Inspired by Louise Bourgeois

Getting ready to move is really stressful; I've done it alot over the past several years and I can't say it gets any easier over time. Occasionally I'm pleasantly surprised while I'm sorting through stuff and packing; finding this stack of screenprints I did in 2002 was one of those pleasant surprises.

I really like Louise Bourgeois' artwork, and find her large-scale installations (the "Cells") to be especially compelling. Her passing on May 31st at the age of 98 was a great loss to the art world, but my what a wonderful and inspiring body of work she created during her lifetime! 12 years ago or thereabouts I came across an image of this watercolor she had done depicting various clippers she found around her home and studio:



I was immediately inspired to try my own version using images of surgical instruments taken from a turn-of-the-century surgical supply catalog. I did several hand-drawn and colored versions before I had access to screenprinting equipment; I was excited to finally do a run of screenprints based on one of my favorite layouts during a screenprinting course at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. These are 3-color prints: 2 shades of red, and black, printed on a cream colored acid-free paper.





I always just called them my "Tribute to Louise Bourgeois" --not a very original title, and certainly not a worthy tribute to such a grand artist, but these images occupied my mind and time considerably for a period, and I'm glad to have been given the opportunity to revisit and share them. Thank you, Louise Bourgeois!!!

Medicine Bags!

I recently acquired two super soft, buttery buckskin hides and have been having a grand time sewing medicine bags! I do sew them on a machine, but since every piece of each bag is cut by hand from the hide, they end up taking a good bit of time to make from start to finish. I have 15 so far; these are meant to be worn around the neck, and I have been assembling a nice cache of beads, metal cones, horsehair and the like to add to each bag along with a strip of intricate beadwork that will be stitched directly onto the face of each bag!

Eventually these will go into my FinderMaker shop, along with mushroom shelves and all sorts of other curious objects and handmade treasures! I believe I will have to put this project on hold very soon though, as I am preparing for a big move at the end of August. We are trying to decide between New York City (we lived there before, in Manhattan, but would be in Brooklyn this time around) or Santa Fe (a new adventure, though I did spend some of my childhood in Albuquerque). The seemingly unavoidable threat of bedbugs is making the NY area seem like a rather frightening option, but Santa Fe is quite distant, and I am tiring of stressful cross-country moves. Those concerns aside, both places have much to offer, and I am looking forward to the changes that are in store! I would certainly welcome any opinions or insight on either option from my dear beloved readers!

June Projects: Charles W. Morgan, Eleggua, Peyote Rattle and More!!!

Although I have been working at the museums quite regularly of late, I am still finding time to work on some little projects here and there. Lest my patient readers begin to fear I've dropped off the face of the earth, I'll take a moment to share...

1. An old model of the whaler Charles W. Morgan that I had been meaning to assemble for at least the last year. I finally started on it, and am about 3/4 of the way through. I'll confess that I never had the patience for model building growing up, and still find the process supremely tedious. I made one other model of the US Navy hospital ship Haven a few years ago to display in my hospitalmuseum; I think the Charles Morgan may be my final foray into model building! This model won't be painted... I have another idea in mind that I will share as the project nears completion! Before getting started on the model, I drove down to Mystic Seaport, where the actual Charles Morgan is hauled out of the water for a major restoration, to get some inspiration:













The brick "tryworks" on deck, where blubber was boiled and rendered into oil.

The area below deck at the front of the ship called the "forecastle" where the majority of the crew members slept. Most of the props and bedding in the forecastle and throughout the rest of the ship have been stripped out for the duration of the restoration.

2. I have had a handful of bone choker tube beads laying around for a while; I combined them with some India glass trade beads and made a nice, simple Plains Indian-style choker. This may end up in the FinderMaker online shop when I start stocking it up, as I'm not generally one to leave the house done up in Native American-style regalia (if you were to infer that I am apt to parade around inside the house in Native American regalia, though, you might just be on to something!)

3. This is a replica of a wonderful coconut and cowrie shell Eleggua effigy I saw online . It was for sale, but was way out of my price range, and anyway it looked like a fun project to replicate at home! I'm not done with it yet; just need to find some colorful little feathers and a few other magical sundries to adorn it with!

4. I made one of these peyote ceremony rattles about a year ago, and, after running across an extra gourd I had purchased at a farmer's market last year, decided it was time to assemble another. I think this one has turned out beautifully so far; the feather and horsehair tip on this one is extra fancy! The next step will be to add the peyote-stitch beadwork over the white leather portions; I think the beadwork on this one will have several shades of green in it. I can't wait to share photos when it is done!

5. You are probably getting awfully tired of seeing this thing! I took the strip of lazy-stitch beadwork off of the front once again and re-did it in the pattern you see presently. I also replaced the earlier cobalt beads on the red sheepskin portion with old turquoise-colored glass trade beads, and affixed the abalone and tin-cone hair drops around the sides and back (I will do a complete post with photos of all of this when it is completed!) I chose some of the finest wild turkey feathers from the batch I found at Mount Hope Farm, and have wrapped and stitched red sheepskin around the base of each in preparation for affixing them to the top of the cap. I'm finally happy with the way that front beadwork strip looks, and will definitely be keeping it!

6. In fact, I liked the beadwork pattern I came up with for the cap above so much that I just kept going with it on my little bead loom... I guess I have a hatband now!

7. One of my earliest FinderMaker posts showed me crafting a replica of an old whaling harpoon. I had made examples of two of the predominant styles of hand-darted harpoons: the double-flue and toggle irons, and figured I should add the third common style, the single-flue iron, to complete the set. The baked fimo head has been epoxied onto the shaft, and the seam sanded smooth; now the shaft and head will be painted to resemble old metal, then affixed to the cedar pole that is all shaped, sanded and ready to receive it. This is a fun project to work on using readily available materials; if your collection of nautical artifacts could benefit from the addition of a real showpiece, I encourage you to go back and follow my how-to!

Thank you so much for sticking around... I regret that I've allowed so much time to lapse since my last post! I'll be sure to do updates as I complete these (and other!) projects. Thanks for joining me!!!

FinderMaker Trading Post

A warm welcome to you, friend! Please, tie your horse up right out front... there's plenty of good water in the trough there. Its nice and cool inside, so stay awhile and have a look at some finely crafted dry goods I'm quite sure you can't live without. Never mind these old mesquite floor boards... they squeek like a kangaroo rat hurling insults at a rattlesnake, but nobody's fallen through yet! Here are a few items I'm particularly fond of...

1) Travels in the Interiors of North America 1832-1834 Familiarize yourself with the appearance and customs of the folks who occupied this territory long before you or I rolled into town! $44.39

In 1832, looking to gather images and information about Native Americans and their customs, Maximillian Prince of Wied travelled with Swiss painter Karl Bodmer across North America; Wied's travel experiences were published in 1840, his text printed in two volumes, and 81 of Bodmers illustrations were published as a portfolio. Reprinted from a splendid hand - coloured copy of the publication still owned by the Wied family, 'Travels in the Interior of North America' is the first book to reproduce a complete original colour version. Focussing on many details in each plate, in depth text serves as a key to the customs, clothes and tools of the Native Americans.

2) Derringer in a Book. In these parts, a lone stagecoach traveling though some lonely canyon often presents an irresistible temptation to armed bandits; don't be caught off-guard! Tuck this treacherous tome into your gladstone before you set out and be prepared for the devils! $159.99

In the mid-1800's the Derringer was the gun of choice for anyone wanting an easily concealed, yet deadly firearm for personal protection. Our version, from renowned gun maker Davide Pedersoli, is a fully functional and faithful reproduction of a classic Belgian percussion pistol with removable .44-caliber, rifled barrel and folding trigger. Concealed in its own padded book, aptly titled 'Law for Self Defense,' this gun could have easily belonged to any scholarly 19th century person looking for peace-of-mind while at home or travelling.

3) Pendleton Woolen Mills San Miguel Blanket Sure, it's powerful hot under the noonday sun, but the mercury does dip considerably in the twilight hours; cozy up the cabin with this classic Southwest-style Pendleton blanket! Made in the USA. $198.00-$318.00

A pattern inspired by mid- to late-19th century Native American weaving traditions and the influence of Spanish missionaries in the Southwest. The design's roots are in the traditional banded Chief Stripe pattern which evolved into a "nine-element" layout. The reversible jacquard has two dramatically different looks.

4) Glass Crow beads in aqua. Just because they're the only thing in this Trading Post I can afford to own doesn't make them any less pretty! Made in India, with subtle variations in color and shape that make these beads look like they've been around a good long while... string 'em up and wear as a necklace, or work them into your craft projects; you'll be glad you did! $3.96 per 100.

5) Dark red traditional 4 button Navajo-style moccasins. Slip into a pair of these sturdy leather mocs, and you'll be kitted out in true Pueblo fashion! You'll traverse many a high mesa before those thick leather soles show any signs of wear at all! Hand-made in the USA. $170.66

The stock is always changing here at the Trading Post; if you don't like what you see this time around, well I reckon we'll have something new for you next time you're in town! Thank You kindly for stopping by, and don't forget to help yourself to a few pieces of penny candy on your way out!

Brimfield 2010 Follow-Up

After taking in all of the non-stop, slow moving crowd-filled, junk-packed, over-priced excitement that is the Brimfield Antiques Market on Sunday, (read my report on the day here!) I felt like I needed to go someplace free of crowds where I could just take in some fresh air and nature, and perhaps do a little casual beachcombing. One of my favorite places to take just such a ramble is on the grounds of Bristol, Rhode Island's Mount Hope Farm, which their website describes thusly:

Mount Hope Farm, overlooking Mount Hope and Narragansett Bays in Bristol, Rhode Island is the quintessential saltwater farm consisting of over 200 acres of fields, woods, streams, and ponds with expansive water views. The landscape abounds with wildlife, handcrafted stone walls, terraces, flowers, mature shrubs and indigenous trees. Walk the grounds that our forefathers walked before and after our nation declared its independence.

A perfect description, and just the thing I needed to clear my head and sooth my nerves! Except.... It seems Brimfield had worked its way into my brain. WAY into my brain! Was I out among flowers and wildlife, slowly making my way along handcrafted stone walls towards Narragansett Bay or was I back in Brimfield????????

The parking lot looked so invitingly open, and free!



Within moments of walking out of the parking lot, I found something I desperately needed, right out in the middle of a big field...



Turkey feathers! Dozens of them! And the price was quite reasonable!



With my feathers locked safely back in the car, my pulse quickened as I approached the gate. Immense crowds were gathered, waiting anxiously to storm the market and beat each other to the bargains!!!



Once inside, I overheard these old dealers bragging about how much money they had made selling reproduction Art-Deco feathers to "antiques-obsessed sickos" earlier in the week. Shameful!



When I asked if I could photograph one of the few remaining feathers, they barreled towards me and shouted "NO PICTURES!" Point taken. I was reminded of the Design*Sponge flea market tip: "Don't buy from mean people." Indeed!

I continued on, shaken by the bad attitude of those haughty dealers, but felt better as I approached the main selling area:



The day was hot, and the concessions stands were already busy... nectar-lime rickeys and kettle-popped pollen seemed to be the official refreshments of "Beachfield"!



Some of the earlier tables I saw had fairly pedestrian assortments: feathers, Quahog shells, taxidermy trophy mount (isn't anyone getting tired of that trend?)



But there was plenty more to take in! I was glad to see that this dealer of glassware and early American pottery was in attendance this year, and with a beautifully merchandised table, I might add!



The inventory at this booth was geared towards the fellas: sports memorbilia, architectural salvage, and another trophy mount...



And then, speaking of taxidermy and trophy mounts, I came upon this dealer who had clearly cornered the market:



I had to laugh when I saw that taxidermy horseshoe crab rear-end! A little lowbrow, but funny nevertheless! That will probably end up hanging over someone's bar, but the rest of it? Too much! Judging by the quantities still available, not too many people were buying that stuff this year:



Some dealers had the audacity to show up to Beachfield with contemporary items... ugh. Fortunately I didn't see too much of this junk.



Some common trends throughout the show included nautical items (old rope and lobster buoy pieces):



And industrial design/architectural salvage:



And the usual Beachfield humor/kitsch:



The visual merchandising teams from Ralph Lauren and Anthropologie were fighting over who would get this primitive painted sign; turquoise is the "it" color for 2010!



Meanwhile, the J. Crew visual team tagged this primitive wooden piece (look for it in a window display later in the year!):



Gothic Revival furnishings just weren't selling:



But shabby chic is still quite popular; this booth was mostly sold out:



I saw alot of people buying these spongey corals-- the neutral coloring goes well with the shabby chic/Scandinavian farmhouse/French country trends, and adds a nice touch of natural history/cabinet of curiosity flair:



One final taxidermy piece, not very well preserved at all, by the looks of it. Isn't it illegal to sell a stuffed Seal in the U.S.? One can never predict what strange things will turn up at Beachfield!



O.K. that was pretty disturbing. And scary. I thought it was a big dog taking a nap at first glance (yes, dogs scare me). Then I realized it was a big dog taking a permanent nap. Then I noticed that this dog had flippers and remembered that dogs don't have flippers. Yikes! It shook me right out of my sun and sea soaked reverie and sent me hoofing it back to the parking lot, pronto. But I scored some great items! Check out my haul from Beachfield 2010!:



Feathers (they look a little ratty but after a gentle washing they will look great), some of those spongey coral tufts, glass, Quahog shells. Ok, I'm a hypocrite, but that Horseshoe Crab was too good a deal to pass up... a steal, really. Thanks for joining me on this 2010 tour of "Beachfield"!!! I hope to see ya there next time!!!

Dispatch from Brimfield: A Report on the Final Hours of the May 2010 Antiques Market!

Browsing tables of African artifacts, beads and textiles at Brimfield

Halloooo FinderMakers!!!

If you enjoy antiquing and scouring flea markets for dusty treasures, chances are you've heard the name "Brimfield" tossed around before. I first heard the name a dozen or so years ago while working at an antiques store in Houston; the store's owners (retired pharmacists turned antiquing power couple!) routinely regaled me with tales of an enchanted New England town that transformed, as if by magic, from sleepy hamlet to bustling antiques metropolis during three precious weeks out of every year. For one of those weeks each year, the couple secured passage by air from Houston to Boston, then rented a small moving truck once they arrived. Each day saw the pair up before sunrise, flashlights and rolls of cash in hand, frantically hustling through acres and acres of dealer tents, elbowing past crowds of fellow enthusiasts to hone in on the pieces they knew their customers back in Houston would pay top dollar for. At the end of the week, they drove the truck, packed to the roof with the week's accumulation of period furnishings and bric-a-brac, back home, where I waited eagerly to help unload and begin the exciting task of sorting, cleaning (but not too clean!) and pricing the deluge of treasures.

Anne and I have lived about an hour and a half away from Brimfield for nearly two years now and each May, July, and September (the months during which the shows operate) we have said "Hey! Let's go to Brimfield!" and then the very mention of that name gives me a little shudder as I recall those old tales of dark, dew-soaked mornings, the tension hanging over the fields as hordes of professional antiques sharks race to claim the choicest morsels from the biggest stash of antiques the east coast, and possibly all of America, has to offer. I don't have the steel nerves and iron will that Brimfield demands, I decide, and the conversation invariably fizzles with a fickle "How 'bout let's go to Brimfield next time?" This time, however, a powerful curiosity did gnaw at me, and though we weren't able to go during the week (the shows run Tuesday - Sunday) our Sunday was wide open, so at 6:00 this morning we set out on our Brimfield adventure.

The antiques shows at Brimfield consist of some 20-odd fields on either side of a mile-long stretch of Route 20. Each field has a different name, and the "opening" of the fields is staggered throughout the week; much of the action takes place earlier in the week, and the real excitement (read: anxiety) occurs just as a field is opened and the crowds rush in to buy buy BUY. Knowing this, my biggest concern about going on a Sunday was whether there would even be anything left to buy, though that concern was tempered somewhat by the broadly held opinion among Brimfield veterans that whatever is left on a Sunday may be had at tremendous discounts since dealers are loathe to haul away unsold merchandise.

We pulled into town around 7:15, and I puzzled at the lack of traffic, the absence of crowds, the bounty of free parking:

(Route 20 at 7:15: One person and a lone truck)

This was certainly not the Brimfield of my imagination. Baffled, we parked and wandered into a field where a few dealers nursed steaming cups of coffee and exchanged battle stories from earlier in the week. Sunday, it turns out, is not the day to show up early; the dealers know that the families, casual antiquers, Harley enthusiasts and "lookie-loos" that comprise the Sunday crowd are not early-risers, and so they adjust their own schedules accordingly. We were thus afforded an opportunity to wander about and get the lay of the land before things really opened; we also worked up a mild air of melancholy and regret about not being able to get in on the action earlier in the week. This passed rather quickly, however, as the tents started opening up and wares (yes! there were still wares!) were set out for the steadily growing groups of browsers to ogle.

(Route 20 around 9:15: Starting to see more folks)




While those Victorian-era stuffed songbird displays set a promising tone early on in our adventure (no, we couldn't afford them, but still... Oh, and we got sternly admonished for taking this photo!), it was pretty apparent that the merchandise throughout the market was the "leftovers." It was also clear that a great number of dealers had already packed up and left:



I started noticing all sorts of little bits and pieces left on the ground in those empty spots, and wondered if there were people who paced back and forth across the fields in the days after the show, perhaps even with metal detectors, looking for little things of value that may have been left behind:

I picked up this little grouping in about 30 seconds-- plastic soldiers, watch parts, keys-- then left them for someone else to find. What else will be left behind?

If one was in the market for wooden lobster traps, lobster buoys, ship's wheels, and other nautical-themed items, one would certainly not have been disappointed. Portly gentlemen sporting wildly overgrown handlebar mustaches seemed to enjoy the abundant dealers trafficking in "mantiques," that curious melange of old tools, old toys, and military items, with the odd Native American artifact thrown in for good measure. Their wives sauntered off towards the equally abundant and meticulously arranged "shabby chic" tents featuring an array of wood furnishings freshly painted white, mint green, or pink, upon which might be arranged tidy stacks of vintage linens and aprons or baskets of antique ribbons and buttons. The collector of postcards would not be disappointed, and Fiesta Ware and Fire King Jadeite were, as might be expected, readily available. Savvy New Yorkers may have been enamored of the dealer specializing in rustic Swedish farm antiques, a more rarified and minimalist genre of shabby chic featuring well-worn wooden farm tables, steamer trunks and banks of wooden apothecary drawers in varying shades of white and dove, mostly featuring "sold" stickers (that latter piece was purchased by an antique dealer from Brooklyn).

If there had been serious dealers of mid-century modern furnishings, they must have sold out and gone home early on. There were still mounted antler sets to be had, if one is still embracing that trend (one pair is enough for me) and those old (or newly screenprinted, and scrubbed to appear old) linen grain sacks that everyone is turning into pillows and re-upholstering their wing-back chairs with could still be found. I'm a sucker for those fellows who unload shipping crates full of menacing (or sometimes just goofy) looking African statues and masks ... they always have an adjacent table piled with strings of old African trade beads that I just go nuts over. I didn't buy any, but I sure do like to pick through all those dirty old beads!

In regards to those mythical last-day price-slashed bargains, well, we didn't actually see many items that begged further inquiry. Anne found a violin that she liked, but the dealer's price reduction from $275 down to $225 wasn't enough to entice. As things wound down and dealers were packing up, there were plenty of tables heavy with merchandise priced at just $1.00, but these were the type of things you wouldn't bother looking twice at in a thrift store, and you really had to wonder why anyone would bother hauling that kind of junk to Brimfield.

My big purchase? I bought a book, $5.00 (was marked $12.00), and I think it might be about me, but I'll have to read it and get back to you on that...



Not a bad way to spend a Sunday morning, though I certainly can't claim to have had the full Brimfield experience. The next show happens July 13th - 18th; if I go again, it will definitely be early in the week, and very early in the morning. The gals over at Design*Sponge went earlier this week, and have some great posts and pictures on the experience here, here, and here. The housemartin blog also has some great Brimfield posts and eye candy-- click through her links to see posts on shows past as well!

I may not have the tenacity and single-minded determination of the hardened career antiquer, but neither I am I content to shop from the leftovers; now that I'm more familiar with the way things work, I'm looking forward to getting in early and seeing first hand what all the buzz is about! Maybe I'll see you there?


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Mashantucket Pequot Museum Visit and the Hunt for Purple Wampum!

On Easter sunday, Anne and I took a vigorous ramble along the rocky coastline of Beavertail State Park in picturesque Jamestown, RI, hoping to find some interesting ocean curiosities washed up by the recent storms (below):



I was excited to find a lobster buoy and a "mermaids purse" (an empty skate egg sac), though there wasn't much else to speak of. Driving back to Providence, we pulled over to examine Mackerel Cove beach and Sheffield Cove, where we became enamored of the rich, purple-hued pieces of quahog clam shell that dotted the shoreline at low tide. We eagerly picked up as many specimens as we could hold before hunger and fatigue forced us back along our journey home.



I didn't have any particular project in mind for those lovely purple quahog shells, though I was aware that some of the coastal Native American tribes fashioned the shells into tubular purple beads that became valued as a form of currency often referred to as "wampum". Well, as luck would have it, I was treated to all sorts of great information on wampum, and every other aspect of the lives and culture of the local Mashantucket Pequot Indians at the amazing Mashantucket Pequot Museum yesterday!

I had heard great things about the museum, and was excited to finally make the one hour drive down to the Pequot reservation in Connecticut to visit; boy, were we surprised and delighted with what we found! Opened in 1998, the museum is huge, with beautifully designed exhibits, dioramas, films, interactive elements and immersive environments that cover seemingly every aspect of life as a Pequot from the ice age to modern times. By the time we had taken in the ice-age caribou hunt, the life-sized mastadon, woodland foraging displays and a peek at life under the Mashantucket rock shelter, we were starting to feel some serious museum fatigue. A stroll through the gift shop and subsequent cookie break rejuvenated us nicely, though, and it's a good thing, because the most astonishing experience was still to come!

(image courtesy of the Mashantucket Pequot Museum)

The Pequot Village is a stunning, immersive environment that recreates, down to the minutest detail, life in a Pequot village. A hand-held audio phone allows the participant to punch in numbers to access spoken descriptions of some 35 different scenes or activities while wandering through the village. I always love those miniature dioramas of life in Native American villages you see at some museums; this is kind of like one of those, except it is all life-sized and totally realistic: there is steam billowing out of the top of the sweat lodge, you can walk right inside and explore the sachem's (chief's) wigwam, or peer into the medicine man's wigwam, where a healing ceremony is taking place! Oh, and I know what to do with my purple quahog shells now... make wampum!

(image courtesy of the Mashantucket Pequot Museum)

In one part of the village, a family sat around a fire enjoying a meal of succotash and mussels, while dad cut up quahog shells to make purple wampum beads!!!

above: strings of wampum beads from the collection of Harvard's Peabody Museum of Anthropology.

There was only an hour and a half left until closing time; we could easily have spent twice that exploring the village! Beyond the village are films depicting various aspects of the Pequot experience, and exhibits detailing the changes that Pequots faced after the arrival of the europeans. Although we made one last stop at the gift shop to pick up some well crafted beaded items, the best souvenir of all was the newly learned appreciation for the local Pequot history and culture that we took away from our visit to this fine museum!

I will do a follow-up post if I manage to produce some wampum beads from my quahog shells (I say "if" because it doesn't look easy to do)! I'm really glad to have learned more about quahog wampum... I hope you will click here to learn more about the role that wampum played in Pequot life! Below is an image of some wampum beads in a partially finished state, courtesy of the National Museum of the American Indian:


Time to go make some wampum! Thanks for joining me!