My Mane Blowing in the Wind: June 2010

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 3

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 3 Stuff (altered book and oriels)

No way I could get into the studio yesterday -- except for 15 minutes to do my Daily Page. Too many meetings and errands. But I can do my pages anywhere -- lots of time I create them while sitting in front of the television catching up on shows. Day 3. Easier to get into the studio today and actually spent closer to three hours than two. Worked on a spread from an unfinished altered book I started a number of years ago. Title of the book I picked way back when -- A Round-Heeled Woman -- by Jane Juska. Non-fiction about the author's coming into her sexuality late in life after a divorce. Nicely written and much humor with a touch of chagrin. I felt this book was the perfect altered book for my giving voice to my own sexual awakening. Should I blush here? But baby mine started when I was born. So did yours! And every day is a sexual awakening -- and I'm not just talkin' about sex here if you know what I mean -- sex is the sum of the parts, the senses, the meat of life. I guess vitality, sensuality are better words. Anyway, enough said on this here subject! I also finished up another oriel called Snake Charmer, and an Itsy Bitsy to accompany it.

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 87

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 87: Then Kick Ass

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Heart Black As Night

"Heart Black As Night", by Melody Gardot

This is a partial video clip (thank you, Sophie Lise) of my vampire duet with Michael Serecsko in the Don't Quit Your Day Job Dancers' performance of Vamp at Stage Dor Dance and Performance Space, Sausalito, CA. Choreography by Doree Clark, Ingrid Serenne. Very bad vampires having a delightful time being bad. A wonderful experience, which tested me to no end, but thankfully resulted in a total immersion in the sparkle and magic and heat of dance. My special thanks to Doree, Ingrid, and Michael for this experience. Love you all!

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 86

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 86: Cleaning House

Time for a change? Breaking old habits is hard work! Who knows why we keep returning to old patterns and ways of thinking. Even in the face of truly dysfunctional, harmful habits, it's like our brain cells keep thinking...well, it did work for you once...why not again? Good god. I really don't think they can ever be completely eliminated -- although I'm workin' on it. Maybe for now it's enough just to shake them loose, maybe shift their balance a little, until that day when they can be booted out the door to be replaced....with something unknown, something magical.

Monday, June 28, 2010

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 85

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 85: Breaking the Web of Illusion

Oriel Pendant Challenge -- Week 4: Serpent Eagle Custom

Custom Philippine Serpent Eagle (Front)

Last week I was finishing up on a custom oriel that a friend asked me to make as a gift for her brother's girlfriend. She owns one of my oriels, a custom Golden Eagle, given to her by a group of friends. Her brother's girlfriend fell in love with it, so Bonnie wanted me to create something similar for her. Since this woman was born in the Philippines I went online to look at birds that are indigenous to the islands. I was struck by the fierce beauty of the Serpent Eagle. What a gorgeous bird with its golden eye, raised crown of feathers, and the white dots that decorate its neck, "underpants," and wings. As this is a custom animal totem oriel, eagle energy represents strength, ferocity, vision, and endurance. This is power that needs to be handled with respect, and I saw the bird wheeling in blue skies surrounded by the light of blue crystals, which call forth the clarity of higher knowledge.

Custom Philippine Serpent Eagle (Back)

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 2

Day 2 of my challenge to spend a minimum of two hours in my art studio, daily (5 days a week). Today it was difficult getting into the studio. Perhaps it was because it's a Monday! Although I went into the studio on Saturday and Sunday to do my Daily Journal Pages, I don't consider that time as part of my Studio Time Challenge. Maybe that's a little odd, but I set this challenge up to do more than my pages, to do other art work and jewelry. Did my page, but no other artwork. I did finish a custom oriel. But it seemed to take forever to complete and package up. I did spend a lot of time looking through images, ribbons, straightening up, and then messing up again! Could it have gone any faster? Maybe if I wasn't "fighting" the whole time. I am hoping that this internal fight with myself will get fainter in the month ahead. That it will be easier to jump into the next thing. I suspect I already know how to do it....In the photo I took today I show a little corner vignette in my studio: two ornaments I made a couple of years ago; one of my box assemblages, an antique shaving brush, a hand-carved bear, a teeny tiny vintage paper cutter, and an impromptu collage created a few days ago. The bottom photo is a shot of my packaging prep for the custom...lots of ribbon choices.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 84

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 84: Experience More

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 83

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 83: Whatever Makes you Happy

Friday, June 25, 2010

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 1

Studio Time Challenge -- Day 1: Daily Journal Page (to the right), Supplies,
and My Current "Text Book" (to the left)

My first real day of my personal art challenge to spend 2 hours in my art studio, 5 days a week (a minimum goal to start with). My new friend Sophie came to work with me in the studio. In exchange for her getting my Kentucky Girl Designs website set up, I'm teaching her some collage and altered book techniques and giving her free rein of supplies and materials. Let me tell you, this is a win-win situation! I guess I spent close to 3 hours (so far) in the studio today. First spent around 40 minutes cleaning up in prep for Sophie's visit. I totally enjoyed having her in the studio and sharing techniques with her. It always seems to motivate me to work with another person. While Sophie was here, I created my daily journal page, and then soldered the custom animal totem oriel I am currently working on (Philippine Eagle Serpent), as well as a Wolf animal totem oriel. BTW, Sophie has a great blog, A Passion for Living, and as a writer she weaves magic with her words. This is a blog to keep checking in on, so stop by and enjoy.

Sophie Creating Pages for Her Altered Book

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 82

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 82: This Is the Way

Thursday, June 24, 2010

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 81

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 81: Choose Your Adventure

Studio Time Challenge: June/July 2010

All right, I'm giving myself another personal art challenge. Don't I have enough already? Maybe, maybe not. The hardest thing I find in working in the studio is just committing to a block of time each day. I can avoid all sorts of creativity and money-making opportunities by finding errands, housework, yard work, etc. to keep me distracted and off track. I suppose all artists deal with this. But I'm feeling the urge to create some sort of discipline or habit around my jewelry and art creations. And setting challenges for myself seem to work. So for the next month I am committing to a minimum of 2 hours each day, 5 days a week. No running around, no sitting down in front of the TV for a half hour, no grooming the cats for 10 minutes. I can do all those things after my 2-hour block, but not during. Seems like this could be easy. Or I could put up a big fight. I'll also post a quick photo each day of something I've done, no matter how insignificant. Today I spent 3 hours in the studio. But that doesn't count! I'll start tomorrow and will run the challenge for 3o days. Here's a photo anyway of oriels and a custom that I worked on today.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 80

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 80: One Unforgettable Experience

Falling through the looking glass? A talking Gecko speaking with an Australian accent? An afternoon sitting at a cafe table in Paris? One night under the stars and moon? Meeting and falling in love with a modern artist? Ah, so many moments, so many experiences not to be forgotten. What is yours?

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 79

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 79: Don't Think Twice

Around the House: Bubble Gum Pink

A fine summer day -- started out cool, warmed up to the high 80's. Yeah, Northern California weather mostly rocks! Weather that seemed to call for blue jeans; a hot pink tank top; and, strappy, bubble gum pink, three-inch-heels. Sittin' in the warm sun in front of Peet's coffee laughing out loud with a long-distance friend on the cell. Life is good in moments such as these. Please note the black maroon toenails (OPI's eye catching color, "Vampire State Building", given to me by my friend Patricia prior to my Vamp performance :).

Monday, June 21, 2010

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 78

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 78: Into the Deep

Synchronicity can be a startling, evocative, or transforming experience. Or it can be a jumping off point, where you question the magic of circumstance and gratefully, joyfully celebrate it, or see the event as a harbinger of change. The spread today reflected my rather moody self. Yet the images seemed to speak to both parts of me -- the one that feels as if its drowning, and the one that seems to be a determined warrior with the energy and drive to keep moving through this life. As I was gluing down the text I had chosen, "into the deep", a song came up randomly in my ipod shuffle mix. Out of my library of 3,385 songs Bird York's, "In the Deep" began to play. Amazing. How about that? I just tilted my head back and laughed. To me, this little, probably scientifically explainable event, is a nod towards continuing on. And what I draw from it is that swimming in the deep -- living in the unknown, the I don't know, the hey I think I'm drowning here -- is often the only way to move towards the heart's desire.

Thought you had all the answers

to rest your heart upon.
But something happens,
don't see it coming,
now you can't stop yourself.
Now you're out there swimming...
In the deep.
In the deep.

Life keeps tumbling your heart in circles
till you... Let go.
Till you shed your pride, and you climb to heaven,
and you throw yourself off.
Now you're out there spinning...
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.
In the deep.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 77

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 77: Dazzles

Saturday, June 19, 2010

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 76

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 76: A Most Unusual Gift of Love

The wind comes under my feet and legs and arms and hair and just throws me up and over and up and over and up again...you are in that wind...with me.

Friday, June 18, 2010

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 75

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 75: If You See Her Say Hello

Thursday, June 17, 2010

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 74

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 74: Finding You

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 73

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 73: Fire in Which You Burn

Mirror Mirror Photo Challenge -- June 2010

Anyone can participate! All you need is a camera, a reflective surface, and your fabulous mug. Visit the blog -- The Mirror Mirror Challenge to join, and send me a photo of yourself!

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 72

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 72: Before You Begin

Oriel Pendant Challenge -- Week 3: Vamp Lifeblood

Vamp Lifeblood Oriel (Front)

I am resuming my (definitely) sporadic Weekly Oriel Pendant Challenge, but in truth I created more than 30 new pendants for my street faire last month (and will be posting some of them as the days go by) so this could actually be Week 33. But that would be cheating, wouldn't it?This pendant was inspired by this year's Don't Quit Your Day Job Dancers production, Vamp. The graphic image was taken off the net -- I couldn't find a credit, but if I run across it again I will give the artist his or her due for this strong, feminine image. (I suppose I picked her because she looks a bit like me in my vampire costume :).) She is backed with a black silk ribbon and a cool white embroidered ribbon (like her so so pale skin) embellished with a maroon ironwork scroll design. A blood red Swavorski crystal rhinestone dots the base of her neck -- like a drop of blood. She has the power to take, or to give, lifeblood. Swavorski crystal beads in jet and red hang from an appropriately Gothic pendant.

Monday, June 14, 2010

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge...Day 71

2010 Daily Journal Page Challenge -- Day 71: Unlike Any Place Else

I've just "landed" after a very intense 8 weeks...4 weeks of prepping for a local street faire where I exhibited my jewelry for the first time to the greater public...and 2 weeks of performing in the Vamp "dansicle" in which I had (for me) a significant part. I felt totally pushed beyond my resources emotionally and physically in both events. Yet both events were a great success and I enjoyed both of them even thrilled) often anxious. And now I've returned to my ordinary life. Or at least it seems that way. Yet something has profoundly changed in my awareness of who I am and what I bring to this life, this world. Unmeasurable by rational standards, nevertheless something has radically changed. And as I sit in my totally disorganized office, or lean through the doorway and look wistfully at my chaotic art studio, I think to myself, how is this different than before? How am I different from before? I suppose the glaring, most revolutionary change is that I am not compelled to answer that question anymore. So unlike my old self to try and figure every thing out. I can feel that some hunger that perhaps had to do with recognition or self worth has been quieted to a whisper. What, I can't hear you.... And perhaps now there resides a stronger sense of inner confidence that I will move into each new situation as it meets me. Imagine that.