The Fortune Teller

I made this piece a while back based on something I saw in a magazine or book and I love it. The image of the woman is one of my favorites, I thought it was by Waterhouse but now I'm having trouble remembering for sure. The box is made from 4 match books with a top that's collaged images onto mat board so it's pretty sturdy. I've used charms for the handles and various kinds of dice for the feet. I need to find something really fun to hide in all the compartments except I'm a little absent minded so it has to be fun and totally unimportant to me so I don't have to worry about remembering where it is!

What's your process?

First, I apologize for the long break I took in posting. Regular life has just gotten very hectic lately and I didn't have time to sleep let alone make it to the studio!

But, I finally got some time and I created this piece last night in a couple of hours. I'm thrilled with how it turned out since I've been thinking about it for a long time. I know some artists work on things for weeks or months before they're happy with it but I have to say that I work fairly quickly. I think the longest I've ever worked on a particular piece may be a week. I think about a project, sometimes for months, before I actually sit down to work on it but it seems like I have things pretty well worked out by then and it all just flows.

A new thing I've started doing is carrying around a journal specifically to jot down ideas and make rough sketches. This seems to help me keep ideas that I otherwise may have lost.

How do you work? What's your process for planning, or not planning, when you sit down to create?

This I Believe

This I Believe is one of my favorite commentary segments on NPR. It's a mix of artists, authors, actors, construction workers, etc who write and read a commentary based on what they believe... what's the meaning of life for them. Sometimes they are funny, sometimes very sad but the best are the readings that are both.

Between these commentaries and my new art book I've decided to try my hand at an assemblage that will act as an artistic representation of my beliefs... ironically, I wrote many of them in the car as they came to me while listening to NPR and I have a strong belief that people should only be driving and not reading, writing or putting on mascara...or anything else people feel the need to do while driving 75mph down the highway.

I'll post pics when I've got something more than an idea to show. :)

All in a day's work

In between running every errand known to man, I managed to get a few necklaces made. I like the yellow geometric one a lot, it reminds me of Bakelite which is way too pricey for me to afford in bead form and toxic to drill in... not that I'd let that stop me, but the turquoise one is the one that's for me and I love it in a way that's not quite right or explainable while my husband hates it in a manner that he is able to very clearly articulate.

The others are a gift for my good friend Jen... also my boss, not that I'm hoping to gain favor with jewelry (can people besides me be bribed with jewelry?).

Bingo Princess

This is a charm made with bingo boards and an image from ArtChix with black German Scrap. I was showing my Dad how to solder... it's gone better. I really am starting to have a jump ring phobia! I do like the sentiment on this one though.

Happy Father's day Dad!

Pre-anything domino

I was playing around with my dominoes trying to do something basic but fabulous (you know, like effortless hair that takes 2 hours) but remarkably, I got this. I"m pretty happy with how it turned out. Everything was dry to the touch but when I sprayed the sealer then the ink started to run but it ran in a unique pattern so it kind of looks like newsprint. It was very fortuitous. I'll post updates once it grows up to become a necklace.

The Sparrow ATC

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my favorite books. Ever. This is saying a lot as I have been a voracious reader since the age of 4. This is a book I turn to when I feel especially philosophical, not depressed so much as just feeling very small in the universe. I love how the book weaves Jewish mysticsm around strict Catholicism and wraps it all up in a fair bit of humanism with an unexpected twist.

Anyway, I've been feeling especially melancholy this week as I ride the train back and forth, back and forth... I keep telling my friend Gwen that I feel like a hamster running on a wheel. It's a pink sparkly wheel, but a wheel nonetheless, and I run and run and run but I never get anywhere. I've even taking to IMing my husband every so often with one word, "squeak". He did crack me up when he told me I needed oil...anyway, I pulled my book off the shelf and admired the cover art once again and thought about how I could make something to remind me of the big picture - literally and figuratively.

So I made this ATC that I may post in my cube at work (- can't get away from the hamster metaphor but this one was unintentional). Not necessarily meaning God, but just the world and how we're all in it together and even if we are all hamsters on a wheel, occasionally we get derailed and those make for interesting days.

Ancient Bones Necklace

I got the original 4 bone beads, the heart pendant and fish charm while we were on vacation in Gulf Shores, AL a few years ago but had no idea how to make jewelry, I just knew I loved them and would figure it out. Turns out, it's pretty easy. I originally made a long necklace using turquoise beads but was never happy with how it looked. I played around with it tonight, as well as bought a few more bone beads over weekend, and love how it turned out with the red, blue and tans all working really nicely together.

I like to think of it as "ancient" because I imagine these parts all coming from someplace much older... although I tend to always think of the bones as charms because otherwise... ick. :)

More goodies from the mail fairy

My family has headed out and I have time to catch up on a few things before the next round hits. Adding to my inspiration was a pack of goodies from the mail fairy. I had participated in the Black German Scrap on ArtChix a while back and I received my ATC's today and they are gorgeous! There are lots of amazing people out there. I'm posting the pics.

Even though the family was here, I still got to play with beads and wire. My sister-in-law has a had time finding jewelry she likes so she picked out some things and I made her a few pieces over the weekend. She's even convinced me to make myself an ankle bracelet to try something new. I usually have problems with those since I sit with my foot tucked under (I alternate so picking one foot isn't an option:).

On a different kind of art note, I'm a little bit of a geek... according to my Sweetie, and I love Firefly and Serenity and June 23rd is Joss Whedon's b-day so we're going to a late showing of Serenity at our local Studio Movie Grill... admittedly, I hadn't realized it was a midnight movie so we'll have to take what my friend Yuri calls a "disco nap" in preparation for my late night adventure into serious geekiness. Anyway, if you too find part of yourself wanting to celebrate your inner geek you can find out about events in your are by going here.

Whew, finally, the week is over!

So... my Mother-in-law and Sister-in-law have come down to handle a garage sale of our stuff, yes they voluntarily are sitting in our garage hawking our wears in the 110 degree heat because they are clearly way nicer people than I am! Actually, we've talked about this for a long time and they volunteered to help us out while we were at work today and then we'll all pitch in for a few hours tomorrow but it's a really great thing for them to do and I'm very appreciative (and recognize the luck involved in landing in this family!).

Anyway, I'm wiped out and have done very little in the way of art so I thought I would showcase more photographic talent and post some Europe pics ... well, I took pictures and it's beautiful so they came out well without anything I did. :)

One is of the Bakerloo line which is my Sweetie's favorite tube line and the other is the London Eye at sunset from a bridge not too far from Big Ben and parliament.

The Hated Tile Charm

I love this charm.

I made it from polymer clay, and it's kind of irrational how much I like it. But, as much as I like it however, my husband hates it. He hates it with a passion. I've made 2 necklaces with beads and wire just to show off the charm but each time he's convinced me I'm wasting beads. Finally I settled on the $2 velvet ribbon necklace. He can't really complain too much about that... there is still grumbling.

I just like the golden colors and there's a little pink on the crown and it's a London Tube Post stamp (made into a rubber stamp) and the London Tube is one of my favorite things and places on the planet. I recognize the oddity of this but it can't be helped. I adore the London trains. The London Tube System (subway) is amazing in that it was built before everything was all sleek and modern and lifeless. It's built way underground so that in some stations there are trains running on top of trains so you can hear them while you wait for yours and there's a loud mechanical roar as it tears into the station.

Each stop has it's own unique personality and the trains get you where you need to go efficiently but with lots of style... what's not to like. That's why I love this charm because while it's a little worse for wear, it's got some style and reminds me London.

I've attached a picture of the tile at the Baker Street tube stop, in addition to the dreaded tile charm.

Happy Tuesday guys!

More necklaces finished

I've had the odds and ends for a while and just finally made them into jewelry. I made the tin lion charm a couple of weeks ago when I made a friend's b-day gifts. I made the bottle cap a couple of months ago just because I thought the label was pretty and I'm going through a pink period.... shocking, I know! :)

The lion piece is made from black carved laboradite and red pottery beads using 20 gauge wire. The bottle cap piece includes vintage hand painted beads from Japan, I got them at the flea market a few months ago, and pacific opal swarovaski (way off on spelling but you get the idea) crystals. I connected them using 22 gauge half round wire that I had never used before and I really liked it. I think the links lay much better with a flat side and found the piece went a lot faster than I had anticipated so the weekend has been pretty productive. I'm hoping to do more tonight and break in my new soldering iron.

Nope, not dead just busy

Sorry for those of you who check this to make sure I'm not dead (Hi Gwen!), I've just been really, really busy with 12 hour days and 2-3 hour commutes. My husband lets me know that sleep is much more important than heading for the studio... I don't know if I believe him but this week has pushed me closer to his side!

I've been working on jewelry today that I've had started for weeks. This pin was something I made for fun during my tile frenzy and I just added the image to it today. The how-to is very straight forward. I made the frame just like the tiles. I added paint and pearlex prior to baking then added some metallic rubbing to make it look older then glazed it. I did laminate the image before gluing it down and added a pin back with diamond glaze. I think it could've benefited from a charm or two but I was playing with the clay and didn't necessarily know what I had planned in advanced. Anyway, viola... two weeks later, I have a pin! :)

I'll try to do better with postings and keeping up on the art and postings coming up.

p.s. lots of family visits coming up followed by a weekend vacation at the end of the month in Vegas! I'm excited to relax with the husband, veg out by the pool and buy art supplies. Believe it or not, they've got a great stamp store there called Stamp Oasis... at least I hope it's still there. Gotta go check!