Sorry I've been so quiet..

Hi there, Sorry I've been so quiet lately. Ever since I got home from the ACC show, I've just been taking a mental break. I'm happy and content and feeling peaceful, and it's a feeling I haven't had in a long time. Spring is here, I'm back in the clay studio and I'm back in the light. As Sting said in one of his songs "Everyone has to leave the Darkness sometime". I have never experienced the total and absolute grayness of living that I was under these past years. It was a fully opaque grayness that just absorbed all the light. There were pinholes of light that would come through, but the grayness was so greedy, it just sucked up any light that made it through. Some of you may not have any idea what I'm talking about, and let's hope that you never experience it. It was just a terrible place for my spirit. But on the brighter side (pun sort of intended), LIFE is so much better right now. I have the sweetest and cutest little daughter and she makes me laugh everyday. Nice shoes, huh? This kid is addicted to my iPhone. Now, I know lots of kids like their parents' cell phones, but this kid is a addict, for sure. She loves the Black Eyed Peas video "My Humps" and Justing Timberlake's video "Sexy Back". Bizarre, but she does. And she has some dance moves too. Let me tell you. I am a little worried that her dance moves are going to be a wee bit "mature" for a 2 year old, but hey. I'm not going to get too worked up about it. In the grand scheme of things, it's not a huge deal. On the clay front, things in the studio are going well. I have been working on an order that I got at the ACC show, and making some other Little Peeps too. These are what I call my Peeps: So, I'm making some clay things, and I'm even squeezing in some time to work on a canvas painting for my niece. Her birthday is coming up soon and I wanted to make her something for her room. I hope she likes it! If it turns out well, I'll post a photo.

RATS!

So I've been home from the ACC show for a few days now, and the car is still partly loaded. I got about half of it unloaded the day after I came home, and then I lost momentum. On Wednesday, I normally take the kiddo to a little "gymnastics" class, where they learn things like forward and backwards rolls and how to walk on a balance beam. So, I pack up everything, grab the kid and head down to the garage to the car. Just before I plop her into the car seat, I notice all this trash in the back seat and in her car seat. Hmmmm.. Now, as any parent who spends a decent amount of time in the car with their kid will understand, the car seat is not always the tidiest of places. There's usually toys and enough crumbs and foodbits to provide sustenance for at least a full day. But this trash look different. It was in little balls and looked a little fluffy. Like maybe a toy had been ripped apart. It was in the car seat and on the upholstery, next to the car seat. Now, it's kinda dark in the backseat of my car, especially when it's parked in the garage. But I hesitate putting the kid in there because this is kind of weird. Hubby looks in to see what is wrong, and immediately asks: "Kelly, do you have a RAT in your car???" And I respond with, "No, that's silly. Nobody gets rats in their...." and I pause as my eyes fall on the HOLE in the upholstery! Yes, there was an actual hole in the seat, where the seatbelts connect to the seat. And all the stuffing was gone. Oh. My. God. I have a rat in my car?!? I have a name for these rats that we have around here. These rats live in the marsh and are awfully large. I call them BFRs. Excuse my language here, but that stands for Big Fucking Rats. They are just huge. Normally, I'm not afraid of rats or mice or whatever, but if one of these guys ran across my foot while I was driving - yeah. I think I'd freak. I checked the trunk, and sure enough, there's damage in there too, along with some droppings. Nice. I love that smell so much, especially when it's in my car. UGH. Now my car isn't any dirtier or filthier than anyone else's car (well, any parent of a toddler, anyway), but I park right next to our trash cans. We have definitely seen evidence of rats in the trash, and I guess it was an easy, short walk to my car to get all the snacks left by the kiddo in my back seat. How it got in? I have no idea, but obviously, it found a way! WOW, what a thing to find! So, I'm sure you are wondering if I put the kid in there and drove to the class. And the answer is NO. I just couldn't do it. I couldn't stand the thought of my daughter riding along in the rat-seat, staring down at some red-eyed rat as we rode along. No thank you. So I drove hubby's car, and called the exterminator. He's coming out this morning and I can't wait to see his react ion when I tell him what's the problem. Next on the interesting list, is that I had a discussion with another artist at the ACC show (her jewelry is just fantastic, check it out. Erica Stankwytch Bailey) and we were talking about pricing strategies. This is going to be a post on it's own, so I won't go into detail here, but let's just say it is a whole different way of looking at things for me. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

I Just Had to Have It!

This is the top half of a mixed media piece (it's mostly clay and tin and wire) made by artist Valerie Bunnell. She's exhibiting here at the ACC with me, and I think her work is just fantastic. I knew if the show ended and I went home without one of her pieces, that I'd be super disappointed. So this is the piece I bought last night and I just love him!! I can't wait to get him home and find him a spot in the living room! So the show ends today at 5:00, and then the task of breaking down begins. Ugh. And then trying to wedge all of my stuff into the car is the next real challenge!! It all fits, of course, but there is a real strategy and order that must be used when loading. Maybe I will snap a photo to show just how full the car really is. Yep, if I remember, I'll do exactly that! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

First Day at the Atlanta ACC

Wow, wow, wow. It feels so good to be back in action! Today was a super long day, but it ended on a high note! Met many friendly folks, had good conversation, and even had some sales. That qualifies as a good show in my book. Here's a couple of pics; sorry they are so craptastic. The iPhone camera is pretty decent, but there are limits as to what it can do.





But it was a fun day and thanks to everyone! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

5 Little Birds

5 Little Birds Sitting in a Tree... Well, they're not sitting in a tree, but on a shelf in my studio. They are waiting for next week to go to Atlanta for the ACC show! YAY! These little guys have served as fun little test pieces for me. I was playing with color, finishes, texture, and bird form, and I like how they turned out! Two of them have acrylic paint on the bases, instead of ceramic glazes, and I really enjoyed playing with acrylics. I've used them in the past, but in a MUCH different way. I enjoyed using the acrylics so much, and part of that reason is that you get immediate results! There's no waiting for the kiln to fire to see what color and effects you are going to get! That's by far, the best! Why didn't you guys ever tell me how awesome that could be??? So cool, and in fact, I may be leaning toward a more "mixed media" type of finishes for my sculptures. There is just so much freedom and fun things you can do! Just last night I bought some oil paint sticks (Shiva) and I can't wait to experiment with them. On paper and on clay! But anyway, back to the birds... these little guys are no more than 6"tall and so so cheerful. I just had so much fun making them!