It’s Michael Jackson’s funeral today and while normally i don’t pay a whole lot of attention to celebrities, this particular celebrity death is hitting me hard – a harsh combination of sorrow shadowed by guilt. Since the news, I’ve found myself teary-eyed and nostalgic - there isn’t a period in my life from childhood to my 20s to which an MJ song, dance move or TV appearance can’t be associated.
And i’m not the only one: in the first days, everywhere i went strangers would randomly stop to talk about how sad we all were about Michael Jackson’s sudden death. Family members and friends from around the world contacted me to share the news or reminisce about which moments of their lives will be forever associated with which Michael Jackson song…
If you only know the MJ of the last 20 or so years – that ghostly, surgically sculpted figure with bizarre habits and a constant subject of questionable accusations and behaviours – then you might be confused at the worldwide outpouring of grief. If most of these people are like me though they’re likely grieving for the other “before” Michael - the young pop star genius Michael who won every award available and completely transformed videos and the pop music scene. The one who’s every song we can identify with some significant moment in our lives since childhood – the one who we’ve always wished could have found the inner peace necessary to live a more normal and happy life – THIS Michael:
I SO wish things could have turned out differently for him. I wish he was still making music. I wish he hadn’t ruined his career. I wish he hadn’t ruined his face. I wish he was still just being fantastically talented and musically brilliant in the way only Michael Jackson (and no one else) could be.I wish i could still listen to his music without that momentary flash of doubt and distaste. And I wish i could still feel the pure and innocent fan worship that kept this picture happily posted in my highschool locker:
When TheArtlist.com contacted me and asked me if i would be their July 2009 Artist of the Month i didn’t even hesitate. (Duh?) I’m the first glass artist they’ve ever featured and it’s also my first time being acknowledged like this.
I’ve been doing the happy dance all week and grinning so hard my cheeks hurt…
(Click either screenshot to read the full interview)
The New Art Festival was an incredible amount of work but at the end of it (surprisingly) also a TON of fun. It was my first outdoor fine art show and a great learning experience plus it’s been a long time since i laughed so much in one weekend while technically being at work.I had a large selection of goddess beads – which have seemingly become my signature bead - they are definitely the beads i sell the most. Three years ago (when i first picked up a torch) if anyone had told me that i would be making beads of little naked ladies and loving every moment of it i would have looked at them as if they were insane!Next in line would be the Pandora beads… I still can’t stand making lots and lots of little beads like these but then when i have a group of (what i now refer to as) the Pandora Ladies excitedly searching through the beads for their favourite colour combination to add to their bacelets, it all seems completely worth it. Plus, i DO love exchanging them on my own bracelet every couple weeks.My booth location was right by the creek under huge, old trees which made for lovely surroundings. My friend Dex drove us and took care of the loading and unloading, my sister was there to help me man the booth and the Teenager even cracked a smile or two despite being dragged out of bed before 7am both Saturday and Sunday to help out.My neighbour Sean helped me with the booth setup and design again – i thought he did a fantastic job! He somehow manages to pull all kinds of random things from around my house, arrange them together and Voila! As usual, i had a small corner where i keep a binder and a chest with components i use to make my beads. There were still lots of blank expressions when i explained the process but at least things have progressed from the looks of complete disbelief i received a couple years ago when i would say that i make glass beads…I also finally had some business cards made and I’m quite happy with this new design. Up to this point, i’d been using laser cards the Teenager designed for me for last November’s show – not the best level of professionalism…
There was a great turnout for the duration of the show – even on Sunday when it was cold and raining. Attendees were patient despite the crowds, seemed appreciative of the labour involved in the work on display and most importantly willing to pull out their wallets to show their support.
As it turns out my booth location was incorrect on the site map but most people were still able to find us.
I have to say, the other artists displayed truly fantastic, professional work. I could have spent all my sales at the other booths at the show. I did get myself a couple treats at the end of the show that i’m completely thrilled with.
At the end of this though i realized i had completely underestimated just how much work participating in a professional fine art show would be. Now that i look back on it – even though i made a profit, i can acknowledge i was woefully underprepared. I’ll be taking the lessons learned though and using them to prepare for my next show. I’m still mulling things through in my head and will create another post shortly with details.
Do you remember this cartoon from the 70s? For some strange reason, i woke up yesterday morning with this song going over and over again in my head. That was so completely and utterly random, i of course had to go look it up online and then watch all the Youtube videos followed by several heavily nostalgic sighing moments…
I used to love this cartoon when i was little – it was so beautifully simple: every time Simon encountered a problem, he went into his room and drew a solution and his world went right back to being ok. I kind of feel like that now with my beads – no matter how stressed i am at my day job or with whatever else may be going on in my life, if i can make the time to slip into my studio for a few hours all my tension just slips away…
If this cartoon was about me it would be called : Evelyn in the Land of Lampworking and my opening song would be:
“Well you know my name is Evelyn, and my dream to be an artist came true. So i make beads, make beads, make beads and send them all over the world to live with you…”
(yes, i know it’s incredibly corny but i’m recovering from the flu and utter exhaustion post-show so allow me the luxury of this momentary bit of self-indulgence…)
I’ll have a booth at the 2009 New Art Festival (formerly Art in the Park).
I’ve been hard at work in the studio preparing for this show and will have a wide assortment of my usual work (Pandora-style beads, goddesses, pendants, etc.) available as well as some new designs i’m currently fine tuning.
(Click either of the pictures to get a larger, printer-quality version. )
It’s Michael Jackson’s funeral today and while normally i don’t pay a whole lot of attention to celebrities, this particular celebrity death is hitting me hard – a harsh combination of sorrow shadowed by guilt. 
Since the news, I’ve found myself teary-eyed and nostalgic - there isn’t a period in my life from childhood to my 20s to which an MJ song, dance move or TV appearance can’t be associated.
Family members and friends from around the world contacted me to share the news or reminisce about which moments of their lives will be forever associated with which Michael Jackson song…
If most of these people are like me though they’re likely grieving for the other “before” Michael - the young pop star genius Michael who won every award available and completely transformed videos and the pop music scene. The one who’s every song we can identify with some significant moment in our lives since childhood – the one who we’ve always wished could have found the inner peace necessary to live a more normal and happy life – THIS Michael:
I wish i could still listen to his music without that momentary flash of doubt and distaste. And I wish i could still feel the pure and innocent fan worship that kept this picture happily posted in my highschool locker: 
