Life gets way to complicated and the technology somehow manages to make life more difficult instead of easier.  My app development company - language learning apps, llc - uses a gmail account.  Gmail logs me out of my personal gmail account to keep me logged into the app account.  Which then means I never get into the blog, or anything else connected with the personal account.
Confused yet?  I am.
And not enough time in the world.  Do I spend time creating?  or blogging? or working?

I did get a small break and have a couple of things on my workbench.  Thank you, Thomas Mann!  The second item was great fun.  The metal pieces were cut out, were painted and printed on paper, then re-assembled after embellishment and mounted on a wood block.  The center piece is a pin that can be taken off the block and worn, then hung back up.  Check out Thomas' newest book!

one-a-day

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

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

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.

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.

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

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 :)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.