Year in Review: 2020

My studio is closed, I’m in the middle of moving, but I wanted to share my year in review for Once Again Sam as I’ve done in past years. This was a hard year for all of us, for so many different reasons, and I’m just thankful my small business was able to survive. Just about everything I had lined up and was looking forward to got canceled, and I certainly made far less than I was expecting to since in-person events were canceled and all of the shops that carry my work were closed for awhile, I’m so grateful I was able to lean on my website to keep me going. Having several income streams and ways of working with customers really saved the day/year!

Thank you to all who supported Once Again Sam this year, whether you liked & commented, worked with me on a commission, took one of my virtual workshops, or shopped online. You are greatly appreciated!

Working with Insects

This spring, while everyone was stuck at home, everything was canceled, and most things were closed due to the pandemic, I found myself learning all sorts of new things. Trying out new mediums & hobbies gave me something to look forward to when there wasn’t much else going on. I learned to make gourmet popsicles, got into ice dying on my back porch, and my favorite new thing: insect art.

I had been needle felting insects for years and launched several handmade bug collections in the spring and summer, and I suppose all that research, finding images of beautiful bugs to inspire my felted ones, led me to work with real specimens for the first time.

There’s a lot more to insect art than I expected. First off, you’d think you can just walk around outside and find specimens easily enough, but that wasn’t the case for me. I did find many (already dead) specimens on hikes and walks, but they were rarely in good condition. I did get lucky a few times and was able to find and preserve a found beetle, bee, or butterfly, but I quickly realized I would need to find another source for insects if I wanted to create the large display piece I had in my head.

I was pleasantly surprised to find several reputable bug websites online and the colors, shapes and sizes of insects available was far more interesting than what I would be able to get by happenstance. The bugs can be ordered mounted or unmounted, and so I opted for the unmounted version and learned to do the rehydration and positioning of the specimen myself. It’s definitely an art! I broke off my fair share of legs and antenna on some of my earlier attempts, but I eventually got the hang of things.

This short video shows the process of working with real insect specimens. Although I read my fair share of how-to articles on preserving and mounting insects and there are so many different tips and tricks out there if you’re interested in working with bugs. BIcsBugs.com is a great resource for buying specimens and InsectArt on Etsy is as well.

Artist in Residence: Devil's Fork State Park

I just spent a week staring at the most beautiful green lake. I hiked, I paddled, and I made lots of art! This was my third artist residency through South Carolina State Parks and this year I was assigned to Devil’s Fork State Park in the northwest part of the state, where I’m starting to think there are more waterfalls than people. The landscape was gorgeous and there was so much to explore. Although I had a very full week, I feel like I could have spent a year there!

Every day I got up before sunrise and headed out for a hike in a new place. I averaged 4-7 miles each day, usually on a trail that lead to a waterfall or two, and soaked up as much inspiration as I could. In the afternoons, I enjoyed the panoramic view of Lake Jocassee from my cabin porch, making needle felted landscapes and painted pendants inspired by my surroundings. It was so easy to find inspiration. Not only does Devil’s Fork boast a lake so clear and green it looks like pool water, but there’s the majestic Blueridge mountains at the horizon, and of course acres and acres of magical woodlands full of creatures and flowers. This place has it all.

I am so thankful to have the opportunity to get to know another State Park in this intimate way and it’s even more special this time because this residency is the one and only thing on the calendar for 2020 that didn’t get canceled. It was the one thing I got to keep, I got to look forward to almost a full year, and the experience did not disappoint in any way.

I hope you enjoy this short video recap of my time at the park! All needle felted wool paintings are available here, the one mixed media fiber art piece at the beginning of this post is available here, the painted landscape pendants can be purchased here, and the laser engraved pendants are here. Use coupon code JOCASSEE now through 10/15 to get 20% off your order of $50 or more at www.onceagainsam.com

Once Again Sam’s Nature Report:

• 6 Bald Eagles

• Countless monarch butterflies (on their way to Mexico)

• 1 Otter

• 4 Great blue herons

• Many fishies-a-swimmin’

• 5 Belted king fishers

• 1 Bear (possibly)

• 2 Deer

• Several chipmunks

• All the squirrels

• 17 Waterfalls

• 0 Snakes (hooray!)

Flat Out Under Pressure Competition

Every year in June the Metropolitan Arts Council hosts the Flat Out Under Pressure competition for local artists. It’s a fun thing the community looks forward to every year. We bring our surfaces to get stamped the morning of the competition, then have 24 hours to complete the work. This year, due to the COVID19 pandemic, the whole thing is virtual. Instead of getting our surfaces officially stamped at the MAC office, we signed and dated the blank piece before starting.

The last 2 years I have summited a needle felted wool landscape, but this year I changed things up just a bit. Since MAC is the whole reason I learned rug hooking last year (thanks to a continuing education grant) I thought it would be cool to show them what I have been doing with my new skills!

This year’s piece includes needle felting, rug hooking, and punch needle techniques. I used over 40 materials and colors, and 8 different tools for the 3 fiber art mediums. It’s SO much fun to combine materials like this! Here’s a look at my progress from yesterday - I took photos every few hours to show how the piece was coming along. It was really slow going at first. I only covered a few inches of my surface in the first few hours, but I kept at it and 12 hours later, I was happy with my finished piece. I did take a few breaks during the day so I think all in all I spent about 10 hours on the 16x16 piece.

The Flat Out Under Pressure exhibition will be virtual this year, and will begin on July 1. The winner of the competition will be announced Monday by noon, and of course all the runner’s up as well (which is also a pretty big deal!). There are quite a few other “winners” and they’ll get a cash prize plus the honor of having their work prominently displayed on one of Greenville’s recycling bins downtown.

My finished piece, plus 2 other test pieces I did prior to try out ideas and see how large I could go for the 24 hour competition, will all be available for purchase soon. I’m so glad I found out I couldn’t finish a 20x20 in the amount of time aloted BEFORE it was the actual competition. That would have been a pretty frustrating thing to learn when it mattered most.

My wrists are sore, but I’m so happy I was able to participate in FOUP2020 this year, even though there will be no big party to announce the winners as before. Even still, this has been a bright spot in my week!

The Studio Graffiti Collection

I’ve been making a mess in my studio and it’s all for a good cause. The new “Studio Graffiti Collection” is a colorful combination of many materials, techniques and styles I’ve been working in for years, but never quite like this. The modern jewelry collection features hand painted acrylic which is laser cut into bold shapes, and no two pair of earrings or pendants will ever be identical due to the nature of the brushstrokes.

While developing this idea in the last few weeks, I’ve tested out several color palettes and landed on a few favorites to launch the collection. Some of these color combos may come back later if they sell well, and I certainly have ton of new ideas for upcoming colorways, but for now, here’s Night Garden, Carnival, Pool Party, and Urban Sky - all available on the website!

To shortcut your shopping on the website, you can type in “Studio Graffiti” into the search bar to see ALL items in this collection, and you can even search by colorway name if you see a color you like and only want to view jewelry pieces that come in that colorway.

Here’s a peek at my process. Watching painting done as a time-lapse video is kinda magical and you can really see how the pattern builds up on the clear acrylic from the backside. I never quite know what the painting is going to look like until I peel off the protective layer of film and man, that’s a happy moment every time! Enjoy this quick look at how this collection is created. The colorway shown in the video is “Night Garden” and is available on my website.

Ready to do a little shopping! Here’s a 25% off coupon code which is valid on any jewelry item now through the end of June!

Coupon Code: STUDIOGRAFFITI25

Coupon valid on any jewelry item(s) only at www.onceagainsam.com

Coupon not valid on Etsy, fiber art items, or commissions.