Space Invaders

Last year, when I was redesigning the studio to accommodate my newest medium of clay I had bought a couple of good books on studio design and really cool potters studios. One of the things mentioned in a book was “a Slab Roller Table can double as additional surface area.” I thought to myself, “no way! I would never use my sacred slab roller area for anything other than clay,” that just seemed sacrilegious… well, not using that valuable surface area lasted about two months! Anchorage set a record low temp “for this day in history” last week. At a 

cool 6 degrees (colder in most areas and it’s not even Thanksgiving!!) I had to move a lot of metal pieces that were (not) drying out in the shop/garage area into the warmer and dryer clean studio area. Ravens were on tap this week filing pre-Holiday orders and finishing up some special requests from the Bad Girls Show. I had Raven sculptures in various stages of production everywhere! Ironically, there was a story in the Fairbanks Newsminer that a customer and our daughter had e-mailed me about “Hundreds of birds seem to mourn deaths of fellow ravens…” I guess there were hundreds of Ravens gathered in east Fairbanks after two Ravens roosting on top of a transformer were electrocuted. It made for quite an eerie scene.

We had a couple of pleasant surprises when we arrived at the Girdwood house last night. First, it was snowing and a balmy 15 degrees! Second, Daddy-O’s new boards arrived and were waiting for him at the Mountain Learning Center’s office. Derek works part-time as a PSIA Level III Ski Instructor 

and PSIA Examiner at the Resort. He was a very happy boy. The upper level instructors are being treated to a clinic day on the lower mountain today, before the mountain

opens to the public this Wednesday the 25th. Third, while Derek was picking up his skis we saw that the lights were on at Shelbi Lynne’s new shop, “Babes in the Woods Gallery!” Here shop features “Art, Apparel and Adventure” and is located on the Alyeska Boardwalk. Shelbi says her new gallery is “featuring a fresh collection of Alaskan artwork, a rejuvenated vision, surrounded by woods and some of the best ski slopes Alaska has to offer. Nestled in between the Sitzmark and the 

Day Lodge, just a few doors down from Girdwood Visual Arts Center and the Bake Shop, come by to say hello, enjoy the space, and get a healthy dose of inspiration.” She asked me to bring in some of my metal work and I’m excited to make up a few cool art pieces and bring them down to her hip little shop next week. Just in time for artful Holiday gift giving!

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!

Big Fatty Flakes

This weekend the Mountain was calling! Big, fatty flakes fell all weekend and Mother Nature put on a different show every day. This is the view of Mt. Alyeska from our deck. For some incredible shots of skiing in Turnagain Pass, check out our photographer friend Heather's Blog.

Before celebrating the long weekend skiing, I put together some great wall tiles for Half Moon Creek Gallery in Anchorage. The tiles were slab rolled and made using the seascape molds Bill and I made, Seamist and White Tile clay bisque fired at ^ o4, then fired at ^05 using a variety of beautiful Amaco and Speedball commercial gloss and matt glazes. I plasma cut out some steel crabs, kelp and starfish 

components, finished with a natural rust patina and then wired everything together.  I had collected the driftwood last summer from the beach in Homer. There are at least 4 milk crates filled 

with various driftwood pieces in the shop. Of course these crates look like treasure chests of gold to the dogs! We were sure to gather plenty of extra because Tauzer gets a couple long sticks each week to munch while I work. The Gallery said a few of the SeaWall Tiles had already found new homes for Valentines Day.