Sarah

This is me.

This picture is made of: thyme, cornhusk, bark, banana peel, corn silk, statice, alyssum, cantaloupe peel and smoke tree.

Bye With a Bang

In the spring we are delighted to see new leaves forming on the ends of branches. After that we enjoy large green leaves for months. Before the leaves fall they seem to put on a grand finale. They turn more striking than they have during the rest of their existence and then fall. Did you know salmon are like that too? The pictures of jewel colored salmon are actually near the end of life of the salmon.

This picture is made of: maple, cornhusk, banana peel, mulberry, dill* orange peel and cinnamon.

Thank You Family!

The grand opening for Sarah's Lavender Cottage was a success! To read about it click here. I would like to thank my family for the many ways they helped this show happen.

Dad~ spent many hours helping me heat press images onto t-shirts and other things, moved furniture out of my studio, helped put up my sign, spent all day at the art show and blew up 90 helium balloons.

Mom~ made price tags, cut out price tags, inspired me, cleaned my studio, helped give it finishing touches, packaged note cards, made five dozen cookies and 200 mini muffins, relieved me of home chores during the week leading up to the show and helped me figure out what to wear.

Nathaniel (13-year-old brother)~ blew and weeded around my studio, put together most of my sign, was cheerful company while I made doll after doll and ate many of my Tootsie rolls.

Asher (6-year-old brother)~ a friend who kept me company. He worked on his sheep while I worked on other cornhusk things. He tried to help package note cards.

Autumn (4-year-old sister)~ understood that I couldn't really play with her while I was getting ready for the show but was kind to me through it all.

Eli (2-year-old brother)~ encouraged me to pick up my stuff when I was done with it and was always happy and energetic.

I thank God for the family he placed me in. All of us would help any of us with our dreams. Thank you, family for everything!

Meet the Dollmaker at Harvest Festival

If you’ve ever wanted to step into the painting of a well-known artist, John Kollock’s upcoming Harvest Festival of Arts & Crafts might be your best chance. John Kollock of Clarkesville, Georgia will be releasing his latest print, The Dollmaker, and Sarah Samsel, the cornhusk doll artist who is depicted in the picture, will be making cornhusk dolls as part of the festival. In fact the festival will include the Grand Opening of Sarah’s Lavender Cottage, Samsel’s studio/gallery.

The Harvest Festival will take place Sept. 10 at Kollock’s gallery, the Saturday Shop, and at Sarah’s Lavender Cottage, both of which are on the home property of John and Nancy Kollock. The Saturday Shop will feature original watercolor paintings, prints, books and cards by John Kollock, who has been painting and writing about the country side and rural activities of his Northeast Georgia home since the 1950s, along with watercolor paintings by his daughter, Kathleen Kollock.

Samsel, 16, is perhaps best known for her “pressed flower pictures,” one of which took third place in the pressed flower competition at the 2011 Philadelphia Flower Show. She will have plenty of original pressed flower pictures to show inside Sarah’s Lavender Cottage. However, she will be demonstrating the art of cornhusk doll making throughout the day. Samsel’s dolls and various printed items of her pressed flower pictures will also be available. As part of the Grand Opening, Samsel will give away a framable oversized postcard image of one of her pressed flower pictures to the first 50 attendees.

Nathaniel Samsel, Sarah’s 13-year-old brother, will provide live banjo and dulcimer music throughout the day inside the Saturday Shop. The 2011 Southern Regional Mountain Dulcimer Champion, Nathaniel Samsel will leave Clarkesville a few days after the show to travel with his dad to the Walnut Valley Festival in Winfield, Kansas to compete in the national mountain dulcimer championship.

Refreshments will be served, and there will be a give-away. Festival hours are 10:00 to 5:00. The Saturday Shop is located at 450 Bybrook Trail in Clarkesville. For directions or additional information, call (706) 754-9200.