2012: A Year of Challenging Times... It seems to be the best way to sum up the year. So many lessons had to be taught, did we learn from the hardships? Only time can attest to it. The world didn't end! And Christmas is only days away, are you ready? It's time for a little joy and a new beginning!
One update from January, I had posted a challenge and a list of UFOs that I would attempt to finish by year's end. As predicted many projects are still on my UFO list. However, that list was reduced by a third, 33%, and that is a victory in my book.
What does the 2013 have in store? You'll just have to wait and see! May all you have a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
Friday, December 21, 2012
Monday, August 27, 2012
Memories
Our memories resemble an ocean. Some stay close to shore, while others wash out to sea. The constant ebb and flow of how the mind works. Today, a memorable day in that my son started kindergarten and my daughter entered 4th grade. I took pics of my little ones as most would on the first day of school. But it was the picture that I didn't take with a camera that I hope to remember the longest. My kids on the same bus in the same seat waving and blowing sugar to me out one window. Hopefully, this will be happy memories for both my kids, but what will they remember? I don't remember the first day I went off to school so long ago. My Pawpaw suffers from dementia and can't remember his own kids, can no longer drive, live by himself or take care of his needs on his own.
Memory is more than a hardware component in the latest technology. It is how we learn when we're little. It's what brings a smile to our face or tears to our eyes. It's the very core of our being, yet it's often taken for granted, until it slips from us.
I'm am asking for your help in starting a new project. What is your fondest memory? Is there something you wish you could remember, but struggle to? What story is your favorite to tell so that you don't ever forget it? And any other memories you would like to share? I don't know exactly how this will take shape, but I would love for your involvement and input.
Memory is more than a hardware component in the latest technology. It is how we learn when we're little. It's what brings a smile to our face or tears to our eyes. It's the very core of our being, yet it's often taken for granted, until it slips from us.
I'm am asking for your help in starting a new project. What is your fondest memory? Is there something you wish you could remember, but struggle to? What story is your favorite to tell so that you don't ever forget it? And any other memories you would like to share? I don't know exactly how this will take shape, but I would love for your involvement and input.
Monday, July 23, 2012
That's My Boy...
... Alex! This colored pencil drawing was done from a photograph taken at Water Day 2010! The kids had been having fun playing for a couple of hours on the splashpad. Alex was getting tired and a bit chilled when it was time to sit down and break for a picnic lunch.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Faith is...
... the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." - Hebrews 11:1
Having a dream and taking steps to follow that dream takes a measure of faith far greater than one's self. It challenges you at every twist and turn, making you question every ounce that is in you. It brings great joy and sadness at times. Each one a test to for you to consider your resolve. As I have just begun this journey, I find myself hitting a wall and wondering why it's there. But I just realized that if I look to either side of me the path I'm on continues. In other words, I have a choice to make. I can become practical and boring; or I kick up the crazy to the next notch.
Practical and boring is to trust only my eyes and do what others say I should do. This would completely be contrary to my dream and ultimate calling. This is giving up.
Kicking up the crazy is what I prefer to do. Whatever it takes kind of attitude. Like I said, I have only begun to create artwork. Like so many artists, I may feel inadequate, but I have proven to myself that I have something. Now it is time to shine forth to those around me.
This Friday is a big day! I will work through my last scheduled work day as a sub for 2011-2012 school year. And I should be hearing back about a position that I interviewed for. Like every day, tomorrow will be a point of change in my life, but regardless of the direction it takes that path will continue on and so will I. I will continue to grow as an artist and as a person.
Having a dream and taking steps to follow that dream takes a measure of faith far greater than one's self. It challenges you at every twist and turn, making you question every ounce that is in you. It brings great joy and sadness at times. Each one a test to for you to consider your resolve. As I have just begun this journey, I find myself hitting a wall and wondering why it's there. But I just realized that if I look to either side of me the path I'm on continues. In other words, I have a choice to make. I can become practical and boring; or I kick up the crazy to the next notch.
Practical and boring is to trust only my eyes and do what others say I should do. This would completely be contrary to my dream and ultimate calling. This is giving up.
Kicking up the crazy is what I prefer to do. Whatever it takes kind of attitude. Like I said, I have only begun to create artwork. Like so many artists, I may feel inadequate, but I have proven to myself that I have something. Now it is time to shine forth to those around me.
This Friday is a big day! I will work through my last scheduled work day as a sub for 2011-2012 school year. And I should be hearing back about a position that I interviewed for. Like every day, tomorrow will be a point of change in my life, but regardless of the direction it takes that path will continue on and so will I. I will continue to grow as an artist and as a person.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Introducing Mr. Salt
For this project, each student was supposed to pick out a work of 2D art and make it into a 3D sculpture. I chose the Japanese print "Segawa Kichiji III as Murasame" by Katsukawa Shunsho, 1773. As was the tradition in the kabuki and Elizabethan (Shakespearean) theatres, all parts were played by men. This particular print Kichiji III is playing the part of a young Japanese woman performing the "shiokumi" or the "salt-extraction" dance. Thus the name Mr. Salt.
He is completely hand built and about to be completed. I still have to finish the base of his kimono and make a couple of decisions regarding final props. In the print his character is carrying 2 water buckets hanging from a pole over his shoulder held by a very thin wrist which is difficult to achieve by using clay, so other materials may need to be incorporated. I will have to keep you in suspense, because due to the nature of the material he will not be dry enough to bisque before the end of this semester and will have to be completed in the fall.
As for the summer, it should be filled with bowls, sculptures and paintings to keep things interesting. And will include a second blog for my Empty Bowls challenge. Check it out at my 100 Empty Bowls blog.
He is completely hand built and about to be completed. I still have to finish the base of his kimono and make a couple of decisions regarding final props. In the print his character is carrying 2 water buckets hanging from a pole over his shoulder held by a very thin wrist which is difficult to achieve by using clay, so other materials may need to be incorporated. I will have to keep you in suspense, because due to the nature of the material he will not be dry enough to bisque before the end of this semester and will have to be completed in the fall.
As for the summer, it should be filled with bowls, sculptures and paintings to keep things interesting. And will include a second blog for my Empty Bowls challenge. Check it out at my 100 Empty Bowls blog.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
It's So Beautiful...
...and it's all mine! My brand new Brent Pottery Wheel! I know what I'll be doing this summer. Yea!
100 Empty Bowls
My first challenge for myself was inspired by... One Hundred Bowls in One
Hundred Days. An ongoing artistic challenge in support of Empty Bowls
Houston and the Houston Food Bank. Visit the 100 Bowls website.
Ok, so I don't plan on doing 100 bowls in a 100 days, but by the Empty
Bowls 2013, I want to have personally formed and finished 100 bowls to donate. This will be as much a learning experience as it will be a charitable one. The
saying goes that one has to do something 10,000 times to master the
skill. Having done only about 12 since last summer ('11) when I sat down
at a pottery wheel for the first time, I have a long way to go before I even
come close. So here goes... (I'll keep you updated on my progress of course!!!)
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
My Lil' Tea Squirt: Final
This is why I LOVE MUD! My lil' teapot is finished... fired at a cone 6, this little beauty represents form and color over functionality! This sea squirt was brought to life by watering down color slips and painting them on like watercolors. I especially like the texture that the chocolate brown created on the rocks. I opted not to add a glossy clear glaze thinking that would have been too much.
And to top it off, it has been accepted in the The 12th Houston Area Community College Student Exhibition at The Arts Alliance Center at Clear Lake (TAACCL) and will be on display from April 19 - May 17.
For my 2nd Ceramics II project, we are to create a 3D piece from a 2D work of art. I had been stuck on my initial choice trying to decide how to make it work and finally laid it aside accepting that my brain refused to wrap itself around it. I then chose something a bit more my style. I look forward with sharing it with you soon!
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Life v. Art
Every artist must balance life with artmaking... these past couple of weeks has been one of those unbalanced times for me. I was hoping to update you all on a couple of ceramic pieces that I have been working on, however, they have not progressed as I would hope. So, I'll get back to you on those. Tonight was spent applying watered-down colored slips to my "Tea Squirt" to be fired next week. It's looking good!!! And I have a mixed media project in the works. So much art, so little time!
Subbing has picked up with just a little more than 2 months left to go in this school year and the job hunt is heating up.
My husband has decided to take summer courses to expedite his education, which means me and my kiddos will have a lot of time together... so my brain has transitioned from work to summer planning mode. The current order of business is to make sure things are in order for a lot of fun with them and as much time as I can in the studio. Yea!
Subbing has picked up with just a little more than 2 months left to go in this school year and the job hunt is heating up.
My husband has decided to take summer courses to expedite his education, which means me and my kiddos will have a lot of time together... so my brain has transitioned from work to summer planning mode. The current order of business is to make sure things are in order for a lot of fun with them and as much time as I can in the studio. Yea!
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Taking Inventory
There are times when doubt tries to creep into our lives and we question the path we are on. This has been me for a while now. I know I want to teach art, but I started this process during the most tumultuous time for education during my life. I have made plenty of teacher-friends who on a regular basis ask me "Do you really want to do this?" I know their arguments. I witness the truth of their statements both directly and vicariously through them. And it has left me wondering... until tonight, when I took inventory.
While my mom attended college courses to become an elementary school teacher, I was old enough to tag along. Her art classes were my favorites. It was here my introduction to the arts really began and time spent waiting on her was often used to draw. At home, I would watch her work on projects. When I went to college, I knew it had to be art related and was blessed to be able to go for graphic design, as well as a business degree... my Pop wasn't sure I could make a living in art and wanted me to have something to fall back on if it didn't work out. After college, my first "real" job was working in an architecture firm as an office administrator... I did the everyday secretarial duties, but I also was quick to pickup CAD and served to help with the technical drawings that we produced. The software was much like that of the design programs I had learned in college. My next job was as a graphic designer. So roughly 4 years of providing for my family with art. It was during this time that I started a stockpile of art supplies with the greatest of intentions to create project after project.
One of my biggest excuses... I have no space to work where I can leave it out and come back to it as time allows. I now have that. It's not "perfect" or finished, but it allows for me to work on numerous projects as time allows and to utilize the very stockpile that I had built from early on. Here are a couple of shots of my studio space:
I don't believe in coincidences. I believe in a master designer who formed each of us as individuals. I was designed to be an artist, to love art and everything related to it, and to share my love. After taking this bit of inventory... I realized that I have no excuses not to continue on the path that has been laid out for me. Where will it take me, I don't know. The one thing I do know is, it is definitely art related.
I challenge you to take your own inventory today. Compare where you want to go with where you've been and see how it lines up. You may be surprised and encouraged!
While my mom attended college courses to become an elementary school teacher, I was old enough to tag along. Her art classes were my favorites. It was here my introduction to the arts really began and time spent waiting on her was often used to draw. At home, I would watch her work on projects. When I went to college, I knew it had to be art related and was blessed to be able to go for graphic design, as well as a business degree... my Pop wasn't sure I could make a living in art and wanted me to have something to fall back on if it didn't work out. After college, my first "real" job was working in an architecture firm as an office administrator... I did the everyday secretarial duties, but I also was quick to pickup CAD and served to help with the technical drawings that we produced. The software was much like that of the design programs I had learned in college. My next job was as a graphic designer. So roughly 4 years of providing for my family with art. It was during this time that I started a stockpile of art supplies with the greatest of intentions to create project after project.
One of my biggest excuses... I have no space to work where I can leave it out and come back to it as time allows. I now have that. It's not "perfect" or finished, but it allows for me to work on numerous projects as time allows and to utilize the very stockpile that I had built from early on. Here are a couple of shots of my studio space:
I don't believe in coincidences. I believe in a master designer who formed each of us as individuals. I was designed to be an artist, to love art and everything related to it, and to share my love. After taking this bit of inventory... I realized that I have no excuses not to continue on the path that has been laid out for me. Where will it take me, I don't know. The one thing I do know is, it is definitely art related.
I challenge you to take your own inventory today. Compare where you want to go with where you've been and see how it lines up. You may be surprised and encouraged!
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Shooting Down UFOs
A lot went on during Jan-Feb 2012, but this human made some ground in shooting down several UFOs. Though not as many as I would have liked, I successfully took out 3 of the 30 that attack me daily. #2, 3 (blue bathroom) & 29 (learn to knit), all fell in a blaze of glory. Others were wounded but still put up a fight and taunt me by saying "FINISH ME!"
The second round of defensive maneuvers are commencing as we speak, by the end of the day another may very well fall to completion. I can only hope and pray that no time will be lost and it will be a much more productive battle over the next 2 months. And continue to pray that your battle with UFOs go so well!
The second round of defensive maneuvers are commencing as we speak, by the end of the day another may very well fall to completion. I can only hope and pray that no time will be lost and it will be a much more productive battle over the next 2 months. And continue to pray that your battle with UFOs go so well!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Hand-knitted Scarves
The scarves seen below are my first two attempts after a crash course from my wonderful mother-in-law and a month of practice pieces. The first was made with large gauge knitting needles and is not the traditional tight knit that many are accustomed to. The second one is more the traditional, but I still put a little spin on it. The matching child's hat was done a knitting loom. Enjoy and let me know what you think!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
My Lil' Tea Squirt
The ceramics room where being fired is a really GOOD thing! This has been in the making for a month and I finally finished it. For those interested in how I created it read on. If not stop now and just look at the pictures.
So here goes...4 pinch pots... 1 for the base, 1 for the stem, 2 in a potato shape for the body. Add a couple of tubes on top, a handle and shape them appropriately. A whole hoard of handshaped strawberries partially hollowed out. A pasta maker dodad (a technical term) to make the roots. Then hours of painstaking acupuncture with the standard pointy tool, a knitting needle and a curved spear tool to carve out the ribbing. Holes made in all the applicable places. And I have a beautiful little teapot that resembles a sea squirt... I LOVE MUD!
So here goes...4 pinch pots... 1 for the base, 1 for the stem, 2 in a potato shape for the body. Add a couple of tubes on top, a handle and shape them appropriately. A whole hoard of handshaped strawberries partially hollowed out. A pasta maker dodad (a technical term) to make the roots. Then hours of painstaking acupuncture with the standard pointy tool, a knitting needle and a curved spear tool to carve out the ribbing. Holes made in all the applicable places. And I have a beautiful little teapot that resembles a sea squirt... I LOVE MUD!
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
WiP: Tea Squirt
Ceramics was not a class I took during my undergraduate work. So I am making up for it now and having a blast! I spent 5 weeks last summer getting in touch with my inner mudbug and was able to return to it this spring for Ceramics 2. The first project... a FUNctional piece. I was determined to create a teapot. So here it is in its initial form...
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Two Sticks and a String
"How do you make something with two sticks and string?" a kid asked me amazed that anything could come from such simple means. This thought runs through my own mind every time I see the crochet/knitting that my family members can knock out. Beautiful creations that began as balls of string. I decided this year, I would learn.
So after a quick introduction from my mom-in-law, I have set out to conquer this by loom and by hand. Good luck to my fellow gonnabe knitters...my sis-in-law and my aunts who have all said they are also ready to learn! And to my 4 year old niece who literally found two sticks and was ready to go. This should be fun!
So after a quick introduction from my mom-in-law, I have set out to conquer this by loom and by hand. Good luck to my fellow gonnabe knitters...my sis-in-law and my aunts who have all said they are also ready to learn! And to my 4 year old niece who literally found two sticks and was ready to go. This should be fun!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Operation 2012: UFOs Challenge
I'm not big on New Year Resolutions. Why? Because, we try to add new things to our already long list of things we haven't been able to fit into our lives and then wonder why we give up so easily within days, weeks, or the month. So this year, I am approaching it differently. The following is my UFO (UnFinished Objects/projects) list (probably the short version). There is no way this will get done in 1 year (it hasn't in the last 2), but that's where the challenge lies. How much can I get done?
- Land a Teaching Job
Blue bathroom/painting(1/10)Blue Bathroom curtains & shelves(2/15)Ceiling Fan installs- Mother Goose Quilt
- Monday's Child Baby Quilt
- Celtic Christmas Counted CrossStitch
- Pink bathroom/painting
- Pink bathroom/artwork
- Front patio/painting
Front patio/replace concrete blocks(7/22)Front patio/herb garden(7/25)- Den/Mural & wall painting
- Den/Redo bar
Back Door/painting(5/30)- Family Tree art piece
- Fine Art portfolio (20 pieces)
- Lvg Rm/painting
- Lvg Rm/artwork
- Kitchen/painting
- Kid's Rms/painting
- Kid's Rms/Storage
- Kid's Rm/closet/painting
Kid's Rm/flooring(12/21)- Mstr Bdrm/painting
- Mstr Bdrm/rework
- Bushes & tree removal
Clean garage(5/29)(12/14)Learn to knit(2/13)- Christmas Stockings Redo
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