The first half of the year has been a little quiet for me. I’ve been busy behind the scenes, mostly adjusting to the move of the studio. The North Dam Mill in Biddeford was an absolutely wonderful place to work but I had to find some new digs and eventually settled in Westbrook. Much of the spring was spent with the move but now that summer is upon us with a vengeance, I’ve started the production engine up again in preparation for the fair.

Keychains were a big hit last summer as were wallets so I’m planning on introducing some new styles and designs. In fact, they were so popular that I struggled to keep them in stock! Another hot item were charm bracelets so I’ve been working on some new styles for this autumn. And I haven’t forgotten the MILLION requests for messenger bags. I just want to make sure I can create a product that is truly long-lasting and that won’t require repairs, particularly to the strap area. Never you fear, however! They are definitely on my radar!

Shamefully, I’ve never been to Common Ground but it is the creme de la creme of country fairs in Maine and even more awesome, it is operated by the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association which is the oldest and largest state organic organization in the country. Maine is very cool in many ways, even if it is impossible to find cool shoes or real punk music here.

In other news, I’m working on a new site design because it’s always nice to get a new frock and because I’ve received a lot of feedback that the site isn’t very user-friendly. I’m certainly not very satisfied with the shopping (or lack thereof) on the site so that’s one of the many things I’ll be working on over the next few months. No promises as to the launch date but it is in the works.

Black Rubber Game Preserve - Pheasant

I’ve been working on a super spectacular project all summer, for most of the year, in fact, and now it’s time to tell the world about it. Somewhere along the line, in the early part of the year, I got it into my head that I should make taxidermy animals out of rubber. After several discussions with friends about the fact there is often a lot of confusion about who exactly is behind this Road Rash Rubber endeavor, I decided I should have a photo of myself on the website. A sort of John Galliano, seriously fabulous, utterly over-the-top kind of photo where I would be wearing one of my rubber gowns surrounded by adulating rubber beasts. Knowing that I would never finish these rubber creatures without a hard deadline, I approached Sophie at Rise Photography in South Portland (or SoPo, as the hip kids call it) and she was kind enough to host a show for the month of October.

I put an ad out for an assistant and was blessed with the company and help of one Ben DeHaan who had just recently moved to Portland from Michigan. Together, over many late nights at the studio, more than a couple of hilarious games of Apples To Apples and Scrabble, and one horrendously long photo shoot day, we pushed out three creatures and three antler sets. There may have been a few all-nighters and days without showering peppered in there, as well. The most labor-intensive was the boar, affectionately dubbed “Zsa Zsa The Boar,” which took approximately 300 hours to complete. You can see her below in the photo laying on her side after she, characteristic of everything involving her for months, twisted off of her moorings and broke the stand to which she was affixed. She’s since been fixed, but not without a fair number of stern and angry words. I totally hate her guts.

Black Rubber Game Preserve - Main Gallery

Here are a few more photos of the show which will be up at Rise Photography at 864 Broadway in South Portland until the end of October. I’ll be there on Thursday nights from 6-9 and for a few hours on Saturday, October 23rd.

Black Rubber Game Preserve - Bone Entry

Black Rubber Game Preserve - Ben's Work

Black Rubber Game Preserve - Fashion Photos

All the regular goods will be available, as well, such as rings and handbags. You know, all the things that I haven’t been putting up on the RRR etsy shop, naughty person that I am.

Talk about a pleasant surprise! Here is the article, which came out in Sunday’s paper: Artists Give Trash a Second Chance.

The event was very busy thanks in large part to a huge street art fair also going on downtown and it stayed jumping until about 5pm when I suspect everyone started looking for food. The new keychains were a big hit so I’ll have to get cracking on making some more! Overall, I had fun and got to meet a number of extremely friendly and positive people, which is always a bonus.

It’s in Lincoln Park (corner of Congress and Franklin Arterial), rain or shine, from 11am to 6pm. If you visit, you’ll be able to see my brand new line of key chains with your own naked eyeballs.

Here are some photos!

June 20 * July 18 * Aug 15 * Sept 19 * Oct 10 * Oct 31

I’ll post photos soon!

Scott Mullenberg, another rubber-maker and a riot to hang out with, makes rubber tote bags and exquisitely bound journals. Hannah Tarkinson, designer and excellent human being, makes leather goods and jewelry (and she just opened a studio in Portland on Munjoy Hill). Also in the store, ties from the ubiquitous Bethany Shorb and her Cyberoptix Tie Lab. In addition to Coco’s jewelry, her husband Gil has his phenomenal artwork for sale. And those are just the people I know personally but there is a LOT more.

I just finished my display for the shop which represents a bit of a departure from my display themes until now (those previous themes being black on black on black on black). Something about the monochromatic speaks to me on a deep belly level and so it’s difficult for me to let go of subtlety. I’ve realized, however, after several craft fairs where visitors to my booth struggle to see my offerings, that I have to ratchet up the contrast. This hurts me but it has to be done.

I’ve been obsessed lately (okay, all of my life) with the Rococo. In college, I insisted on doing only naughty Fragonard reproductions in my painting courses, put filigree on everything, and enjoyed Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antionette less for the costumes and more for the architectural embellishment. In the absence of Rococo, Victorian will do but it makes a pale second. In this cruel modern world, ornamentation is tantamount to heresy unless, of course, it’s a statement made ironically. Well, I’m not afraid to say that I like embellishment. Carve the crap out of it is what I say.

Ring Display

The Whole Banana

A Filigree Nightmare

Necklace Display

Purse Hooks

Store Music: Fever Ray “If I Had A Heart”

The trip itself was really awful and included: The Thin White Duke (our super-mobile) spewing out a spark plug at 70mph in the middle of Farm-Town, Pennsylvania, to the tune of $1000; getting sicker than sick in Blacksburg, Virginia; and driving through Hotlanta in the midst of ICE STORM APOCALYPSE 2010 which really wasn’t that bad but, being a New Englander, I was the only one on the road who knew how to drive. One really awesome thing that we did was, under the cloak of night, we visited the Georgia Guidestones. Something about pulling up on these tremendous Stonehenge-esque monuments in the middle of some soybean field at night was enough to make my colon jump into my throat. That didn’t, however, prevent us from reciting the Stonehenge monologue from “Spinal Tap.” We all vowed right then and there that, should the world fall apart and mankind meet its deserved end, we’ll go dig up that time capsule. That is, if we haven’t been turned in to rabid zombies. But maybe even then we’ll still manage the trip.

Okay, New Year Resolution time: My goal for the beginning of 2010 is to take better photographs. I know I harp on this all the time but it’s because I’m completely self-consciously aware of how poorly I present my stuffs. Obviously, I need some snot-nosed photography student long on vision and short on fees to come in and revolutionize my photos. Or I need a new camera. Or I need a light tent, which I am building this very afternoon! Maybe I’ll post photos of the process. Ha!

Meanwhile, here are some photos of the booth at the craft fairs to make you visual addicts happy:

Maine Women In The Arts
Prelude Fine Arts and Crafts Show
Friday, December 4 through Sunday, December 6
The Masonic Hall, Temple Street
(around the corner from the Post Office) in Kennebunkport
Opening Reception: Friday, December 4 from 5-7 pm
Show Hours: Friday, December 4, 10 am-7 pm
Saturday, December 5, 10 am-6 pm
Sunday, December 5, 10 am-4 pm
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