Upcoming events:
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Ongoing
- Workshop - By appointment - St. Petersburg, FL. -- I live in St. Petersburg, and conducting a workshop here is not a major production, so if you are in Florida, or are likely to be anywhere near my area on a visit, feel free to get in touch and tell me when you'd like to attend a workshop. I'll try to accommodate folks as my schedule permits.
Pick a day and check with me as to whether I'll be in town then.
Call me at least a couple of days ahead of time.
It's that simple.
The workshops are conducted near 58th Street on Central Avenue, in St. Petersburg, FL -- specific directions will be provided upon request.
Unless otherwise noted, all workshops are scheduled from 9AM to 4PM.
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To sign up for a scheduled workshop, please submit a request from my sign-up page.
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2008 Events
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July 21? -- Workshops in Kansas City, MO
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July 22-27 -- KFest in Kansas City, MO
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July 25-27 -- Conestoga in Tulsa, OK (Art Show)
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July 27 -- Workshops in Tulsa, OK
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August 2-3 -- Workshops in Denver, CO
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August 6-10 - World Science Fiction Convention
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August 16-17 -- Workshops on Lopez Island, WA
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August 18 -- Workshops in Seattle, WA
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August 23 -- Workshops in Kirtland, NM
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August 29 - Sept 1 -- Dragon*Con in Atlanta, GA
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October 3-5 -- Archon near St Louis, MO
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October 10-12 -- Necronomicon in Tampa, FL
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November 14-16 -- Windycon in Chicago, IL
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November 18?-19? -- Workshops in Pittsburgh, PA
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November 21-23 -- Philcon in Philadelphia, PA
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Please go to the sign-up page to send me a request for registration.
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Past glories:
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- Florida Craftsmen Gallery, St Petersburg Florida
- The Arts Center, St Petersburg Florida
- "All Wired Up" illustrations, ISBN 1-883010-73-X
- "Wire In Design" illustrations, ISBN 0-87349-218-8
- 2001 Art Arbor Festival, St. Petersburg, Florida
- 2002 St Petersburg Midtown Rotary Bluegrass and Art Festival (Award)
- 88th Hadassah Convention, Orlando, Florida, July 2002
- Circus McGurkis, St. Petersburg, Florida; Oct. 26th, 2002
- 2002 Art Arbor Festival, St. Petersburg, Florida; Nov. 2nd & 3rd, 2002
- Workshop: Wire Knotting Techniques, Tampa, Florida; Nov. 9th, 2002. (9 students)
2003
- Workshop - February 2, 2003 - University of New Orleans Geology Bldg. (10 students)
- Workshop - February 9, 2003 - 10AM to 4PM - Patania's 3000 E. Broadway, Tucson, AZ 85716 (8 students)
- Workshop - February 12, 2003 - Somewhere near Phoenix, AZ. (7 students)
- Workshop - May 26, 2003 - Philadelphia, PA. (8 students)
- Workshop - May 28, 2003 - Rockville, MD. (8 students)
- Workshop - July 26, 2003 - Kansas City, KS. (3 students)
- Show - October 11-12, 2003 - Art On The Lake, Munn Park in Lakeland, Florida.
- Demo - Near Florence, SC, October 15th - Teaching schoolchildren to tie string bracelets.
- Workshop - Richmond, Virginia, October 16th. (2 students)
- Meeting of the International Guild of Knot Tyers, October 17-19, 2003, at the Maritime Museum in Newport News, Virginia.
- Show - October 25, 2003 - Circus McGurkis, Lakeview Park, St. Petersburg, Florida.
- Show - December 6-7, 2003 - Palm Harbor Fine Arts/Fine Crafts, Palm Harbor, FL.
2004
- Workshop - February 5, 2004 - Scottsdale, AZ. (3)
- Orchid Dinner - February 6, 2004 - Tucson, AZ.
- Workshop - February 8, 2004 - Castro Valley, CA. (8? 9?)
- Workshop - February 9, 2004 - Sacramento, CA. (6)
- Workshop - February 13, 2004 - Auburn, WA. (3)
- Workshop - February 14, 2004 - Woodinville, WA. (10)
- Workshop - February 21, 2004 - Santa Ana, CA. (6)
- Workshop - February 22, 2004 - Pasadena, CA. (9)
- Workshop -- May 30 (Sunday before Memorial Day) - Richlandtown, PA
- MidSouthCon -- March 26-28, Memphis, TN/li>
- Workshop -- July 24 - Kansas City, KS.
- DragonCon -- September 3-6, Atlanta, GA
- Necronomicon -- October 15-17, Tampa, FL
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Workshop - December 4, 2004 - Art Glass Studio, 713 Lumsden Rd, Brandon, FL.
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Philcon - December 10-12, Philadelphia, PA.
2005
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Arisia SF Con -- January 21-23, Boston, MA.
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Miniature Art Society of Florida -- March 21, Clearwater, FL.
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MidSouthCon SF Con -- April 1-3, Memphis, TN
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Tolcon -- May 13-15, Seattle, WA -- Bracelet and Ring Workshops
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Oasis 18 SF Con -- May 27-29, Orlando, FL
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Chicago -- July 13-14 workshops.
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Minnesota -- July 16-17 workshops.
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Kansas City -- July 19-23 KFest, summer camp for nerds.
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Little Rock, AR -- July 25-26 workshops.
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DragonCon SF Con -- Juried Art Show, Costume Track guest.
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International Guild of Knot Tyers, North American Branch. September 22-25, Charleston, SC.
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Necronomicon SF Con -- October 28-30, Tampa, FL.
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Philcon SF Con -- December 9-11, Philadelphia, PA.
2006
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Workshop -- January 8 and 21, Surfside Beach, SC. Prolong Knot bracelets on the 8th, Turk's Head rings on the 21st.
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Workshop -- January 9th and 19th (evenings), in Riverdale, MD. Prolong Knot bracelets first, Turk's Head rings on the way back.
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Workshop -- January 12 and 16, Littleton, MA. An evening workshop, by request of the host, starting at five PM. Prolong Knot bracelets on the 12th, and Turk's Head rings on the 16th.
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Arisia SF Con -- January 13-15, Boston, MA.
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Ringling Medieval Faire -- February 11 -- A brief visit, where I met Ladyfair and Micromaniac, friends from The Ring Lord.
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Florida Renaissance Fair, Deerfield Beach, FL. February 19 -- I wandered around and met quite a few bellydancers and other interesting people. (pictures) Will definitely have to make it down there next year, it's a great show.
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MidSouthCon SF Con -- March 24-26, Memphis, TN. I had a table in the Art Show, showed off the silver hip-wrap and some other new work. I did a presentation, demonstrating knotted chain-mail production.
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The Bay Area Renaissance Festival in Tampa, near the campus of USF and the Museum of Science and Industry, lasts six weeks, and I seldom get a chance to visit more than a few times. I did get some good pictures during the 2006 fest.
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Oasis 18 SF Con -- May 26-28, Orlando, FL. Guest, panel speaker, demonstration of knotted chain mail.
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Two-day workshop in Guelph, Ontario, June 17-18. Twelve students, each day, lots of fun.
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Hypericon, June 23-25, Nashville, TN. Art show, dealer's room, costumes, and a demonstration...
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KansasFest 2006, in Kansas City, July 18-23. Conducted a small workshop and had a great time.
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Van Nuys, California, August 10-13. Four days, two cycles of workshops, Thursday and Friday, then Saturday and Sunday, bracelets and rings, respectively. (pictures) Everyone did great work, we all had fun, and I'm sure I'll go back next year -- but not in August, it was _hot_.
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Dragon*Con, in Atlanta, September 1-4. Art show and costume track. My new halter top was a hit, and of course I have plenty of pictures.
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Sterling Heights, Michigan, September 23-26. Renfair, then workshops on the Monday and Tuesday. Great fair, great students, no sleep...
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Necronomicon, Tampa, FL, October 27-29. Art show, etc.
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Philcon, Philadelphia, PA, November 17-19. Art show, etc. (pictures)
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Workshops, Richlandtown, PA, November 20-21. Bracelets, rings.
2007
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Workshops, January 6th and 7th, in Afton, TN. Everyone did a great job, and they were really hospitable. Got to watch those mimosas, though!
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Workshops, before and after Arisia, January 11th and 15th, in Littleton, Ma. Larger class, but I managed to keep up with them. A few students dropped out of the ring class due to horrible weather, but I'm going to try to go back at a better time of year next time.
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Arisia Science Fiction convention, Boston, January 12-14. Art show, etc. I got a ribbon in the art show, and had a lot of fun. Not nearly as many pictures as usual, because I attended the masquerade instead of lurking outside with my camera.
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Workshops, January 17-18, Frederick, MD. A very good class, with few enough students that everyone finished on the first day.
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Workshops, January 20-21, Surfside Beach, SC. Small class, but fun.
- March 21-22 -- Workshops in Campbell, MO
- March 23-25 -- MidSouthCon Science Fiction convention
- March 26-27 -- Workshops in Little Rock, AR.
- March 28 -- Workshops in Denton, TX.
- March 31 - April 2 -- Workshops in San Antonio, TX.
- April 6 -- Workshops in Tucson, AZ.
- April 10 -- IGKT-PAB meeting in SoCal
- April 12-14 -- Workshops in Van Nuys
- April 16-17 -- Workshops in Castro Valley, CA.
- April 18 -- Workshops in Folsom, CA.
- April 21-22 -- Workshops in Woodinville, WA.
- April 24-25 -- Workshops on Lopez Island, WA.
- April 28 -- Workshops in Sisters, OR.
- May 5 -- Workshops in Denver, CO.
- May 12 -- Workshops in San Antonio, TX
- Oasis Science Fiction Convention, Orlando, FL. May 26-28.
- Hypericon, Nashville, TN -- June 15-17. Art show, artist's alley, etc. Great fun, some pictures.
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Art show at Dragon*Con -- Atlanta, GA, August 31 - September 3
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Workshops -- Norcross, GA, September 4-5.
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Workshops -- Alfred, NY, September 8-9
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Workshops -- New York City, September 17
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Workshops in Stafford, VA, September 22-23
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Workshops in Afton, TN, September 29-30
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Necronomicon -- Tampa, FL, Oct 5-7
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Workshops in St Paul, MN, Nov 3-4
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Workshops in Chicago, IL, Nov 6-7
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WindyCon in Chicago, IL, Nov 9-11
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Philcon in Philadelphia, PA, Nov 16-18
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Workshops in Raleigh, NC, Nov 23-24
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Workshop in Cheraw, SC, Nov 27
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International Guild of Knot Tyers general meeting -- November 29th through December 2nd.
2008
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January 14-21 -- Workshops and art show at Arisia in Boston
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January 25-27 -- ChattaCon in Chattanooga, TN
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January 28 -- workshops in Chattanooga, TN
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January 30-31 -- workshops in Houston, TX
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February 2-3 -- workshops in Corpus Christi, TX
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February 6-7 - workshops and Gem Shows in Tucson, AZ
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February 12 -- workshop in Oceanside, CA
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February 16-18 -- workshops in Van Nuys, CA
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February 23-24 -- workshops in Castro Valley, CA
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February 25 -- workshops in Mather, CA
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March 8-9 -- workshops in San Antonio, TX
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March 28-30 - MidSouthCon in Memphis, TN -- workshop tour.
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April 12-13 -- Workshops in Ottawa
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May 10-11 -- workshops in Tampa, FL
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May 17 -- workshop in Miami, FL
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May 23-25 -- Oasis in Orlando, FL
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June 25-29 Origins Game Fair in Columbus, OH
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Historical Details, updated from time to time: (Recent items at the top.)
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The 2005 meeting of the International Guild of Knot Tyers was held in the aquarium, down on the waterfront in Charleston, South Carolina. We got to set up tables in the hallway that folks traveled to get into the exhibits, so there were a lot of visitors stopping to see knots being tied by various experts.
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Dragon*Con was held around Labor Day, this year, in Atlanta, Georgia. I managed to teach one student in the intervals between attending sessions, watching my table in the art show, and parading around in my fancy shirt. I also managed to sell a large item, a silver corset that you can see here.
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Why did I go to the midwest for the hottest part of the year? Well, that's when my friends hold their Apple II convention in Kansas City, so.... Anyway, I ended up teaching in Chicago, St Paul, and Little Rock, while making a grand circuit, and it was great. Some details are available here.
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The Oasis Science Fiction convention in Orlando, Florida, turned out well. I met some old friends and made some new ones, and I'm going to attend again next year if I can arrange it.
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Tolcon 2005, in Seattle, Washington, was a very small convention, but definitely a fun one. I also had some students for an off-site workshop, Saturday and Sunday, where they learned bracelets and rings and I learned more about teaching.
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MidSouthCon, in Memphis, was great fun. I had a table in the Dealer's Room, and though I didn't sell very much (not even close to breaking even) I did get to see nearly everyone who came to the con, since they all filed past my table, some numerous times. I entered the masquerade with my knotted chain-mail shirt, and won an award (Workmanship), even though all I did was go out on stage and turn around. I really need to work up something more interesting for the next time, but I haven't decided on a character or come up with any kind of a spiel yet. Suggestions would be welcome.
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I was invited to speak to the Miniature Art Society of Florida, for their March meeting at the Clearwater East branch of the public library, on March 21. I'm glad it was at the last minute, since I had no time to obsess over the situation and just walked in and spent the evening with them, unprepared and unrehearsed. I do better in that sort of situation, I think. I very much enjoyed their comments and questions, and I hope that they found my talk entertaining, as well.
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I flew to Tucson this year (2005) instead of driving, because I'm saving up vacation days to spend on a long trip in July. It was a good trip, though, and I had one small workshop, bought some stones and supplies, and met a lot of lovely people. I stayed at the Tucson East Hilton, with the Rio Grande folks, who were very kind to me, as well as providing me with ample opportunities to look over their "Catalog in Motion" and spend money on tools.
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The art show at Arisia (Jan 2005) was very interesting, a lot of fine work there. My entries drew a great deal of interest, but not many sales. I was in the masquerade, though, and won a workmanship ribbon, and an honorable mention for attention to detail. Afterward I spent a lot of time answering questions from those who wanted to see it up close, after seeing me up on the stage.
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Wow, looks like it's been a while since I updated this section. A whole year since I got into detail about past activities, rather than just listing them above here. There were a lot of things going on, and I'm a terrible procrastinator (or an extremely efficient one, depending on your point of view) so not much ended up in the list. The Western Tour, during February of 2004, with all of those wonderful workshops, Midsouthcon in Memphis, last March, the Memorial Day trip to Philadelphia, DragonCon in Atlanta, Necronomicon here in the Tampa Bay area, and Philcon, all of those passed without comment. I'll try to do better in future.
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On December 6 and 7, 2003, I attended an outdoor show in Palm Harbor, Florida. They close off Florida Avenue and three blocks are lined with booths, both sides of the street. I got a chance to walk around a little bit, and the show is a very good one. The first day was pure misery, due to the weather -- there was a cold front moving through the area, and the temperature was dropping rapidly, there were thick clouds most of the time, and the wind was very strong. My tent went over backwards a couple of times, because I didn't have enough weight on it and I didn't have any way to peg it down to the asphalt, but at least it was light enough to set up again easily, and it wasn't attached to anything breakable. I know I didn't sell a single thing that day, and I'm pretty sure there were a lot of others whose business was languishing.
Sunday dawned bright and clear, if a bit cold (it was 45 degrees Fahrenheit when I got up) and while everyone was bundled up against the cold, we were all profoundly grateful for the absence of wind. Several booths had turned over in the night, probably doing their contents no good whatsoever, but mine stayed put.
I sold several items, that day, making back my financial outlay for the show, and I enjoyed it a lot, but I'm not sure I'm cut out for outdoor shows.
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Between October 14th and 19th I traveled up to Virginia to attend the annual meeting of the International Guild of Knot Tyers, North American Branch and along the way I had the pleasure of stopping in at a school in South Carolina to demonstrate knot tying and teach some young students to make string bracelets. I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did, but we only had one-hour classes and there wasn't enough time to really cover it well. I then stopped in Richmond to hold a workshop for a very small group, which went well. The meeting in Newport News, VA, though, was much larger... I think there were as many as eighty people there. We held our meeting in the Maritime Museum, on the James River, and over the weekend we set up tables in the various halls and displayed knots and knot-tying for the museum-goers. It was great to renew my acquaintance with many old friends, and meet several new ones. I sold a little jewelry, too.
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The Art On The Lake show in Lakeland was a very nice one, although I sold absolutely nothing during the two days. Everyone I met was very friendly, and the promoters did a great job. One of the disadvantages of being a vendor at a show like this is the limited opportunities to get out and see what the other folks are doing, since I was there by myself. The neighbors were nice, especially Bill and Amy Sargent, whose booth was devoted to the display of Bill's excellent photography.
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During the Labor Day weekend I went to Atlanta to attend Dragon*Con, a science fiction conference, where I met a number of very interesting people, among them some renowned jewelers, accomplished artists in other fields, and an amazing variety of folks who like to dress up in fantastic costumes. Some jewelry changed hands, some potential students were recruited, and I became a canvas. Some pictures can be seen in this directory.
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July of 2003, while in Kansas City for a conference, I found time to conduct a small workshop at the Heartland Bead Market, and everyone enjoyed it heartily. The owner has many friends in the area, and they would wander back into the back where we were and socialize, so I ended up showing my work to a lot of people. Next year I'll be back, with a larger class that will probably include some of those visitors.
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During May of 2003, I took off the week around Memorial Day and drove to Philadelphia, and conducted two workshops, one there, one in Rockville, MD, on the way back. Eight students in each class, and everyone completed their bracelets, though there were some "dropped stitches" along the way.
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The 2003 trip out to Tucson was great, and there were three workshops along the way, with a total of 25 students altogether. Practically everyone finished bracelets in the allotted time, and I have heard since from some who went on to make several more, with requests for workshops on other items. I'll post the information when I've developed the materials. There will be a ring tutorial appearing in a future issue of Wire Artist Journal which will probably become a workshop option, but I'm waiting for it to hit the presses and generate some interest first.
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The bracelet workshop on November 9, 2002, went very well. There were eight students in attendence, one of whom flew in from New York the night before just to attend. All eight attendees completed their bracelets ahead of time, and the workshop ended an hour earlier than scheduled. One person finished a single-strand bracelet very quickly and went right on to make one with a doubled strand, though the wire she brought was merely "dead soft", not "extra soft" and it fought back savagely.
Since it went as well as it did, I am now willing to consider doing workshops in other locations. If you're interested in my schedule, this is the best place to learn where I'll be; or if you'd like to help arrange a workshop in your area, please contact me via email, or call 1-(727)-347-0593. You may also add your name to a list (which I will keep to myself) of people whom I will contact directly if I end up in your part of the world during my travels.
I will be traveling to Tucson for the big gem shows in early February, and if you would like to attend the workshop I'll be giving there, please contact me directly. If you live somewhere close to the route from Florida to Arizona and would like for me to stop long enough to conduct a workshop in your area, please send me email and we'll set something up, either on my way out west, or on my way home. For groups larger than three, please designate a local contact person who can arrange accommodations: for three or fewer, I'll just use a motel room.
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Circus McGurkis is held every Fall, in the waterfront park north of Lake Maggiore, in St. Petersburg, Florida. Not a big show, but there are a lot of fun people there, and since it's near Halloween, it's quite interesting to watch them. I sell a few silver rings, give away a lot of cotton bracelets (tied in place) and people-watch. 2001 - Cold weather, broke even. 2002 - Hot weather, made a little.
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Art Arbor Art Festival in Boyd Hill Nature Park, St. Petersburg, Florida. Also held in the Fall, and if it conflicts with the Circus McGurkis, I'll have to choose the Art Arbor show. Nice place, on the south side of the exact same lake, and I actually made money at the 2001 show. The weather was beautiful for the 2002 show, but I only took in about $13. Oh well...
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The 2002 Rotary Roundup Bluegrass and Art Festival is sponsored by the St. Petersburg Midtown Rotary Club. The first show was scheduled for February of 2002, but was rained out, and rescheduled for March. For a first year show, it wasn't bad. My first award, so of course I liked it just fine...
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Boutique vendor at the Hadassah 88th National Convention, July 21, 22, 23, 2002, in Orlando, Florida. It was a lot of fun, but speaking from strictly a financial perspective, a fiasco. I enjoyed it, and would do it again, but just for the friendly atmosphere.
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