Flori-darium

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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.