Studio Time: Back to Basics

So I've been struggling with finding my voice on my blog as I restart my artistic journey and I just decided to go back to basics. Start over like I started my blog. Write about my surroundings, my art, and the journey of the experiments.

Lamp work is still on hiatus so I'm playing with polymer again. I've also started looking into classes on ceramics and fusing glass. It turns out I don't mind these opportunities to experiment in different mediums!

When I first started with polymer, I have to admit I felt like it was "too easy." I wanted art that I had to work at. But, as I've learned, polymer isn't that easy. In fact, in some ways it's harder than lamp working. Conditioning clay takes a long time! Plus, I've been following Polymer Clay Daily for a couple of years and this website confirms that polymer artists can manipulate the medium in magical ways. There are some beautiful works of art on there. I aspire to getting published there someday. 

But for now, I'm starting at the basics. While clay manufacturers create a lot of pre-mixed colors, when I was in Hong Kong, I had limited access to the pre-mixed colors. So, I learned to mix colors from the primaries through Maggie Maggio's color scale experiments. I have found that I much prefer mixing my own colors from primaries rather than buying pre-mixed. You get the more gradients that are more natural. I worked with FIMO classic (very crumbly) and just found I loved the colors I could mix from it. I have access to FIMO soft, which I much prefer and I'm thrilled with the color scales I can get. 

So below is last night's work at mixing. I have some rough ideas that I want to experiment with. I'll share as I go.

Below is my new studio. It's the other half of my messy office. I just moved in 3 weeks ago, so I'm still going through and filing papers. I may show that side of the room (and all the wonderful windows) when I get it cleaned. Don't expect that any time soon.

Gratuitous cutie pie pictures. I still miss my dog, Molly, but I'm thoroughly enjoying this new generation of puppies. Sophie (on the left) is 5 years old and Trixie (on the right) is 7 years old. I have a work-from-home job and they sit in my desk drawers while I work. I love that they are so comfortable that they sleep on their back. Sophie has been doing this for a year and I have a ridiculous amount of cute pictures of her sleeping on her back. Trixie just got comfortable enough to start sleeping on her back in the last two weeks. She's been with me for over a year, so it makes me happy that's she's feeling secure enough to sleep on her back.

Kanna Inspire: The new name for the e-zine will be announced

I had a little bit of a delay in announcing the new name of the magazine. I traveled for work this week and I forgot how draining work travel can be, even if it's relatively local and not across the world.

Most of the time I work from home (really, I'm appreciative of this opportunity), and most of the time these two creatures are my "co-workers." They are super cute in their work drawers.

I'm compiling the drawing for the winner and will post on Monday. Thanks so much for checking in!

Studio Dog: In Memory of Molly

Today I lost a special little friend. My Maltese, Molly. She lived 14 years with me and we went on marvelous adventures together. From Texas to Hong Kong to South Carolina to Kansas and back. She will be greatly missed. This is all I can write today. I will have to write more later, but I needed to post this today.

My current job is a work-at-home job, so I got to spend a lot of time with her these last few months. I'm very grateful for that opportunity. She had to wear a "dress" to keep her warm.

Rest in peace, my sweet, sassy, funny, adventurous Molly Dolly.

Studio Time: Water Necklace

I continue to be enthralled with the colors of water and the many shades of blue and green (my favorite colors) that swirl through its depths. I used a swirl technique that I played with as a newbie glass artist, combining CiM Mermaid, CiM Peacock green and light transparent Effetre Aqua and formed it into a simple tube bead. I love its simplicity. I paired it with a hammered copper washer and copper chain plus some Amazonite faceted beads.

And yes, I am modeling my own jewelry. A bit. Not brave enough to do this often, but just popping to show you new work.

It's a long necklace...

And this is a picture of my little Molly recovering from surgery to remove skin cancer. She's doing well and the prognosis is good for her! (Sigh of relief.) She bounced back from this surgery like a puppy. It was actually work to keep her quiet the first few days. But she is doing well now. She says, "Woof!"

Artfully Meandering: My last few days - in reverse

I'm starting with the end...I found the need to take pictures at lunch to settle my brain down and divert it from obssessing. I have been making little lunch drives to clear my head and found a delicious country road with an old bridge. Walking up to the bridge, I found textures that needed to be photographed (they asked me to take their picture). I know this is just a rusty metal thingy, but it gives me ideas based on the metalsmithing class I took this weekend (picture of my project is at the end of this post.) Tree texture. Branch texture. Oooh...my brain is like a night of fireworks with ideas from this post alone.

I usually take pictures of things...objects. Traditional photos. This is my first step in taking pictures of design elements. I LOVE me the arches of this old bridge.

This is a sample of the more traditional photo I would normally take. I gots to try me some more photography based on design elements rather than subject matter.

And the dogwoods are in bloom! (These are definitely dogwoods. I know what these are.) Driving north toward Duncan, SC, there are scads of white and pink dogwoods all over the place. However, most are on private property. Although I did spy out a cemetery that had pink and white dogwoods. I think that will be tomorrow's lunch trip. And the day was spectacularly blue...taking the photos from a different angle is always interesting... the following are my favorites from the 50 photos I snapped at lunch today.

I just love this picture in general. But, it's one of the more traditional photos. I want to start stretching and pushing myself in the photography arena. Even though it's traditional, I still love it...it has elements of texture, color, composition that make me just want to sit on this rock and watch the traffic whiz by and listen to the river whoosh merrily along.

And now for the big treat: the low-tech metalsmithing class I took with Anne E. Mitchell...outstanding! I've been wanting to expand into metalsmithing. However, I wasn't entirely keen on the traditional metalsmithing route. A friend told me about this class and took it with me and it was exactly what I didn't know I was looking for! Anne is a proponent of no waste usage of fine silver in the form of metal clay and fine silver. She fuses, rather than solders (in general, but she does some soldering). She also uses more natural substances like warm vinegar with sea salt instead of pickle for removing fire scale. The first class I took in metal clay wasted a lot of clay by using too much water. She teaches you how to waste NOTHING. And I mean nothing. Not a snip of the wire, not a crumb of the clay. Anyway... I got my wish and expanded my repertoire. Most of the class made their project as the designated bracelet. But we had so much material, I wanted mine to be a necklace. Sorry for the dirty background, but I had to show it off. I'm still learning to work with my camera in various settings.

And of course, the cutie-patootie Molly Dolly. This little stinker is such a hard critter to get pictures of. I have hundreds of pictures of her where she has just turned away from the camera as I'm shooting her photo. Now I have the Canon Digital Rebel and can shoot at leisure and get her adorable, sweet, sassy little face. I love that face. I look at the series of pictures I took and then I go smooch up the real creature.

Artfully Meandering: Finding Myself

Nancy, I didn't take a lot of time to look around, but the scenery kept me captivated for such a long drive (CA-TX = 25 hours) that it was very hard not to stop and just soak it in. I did, however, spend 3 days in Albuquerque. It was raining the day I went out and interviewed with a recruiter. But it snowed one day and I had another bout of jetlag and ended up sleeping on the snowday. In the meantime, these are the photos I snapped while driving.


I didn't realize there were mountains around Albuquerque until I left. They were hidden in the precipitation. I did, however, manage to find an outstanding bead shop, a gorgeous leather furniture store (the kind of southwest furniture I drool over). I went through the downtown. I was looking for an adobe casita with detached studio listed on Craigslist. Didn't find it, but I enjoyed the vibe of Albuquerque. I could live there for a year or two on a consulting gig if something popped up out there.

Best co-pilot ever!!! She made it safely from Hong Kong and was a great little companion.

I rented a mini-van to see what it was like. I have to say...I loved having a mini-van. Funny story though...did you realize that 98% of the mini-vans on the road are white? (Okay, maybe that's a little bit of hyperbole) but I got into THREE (not just one) DIFFERENT white mini-vans at different times. One was a Honda and a guy was on the telephone in front of it and I heard him say, "Hey, that's my car!" Oops. The second one...well, there were actual people in it, so I narrowly escaped that embarrassment. And the third one...well, I opened the door, but realize it was nothing like mine and quickly closed it and ran over to mine. I guess that's what happens when I don't drive for two years and learn to recognize the subtleties of your "own car." But, I still love the mini-van. I probably won't turn soccer mom (for an old Maltese) just yet, but I'm not getting a white mini-van.

How can you not be inspired by high desert mountains? Mmmm, mmmm, mmmm..... Mountains. Love them. Miss them. I'm living in "low country" now. I think where I live in South Carolina is 70 feet above sea level. But, there are beautiful things here. Some serious history on the east coast. I'm conflicted with my inspiration at the moment. I'll have more to say on that subject later, but some of it is getting resolved with getting supplies for things I need to do. Once that Creative Monster is unleashed...well, it's like a Pandora's box. You can't put it back. Besides the jetlag and getting and upper respiratory infection, I was feeling seriously off-kilter and out of whack the last few weeks. I think not working leaves me a little adrift, too. I'm trying to get a schedule going, but I keep getting smacked down by the jetlag (it took two weeks) and now the upper respiratory infection. I need to be patient with myself because I was sick for two years with migraines.

The good news, I haven't had major headaches since I've been back. I must have some extreme sensitivity to the pollution. It's disappointing to me, as I think my two years in Hong Kong will be the extent of my ex-patriate experience. But, I got to have the experience. I'm grateful. I miss my friends dearly and other aspects of Hong Kong. I'll definitely go back for a visit when I have friends that are ready for their big China adventure.

Back-seat driver.

High desert mountains. Yummy.

Studio Time: I can't stop playing with clay!

A gratuitous cutie pie picture. This little stinker is SO cute in person, but she doesn't photograph well. She always turns away...but this is about as good as it gets with her. She's recently groomed. I took her for a walk on Lantau where I used to live. She used to do the walk easily, but she's gained weight over here since I don't walk her as much. I had to carry her up the first hill. Then I thought she was going to do the lame foot excuse. She finally settled on the "sit-down-strike" and we finished with me carrying her for a while and her walking a little bit until I was dragging her, then I'd carry her some more, until another sit-down strike. Little Chunky Monkey. Makes for funny stories to tell. We both need more exercise!





Seriously, I can't stop playing with clay. It's always rolling around in my hands. I have 100 things to photograph, blog about and post up in my shop, as well as give away. :-)

I don't know how to describe these necklaces. They have an African tribal feel with the rustic, imperfect beads, in super colorful combos. Whenever I make a pendant or set of beads, I finish off the scrap clay by making small beads or colorful scrap color clay. It's so much fun! I have an orange necklace (below) and green one (waiting to be photographed).

Here are the matching earrings to the above necklace. Also, regarding the background, I did some color collages as part of my "homework" from the Polymer Clay Color Inspirations book. I'm experimenting with them as backgrounds to my jewelry. At the moment, I'm liking them, but I also toying with the idea of creating more solid color palettes so the background isn't distracting.

Lastly, here is a gorgeous necklace and earrings that I'm going to try to pry loose from my hands...it's SOOO southwesty, which makes me happy, thinking of Texas and my southwestern friends. It's comprised of natural (unpolished) barrel turquoise, sterling silver beads, and red-dyed coral rounds. One long necklace and matching earrings.

I hope my fellow migraineurs are faring okay (Lori P. and Mandy S.)...my treatments (between western and Traditional Chinese Medicine) are slowly improving. But, it takes a LOT to get the energy back. Then it's just sweltering hot here, too...it's hard to tell which is draining my energy, my health or the heat...so I live indoors most of the time (hence, the dearth of walks for Miss Molly). But, in spite of it all, I'm going nuts with polymer clay. I've been reading a few books from Donna Kato and another one by Carol Blackburn. I'm really happy I started with the Polymer Clay Color Inspirations so I can get my own color palette and not be dependent on what the manufacturer creates. I get a pretty consistent palette, too. Then the Carol Blackburn book has been taking me through basic bead making. So, I'm getting mature color combos and cool beads.

I'm seriously missing glass and still not sure what I'm going to do about lampworking. I guess that's still on hiatus...I'll live vicariously through all my glassy friends. :-D

Happy creating, y'all!

Studio News: Within these woods...

My dad took me out of his way to bury Bijou's ashes in northern Wisconsin where our other special family pets lie. It was significantly out of the way. But, he has a soft heart like me when it comes to our animals. Maybe even softer.

Within these woods

Lie our special family fur friends

Ellie - our Maltese who never complained (September, 2006)

Kodi - our wild, red-headed golden retriever (July, 2008)

and now joined by Bijou - my clumsy boy, who always made me laugh (January, 2009)

I'm very grateful for the opportunity to have known my little Texan Maltese. He was born, raised, and died in Texas. He visited Wisconsin on family vacations. And he was always funny. I was happy to have had the opportunity to be his mama while he lived and to spoil him just a little and give him a happy, secure doggy life. He is well missed and thought of with happiness and funny memories. It helps me to have a "back-up" Maltese in Molly. For some reason, I had always assumed Bijou would have been the back-up Maltese. Either way, my strategy worked...Molly has been a huge help with the grieving and filling the void.





And while on vacation, I have an Alt Malt (Alternate Maltese), my dad's little six-pound Maltese named Madison (Maddy for short) who is your friend for life if you give her lots and lots of belly rubs. Which I have been carefully tending to the belly rubs and making good friends. She is my dad's dog...she follows him around, watches him to see if he's going to sit down and if she should sit with him. But, I've made inroads into her belly-rub heart. She even slept with me once. She is trying to share herself with all three of us (my dad, mom, and me). She is ridiculously cute, and well, must get smooches and bellyrubs and backrubs. She helps fill the Maltese void while on vacation. But, I'm missing my Hong Kong Molly Dolly...

Studio Time: Equestrian Series - Saddle-Up! Necklace & Earrings

Sorry for the posting break! I had a post prepared last week when a tragedy befell one of my new designs (a corsage bracelet with disk beads). I've had to re-write the post. I also had a migraine for two days. I hate when I lose part of a week!

Anyway...some eye-candy as I get back in the saddle.

Speaking of saddles...here is a new design I'm testing in a line I plan to call the Equestrian Series. This one is called Saddle-Up! because they remind me of stirrups. I'm taking a mid-day stroll through downtown Hong Kong, twiddling, fiddling, and generally wearing my new design to make sure it stands up to regular daily wear.

How the necklace lays when worn and the earrings dangle. Once this design meets my "wear and tear" quality standards, I'll make some versions for you. None will be exactly the same.



Me on a tram. I got tired (and sweaty) walking one way looking for the post office and computer stores. I knew it was somewhere close to where I wandered. But, I never found it. Fruitless (as far as shipping and computer supplies), but entertaining and some decent mid-day exercise and relaxing tram ride back to blow dry.




Today It's Raining Cats & Small-to-Medium Size Dogs
It's been raining all day today. It's definitely raining cats. And some small dogs (Maltese and Yorkie size) and even some Terriers and Labs. But, it's definitely not raining Golden Retrievers, St. Bernards, or Great Danes yet...that's when nothing stays dry except maybe your eyelashes that are tucked way up underneath the umbrella.

I was crossing the hill that goes down to the waterfront. Sheets of water were cascading down it. I thought, "Throw plastic down on that there hill and you have a great Slip-N-Slide." Heh. I don't even need the plastic or hill. Just give me ceramic tiles and rain.

This is the sea level view down the hill from my complex.



Malt-Candy

I can't help it. These are my two favorite views. Molly and Aberdeen Harbor. This is my daily eye-candy.



Molly enjoys the views, too. There are kites (Hong Kong hawks) that circle in front of our window. Molly enjoys watching them. Did anyone see The Proposal? Remember the dog scene? I remind Molly that it's good there is plate glass between her and them.



Endless Sources of Amusement

My dogs have always provided a never-ceasing fountain of entertainment and stories.

I mentioned in a previous post that me and Molly are afraid of thunderstorms. Molly usually greets me at the door when I come home. Today she didn't. As a side note, I've been winding myself up with anxiety over leaving Molly for an upcoming business trip/vacation. She's getting older (nearly 11!) and she gets stressed when I leave. Plus, we just moved into a new flat. So, today, when I came home and no Miss Molly greeted me, I had a moment of panic.

But, I looked around and found this.



In Texas, we had a few whoppers of thunderstorms while I was gone during the day. There were a few times that we "lost" Molly. She was usually found in a tub. Good things here: my abode is less than 1/3 the size of the "small-ish" Texas house I had and I have a clear shower curtain. In Texas, I had two bathrooms and opaque shower curtains. Even when I looked in the bathroom, I usually failed to look in the tub.

I have no idea how long she was in there today. Poor baby. But, it was funny (and a relief) to find her hiding out in the bathtub. I need to teach her that under the bed in my bedroom is the darkest, safest spot.