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.