Going's On

It's been a busy and productive week, but not a very interesting one in terms of blogging. We're setting up a new exhibit at the museum, so I got an extra day off, spent being domestic and later watching the Oscars. I spent some time out at Pitt Community College, covering beginning metals and lab hours, which made me miss teaching metals while simultaneously making me doubt all my fabrication and teaching skills. My art appreciation class is getting ready to take their mid term this week. I've made lots of progress on the necklace show, but still have a ways to go. All of this, of course, has been interrupted by regular bouts of lavishing the demanded attention on the cats.

I'm making things here and there, sticking to my "Make something everyday" with limited success (some books I like, some pins here and there). But I'm trying not to beat myself up about it. I feel worse about not making anything of value for nearly a year now. I've done a lot of playing, something I felt was needed and well earned, but now I'm starting to feel like I'm losing the race in a big way. I am trying to set the goal for myself to make a significant piece of work by the end of the semester, but I'm not sure if I'm going to make it. We'll see. Wish me luck.

Make-a-Day 1/26-28

I moved back into Linda and Terry's house on Thursday, and immediately set about to pulling out all my art stuff and setting up a space to work. I also started my "Make and Object a Day" challenge, and three days in, I've got three objects. So far, so good.

Yesterday I made this little green Swiss and Stamps book with Swiss maps and vintage stamps.
Friday, I made these crazy earrings at the end of a full day of work and a couple days of an annoying sinus allergy thing. I finally took some anti-histamines (pill packages seen here), and got a little loopy making these. This is also when I decided that I just have to make something everyday: it doesn't have to be good, it just has to be something.




This book was Thursday's effort; both it and the Swiss book are "X" books, made by folding and tearing a single sheet pf paper. I filled it with all sorts of vintage paper things I have in my collection. I love the look of these things, so why not use them? What am I saving them for?

I'm trying not to get caught up in what I'm going to do with all these things once I make them. I suppose I could always start sticking them in mail boxes around the neighborhood.

Happy weekend.

Progress Report

With Pictures! I got a new camera a few weeks ago, but I've been without one for so long, I'm out of the habit of taking pictures. I keep forgetting I have a sweet new camera.

I finally finished Flow Like Water, and I've got another piece Save Me From Myself, ready to be put together. I think I know what I'm doing for the next one, but I don't feel confident about it for some reason. I don't feel super great about Save Me From Myself either, but I'm not sure why. Maybe I'm just getting burnt out. I've gotten most of the thesis paper down, and I'm waiting for edits, and as for the wall brooches, I've been banging them out over the past couple days, and I only need 34 more. Cake.

So, once I finish all these things up, that leaves me with 3 more neck pieces to complete. The problem is, I don't know what they are. It's freakin' me out!!! I've got some pieces/parts, including some crystalline looking electroforms from some wax I carved. I'm really happy with these, but again, I don't know what to do with them yet. I keep telling myself that I'm wound too tight, and that if I just relax, it'll come to me. But I'm running out of time. . .

I still need to order postcards and insect pins, write about the pieces I haven't made yet, decide how I'm going to attach the neckpieces to the wall and find a dress to wear to my opening! Yikes!

Thanks for reading!

Progress Report

It's Thursday and I'm tired. But, I've accomplished a few things this week, so I'm feeling semi-ok.

I got a new computer last week, and on Monday I got all my backed up files. I also ordered a camera this week, so I'm on my way back to being normal. I finished up two application packets and got them in the mail, and I finished up my printmaking incomplete from last semester. I had a couple great conversations on curating the other day and sat in on the Enameling I crit today. I finished a neckpiece and made about a dozen wall brooches. I got a page of word vomit for my thesis paper. I've gotten nearly enough sleep and eaten some relatively nutritious food.

I also made a bunch of charms just because that's what I felt like doing. I'm not even going to tell you how many, since I'm kind of embarrassed I spent so much time on them when I need to be doing other things. I've also started a sketchbook of collages centered around color schemes for enameling. They look really good, but again, this is not something I need to be spending my time on. I don't know what my problem is.

I've also listened to this song about 50 times.

Happy Weekend.

Update

I know, I know, I've been terrible with the blogging lately. I really have no idea what I did last week except freak out a bunch and drink a lot of beer. I had to make an emergency trip home a few weeks ago, and I finally feel as if I'm getting caught up. I actually got in some studio time this weekend and the past few days. Here are a few things I've gotten accomplished:

-last four forms for Sacra Sancta in the electroformer.
-Beach Cycles I: Atlantic shipped to Kent State for the Alumni Show (so sad I can't make it!!!)
-brooches finished up and sent to Loring
-molds made
-wax fiasco
-wax victories
-7 wall brooches
-a few hours in the print studio
-am half way through The Upanishads
-got new china paints to play with
-finished up a white pearl rosary with vintage jewelry parts and a green gemstone rosary
-installed my Italy rosaries
-installed some other work in one of the display cases because. . .

Charon Kransen is coming as a visiting artist tomorrow!!!! I'm super psyched and more than a little nervous. He's been here before, and from what I've heard it's going to be an intense two days. Wish me luck!

Happy hump day!

Italian Spoils

I'm going to cut right to what I'm sure you're all just dying to know. What I brought home from Italy.

I know it doesn't look like much, but let me tell you, it sure felt like a lot of rocks when I was lugging my suitcase around. I also put all this stuff in one of the front pockets of my suitcase, which caused it to not stand up on it's own anymore.
The tan rocks are from Tuscany and the smooth gray ones are from the beach in Cinqueterra. Some of the smaller stuff to the left is from Murano and includes some glass chips.


I did buy some glass on the island of Murano even though it all looked the same and it all looked exactly like what you find in the states. Sorry to sound cynical, but Murano kind of broke my heart a little. The little bag is full of murini, which I'm going to use in my enameling.


I found a rock shop in San Gimignano where I bought the black tourmaline and the three araonites. I seriously love me some aragonite. The four smaller stones were given to me by a jeweler in Castalina in Tuscany. He had a bunch of damaged stones that he couldn't use and when he found out a few of us were jewelry students, he gave each of us a few.


Super score, we found a flea market in Florence! All the same kinds of stuff I look for here in the states, only in Italian and way cooler. Boxes of vintage postcards, lace, little cards of the saints, old photos and letters. It would have taken all afternoon to go through it all. I got postcards, saints, lace, a small scoop, a lace weaving bobbin, and a small jar.


When in Florence, buy scarves. Seriously, I think everyone in the group came home with at least one. Also, when you're me, of course you buy books. The Alchimia book was given to me when we visited the school and I bought the "I Journey With You Here" book because that tiny exhibition was one of my absolute favorite things I saw the whole trip.


I'm not Catholic, but some of my family is and I've always been kind of fascinated with rosaries and the Saints. So, of course more books, a rosary that came with a small booklet that explained the praying of the rosary, and a nicer rosary from the Vatican (blessed by the Pope!). The little Virgin Mary is made of tin and the black book is on the Scientific Instrument collection at the Bargello. It's in Italian, but the images are good.

Some go to Italy for the high fashion, some go for leather, some go for fabulous shoes. I, of course, went for the paper. Some of this is from Florence and some from Rome. I bought a lot of paper stuff.

And, or course, I bought a TON of postcards. I even managed to mail off a few, which made me pretty proud of myself. In many of the churches and museums, you weren't allowed to take photos, so postcards were a great alternative. Although, it's my personal opinion that if an institution isn't going to allow photos, it should have a postcard available of every piece in its collection. Really, I don't think this is too much to ask. Also, museums shoudn't have postcards of pieces they don't actually have in their collection.

I also bought a dress from the Street Market in Florence, some excellent food and snacks, bad lemoncello, slightly better lemoncello, and a few little things to stick in my sketchbook. My best deal was 20 postcards for one euro in Rome. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with my purchases and finds. Although I wish I would have had room for more rocks.

Things I Love. . .

Things I love, but sometimes forget about:
- Green Houses
- The K/T Boundary
- Nobody Can Eat 50 Eggs
- Mt. St. Helens
- Zero Bars

100th post!

Woo-hoo! This is my one hundreth post! I noticed that some people have done birthday or holiday give aways on their blogs, so I thought I would do one for my 100th post! I'm not exactly sure what the prize will be, but it will probably include: notecards, a print (or 2!) and a felt brooch (similar to the ones I gave out at SNAG). So post a comment or zip me an email and I'll pick a winner at random! Good Luck! (I wish I had a splashy picture to go with this, but I didn't think about it.)