SOLD to the highest bidder!

"Happy Trees Grow in the Garden of Love" © 2006 $75.00 value





















"The Sound of Music" © 2007 $150.00 value


Not sure what the highest bids were, but there were multiple bids on each!

"Constellations of Hope" was a fundraiser hosted by Gather the Women to support women in Africa.

The invitation read, “Enjoy the "Constellations of Hope Art Show and Sale" featuring original art pieces created by area artists to celebrate our theme. Proceeds from the evening will go to Mama na Dada, to support leadership development for the rural women of east Africa.”

My friend, Odile Nicolette, invited me to submit some of my art. Imagine that! My first invitational. What to select. How to price. How to mount for display … all these things that I’ve not had to consider up to this point.

I did some research on pricing by checking out several artists works … but it became too cumbersome to determine a “formula” and in the end I simply went with a gut-level price. I’m sure I’m under-priced but how does one determine price for work with lots of hand stitching and beading? Anyway, because this was a fundraiser and an opportunity to get my work out into the world, I chose pretty simplistic pricing.

I mounted each piece on foam core, by sewing the corners with embroidery floss, so the lucky winner could just put it in a frame.

The other art was mostly paintings and a few mixed media. There was photography and a beautiful fused glass dish that I bid on but dropped out when it went over my budget. Beautiful work was on display!

I was the only fiber artist in the show. I got feedback that they loved the uniqueness of my work and the evidence of so much handwork. One woman said, “I love the beads!”

This feels so good! 1) To support such a neat cause. This fundraiser was to send three women from Africa to the GTW conference in Australia. They will be able to share what they are doing and learn and bring additional resources back to their communities. 2) To have my work out in the world. Even though I submitted postcards to FFAC, I don’t know if they sold or not. Last night, “The Sound of Music” left with its new owner before I got to meet her. “Happy Trees” now lives with Odile, how cool is that! 3) To know that my work is unique (at least within this group) and of interest.

This makes me want to go into the “studio” and start creating more! This was a very neat experience.