meredith cutler :: arts marketing :: artist

I'm not going ANYWHERE except to work and to the studio for yet another couple of weeks...Still, I have to admit that I am thinking ahead with anticipation for my holiday travels. No, I'm not going anywhere particularly sexy this time (unless Baltimore really turns you on). For me, travel is not always about the destination; it's about the experience, the people...and, of course, having the right luggage!

With that, I was happy to trip over Get Ready Set GO, a cool vintage luggage shop (with a handcrafted spin) out of Florida. The train cases, hard-shelled suitcases, briefcases and other vintage luggage pieces satisfy that vintage loving vibe. To sweeten the experience, each piece receives its own hand-altered treatment in the form of handprinted or handpainted artwork, embellishments, and even personalization.

I'm ready to pack one up and fly away!

The day we've all been waiting for is finally here. No matter what side of the fence you sit on, or how many electoral votes your state boasts, (mine: 4 big, fat whoppers) it's high time we squeezed this vote out and moved on with our lives.

There was a white powder scare over in East Providence that shook things up for a little while, but the poll scene over on my side of town is very quiet, except for an unseen catcaller who yelled to me from a row house window to "Vote Obama, Honey!" I waved congenially in his general direction. Then an art car full of hipsters wearing cat masks drove by waving signs reading "Cats for Obama"...ahh, Providence.

Hopefully by tomorrow we will have a better hint as to the fate of our disturbed nation. Until then, I'll be gathering with friends and neighbors to break bread and turn water into wine, waiting for our miracle.

Until then, here are a few amusing objects d'art I found on Etsy that will probably be sold while we bite nails and watch exit polls. Enjoy!

Images: (clockwise, from top left) "Van-Go-Bama" by orangyred, "Tofu for Obama Plush" by ChrisCreatures, "Election Fraud T-Shirt" by fatamerican, "Excited Voter Squid" by cleodee, "American Vice President Wrestling Middle-Weight Championship Poster" by yeehaw, "The Voodoo Sarah Doll" by Chellboy, "Vote for Peace" by alexandernash1, "I Voted Art Button" by a4ds.

I’m already uncharacteristically pumped for this year’s holiday season, which is completely at odds with what the doomsaying news outlets are prosthelytizing. One of the reasons for my early and enthusiastic push is that I will be creating most of our holiday gifts with my own two paws (with the balance representing items and works by artists & indie designers whose work I truly admire). If you are on my list, don’t you already feel special?

It’s no secret that I’m a huge proponent of Buy Handmade (or, make it yourself), which is where the following UK-based artist fits in. I fell in love with tinctory’s unique textile jewelry on Etsy last winter, and gifted her beautiful autumn leaf necklace to a very picky Italian lady who loved it!

2008 has seen an increased creative intensity in tinctory’s jewelry line, with the addition of smocked silk necklaces, like the example pictured below. I don’t normally feature jewelry on Studio Debris, but this work is unique to my interests in that it incorporates hand-dyed or recycled textiles, with intensive pleating and stitching handwork. Using painstaking shibori and smocking techniques, Eva has invented some amazing sculptural forms that stand as works of art on their own.

In addition to the joy of receiving a truly unique piece of jewelry all the way from Birmingham, Eva from tinctory packages each piece in an elegant, handmade gift box. Mine arrived from the U.K. in no time. If you are interested in shibori or the other techniques used in tinctory jewelry, check out Eva’s flickr site for some interesting photos of works in progress.

Today I'm thinking about...supplies. I spent a good part of my day exchanging community-building ideas with a very large group of Providence arts community stakeholders - a forum which required supplies like: sharpies, kraft-paper, coffee, pushpins, sketchbooks...which led to more socializing (requiring supplies like beer and bar snacks).

If you think about it, most activities require supplies of some sort, so why not get them from a source you can feel good about? As part of my "if you can't make it yourself at least buy handmade" mission, I'm participating in an Etsy community supply sale this week with crostini*VS. Head over to Etsy, and search "Team ESST" for creative supply deals from fellow artisans and craft suppliers.

In the blink of an eye, my complexion has transformed back from sun-kissed to milky white, and the freshest breezes are blowing spicy scents of drying leaves and sweet concord grapes down the streets of Providence's East Side. The calendar lies, but it's autumn, I swear!

Above: "Monochromatic Fruit Set" by Revo on Etsy - handblown glass

It's the perfect time of year to visit Providence's farmers' markets, which are currently overflowing with Macintosh apples, the last of the pears, corn, squash, and a wide variety of lovely bitter greens (my favorite!). While enjoying the crispy, local tastes of autumn, I'm currently coveting the handblown glass fruit of Pennsylvania-based artist Anthony Biancaniello. His fruit sets are available on Etsy in a variety of autumn colors, and would look simply smashing in my vintage Danish china fruit bowl...(hint).