First Tracks Anyone??

I know what Derek will be bidding on at the Fall for Art event this Saturday night...

Damp, yellow Birch leaves now cover our lawn and the dogs regularly track them into the house. The beautiful low bush cranberry bushes have turned a vivid scarlet. Weird and fun mushrooms are popping up everywhere emitting strange new smells. Fall is my favorite time of year and normally my most productive. Though lately I’m finding it hard to find a good production schedule  that's in sync with times of high inspiration corresponding with available time to actually work. Not 

that I’m complaining, but between homework, field trips, college kids needs, our FUN fall social commitments, the business end of my art and general household maintenance my brain is way full and my feet tired. The shopping, cooking, laundry, meal planning and other domestic items necessary for a happy home are now largely my turn now that Derek has returned to school, which is a bummer, because he is REALLY good at it!

I think when I have a full domestic brain it cuts off circulation to my creative brain. I had a mini creative block (which can cause a bit of panic) for a week or so but was completely re-inspired by getting a chance to help another artist with a new 

business venture. I can’t reveal what the project is but I can show you a couple of pictures of the pieces I’m working on for her! For now, I’ll call them the “covert Octopi” which are oxidizing from their patina bath outside right now!  Can't believe I'm saying this, but we need a bit of rain for the patina to be just perfect. 

Postscript: How cool is this?? Tauzer won the contest from Blanco Bob the Boxer in Maine! Thank Bob, you ROCK and your Mom creates fantastically creative  Cowgirl Goods!

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!

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.