HEARTZZZZZZ

BWAHAHAHAHAHA! more, more, more!

Puffy, Bumpy, Enameled Heart CRAZY!

New obsession:
Puffing copper hearts in my press, then making them bumpy and firing vibrant glass onto them! HELP! I CAN"T STOP!
People need to go buy these on Etsy. What am I gonna do with them all??? Honestly, all I can think about is getting to the studio to make more.
No one get in my way you may be run over....

Kayak Touring

Have you kayaked some but want to go the next step and do longer tours? or camp from kayak up the NC coast? Robert will be teaching an introductory kayak touring class at Great Outdoor Provision Co.'s Wilmington location. The class is unfortunately named "Coastal Kayak Trip Planning", but in the future it will be named "Introduction to Kayak Touring". The course is 8hrs., class room only and will be offered mondays, 6:30-8:30, Feb. 23rd, Mar. 2nd, 9th, and 16th at the Wilmington store. The main subjects covered will be; chart reading, basic navigation, course planning, safety, gear, packing, and group management. For full details and to sign-up go to greatoutdoorprovision.com

If you are interested in any other instruction, Watersmyth Kayaking teaches at all levels of coastal kayaking. We teach to all ages, skill levels and groups from 1-6 people per instructor. We also offer tours to every aquatic ecosystem in eastern North Carolina. You can contact us at guctahin@msn.com (Watersmyth website coming soon!).

Wildish Countryside

"In a single human being there are many other beings, all with their own values, motives, and devices. Some psychological technologies suggest we arrest these beings, count them, name them, force them into harness till they shuffle along like vanquished slaves. But to do this would halt the dance of wildish lights in a woman's eyes; it would halt her heat lightning and arrest all throwing of sparks. Rather than corrupt her natural beauty, our work is to build for all these beings a wildish countryside wherein the artists among them can make, the lovers love, the healers heal." -Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Call me crazy, but I'm trying to build that place.

Nutrition for the Soul?

"What is the basic nutrition for the soul? Well, it differs from creature to creature, but here are some combinations. ... For some women air, night, sunlight, and trees are necessities. For others, words, paper, and books are the only things that satiate. For others, color, form, shadow, and clay at the absolutes. Some women must leap, bow, and run, for their souls crave dance. Yet others crave only a tree-leaning peace." -Clarissa Pinkola Estes

Carbuncle?

What IS it with guys???? Robert is googling "carbuncle". He is creating 5grams of Co2 with each search. and exclaiming "EUW!" I have to admit I am laughing really hard. And we really enjoyed the Carbnucle song on youtube.

January

Finally! Some actual cold weather!
I am so sick of sweating!
Driving to work yesterday the sky was a gorgeous winter white-gray. The trees were drawn against it like blown ink. It was a lovely, misty day with The Truth about Russian Dancers by Arnold Bax on the radio. The kind of day that you can't wait to make things.

One Year

I just loved this! Though I'm sure its been popular, I had to share...

Coraline!

oooooo! can't wait!
Wish I'd taken the job offered me to work on King Kong in the 80's... I'd be doing stuff like this now! oh well....

Marlene True's Object & Memory

Recently went to Marlene True's thesis exhibition
Object & Memory















Beautiful work in steel and tin as well as precious metals

















Robert Smith






















Bob Ebendorf and Feather Phillips

The Wisdom Project

My internet acquaintance Dan Anderson has done it again. He sends me the coolest stuff!

For example this sampling of the film called the Wisdom Project, by filmmaker and photographer Andrew Zuckerman. It includes words of wisdom from 51 luminaries over 65 years of age.

Quentin Warshauer!

Quentin and I shared a studio briefly in 2007 (I think?) I found her paintings riveting but her new assemblage work... WOW!!!! I saw her booth at a recent local show during the set up time the night before. I made a bee line for the table of haunting assemblage sculpture to see who's it was. Low and behold her card lay there,
Quentin Warshauer... I was bowled over. I had no idea. I realized how much we barely know each other, she and I.... all of us. And yet we fear the same stuff, weep over the same stuff, desire the same stuff and we feel so alone.
Her work will grip you.

Art in the Round

Hey! This piece recently won first place for metals in the Art in the Round contest sponsored by Beautifulbowls.com
Pretty exciting! and I owe a big thank you to Sara Westermark for turning me onto the contest!

Copper Confections

I have a sweet tooth, how about you?












These are my new pieces, charms made of pipe. I have had a blast making variations. I applied to Art and Soul Portland to teach these next year and am anxiously awaiting reply. Cross your fingers!

Fall Flowers

So I have been in the studio a lot, and to break up the day I go walk in Dan's garden outside my door. He's brought over his chicken. Meet Nevi:




She's a very good listener. I sit on a fruit crate outside her cage drinking my flower tea and we talk. I feed her bugs I get from under rocks. I am too squimish to pick them up so I use tweezers. She loves the tweezers now! She laid three eggs last week.















Not far from her house are beds of vegetables and flowers. This anemone sprang up last week.

Benches

What is it that's fascinating about other artists workspaces???? One of my private students graciously gave me Charles Lewton-Brain's new book the Jeweler's Bench Book (If you scroll down its in my Amazon recommendations). I devoured every page. Fun book! There's so much information on storage and organization of tools. And I do love tools.
So I thought I'd share images of my workspace. It was so lovely last week. A cold bright fall light streamed in through the window over my bench. I do love my studio. It has too drawback which cause its days to be numbered, it is expensive, and its far away from my house. But it's fantastic...

Hiding

So its Black Friday and its the first one I haven't had to work at the gallery in years. I will go in tonight for the reception. But I slept late and wouldn't have gotten up at all if I didn't feel guilty for being a slug. Robert says its hiding. Maybe he's right though,I am not sure what I am hiding from. This week has been heaven in the studio. Sad but all I want to do is be in my studio by myeslf making things. Or if I had a yard of my own I'd be there. Raking, weeding planning beds. Somehow I desperately need solitude these days. So unlike the younger me. Thought I'd share photos from earlier. Last week I spent as much time as possible getting ready for Art for the Masses. Meredith was with her dad so ever spare minute was spent in the studio.
These are copper pieces that were then enameled and made into jewelry:

44

funny, the number on the door of the video below is 44, my age. This, and each progressive year, I feel I am moving out of dark, painful and turbulent times in my past making lots of karma, into a glowing, soft time of peace and healing and teaching. What a nice coincidence.

Healing

I went to church today... as a present. Not something I normally do. I am a spiritual person and once was religious. I was filled with the spirit in my 36th year and publically accepted Christ as my savior. It was a profound year for me. But now... I have been on an amazing journey through life thus far, and while I find truth in the teachings of Christ I am no longer a Christian. I have moved past that onto other deeper truths. But my former sister in law and I are still close, and her request for her 60th birthday was for her family to join her in church today. While I don't adhere to most Christian ritual and belief it is beautiful to watch the sincerity of others in worship. I have realized that I must build a spiritual foundation for my daughter, to not leave her floundering... So she and I discussed what I personally believe.
I believe earth is a boarding school for the soul. We all are here to do, and go through it all with each other. We must, like the Bonnie Raitt song, "get on into it, down where its tangled and dark". I enjoy reflection and discussion as much as I enjoy action. So in that sense its been a fruitful Sunday.
Once home, I went to my buddy Bee Shay's blog for a quick look and discovered a luscious morsel! Lior!!!!
You must go check out the video either on Bee's site or Youtube of Lior's
"I'll Forget You".
I leave you with Heal Me:

Oh HAPPY Day!

OH YES WE CAN! There are few days I can remember feeling this good about my fellow countrymen. It is evidence that not all people are swayed by ugly fear tactics and underhanded lies. What a beautiful morning for America.