeopardy player… Karen Patinkin
has finally made her online debut. Welcome to the wonderful blogosphere Karen!!!
Now don’t get too excited… she doesn’t have a new blog… she doesn’t have
a new website… although I keep urging her to jump on the blog band-wagon.
But today she was featured on a Chicago-based blog “Chicago Now” that features
great things around town. And today she’s being “exposed” as one of
“The Best Kept Secrets” after 30 years of making beautiful pottery!

Check her out on “her first blog posting… Karen Patinkin: Best Kept Secret

As the seasons come throughout the year, my friend Alison is often in the kitchen
baking up seasonal specialties, and decorating other festive décor for your home.
Once again, Alison created beautiful cookies for my family’s Easter celebration.
okay, enough laughing about MY non-religious family even celebrating Easter!!!

From decorating cookies in festive shapes & colors…
Alison was recently accepted into culinary school which she’ll start this Summer.
I’ve already offered to be her guinea pig! If you would like to get on Alison’s mailing list,
or order your own festive holiday goodies, feel free to contact her at:
alisonchronis97@ameritech.net

So as I was running out to grab some dinner tonight, I ran into my friend
& fellow studio mate Katie Biderbost. She mentioned that she reads my blog frequently –
and was surprised that I update it so frequently. I told her that there’s nothing that bugs
me more than a blog that hasn’t been updated for months… or years!!! And then I realized…
I’ve never featured Katie as one of My Talented Friends… so here goes…

I’ve known Katie for many years… practically my entire pottery career!!!
Katie has been involved at Lillstreet Art Center for many years, both as a teacher
and studio member. She has come & gone, but her focus has always remained strong.
Her grad-school-hiatus took her down to Indiana… but she luckily returned to Lillstreet.
Katie now works in Lake Forest, Illinois running a clay program up there. Yet she returns
to Lillstreet for some quiet studio time away from her workplace!

Katie’s work has evolved over the years, and she has several mugs in my “mug collection.”
During the Lillstreet Holiday Opening, I treated myself to a set of Katie’s plates…
I’ve been coveting them for awhile and finally decided that they had to be mine.
Her current body of work is painstakingly decorated with slip to create an intricate
“woven” pattern that almost looks as though it were knit. The glaze is a beautiful teal
blue that is accentuated in the soda kiln to create and incredible depth & range of color.

Not only did I get the plates… I also got another mug for “the collection”!!!
Merry Christmas to me!!!

Another wonderful show… always fun since I’m not an exhibitor!!!
It takes the pressure off… no pottery to shlep… no shelves to set up…
Instead I get to hang out and help my friend & metalsmith Sarah Chapman in her booth.
I get to chat with her customers. Sell people on her wonderful work. And enjoy the
excitement on people’s faces when they decide to buy their first piece of Chapman-wear!

The One-Of-A-Kind Show is a big deal… four days, long hours, hundreds of booths!
And luckily, thousands of shoppers! The show is held annually here in Chicago at the
Merchandise Mart. It fill the entire 8th floor with artists from all over the country.
Sarah Chapman being the best metalsmith there… at least she gets my vote!

So not only did I get to help out my friend Sarah, but I also got a chance to see some
other artist friends – and make a few new ones!

Rebecca Zemans – Another great metalsmith with a lot of great silver & stones!
She’s another Lillstreet studio artist – and she’s adorable. Always fun, always busy.
Every time I tried to stop by and chat… she was busy talking with customers!
Good for her, bad for me…  at least we’ll get to play back at the studios!

Melissa Banks – Rapt In Maille – Melissa is a rock star in the chain maille world.
I have quite a collection of her stainless steel work. She makes incredible designs
by weaving together assorted sizes & styles of simple, round jump rings.

Pflipsen Olivova Studios – We met this great couple last year… and purchased a few
of their incredible Christmas ornaments. I was excited to see that Steve & Katia
of River Falls, Wisconsin were back again. I had to add to my collection. He blows
the glass and she does the metal work. Together, they make wonderful work. And since
their ornaments are too nice to pack away after Christmas, my ever-expanding collection
has now taken up residence on the chandelier in my dining room! And a special thanks
to Sarah… for helping to “feed” my ornament addiction!!!

Kevin Lahvic – Kevin’s paintings are guaranteed to make you smile. He has a wonderful
sense of color blended with a fantastic sense of whimsy. And I LOVE whimsy!!!
Over the past two years, I have collected a few of his small “portraits” which make me
smile every morning as they’re staring back at me from the wall right next to my closet.

Marzena Gabrel – I didn’t meet Marzena “officially” until the end of the show. But once
I stopped in her booth to admire her fiber work, we quickly recognized each other from
“somewhere” on the art fair circuit. We couldn’t figure out where… but I could easily
figure out that she’s a wonderful person who makes beautiful layered & textured
fiber pieces. Great depth & color in her felted pieces.

Scot Schmidt – Scot makes sculptures in limestone resin… similar to tiles, but each one
is handcarved. My parents have seen his work at a number of art fairs, and this time finally
decided to purchase some of his work. They’ve been trying to fill a large wall space in their
living room – and Scot’s work will soon fill the bill. After my parents made their purchase on
Saturday, Scot and I had a chance to talk about them and their “shopping style” on Sunday.

So… guess what showed up in my mail today?!
My wonderful “bowleragate” pendants from “My Talented Friend” Amy Taylor…
she sent me two custom made pendants to choose from. The rust one? The blue one?
And remember the “coolness” factor.. they’re made out of vintage bowling bowls!!!

Too tough to choose… I think I need them both!!!

Another entry in my seemingly never-ending list of Talented Friends!!!
I met Amy a couple years ago on the summer art fair circuit. Her work is stunning
and beautiful in its own right… but it’s her personality, energy & spirit that
really makes her special. She’s a shining star at every art fair.

Her work is very clever. Everything has a hinge worked into it… or two.. or three…
Some of them are obvious. Some of them need a little closer look to figure out.
She has a wonderful sense of color & design, and uses a lot of wonderful stones
in her finely polished silver & gold metal work.

Over the past few fairs, we’ve become very friendly – sharing stories, jokes, cookies
and more. At our most recent fair, we shared our chocolate chip cookies on Saturday…
and she came back on Sunday with a tray of Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats
with Chocolate Chips to share! See why we get along so well?

And oh, but wait there’s more… NEW THIS SEASON at the Barrington Art Fair…
Amy had these really groovy pieces that had an incredible semi-precious “stone”
with incredible chatoyancy!!! Big word, huh? That’s this really cool “shimmer” effect
of reflected light caused by aligned inclusions… kind of like the sheen on some great silk.
The luminous streak of reflected light is always perpendicular to the direction of the fibers.
Kinda technical… but trust me, it’s cool. Think tiger’s eye, think moonstone… and more!
Anyway… so after a lot of ooh-ing & aahh-ing… she finally told us it wasn’t even a stone!
It was indeed “semi-precious”… but it was slice of a vintage bowling bowl!!! Get out.
And with that… I needed one! So she’s making a “Bowleragate” necklace just for me!!!
I love having Talented Friends!!!

So this past weekend was my last outdoor art fair of the season!
Art In The Barn in Barrington is always a fun show. Well organized. Festive. Fun.
The weather wasn’t all that great on Saturday, but it was much better on Sunday.
Coincidentally, customer attendance wasn’t all that great on Saturday either.
Luckily there were more people out shopping on Sunday. For those of you who
stopped by, it was great to see you as always!

This weekend is typically my “official” kick-off of Fall. I’m one of those who grasps
on to summer as long as possible… not willing to acknowledge that summer may
be ending! So even though Fall is actually my favorite season, I have trouble letting go
of summer. But once I do… I’m “all in” for Fall. And this weekend at Art In The Barn
generally does it for me. The cool, crisp weather. The bales of hay. The mums.
The pumpkins. The gourds. So now it’s fall… and I’m ready!!!

Back to the art fair…
As if selling pots wasn’t enough fun… it’s also seeing my customers love a pot.
I thoroughly enjoy seeing someone pick up a pot to see it better and then start feeling
the textures… which suddenly turns into caressing… and sometimes even purring!
I love seeing my customers find a new piece. Seeing a new texture.  Admiring a glaze.
Over the years I have benefited from some wonderful customers who have become
good friends over the years. It’s always good to see them just to have a laugh or two!

Another benefit is the group of friends I’ve made over the years on the art fair circuit.
It’s great to see them again from fair to fair… to share stories… to share work ideas.
And this year was no different… with just a few of My Talented Friends…

Molly Bitters
One of my favorite metalsmiths and a great booth neighbor! And congratulations
to Molly for winning the “Best of Jewelry” award this weekend. And even better…
we traded work and I got this beautiful intaglio pendant. And I love it!!!
Check out more of Molly’s work at www.macabistudios.com

Cheryl Holz
Cheryl has this great ability to combine colors & textures on a canvas.
Suggestive of nature, maps, legends, scrapbooks and other recognizable
forms, her paintings are layers of brilliance in color. And I’m proud to have
one of her prints hanging in my bedroom… another great art fair trade!
Check out more of Cheryl’s work at www.CherylHolz.com

Brad Pogatetz
I had the pleasure of meeting Brad last year as he was my booth neighbor.
This year his booth was in another building with much better lighting & wall space
to display his incredible photography. Brad’s images are spectacular as they focus
on the beauty of run down buildings, rust & deterioration… frequently juxtaposed
with natural elements or the simple geometry of it all. You know how I love rust!!!
Check out more of Brad’s work at www.BradPogatetz.com

Amy Taylor
Amy is known for making beautiful hinged jewelry. She makes beautiful silver pieces
with beautiful stones and other things. I’ve been a fan of Amy’s work for a few years…
as well as her energy, enthusiasm and passion. This weekend I was admiring her work
when she showed me a new piece with this incredible “stone” inside it. It was beautiful.
Shades of orange & red, pearlescent, lots of depth, lots of chatoyancy. But then she
told me it wasn’t a stone… but instead, a piece of a bowling ball. Get out!!! Too cool.
So, by the end of the fair, we had worked out a deal and she’s making me a custom
bowling ball necklace! I can’t wait to see it…
Check out more of Amy’s work at www.amytaylorjewelry.com

Anne Gilna
I first met Anne as my neighbor at the Hinsdale Art Fair. She does beautiful
watercolor paintings – a lot of birds, flowers and other scenes from nature.
Her images are colorful & clean, generally on a simple white background.
We liked them so much, that my parents have purchased a few of her pieces!
Check out more of Anne’s work at www.ArtByAnneGilna.com

Dorothy Hughes
One of the sweetest ladies you’ll ever meet, Dorothy is a great artist and supporter
of other artists. I’ve known Dorothy for many years since my early years at Lillstreet
Art Center.  Known in many of the Chicago “art circles,” Dorothy has always been
very positive & supportive of my work. She’s the nicest…
Check out more of Dorothy’s work at www.DorothyHughes.com