erika

Meet Your Printmaker :: A show in Washington, DC this July

Back in June of '08 I was featured on the Meet Your Printmaker blog.  They notified me a couple of months ago that they were trying to get a show together for this summer in D.C. - and to send some work if I could.  The show details can be found here for those in the area, also to see the list of other printmaking shops from around the world that will be exhibiting their work. 

Collection Friday's & a trip to D.C.

*** Collection Friday II ***
This small ceramic vessel was made by my sister while she was in High School.  A real master at throwing pots...  I've had it safely tucked inside our cabinet - holding some baby shells that I found at the beach when I was a young girl.  I was born in Ocean City, NJ (for those of you who don't know - I guess that makes me a Jersey girl)  we moved to PA when I was 4.  Every summer since then, my Mom's entire fam. goes to Ocean City - The days started around 10 - when all of us would pack up and head to the beach - some swimming - some hanging around the life guard stand - but mostly, to venture down the coast line - for what seemed like miles - without parents - looking for shells.  These tiny ones would wash up on shore in tiny sacks - almost always emptied out before reaching the beach.  Sometimes you would be lucky enough to find one of the sacks still full - with these baby conch/or welch shells, I'm no expert on the matter.  These are about the size of a piece of rice.

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since our summer officially started last Friday (S.'s last day of school) and P. has been working in Washington D.C. all week, Sophia and I decided to stay at a hotel down there and do some sight seeing.  We also got to eat dinner w/ P. at a wonderful french rest. in DuPont Circle.  I booked a hotel room on Priceline - and ended up staying about 1/2 hour metro ride outside of D.C. in Rockville MD.  We first went to The National Zoo:::

green roof

new elephant habitat still under construction

mist to cool off the visitors

Our second day we went to The National History Museum - no pic's of that - it was a zoo of people and not all that picturesque.  Needless to say, we both were totally overstimulated within 30 mins and treked over to the Freer Gallery - a tiny - really well designed museum - that I've wanted to go to after having watched a documentary on Whistler's Peacock room - which is in the museum.  I prefer taking Sophia to these kinds of places - and to be honest, she enjoyed it much more.

the only non-blurry pic. from the peacock room

Collection Friday's & a big congratulations to my sister, Emma

a new project that I am starting in an effort to catalog my "collections", share a little something of myself with the world, do something new - I've decided that I will post regularly on Friday's part of my treasures stored in the cabinets in my dining room.


a letterpress type drawer measuring 5' long


my china cabinet that sadly holds little to no china at all

To start:: my ever growing collection of wild bird eggs and bird nests - since today when I walked into my front yard I found another one to add to the collection, I found it only appropriate to start there.


This nest has a packed mud ring around the top edge to keep it together and has no plastic.  It is only made of twigs, mud, grass etc...

Sophia just found the smaller nest to the left last weekend.  It is made mostly of plastic filament - some easter basket grass, and a little downy padding made from the balls that sycamore trees drop.

This has got to be one of the smallest eggs ever.  I have a hard time believing it's from a bird, but it is hard - which I think would rule out the possibilities of it coming from a lizard or some reptile. maybe it belongs to a hummingbird. 

This brings me to the admition that I have a scary eye for detail, and that my collections are usually a result of that.  My cabinets are full of bits of nature that I have spotted since I was a little girl.  I've always had a penchant for saving these "treasures" in little bags I would sew, various jars & boxes - to me, it's my way of keeping my memories - the one's that I treasure in a more tactile way.  Over the years, and after becoming a Mom, I seem to do this less and less.  That's why I thought that archiving them, primarily for myself, would be a good idea.  I don't fear loss, but oftentimes find myself thinking about it's presence, and know that these things are only earthly posessions and try to remind myself to not get too attached.  If something were to happen - as it does all over the world, every day - and I needed to leave these things, I find it reassuring that I have a small visual back-up in the form of a picture and a story on the internet. 

In other news ::  my sister Emma just graduated from middle school.  She is now a 9th grader.  She's a beautiful, kind and gentle soul - with a kick ass sense of humor.  Schwinky!  We love you and are so proud of you!

Emma & my Dad