Month: June 2026

From a Collection to a Collage: Profile of an Artist updated

(This post is an update of one I wrote 5 years ago, now updated with new information.)

Today I’d like to tell you about a very talented and artistic friend of mine: Toni Duchi. She also happens to be my connection to Nittany Greyhounds and has been a friend for over 35 years.

While she has many creative talents, I think her current endeavors in making mixed media pieces have produced some stunning pieces. I call them collages, which is…an artistic composition of materials and objects pasted over a surface. Let me share an example of one she made specifically for me.

In 2019, Bert and I drove across the country to visit Ted’s family in California. We planned our trip to go through many National Parks along the way. As we traveled, I tried to NOT collect tacky t-shirts that I would never wear again. Instead, I picked up some books about the parks we were visiting and a few postcards that did the views justice. I did take a lot of pictures, but nothing was as good as the professionally done ones that got chosen to be on a postcard. At gift shops there were some tiny medallions representing each park, and even some polished rocks from the Petrified Forest. I wasn’t sure what I would do with these things, but they fit in my suitcase!

Books

Postcards

Rocks and Shells

When I got home, I had a pile of stuff (called a collection) that was fun to look at, but eventually ended up sitting on a shelf.

Making a Collage with a Collection

Finally, I begged for help. Toni told me to choose a section of the country/trip that had special meaning to me. It was obvious most of the stuff I had saved was from the Southwest; the landscape was so different from what I saw here in Pennsylvania.

I picked out an assortment of items from postcards, medallions, rocks, fossils and a Native American symbol (the metal hand below):

My Collection

I handed this stuff over and had no idea what she would create with it. Several weeks later, this is what she brought me!

My Collage of the Southwest

This shadow box collage is 12 ½ inches by 7 ½ inches. It beautifully represents my memories of the Southwest. The postcards became the background and the three-dimensional pieces built up the scene. She added a few pieces of driftwood she had to pull it all together. Amazing!!! This now sits on my desk and I’m reminded everyday of the places we visited. The guide books are nearby if I want to read more. I still have more postcards and rocks leftover of the many other places we visited, but this collage pulls together a whole host of memories.

With all the various projects I enjoy doing, designing scenes like this is NOT one of my talents. Thank you, Toni!

A Second Request for Toni

Soon after Toni made the collage of the Southwest, I had another design dilemma that she helped me with. I was working on a new wall hanging for my living room. It will be a sampler quilt wall hanging using new colors for the room…silver and burgundy. Here are the blocks laid out on the floor to show the colors:

I showed these blocks to Toni and asked if she’d make me something to go on the wall by the front door. Using her talents with polymer clay, she made me a framed collage made of individual tiles in silver and burgundy. Here are some pictures!

This piece is 16 ½” by 20 ½”.

Here’s a close-up of the saying and the tiles:

Amazing! I will treasure this picture forever! Thank you, friend!

If you’d like to see more of Toni’s work, come see us at the Art in the Orchard Festival at Way Fruit Farm, July 9-11, 2026. We’ll be sharing a booth again! Here’s a picture of how she displays her wonderful art:

Come to the festival and meet Toni! You may find something you’d like! Please email me directly if you have questions or comments: maryjkisner@gmail.com

Garden Update June 9, 2026

Now that all the plants and seeds are in the ground, it’s time to show you where the garden stands today! I’ll try to follow the same sequence throughout the summer so you can compare the pictures (if you’d like to!)

Here is the third planting of radishes. We still have a few to eat from the first picking. I think these are the round radishes.

Here is the second planting of radishes near the lettuce beds. These are the long radishes. They look funny because more than half of each radish grows above ground! I’m picking the lettuce as we use it and started the second row two weeks ago.

Along the patio, Bert planted the petunias. He started the seeds more than a month ago in pots but they really struggled to get going. Hopefully, they will be red, white and blue flowers…but might not get there by the 4th of July!

He put a few extra in a separate pot on the patio.

Just yesterday I ran to Walmart and picked up 3 small pots of Spearmint. I’m hoping we get a nice big flowering pot of mint with flowers the bees like.

The Sugar Snap Peas are going nuts…just in time for the deer to wander by and munch a few right off the top! GRRRR…

The Asparagus just keeps on doing its thing. Somehow the deer don’t bother it at all!

The new bed off to the side of the wood pile is now planted with giant pumpkins! We’ll keep a watch out for any wandering groundhogs…last year they took bites out of many of the pumpkins before they even turned orange.

Up in the garden on the hill, the tomatoes are looking good.

Beside the tomatoes I planted two rows of beans…one green and one yellow. I can just see the first bean popping up.

The third section will remain empty for a few weeks and then I’ll plant more beans there.

The next section has three rows of carrots. We often have trouble getting the carrots to start because the ground is too cold. Hopefully, by waiting an extra week the ground is warmer.

The last section has cucumber plants. I think they are supposed to be bush cucumbers, but I imagine they’ll make vines anyway.

Finally, the Echinacea is going nuts! Yay! In the last picture you can see a close up of the flowers beginning!

So, that’s what’s happening in our backyard! I suspect as the summer continues, we’ll have something to say about bugs, blight and wandering deer…just for fun!

If you have comments or questions, please email me directly at maryjkisner@gmail.com. Or you can comment on my Facebook page.

Enjoy your summer!

Getting Ready for the July 9 to 11, 2026 Festival

I’m looking forward to selling my beaded bracelets at the Art in the Orchard Festival, July 9-11. The festival is held on the ground of the Way Fruit Farm in Stormstown PA. They are located on Rt. 550 on the north outskirts of State College. I will be in a booth with two other artist. Luckily, we each have our specialty and I will be grateful to have some friends to talk with over the three days of the festival.

I’d like to share what I’ve been making with you but don’t plan to try to sell the bracelets online…yet. The hardest part is figuring out how to set up an actual ‘store front’ to handle the sales. At the moment, all sales will be in CASH at the festival in July. After the festival, I’ll see if there is enough interest to consider selling them online.

I now have a collection of 33 Specialty bracelets with a detailed description of each of the stone beads in the bracelet. Each come in three sizes. You can see that list below. When I say they are Bracelets with Intention, that means I have made the bracelet with intention…my thoughts are focused on the strengths of the individual beads and how they might be helpful in supporting the topic of the bracelet. When you wear the bracelet and consider the strengths of the individual beads, you reinforce the intention of the bracelet.

This disclaimer is on every bracelet package I make:

About your Gemstone Bracelet:

Each of the beads in your bracelet have meaning and together support each other for your well-being. They are described in the insert with your bracelet. You can wear the bracelet or carry it in your pocket. Each time you see it or handle it remember its intention as described on the tag, such as bringing you joy or lowering your stress level. Reminder: This bracelet is not a medical device. Its purpose is to help you focus and send positive energy to your mind and body. I have made your bracelet with love and the best of intentions for your well-being. Mary Kisner

Here is a list of the Specialty Bracelets:

For the festival, I also have an assortment of bracelets that have just one kind of bead, like amethyst or carnelian. While each stone bead has meaning by itself, I know I sometimes like to choose a specific color to match an outfit. Those bracelets are not listed in the catalog because I’m always making something new, however I have about 75 bracelets in three sizes that showcase a specific stone.

Designing my booth has always been difficult for me. My ability to string beads and design bracelets doesn’t seem to carry over to designing a big space. Last year my booth was pretty straight forward…and boring. This year I enticed Bert to make me a kind of rack with clips that could display my bracelets…which in turn required me to redesign my packaging! Luckily, I started that in January and as I make new bracelets, the packaging all matches! The bracelet is visible, and inside the folded label the individual beads are described.

Here is a picture of my booth last year (boring, I know!):

This year, (still under design!) my booth might look like this…I did get a second sign and will expand to a second table:

My problem is I like to keep the bracelets in their packaging but on display they attract attention. The new packaging allows folks to see the bracelet without opening it. I think I’ll hang a few loose, but keep most in their individual bags so folks can paw through the packaged items easily. Once they see something they like, they can open the package to try it on. I also have ‘tester’ bracelets so they know what size they are looking for.

So…that’s how my preparations are going for the Art in the Orchard Festival at Way Fruit Farm, July 9-11, 2026. I’d love to see you there!

For questions and comments, please email me directly at maryjkisner@gmail.com.