word's out -

well, the cat is officially out of the bag... 

and i couldn't be happier - 

all of the patina work i have been doing has been headed here - 

to the uber talented, very very lovely shannon levart - aka missficklemedia!

she is creating a community of makers - and i thank her so much for including me in it... 

this opportunity has forced me to stretch, to experiment and learn more about the patinas, to explore wire forms, and create my own etched images... to push myself to be better than i am - for who would want to have anything sub-par in such a meaningful, high quality venture?

thanks, shan, for being one of those lights at the end of the tunnel - 

marcel duchamp

50cc of paris air - 1919

today is the 125th anniversary of duchamp's birth - 


suffice it to say that as much as i appreciate the aesthetics and execution of work, the philosophy/intention behind it is just as important to me...

duchamp challenged how people viewed and categorized art... 

around the age of 20 i found myself in the contemporary gallery at the philadelphia museum of art and it was there that duchamp turned my young world on its head... 

i was always open to contemporary painting and sculpture; but he was different, this was work i was thinking about long past leaving the building (which i love - did then, do so even more now)....

if you read a bit about duchamp and his readymades, you will see how he opened the door for mixed media and found object work... 

bicycle wheel

he worked within the styles of cubism, dada and surrealism as well... 

nude descending a staircase (no.2) - 1912

food for thought

as of late, my meandering time on blogger has been limited... but i was so happy to have come upon a post by nan of spirit rattles and nan emmett studio... her ceramic work is beautiful and i feel lucky that she is now sharing beads with us! and by the way, nan - you are killing me with those hands!

open hand talisman pendant

ok, back to topic - 

she shared a journal by david byrne - the talking heads - that i am so appreciative of... 

a teen when 'stop making sense' was released, i admired him... a modern day renaissance man, he explores the schism/chasm between art and craft... the ideology, the cultural influence... highly intelligent, incredibly well versed - he also discusses the education of those desiring to pursue their interest in the arts... there are questions that at times haunt me... 'what am i considered to be?'  'who decides?'  'does it matter?'  should a label matter? of course not... as an avid student of art history, i find the term 'artist' and even 'fine artist' to be defined by those items found in  museums... but is that accurate? all i can do is work from what i feel... anymore, anything else seems superficial to me... which can present its challenges under different circumstances... for to attempt to make some kind of living at this, one has to be able to produce things that will also sell and at different price ranges... it's like you have to separate yourself at times to achieve the two goals... or maybe realize that it is the two parts that make the whole... for to be a starving 'artist' as a mom of three seems rather unfair to the three who didn't choose that path... 

the libra in me is babbling - trying to find balance & harmony... sorry!

raw

my son was accepted into the visual arts section of a county-wide art program this spring... last night was their gala... it struck me as he laughed and smiled that he had been riding the bus with, had become friends with kids from all of the different disciplines... he showed me his work, but then we sat in on the improv jazz band, theater, musical theater, dance segments of the night... 

this is one of his pieces - everyone had to adapt a picture into a mer-type person... alex had the only male figure... i told him i found his choice to be interesting - to which he replied 'everyone else used women'... i was happy he had thought outside of the box instead of doing what 'everyone else' was doing... 


as we sat in on the jazz band playing some myles davis, watching the passion in the teacher's face, i was struck visually by what i feel when i sit by myself and work... intensity of emotion... you could see in each discipline, which child and adult felt the work... 

'music is the shorthand of emotion.'

~ tolstoy

'movement never lies. it is a barometer telling the state

of the soul's weather to all who can read it.'

~ martha graham

'if you really do want to be an actor who can satisfy 

himself and his audience, you need to be vulnerable.

(you must) reach the emotional and intellectual level

of ability where you can go out stark naked,

emotionally, in front of an audience.'

~ jack lemon

'poor faulkner.

does he really think big emotions come from big words?

he thinks i don't know the ten-dollar words.

i know them all right.

but there are older and simpler and better words,

and those are the ones i use.'

~ ernest hemingway

'the artist is a receptacle for the emotions that come 

from all over the place:

from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, 

from a passing shape from a spider's web.'

~ pablo picasso

did i hit them all? music, dance, theater, literature, visual art... i was overcome by the universality... i know this fact intellectually - maybe it was overwhelming to be surrounded by all of the disciplines at once... not maybe, it was... 

i have been feeling raw - pared down to the simplest of emotions - yet functioning with all of the mom hats... kind of contradictory - it is a bit like acting... maintaining the superficial day to dayness of things, yet feeling anything but... 

the woman who loves words for all of their powers... has been only able to identify with this:

'i found i could say things with colors and shapes 

that i couldn't say any other way -

things i had no words for.'

~ georgia o'keefe

 i would only add techniques and textures to her quote... when i do shibuichi, it is like pure emotion... it is not something i can explain... 'forest floor' earrings are meant to be evocative of  the mystery and wonder of all that life entails - growth and decay, joy and sorrow, how everything exists at once together... it is how we feel about it and process it... on the forest floor one finds bright green mosses and red berries mixed in with all that nature composts itself... 

life is like that too... 

tonight is the elementary school variety show... more performances to be savored...  

i'm here...

'inspiration exists,

but it has to find us working.'

~ pablo picasso

i have been busy lately getting ready for 3 rather big deadlines that will arrive within a week to 10 days... this is not said to solicit sympathy - i made the choice to go after them all... but the timing is tricky... and the anxiety is building... i have been reading your blogs, though i may not be commenting... am trying to limit my time on the computer... because while i sit here and wonder at times what i will do, picasso is right - the best inspiration can come when we are actually at the task... 

this piece is for a festival that i am in and it is going to be auctioned... i thought that using words like 'imaginative' (there was no word 'imagination' in the dictionary from 1877 that i used for the paper), 'passion', 'create' & 'art' were fitting to the occasion... garnet, pearl, amethyst and raspberry amethyst are used... 

i also did another set of the almond blossom earrings from the abs challenge last month... as i didn't have any more emeralds, this time i used green garnet... 

there is one more in the works - we enter an inventory which is able to be edited... turns out the system went down - ok, yikes... while i know i should have printed it out, i did not... and i now cannot do my tags! but i know there is time until monday - so i have my fingers crossed...

on the home front, we got down to the beach on sunday - i needed that so bad... the sand was warm on our feet and there were piles of sand that have been created to prevent erosion from storms... 

and what is it about the water that pulls at you?

in addition, em is back to posting and has updated her blog... i really like to read what she has to say and how she says it... to see that individual who i have lived with for 18 years standing on her own... and to know that i am a part of it... 

on being born

the word i chose for myself this year was 'nascent' - defined as coming or having recently come into existence...


for sure i have been here more than 4 decades - and they have all provided experiences and challenges that brought me to this moment... BUT, i feel as though i am just getting my feet... learning things in the personal and artistic realm that are culminating in a 'me'...

'you never find yourself unless 

you face the truth.'

~ pearl bailey

in infancy truth to self occurs by indicating when one is hungry, tired, uncomfortable, happy... and those needs are usually met fairly quickly... as we grow older, we are taught different rules... our culture teaches us to listen to reason instead of our gut, to wait, to monitor ourselves... and while these lessons can serve us well at times, they can also fail us miserably... so truth to self is critical for healthy development throughout our entire life... and we will get caught up and forget, but we must come back to it...

'to the artist there is never anything 

ugly in nature.'

~ august rodin

another early life lesson comes in learning about things... how often does one say to a child - 'look at this!' ... listen, touch, taste, smell, experience... finding beauty in all things... finding an appreciation... being aware... do you notice how the air smells different before it rains or snows? did you see the lady bug that landed on your sleeve? did you hear the cardinal (do you know its call?)? 

by tea staining and tearing the wet paper, shaping the paddles just so with my thumb, selecting the appropriate lengths of hand-dyed yarn, i feel very much a part of the pieces... learning by doing, not just in craft but in living... tangible affirmations for myself and for you... as i mentioned to a friend last night, i seem to be turning into my own art therapist... 

ruby & me

the october art bead scene challenge was a piece of folk art by ruby c. williams... ms. williams was born in the 1920s, living in a community established in th 1860s by freed slaves - among whom was her great-grandmother.. she is very proud of this, close to the land and her family... her first art was created in order to draw more attention to her produce stand, self - built and on her own property... for along state road 60 in hillsborough county, florida you will see many of them... 

she uses her painting to speak for her, in the hopes of avoiding rudeness... for passersby will stop and offer advice to her on how to handle being an artist, and what she should paint... 

i have an admiration for those who can work simply and relay bigger messages... primary colors, a simplified background and a rectilinear design create balance and grab our attention... 'i do everything from the bottom of my heart, whether shelling a bucket of beans or making a painting.' you can sense this in her work, i think...

this piece spoke to me at 'go'... while i can appreciate all kinds of art, feeling in color & simplicity is my favorite... i love keith haring... my interpretation focuses around an enameled orange red tag by barbara lewis which approximates the shape of the cow's body... rustic red porcelain bead is encircled in gunmetal wire to evoke the head, used orange czech glass, red porcelain, yellow porcelain for the udder, a turquoise glass bead from marie at bleu verre, green polymer clay from jibby and juna which provided a nice solid flat area of color, white raku bead by keith o'connor, black & white seed beads... because the piece was designed to promote what she was selling, i made an etched 'MILK'  tag (in caps like her!) from a vintaj blank...

a big thank you to jennifer heynan/jangles for this selection... 

music is what feelings sound like ~

art is what feelings look like~

& when they 'come together'... (couldn't resist!)

i usually work in silence... i enjoy it, as it is a rare commodity in my home... but as you know from my blog, the beatles have been hangin' round here... and i like it! i really only take pics by natural light & today it was pouring... so the photos aren't the best...  but...

this necklace is called 'let it be'...

'whisper words of wisdom, let it be.'

 

a really fun necklace for me to make... sterling, copper & vintaj brass... rustic glass seed beads, a beautiful lampwork bead from bleu verre ... i stamped, hammered, wrapped, punched and antiqued the morning away... it is so rewarding to do a lot of this myself... the lotus flower, leaf & lapis are reminders and symbols of self-awareness, inner truth, the beauty of life and love... 

 

these earrings are called 'you say you want a revolution'...

'you tell me it's the institution,

well you know

you better free your mind instead.'

these are a sterling version of the ones in the last post... 

'while my guitar gently weeps'...

'with every mistake we must surely be learning.'

a copper drop with blue/green lampwork glass beads... they reminded me of drops of water or tears for all that is done in ignorance and hate... 

'the distressed feminine'... distressed - you get that part, hammered, antiqued... some bumps and bruises... aged to a fine patina... imperfectly perfect (aren't we?)... the pink beads do not match, are softly etched & are from mika at pinocean...and are a loose interpretation on the feminine symbol...

would love to work more but have misplaced my business cards for tomorrow and now i have to find them! yikes - oh yeah, and the kids are home from school! have to do the mom-thing!

enjoy your friday... 

fruits of my labor - like the hard birthing kind

you know how sometimes everything you need seems to come to your fingertips and mind with great ease?
and then you know how sometimes it feels like you are in labor? 
well, today was that kind of day...

maybe it's because it has been a couple of weeks since i last made something... i didn't even have the mental retrieval system of my inventory on board ... 
or maybe it's because i am getting more pieces to work with than i can keep track of... 
nahhhh! 
maybe it's because my head has been in places that are not conducive to  creation...


i finally opened up my bag from  bead fest in philly - yes, i was there on the 21st - & for 2 weeks my goodies have been awaiting me! 
first items i ogled over again were from marsha neal... i love the little pendants i got in the brown color from her... 
then i literally starting pulling stuff out and looking at it... i use a wine rack to hold different things... and now a lot of it is emptied on my floor... (did i mention i have a kitten? fabulous - i will begin to hear him sliding through the bags soon, i am sure!) i came upon a bird pendant by mellisa at chinook in a glaze color i am so fond of... the two needed to be put together... and doesn't the small brown pendant remind you of the color and texture of bark that was subliminal, i didn't 'think' about that...

'hope is the thing with feathers

that perches in the soul,

and sings the tune without the words

and never stops at all.'

-emily dickinson

had a lot of fun with this one...used mixed metals - copper and vintaj... very partial to greens with the copper but wanted the warm vintaj brown to be present as well... more wire working in the links, clasp and my drop for the small pendant... blues & greens on one side, browns on the other... lampwork glass from linden avenue designs and bleu verre...brown raku from keith o'connor...

'one love, one heart

let's get together and feel all right.'

-bob marley

then there are some other pieces i have had stashed away... cindy pack does really beautiful metal stamping and she created this 'one love' piece for me, it even has a nice curve for the wrist... barbara lewis makes sahara beads that i adore... i knew i wanted to create another bob marley piece... hence, 'one love, one heart' ... her work is so uniquely textured, colored & manipulated... this bracelet mixes copper and sterling... there are some heavy cast sterling rings linking the beads from cathy dailey... and mary ann from linden avenue provided the silvered ivory glass... we have been discussing the religion of love after all... 

so the beads are all over the floor, but the liver of sulphur is disposed of... it was a gorgeous day today & i know i spent it inside... but i was due!

surpassed expectations

'if you copy, it means you are working without any real feeling.
no two people on earth are alike,
and it's got to be that way in music or it isn't music.'

-billie holiday

my worries with hp films have been that they will stray from the story... i would notice the parts that weren't in the book or toyed with... i still prefer that characters are portrayed accurately... my favorite films were the first two...

here's my only spoiler: the film is not a page for page reproduction.... but you know what? i loved it/we loved it! the feeling, the message, the journey is true to the original... apparently they returned to the first screenwriter and the results are incredible!

i had a bit of a lightbulb moment as i was sitting, watching, engaged, but still noticing 'what was different' from the tome... my daughter and i have read the books, my boys have not yet... i realized how happy i am that they weren't the same... people cannot just watch the movies and feel that they have read the books... they haven't ... the books hold secret treasures that weren't shared, that you have to take the time to find and savor... and, in all fairness, a 652 page book was being put into a time frame of about 2 1/2 hours... it felt like i got to spend a little more time with old friends... and i appreciated the vision and artistry it took to make the darkest book in the series (to that point) enjoyable to watch...

a unanimous 2 thumbs up!

art2love.org

'every child is an artist. the problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.'

- pablo picasso

our family has had reason over the past 10 years to spend a good deal of time at the children's hospital of philadelphia... and the end is not in sight... but that's ok and another story!

there is a huge list of things i love about chop - but i wanted to share these 'artlings' that were created from the drawings of kids being cared for in the oncology wing... they hang in the windows overlooking the atrium... and i love them... it must have been so wonderful for these kids to see their drawings become 3 dimensional... besides being cute, they reinforce to those who walk the halls that each bed, each appointment is filled by a living, breathing child... with a family... with joy and fear and sometimes pain... with an imagination, hopes and dreams... and who, illness aside, is just a kid...

'art does not reproduce what we see; rather, it makes us see.'
- paul klee

'free the child's potential, and you will transform him into the world.'
- maria montessori

to watch the video of karen lefebvre-christou, the incredible woman making this happen, go to http://art2love.wordpress.com ...

when i first exhaled

lillia frantin - mid to late 1980s

'don't forget to love yourself.'
- soren kierkegaard

while i was walking, my mind wandered to people who had helped me to grow & to words spoken that had caused me to see life differently and redirect my path... i am a libra... but thru my early college years, in an attempt to validate myself to myself, i became a borderline type A personality... i was very detail - oriented... for example, as a kid i would build houses from shoeboxes - but with smaller rooms, levels, furniture, phones, etc... but often missed the bigger picture... in high school i couldn't figure out what to do as i did well in all subjects - i didn't consider how i liked them, just how i performed in them... so i went off to college to prove myself... first engineering, then economics, doing well, but not happy... i had a surgery that required me to come home and be home for a year... so i attended my community college...

i signed up for an art history class because i just felt like i wanted to take something i might enjoy... sit down in the auditorium, very earthy woman walks in with silver earrings dangling and she begins to talk... she makes note of a new development that was going up and the irony of how they usually choose names for the communities that reflect what was torn down - like green meadow, etc... and then came the art... it was a lightbulb moment's worth of excitement combined with the release of an exhale held for 20 years... i was done, it was over... this is a major? something i love can be something i can do for my life's work?... i was floored... lillia frantin freed me... i took money i had saved and money i made at work and bought an oil painting of hers at a gallery... i love the van gogh/matisse-like feel it has, the way line roams around the painting keeping the eye moving... and to my serious mind now beginning to relax, the color was exquisite...

when i returned to rutgers, it was to the art history department, where i absorbed every art history class i could... still there was that rigidly detail-oriented person who lingered... it was priscilla, the ph.d. student, who unlocked that door for me... she was explaining how to take the tests when slides are placed side by side for comparison... my way was usually to be very specific... and then she said, "what is the point of the comparison?" ... it sounds so simple now, but hearing someone say "what is the point?" what is the big picture? i felt myself stepping back and seeing everything differently... it is a lesson i count as one of my greatest...

i then met matthew baigell, the american art professor who i did my year long honors thesis with... he was very interested in revised history... i studied the difference in how the westward movement was painted vs. how it was diaried by women who actually made the trip... i went to him one time and asked a question... he replied, "i don't know, but let me find out."... again, this was momentous... i had always felt like i had to know and here was this man i respected so much telling me he didn't know... i had put so much pressure on myself... and he blew the door off the hinges...

i wasn't hard on others, only on myself... holding myself to a near impossible standard that was pulling me apart... the world of art and academic art has been good to me, and i began to heal - but that is the process of a lifetime...

this blog was not meant to be purely self-indulgent, but rather to trigger the memories of lessons learned that free us... sometimes we get so busy we forget them, and need only to be reminded...

lillia's painting is one of my treasures, for it represents a key shift in who i became...

don't forget to love yourself...

adrift

'not all those who wander are lost'
the fellowship of the ring
j.r.r. tolkien

we go walking in a park where a stream runs through... there is even a wooden bridge that crosses it which makes me think of the one that christopher robin and company stand on to play pooh-sticks... trees filled with their warm weather garb form a canopy... your view of the bright blue cloudless sky is filtered through the branches and the leaves... when you look into the water, you see that same view reflected back on the shimmering water...
and then a soft breeze blows, rustling the leaves... some of the small dead ones from the forest floor are swept up and drop into the water, and they are adrift... swirling along with the water as it moves around branches and rocks... gliding along with the stream's curving path...
'not all those who wander are lost'...
we all need time to wander, to free ourselves from the over scheduled, task-oriented lifestyle we often find ourselves caught up in... wandering can be physical - going to the beach, a park, or on a walk - and we find ourselves rejuvenated by nature... but really, more important than where you are is your mindset while you are there... did you free yourself? or did you think about how long you can stay so you can go on to your next task? you can be in the midst of your office or home and as long as you can shut off the head static and let your mind go, you are wandering... go for it...
the metallic blue lentil beads with raku finish from blue seraphim make me think of leaves floating on water... and only mak's raku beads could compliment them... thank you both... and to jenn at blue seraphim, you have my apologies for not mentioning you in my first blog... i'm a newbie but getting better!