Words from the Byrd at Byrdcall Studio July 2013

Paintings | Glassware | Pets & Animals | Floorcloths | Printed Shirts

Welcome!

Happy July, My Friends...

Is it just me, or did June just fly by? I know it just flew by. June started with a great day at Art in the Park . It was great to see so many of you. Now the confession and apology ... sometimes I have a people-and-faces memory problem. If you said "Hi, Melinda!" and I responded "Hey! How are you doing?" There is a chance that I was struggling with name recall. There. I said it. I guess it's a pretty common problem at this age, but still it worries me.

Right before Art in the Park, a reporter with the Carroll County Times called and interviewed me (I guess because I've been showing there for about 14 years) They printed a nice article with three photos of me and my work! Click here to see article.

This is the new linocut of James Ranch in Durango, CO.

What else did I do in June?

Gypsy watching rabbits at sunset from studio roof.

Daily training for our new sweet Gypsy, tending the garden, a week vacationing in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, and found nice tenants to rent our Westminster townhouse. These things really take TIME!

Black bear along a trail in the Shenandoah Mountains.

But what happened in Byrdcall Studio?

Mostly just catching up on things, keeping my etsy orders mailed out promptly, and lots of rya rug requests.

The rya rug world is coming out of a deep slumber. For years, very few people contacted me about rya rug making or supplies. Lately, I've been getting daily orders for yarn and backing, requests for classes, requests for designing work. It's unbelievable. If you don't know what I am talking about, watch this video produced by the Carroll County Times through Ken Koons' Handcrafted Traditions. It has been viewed about 63,000 times all over the world.

Click here to see rya video.

The bottom line is there are very few people who know how to do this traditional Scandinavian craft, and fewer still who have supplies, and the training (from my grandparents!) So...I am starting to write an illustrated book...or maybe I should say "booklet." The book will tell all I know about rya rug making so people can easily design their own, and calculate yarn needs. Last week I contacted a Finnish company that may be able to export supplies for me.

Last week, too, I was asked to teach winter workshops at a Fiberarts Studio in Sarasota, Florida!

Writing this book will take many months, but it is clear to me that this is the only way I can put the keys to this craft in artisans' hands all across the country and beyond. So I'll keep you posted. (I better do it now before my memory slips any further!) If you are interested, keep reading my monthly newsletter here....and possibly a DVD will also be in the works! Stay tuned. ...."How I spent my summer vacation..."

What else is happening in July?

Starting the month with a solo exhibition of my framed works (including The Raven in Flight) at Black-Eyed Susan in Glyndon, MD. See detail s in the Save the Date panel to the right, above. Artist reception is Friday, July 5 from 5-8:00 PM and coincidentally there is a wine tasting next door at the same time. la-la! Please visit if you are in the area. Approximately 18-20 framed pieces will hang through July.

The second week of July I will be attending Common Ground on the Hill's Traditions Camp once again. I always find classes there to replenish my artistic bucket. I will be learning some cool Photoshop graphic techniques and also creative collaging with a message. Just wait; you'll see.

That's enough. I slow down a little in the summer.

And besides, I have a book to write, remember?

I sure appreciate your support of my work. Glad you found the time to make it all the way through.

Have a great month. I hope to see you soon.

Melinda

PS Feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone who might enjoy it. Thanks.

PPS This issue of my newsletter is going to many first-timers who signed up at Art in the Park. If you newcomers have little else to do at the moment, why not click on past issues from the "Archives" in the panel to the right. Some of them are right entertaining, if I say so myself.