A bit of news to share today: a pop-up market this weekend, plus reflections and photos from a recent commission.
Bon Marché 2nd Hand Pop-Up at Abrams Claghorn Gallery
Bon Marché’s 2nd Hand Pop-Up is coming to the Abrams Claghorn Gallery & Shop in Albany on Saturday and Sunday, November 14 and 15. The pop-up runs 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. both days, with different vendors each day. I’ll be there on Sunday with a rack of my recently mended, hand-felted cashmere sweaters.
I made a video to show off some of the new creations, but that won’t work in an email, so I’m sharing video screenshots instead. Here are six of the thirty-six (!) sweaters I’m bringing with me.
Besides my work, you’ll find lots of beautiful secondhand women’s clothing, shoes, and accessories, plus Abrams Claghorn’s always wonderful collection of goods and gifts made by local artists.
The gallery is at 1251 Solano Avenue (at Masonic) in Albany, just a few blocks from where I live. I love my new neighborhood!
A New Home for Sweater Work
I just opened an Instagram account for my cashmere adventures and other secondhand finds: @whimsymadeandfound. “Whimsical” is the word people use most often for what I do, so I’m embracing it. And the account is truly new. As I write this, I’m my only follower! It’s where I’ll show sweaters as I mend them, announce markets and open studios, and share whatever I’ve scored lately. My mixed-media work will stay at @notbygrasping.
A Portrait of Panny
In August, I received an inquiry about creating a surprise pigeon portrait for someone special. Holly’s birthday was coming up in October; could I make a portrait of her first pigeon, Panny, from a reference photo taken the day she met him and fell in love?
Who could resist?
Portrait commissions might be my favorite work. They offer a magical way to connect with the beloved bird (or a very dear squirrel, one time) and their person. In this case, we had Holly—a deeply compassionate soul who, among many other things, loves death metal music—and one giant, marshmallow-poof pigeon. Quite intuitively, the portrait became a birthday celebration of death-metal-poof-pigeon contrasts.
After two months of sneaking around, Panny got his big reveal at Holly’s surprise party!
Without intending to, it seems I made Panny just about life-sized!
Building a gallery of commissioned portraits for my website is on my long to-do list. I’ve done about six so far, and each time the process has felt nothing short of mystical, with unique challenges and surprising connections happening all along the way.
If you’re curious about commissioning a portrait of your bird (or squirrel or . . . I’ve been hoping someone will ask for a portrait of their lizard), my inbox is always open for questions.
