I am really missing doing art shows in the new normal. I have created lots of new art for the shows that were supposed to be so I wanted to let you guys see them. If you see something that catches your eye, email me at flowerfloozydesigns@yahoo.com and I can ship it to you. Maybe you will spot a great Birthday, Mothers Day, or Cheer you up present!
2019 was a challenging but really fun year for me. I started the year with lots of classes, back pain, 2 estate sales and a trip to Franklin, NC to learn how to fuse glass. If you haven’t been to John C Campbell Folk School, take the chance and go. I wanted to learn everything they were teaching. Bobby Umbach gave me the knowledge and the courage to start using my kiln and fusing glass. I am still learning the whole world of kilns and the very capricious kiln gods which cause quirky things to happen to your glass while it is in the kiln.
I had some great shows that involved traveling to 2 of my favorite places – Charleston, SC and Blowing Rock, NC. In August, a friend and I marked lots of things off of our bucket lists with a trip to Barcelona, Ireland, and Venice. I visited mosaic sites, glass manufacturers, and mosaic artists in all 3 places and was just stunned by the beauty of the mosaics of Gaudi and the St Mark’s Cathedral in Venice.
The fox in the picture above, was my ode to Ireland. While driving down the Dingle Peninsula, a beautiful fox crossed the road in front of us and turned around to watch us drive by. I had to immortalize him when I got home. The red flowers in this piece are the crocosmia which grow wild everywhere in Ireland. In Listowel, Ireland, I met a mosaic artist who I have long admired, John (Solly) Sollinger. He was doing a month long residency at Olive Stack’s Gallery. In March, 2020, I am going to Michigan to take a class from Solly. Seeing his work up close and hearing his descriptions made me decide that I have to go while he is on this side of the country.
2020 is looking like a fun year for teaching classes and taking classes. I am teaching a few new classes and techniques this year so look for the new schedule of classes coming on Monday. I hope to see lots of you either in class or at shows. I have applied for several shows and should have my show schedule confirmed in the next month or so. Thanks for checking out my website and hope to see you soon. Karen
This weekend, October 25 – 27, 2019, is Christmas Made in the South at the Cabarrus Arena in Concord, NC. I hope to see lots of you there. If you love Christmas and you love art and handmade, this is the show for you. Free parking close to the building and 300+ juried artists to enjoy. I have been working hard and having lot os fun getting ready. Here are 2 of the pieces that I will have there. Come out and see me! I am near the front entrance across from Santa Claus.
I was reading Art Elements Blog last month and saw that the September Challenge was to create art using Foliage. I love all of God’s creations and have been thinking about foliage and the varieties and beauty of it. Some of you may know that the reason my mosaic business is named Flower Floozy Designs is because I am so crazy for flowers and color. I belong to a group of gardening ladies who call ourselves the Planters Nuts. Most of them have lots of shade and have been very much into foliage for years. I always made a beeline for the flowers at the nurseries so they teased me that I was a Flower Floozy. It’s true! But lately I have been making a conscious effort to look at foliage to appreciate the beauty in the leaves. I accomplished a few things this month with foliage and looked back through my previous projects for a few more examples of foliage to share with you.
Here is my most recent project. I am still learning the ins and outs of my new kiln so I made these small leaf dishes that can be used as soap dishes, ring dishes, or outside in the garden to hold water for the birds. The dishes were made using a leaf from the garden as a pattern for the pottery. After they were fired, I mosaiced the leaf dishes with stained glass and grouted.
Here are a few other past projects that I made highlighting the greenery, leaves and foliage.
Art Elements has organized a group of artists who are all spotlighting foliage this month. Check out these other amazing artists. Click on the name and it will take you to their pages.
Guests
I hope you have as much fun checking out all of the different ways that foliage is interpreted in art. I am now super inspired to go create more foliage art and to study it more closely.
I recently sold one of my favorite windows I have completed. It was based on the old hymn, “In the Garden”. My favorite parts of that hymn are the lines, “I go to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses…and He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known”. This is my version of that garden. 
I recently completed this pet portrait of 2 of my favorite dogs. Chase, the Beagle/Basset Mix, was the soulmate of our Shepherd mix Jezebel. Chase and Jezebel spent many years running and playing together. Sadly both of them have now crossed the rainbow bridge. Now, Fred has a new love Charlotte. Charlotte is the beauty in the foreground of this portrait. We no longer live across the street from each other but Charlotte comes to stay with us often and she and our Millie are now soul sisters. I love seeing the second generation of best dog buddies. Fred’s mother commissioned this portrait of Chase and Charlotte for Fred’s birthday. What joy it brought me to bring these 2 loves of mine to life in glass.
How hot is too hot?? Well, we made it through the first 4 days with 100 degree plus weather. Come out and visit me this weekend Friday May 31 – Sunday June 2. We are in Wragg Square in beautiful downtown Charleston. Wragg Square is at the corner of Meeting Street and Charlotte Street, near the Charleston Visitors Center. I would love to have you come by and visit me. It is supposed to be a little cooler this weekend. We are in the shade of gorgeous Live Oaks.
This commission was for another mom who loves her koi pond. Koi fish are so interesting in all of their beautiful colorful array. Their gorgeous tails and fins move so gracefully as they glide through the water.
I did 3 pet commissions of dogs this year. As most of you know, this is probably my favorite thing to create because I love dogs so much. I finished a horse portrait for the first time so I will show you that one in a couple of days and have 2 beautiful Himalayan cats to complete in January.
Here are Bailey and Bentley – a Doodle and a Yorkie mix
Here is another Bailey. This Bailey is a very sweet female Irish Setter doodle. I had never seen one of these but she has more of the beautiful red in her ears and in her beard.
And lastly, this is sweet Paisley, who is a Border Collie. She was laying down and giving her mom her sweet, come play with me look.
Here is another fun piece that I made for another mom. She is going to hang this above her kitchen bar between the kitchen and the family room. I worked with her son and granddaughter to come up with a pink dogwood branch. This piece is 12 inches high by 36 inches long.
This photo is with the light coming in behind it.
This is a not great photo of it without the light behind it.
Flower Floozy Designs 