j.ho's celebrations, llc

Not even my fave FE2. These new fangled digital Nikon SLRs are so obscure, I had to read the manual! It was not exactly intuitive to know that you have to turn the knurly knob to change the shutter speed and aperture setting. And no jack for a PC cord either. Nonetheless, the pix look pretty good. Once I figure out how to load them onto the computer, I'll try to post a few. The solar lanterns look pretty cool, and the dryads finally look like they should!

I'm so excited - Thanks to my friend Val, I now know how to coptic stitch a book! So sometime in the next month, I'm hoping to get out a new series of bark books with coptic stitched spines. The first practice book looks really sweet!

Finished 2 new pieces this past weekend, the Dryad Sisters, wood nymphs, one from a much eaten-out piece of honey locust that got cut down in '83, the other from a glass casting of that same piece of wood, a very loose sand-casting. The light on all that texture is incredible. Both, with thistle pulp castings of the same face mold, one with bleached pulp, the other un. Similar to "Treasured" on the home page, only thornier. I'd post pix, but my digital camera is only a point and shoot, and it wouldn't sync with my dynalites, so I've ordered a Nikon DSLR from KEH and hope to have better pix later next week sometime if I can squeeze them in before the next round of gallery deliveries due up soon. Otherwise, it won't be til mid-May.
I'm a little freaked out these days. as I had to bury 2 dead possums I found in the yard, one which had been sick in the backyard the night before, the other I found when I was burying the first -- after I'd smelled that horrid odor near the end of the property. It bothers me that both left this earth so close together and I suspect some neighbor left some kind of poison out and the animals got to it. Earlier today I also seemed to detect an odor coming from the south near the front of the yard, some 200 feet away from yesterday's found possom. I didn't see anything, but I suspect another little critter has bit the dust. It's a shame neighbors aren't more careful about these things. Especially with all the little kids in the neighborhood. You never know what those little tykes might pick up ...

Well, almost. Next month's Roxboro Arts Festival has been cancelled, but Walk+Rolll starts up next month, as does the Tremont Farmer's Market. Not sure about the Kamm's Corners FM, but we'll be talking next week sometime.
I've posted my updated schedule on "where to see our work" - now I just have to get things organized in boxes so I can load them up and head them out! Hope to see you out there!

Gathered the glassware from Waterloo 7 Gallery today. He's moving, so all of us consignment artists have been asked to get our stuff outta there til further notice. He's hoping to be moved and up and running some time near the end of May, but meanwhile, we're storing our stuff. I'll try to update this website soon and as I find out when and where. He says it's near SOM Center and Rte 6.
Also, Greensmart Gifts is changing ownership as of May 1. They're going to continue carrying my work, so all the bike gear windchimes and circuit board jewelry will still be available. I may even get around to doing some other things, too, when I get the chance. Like more stuff out of bike gears and spokes. Maybe even a clock!
I hear there's a J.Galt has moved into the old Shoparooni space. I'm hoping to make contact with  them soon.
Meanwhile, I'm not liking casting by ladling. With an injured shoulder and hand, I just can't lift enough for a big enough pour.

It was rough while the wrist and hand were hurting, especially once the fingers started to hurt. Keyboarding can be quite painful then. But I managed to finish the cold work on the new glassware and put together another batch of crystal earrings for Something Different. Delivered everything on Thursday, the 8th (glassware went to Local Girl Gallery - see listings on "Where to See Our Work" page. Finished the cold work on the cast crystal wand this weekend and mold blew 2 more goddesses. Need to cold work those. The new ones are an ocean goddess in marbled aqua, the other a birth goddess in swirling blood reds. Not sure what I'm going to do with those yet .... meanwhile trying to think of what I'd like to make for the sandcast ladling piece. I'm hoping I can make a mold from an old piece of wormy silver maple that I have. The textures are so beautiful, if only I could translate that into crystal clear, the refractions would be amazing! ... or maybe n

my right hand and wrist hurt really bad. No trauma, so it must be some kind of arthritis. Been hurting the last 4 days and worse today than all week.  Last nite the wrist was swollen really bad, so I iced it. This morning I noticed it had a temperature, so I decided I'd take some colchicine to see if that helped.  Will know in a few days, I guess.
Meanwhile, today finished 20 some odd new pressed botanicals cards for Cafe at Arts Collinwood. Will do the packaging and inventory Tuesday when I get some time. Hope to get some new earrings done for Something Different this coming week, too. Hopefully my hand and wrist will be feeling better by then. It's really hard to work a pair of pliers right now ...