Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Whats on the workbench...





Good morning.

 I have to share this because there might be some of you out there who might appreciate and relate.  I started making these figurines having not done it in a long time.   My fingers remembered and it felt good to be doing something I love.  I had an updated vision of what I wanted to make but I was a little unsure how people who collected the  tiny sculptures I had made before would like these new girls.

I told myself I would make eight, see how I liked them, post them to Etsy see how others liked them and if everyone was happy I would keep going.  Well eight turned into three, I got a little frustrated not sure I like the way they looked white and drying, they seemed to fragile on their new itty bitty bodies and super slim legs.  I second guessed myself but told myself I would follow through with these three.

It took them a couple days to completely dry, I reinforced all the wobbly parts, filled in cracks, and waited another day to paint them.  I am not sure what happens when you begin painting but it's like they come to life.  Do you remember that moment in The Wizard of Oz when everything goes from black and white to technicolor?  It just makes you smile.

So I started painting and couldn't stop, I added string, and trim, made the bases, gave them a shiny coat to protect them and make them pretty and I thought to myself, "I am so glad I followed through, these are even better than I imagined they would be".  I guess the lesson is to honor your vision, make what you love and don't get frustrated, trust the process.

If you work with paper clay (or any other medium) here are a few simple things to remember:

1. Sketch first, wait until an image sticks, if that means sketching a long time then it's what you do, its worth it.  You will find yourself drawing one particular figure over and over, no matter where you started, and you will fall in love with it.

2.  Play with scale, break rules, this is your world, create what you love, what makes your heart beat a little faster.  I know I have it when I am sitting alone smiling like a dork.

3.  Pay attention to detail, it makes difference.  Detail doesn't mean "perfection" it means not taking a short cut, doing it over until it feels right to you.  Sometimes you have to walk away, come back and get a fresh look.  Be true to your own standards, even if it's something no one will ever notice.

4.  Find your personal pallet.  It is like sketching, you will find that you are attracted to the same colors over and over.  Don't pay attention to trend or what you think other people will like, again this is your world, let people join you there.

5.  Be a kid, a big kid.  This is fun, this is play, this is pulling out whats in your head and making it tangible.  It might be bright and happy, dark and disturbing, it might be about memory, or a dream, curiosity or all of it at the same time.

6.  I don't do this for money, I do it because I love it.  When people love what I do it's awesome.  When money comes it becomes liquid creativity for me, allowing me to keep doing what I love.  I trust the universe made me a creative person for a reason and things always seem to work out so that I can keep making.  If you put money first then it stops being a creative journey and starts being something else.

( this is were I plug that these have been posted to Etsy this morning!)

Make Art=Be Happy




Monday, April 21, 2014

Strings and Sealing wax...

I am up early and the mouse is still asleep. 

These are the few rare moments I get to relax and plan my day.  It was a wild week with celebrations, egg coloring, treasure hunts, Easter brunch, family, much eating of chocolate... and now comes the winding down and getting back to work part.  I don't mind monday, I am excited actually, is it terribly braggy to say I love my job?

I have three figurines on my work bench.  I didn't plan on making any but I had a few requests so I decided to go back in time a little and make a couple for fun.  They are a little different than the original ones I made in 2008, these are smaller, larger heads, big eyes instead of tiny dots, and more painting detail,  I am curious to see how they will look completed.   I will list them on Etsy when there are done.

The Etsy shop in't  as full as I wish, I need to make more time to replace what has sold but I am a hands on mama with 18 month old who requires a lot of me.  I am not complaining he is pretty cool and I dig hanging out with him.  Nap time is when I can get into the studio for an hour or two.  It is really hard to switch gears when I am in making mode I am a different me than the mama me.

Phase one of being back in the studio involves a lot of paper clay making.  I love this stuff.  I discovered it a long, long, time ago when you still had to order it from Japan.  I was using fimo at the time, it was pre-art school and I hadn''t purchased a kiln of my own so I was using products that would self cure or cure in the oven.

Paper clay is awesome, is is smooth and buttery, natural (paper pulp and volcanic ash), fragile but forgiving. It can be re-moistened even after it has completely air dried,  it doesn't mind an armature, it loves all kinds of paint, crayons, pencils.

I hear the mouse stirring, time for me to put on my mama hat.

Have a great day everyone,

Make Art= Be Happy

G

Friday, April 18, 2014

Welcome back home!

There is so much to share.

This blog has been down for  a while.

Here is the story for those of you who are new to elevenmorning, for the rest of you ( you know who you are)  it 's a long over due update.

I have been making art for a long time, since dinosaurs laid eggs.  In 2007 my daughter Stevie passed away.  She was 19 and the love of my life, still my most favorite person in the world.  I was in a very raw place and there were two things that helped me through that loss, one was the love of my son Noah who cuddled up next to me and made me remember that love is never lost, it just changes into something bigger, the other saving grace was art, the creative process.  For me the ability to create was not lost (even though I thought it was) instead it was changed into something I didn't expect.

After my daughter died I wrote and illustrated a children's book called Pink Sky, it was cathartic and soon  Bella (Stevie) and I started an adventure.  I began making small dolls and figurines that captured her childhood, her drawings, memories.  I began selling them accidentally it was exciting knowing that tiny bits of her where finding people everywhere.  Before I knew it I was turning my little Etsy shop into a retail store in town called Tangerine, something Stevie and I always dreamed of doing.

I did not have a background in retail, I was flying by the seat of my pants.  It was awesome, I created this little world my daughter would have loved, and for five years I got to live in it everyday.  My intention was to simply create a space that would bring happiness to other people and I believe I did that.

In 2012 I gave birth to my son Elliott.

I can't describe what a life changing event that was, how much love and healing this little guy has gifted us with.  He was a miracle from the very start and every day he just makes the world a better place.  I didn't want to miss a second of his life, so I quietly closed the store to Tangerine and told Stevie, "Lets go home".

It was bittersweet but the end of a chapter is always like that, deep breath then new chapter.

I put a fresh coat of pea green paint on my home studio, moved the things I loved most back in and when Elliott turned one I began making again.  This time I made things for myself, things I didn't have time to create while I was running a retail store.  I made a beautiful wool blanket, scribbled in sketch books, rediscovered my paintbrushes and markers, found a box of clay and one day started making little dolls again.

It isn't easy squeezing art into a day when you have a toddler and a teenager but there is always a quiet couple minutes to sketch or sculpt.

I love blogging so I have decided to dust off this old blog and breath a little life into it.  My plan is give you a look at what is happening in my studio, share some ideas and techniques, throw in blogs about babies, gardens, cooking and life in general.

It has been a long time but it is good to be home.