Easy Does It

One of the new glazed, orange Rockfish I pulled from the kiln didn't survive...it wasn't the kiln's fault, I killed it trying to forcefully wire it to the metal base sculpture. I need to learn to be gentle when working with clay vs. how I horse the steel! I let out a cry as I broke him in half mounting the fish to a cool looking, welded steel and patina seascape. I'm too embarrassed to include a picture. Here is a picture of the Giant Alaska Sea Scallop that did survive getting mounted. I (gently) used reclaimed copper to wire the shell to the steel crab and starfish wall sculpture. The finished work is about 26" wide and 16" tall. The scallop was made using one of the plaster molds we made this last summer. I'm liking the clay/steel effect, but I need to do way more experimentation mixing the two mediums.

Art supplies are one of my weaknesses. For some women it's shoes or jewelry but for me it's power tools and supplies! BTW my husband thinks power tools are a great weakness to have...I purchased this vintage set of crayons from my friend Vicki on one of her ETSY sites, A Peaceful Life. Aren't they sweet! I especially loved the color of the petite box and was happy to be able to add them to my collection of vintage artist materials.

My electronic Bartlett Kiln Controller is still not functioning properly, leaving my new clay production anything but regular and predictable. There is an internal issue with something called MOV's and RF noise, which causes the kiln not to power up and maintain the firing properly. I do have some good people trying to solve this invisible and frustrating mystery. I admire Christine who is able "to get creative during setbacks." I want in on her secret...It's only January 31 of the new year and I think I have already lost sight of my New Year's goal...

Adopt the pace of Nature: her secret is patience.    

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Lady Godiva is Here Once Again

Along with the Gallery production work and a couple of wholesale orders for friends who have GREAT shops, I get to work on some other cool pieces too. A fun, upcoming group show I’m creating a special (secret) piece for is the Godiva Show. Organized by the famous, Tommy Salami O’Malley, this is a show that gets my creativity really going! The sculpture I created for the 2007 Godiva Show is one of my favorite pieces and is pictured at left, titled “Power Suit.” The 2009 show opens February 20th, at the MTS Gallery with the opening reception from 5-7pm. “Lady Godiva Group show featuring a multitude of local artists exploring the nude figure, male and female -a classic muse for artists, chocolate, and everything else Godiva.”

The other fun event that lets my creativity reign free, is the Transformed Treasures fundraiser. This is a creative and fun way to raise money for The Salvation Army (here is a link from the 2008 event). Selected local artists are given vouchers to the local Salvation Army Thrift Store to purchase a “treasure” or item(s) that get TRANSFORMED into art by artists! Artists are requested to take a before and after picture of their project and the finished works are auctioned off Saturday, May 2 at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel, Transformed Treasures luncheon celebration. One of the coolest pieces from last year was an old, beat up television entertainment unit that was TRANSFORMED into a childs puppet theater! How cool is that! I’ve got my work cut out for me because my competitive side is definitely peaking…

The Art of the Journal

Do you keep a journal? I do. I love to put ideas, collage, drawings, clippings, writings, dreams and more into mine. I have several styles I use. Originally, in high school I started out using the traditional blank black books that most of the art room groupies used to look hip, then I shifted to various Moleskin styles, including small purse/backpack sized ones that are with me always. I love their feel. If you are into the art of a journal...Look What's Available on DVD!
From http://www.1000journalsfilm.com/: 1000 Journals are traveling from hand to hand throughout the world. One came back. Where are the other 999?
1000 Journals is a film about people whose lives are touched by 1000 traveling journals. These blank journals were released into the world in the summer of 2000, by Someguy, a San Francisco based artist. Some people found a journal, or got it from a friend or stranger. Some signed up on the web and received it in the mail. Some wrote in them, others doodled, pasted in photographs, or added artworks. Some kept them. Some passed them on. There are no rules, and no one really monitors these journals and their movements. And yet, they are connecting tens of thousands of people worldwide, provoking and inspiring them.

In September 2003, one of the 1000, number 526, returned to Someguy, filled. What happened to the other 999? This film tells their stories. 1000 Journals shares the experience of their worldwide journeys, and chronicles the self-governed collaboration of thousands of random people who have added to this global "message in a bottle."

Denizen of the Deep Blue Sea

This is one piece I was getting ready to pack up to ship to Fireweed Gallery in Homer and thought I’d get a quick shot of it first. It is a plasma cut and welded steel wall sculpture of one of my favorite subjects, sea life. At 42” wide x 15” tall it is a little smaller than I normally work, but this time of year the customer base will be more locals than visitors and the pricing needs to be sensitive to the season. I will send the Gallery some other fun, smaller works, maybe even some of the new clay work in time for Valentines Day shoppers. Art always makes the best gift to those you LOVE!

A Visit From the Magical Raven

Look who was looking at me! An unusual visitor landed on the deck railing. A big, beautiful, black Raven sat looking at me for a minute or so, (long enough for me to get a picture through the window), cocking its head, bobbing it beak, then flew softly away. We have three, tube-style bird feeders hanging from the Log eve, directly above where the Raven landed. The winter-only feeders frequented by many species of Alaska birds include, Nuthatch, Black Capped Chickadees, Grosbeaks and other smaller song birds. Looking out our huge cabin windows, I love to watch the feeders while working at my laptop. Today, a large nomadic group of Bohemian Waxwings were high in the Spruce, flying, eating and swirling all in concert. It was magical.

Ravens are very popular in Alaska. Many Native Alaska beliefs depict the Raven as the “trickster” spirit and play an important part as spirit beings in Northwest mythology. Many people have a special affection for Ravens including myself. The steel Raven wall sculptures I make are customer favorites at the Galleries. I plasma cut the birds and leaves, hand bend the steel branches, weld the wings and then the birds to the branches. I like to finish the pieces with One Shot sign painters enamel paint. These are pictures of wall sculptures that are drying and I just finished embellishing the beak with red glass beads on copper wire to look like a fresh picked berry.

Here are a couple links to the Bird Treatment and Learning Center and the Alaska Bird Observatory which we support.

The Strike of Inspiration

Most often when inspiration strikes, I’m searching for it because I need to get to work. There are also, the times I like best, when I least expect the strike of “I’ve got to create!” That is what happened when I was wandering through the Blog-o-sphere, transfixed by other artists talent and saw the banner on Judy Coates Perez Blog. Her banner is richly illustrated, beautiful and completely inspired me.

Sometimes, I think that inspiration is a combination of our subconscious, current state of mind/emotion and that artistic gift working in a symbiotic rhythm, looking for a spark to fan the flame of artmaking. Today, I choose to believe that because in combination with the beautiful banner from Painted Threads, I was recently ordering a new pottery stamp of my Nautilus shell icon, and my daughter lent me the current book I’m reading, “A Fish Caught in Time: The Search for the Coelacanth” by Samantha Weinberg (BTW I love Coelacanths).

Everything just fell into place and time stood still as I was shaping these new clay sculptures of a Humboldt Squid and a Nautilus Shell. The latest clay I’m trying out is a White Tile ^06 -1 from Seattle Pottery. I’m going to make both sets of tentacles from cold rolled steel, hand bend and weld together, and spot weld some “suckers.” I’ll probably make one wall sculpture and wire mount the finished clay bodies of the Squid and Shell, fitting the bodies around the steel tentacles. For the Nautilus Shell I want to try out some new Majolica glazes I have coming and the Squid will probably get this bright orange-red, velvety matt glaze...if all goes well!

Good friends, food and coffee

Art Coffee was this morning. I’m feeling refreshed and inspired after a morning with other like-minded creative types. Several of us independent artists regularly get together for a morning of casual conversation about upcoming shows, art trends, studio troubles, new projects, gallery business news and of course coffee (I also had eggs benedict...mmm). New people come and go, and there can be as few as three, to as many as 10. I usually get to meet someone new whom I may have heard their name, and get a chance to put a face to the name/medium at Art Coffee. Mary and I usually feel the need for Art Coffee about the same time, every 2 weeks or so. Working on your own can feel isolating at times so we pick a morning at our favorite coffee shop cafe, send out an e-mail and ask to forward it to other like-minded creative types. Today we had a couple of fiber artists, a bead artist, painter, fused glass artist, encaustic artist, ATC artist, metal artist and ceramicist.

Unloaded the glaze load and had nice results for a beginner! The hardest part was that it took a lot of patience for me NOT to open the lid and peak before the kiln had properly cooled!

It was an electric ^05 firing. I tried out several new glazes, Amaco matt, as well as some new Speedball (not sure I like the Speedball but LOVE the Amaco matt). I also used some ancient Raku Crackle white and Copper Lustre...all not too bad. My scrifitto fish turned out way too shiny/glossy for my taste so I ordered some new clear matt glaze.

The picture on the right is of a small wall sculpture layout I want to make using the combination of steel and clay. I'm going to rust patina the metal and use copper wire to connect the clay components. The shell is a giant Alaska scallop I got in Homer this summer, along with the starfish (from my treasure box), using press molds Bill and I made this summer. I think I will be dong a similar sculpture for the fish and a few of the tiles. I like the combination of the steel and clay.

All work and no art-play makes me itch...

I’ve been very good at taking care of business this week and feeling that I needed a bit of comfort food…TAMALES would do it, but I’m babysitting a glaze load and can’t run off. Because I have been sooo responsible lately, I was also tossing n' turning, starting and stopping a bit, feeling a slightly nagging, lack-o, creative itch, of an-almost-writers-block-but-can’t-quite-scratch kind of feeling. Arrrgh. I choose to blame it on the weather (an easy target).

Soooo, when I have this sort of non-creative feeling I pull out one of my comfort books, “Living the Creative Life – ideas and inspiration from working artists” by Rice Freeman-Zachery. Mmmmmm, after a few pages I’ll be better tomorrow.

Guess What!! My timing (or my itch) is very serendipitous because look who is on TONIGHT'S WorldStreams GUEST: RICE FREEMAN-ZACHERY http://www.worldstreams.org/upcoming.html

Rice was invited by Google to give a talk on her book in their authors @google series. This is an excellent talk and gives you an idea of what the book is like.

ARTographing Our Work

Linda at Blue Starr Gallery asked a good question yesterday, how do other artists sign their pottery? She also asked for input on a new mark she was creating and there are some good comments and input (though varied) on her Blog. I feel that signing, tagging, “packaging” or adding an original mark to works are essential as pricing, to generate sales. Those finishing touches are the business end of artmaking that some artists may find unpleasant but necessary.

The mark I chose to use on my clay is a re-do of an old mark that I used to use to use in school. The mark is of a Nautilus shell, a very meaningful design with references to the Golden Ratio that I enjoyed doing research on. My tags that I use on my metal work is a folded business card that I hole punch and tie on with a strip of batik fabric. I print them 5 across on index weight paper from my HP Laser Printer, then trim to size. I like to vary the collage design, color and artwork on the “cover” of the card. The card folds in the middle and the title of the work and Gallery price sticker are neatly inside.

It was 40 degrees above and raining in Girdwood (!in January!), leaving the parking area a huge skating rink, or Lake Megeve as some rightfully called it. After we spread traction sand, look what Nature left for us to see this morning! Isn’t this just the coolest design! Derek thought it looked like Crop Circles, I was thinking the design reminded me of the Cave Drawings of Lascaux.

The high winds knocked this incredible piece of lichen from a treetop. It was resting near the driveway crop circle, and reminded me of something I'd find on the beach or in a tide pool. I would LOVE to re-create this color green in a glaze…not sure that will be possible because Nature has done such a perfect job. Hmmmm...more "Spring green" on the mind (!in January!).

Red, White and Blue with a Splash of Spring Green

As the Inauguration Nears, Arts Advocacy Lives .: Americans for the Arts :.
The Arts and Economic Recovery Policy Recommendations Announced January 13, 2009—Americans for the Arts today released its policy recommendations to President-elect Barack Obama and the U.S. Congress, as they begin consideration of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan. The nine recommendations detail how existing federal programs, as well as new proposals, can provide critical support to the country’s arts, as well as economic infrastructure. The policy recommendations are available here.

From Karen Michel at Altered Imagery; Quincy Jones has started a petition to ask President-Elect Obama to appoint a Secretary of the Arts. While many other countries have had Ministers of Art or Culture for centuries, The United States has never created such a position. We in the arts need this and the country needs the arts--now more than ever. Please take a moment to sign this important petition and then pass it on to your friends and colleagues. Secretary of the Arts Petition http://www.petitiononline.com/esnyc/petition.html

With the warmer temps, I was working on some new leaf sculptures. Here are a couple of images, I've been thinking of using spring green colors for the finish.

Oh, BTW the offerings for Artfest 2009 are posted, to be held April 1-5, 2009 in Port Townsend, WA. A note from Teesha says "Taking time out for yourself is one of the best things you can do in this busy, crazy world. Everyone needs time to just be in nature, play, be silent, gather ideas, commune with other artists, and get away from your everyday lives for a few days. It allows you to refresh and pinpoint directions you want to go in your life. The whole experience of Artfest from the drive up, the beautiful fort on the beach, the inspiring workshops, the caring teachers, the groups that form, and your fellow attendees makes it the perfect place for this to happen. Feel free to email us with any questions at artgirl777@aol.com."

Spending time with "My Divine"

I spent time in front of “My Divine Shrine-a-rella” this week. It’s a wall shrine that I made when I am in need of finding comfort and calm through friends and loved ones.

Things were discombobulated this week. Schools were closed for three straight days, wild swings in the weather brought temperatures from at least 21 below to 46 degrees above, which caused a bit of cabin fever to set in. Routines were goofed up, the norm, planned and expected were out the window, including my production schedule. Just a couple of blocks away from our house in town, Chester Creek flooded several houses –in the month of January(!) It was tragic watching the images on the 6:00 news, feeling sad yet grateful that we are on a bit of higher ground. Alyeska was closed due to 120+ mph winds at the top of the mountain. Other crazy incidents flashed across CNN including a jumbo jet landing in the Hudson, distressing news about artist friends needing to find second jobs to make ends meet, lack of studio space and other news of economic difficulties. All of this craziness had me reflecting on one of my pet organizations, CERF, Craft Emergency Relief Fund, and wanted to spread the word about all of the good work they do for Craft Artists. Check out their link. All of the at-home time caused me also do a bit of nesting by checking the batteries in smoke detectors, replace a Carbon Monoxide (co2) detector that wasn’t functioning properly and better cleaned the area around the dryer and kilns.

Some artists are able to create or are inspired when there is chaos. Not me. I’m learning that I create some of my best work when all is calm, my chores are done, my family is fed, safe and happy. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE storms. But, I love storms when I have a pot of soup or chili (Check out Linda's recipe) going on the stove or cookies baking in the oven. I love the weather lashing the windows while I’m warmly inside creating, reading or when I'm properly geared up and out in the weather going for hikes with my dog. I’m inspired by the weather, inspired by the kind of light just after a storm, collecting Nature's fallen found objects like interesting shaped branches, leaves, lichen or abandon nests that the wind knocked unexpectedly from treetops. I’m hoping some great work comes my way next week, when all returns to a renewed normal.

Going with the flow, or freeze, or family...

Crazy weather swings this week from the 21 below to 35 above and rain today have crushed my production schedule. Normally this rain is perfect for adding Nature’s patina to my steel work, but I had no pieces to put out since all week it's all I can do to keep the studio and shop safe and warm. Freezing rain and slick roads closed all of the universities and schools today. This doesn’t happen very often but my son and husband, who is a teacher, both did the happy dance this morning at 5:45 am when we got the call that school had been canceled. Roads were closed and the power was out in various parts of the city.

So much for my day that was scheduled for full-on production that was to be done alone. Oh well. Thank goodness I had picked up my order of steel and my pallet of clay and new shelves for the kiln were delivered both yesterday. As I get older I'm learning not only the value of patience, but the benefit of "going with the flow."

As the rain, wind, and even hail pelted the studio windows, I felt fortunate to be able to be to have an at-home studio that kept me off of the crazy slick roads, and spend the unseasonable blustery day with my family. I managed to finish up the detail work on a couple of sculptures, finished the Sea Otter for the KAKM Art Auction and finished some beading. I wrapped up early and cut the day short to do what we enjoy doing most on a rainy day…

New mittens for this kitten

Time that I treated myself to two new pairs of gloves! One pair is heavier duty for welding and are insulated, the other pair are fine, light weight leather with high cuffs that I use for plasma cutting. The lighter weight leather is so I can better feel the trigger. Since I’m right handed, my right hand gloves are usually in pretty good shape because I’m always holding some sort of tool. But the left hand glove is usually cooked into a claw shape from all the high heated steel I grab and move!

The temperature finally bumped up above zero today. At 12 degrees ABOVE it felt downright balmy! The shop is now tolerable, just in time for me to finish up the piece I am donating to the KAKM Art Auction. I decided to donate a Sea Otter titled “Treasures From The Sea” because the Otter will be holding cut steel sea stars, kelp, oysters and an original, beautiful, vintage Japanese glass float I got in Homer. I’m attaching the glass float by wrapping the glass ball in reclaimed copper wire. The details will be hand painted in bright enamel paint. I was also able to weld up the cool octopus I was working on. He is getting a rust patina finish and will also have enamel painted sea stars, kelp and a glass float wired on the framework. The pieces are pictured in the studio on the work table getting ready to be painted and have the embellishments wired on. I will probably add some glass beading strung on fine copper wire as well. I like how the light catches the glass beads and shimmers like water when the sculptures are on the wall.

My Private Octogon Ocean

At 21 below zero I was better prepared for the extreme cold and had a warm kiln day! The metal work is going to have to wait until it is at least a balmy 10 above or even zero degrees. It is just way to miserable wearing my respirator and fogging my eye protection with my own breath or having my nose run inside of my welding helmet.

The bisque load I so patiently waited for turned out beautiful. Whew! My New Year’s goal of seeking “Nature’s patience” paid off. I was so tempted to lift the lid of the kiln early and take a peek, but I forced myself back into the studio to make some more fish and clay Shine-a-rellas that are now on the drying racks. The pictures are of the clay sea scape tiles with some of my Nature elements in the background. When I got to the last shelf, the fish looked like my private octagon ocean. The rough scriffito technique on the fish pair was my first attempt. I love the look but the sound and feeling of the marking through the glaze is uncomfortable for me to feel and hear…not sure what I’m going to do about that. One of the first pieces I formed was “Tired Old Moon.” I’m not sure how I am going to finish him but I’m so glad he survived the firing. There are several test tiles that I want to experiment with before I decide how to finish Mr. Moon.

Making sparks fly in the deep freeze

Back to work, no excuses, even if it is 10 below outside. Had I been better prepared this would have been a great kiln firing day, to warm things up a bit but instead I had a metal cutting day planned.

Brrrrrrrr, I was thinking that this deep freeze we are currently in, serves me right for all those epic ski days when I didn’t set foot in the studio and did not get any work done! This may sound a little “Northern Exposure” like, but for the first time ever, I had to put long underwear on under my Carhartt’s to work in the heated shop! Even though it was freezing cold outside, the black iron cut like butter. My Plasma cutter loves the dry air, and I love using way fewer consumables while getting much cleaner cuts. The smooth, quick, cut-once approach suits my freehand style perfectly. I laid out a 4 x 8 sheet of steel and used a Sharpie (which was too cold to work fluidly) to draw out a very cool octopus, Gallery pieces that included several sea life elements, a sea otter, ravens and some other individual artsy works to compliment my new clay work. I only got one sheet cut though, my feet were getting too cold on the concrete slab (even in my favorite pair of SmartWool's).

Some hardy souls are choosing to salute the deep freeze with a celebration of Alaska and life in the North. FREEZE is a bold series of large-scale outdoor installations in downtown Anchorage organized by The Alaska Design Forum in association with the International Gallery of Contemporary Art and the Anchorage Museum. So far, Mother Nature has been the perfect hostess.

The sun doesn’t rise very high in the winter sky and by mid afternoon it was time to call it a day. Even my “Chicken-vane” on our shed roof was cold, must be time for a Hot Toddy…