Now that I'm getting ready for the foundry tomorrow, I'm starting to wonder about all sorts of things. Like, these little Peeps that I do, I wonder if they would look good in bronze? I don't have to do solid brown as a patina... there are all sorts of options out there for patinas. I do like them just as clay pieces and in all the underglaze colors that I can use, but I wonder how they would translate in bronze?? What do you guys think??
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
More Bronze??
Now that I'm getting ready for the foundry tomorrow, I'm starting to wonder about all sorts of things. Like, these little Peeps that I do, I wonder if they would look good in bronze? I don't have to do solid brown as a patina... there are all sorts of options out there for patinas. I do like them just as clay pieces and in all the underglaze colors that I can use, but I wonder how they would translate in bronze?? What do you guys think??
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Letting Go, Confessions of the Slightly Obsessed
Good morning Everyone!
I have been thinking so much lately of all the wonderful and talented artists that I have connected with recently. I value each and every one of you so much! It is a powerful thing to know that you aren't alone in your creative dreams, or in your struggle to find balance.
Last night, I had a small realization about this thing called Balance that we are all trying to find. It's closely related to the other thing called Letting Go. Now, the two must be sisters, because I can see some similarities in their features. By letting go of some of the things in our lives, we are able to attain more balance of the really important things. For example, I really love plants and landscaping and I think in my next life, I would like to be a landscape designer (one of several things I'd like to be). In our previous house, my hubby and I did all of the planting and design of the yard. I learn a lot and had a huge amount of fun. When we starting planning this new house, our conversations often turned to dreams about how we wanted the new yard to look. How I'd love to do a stone mosaic path, built by me of course, and what kind of plants, water features, outdoor furniture, etc I'd love to have. All that changed when my daughter was born. Suddenly, I find myself almost 2 years later, with no landscaping really to speak of and a house that isn't decorated the way I really want it. We had a few potted plants and a few plants I plopped in the ground, but that was it. So, after much pushing from hubby, we hired a landscaper and a designer. Ouch. Letting go of that was tough. And now we are s starting to install the plan that we all came up with. The irrigation has gone in, the stone pathway (not a mosaic) is currently going in, and the plants should go in next Wednesday. But wait - we will be out of town! I won't be here to supervise the plant locations! And this is where the act of Letting Go has to happen. I have hired this designer girl, whom I clicked with at the first meeting, and I have faith in her skills. So while I would love to be involved in the planting part, I have decided to let go of that, go out of town to the foundry as planned, and then look forward to coming home and seeing the progress. Lesson learned. By me letting go of that control/power/you name it, I will be a happier person. I will not be as stressed about trying to get it all done by myself and I can focus on my priorities, which obviously doesn't include landscaping! One day, I will get back to my yard and gardening, but for now, I will try to be satisfied with a few tomato plants and some flowering annuals and perennials in pots. It's really all I can handle. At the end of the day, I barely have the energy to clean the kitchen, much less, go out to the garden and weed for 2 hours. I try to remember, you can have it all, you just can't have it all right now. Relax, let go and know that, in time, I will get back to obsessing over certain things like landscaping. For now, I will focus on other things, like my family, my creativity, and living a happy life. (stay tuned for photos of the new yard!)
What about you? Is there something in your life that you are obsessing over that is stressing you out? Is there something you can let go of, for a little while anyway, so that you can be more relaxed and happier? I'd love to hear!
Last night, I had a small realization about this thing called Balance that we are all trying to find. It's closely related to the other thing called Letting Go. Now, the two must be sisters, because I can see some similarities in their features. By letting go of some of the things in our lives, we are able to attain more balance of the really important things. For example, I really love plants and landscaping and I think in my next life, I would like to be a landscape designer (one of several things I'd like to be). In our previous house, my hubby and I did all of the planting and design of the yard. I learn a lot and had a huge amount of fun. When we starting planning this new house, our conversations often turned to dreams about how we wanted the new yard to look. How I'd love to do a stone mosaic path, built by me of course, and what kind of plants, water features, outdoor furniture, etc I'd love to have. All that changed when my daughter was born. Suddenly, I find myself almost 2 years later, with no landscaping really to speak of and a house that isn't decorated the way I really want it. We had a few potted plants and a few plants I plopped in the ground, but that was it. So, after much pushing from hubby, we hired a landscaper and a designer. Ouch. Letting go of that was tough. And now we are s starting to install the plan that we all came up with. The irrigation has gone in, the stone pathway (not a mosaic) is currently going in, and the plants should go in next Wednesday. But wait - we will be out of town! I won't be here to supervise the plant locations! And this is where the act of Letting Go has to happen. I have hired this designer girl, whom I clicked with at the first meeting, and I have faith in her skills. So while I would love to be involved in the planting part, I have decided to let go of that, go out of town to the foundry as planned, and then look forward to coming home and seeing the progress. Lesson learned. By me letting go of that control/power/you name it, I will be a happier person. I will not be as stressed about trying to get it all done by myself and I can focus on my priorities, which obviously doesn't include landscaping! One day, I will get back to my yard and gardening, but for now, I will try to be satisfied with a few tomato plants and some flowering annuals and perennials in pots. It's really all I can handle. At the end of the day, I barely have the energy to clean the kitchen, much less, go out to the garden and weed for 2 hours. I try to remember, you can have it all, you just can't have it all right now. Relax, let go and know that, in time, I will get back to obsessing over certain things like landscaping. For now, I will focus on other things, like my family, my creativity, and living a happy life. (stay tuned for photos of the new yard!)
What about you? Is there something in your life that you are obsessing over that is stressing you out? Is there something you can let go of, for a little while anyway, so that you can be more relaxed and happier? I'd love to hear!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
"If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy"
Boy, is this true for me! There was a time, not so long ago, that I wasn't getting ANY time in the studio. I was unhappy in a way that I couldn't really define, just this vague sense of discontentment. I was impatient and irritable with the rest of my family, and I knew it and I hated it! I wasn't doing anything creative and I felt like I wasn't in touch with what the universe had in store for me. Once I identified these feelings, things began to change. I started to make sure creative time happened for me. We got a babysitter twice a week for me, and I made sure to get into the studio during that time. Even if I just wrote in my journal or sipped a cup of coffee while reading a creative magazine, I just felt better by being in my studio. And then things began to happen. I was feeling better, and I started to get the itch to get my hands into clay. And I was rolling, on those two days, for just a few hours.
(This is a clock I made with stained glass a few years ago) Even today, I am still struggling with the whole "time management" thing. I am currently just about to burst with things that I want to do. I want to make changes to my blog and website, I want to create more (and more and more) sculptures, and I have lots of creative goals I want to work toward. But the important thing I try (and sometimes fail) to remember is that it will all happen in time. It can't all happen right now, at this moment, but it will happen. This helps me to stay afloat on those days when my daughter won't nap, or when I'm so tired I have to nap instead of working. She's 2 now, and I know she will be going to pre-school in the fall. I'm excited and terrified about that, but more on that later. For now, I work during her naps and when we have the babysitter, and that is working for me right now. I know our schedule will change again, when she goes to school, but when that time comes, I will rearrange my schedule to make sure that Mama gets her creative time. Because when Mama's happy, the rest of the family is happy! :)
(This is a clock I made with stained glass a few years ago) Even today, I am still struggling with the whole "time management" thing. I am currently just about to burst with things that I want to do. I want to make changes to my blog and website, I want to create more (and more and more) sculptures, and I have lots of creative goals I want to work toward. But the important thing I try (and sometimes fail) to remember is that it will all happen in time. It can't all happen right now, at this moment, but it will happen. This helps me to stay afloat on those days when my daughter won't nap, or when I'm so tired I have to nap instead of working. She's 2 now, and I know she will be going to pre-school in the fall. I'm excited and terrified about that, but more on that later. For now, I work during her naps and when we have the babysitter, and that is working for me right now. I know our schedule will change again, when she goes to school, but when that time comes, I will rearrange my schedule to make sure that Mama gets her creative time. Because when Mama's happy, the rest of the family is happy! :)
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Happy Father's Day
Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there in the world! Thank you for all you do and for being you. My hubby is a wonderful daddy and our little girl loves him so, so much. We are off to go see my grandfather and my brother today, but this is a card I made for hubby. I left it on his pillow so he will find it tonight when he goes to bed. Unless of course, he reads this post and sees his card! Happy Daddy Day! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Preparing for our trip to San Francisco
The countdown has started. We leave town on July 11th for 6 weeks in San Francisco and we have good friends coming into town on July 1st. So I am trying to get all travel arrangements planned out before July 1st. I don't want to be racing around doing all this stuff when my friends are here! I want to be able to enjoy their visit. This is an annual gathering that we have been doing for several years now, and it has been interesting as families are started, and then more kids are added into the mix. Last year we had a total of 8 adults and and 4 kids in the house and it was absolutely insane. Insane and fun too.
But back to San Francisco! The whole idea for our trip was based on the realization that life is so short. My mother had just passed away, and my in-laws were dealing with some health issues too. I was feeling kind of freaked out that life was slipping away and I wasn't doing everything that I wanted to do. It was this feeling inside me, screaming DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW, and so that is exactly what my husband and I decided to do. We started planning an extended trip. By going for 6 weeks, we will be able to get a true feel for the city and see it as residents, rather than 1-week-tourists. We will have a sweet townhouse just off the Presidio and I plan on spending many days there with the kiddo and my journal. It would be too hard to take my clay for sculpting, but with the art journal and the plethora of galleries in SF, I believe my creative side will be satisfied. There is one sculptor who offers short, workshop-style classes out of her studio, and I hope to be able to take one of her classes. I believe that there is always something to be learned from others, and even though she works in a different style than I do, I think it would be beneficial to take her class. At least I can meet others who are interested in similar things! And speaking of meeting others, I have already connected with another artist in my ecourse class who is in SF and we have already agreed to meet for coffee somewhere. It will be so nice to meet another classmate in real life! Follow the link to check out Tiffany's blog. I know we will have so much in common!
So if you have any favorite galleries or shops or restaurants from SF, please let me know in the comments section. I'd love to hear from you! I know one thing I look forward to seeing is the wild parrots. Have you heard of them? I wrote about them in a previous blog post. They sound incredible! In case you didn't know it already, I am kind of fascinated by birds....
But back to San Francisco! The whole idea for our trip was based on the realization that life is so short. My mother had just passed away, and my in-laws were dealing with some health issues too. I was feeling kind of freaked out that life was slipping away and I wasn't doing everything that I wanted to do. It was this feeling inside me, screaming DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW, and so that is exactly what my husband and I decided to do. We started planning an extended trip. By going for 6 weeks, we will be able to get a true feel for the city and see it as residents, rather than 1-week-tourists. We will have a sweet townhouse just off the Presidio and I plan on spending many days there with the kiddo and my journal. It would be too hard to take my clay for sculpting, but with the art journal and the plethora of galleries in SF, I believe my creative side will be satisfied. There is one sculptor who offers short, workshop-style classes out of her studio, and I hope to be able to take one of her classes. I believe that there is always something to be learned from others, and even though she works in a different style than I do, I think it would be beneficial to take her class. At least I can meet others who are interested in similar things! And speaking of meeting others, I have already connected with another artist in my ecourse class who is in SF and we have already agreed to meet for coffee somewhere. It will be so nice to meet another classmate in real life! Follow the link to check out Tiffany's blog. I know we will have so much in common!
So if you have any favorite galleries or shops or restaurants from SF, please let me know in the comments section. I'd love to hear from you! I know one thing I look forward to seeing is the wild parrots. Have you heard of them? I wrote about them in a previous blog post. They sound incredible! In case you didn't know it already, I am kind of fascinated by birds....
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Community
The Flying Lessons ecourse that I have been taking has been keeping me awake at night, but all in a good way. Kelly Rae Roberts has been sharing so much information with us that my brain is swirling, swirling, swirling. But I have to say, one of my favorite parts of this ecourse is the incredible community that has developed over the past couple of weeks. Before the ecourse started, I was feeling very isolated and frustrated. I was unhappy with the way my creative life was going. My mom had passed away last year, and she was the creative soul that I shared everything with. Since that time, I haven't really been connecting with anyone in a creative sense. But now all that has changed. It started with the first day of class. People were opening up and pouring out their fears and concerns. And there is something about sharing your vulnerabilities with others that opens you up to friendships. To connections. That very first day, after reading the post about addressing fears, and then reading through all the comments, I felt like I had found long lost sisters. We all had so much in common, so many of the same fears, that is was like a huge, virtual hug. It was so amazing. I think that this energy, this sharing, this caring spirit, all started with the love that Kelly Rae Roberts put out there for us. She set the tone, and it worked like a charm. I am so thankful, so very thankful, to have met these people and find friends in this creative journey I'm on. There is room for all of us and I hope that we can arrive at this place together!
Friday, June 11, 2010
Almost Done!
Yay! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I've been working on this piece for over a month now and I am getting quite anxious to get it finished. What I want to do is get this piece to the foundry before I leave for San Francisco on July 11th. (More on that trip later!) I would like to cast this bird girl in bronze and then fire the original clay piece to completion. I really like how she is turning out, and now all I have to do is finish the little bird at the bottom. I've just roughed in that bird, and he needs to be smoothed out and details added. That shouldn't take me too long, once I get in the studio. That is the real challenge for me right now, as hubby has been very busy with his work and the babysitter is out of town, so it's just me and the kiddo all the time. Maybe tonight if I have some energy, I'll head out to the studio. Let me know what you think about the bird girl!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
test post with tape
OMG, I am having so much fun with all the free downloaded "gadgety" things you can get for your blog! I never knew how that stuff was done and now I'm so excited to be able to use them myself! The only problem is that is does take time to create visuals for your blog and time is of the essence in my house right now... Maybe when I'm up at 3:00 am I'll be able to play with these things a bit... anyway, it's like a a whole new thing I can obsess about!! Fun stuff!
A Journey
Last night, I listened to my daughter playing music ALL NIGHT LONG. She found the musical mobile that we used in her crib when she was a baby. She didn't really care about the little stuffed animals that rotated, but she loved the musical part of it. I think we made a mistake by putting it in bed with her last night, because then she played it over and over, instead of sleeping. But while I was listening to this music over our monitor all night, I realized how far we have come, since the days we used that mobile in her crib. She was so young then, maybe 3-4 months old and my mother was at the end of her illness. It has been a little over 1 1/2 years since those days, and we have traveled a very long distance to be where we are today.
Here's the obligatory cute baby picture from those days:
Our lives have settled down, and Charlie and I are both working to bring our dreams and goals to fruition. I've been having all these thoughts floating through my head about goals and dreams and what the universe is trying to tell me, thanks to the ecourse I'm taking. I've know for a while now that I wasn't where I needed to be in my life, as far as my creative life goes anyway. I can physically feel it when I am not in the proper place. I get sluggish and I don't sleep well and I feel like there is a huge rubber band around my chest that prevents me from opening up and breathing deeply. So one of my goals in taking this ecourse was to get me back on track, creatively, and bring me back into line with what the universe is telling me. I have heard the inner whispers, but I just couldn't do much about them for a while. Now I am. I am starting on my creative journey and I plan on listening to those whispers from now on. I have finally realized that I am a happier person when I do, and that means I am a better mother and wife, as well! By taking care of me, I will be better able to take care of my daughter and maybe, just maybe, I can show her what it is like to follow your dreams. I am sure this is just one of many lessons I will learn along the way, and I hope that my journey never ends, and that I will continue to learn along the way.
Our lives have settled down, and Charlie and I are both working to bring our dreams and goals to fruition. I've been having all these thoughts floating through my head about goals and dreams and what the universe is trying to tell me, thanks to the ecourse I'm taking. I've know for a while now that I wasn't where I needed to be in my life, as far as my creative life goes anyway. I can physically feel it when I am not in the proper place. I get sluggish and I don't sleep well and I feel like there is a huge rubber band around my chest that prevents me from opening up and breathing deeply. So one of my goals in taking this ecourse was to get me back on track, creatively, and bring me back into line with what the universe is telling me. I have heard the inner whispers, but I just couldn't do much about them for a while. Now I am. I am starting on my creative journey and I plan on listening to those whispers from now on. I have finally realized that I am a happier person when I do, and that means I am a better mother and wife, as well! By taking care of me, I will be better able to take care of my daughter and maybe, just maybe, I can show her what it is like to follow your dreams. I am sure this is just one of many lessons I will learn along the way, and I hope that my journey never ends, and that I will continue to learn along the way.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Inspirations as of Lately
Whew, what a weekend! We had some of our very best friends in town for few days, and we had such a good time. Just us two girls went to the Farmer's Market on Saturday and we got a few things, one of which being 2 bunches of pink cosmos, some of my favorite flowers. They are just so darned cheerful that you can't resist feeling a little happier when you look at them!
Thursday, June 3, 2010
50+ Random Things
I'm sitting here, with mega insomnia tonight. I've been awake since 3:00 am, and I have to get up in a little while to start my day. So, since I am awake, I was reading some blogs online and I came across a wonderfully insightful blogpost from PiPi La La. She had a list of 100 random things that are about her or about things in her head. Seeing as it's my head that keeps me up at night, swirling with all these different things, I thought this would be a great way to share what's going on in this little pea-head of mine. So here goes:
50+ Random Things (in no particular order)
- I have had insomnia for 3 years now
- I think daffodils are my all-time favorite flower
- I love my dogs
- I worry about my oldest dog and his arthritis and it kills me that my "puppy" is getting older
- I have been craving strawberry shortcake for about a week now
- I really struggle with finding time for everything in my life
- I know and I want to exercise more, but I can't seem to find the motivation
- When I don't want to do something, I am an excellent procrastinator
- I grew up on a small farm
- My favorite chore was feeding the chickens
- I love to watch the songbirds at the birdfeeder
- I can't stand discussing politics. I will run into the other room.
- I almost always cry if a friend cries on my shoulder
- I secretly like a lot of action movies
- I will hit the brakes if someone is tailgating me
- I get very grumpy if I don't get creative time
- I always want more creative time, but then I miss my family when I do
- I have always enjoyed playing in the mud, even as a little girl
- I've got a super cool studio space
- I wish I was better at small talk
- I feel awful when my temper gets the best of me
- I have so many things I want to do, and I worry I'll get a fraction of them done
- I have so many dreams I want to see actualized and I worry I'll get a fraction of them done
- It's hard for me to open up to people until I know you better.
- In my next life, I want to be either a landscape designer or a glass blower, I think
- I hope to one day live in Spain
- I enjoy cooking healthy meals for my family (most of the time)
- my daughter loves my iPhone and can drain the battery in four hours easily
- my hubby is super creative and a "scanner", and gives the best hugs
- I lost my mother last year and it put me in a tailspin I couldn't get out of
- I am so color-oriented
- My hubby and I were both college cheerleaders
- Coffee is my friend
- I am an introvert with extroverted tendencies
- I am surprised at how hard this is getting
- Sunshine lifts my mood considerably most days;that, and coffee
- I think I want to have another baby but I am afraid of the chaos
- I desperately want to have a close relationship with my daughter when she is older
- I have a food intolerance to most shellfish
- I will be violently ill all night if I accidentally eat shellfish
- I hardly ever cried as a teenager, now it's almost a sure thing I'll cry at the movies
- Never really understood why people cry at weddings, but now I get all teary
- I get embarrassed over stupid things I do
- which seems to be all the time
- I'm really into these Birds that I'm making in clay
- they are all about motherhood and desires/dreams, death and life
- I am addicted to the TV show True Blood
- and I don't really enjoy TV all that much
- two of my favorite sounds: my daughter's laughter and summertime bird song
- I love to read when I have time
- But I usually can't read in bed because I'll fall asleep after 2 pages
- I'm not a very patient person, but I'm working on it daily
- I'm actually a big goof-ball and quite silly
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Bird head is finished!
Here's an update on my latest bird sculpture. The part you see is about 32" tall. There's a base at the bottom, but you can't see it under all that plastic.
Now I need to refine the texture on the body and start on the base, and still need to sculpt the bird that will sit on the base looking up at her. Sounds like a lot, I know, but at least I'm getting there!
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Now I need to refine the texture on the body and start on the base, and still need to sculpt the bird that will sit on the base looking up at her. Sounds like a lot, I know, but at least I'm getting there!
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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