I should be working right now, but I’m a bit preoccupied. This weekend my daughters will suit up in their purple soccer jerseys and I will brush their hair and put it up in ponytails and then I will wish them luck at their game. They will head off to the soccer field with my [...]

Thousands of paper lanterns were released into the night sky Friday in downtown Grand Rapids as part of ArtPrize 2012. The entry, by Mark Carpenter and Dan Johnson, resulted in a stunning visual display of flickering lights climbing high above the city and thousands of smiles on the ground. It was lovely. After a very stressful [...]

Tomorrow (6/10) is a big day. It’s my sister’s birthday and the Fulton Street Artisans Market (FSAM) will for the season at 11 a.m. under the lovely new farmers market pavilion at 1147 E. Fulton, in Grand Rapids. I’ll be at the market until 3 p.m. with my family to get people pumped up about our latest collaborative [...]

In a matter of hours I will help my girls get ready for the last day of school before summer break. It’s hard to believe that summer 2012 officially starts for us in less than 12 hours when that final bell rings and all the kids flood out of school to waiting parents or the [...]

There’s something seemingly magical about Heartside Gallery and Studio in that keeps drawing me back with my camera. Heartside is a drop-in studio in Grand Rapids, Mich. where people are free to create without judgement no matter their circumstances. This is a refreshingly honest place where I have had the honor and privilege of meeting some fascinating [...]

The rain and chilly temps didn’t keep my daughters and I away from the opening of Festival 2012 Friday night. Attendance was low, so we had a lot of room to move around when we checked out the 2012 Festival Regional Arts Exhibition at The Grand Rapids Press Building and the art booths on Calder [...]

Hello! I hope you all had a lovely Easter weekend. I may have eaten a few too many Starburst jelly beans (love those!), but I didn’t completely lose control. Today I’m coming to terms with the fact that spring break is over and looking ahead to spring projects on the horizon. I want to let you [...]

          Hello! I’m hosting a CraftSanity Crafternoon at the new Grand Rapids Press office on Saturday and I’d love for you to come. Attendees will get to make a beaded heart pin, discuss the impact of technology on art and craft and many other crafty topics as well as mingle with [...]

This is Willie James Jones, a man who spends his days drawing hot rods, surf boards, bongo drums and palm trees at Heartside Gallery and Studio, a free drop-in art studio located  in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The studio is frequented by people who have struggled with homelessness, addiction, mental illness and other challenges. I wrote [...]

I bought this print at Friday’s Art Downtown event. It’s called “Keep Heartside Beautiful” by Grand Rapids printmaker Sarah Scott. You can read the column I wrote about her in The Grand Rapids Press today. Sarah is donating a third of the money generated by sales of this print to Heartside Gallery and Studio where [...]

Friday night I’m headed to Grand Rapids with my daughters for an evening of art appreciation. From 6 to 11 p.m. 28 downtown venues will open their doors to the public for Art Downtown, an event that will feature 250 artists. It’s events like these that make me happy to live in West Michigan. I [...]

I’m backtracking here, but I want to note that Wednesday’s ArtPrize opening reception at the David D. Hunting YMCA was very nice. I would have posted about it sooner, but my Internet service was knocked out by Mother Nature for a couple days. I’ve also been busy soaking up inspiration at ArtPrize with out-of-town guests. [...]

At long last I bring you a podcast interview with Lisa Price, a crafty printmaker and one of West Michigan’s most successful handmade businesswomen.

Hi folks. I’ve been spinning many, many plates lately and it’s really cut into my podcast production time. (Don’t worry, I have a plan to reverse this trend.) In the meantime, I want to give you a heads up about a few things: 1)  For all you locals, Lisa Price, owner of artgoodies and the [...]

On this episode of CraftSanity you’ll meet West Michigan fiber artist Beth Ann Williams, an accomplished quilter, teacher and author who never ceases to inspire the people around her. Tune in to hear the story of how Beth Ann turned to quilting after serious health problems forced her to edit her life plan. Beth Ann, [...]