Tile Festival – May 14 and 15, 2016 –

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I spent the weekend at the Tile Festival at the Moravian Tile Works in Doylestown, PA. The weather was blustery with rain passing through at times – we were wearing our winter coats. But the show was as pleasant to attend as always. Here are the tents set up next to the tile works.

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And here is a view of the interior of my tent, before the show started.

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A few pictures of my work on my display.

And the show with shoppers!

I so enjoy seeing the other vendors in this show. Many of them I have gotten to know over the years, and I always like to catch up. And, I always see new work and new faces as well. It’s really easy to become inspired in this atmosphere.

There is also a regular set of customers who attend the show each year. I enjoy showing them my new work and seeing what they think of it. Plus, once again, in many cases, I have gotten to know these repeat buyers a little and we have some nice conversations, about art and a lot of other things. It’s the kind of show where the artist really feels supported.

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I also took some pictures of the Moravian Tile Works and Fonthill, two of the buildings created by Henry Chapman Mercer. I will not go too far into the history of them, since there are plenty of sources, but it’s worth reading up on this interesting man and his ideas. In looking at this pictures, what you need to know is that he wanted to protect and preserve processes or information about processes that were dying away as things became more industrialized – and that he didn’t mind trying things out for himself.

At the tile works, he developed clays and molds to make tiles that continues to this day; the same designs are available and being produced. Mercer tiles are in all kinds of buildings – one of the most notable collections being the Pennsylvania State Capitol building.

I walked over to the Tile Works building – a couple of doors were propped open and here’s what I saw:

The Tile Works building as well as Fonthill, Mercer’s home, are concrete buildings, poured in place. The Tile Works is a pretty straightforward looking place.

Fonthill is another matter. It is a short walk away from the Tile Works and looks out over a lovely green meadow.

And here is the building itself.

Quite a place, right? Tours are given; I’ve been several times. It’s impossible to describe. All I’ll say is, if you are in Doylestown, PA, it would be a shame to miss this complex. And if you are here in May, maybe you’ll happen upon the Tile Festival, too?

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Tile Festival Coming Up!

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Next Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15, I’ll be exhibiting at the Tile Festival at the Moravian Tile Works, Doylestown, PA.

I’ve done the show for several years and if you like tiles, this is the place to go – the show is totally devoted to tiles. Just tiles.

I’ll have my relief tile work on view as well as what I’ve been doing lately, colorful images on 6″ x 6″ tiles.

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Another thing – the entire show is held under large tents. Weather is of no consequence – you’ll be comfortable no matter what the skies bring us.

In addition to the Moravian Tile Works,  Fonthill, the home of tiles works founder Henry Chapman Mercer, is only a few steps away and a tour of that building is worth doing. Doylestown is also home to the Mercer Museum, another of Henry Chapman’s contributions; the Michener Museum; and a lot of good restaurants and shops. It’s easy to make a day or two outing here.

Here’s the show website:

http://www.buckscounty.org/government/MoravianPotteryTileworks/MoravianPotteryandTileWorks/events/tile-festival

 

Downtown Glenside Arts Festival – Take a Look

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Yesterday we participated in the festival. First one of the year. The weather held up for us and it was a good day for sales as well.

I want to say thanks to my friends John G, John N, David, and Laura for stopping by to see me. And a shout-out thank you to my friend Martha, who mentioned me to two friends of hers who made a point of seeking me out. I also saw several other neighbors and local people, and I had a chance to talk to some of my art vendor friends as well. I felt very appreciated.

And of course as always I say thank you to everyone who took the time to stop in my booth to look over my work and to talk to me about it.

Here are some pictures of the event in chronological order. I guess every show looks pretty much like any other, but – they each have their own personality and I think if you look, you’ll see what I mean.

Downtown Glenside Arts Festival

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Heads up, everybody. Next Saturday, April 30, I’ll be participating in this festival with my paintings. I’m in Booth #25, near the center of the fair, if you want to look for me. Show hours are Noon to 6 PM and the fair will be set up along Easton Road.

This show is very local for me – I live about 2 miles away and I come to Glenside pretty much every day. I’ve also depicted the area in lots of paintings over time (you can look for them on my art blog – I think some will come up if you search under the word Glenside), so if the name seems familiar to you, that may be why.

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My booth will be right down the street from this building…

 

Keeping my fingers crossed for good weather! It’s not too early to start…

And, if you take a look at the postcard, you can see one of my paintings featured on it – in the upper right-hand corner.

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In Which I Make an Appearance on Film

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As you may remember, I am participating in an exhibit, “The Thread of Art”, at the Stanek Gallery in Philadelphia. The opening was on March 31, and I have some photos for you:

But, you may be saying, Claudia, I don’t see you in these pictures, do I? And you would be right. I have an answer for you – you can also view a short video made by filmmaker John Thornton. All the artists in the show are interviewed; I come in at about 8 minutes in, and also I appear at the end. Now, I have not had the courage to watch the film yet, but my family says it turned out fine, for which I must thank the filmmaker, I think! Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abt29ieStUw .

Thank you! And I’ll say it again, if you are in Philadelphia during April and May, and you want something to do, I know of an art exhibit you can visit…

“The Thread of Art” – upcoming exhibit!

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Several of my paintings will be included in this upcoming exhibit, “The Thread of Art”, at the Stanek Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, in April and May. The opening is April 1 and will be part of First Friday in the city.

A detail from one of my paintings is shown on the postcard in the bottom row, second from right. If you are a follower of my poetry blog you may think it looks familiar – by coincidence I chose a different area of the painting for the cover of my most recent book, Ever Since.

I’m looking forward to the exhibit and if any of you are in Philadelphia during this time period, well, if you’re looking for something to do, I think I may be able to suggest an art exhibit?

Hello!

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Hi, I’m Claudia McGill, an artist working in acrylics, clay, and collage. I will keep you up to date on my art activities through this site. You can find my show schedule here and I’ll post announcements of my art doings.

I have an art blog, Claudia McGill and Her Art World, in which I chronicle my art life and post current work.

I write poetry, and I publish it on Claudia McGill Writes Poetry, Did You Know That?

Take a look at those if you like! And thank you for stopping by.

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