Back Alley at Dawn...

While I was working on some projects in the pre-dawn hours, I noticed that the sun came up bright and warm this morning.  It's been cloudy and sort of drizzly the past few mornings.  So, I thought I'd take advantage of the morning light and capture a couple of shots with my camera.  Above is a glimpse of the back alley behind my apartment building as seen through my house-plant.

Fantastic Fiction 2...

I've found myself at Books of Wonder a lot lately.  Not a week or so ago I was there for the first Fantastic Fiction event featuring Robin Wasserman, author of Skinned.  Earlier this evening I was in attendance for their second installment of Fantastic Fiction.  The round-up included Tamora Pierce, John Hulme and Michael Wexler, Allegra Goodman, Peter Howe, Richelle Mead, and my favorite, Holly Black.

Having just finished the last of the Modern Faerie Tale books, Ironside, this event came at a good time.  After spending several hundred pages together, it's hard not to get attached.  The result is the acute pang of withdrawal.  Holly is all tied up finishing up the Beyond The Spiderwick Chronicles series, working on the next book in The Good Neighbors series, and working on a new novel called, The White Cat.  Sounds busy to me!  So who knows when or if she'll return to the world of the Modern Faerie Tale... oh, wait... LOOK HERE, I found a short story she wrote that's based in the same urban Faerie universe published online via The Endicott Studio of Mythic Arts.

The event was thronged with fans and young adult book enthusiasts.  The writer regulars from 'Wichcraft were also in attendance.  It was good to see them and Holly and catch up a bit.  They're all such genuinely nice and funny people, it's hard not to like them – especially since they are all very talented and pen books in one of my favorite genres.

Trade...

Remember these Artist Trading Cards that I did while I was down in Asheville?  I came across them the other day while I was organizing my studio.  

I'd love to share them with who ever is interested.  I would prefer that they go out into the world and have a life with someone who will hopefully enjoy them.  That would be much preferred rather than having them sit around at the bottom of a box in my studio.  Would you like to own one?  If so, let's trade!

Now, I know not everyone does artist trading cards, but that doesn't disqualify you from the running.  We can still trade.  Just send along whatever you think is equal in value.  (Don't send me a dirty gym shoe though; I'll cry and get back at you by posting your name and address!)  Dirty gym shoes aside, part of the excitement is the surprise of seeing what people will send.  Will they send a small work that they created?  Coffee?  Chocolate?  Beads?  Doll parts?  What will they send?

Here's how to play:  Leave a comment with your name, the number (found at the bottom right) of the artist trading card you'd like and a way of contacting you (i.e. an email address, a link to your blog or website address).  By the way, the number is not actually on the card itself – just in the picture to facilitate the process.  First come, first serve, and one card per household please!  (Make sure to check the comments to see if someone else has already claimed the one you want.)  Once I get your snail mail address, I'll promptly put it in the post WITH a surprise of my own.  I'm not going to say what it is, but I'm going to throw in an extra goodie to go along with the card.  I'll include my address with the package and you'll send your surprise trade over.  Once I get all of them back, I'll post pictures of the trades!  (So don't send anything you won't want me to put up a picture of!)

I'm really excited and hope this little experiment in trading works out!

True Blood Season Finale...

After the trip to the flea market, I rushed home to bake a red velvet cake for our True Blood season finale party at Jenny and Sisha's.  I've only made it once before and my memory seemed to glaze over just how much food coloring goes into the cake.  (My sister Sheila would have probably choked to death were she to even eat a bite of the cake.  She's allergic to red dye and this cake was loaded with it!)  I spilled some of the cake batter on accident and it looked very much like a scene out of the show.  If you follow along with this HBO series, you know just which kitchen scene I'm referring to.  EEK!

I enjoyed the finale.  It left me with a lot of questions and I simply can't wait for the next season.  I'm totally hooked – like someone addicted to V.  Between now and the start of next season, I'll have to sate my True Blood thirst with the Sookie Stackhouse books the series is based on by Charlaine Harris.

Hell's Kitchen Flea Market...

Today I went to the Hell's Kitchen Flea Market.  I take great pleasure in digging through boxes and sifting through trinkets.  It's kind of like a game.  The goal is to find a good deal on the little things that will make you happy.  I can just imagine some anti-consumerist out there rolling their eyes right about now, but it's a simple pleasure that runs in my family.  Some of the best times we had as kids were when we rode around with our parents looking for the ever elusive Yard Sale to end all Yard Sales.  

Alas, my deal hunting was pretty limited today.  It was pretty dang cold out and made walking around not as much fun.  My fingers kept freezing up and my joints ached a lot.  So I was forced inside quicker than I would have liked.

Exploring Elegant Armor...

 

  Above Left:  Cocktail Ring by Ruth Radakovich made in 1969 of 14k gold and titanium rutile.  Above Right:  The Museum of Art and Design in its new location in Columbus Circle.

Left:  Nova Bronstein, student of Jamie Bennett, demonstrating enameling techniques. 

Today I had the pleasure of attending, Exploring Elegant Armor.  It was a day-long look into the Museum of Art and Design's collection of contemporary jewelry featured in their current exhibition, Elegant Armor: The Art of Jewelry.  The event encompassed studio techniques, from standard enameling to cutting-edge CAD (Computer Aided Design) based Polyjet and Perfactory 3D Printing, ideas of contemporary art jewelry in a pedagogical environment, a guided tour of the new inter-active jewelry gallery by the museum's jewelry curator, Ursula Ilse-Neuman, and a panel discussion between artists and educators, Jamie Bennett, Iris Eichenberg, and Stanley Lechtzin (moderated by Ursula Ilse-Neuman).  

I feel as though the new Tiffany Gallery at MAD is a rare shining jewel that reflects the unique and diverse possibilities in jewelry – expanding upon the field, fleshing it out, and showing it in three-dimensions.  I particularly enjoy how broad of a definition they give art jewelry.  It was exciting to see the different veins of inspiration and conceptual underpinnings, and how it translated into wearable (sometimes not-so-wearable) adornment.

I was really inspired by this trip to the museum.  I think it is easy sometimes to lose sight of the outside world when you're locked up in your studio.  Today was particularly remarkable in that my eyes were opened a little wider and that I walked away feeling good about the field.  Iris Eichenberg made a really good point during the panel discussion that stuck with me.  She talked about how she didn't want to approach the (jewelry) artist in a self-deprecating way, but to embrace the luxurious role of being someone who has created an object where another person has to walk away with said object and decide to cherish it – decide to value it, to love it, to hold it precious.  It made me feel like an alchemist, not merely of metals and materials, but of memories and magic.

Beaded Links...

About.com Jewelry Making

New Gathering Leaf Project - Use a chipboard sticker and some wire to make a leaf necklace for fall or to wear at the Thanksgiving table.

Art Bead Scene

Art Bead Scene reviews their favorite tools.  This tool gets around!

Bead&Button Magazine

Always wanted to publish a beading or jewelry-making book?  Kalmbach Publishing Co. is looking for authors.

Katie Hacker

CHA Winter Show and Trends – Join Katie as she shares trends from the upcoming CHA Winter Show.

Carmi's Art/Life World

Carmi decides to make a name tag she'll actually wear.

Carter Seibels for Divali Glass Jewelry

It's not beaded, but it's quite entertaining!  Carter shares some of her other creative talents this week.

Jennifer Jangles Blog

Jennifer's showing some funky sticks for your hair this week.

Jewelry & Beading

Kerry Wilkinson works with resin and... fruit?  Well, ok, it's really polymer clay!

Naughty Secretary Club

Naughty Secretary Club and Etsy team up for a fun bracelet how-to project and a shopping guide for kitschy cool jewelry supplies.

Snap out of it, Jean!  There's beading to be done!

Jean could easily picture herself as the lead in the book, The Secret Garden.  Come play dress up with some jewelry using Green Girl Studios components!

Strands of Beads

Melissa gets inspired by a favorite strip from "Peanuts."

The Writing and Art of Andrew Thornton

Finding Inspiration – Andrew explores a few examples of where he discovers inspiration and how it relates to the jewelry he makes.

Finding Inspiration...

I've often times been asked where I find inspiration for my jewelry design.  The truth of the matter is that I find the Muse in almost everything around me.  Some of the most mundane objects and scenarios generate great ideas.  One of the things that I consider when I sit down to make a new piece is visual language.  Visual language is the communication of an idea through seen objects that I, as the artist, create or arrange.  It is my goal to create pieces that are easily identifiable and convey a particular meaning.  To pick a topic, boil it down to the bare essentials, extract a message, and then translate it into jewelry isn't always the easiest.  That's why I utilize a lot of really basic and common imagery and household experiences to facilitate the process.  I use my handy digital camera and Google Image Searches to stock my visual archive - literally and figuratively.  

The piece above and to the left is titled, "Miel."  It means, "honey" in most Romantic languages.  Miel was a semi-finalist for 2007 KGI Worldwide Design Contest.  I wanted to create a piece that would seemingly drip off the wearer's neck and embody the characteristics of honey.  To tie the piece together, I used a bee emblazoned box clasp designed by family at Green Girl Studios.

I'm not sure who originally said it, but the words still ring true today:  Mother Nature is the greatest painter.  I studied painting in college and learned that one of the first technical hurdles is mixing colors.  I often times use nature as a direct source of color palettes.  "Ode to Autumn," the piece above and to the left was inspired by the brilliant colors of the fall foliage.  The challenge here was finding the right materials to simulate the warm chroma of the leaves.  I used a lot of different saturations of the same kind of stone, primarily carnelian, (with sun stone and red tiger's eye accents).  To pull the piece together, I used a shibuichi clasp from Saki Silver that has its own warmth and richness.

I can remember the first winter I spent in New York.  I was cold, miserable, and probably more than a little suffering from seasonal affective disorder.  Growing up in Florida, I wasn't used to it or how spring would make me feel once it arrived!  Coming out of months of darkness and freezing temperatures, I was positively giddy!  Flowers were blossoming on trees, birds were singing, the sun had come out, and Love was in the air!  To celebrate, I took a stroll through Central Park.  I was thinking about my newly found love interest and felt all those feelings one sparkles with at the start of a budding relationship, when I came across Cherry Hill.  What I saw took my breath away.  The hill seemed to be magically transported from some Candy Land and made of cotton candy; it was covered with saccharine pink cherry blossoms that covered it in total.  At the very top, near the trunk of the tree posed a newlywed couple in full regalia and wedding finery having their pictures taken.  Everything seemed to converge at that moment - the weather, my feelings, the scenery, the symbolism, everything.  Years later, that particular love interest has faded into the shadows of yesteryear, but that moment, suspended in time, has not.  It still remains vibrant and crisp.

Color isn't the only source of inspiration.  Nostalgia is an ingredient that can be added to design.  While it reaches into one's own personal imagery, you'd be surprised how many people have shared similar feelings and can relate to, (if not have already experienced) the same or nearly same circumstances.

Sakura, the necklace above and to the left, was featured in the 2008 Summer issue of Stringing Magazine.  I didn't use just color and nostalgia to make this piece.  Using wire-wrapped links comprised of rondelles sandwiched between pearls and rose-colored Swarovski rounds, I mimicked the shapes of the buds and burgeoning cherry blossoms.  Shape is another visual aid in your toolbox to convey what you mean.  To emphasis the cherry blossom theme, I galvanized the message with the addition of a silver barrel bead by the talented Anne Choi and a small flower clasp from my family at Green Girl Studios.

Inspiration doesn't always follow a straight line.  Seemingly random events and images can come together, react, and results in new directions in design.  For instance, what do break times spent reading classical literature, a Dead Can Dance tribute album, and a trip to the Botanical Gardens create?  In this particular case, The Lotus-Eaters featured in the 2007 Summer issue of Stringing Magazine.  From the very start, when I could pick up a book and read it, mythology was one of my favorite subjects.  It nurtured my curiosity about how the world worked (far better than hard science ever could) and set ablaze my imagination.  For the longest time, I would carry a paperback copy of The Odyssey and read and re-read the epic poem on my breaks in between lawn-care jobs.  Eventually I graduated to Tennyson and beyond, many whom were still firmly rooted in classical mythology.  One of my favorite bands is Dead Can Dance.  In 2004 a tribute album came out of their work, redoing and reworking some of their songs.  Needless to say, I wore it out listening to it.  The album was titled, "The Lotus-Eaters."  A few years later, I found myself at a Botanical Garden and seeing a luminous pale green flower emerging from muddy pond water.  It seemed to be a pure and shining example of sheer beauty.  Not long after that I was at a bead show perusing Marsha Neal Studio's booth.  I honed in on the ceramic pendant with the lotus image on it and everything clicked into place, and suddenly everything buried in my subconscious surfaced and manifested in a design.

The process of making, "The Raven Queen," (which was also featured in the 2007 Summer issue of Stringing Magazine), happened a bit reversed from that of The Lotus-Eaters.  I had all the components.  I had the ceramic raven pendant from Raven's Journey.  I had the twig charms from Scattered Light.  I had all the stones.  I had the clasp from Saki Silver and I even had the ceramic piece from Marsha Neal Studio.  But all of them rested in my bead stash independent of one another.  That is until I started reading Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke.  When I looked out the window, taking a break from reading, I saw a HUGE raven outside my window that had alighted in the branches of the dead tree.  I grabbed my camera, ran to the window and caught the bird just as it took flight.  The rest fell into place, even the eventual gender change of the original title of, "The Raven King" to "The Raven Queen." 

Inspiration is all around us.  It's up to us, as designers, to utilize our creative toolbox to harvest the gifts of the everyday Muses.

Recent Found Objects...

To some, this may just look like a pile of garbage.  To others, a pile of treasures who's full potential has not yet been realized or achieved.  I'm one of the latter.  To me, these newly found objects are full of possibilities.  (The only thing not found in the picture is the Pacific Merchants plate, but even that was a bargain – and bargains are some of the very best kinds of finds.)

Usually I come across a lot of beach glass.  The beach definitely had glass on it, though it wasn't smooth and wasn't really worn enough to warrant its transition from the distinction of "broken liquor bottle" to "beach glass."  However, I did find several devil pods or bat nuts (also known as water caltrops).  Apparently these are either good luck charms or offerings to dark gods.  Either that or a prehistoric nutritional staple.  Being that these particular ones come from a water source with hypodermic needles, used condoms, and feminine hygiene products floating around in it... I will resist the urge to try and eat them.  That and the possibility of potentially getting an infection from an intestinal fluke makes these for decorative purposes only.  (Parasitic illness is not one of the kinds of possibilities I'm looking to explore!)

I also found an odd assortment of hollowed out crab claws, sun-bleached bones, old toy parts, light-bulbs, a two of hearts, driftwood, mermaid's purses, shards of pottery, and worn aggregate stone.  I think a good haul!

Blissful Sleep...

Last night was the first night that I was able to sleep more than an hour.  I've been having trouble sleeping since I came back to New York.  I think that my body is just adjusting to the light and the cold.  Often times I just lay in bed, trying not to move or think, but inevitably just stare at the ceiling and listen to what people are doing on the street (which has significantly decreased since it is cold out).  It probably does not help that I pound a bag of Kona coffee-covered macadamia nuts that I got in Hawaii.  Or that I drink lots of coffee and tons of soda.  But the nuts are so delicious and just because I'm awake doesn't mean I'm alert and the coffee and soda helps with that.  I've got my fingers crossed that tonight I'll be able to sleep better also and that the trend will continue.

Coney Island Creek Revisited...

One of the filthiest beaches I've ever seen is Coney Island Creek Park.  I've often times heard jokes about how Coney Island is very dirty, but just down the way, this canal-facing beach has no rivals.  Despite my disgust at all the litter (and incidentally the people who are the root of it), there is a beauty here.  It's not a conventional beauty.  It's the beauty of flaws, of broken things that need repair.  It's the beauty of loss and decay.  The Artist and Spiritualist in me finds purpose in transforming and elevating this once neglected and unloved flotsam and jetsam into something a little more sacred – cherished.

Broken glass lays glittering on the wind-swept dunes.

Chilly winds and foreboding clouds run through with shafts of fading light roll in on this seascape featuring the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.

 

Laying derelict, this boat now only serves as shelter for beach critters and as a receptacle for garbage.  

 

Seen from another view, this picture focuses more inland and down the canal - the canal that's eating away at the trash-strewn beach.

Another curious looking structure of concrete and rusty metal sinks in the sand and is slowly being worn away by the constantly churning waves.

Cold November...

The temperature just dropped and with it many of the remaining leaves on the trees.  The ginkgo trees have transformed the ordinary sidewalks into Yellow Brick Roads.  But this is no Emerald City.  It is Gray Gotham.  The shadows are longer, cooler, deeper.  4 o'clock in the afternoon and it's already dark.  It is cold out now and they say it might snow.  Winter is knocking at the door.

Vegetable Strata...

In an attempt to expand my vegetarian cooking skills and utilize the Greenmarket goodies, I put those purple potatoes to use and made a vegetable "strata."  First, I whipped up a mixture of green beans, pigeon peas, coconut milk (and flakes), carrots, and raisins.  I seasoned it with turmeric, chilies, saffron, and lots of garlic.  I then caramelized some onions and layered it all with slices of boiled potatoes and grated cheese.  The result was a unique combination of savory and sweet.

(True) Bloody Marys...

Our friends, Jenny and Sisha, had us over to their apartment for dinner and a True Blood mini-marathon.  Dinner (served with Bloody Marys) was absolutely delicious!  I can't remember having scallops that good before.  It's funny, because we got so caught up in catching up that we didn't actually get to watch the show.  

Speaking of vampires, apparently Stevens Auction just auctioned off this authentic vampire-slaying kit for $14,850.  CLICK HERE for the review of the Jimmy Pippen estate sale.  Apparently this isn't the first vampire killing kit to go on the market in recent months, CLICK HERE to read the USA Today story about another kit that went for $12,000. 

May it never find its way to Bon Temps!

Greenmarket at Union Square...

After the book signing at Books of Wonder with the delightful Robin Wasserman, a stop on the way back to the apartment at the Greenmarket in Union Square was only natural.  In fact, the late autumn harvest demanded it!  I couldn't resist pulling my camera out for a few quick snapshots.

How 'bout them apples!

Ugly-beautiful, yellow beefsteak tomatoes.

Reddish-pink baby carrots.

Cute mini-pumpkins.

 

Left: More apples.  Right: Purple potatoes.

  

Pretty parsnips.

Skinned...

This morning I headed over to my favorite book store in the City, Books of Wonder.  A panel of authors was talking about and signing their new books.  Among the many authors was one of my regulars from my former job, Robin Wasserman.  Not only is she wonderfully nice and quite accomplished as a young adult writer, but she has a mutual love of chocolate cookies.  She and her posse of authors would come in nearly every day to write and were often times the highlight of my day with their witty banter and day-to-day mishaps.  Now that I'm away from the restaurant, the only non-stalker-ish way of seeing them is through their public events – such as this one featuring her new book, Skinned.  I can't wait to delve into the futuristic world of Lia Kahn and her second life as a downloaded mechanical girl.

To Be Organized...

Most of today was spent in the studio unpacking boxes and trying to get organized once and for all.  Some of the boxes I opened hadn't been opened in years and had survived (unopened) through several moves around the country.

The shot to the left looks like absolute chaos, but I actually get a good feeling from it.  Already a pattern is forming and things are beginning to divide and sub-divide and eventually everything will have a home and a specific place to be.  Sure, the random turkey baster is thrown into the lot, but a kitchen box got mixed in with my studio equipment and is just another example of me weeding through things and organizing them.

The process hasn't been the quickest –  I've been very careful of going through things.  I've made several trips down Memory Lane and continue to sort and re-sort.  As impossible as it sounds, it's very meditative.  I want the studio to be set up perfectly and for me to know where everything is and really use what I already have on hand.  Believe it or not, I have over two gallons of white Elmer's Glue, six mini-paint rollers, and dozens of unopened packs of batteries.  Right now it's all about laying everything out.  Next it'll be about cutting back.  And ultimately the goal is to have a perfectly organized studio.

Pliers...

Before my most recent trip down South, I didn't really notice what kind of pliers I used.  They were the run-of-the-mill ones you can pick up at any bead shop or bead show.  While I was helping Cynthia with her book, I was fortunate enough to use her tools.  Today I started a simple wire-wrapping project and after a couple of minutes I definitely felt the difference.  She's got a set of Lindstrom Pliers, in particular the Lindstrom Precision Tools Rx series, and they feel like heaven in comparison to my old ones.  The Lindstrom pliers have ergonomic handles that really reduce the impact on your wrists. (They are also so sturdy that they can easily bend and manipulate stainless steel wire!)  Lisa Kan also carries a set of magic Japanese cutlery-grade steel ones, but I haven't used them myself.  I wonder if they'd do the trick since they're designed for finer gaged wires.  Anyone else have any suggestions?  I'm looking to upgrade and I wire-wrap a lot!  A good set of pliers can get pretty pricey and I want to make sure that I invest my money wisely. 

What's For Dinner...

Tonight was a special occasion and I decided to celebrate by cooking a fairly fancy dinner.  I made sirloin steaks that were pan-seared and then roasted in the oven with lots of butter, garlic, caramelized onions and sauteed mushrooms.  On the side was a simple bell pepper salad, which consisted of sliced bell peppers dressed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and some sugar.  I also whipped up some garlic and cheddar mashed potatoes.  The meal was paired with a pinot noir from a great little winery called, The Thirsty Owl Wine Company.  Not only is their wine good, but they've got a GREAT mascot!

Recent Work...

The best part about working on Cynthia's book was that we were always experimenting and making new things.  I think this commitment to research and making new discoveries gives the projects a real richness and unique point of view.  I think it was a learning process for all of us; pushing and expanding upon what we know and building on that.  Above is a picture of two of the side projects that I worked on.  The one at the top is of a fine silver ring made from the bronze clay skull stamp.  I've inserted synthetic cubic zirconia rubies in the eyes and gave it a patina to make it more antiqued and bronze-looking.  The pendant (slightly out of focus) is also made of fine silver and has embedded beach glass in it.  The text on it says, "The river says swim."  

The beautiful background is from a ceramic piece with Celtic bunnies jumping on it from Gina Marie Chalfant of White Swan Illuminations.  I am deeply impressed with her work and am currently coveting one of her owl pieces.  Greg and I met her some odd two or three years ago at the Pittsburgh show.  Unfortunately, I haven't been back since, but when he brought the pasta dish home from his last show there, I instantly remembered her and her daughter.  Even though it has been several years since, I still remember her and her amazing work.

Routine...

I got into town last night.  (Actually I got in during the afternoon, but it gets dark here EARLY and it seemed like night.)  It's weird being back after being away for so long.  I will miss my family, but it's definitely good to be back.  All the while I was helping Cynthia with her book, I've been brainstorming on my own book and my own projects.  I feel super-charged with ideas and can't wait to get back into the groove of things here and start making art again.  I imagine it'll take some time to sort things out and get back into a routine, but I'm looking forward to it.  Anyway, a mountain of mail and paperwork has my name on it, literally, and I must get to it!

Last Day...

Today is my last day here in Asheville.  Tomorrow I fly out bright and early.  Greg has taken Cynthia to Knoxville to fly out to Colorado for the first half of the photo-shoots for her upcoming book.  It is strangely quiet in the house today.  Even Azalea, usually full of energy and always up for telling a story, is more quiet than usual.  We swept the leaves off the Star Deck and I took the picture above of the scenery and mountains beyond.

For lunch, I made slow-cooked beef and fried polenta.  When I say slow, I mean 18 hours kind of slow.  The house was filled with the aroma of roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, and a London broil stewing away in a duck stock.  The meat was fall-apart tender and laced with the bittersweet taste of the brown sugar, chilies, and coffee rub.  Suni was going CRAZY!

I've fallen out of the habit of leaving my signature send-off; I usually bake a cake.  However, in an attempt to revamp old traditions and to give Azalea a job in the kitchen as my helper, we baked a Madagascar vanilla cake with a creme anglaise.  The cake itself isn't too terribly sweet.  I sometimes like the option of being able add just the amount of sweetness you want with a sauce poured on top rather than frosting.  It turned out perfectly rich and decadent.

I'm going to miss my family.  I'm not sure when I'll get to see them next.  The only date on the horizon that's confirmed is Tucson.  It seems like such a long time away.

Dirty, Beautiful...

I just finished doing another round of bronze clay pressings.  Above is a picture of them just out of the kiln with the activated carbon washed off.  At this stage they're dirty and completely beautiful.  With this batch, I didn't tumble them quite as much as usual to give them traces of the rainbow oxidation that happens while they're being fired.  (The finished pieces are much brighter and more gold, but have faint traces of that beautiful oxidation.)  If you're interested in getting ahold of one, EMAIL GREG and he'll give you payment options and get your shipping information.

Tagged, Again...

I was surprised to see that Andee from Germany had tagged me to reveal seven random or weird things about myself, as I had just been tagged a week or so ago. (CLICK HERE to go to that post.) However, I'll play along again. Though I think I'll have to take a break from the meme love for a while after this one. (So, if you tag me and I don't play along, know that I still love you - I'm just running out of things to say. The only random thing about me left to tell will be my social security number!)

1. I don't really care for hot-dogs. I haven't eaten one in at least a decade, except on a trip I made with Sheila to Coney Island two years ago. (CLICK HERE to go to the post chronicling the trip.) But that only confirmed my desire to steer clear of them. Ugh...

2. I have a birth-mark on my stomach about the size of a silver dollar. Azalea has a matching one, just in a different spot on her stomach.

3. My friend Jenni gave me a ring about 15 years ago that I still wear daily. It's silver and has a Celtic knot, symbolizing unending friendship. She got it at a street fair in New York (way before I had any intentions of moving to the City.) I only wear it when I leave the house. Otherwise, I pretty much strip down of all my jewelry when I enter my apartment. If by chance I should leave the house without wearing it, I feel naked and keep fiddling with the empty spot. Once, when I was caught without my ring during a rather stressful day of meetings, I had to tie a rubber-band around my finger to simulate the ring to keep the void from distracting me.

4. I dislike doing laundry, but love the smell of fresh laundry. Thusly, I used to go to the laundry mat down the street from my apartment to read when either my air conditioning or heating unit wasn't working. Sometimes I would hang out there for hours, even after everything was all folded up and ready to go.

5. For a brief amount of time, I wanted to be a professional dancer. (Weird, no?) I practiced for months and scrounged up free lessons where ever I could find them. Enter the homes of a handful of drag queens (you'd be surprised how many of them are classically trained dancers) and you'll probably still see murals I painted in exchange for lessons in all different kinds of dance. It wasn't until I went to my first casting call that I realized that I didn't really have the talent and was too much of a slow learner and didn't have the necessary skill of picking up moves instantly.

6. I once stuck a nail into an electrical outlet. I was knocked unconscious and my mom thought I was dead. Luckily I came to before she buried me in the backyard.

7. We come from a working-class family. I started helping out with my father's landscaping company when I was 7 years old. I really couldn't do much besides ride the mower and weed flower beds, but it was still pretty hard work. We worked after school, on our breaks from school, and sometimes on the weekend (if we were running behind or had an extra job). While most kids hated going to school, I liked it quite a lot, because it was a break from working and there was blessed air conditioning.

Okay, so I'm going to break with tagging tradition and not tag anyone else. Although I find it wildly fascinating to learn new and weird things about my friends and fellow bloggers, I think I'm going to sit this part out.

Ornamental...

"A New Day," taken by Nina Bagley.

While scrolling through the mountains of blogs that I try to take in on a regular basis, I came across a striking picture from a blog called, Ornamental. Firstly, I was taken by the vivid color. Then I realized that this person was a hop, skip, and a jump away in North Carolina. The blog is owned and run by an artist named Nina Bagley. CLICK HERE to see that particular post.

My sister, Cynthia, has been speaking her praise for years now. Every time I wire-wrap something, she ominously says, "I wish you wire-wrapped like Nina!" I do wish at times that I did indeed wire-wrapped like the very talented Nina Bagley. The fancy wraps she does are organic, flowing, and seem to melt around the objects she's embellishing.

I've never met her, but I am a fan of her work and insights. Make sure to check out her blog by CLICKING HERE. Go there and take a look at her found art assemblages, jewelry, and poignant writing. Also swing by her Etsy shop; it is full of goodies! CLICK HERE to go to it.

More Hard Work...

We're still preparing for Cynthia's trip to Colorado. We've got miles and miles to go before all is said and done. It's good work. But hard work builds up an appetite. To keep our strength up, I've been making little sandwiches made up of tahini, Twist (which is like Nutella - a spreadable blend of hazelnut and chocolate), and honey on thinly sliced bread. They make really quick and energy-packed treats to help us get through the day.

Azalea was particularly excited about all the good comments about her fairy doll. I told her about her "good use of color" and she was very pleased. She's very accomplished and doing some really cool things with her art. Cynthia sculpted faces on her articulated wooden dolls and Azalea fashioned this draped polymer clay dress. She embellished it with Swarovski flat-backs. (I know, she's got expensive taste. No pony beads for this baby bunting.) In the background you can see the sketch of the dress design. (Is it that apparent that she watches Project Runway with us?)

We were going to make a duck while Greg was here, but he had to go out to BABE in San Francisco/Oakland. Make sure to drop by if you can and say, "Hello!" Since it was thawed out, I had to make it. I stuffed the duck with lots of onions and garlic and then "steamed" it. This insures that the duck is super moist and not dried out. Then I roasted it in an orange, pomegranate, and brown sugar sauce. The super flavorful skin turned out nice and crispy. On the side we served mashed potatoes and green beans doused with a gravy made from the drippings from the pan. It turned out really well and was the perfect way to end the day.

Actually the perfect way to end the day was turning on the HBO On Demand (we didn't even know we had this!) and catching up on a new series called, True Blood. At the New York show, we had a nice conversation with Erica Cessna of Reed's Beads in Ambler, Pennsylvania. She turned us on to the show. It's graphic, foul-mouthed, Southern, and totally addictive. We can only watch this after Azalea has gone to bed as it's totally inappropriate, but this vampiric romance laced with dark humor and sweet tea is habit-forming.

Working Hard...

It has been simply crazy getting everything ready for Cynthia's trip. We've been working at least ten hours a day - if not more! My hands are scratched up, cut, blistered, and callouses are starting to form. Not to mention, THE'YRE green! (I guess my skin had a reaction to the bronze clay.)

Anyway, we're not the only ones hard at work. Above is a picture of a fairy that Aazlea sculpted. I know, it's pretty darn good. Each day she gets better and better.

Morning Showers...

"Tranquil Contemplation" 40" X 40", Acrylic on wood, 2008.

Will you be in Chicago this weekend? I won't be, but I wish I was. Jeremiah Ketner, an amazing and accomplished artist is unveiling his solo show at the Melanee Cooper Gallery! The opening reception is this Friday, November 7th from 5PM to 8PM.

If you can't make it, make sure to check out the interview he did with Arrested Motion. Not only is there an interview which sheds light on the inner workings that go behind the new show, but it has a preview of the paintings. CLICK HERE to go directly to the interview. Also make sure to check out his new blog. CLICK HERE to go to it.

Halloween...

I would have written about this sooner, however, we've been working extra hard on the book and there hasn't been much time left over for me to update. To the left is a picture of Azalea dressed up like a Snow Princess Fairy.

Since Greg was out of town for a show in Pittsburgh and we've been on deadline, we really didn't get into the spirit of the holiday this year. It's surprising because Halloween is one of our favorite holidays.

After we handed out a bunch of candy, we decided to take our chances and try to do something celebratory for the holiday. We found a festival online that had activities for adults and ones for kids as well. So, we decided to go.

I used Mapquest to get the directions. It was a mistake. It took us over a narrow, winding road that snaked up and over a mountain in pitch-black darkness. In the shadows we saw glowing eyes and some strange, large brown creature feeding on the side of the road. We didn't get a very good look, as the creature was at the crook of a sharp turn in the road at the bottom of a steep incline. Needless to say, all of our hands were sweaty and clenched hard on whatever we could get a hold of. Both prayers and curses were on our tongues that ride.

When we finally got there, we were a little disappointed. The turn out was a little lackluster and it was COLD. None of us really bothered to bring our heavy coats. Instead we wrapped ourselves up with the blankets in the back of the van and tightened our scarves. Azalea was a little upset that she couldn't play with any kids or go trick-or-treating. (She later said, "I don't know how come everyone gets to come to our house to trick or treat and I don't get to go trick or treating.") Oh well, there's always next year I guess.

It's probably for the best that we didn't have lots of fun and stay out late on Halloween. We have far too much to do before Cynthia heads out to Colorado. Perhaps she'll post some sneak-peek photos of the forth-coming projects.

Ode to Autumn...

Here's one of the necklaces that I've been working on in my free time. It's mostly made up of different colored carnelian. I've added in some red tiger eye, wood, vintage Czech glass, and gold stone. All of the stones and wood are from Talisman Associates. The vintage Czech glass is from Pudgy Beads. The copper chain is from Ornamentea. The shibuichi clasp is from our friends at Saki Silver. I was inspired by all the fall foliage and rich colors of autumn.