big skirts

Painting e-course la, la, laaahhhh

2011-12-29T04:48:00.000-08:00

I found this posting in among my google-reader. I got excited right away! I was drawn in by Flora's compositions & layers of color! Yup, I am a painter but its impossible for me to MAKE paintings right now b/c of my work. The work of painting is long for me. It takes long hours of examination, notes in a painting journal & scraping & revision. I LOVE THE PROCESS. So this class called to me to satisfy this need. Its a 5 week course. I am so looking forward to it!

The Christmas Corner

2011-12-27T04:18:00.000-08:00

Pink Tree in the corner

This has not been a year for Christmas decorating. The Pink Tree is about it & some candles on the table. It was a sweet time staying at home & totally indulging in making things & resting. I did finish the Subway Sign & it is now in the Library where I have envisioned it for months & months.

Many steps can be found here. There are many steps & many times along the way that I wondered if this was a lot of work for unfix-able mistakes! I am very happy with the product--it has that 'made in the woods' kind of feel. These are street names in Micanopy. I love thinking of Micanopy Underground Transport System, MUTS.

Snuffily

2011-12-17T04:31:00.001-08:00

Its finally winter Holiday & I have so many plans for making things; discoveries have also been made about my making: it sort of doesn't matter what it is I am making as long as I am excitedly engaged.

My Billboard Quilt from the quilt-along by Oh Fransson. It was great fun & very easy. Dan & I took a trip on the Florida Turnpike scouring billboards as we went. This phrase won!
ENJOY GRAPEFRUIT FROM FLORIDA.
I used all scrap & an old sheet for background. This quilt re-kindled my quilt making & I have several more in the works

Little Emmett. He was born in the Friday before Easter. He hasn't grown very much. He might just be really tiny but his bravery reminded us of Emmitt Smith...his namesake. I feel like a little girl with a puppy to call her own.

Today his name is Emmett!

2011-07-04T10:09:00.000-07:00

The newest member of the pack. He just turned 10 weeks on Friday. His momma is an Apple-head Chihuahua & his dad is a Long-hair Chihuahua. This guy is brave enough to make friends with his 50 pound pack-sister, Sigrid & grumpy-ish pack-bro, Nicholas. I am thrilled with this pup. When I went to choose from the litter, he definitely whispered, "pick me, pick me".
Emmett walked on his little tiny halter leash for a 2 miler yesterday! He is so fun! I hope he gets lots bigger! Or not.

Sevilla One

2011-07-04T04:00:00.001-07:00

Well, we got to Spain via Dallas. Left Dallas at 5:30 pm & arrived in Madrid at 10ish am. I am not a fan of sleeping in an airplane sitting up. But I was on the way to Spain so the excitement outweighed the discomfort. Everyone was speaking Spanish on the flight. Spain Spanish is SO different from Mexican Spanish, much softer & shushier. And of course there is the "th" replacing "s" sounds.
I am, I Don Quixote, Lord of la Mancha... my destiny calls and I go...
On the way from Madrid to Sevilla we drove right by glorious Spanish windmills reminding me of Man of la Mancha, the very first live musical I ever saw back in 1969 in Des Moines, Iowa! And there I was right in Don Quixote country. I had to sing...I love the songs from that musical.
In Sevilla we stayed in an apartment on Calle Moratin very close to Alcazar and city center. I don't think there are building codes in Spain b/c the upstairs bathroom ceiling was about 5'3". The apartment was definately a re-model making one room 2 levels. The windows were wonderfully tall. There was room for all 6 of us. We had a tiny kitchen & 2 bathrooms! Tile all around. Our home for 7 days.
Dogs everywhere! Most are not on leashes, they just follow along.
We jumped right in & left our old time zone & became Spanish...We had paella at a cafe just a block away. But, you know what, it tasted like ocean water & I couldn't eat it but it didn't matter b/c I was in Spain! I was in Sevilla with brilliant & wonderful traveling companions!

2011-06-30T03:30:00.001-07:00

Plaza de Espana in Sevilla. OOOO... it was a hot long walk. Photo of the 3 of the 6 travelers was taken by Louis, my nephew.
This was also the site used for Naboo in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
& Laurence of Arabia. It is indeed a remarkable bit of architecture. Lots of majolica tile work and a huge arc-ing pool, no swan boats though.

Returning

2011-06-27T03:00:00.000-07:00

...to journaling and home from Spain.
I did keep a journal while in Spain but I only cut & pasted emphemera of my days with the intention of working on text when I returned home. I regularly emailed family about daily events so I will rely on those emails for text for my Spain book.
Another fun plan is to make a small edition of an Abecedarium of the trip in accordion book form. I've done that before about a trip to Massachusetts and had a great time doing it. I relied on color copies for the edition & that is exactly what I will do this time. I plan on sewing in the images on the accordion pages.
These are the pages that I made this morning, my regular tried & true collage method. I did use a transparency on the Companions page. It was a perfect fit in both content & size. I must say, however, that we all traveled very lightly (not all like the baggage on the hand cart). I will never travel heavy again. It was bliss to have only one bag for 12 days! And since you asked: the greatest travel aids are a Kindle & plastic travel bags that squish down to nearly nothing. Same weight MORE space!
I am glad to be home. It is magical here too.

Bowls, Basin & Steampunk Desires

2011-03-08T03:27:00.000-08:00

Feeling a bit manic these days. Is it Spring? Is it pollen overdose? Its that time of year when anything exposed to the outdoors is covered with a fine layer of yellow pollen.
So....my newest obsession is making Steampunk outfits. I DESPERATELY NEED TO MAKE COSTUMES. I can't help it. I sure wish I had a friend who liked to do the same. I have never met anyone in my life who liked to make costumes & then do something to wear them. I've been reading more about the steampunk community & have learned that there are events to attend. Why don't I live in a more cosmopolitan area where I can find at least a few liked minded costume-builders? I am still thinking & perhaps I will come up with a plan.
Now, I have started my painting project which is most exciting. There was a definite stumbling about with materials: too old, not enough colors, broken easel... things that can be fixed. I started 2 paintings. Both of dogs. I feel I am on my way. To where I'm not sure.

New Again!

2011-01-31T13:32:00.000-08:00

So Rhonda & John originally planned to visit the Great Wall of China around the same time as 9/11. The tragedy kept them home, but they did take that trip in November, 2010. I received a photo of them at the Great Wall. That calls for a painting don't you think? This is a transfer painting combining elements of the original photograph with collage, all mounted on canvas. The piece is 12 inches x 12 inches.
I saw the film "How to Draw a Bunny"! Am I the only person who has never heard of Ray Johnson? Oh man! His work grabbed me by the throat & choked me up! I LOVE it. And then I felt that sort of creepy feeling of "desire of ownership". I want a piece to call my own to look at whenever I want to. I have requested the book through my library's Interlibrary Loan service. I can't wait!

Its July Already!

2010-07-23T04:23:00.000-07:00

And my mother in laws apron hangs here. In the Studio North, freshly purged and organized. I found 2 aprons that belonged to Margaret, my husband's mother, one was usable. I pressed it and am passing it on to my daughter. The other is all used up. I pressed it and hung it in the studio. The beginning of my rotating exhibition.
All my fabric has been gone through, eleven bags have moved on for others to use. It took A LONG TIME! I was pokey about it. It was so overwhelming, too bad there is no before picture.
I decided to put notions in clear jars that I got from Ikea. I could write a poem about how I feel about Ikea.
Button jar
Big zipper jar
Little zipper jar
Trims jar
Snap & fasteners jar
Elastic jar.
Recently my sister and I discovered Japanese sewing magazines! Wow! Our lives seemed transformed! The designs are made for my aesthetic. I made one apron and one dress.

Cloud-less Sky

2010-04-07T01:59:00.000-07:00

There is a nice quilt shop in Trenton, Florida. It is in the old Cocola (thats how its said) bottling building. I love the icicles on this sign. I didn't buy any fabric! They have loads of it; old timey, batik, asian, floral, even 108 inch fabrics for quilt backs! I didn't buy anything. I think I've got the Re-User Itch bad! Its my favorite! I love to use what has already been used or make due/do? with what I have. I did go to Hospice House and got a great linen skirt for $4.99. I wish I could have made a sound track when I was there.
There was a woman playing the piano singing gospels songs as if she was already in heaven. Her voice was loud and true. The experience was absolutely remarkable. One song after another. Sometimes there would be applause. She was having a great time on that piano. There were 2 pianos for sale that day. It would be a shame if one of them sold. I hope there is always a piano for her to play and sing as if she was already in heaven.

Holding a bubble

2010-04-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

On the eve of Spring Break I look at the list I have been working on for 2 weeks of what to do with my endless days. Tomorrow is 'town-errands day' so that I won't have to leave the yard much after that. I want to get to Trenton's quilt shop just to browse.
I have been thinking of Jerry Cutler's thoughts on being a painter and finding a "Self-Sustaining Aesthetic". I'm afraid my self sustaining aesthetic is wobbly and as a matter of fact the search for a self-sustaining aesthetic has kept me from painting. I just like to paint.
So I have a wild hair.
My plan is to get some practice painting portraits of dogs. I saw a flyer at the vet's office last week advertising paintings of pets. I think thats a great idea. I remember hearing of another painter doing that same thing with portraits of people; she would charge $75 and if you didn't like the portrait you didn't have to pay. What a great way to get practice! I have no interest in working through a portrait to make the patron happy, I just want to learn what there is for me to learn from painting.
I need to put this on my spring break list. Then I will post the flyers in vet offices. Dogs only. Shoulders and head. From a photo. 16 x 12 or 18 x 24. $100.

More Sigrids

2010-04-03T11:02:00.001-07:00

Just fresh off the camera!

Welcome Sigrid!

2010-04-03T05:30:00.000-07:00

I have sorely neglected this blog. Our remodel is done. The wedding is over. Today begins spring break for me in our house. Last spring break the house was in de-construct and today it is done! This remodel has made me fall in love with our house and yard and sometimes I wonder how it can be so that this is ours. It has taken our lives so far to get here.
The orange blossoms are blooming and I can smell them from the window.
We have a new puppy. Her name started out as Fifi, but it is now Sigrid. Dan found her while on a walk. She was just a puff ball, actually a soggy puff ball on that morning. Someone had dropped several of these pups around town. People who found them took them to the vet. We came back for ours and now she lives with us.
I need to take more pictures. I used to love my camera.

Kitchen Walls!

2009-07-23T04:20:00.000-07:00

Color goes on them today! I have waited so long. Well, I chose a buttery white b/c the white plaster looked so good I wanted something with just a tint. Perhaps we can put our kitchen cabinets back up this weekend and almost have a working self-enclosed kitchen.
I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and was horribly seduced by a little black chandelier for $49.99. I still might take my 40% off coupon and skip down and get it. But I have been planning to make one out of a bike wheel. There was a little bike long forgotten under the house. One of the carpenters saw it and pulled it out for me. I have so many beads and wonderful things to hang from the spokes AND I have a light kit from IKEA so I am already! I'll keep you posted. It will be SO fun. I want to hang it above my work table in Studio Up.

Here are some inspirational homemade chandeliers:
Bike Wheel
Coffee Stirrers
Eye Glasses

At Hobby Lobby there was a bountiful assortment of letters to hang on the wall. My favorite. AND many were half off!
Check out this cookbook: Back of the Box Cookbook.
Its my other new favorite! I got it at the library and have put it on my Amazon Wish List for later. No boxes of jello or cups of pulverized potato chips, but some really fun and healthy kinds of foods.
Right now I am listening to Grave Goods by Ariana Franklin. Its the 3rd in the series of Adelia, Mistress of the Art of Death. Ooooo.... so good! And I am reading Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks, it is such a good read. I listened to People of the Book (also by Geraldine) last spring and it was SO good! What dee-lights!

79 Degrees!

2009-07-18T15:37:00.000-07:00

Yup, thats what the authorities tell me! Of course, there is that 98% humidity that evens everything out.
The kitchen floor finally got its final sanding and first coat of polycrylic. My bare feet love the feel of the wood floor. I sure wish the floor could talk to me. I think it talks to the souls of my feet, but they aren't talking to me either.
I got into the Thornebrook Show on October 3 & 4. Mark your calendar. I really liked doing the show last year. It was the first time I let my books out for the public to see. It was dee-light-full to watch people choose which book worked best for them. It was quite a treat to realize that people will be writing in those books I made out of stuff that quite likely would be thrown away. Its my favorite.

Little Octo

2009-07-16T14:57:00.001-07:00

I have about six 12" x 12" stretched canvases that I got at Big Lots of all places. This is the first one I've used. Its a sketch for the big painting that is blocked out on a giant canvas.
This was FUN! I don't have my painting supplies set up so I used what was around. I had some water-based oil pastels (dee-vine!), some aquacolors, a bottle of cheapo white acrylic AND 2 VERY BAD brushes. After many layers the little octo got finished up. I adore using a bad brush b/c it takes a certain consciousness away. I feel like I'm fighting and that falling in love with my own mark-making is more difficult. I used a pen tip to dip in white paint to make the suckers. The painting really needed that.
NOW, my job is to move on and make more. I can even make more octo paintings if I want to!

Lazy

2009-07-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

Being that there are carpenters here everyday, all day, I find it difficult to focus. I don't get as much done as I would like.
Our daughter and her fiance came over for the 4th of July. We needed more chairs for the dining room (the only communal room in our house right now). I bought these chair twins from a guy who sells furniture in his parking lot, $20 a piece. I LOVE chairs and these 2 just stole my heart.
Here they are all cleaned up. They both had old pressed cardboard seats that were broken through. When I pulled the cardboard off I found out that the chairs were originally cane seated! I didn't want to have the caning redone. I wanted cushy seats so I cut down an old memory foam mattress pad and upholstered one with a four sack and the other with a bean sack. Both sacks were gifts given to me years ago that I have been saving, waiting for the right project. Viola! I really should have centered the design on the seat, but I get impulsive and just want to finish. They are extremely comfortable. The chairs are very sturdy and have been around probably longer than I have.
Exciting.
It must be summer of 'chair love'. I also finished making slip covers for 2 very comfortable upholstered chairs that I got from the same guy for $50 a piece. The plans in my head involved printing text on the fabric. Stay tuned for pictures and explanation.

In love

2009-06-22T12:09:00.001-07:00

December, huh!
Much has gone down since then:
-moved bedroom into the living room while that part of the house was stripped down to the studs
-back pain on and off again, my world became small and uncomfortable
-returned to our bedroom about a month ago- it feels fantastic
-moved out of the kitchen, living room and dining room so those rooms could be stripped to the studs--11' 11" ceilings!
-drywall is up and ready for the hardcoat
-the outside is mostly painted--its terra cotta--it scared me at first, but I love it now (it is a color that nature uses generously around here)
So I am in love with the house. She doesnt look over 100 years old does she? I feel proud to have given the house this chance to be glorious. I am also in love with painting once again. I knew I needed a large painting of an octopus in the living room. I have begun---am using a Bernard Direxit (17th century French naturalist) illustration as a leaping point. Ah, the process...

Flori-darium

2008-12-31T06:33:00.000-08:00

Here is our addition in it's infant stage. The roof is peaked not flat. There will be a screened in porch (where the ladder is) accessible by french doors from the addition. That new room we are calling the 'Flori-darium', a combo of Florida Room and Solarium. On the 2 sides of the room will be 6' x 4' casement windows--wow! lots of back yard viewing, which is what this room is all about.
Yes, I have been journaling.
2009 will again be the Year of Health and Beauty. I think I have a better shot at it this year b/c I can walk more than 3 blocks!
Studio Up (the paper studio) is all torn apart b/c its included in this renovation. We packed it all up on Sunday and as of yesterday it looked like this! Dormer windows and a new staircase will be going in so it will be a while until I move back in. It will splendid when done.
Its New Year's Eve and I hope to wake up to watch the fireworks that the neighbors shot off. I can never stay up til midnight.
Cheers!

REALLY AWESOME SITE

2008-12-28T07:22:00.000-08:00

I've been playing here since yesterday! I downloaded lots of really fun projects to feed my need to cut and paste!
I've named my business All of the Above and now I wish I would have named it Cut & Paste!
Check this out and click on everything! Its all FREE!
Canon Creative Park
By the way, I ordered free business cards from Vista.
This company offers lots of free products so I took advantage of their offerings. You might want to as well.

Excuses & Fear!

2008-12-28T06:51:00.000-08:00

Excuses for not producing, fear of producing. In my journal this morning appeared the notion that I might make the wrong choice of making that would somehow stand in the way of me becoming an artist; that making the right choice is of paramount importance to my credibility. Whoa! That's so counter productive and nearly hateful. Another reason why journaling is so valuable! The nonsense I can sometimes think comes to light before doing too much damage.
These things are in my mind to make:
1. Clocks as sculpture. I have been collecting and saving bits to stack together to make clock towers.
2. Door size mosaics of people.
3. Floor lamp made out of a tree trunk with one branch. It needs to be painted, not left tree trunk color. I saw one like it in the new Dwell issue.
4. Make more books. They have sold very well and I love the way people linger over them.
5. Painting portraits.
6. Painting objects on all the same size canvases.
7. Painting two disparate objects together.
8. Making light up Cornell boxes.
This tree branch bike is too divine!

And months later

2008-12-24T04:37:00.000-08:00

Lets see:
1. I had surgery on my back on November 4th
2. I had an amazing experience of healing after surgery when I truly felt all the healing energy of people's best wishes. It sounds woo-hoo, I know, but I did and I was grateful for it.
3. Stated back to work on November 24th.
4. Went to NM for Thanksgiving to be with family-was a sweet trip.
5. Our house is under construction for the last re-model.
6. Christmas ambushed me this year again and I am not ready.
7. And most of all, I am trying to find my way as an artist for the zillionth time.
I have stopped journaling and I really need to start again. It was such a huge force in my life and it was guaranteed "making" time as soon as I got up in the morning. I am not making mosaics, but I am saving wood from our construction project for future mosaics. I have been making quite a lot of found object jewelry. I gave most of it as gifts.
So, my promise to myself is to journal today and blog tomorrow.

Epiphany

2008-10-06T04:09:00.000-07:00

Where have I been?
I did have an epiphany about being an artist versus a maker of things. I have thought a lot about artistic vision. I really never considered myself an artist because I couldn't consciously call up an artistic vision. On the drive to work one morning it came to me that my vision is my perception of this existence. The impulse to make things is part of my physiology and the way I see things is built from just being in this realm of life. So. My vision has been present the whole time. I have nothing to say with the things I make other than to celebrate what is around me. Can I call myself an artist now? Does it matter? Okay, okay, this is the definition (that I must credit to Craig Roland, Art Ed. Professor at UF) of an artist that I like the best:
An artist is a person that makes life special.

Ouch, ouch, ouch

2008-09-18T03:13:00.000-07:00

My legs and hips are at it again. The steroid injection that I received on July 10 has worn off and my nerve bundles are being squished up again. I get another injection this afternoon. I am so excited! The injection makes me run around with so much energy that I can get things done really quickly.
I have been making things:
*just finished my pirate girl costume for Talk like a Pirate day today. This year I am not wearing my beautiful pirate coat that I made last year because I get so hot during the day. This year's pirate girl wears a skirt and a shirt embroidered with a skull and cross bones...arghh..
*working on bracelets using my resin casts, resin papers and various and sundry weird things--my fav
*I've creatively altered 3 shirts--1 from Walmart and 2 from Goodwill. Its so fun- I'll post pictures when my camera doesn't feel so heavy
The other big "Ouch" is the status of the library at school. I have 26 45 minute classes a week which gives me very little time to do library stuff. My situation isnt nearly as bad and others. Some librarians have had their book budgets taken away, some are teaching PE part time. The whole structure here is based on measurements and documentations. Its horrifying because it has so llittle to do with educating children.
Sorry. I still LOVE to read books to kids and get them excited reading.
Time to "Pirate-Up"!
Arrgh me mateys!

Persephone

2008-09-05T03:18:00.000-07:00

Just one more posting today.
I get up very early so I can skim time off the top of the day for studio, then I get ready for the day. This morning I went out for a shower at about 6:00. We have an outdoor shower that I adore and use everyday. When I stepped out into the yard I smelled autumn. Its sort of the smell of chilly air. It won't get chilly here for a month or so but I love experiencing that first lung-full of autumn freshened air! Then the owls started calling and I felt pure dee-light.
Persephone's time on top of the earth is growing short and I start to celebrate.
Autumn and winter are the seasons when I feel most alive.

Helvetica

2008-09-05T01:57:00.000-07:00

We made broccoli and spinach topping for our baked potatoes last night and watched Helvetica. If you are interested at all in type this is a visual and auditory treat! I LOVED all the commentary! It was BRILLIANT and we got it through Netflix!

Resin Paper

2008-09-05T01:45:00.001-07:00

I get so excited about resin. While I was pouring the little house charms, the resin was getting hot and very thick, but I had too much left to just throw away and waste. I quickly severed some pages from a dictionary, slapped some packing tape on the back and scraped out what was left of the resin and frosted the dictionary paper. it cured nice and thick and will look great as panels in bracelets. This would be great for so many things!
BIG RESIN TIP FROM STEPHANIE LEE---STIR TWICE AS LONG AS THE PACKAGE DIRECTIONS SUGGEST.
I did this for the last pour and the resin was PERFECT! It set up much more quickly. I stirred the Envirotex that I get at Michael's for 4 minutes!
Ta-da!

Lost in Work World

2008-09-04T02:09:00.000-07:00

School started for me on August 11. We had one week of pre-planning. Hurricane Faye passed through during our first week of school and shuts us down for 2 days. Faye dropped lots of rain but thats about it.
So I really owe you lots of images.

These entries are all looking a little grey because I am working in the dining room instead of Studio Up--the light switch sizzles when I turn it on so I am a bit wary. We start re-modeling soon and it will be fixed then. I have been strongly drawn to interiors. I subscribe to several home magazines and feast on the images. I think there are some good painting segments in these collages.
I also finished charms for a charm exchange. I soldered copper pipe to little house shapes and poured resin in the pipe bezel. I love these little gems. The swap master asked that the charm be strung to 2 inches of whatever so it can be added to a necklace of 9 other charms. I think I will use a basic rosary link with pearls as my 2 inches.

My head swirls with beginning of the year job responsibilities and I found myself in a hateful state of mind yesterday. Not so good. You know in this life I constantly have to be awake except for when I drive then all I have to do is drive. I've pared down my life to home, job, making, family and a handfull of friends. I feel a little guilty about this but its what I have to do in order to have room and time to think and make stuff.

Back in the saddle

2008-08-16T06:00:00.001-07:00

Got back from Phoenix last Friday and started back to work on Monday.
I'm tired already.
Still.
I learned a lot at Art Unraveled, especially from Stephanie Lee and Jane Wynn.
1. its possible to solder base metals!
2. copper pipe makes great bezels
3. I can solder a slice of copper pipe to the interior of an altoid's tin
4. I lost my fear of 2 part epoxy!
5. I missed being close to the great outdoors and I lose something of myself and become a ghost
6. For some reason I felt invisible, maybe b/c I was a ghost-self
Jane and Stephanie are both EXTREEMLY generous with their knowledge.

Off to Unravel

2008-07-30T05:28:00.000-07:00

At Art Unraveled. I am spending a few days with my precious daughter first, though. This is Tuesday's entry. I am still messing about with octopi and am still in the octopus novice drawing stage. I LOVE this image of the creature legs up. I got a bunch of images from Google, printed them so I have source material.
Many times I ruminate an idea to death and then the execution is smoother. I read a great article in this week's New Yorker about ideas and intuition. If you can believe it scientists are doing very complex research on these topics. One note of advice is that the brain comes up with ideas when it is at rest. I notice in my own life that ideas come flooding in when I first wake up. If I give myself some time before I get out of bed I come up with amazing ideas to solve issues I've been wrestling with.
Hmmm...
I was so inspired by Jill Berry's symbol-a-day idea that I have started. Perhaps I'll carve stamps when I am done. Doing things in a series really appeals to me. There was a time that I would start collecting an image a day coinciding with my menstrual flow. After 28 images I would photocopy them all and do a photocopy transfer on fabric for a kimono jacket that I designed. I have one with chairs, one with dragonflies, one with a piece of art from 28 other artists. It involved my physiology part of the making. Boy, I could write about this for a LONG time! My body no longer make eggs so I need to think of another way to let my body determine a series.

Sleep Walking with Dreams

2008-07-27T04:13:00.000-07:00

Am I narcoleptic? Are my doggies truly sleep agents? Little four footed sand-men?
I have been working only in bursts. Perhaps its not so good for me to be by myself for so long. At first it was great. Six weeks later its just the whisper of lonely.
When I am working on journal pages it seems I am making notes about stories that appear in my mind. What to do with this stuff besides just writing down the story? How can I use it?
After looking at Jill Berry's Blog and Be..Dream..Play I think its time for me to use some wet media and make some visuals to go with the stories.
I am a children's librarian at an elementary school and I LOVE it. I feel I can use all that I am in my job. Several of my ideas this summer are great lead-ins for kid collaboration, my favorite:
With an assortment of found objects,tell their story.
I am quite excited about the possibilities.
I thought writing was too hard for me and that I was a terrible writer. I think writing all the papers for the master's degree paid off in an unexpected way. I love to write now. I love the labor over getting just enough words for my ideas.
I will soon pack for Art Unraveled and for spending time with my brilliant daughter in Phoenix.

More resin!

2008-07-25T04:03:00.000-07:00

I made made 8 more resin covers! I had been saving a black iridescent butterfly for months and when I covered it with resin the iridescence disappeared but it is still lovely. The other holds a pencil and a ruler bit. I LOVE rulers! So today I think I will do some Secret Belgium Binding to get these books complete. I have to deal with the inside covers- they are still raw.
Art Unraveled is coming up and at first I decided not to make any trades but now I've decided it would be a good PR thing for the blog and for Etsy Shop.
Sooooo...more resin! I save bottle caps. They are sitting right on the computer desk in a mason jar. I made a sheet of octopus and ran it through the Epson printer (this printer uses a water proof ink so the image does not bleed) on a dictionary page. I will cut them out with a 1 inch circle punch, glue them in the bottle cap and fill with resin. I may drill a hole and make it into a charm.

Check out Be... Dream...Play. It is absolutely enthralling!

Resin Niche

2008-07-23T10:30:00.001-07:00

I just made a scan of these book covers. Its difficult to get the full idea of the resin filled niche from the scan image.
The cover on the left is a dragonfly wing that I've had for months now and it worked fantastic! The cover on the right is a Chinese coin below and sea glass above. The sea glass has become just a smudge of green. Thats okay. After I poured the resin I got a little worried that it might eat right through the packing tape. Nope! The tape worked perfectly! And the brilliant thing about the tape is that it holds down whatever I put in the niche while I pour the resin.
Its raining!
I am slug bait today! Everything was hard. I managed to do my hour of exercise and cut a few niches and then I went and read for a couple of hours. I rarely feel this lifeless.
Of all the things I have to be excited about I just couldn't generate any kind of energy. But look I made it to the computer and put in 2 entries!

Octopus

2008-07-23T10:24:00.001-07:00

I've been collecting octopus images for a while now and since I'm getting ready for some octopus painting I thought I'd draw my own. Here she is ready to be used in a multitude of ways! It was great fun to draw. I was especially conscious of the negative space between arms. I am longing for some text to go along with the composition. I'm having trouble starting. Which puts me in mind of Juliana Coles who says "You start by starting". I did.

I've never been fishing

2008-07-21T12:43:00.000-07:00

Whew! I made it through the weekend and now I have the time to spend on resin niche books. It takes me forever to make some design decisions and I had that problem deciding what to put in the niches of 4 books. One book will go to Etsy BEST Book Swap and the theme is "Travel" so I had to think in those terms. The resin is still curing so I can't take any photos.

While moving out all that art for my sale, I found many primed canvases ready to go so its time to start making some paintings. I want to paint octopus. Here's my plan:
1. Make small collages
2. Enlarge on color copier
3. Choose parts of collage that would work as a complete composition.
I LOVE working this way. Here's another part of one of my journal entries that will find itself on a canvas soon enough. Doesn't it look like she is blowing on the little dog?

Sale!

2008-07-20T04:15:00.000-07:00

The sale went great yesterday. Lots of friends came over and left with pieces of work that are off to have a life of their own. I was thinking of how thrilling that is for me. The works will be interactive on a daily basis somehow and that is quite a big deal for the maker. Everyone seemed so happy to be getting artworks. I will get smarmy if I continue.
This journal entry is quite controlled and lively--some days are like that! This morning I finished the last page in the current journal and I'm not prepared with another book! Fortunately, I think I can rustle something up by tomorrow.
Walking my doggies at 7 AM was steamy business this morning.
My sale starts again at 1 today. There is not much left.
I am so excited about making more resin-filled-niche books! Next week!
I am feeling very Grateful; Great-Full; Grape-filled; Grateful.

Cutting Windows

2008-07-18T09:54:00.000-07:00

Where have I been? Wednesday and Thursday sort of got away from me! Today I have been getting things out for my sale tomorrow and Sunday.
Studio South is holding all the for sale mosaics. I cleaned out Studio North and found lots of jewelry that I made that I'm ready to part with. Studio Up, stock hold of paintings, has been gone through so now I just need Dan to help me bring all of it down and I have to price that stuff.
Most fun of all, though, has been the discovery of a rescued set of Childcraft books published in the 90's. There is nothing charming about the text but the covers are primo! I cut down one set of covers and it was such hard work with a lino knife (even my new one!) that this morning I took the covers out the Handyhouse and cut them with the chop saw! Easy as eating cherry pie! I am very awed by Daniel Essig's books with treasures niches. My version will be low tech! Yay! My favorite! So the first one I cut 2 pieces from each the back and front covers, 5 1/2" X 4 1/4", with a niche window 1 1/2" square. I glued 2 together so that the niche would have some depth. Then I used a piece of packing tape on the back of the window, serendipitously it held down the little shell and is transparent too. Hmmm... I am thinking ....I'll use Diamond Glaze! So I pour in the Diamond Glaze so that it covers the shell. As soon as I get done pouring I realize that this would be a great job for Envirotex Resin! And now I'm REALLY excited! I have been collecting little precious nature objects for a while now.
I have more book covers cut, glued and pressing right now!
And here's the status of the shell leaf necklace in process:

Whew!

2008-07-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

I wish I would have taken a before picture of the interior of Studio South! I spent Monday cleaning and purging and now its a space I can work in again.
Yesterday I was getting ready to work on the deck space and I w as in town all day. I was buying caladiums and ivy.
This morning, I went out to pot the caladiums that I got yesterday and I was looking at the underside of the canopy that is on the deck. It was disgusting! Its so sunny out on the deck that without shade its too brutal to use. But the weathering on the canopy was too brutal to look at and its probably one of the reasons the deck space never got used.
SO...
I thought perhaps the fabric canopy could take paint. It did! I went paint shopping in the studio and found half a can of light blue. It was enough to get started and I did have to make a run to Lowe's to get another quart. I'm sure the whole job would have only taken a quart. It was very easy to paint. Look how swell it looks!
Another terrific day of hard work! I am so grateful that my body is letting me work it hard again. The deck is usable--just in time for my sale this weekend.
Tomorrow I shop for sangria ingredients and decide whether to make crostini or empanadas.

Oops! I missed the whole weekend!

2008-07-14T05:59:00.000-07:00

I was cutting wood for Ethiopian binding and then it started to rain really hard and I fell asleep and the weekend was gone! Mostly, sort of true. It was a BIG rain--3 inches in less than an hour. Our Florida weather is back--full force. Its not pissing me off this summer like it usually does. Maybe its the rocking chair I put on the front porch so that I could watch the torrential downpour in the afternoons. I DO like that!

I finished the Bird Clicker Necklace and I really am pleased! I used some found stuff and coins and pearls and its very light. The great part is I still have 2 elements to play with from the same clicker!
Dan was throwing away this old edition of Dr. Zhivago. I tore it apart and changed the title to a more appropriate title for a journal. I am using the Secret Belgium Binding with a ruler. I LOVE RULERS! I've shown an interior shot before sewing in the signatures so you can see that I am only using a partial sheet of altas. I really adore the surprise and diversity of anything goes with signatures!
Fantastic Secret Belgium Binding Tutorial!
I've got to go out to the mosaic studio to purge work for my sale this weekend!
I am having fun.
My back feels Normal! I am SO grateful!

Relief!

2008-07-11T14:51:00.000-07:00

I can walk again! Its amazing what an impact being mostly pain-free makes on my psyche!
I'm a bit chagrined to say I didn't work in my daily journal yet--I had a hard time sleeping so I got up an sewed books together. I experimented with very smallish books using cereal boxes as base and covering the covers with old card catalog cards that I snagged somewhere. The little envelope for each book had 5 cards for the card catalog, a pocket with the check out card tucked in and a little sticker! The signatures share space with some wonderful atlas pages.
For today' journal page, I chose one from March- it shares opposing page with a map (I have a weakness for maps!). At this point I was just starting to experiment with making curved lines that would hold text. It does get better!
OOOOO...I bought an electric dremel for my little dremel drill press! Fun!

Bird Clicker

2008-07-10T14:15:00.000-07:00

Well, in my purging of cabinets I found 2 bird clickers that I got at Satchel's Pizza in G'ville, the best pizza in town (Blue Highway in Micanopy has the best pizza in Micanopy). So I was ready to put them in the "to-go" pile but I REALLY like birds and I wondered how hard it was to deconstruct this little unit and make one of my necklaces out of it?
It was pretty easy! I punched some new holes at the bottom of the bird for hanging little charms. I hammered the rough edges so skin and clothing won't be ripped. And I'm ready for the 'bird clicker adventure'!
This morning I had another cortisone epidural for spinal stenosis or spine strangle as I call it. I'm going to try a year of this and see how it works before I make a decision about surgery. Thats another adventure, right?
Stay tuned!

Putting stuff away

2008-07-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

These are journal pages that started out as a National gallery of Art Book of Days thats why there is a painting on the facing page. I tore out the calendar parts, kept the paintings I liked and tipped in some nice paper for my journal entries.
I just finished this blank journal in my continuing book making frenzy. So far I have not had to purchase any book board because I am using cereal boxes, recycled book covers and so on. The cool thing about using packaging is that the crease line that may have been the top or bottom works real swell for a pocket. Notice on the front cover that I used a little button to hold the flap closed. Usually I run the covers through the sewing machine to close the flap so that any little ephemera that the journal keeper might tuck in will not fall out.
I spent the morning cleaning out a hutch in the dining room and an armoire in what we call the 'tall room'. Lots of stuff is going to the second hand store. I am planning on an artwork purge with an accompanying sale next weekend. I decided I would rather have my work hanging up somewhere rather that stored in the studio.

Mean Mother of a Headache

2008-07-08T13:06:00.000-07:00

I've had this headache since 4:00 yesterday. Its something in the Florida air. I did my journal page this morning and then went to town to get my bicycle tire fixed--it was flat and I don't know how to change my own bike tire. Its embarrassing.
Along with working in the journal each morning I try to also get at least one set of book covers going. When I watch book binders work I notice that they have a big bowl of sloppy glue and a brush. I need to do some research on glue pots. Right now when I want to adhere a large sheet of paper I carefully squirt out paper glue and spread it around with an old credit card., then lay it very carefully where its supposed to go. Then I press it between sheets of wax paper. It works good. But I think I want a messy glue pot.

I got info from Art Unraveled today in the mail. Oh Boy! I am taking full day classes on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and heading home on Friday.
Monday is Resin-Filled Watch Case Locket with Richard Salley
Tuesday is Junk Drawer Metalsmithing Stephanie Lee
Wednesday is Solar Powered Timepiece & Compass Pendant with Richard again
And Thursday is Altered Curiosities - The Illuminated Shrine with Jane Wynn
This is why I have a job so I can pay for these play dates.
Geez, I haven't noticed my headache while working on this post.
Thanks!

Cecelia's Eye

2008-07-07T07:59:00.000-07:00

This is Cecelia Gallerani's eye. It is in a ceramic tile ad and whenever I find it I cut it out and use it somewhere. There are so many glorious images out there in magazines . This kind of visual grazing does a couple of things for me: it is a way to gather images and it also feeds my need to see wonderful things. I love the search as much as the finding. So download Cecelia's eye and use it in your own work.

Today's post is this page from the same Solstice book. This is a small format book--its 6" x 4 1/2". I like to use the red cellophane from red line tape and use a glue stick to paste it down--works great!
Also its fun to make a whole page of favorite stamps, scan it and then print it on a page of transparent labels. Thats what I did with the 2 hands doing the magic trick.

I'm also working on necklaces being very much inspired by Deryn Mentock.
Here is my first go about.

Blog Idea

2008-07-06T05:30:00.000-07:00

I make things. I make clothes, jewelry, books, mosaics, paintings. I have been keeping a daily visual journal since November 2007. Its been fantastic exercise for me.
I have this idea to use my daily journal pages as postings for this blog.
This particular page is from 2006 when I would started a Winter Solstice Journal in November, kept it through the holidays and then stopped. The 2007 Solstice Journal never stopped!
This is a dry journal meaning no wet media. I work in what we call Studio Up, a refurbished attic space--no sink. To make the work more limited I've chosen to work dry.
I LOVE tissue paper overlays.
I LOVE using what happens to be laying about. There is always space on the page for that bit that got cut off something else.
Journal Page RULE # 1
Each entry Page must be resolved before stopping
Journal Page RULE # 2
The next day's day name(i.e. Monday, Tuesday,etc.) must be laid down for next entry.
The image to the right is the cover of the Solstice Book. Its 3 layers of acrylic with a transparent image on top. The binding is Coptic Stitch. My Favorite!