There is, of course, the obvious for anyone who has toured this site that Andi is an artist of some degree. Which degree that happens to be is still in debate. Also would be that she likes to write. No surprise there.

     What might not be as blatantly evident is her propensity for caustic humor, love of nature and insatiable curiosity. The list of her interests is impossibly long and again, rather boring for those unfamiliar with the contents. (Can't you just feel the sarchasm? That's what you get for allowing gremlins to type your bio.)

     Let it then suffice to say that Andi is best described as a jack of all trades.

     Okay, okay. Still curious? Here is a brief list of what Andi does in the course of a year, many items of which will be featured somewhere in this collection:

 

     Actual job: crafter's assistant. She works for nationaly recognized artisan, June Weaver of Out of Knowwear. She cuts, sews, embelishes and stuffs things to create holiday themed ornaments, wall hangings, traditionaly inspired bits, and most importantly, the soft-sculpture elves, Santas and other figures for which Out of Knowwear is famous. Andi also handles a lot of odd jobs around the shop and the grounds. Painting, gardening ( digging a ton of holes and hauling manure) and picking the blueberries are but a few.

 

   Other job: Babysits for her cousin four days a week. That presents its own unique set of activities.

 

    Drawing: Although graphite is the favored media, Andi also dabbles in ink, paint, charcoal and occasionaly whatever falls off of her dinner plate and lands on the paper. Mythological creatures are the most popular subjects because of the limitless possibilities such beings present. Oh, yeah. She draws normal things, too.

 

     Writing: Mostly fiction and not of this world. Sci-fi, adventure, comedy, tradgedy, suspence. That sort of stuff. No flowery poety here. Its probably better not to ask us to elaborate any further. 

 

     Fashion designer: Yeah, right. Used in the loosest sence of the phrase. This portains more to wierd costumes based mainly on some of her creations and is not at all something the average person would want to wear every day. Although they elicit amazing responces, the outfits still need some fine tuning.

 

     Tanner: The art of producing leather from an animal skin might be frowned upon by many in this modern age who think it downright cruel, and the process by which it is made here even more questioned by those who do not mind wearing the pelts of helpless woodland creatures. What can we say other than to warn those with weak constitutions not to wander much further into this narritive. As a tanner, Andi uses the traditional techniques of the Native Americans to create old-fashioned brain tanned buckskin. It is a facinating process if you can get past the brain part.

 

    Nature crafts- Be it vegetable, animal or mineral, its all free game here and covers a wide array of sub-headings. Viking antler reproductions, Native inspired arts and tools, Pyrography, Scrimshaw, Gourdcraft, wood work, there is no end to what she might turn up next.

 

     Fiber arts- Knitting, crocheting, tatting, inkle and tablet weaving. Bobbin lace is a major temptation that has not been tried. Yet. String is wonderful. Andi has even attempted spinning wool with a drop spindle just to see what would happen. So far, so good, but it will probably take another decade before she has made enough yarn to actualy do something with. A wheel would help tremendously. That's a different subject. Wood working. See Nature crafts.

 

   Actress- It may be surprising given how most people find her to be rather shy and not very outgoing. Still, Andi has had a fair amount of experience in small theatrical endevours. She enjoys bringing characters to life. For three summers she portrayed strange peasant women in a small English town at a renaissance faire in southern Maine. In October she signs on with the Haunted Hayrides wearing her own handmade costumes. Occasionaly she can be found at the Schoolhouse Arts Center though more often than not she is working backstage as props mistress or crewing sets. The two times she has appeared on the stage as an actual member of the cast, she has been a guy. The first time was as Thorin in the Hobbit because she is short. The second as a pirate in Peter Pan because not enough men auditioned to make a full crew and she was too old to be an indian.  Some day she might actualy play the part of a woman. She sings a lot as well, though rarely in public. Not everyone can tolerate old Irish folk tunes.