I attended the opening for an exhibit of fine craft, which featured three of my large mosaic mirrors.  My Ochre Round Mosaic Mirror was awarded Best Design by juror Nick Mohler of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen, and here are some words Nick wrote about it:

I am hypnotized by this piece.  My eye flutters between the various heights and depths of the glass, the contrast between the grout line and glass shards.  I get stuck wondering how each piece of glass was cracked.  The yellows and oranges around the mirror pull my eye around.  No matter where I look I eventually have my gaze return to that sunburst design around the inner edge of the mirror.

I asked to keep the little slip of paper with these words.  There is a special pleasure in winning an award for something I enjoyed making.  In jr. high, I won the Adele Swenson Award for excellence in Home Economics, but sewing sent me into a state of frustration.  In my late  20’s I won a Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts for my poetry, and although my poems were incredibly important to me,  I couldn’t say I enjoyed the process of writing them.

In the past, an opening would’ve filled me with dread.  I was shy and often felt like a scared rabbit at social events.  So it was also a pleasure to enjoy the opening, and meet some of the other artists, including Wendy Edsall-Kerwin, known online, but now in person.  I suspect Wendy feels the same way about metal that I feel about glass, and one of her wall pieces, Gust, won Best Style.  She kept her slip of paper as well.  My mirrors are placed next to a fabulous piece of rag rug furniture by Cathy Hetznecker, and we both agreed that they look like they were meant to be together.

Other artists included, Debbie Burkert of Boyertown, basketweaving; Lyn Camella of Boyertown; Carrie J. Keplinger of Boyertown, fiber craft; Maxine Rhoads of Sinking Spring; Heidi M. Schweitzer of Shillington; Brad Smith of Worcester, woodworking; Bonnie L. Watton of Schwenksville; and Bonnie Wren of Boyertown.

Crafted: The Fine Art of Craft was at Studio B in Boyertown on September 16th-October 15th, 2011, part of the celebration of American Craft Week, October 7-16, 2011.