Of course I am being facetious when I refer to going to the Chicago One of A Kind Show this past weekend as a tough part of my job. The truth is that going to shows is one of the absolute perks of working at Artful Home, and that kind of “working on the weekend” is the kind of overtime I like! This show had nearly 600 artists, and it was exciting to see it so well attended.

I met a few new artists who, although they have no relationship with Artful Home, I am thrilled to introduce here.
Maggie (Gigi) Gibney creates dramatic, exuberant and sexy earrings from handmade paper, of all things.

Her effervescent personality is evident in her work, and it is hard to choose among her pieces, all unique, all one of a kind.

Debra DeWolff is another jewelry artist, and her medium is polymer clay. This material is often looked down upon, as it is commonly used by school children for making tacky Christmas ornaments. In the hands of a master, like DeWolff, however, polymer clay takes on magnificent forms. She was originally a fiber artist, and she successfully mixes felt beads and polymer clay in inventive, exuberant designs.

Alas, the toughest part of my job (hah!) is tasting the artisanal chocolates. Katherine Anne Duncan creates the most wonderful chocolate confections! Her java truffle was the most intense combination of velvety chocolate and espresso. You really have to admire Katherine’s dedication to using the finest ingredients, lovingly hand-making these outstanding chocolates. Like all great artists, she is a master of her artform.

The reality of the OOAK show was that it was huge, and I am sure there are many artists whose work I was unable to see closely enough. That is the reason why attempting to see it all in one day is pretty much an undoable task, but I consider finding three great talents like Maggie, Debra, and Katherine to be worth the journey!

Wood Fired Birch Motif Tea Pot
by Lenore Lampi

Today is the opening day of the Chicago One of A Kind Show at the Chicago Merchandise Mart. I’ll be heading over there Saturday morning to see the work of more than 500 artists! I always love the opportunity to see new work and talk to the artists. And this year, more than ever, I feel the urge to find gifts for my friends which have a personal connection, as only hand-made pieces do.

I am also honored to have been invited to speak at the show on Saturday at 1:00 in the VIP lounge. I’ll be talking about “Collecting Art – The Art of Collecting”, a subject near and dear to my heart. Like so many Artful Home customers I have had the pleasure to speak to, I don’t particularly think of myself as a “collector”, but rather think of myself as someone who likes to live with beautiful things. Nonetheless, in preparation for my talk, I reflected on my own collections, as well as collections I have admired.

Anyone who knows me knows I have a “thing” about teapots, and do, in fact, collect them. So I am positively thrilled to be meeting Lenore Lampi at the One of a Kind Show. Lenore’s “Wood Fired Birch Motif Teapot” is the latest addition to my collection. Her artistry and technique combine in porcelain to create the most wonderful pieces, evocative of both wood and ceramic at the same time.

I hope to see you at the show!

Gardening in the Rain
Pigment Print by Brian Kershisnik

You would never guess that we are in the middle of the lazy days of summer here at Artful Home. There are summer art fairs, our 10th Anniversary, the Hearts for Anna event, and so much more.

Let’s start with our 10th Anniversary. Today and tomorrow you can register for a chance to win “Gardening in the Rain” by Brian Kershisnik. Brian’s work has been a huge favorite with our customers. People are drawn to the emotion in his work. As Brian states, “Humor is healthy. God laughs. I believe that. To avoid a good, human, affectionate sense of humor in art that is depicting human beings is nonsense.” If you love Brian’s work, make sure you see his newest additions to the Artful Home collection – “Reading a Very Small Book” and “She Reads“. Remember to take advantage of our 10th Anniversary 10% off event.

Hearts for Anna Event
We’re also in the middle of the Hearts for Anna event. Right now we are collecting donated works from artists. If you haven’t heard, fiber artists Anna Millea has cancer and is unable to get health insurance. Artists are donating works that will go on sale August 12 with 100% of the proceeds going to help Anna with medical expenses. Any artist can donate work. We encourage artists who are affiliate with Artful Home and artists who are not to donate a piece to this cause. You can get a sneak peek at the works that will be available to purchase on our website and you can stay up to date on the event with our custom Twitter feed.

Favorite Fortune Ornament Contest Winner

We have a winner in the ornament Favorite Fortune contest. Sandi B. submitted her fortune, “The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious”, via this blog and it came out on top when all of the votes were counted. Sandi’s fortune will be included in one of the artist-made ornaments in this years collection. Sandi will receive both of the fortune ornaments in this year’s collection for submitting the winning fortune.

Artful Home Staff Picks

Have you ever wondered what the staff at Artful Home would choose as their favorite works of art? We asked around and now you can see our favorite pieces. Visit the Artful Home Staff Picks page and see why we like what we do.


Niche Award Nomination
Artful Home is thrilled to have been nominated for a Niche award. Professional fine craft artists throughout the U.S. and Canada nominated nearly 600 craft galleries, retail stores, arts nonprofits, museum shops and guilds for this year’s awards. The winners will be announced the first weekend in August at the Buyers Market of American Craft show in Philadelphia.

Chocolate by Cathy Kleeman

All week long I’ve been putting stuff in boxes, getting ready for the Quilt Surface Design Symposium. We’re leaving tomorrow and I’m taking a 7 day class with Elizabeth Busch. Today it’s time to really get serious, finalize my packing, move stuff up out of the studio and into the car. This class I’m taking is called a “Master Class”. It’s more of a mentored studio where we have the benefit of input from both the instructor and all our classmates. We bring our own projects and pretty much do work of our own choosing. There are usually group critiques and one-on-one critiques plus other art-inspiring activities. We’re also going to be doing some painting on cotton duck, something I don’t usually do.

I been thinking about my years of attendance at QSDS. My first class was in 1993, when it was still run at the Josephinium Seminary, a college for priests in Columbus. The facilities were primitive, to put it mildly. Our rooms were the cells in the dormitory, no air conditioning, big enough for a single bed and a dresser. The showers were down the hall, and two rooms shared a toilet and a sink. One quickly became acquainted with one’s “sink-mate”. The class I took was titled “A Problem-Solving Approach to Design” and it was a series of small projects that taught us how to boost creativity. The best lesson I took away from that class was to not be afraid to experiment and to not let the work become so dear that you’re afraid to try something for fear of wrecking it.

It was my first exposure to Quilt National and I was gobsmacked. These “quilts” were like nothing I had ever seen and I wasn’t even sure I liked them. At that point, I wasn’t even ready to call myself an artist. If someone had told me that my work would one day be hanging in Quilt National I would have laughed and laughed. Now I feel very comfortable calling myself an artist.

I didn’t attend QSDS again until 1997, but I have been there every year since. For a long time I took different technique classes: low water dyeing, stamping, machine quilting, screen printing – lots of surface design techniques to add to my repertoire. After a while I realized that I also needed education in design principles and how to think like an artist. Luckily, QSDS began their Master Classes, just what I was looking for. At some point you have to really start doing your own work – take all those different techniques and make them work for you.

To digress a bit… I don’t remember what quilts were the first ones I entered into Quilt National but I’m sure they were deserving of rejection considering the competition. Here is one of my entries from QN 2001. It’s titled Rx: Chocolate. It’s a self-portrait of sorts. I stamped words that come into one’s vocabulary as one reaches a “certain age”: menopause, bone density, mammogram, yadda, yadda. Quilted into the background is my own prescription for these facts of life: chocolate. Doesn’t solve the problems, but it makes them more bearable.

I’ve always thought this would be a great piece of art for an OB/GYN’s office, but so far there haven’t been any takers.

Visit Cathy’s blog.