suze's studio

one-a-day

2011-09-17T22:04:00.000-07:00

Well, I've heard about other artists doing a ring a day or earrings a day, and I have sen the books that direct you through a drawing a day, etc.

So, in the spirit of keeping me moving creatively, I've started a head a day. All week I've been great. Made 5 heads. Put two of them into bodies yesterday and today, which got me off the head track. But, it's a start.

back again

2011-08-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a crazy year! Lots of ups and downs. My professional projects have taken loads of time, but my new app has been approved! So, time to do a little art. I have a hard time creating when my work life is too busy. My head won't clear to create. So even though I use my art to keep me sane when I'm working, sometimes that backfires.

I started - and finished two new dolls this week, and added them to the last two smaller dolls I've done. Let's hope I can keep the ball rolling!

Glamour Girls

2010-09-18T21:50:00.001-07:00

My two latest dolls are good for some giggles. I made them for a textile show (no word yet if they've been accepted). Martha (as in: martha realized she really needed a new fairy godmother) started life as a wet felted piece I began embellishing. Then, of course, I had to make a piece to match for the back of her dress - months later! She's ready for the ball, but somehow I don't think the prince will dance with her.

Evelyn (unraveled: evelyn knew she was losing more than just her mind) is a needle felted head who grew like topsy. She's somewhat autobiographical. Not sure which of us is falling apart faster...

I am, as always, trying to find time to get back to art. It's been weeks without so much as a glance into my studio.

2010-08-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

Yet again, too long since my last post. Too little time, too little art. Way too little sanity. I did do a piece that's a bit of a departure for me; while still sticking with my basic 'I'll use anything" philosophy. Take one typewriter ribbon guide thingy, add a sink strainer, a piece from a metal rular, punch some discs out of an aluminum can and throw some great sparkly crystals into the mix. Let me tell you, those kitchen sink strainers are harder to deconstruct than you might think. I've got 6 different pairs of shears, all of which claim to be heavy duty. Nope. Needed to get out the saw, load in the blade, and saw away to break into the edges. Then the screening is flexible - also makes it difficult to cut or saw. And, of course, I managed to do away with three drill bits - obviously old and dull - trying to get through the typewriter piece. But, it was only a small challenge. The torch did wonders for adding color - you know me, don't do shiny.

Now, having taken apart the typewriter, I still have lots more pieces to use up!

happy birthday, u.s.

2010-07-03T14:27:00.000-07:00

For me a holiday weekend means an extra day - or two - away from work and, with a little luck, some time in my studio. Yesterday got to be one of those days. I've been feeling great lately about finishing some of the projects that have been lounging around, building slowly. I'm one of those people who take forever to complete a piece. I start. I think about the logistics. I let it sit on the table. When I can't sleep at night I creep out and look at it some more and think some more. Bits and pieces get moved around. Eventually I finish it and hope I like it.

So here are a couple pieces finished yesterday. I hope you like them, too.

There are actually a couple more. Check them out at zhibit.org/suzestudios

Now, on to two half-finished dolls.

welcome back

2010-06-13T16:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been forever since I had time to post anything. Or, for that matter to make much of anything. Life keeps getting in the way. But I finally had a peaceful week of absolutley placid vacation, followed by a week of total turmoil, and somewhere after that found a day to finish up some of the projects on my design table. Including a couple of things that grew out of a wonderful class with Lindly Haunani. So, I'm feeling at least a little accomplished. Don't have them up for sale on my zhibit site yet, but I'll get there. Soon :)

2010-03-24T08:53:00.000-07:00

Ok, it's been forever, but life has a way of overwhelming the time alloted for it. So, I did get another doll completed, so here it is. I've got another in the works, and then on to some jewelry for a bit.

now featuring

2009-10-15T21:58:00.000-07:00

Well, all of my new dolls have made it to my website. See me at:

www.zhibit.org/suzestudios

more good stuff soon to come!

back, finally

2009-10-11T19:04:00.000-07:00

well, once again it's been a long time since I managed to post anything. But at least I finally also got some work done. I actually got done most of what I wanted to do at the guild retreat, and managed to finish up three dolls in the week since. (These guys just count as one, by the way) So, I'm feeling good.

Got to get back to the work grind tomorrow, but hopefully next weekend will see some more progress.

more from the work table

2009-09-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

Well, in the spirit of learning everything new that I can, here is the latest from my table, the result of a Michael deMeng class. It was an interesting class, with a very different angle on found object figures than I usually take. Learned lots about painting, which was my goal.

So, whaddaya think?

it figures

2009-08-27T09:25:00.000-07:00

I haven't quite figured out what this piece of wood once was; a part of a cabinet of some sort, maybe. But no matter. Now it's a doll. Well, almost. The idea has been gelling, some of the pieces are laid out. I don't want to start connecting, tho, until I'm a little more sure how it's going to come together. I'm feeling a little impatient. Many more ideas brewing and, as usual, not enough time.

energy burst

2009-08-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I get so bogged down with work and day to day grind, that my mind grinds to a halt. I can sit at my work space staring at the materials, turning over beads, metal, clay pieces over and over with.... nothing. But then, at the most inopportune time, creativity strikes. In bed at night before falling asleep. While getting a massage. Not good times to jump up and run to work, or even to a pencil, to get the ideas flowing.

But finally, this weekend I did begin to get some ideas down. And even managed to keep going when things started to go wrong, pieces broke. So, hopefully, this will be the start of something. A few jewelry ideas. A doll starting to come together.

new news, old news

2009-07-19T21:55:00.001-07:00

Just found this e-postcard in my email files, advertising the textile center show. It should be up and running by now, tho it's not likely I'll get to see it - it being in Minneapolis. Starting to think about new projects, again, although I still can't quite see my way through my studio. I found the table top for a couple of days, but it seems to have disappeared again.

I've got one project that's been hanging around begun for ages, but just doesn't want to gel. So, in the meantime, planning new ones.

I've also been trying to put together a small bag of things to do next week, while I'm at a professional conference. We're lodging in a dorm, so I'm gonna have to find something to do at night. I've got my Kindle loaded up, and some beading to do (if they don't take away my little beading scissors on the plane).

inspiration

2009-07-12T16:08:00.000-07:00

We all get our inspiration from different sources. Some artists get it from nature walks. Others from looking at other types of art work. Some get inspiration from emotional events in their lives. I frequently get my inspiration from.... yard sales!

Yep. I was driving home from the local nursery, scrunched into my car with 6 flats of ground cover and two trees. All in my 2-door convertible. The guy at the nursery swore I wasn't going to be able to even get into the car to drive home. Little did he know my penchant for putting down the top and throwing all sorts of things into the back.

Anyway, I was driving home thus and passed a neighbor's yard sale. A there, before me, stood two great looking mini-coffee makers. Well, having gotten into the car once, I was not about to try to get out and back in again. So I pulled into my drive and unloaded. Then my hubby vacuumed all the potting soil out of my car. Then I walked over to the yard sale.

And didn't see the pots!! Aaahhhhh.

Well, turns out she had started putting things under cover in the hot sun. There were these two perfect espresso maker pots - perfect for doll bodies!

Ah, sweet inspiration!

I'm not such a basket case after all. (see photo) LOL

spring cleaning

2009-07-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

well, i may not have made any art this weekend, but i sure did get a lot of cleaning done.

the whole trouble with the "pull everything out and see what works together" method of creating is that once you pull things out, they have to go back in.

i've been so busy having fun creating lately, that i knew i'd have to pay for it eventually.

this weekend was that eventuality.

i even had a whole extra bag of stuff from my shopping trip to the architectural salvage store.

but i'm happier now that i can actually find (some) things. i even did some of my own salvaging and resurrected the beginnings of a vessel i started at least a year ago by planting some hill tribe flower beads in it.

and i got to pull out my design board, tack up some fabric i made months ago, and start to think about my next project.

yes, i'm a basket cased

2009-06-22T22:37:00.000-07:00

OK, folks, now it's time to clean up my studio. I've been concentrating on getting projects completed for the show and, while I've tried to put away tools when I'm done with them, my table has gotten piled higher and higher and the floor gets messier and messier. So, now it's time to pay the piper. After a while I can't work any more. I can take only so much clutter. In spite of the silly signs that say something about messy desks and clear minds, eventually I need to be able to find things.

So, now it's way overdue to put things together, away, and neatly sorted.

Then I can start all over again.

productive

2009-06-21T21:36:00.000-07:00

feeling good about getting a lot done recently. having some fun with it, too. i've actually finished some projects i sketched out last fall - hard to believe it. the queen of unfinished projects. i'm actually happy with how they turned out, too. and, taking things at an easy pace, managed not to mess anything up, even. getting a little fumble fingered lately - the fine motor skills are going slowly. but, i'll keep on creating as long as they keep working at all.

2009-06-14T20:09:00.000-07:00

Little & Large looms. I spent the weekend finishing up the details of several projects. Adding clasps, repairing, polishing, etc. It's the most time I've gotten to spend on art in quite a while. I felt like I was on a roll. It was a great creating jag. I even got to start a few new things; including a bracelet I sketched out months ago before the SLK class in Seattle. I love planning the details, figuring out how to make things work, solving the problems. Sometimes I really care if the product doesn't come out exactly as planned, but other times I love the serendipity how the details happen.

dead from deadlines

2009-05-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I did it. I managed to get the sculptural and jewelry pieces for little and Large exhibit finished on time, photographed, and in. And I also had some fun carrying the concept to some other pieces. Now I just have to get those done in time for the gallery delivery and I'm all set. Dead tired, but all set....

The hardest part was having to come up with the artist statement about the relationship of the pieces. I always have difficulty with those. The pieces tend to come together of their own accord. I don't always have any idea of what they mean. Just that they happened. (although i still think i need to go back and take some engineering courses). Planning out the locket was the hardest part. Starting with a cardboard box meant a lot of consideration of how to make it sturdy enough to hold rivets and hold up over time. A copper lining did it.

So, here they are.

Little & Large Looming

2009-05-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm trying to get pieces ready for San Diego's little & LARGE extravaganza this summer, coinciding with the Calder Jewelry exhibit at the museum. I'll be represented at the Colluseum Gallery on Kettner, showing my "dolls" (a.k.a. figurative sculptures) and jewelry. Trying to get the jewelry piece for the show brochure finished (the doll is done) and some other pieces for the gallery. And, yeah, still got my day job. Too busy.

I was away for 4 days, going to my daughter's college graduation, and when I came home I forgot where I had put a whole tray of pieces. PANIC!

But I did find them. Today, of course, was one of those days when nothing I touch went smoothly. Made jump rings to join a bracelet. The copper were too big and too lightweight. So, I did them smaller and in a heavier gauge metal. Too small and too heavy. Ok, heavy gauge, larger...holes in the bracelet pieces too small. So, tomorrow, when the sun shines, I'll head out to the drill. Maybe it won't be one of those days!

one more down

2009-04-25T19:09:00.000-07:00

Ahhh, the joy of finishing another project. I love when something actually turns out right. I'm quite pleased with the newest member. She's ready in time for the Big & little show. I'm going to look at the gallery space on Friday. Next on the table in the jewelry piece for the show. I got it started today, but ran out of steam. Well, next weekend is another day.

publish or perish

2009-04-22T22:35:00.000-07:00

The new issue of Art Doll Quarterly came in the mail yesterday. They did a really nice job with photographing my doll - "grounded." They shot her nicely, and did a full page of close-ups. It was nice to see. You need a 'feel good' kind of day periodically.

Here's one of the pictures Marie shot. She lost her head feather on the way home. I'll have to fix her. One more thing on my messy studio desk.

been away

2009-04-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been too long since I last posted, and with no better excuse than just plain being busy. Gotta get rid of this day job thing. But then I suppose I'd also have to get rid of eating and other unimportant bills.

Fabulously enough I have gotten some time for art the past couple of weeks, including a good start (and almost a finish) on my figurative sculpture for the BIG & little show here in San Diego.

And, even more fabulously, Marie Segal came by on Friday with her magic camera and took some great photos. She's still working on them, but here's one of a necklace I posted a couple of months ago that shows just how much better she is at this than I am.

Thanks, Marie!

Thanks, too, to Cassy for her vote of confidence.

reclaiming more

2009-01-21T19:37:00.000-08:00

Another "doll" is standing on my work table. I was so happy with this one, and had enough related ideas that I had to go find more of the antique loom bobbins from which it was made. Once again, he did not turn out in the least as I had originally planned; but rather became himself as he wanted to be.

Jewelry, of course, does not do that. It does not have the same personality waiting to express itself. But the figures have a mind of their own - which is perhaps why I am gravitating more towards them these days.

A trip to the Road to California quilt show last weekend inspired me to go through my stash of fabrics looking for the next design. A trip to the alpaca farm on Monday afternoon added fuel to the fire. My car trunk is stuffed with wonderfully soft young alpaca fibers, and plenty of roving.Time to get the sketchbook out.

bottles of hope, revisited

2009-01-13T15:17:00.000-08:00

I received an email from Lisa Pavelka the other day, congratulating me on being a finalist in the Staedtler BOH challenge. So, look below to the prior post that pictured the bottles - my charming, hopeful little old men - to see them.

I spent some time with Elise Winters yesterday, as well as Seth Savarick, talking about polymer clay, its history and the explosion of the field. It was renewing to see Elise's work and get my creative juices flowing again.

Have to start thinking about some new things to do. Yet again, so many ideas, too little time.

a mind of their own

2009-01-08T20:31:00.000-08:00

Dawn Schiller (oddfae.com) once told me her dolls frequently defy her and decide for themselves who they want to be. I'm beginning to see what she means. I keep having the same experience myself. So, while I am pleased with my latest addition to the family, the final is not the end with which I began. But, it chose its own way as we went along.

wet feet

2009-01-02T19:56:00.000-08:00

I find it interesting the different mind sets of different media. In metal work, I wouldn't think of using glue to hold pieces together - it's just not done. Cold connections are a great and varied solution for those who don't solder, and I've also recently tried some silver fusing. In clay, we try to keep the joins clay to clay, as glue can be tricky and unreliable, but we do use it. In mixed media pieces, however, it is sometimes unavoidable. I know Keith LoBue doesn't use glue in his pieces; prefering a variety of soldered and cold connected solutions, and he goes to great and wonderful lengths to create those connections for pieces. He also uses some caulking when desperate.
But I do sometimes resort to glue. Then there is the inevitable waiting for the glue to dry. It's so rare that I get large uninterrupted period in which to work. It;s frustrating to spend them watching glue dry.
I discovered some very old dried out two part epoxy yesterday, which meant having to use a slower glue. I've been trying to do my gluing for this piece at night, so I can work in the mornings. Bit by bit, it's coming along.

happy new year, new thoughts

2009-01-01T19:46:00.000-08:00

New Year's Day was a combination of cleaning out the old and creating the new. And of course, with me, the two frequently overlap. I've got two new dolls just about finished, pieced together from the old. (pictures, soon)
My studio overflows; there is never enough room as I keep adding stuff with abandon. But, in a small attempt for balance, I spent part of the day cleaning out the garage - and not even spiriting any of it into the studio to be saved. Old client files for the shredder, lots of boxes and papers for the recycle bin, plenty of things for Goodwill or some other charity. And I have a list of things for the Freecycle list, but NONE of it coming back in the house.
And so, one old loom bobbin, a bud vase, a cookie tin, a coffee carrafe, and two paintbrushes later a couple of dolls I'm kinda pleased with.
Happy New Year, all.
s

season of hope

2008-11-27T21:39:00.000-08:00

I picked up some bottles from the guild last month, so that I could make some bottles of hope. I've made two using those bottles that I've submitted to the challenge for CHA. Yesterday I bought a box of bottles on ebay so that I can make some more. It's been a long time since I spent a day making a bunch of bottles for BOH - long overdue. But, as it's the season of giving and doing, and I've been busy donating to Seva and Oxfam and Heiffer, I'm reminded to do those things that require some more of me, more personal involvement.
So, here are my two guys for the BOH challenge, and we'll see how creative I can get when my box of bottles arrives.

time for time off

2008-11-23T20:15:00.000-08:00

Judging by today's crowds - or lack of them - the economy is speaking. The art show seemed quieter today than usual. Two of my favorite dolls sold; always a bittersweet feeling. I think they went to good home. I came home and rearranged to fill in the bare spaces, so they won't stand out. I may take a few days off over the holiday weekend, and take stock of where to go next. I do have one project I know I want to work on. I've been waiting to get it started for a while now. I just have a few details to work out still. I know just how I want to turn a vase into legs and feet and how I want the head to look; just have to figure out the coffee pot middle. Then there's all the fun of the adding on and filling out.
I also want to work on some metal work. I have some etched beads floating around in my head pushing to get out.
Happy Thanksgiving. Have a creative holiday.

back to simpler times

2008-11-20T19:22:00.000-08:00

In the midst of the planning for more complex projects - deciding how to attach, what materials to use, how to balance, etc - i decided to take a break. As I was cleaning up my work table - to make space for yet another project to begin - I gathered up some left over pieces of color blends. They weren't really big enough to do anything with, but I hated to throw them away, and didn't want to just roll them into one more bead. So I ran them through the pasta machine on a very thin setting to get the most surface, cut them up into pieces and created a single sheet of clay fabric. Again rolled very thin, I had enough to cover a bangle-sized snake. I haven't made just a simple bangle in a long time. I was pleased with it, in a silly way - pleased by how easy it had been and how pretty the colors were. The lure of the colors is what got me into polymer clay in the first place, lo those many years ago (about 16 or 17 I think). So, here is my present to myself.

All bottled up

2008-11-20T08:37:00.000-08:00

My husband is used to my "junk" collecting. He's learned to ask before throwing anything away. Even so, he was a little surprised when I saved a beer bottle from the trash. Usually I'm a little more discriminating than that. But it made the perfect base for this doll. I wrapped a silk paper fusion around the bottle and let it dry before painting and adding pigments. I wrapped a Skinner blend "dress" around her, and made her a matching hat. I may have to make my husband drink some more beer....

when is a sardine can not sardine can?

2008-11-19T21:19:00.000-08:00

When is a sardine can not a sardine can? No, this isn't a philosophical or metaphysical question. Merely an artistic one. My doll is finished. I started with a Mexican heart shaped tin piece, which I used as a cover for an accordian book, and placed inside. My heart is an open book. I used Laurie Mika's mosaic style to cover the can, then stood the little man on heart and key shapes. He's probably not the last of his kind - I have a whole basket full of tin cans!

time flies...

2008-11-15T22:54:00.000-08:00

Today was full of inspiration. A trip up to Pasadena to the Norton-Simon Museum meant a day full of incredible beauty. The museum has an interesting mix of paintings and rooms full of Degas bronzes. Also some Henry Moore sculptures that prompted some ideas.
Once again, I'm not short on ideas, only short on time to create. Hence the spice box doll I'm working on, using Laurie Mika's mosaics combined with some sculptural components (not yet attached). Not finished yet, but here's a picture of the work in progress....

ode to a sardine can

2008-11-10T20:30:00.000-08:00

My work table is starting to look like the land of unfinished projects. But at least I feel like I'm making progress. I haven't quite figured out whether my newest small doll is going to stand on his own, or have some sort of base. Seeing as how he started out as a sardine can, the body is open, and I'm working on the mini-book that will sit inside. It's almost done. Then his hat goes on, and I'll have to make that last decision.
In the meantime, I did start on another doll, with a bottle body covered with silk fusion. Given that we lost our warm and sunshine on Sunday, it's taking a little longer than usual to dry (but we really did need the rain). More on that one soon.

finishing touches

2008-11-09T20:39:00.000-08:00

A number of polymer artists have added PMC to their toolbox recently, in order to create their own findings and add fine silver finishing touches to their polymer clay pieces. I have been using sterling wire for years in my pieces, but haven't quite gotten into the metal clay swing, yet. (I have a few pieces sitting in a box that I may dig out some day.) I did run across some great silver and bronze bezels from Susan Lennart Kazmer a while ago while drooling over her work. (You can purchase them from objectsandelements.com) They really finished off my polymer canes. Even simple canes become nicely finished jewelry in the metal bezels. Great way to get a quick pick me up to your canes or your outfits!
Some days it's more about feeling like you've done SOMEthing than really creating.

something old, something new

2008-11-08T19:35:00.000-08:00

Sometimes "found objects" aren't only found out and about. Sometimes they are lurking right in your studio. I decided to look through some old pieces and partS of projects and give them a new life. I reclaimed some of my old pins, worked some metal pieces to accompany them and created some new, more interesting pendants. It's interesting to see how one's work changes and evolves. There are pieces with which I was perfectly happy once upon a time, but deconstructing them, adding to them, rebirthing them makes them so much more. Ah, the evolution of the artist.

so much art, so little time

2008-11-06T20:18:00.000-08:00

A luxurious day off from work, to spend on art. Why do those days always go by so fast? It was hard to decide which project to work on. There are always so many ideas I want to try and things I want to make. There never seems to be time to just experiment, a day or two to just try out different things. The time I have to spend on art is so short, I always hate to just play around without accomplishing something. Yet, artists need to do that. I need to do that. Sometimes I think that's why i take classes - more for the time to just do something with techniques without needing an end.
I took a great class with Laurie Mika last weekend. Not that I don't know how to use stamps and paints and powders on clay; I've certainly been doing that for years. But the chance to play with those things, doing something very different from what I normally do, while learning the cool tips Laurie had to share was great. So, I spent part of today with more stamps and paints and powders, along with an old sardine tin (empty and clean), a freshly sculpted clay head, some mulberry paper, a few odds and ends and - voila - a doll.
Even had some time left over to read a book.

i have a good shape - round is a good shape

2008-10-31T20:06:00.000-07:00

My fellow polymer artist and talented sculptor, Dawn Schiller, sent out a picture of her newest witch. She was very shapely; round in all places, which elicited not a few comments from her colleagues. I said I was reminded of myself; Dawn quipped that, indeed, round is a nice shape.
I tend to use a lot of female forms in my jewelry and fiber art work, and my females are always rounded and well endowed (look back to my post and photo from the SLK workshop in Seattle).
So, for today's post, I dug out a (partial) photo of a piece I did last year - entitled "women of a certain age"
It's not necessarily a pretty picture, the lumpy roundness so many of us seem to find ourselves in, but it is real and it is us. So, rejoice and be comfortable.
Later this weekend, I promise to take pictures of the results of today's labor in my studio. So, stay tuned.
s

a sign of a sick mind?

2008-10-28T20:22:00.000-07:00

They say a clean desk is the sign of a sick mind. Well, my mind is certainly very healthy, by those criterion. Too many different project running through my minds and hands at once. I tried straightening up a bit, but that never lasts for long.
The beginning of the week is always devoted to work, but I'm hoping to get back to my studio before the end of the week. Maybe I can get some more projects completed.
Otherwise, heads may roll!

pinned to my workspace...

2008-10-26T17:38:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of keeping my fingers in art more consistently, and in getting ready for the Talmadge show (for those of you here in San Diego, that's Nov. 23), I'm still clearing up those previously unfinished projects that have been haunting my work table. While most people would say that the beading on these pins is the tedious part, I'm fine with all of that. It's sewing on the darned pin backs that gets me. These girls have been sitting for a couple of months now, just waiting to be pinned. I finished off a couple of pendants, too (no pix, yet).
I'm gearing up for a class with Laurie Mika next weekend. I've been brewing up some ideas of how to work her interesting mosaics into my dolls and their assorted parts. So, stay tuned for those.

one last seattle memory

2008-10-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of one more project I worked on in Seattle. On the last day I wanted to try one last technique for attaching objects. I pulled out a small ammonite I had brought with me, an interesting metal disc I had found in Portland a few years ago, and copied the curving shape in a sheet of silver. Add a little movement to keep it interesting, and - a pendant.

A little closer to home - I used the same technique to attach this polymer faux bone fish carving to a sheet of textured copper. I wanted to use the toggle clasp bars to attach the chain through the chinese coins, but the toggles wouldn't fit. So, a small change in plans, but I think it works. I'll take it to the Talmadge Art Show next month. I haven't done a show in a long time, and need to have some fresh jewelry to show. I'm also going to be taking some dolls for the first time.

I have a lot of ideas for new dolls. I keep laying awake at night planning out various ideas; figuring out how things will work, whether they'll work.... Now, I just need time in the studio to make them work! Also, need some sleep....:)

fill me up with creativity

2008-10-22T21:16:00.000-07:00

The first project in Susan's class was forming a vessel shape. She is very into forming shapes and negative shapes and thinking about the relationships. So she had us start with this neat conical vessel shape. Of course, everyone's turned out differently. I had some fun with patina (which doesn't show in the photo so well), and added an old polymer bead I happened to have with me. I'm not too happy with the tassel - I had a fine Artistic wire, but not a silver I could hit with the liver of sulfur, so it's too bright. I'll have to change it now that I'm back to my whole studio.
It was interesting working with only a limited supply of "stuff." I had a bead box with some odds and ends of beads, found objects, and Susan and Linda had a stash for us to use, but while it was nice not to be overwhelmed with wanting to look through everything I owned for just the right item, it was also frustrating knowing I had exactly what I'd want back at home. But, you do push your creativity when you're forced to limited choices.
s

leave a woman hanging....

2008-10-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

I had a fabulous time in Seattle with Susan Lenart Kazmer a week ago. Lots of creativity, lots of polishing up techniques, lots of good food. We played with forming, enameling, riveting, pouring resin, connecting, dangling, and more.
Since I find myself using female forms and faces in so much of my work (even the jewelry, not just the doll making) I made a pendant that incorporated much of what we covered.
After cutting out the piece, I formed the shapes of her, added a resin face (molded from a polymer face I had sculpted) in her womb (using tube rivets and a rusty washer), a piece of ancient Roman glass Susan and Linda had brought, a piece of torch fired enamel with which I had experimented, some found objects and flowing silver wire and copper mesh hair. Lots of fun. It's a theme I want to explore more, and I already have plans for more pieces - perhaps a bit smaller.
As to the food, we ate out well at night. I hobbled to the Pink Door one night, and had nowhere to put my cane. Thankfully, a helpful young fellow helped out. One of my classmates took a pix.
Hope he brings a smile to some faces.
s

i'm a basket case

2008-10-20T18:49:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of finishing things (for a change) I also finished a doll this weekend. basket case started as a wire basket found at a thrift store. After working with Dawn Schiller on polymer faces, here I had this huge space just asking for someone to peer out of it. She's looking, and reaching, but just not quite getting out of this spot she's in. Sound familiar?
Here she is. I've already got my next doll planned. Just need time to start.
s

tick one off the list

2008-10-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

Well, one more project accomplished! I'm sending off one of my doll jackets to the Textile Center show - Nothing New: fiber arts from household materials. Quirky as I am, I chose to use feminine pad wrappers; hand dyed and painted, hand stitched. If it doesn't get accepted into the show, I guess I'll just have to design a doll around it. Can't let it go to waste, now can we?

jumping into art & technology

2008-10-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

now that technology pervades my professional life, i guess it's time to add it to my art side.
i'm hopeful that talking about my art will help keep me moving and producing.
i have lots of projects planned and, as always, just need the time.
i did take last week out to attend a week-long workshop in seattle with susan lennart kazmer. it was exciting and got the ideas flowing. she really pulls the creativity out of you, and it was wonderful to have the time to work with no deadlines or interruptions or obligations.
i need more weeks like that.
pix to come....
s