The Illustrated Woman

I just finished reading Ray Bradbury's "The Illustrated Man," a book I probably should have read years ago.  The title story in this compilation is about a tattooed man whose life is dictated by the moving, morphing, future-telling images on his skin.

Though I have designed tattoos, I do not have any. I'm fickle. My tastes change. So I thought there must be a way I could wear my own art without permanence.  Jewelry seems like a classier option than wearable tees or the like.  It was my luck to become fast friends with a jeweler who likes my drawings as much as I like her jewelry!

Debbie Liu creates two lines of jewelry.  The first, Bunnies Can Dream, is a line of colorful, whimsical jewelry with many hand-worked elements, like macrame (bunniescandream.etsy.com).  The second is Harlequin & Lionhead, also named after her two rabbit breeds.  This shop specializes in sculpted cast precious metal rings, earrings, bracelets, and pendants (www.harlequinlionhead.com).  She recently had her first trunk show at Henri Bendel.  Well, I was impressed.

I've known Deb for over a year now.  We are actually relatively close neighbors in Queens. Some time ago we began planning a joint venture where tiny giclée prints would be embedded in pendants.  This is a prototype, a two-sided pendant with two of my Delacorte clock illustrations: The Dancing Bear and the Penguin with Drum.  The pendent is made with giclée prints embedded in resin and brass.

We'll be playing around with variations on this idea that can keep it affordable for a large crowd.  Who wouldn't like a whimsical necklace like this?  It's pretty great that I get to keep the prototype!

Animal Pendant by Jessica Boehman and Debbie Liu: recto, The Dancing Bear

Animal Pendant by Jessica Boehman and Debbie Liu.  Verso: Penguin with Drum

My Second Fair---Crafts in Chelsea

What a great experience! I shared again with my friend Deb, a talented and creative jeweler of Bunnies Can Dream Jewelry and Harlequin and Lionhead Jewelry.  We had a large space, 10x10 feet, as big as some Manhattan apartments, on a tree-lined street in Chelsea.  The day was gorgeous, crisp and perfectly autumn (with some pretty strong wind gusts, though our tent did not blow away), and after a few days of rain, lots of delightful shoppers came out.  Really, the best part was what I call my "market test".  It was great to see just what the reaction to the prints were.  Even if people didn't ultimately purchase anything, they always smiled looking at my work, and that made me really satisfied.  On top of that we were surrounded by some very creative individuals and I even came home with some really yummy vegan spicy caramel popcorn from Woodside Bakehouse (and later scored some vegan Peanutella there for my brother), and a really killer skirt from Rock and Salt. Love it.

Baskets of holiday cards and giclee prints

First attempt at a hanging display. 

Our whole tent...and one of the vendors from an amigurumi shop across the way.