Crafting...

I've been absent from the blog world for a few days now. My apologies. However, we've been crafting up a storm and my hands are nowadays nearly always covered in clay or paint or some variety of glue. Needless to say, I am deliriously happy. The core of my happiness is in making things. The best days are ones devoted to the practice of translating an idea into a physical manifestation and letting the creative forces flow through you. Sometimes things work out perfectly. Other times, things don't always go according to plan. I don't think that the latter of the two is bad necessarily. Sometimes it forces the artist to think outside of the box or to learn a valuable lesson about the medium or process.

A big plus about being down here in Asheville is that I'm not alone in my creative pursuits. Someone is always beside me making something as well. Someone is always across from you to bounce ideas off of or to get a second opinion or friendly advice. For instance, Bob Burkett is also staying with us. Below is a picture of some of his recent creations. He is truly a master craftsman. He can bend and manipulate metal seemingly supernaturally and breathes life into each of his pieces. (This is particularly evident in his articulated pieces like the turtle and bat with moving limbs!)

If you're lucky you can potentially pick up one of his amazing pieces either in Fresno at the Central California Bead Society show this weekend, at the Hawaii Glass Art and Bead Festival presented by Softflex next weekend, or at FaerieCon (October 10th, 11th, and 12th). But you BETTER HURRY! He sells out FAST and since his pieces are almost all limited runs, you might not have another opportunity to do so!

(Also, thank you Lorrwill for your shout out as well! CLICK HERE to go to her post. Oh, and thank you Lauren a.k.a. LaurelMoon for mentioning me in her post about artist cross-pollination. CLICK HERE to go to it.)