Red Dirt Festival in Redlands, California

I'll be participating in this year's show with many other local artists. It's a fun outdoor show in beautiful downtown Redlands and it always feels good to shop local and support small business and local artists. It looks as though the weather will be beautiful! I hope you can join us.

Red Dirt Art Festival

Saturday, November 18, 2017

10am to 4:30pm

Smiley Park

Corner of Cajon and Vine
Redlands, CA

Here's a sneak peek at some of my new work.
I've been busy designing clothing for Fall/Winter, new jewelry,
scarves, fun accessories, home decor and gifts. 

Undecorating and Redecorating

Yesterday I took down Christmas. This is probably the longest I've kept it up in years.  I think part of the reason I delayed was because for the last couple of years we've really downsized the festive decor.  A small yarn wrapped tree vs. a large artificial tree.  Fewer ornaments, garlands and such.  Just the right amount of festivity for us and less intrusive to our usual style.  Maybe intrusive isn't the right word to describe a holiday but sometimes a lot of Christmas stuff irritates me.

What I love about taking down Christmas is the opportunity to redecorate. I always remove all of the accessories from the entry way, living room and dining room and start from scratch. I haven't bought anything new for the house in years. I like to scramble things up and move things around....look at the rooms in a new light for the new year.

Textiles on the hall tree

Moth themed entry way table (Metal sculpture by Kari Von Wening. Plate by John Derian)

The mantle is tough to design because of the oversized flat screen television mounted above. I found the painting at the Long Beach flea market. The onion vase was a lucky thrift store find. The decorated bronze box was designed by a good friend.

This vintage tool box is just the right size to squeeze under the television and fill with small objects. Placing items within boxes is one of my favorite ways to display my collections.

I created kind of a nature vignette on the mantle this time and decided to keep the lights.

I really pumped up the color in our dining room niche with vintage and contemporary textiles. I won the two pillows in an internet contest guessing the number of pillows in a Volkswagen.  Carl designed, made and installed the windows.

Dining room table with two Mata Ortiz vases and an antique Moroccan box. I've had the box since my time at Paige's Place in Riverside.  I love its primitive style and chipped paint. Apparently it's a box for carrying tea glasses.

There's a bit of a travel aesthetic as I decorate.  We found the vintage seltzer bottle in Buenos Aires.  I designed the tablerunner from vintage textiles. Carl and I are pictured at the High Line in New York City.

A Drawing a Day

I continue to enjoy drawing and have committed to a drawing a day for the year. It's something I look forward to and notice that I am beginning to see the world differently. I'm looking more at lines and thinking about how to draw what I see.  This is a brand new experience for me.  I've already filled one sketchbook and today made myself a new one from a recycled game box. I cut the paper to size and then took the stack to Fed Ex Office to have it drilled and spiral bound. I made this book a little larger than the last...another attempt to push myself a bit further.  Note that this sketchbook includes a spinner!

I've been focusing on drawing things around the house since there are plenty of interesting things that provide opportunities for drawing.

Ottoman Stack

Key Keeper

Favorite Chair

Green Suitcase

Pillow Nest

I've set up a Tumblr at http://lorimarsha.tumblr.com/ if you're interested in following my project.