Animal Wednesday - maybe not a career...but a sideline.

I made this 8x8 cow painting for my friends shop - she sold my little crow painting and we thought we'd try a cow and see how it goes.

I got a picture of a cow and used it as a model for a painting...with paint. It was awful! I mean that shape of the cow was good but the painting was dreadful, I just don't know how to push paint around.

As an additional model, I used a painting that Lo did of Samson, cause I love the way she did his highlights in blue paint for a black dog - this is an important point to this story - you'll see why later. Really, Lo's painting makes adding those highlights seem so EASY - and it's not. And Ms Lo can really push that paint around as evidenced by the Samson painting below.





Anyway the cow almost got thrown in the recycle bin. But then I decided to rescue it with pastels. I pasted tissue paper over the painting so that the painting showed thru but was muted, and then I went to town with the pastels. Somehow I can control them better, and I like the overall effect.

Here's the funny part. When I brought it upstairs to show to DH, he liked it and then said "it reminds me of Samson".

!!

Happy Animal Wednesday!

Another thought -

I'd have to take lessons from Lori - who's an awesome photographer. But what fun that would be!!!

Animal Wednesday - thinking of new careers.....

Hmmm.....it's a thought!







I'm putting all these ideas in a journal so as to keep imagining new opportunities.

Purely Decorative

Yes...another bowl. To placate Helen, I will note that this bowl is very flammable, and that getting rid of it at the necessary date of my future demise will be very easy. But hopefully it will be sold at a craft fair or store years before that need arises.

I was at an art show the other day, and something I saw got me thinking about using paper in another way to make a bowl, (instead of strips). This piece is not exactly what I had in mind but it's part of the path to getting to try another technique that my brain is fooling around with - more on that later.



This bowl is pinky woven paper with holes in it, and then I embroidered around the holes with glittery thread.

It's all one piece - no cuts, some folds and lots of stabilizing gel medium. It's sturdier than it looks but would only really be good for holding rose petals, or dried hydrangea flowers.

Actually that thought sounds so good that I might just trot off to Michael's in this little snow storm we are having to get some dried rose petals.

The show I was at was the student art show at the Worcester Art Museum. It's the first time I have ever entered anything in a show - and was I ever nervous. They had the piece in a prominent place but then - for that night only - placed teachers and tables in front of many of the pieces. The teachers were giving an open house, and that was great, but I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't really see the piece the way I wanted to. But oh well, I've now put something out on display for the first time in my life - it got accepted to the show, and I'm happy about that.

Confused

Did you ever get so confused that you don't even know you are confused and things just get crazier and crazier? That's me these past few weeks and yesterday I realized it. How did it sink into my brain? It was when I saw an Animal Wednesday post and a dim thought crossed my head of "Why are they posting an Animal Wednesday post when it's just an ordinary Wednesday and not an "animal" Wednesday?"

What the hell?

What is my brain up to?

I actually know what it's up to and it can't fool me ha ha!! It's hiding it's head in the sand so to speak, and not actually dealing with the issues that have come up at work. It's believing the people who say "oh don't worry, we'll find a job for you here, you won't be let go" but then there is the OTHER part of my brain that is NOT hiding in the sand and is saying "oh yeah? well show me the money!" and the two brains are battling it out and using me as a Frisbee. One part has me up at 4:00 am every day trying to get ready to go to work early to show what a good hard worker I am and the other part has me snuggling back in bed until at least 5;30 and then lolling around the house and not getting to work until 8:00 am.

The part I call "Ossie" (for obvious reasons....where do ostrich's live anyway?) has been sabotaging me in very subtle ways - forcing me to forget to take my nightly twitchy leg meds so that I toss and turn all night and then get up early and it tries to make me think I want to go to work. The clever part who I've named "MIM" realizes this subterfuge and relaxes in front of the computer visiting blogs with that extra hour and posts crazy posts about forgetting about Wednesdays.

It ain't easy dealing with two brains right now, so please forgive any odd behavior, odd comments, stray posts. I will eventually force Ossie back into her closet and if she wants to keep her head in the sand so be it - as long as MIM rules.

Do you see why I'm confused???

Works in Progress - sculpy

Good Monday morning to you all - no vacation day for me but I'm up early and thought I'd share the weekend's work with you.

I've wanted to try Sculpy for awhile, after using paperclay for awhile I wanted to try something that was a bit more solid - and could dry in a shorter time. So I got a bunch of Sculpy and started in.

A few things have popped out already - all are still in process and I'm learning as I go (as usual). I'm hoping that I can sand down the Sculpy piece even after it's dried and am breaking out the Dremel Moto-tool for some sanding. Does anyone know if this will work? Can dried sculpy be sanded????

This bowl has a lizard, a turtle, a snake and a fish swimming around it. I'm thinking iridescent blue for the base, and greens, browns and reds for the animals - any comments, suggestions or thoughts?





This little bowl is a button bowl! I took a circle of clay, folded the edges and added "buttons". Don't know yet how I will paint it but probably solid colors with contrasting buttons. It's small, fits in your hand and I think I'll make a few sizes.


And then this guy popped out. He's not dried yet, and needs some legs with knobby knees. I made his feet big so that he would stand up, but I have to say that he's not so steady. I thought of putting weights in his feet so he would stand, or maybe a strong magnet so that he could stand on metal. Any hints from you doll makers and sculptors out there?


One reason for this recent activity is that a few of us are going to sign up for a craft fair in May. JB, Lo and I and maybe Heather (not a blogger) will be doing a fair in Northampton - it's called Twist. Sounds like fun and I have a very long time to get ready for it but it's two days and a night and that alot of stuff to have ready to sell. I'm NOT nervous or anything, it's just that I like to be prepared (5 months in advance!).

The absolute best part of the weekend was having Sean and Brian over for a night. We went to a movie (Hugo), had dinner, watched a football game, ate brownies, talked and in general - it was delightful. I wanted to give one of them a book...couldn't find it in my library and have asked them to come over one or two days and list ALL the books that we have so that I can start figuring out what I have, where it is, and how to sort it all out. OK, its really an excuse to get them here again, but I think it's a pretty good excuse plus they'll earn some money from Uncle Tony.

Time to get ready to go to work, its a balmy 8 degrees outside - I'm so looking forward to that 1/4 mile walk to work from the garage!!!

I liked the first one so much....

that I decided to do a bigger one.

(Yeeks - what a lousy photo)

Anyway, this one is much bigger and more colorful than the first one - but I like them both. Just felt like continuing to work on a theme.



I think it's about 16 x 20.

Fun stuff!

Animal Wednesday - Holidays are over!!!!

Scruffy was so happy to see us when we got to Florida - as soon as he sees me he grabs his toy dead squirrel and runs around on his stubby legs wanting to play. Mom doesn't play with him much, but don't feel sorry for him....he lives a good life!! But he does love it when his siblings show up and throw his toys around.

Here he is before his holiday haircut.....

and here he is after a much needed grooming - look at that little bandana - isn't it cute? Bad pics I know but he's hard to photograph - he moves around so quickly. He really is a cute little dog and mom and the whole neighborhood are so fond of him. All the neighbors have dogs and they all meet in the evening trying to get their dogs to poop before dark (it's pretty hysterical!). Otherwise they have to carry flashlights so that they can pick up after the pooch and to see all these old ladies carrying little bags of poop is really funny. Mom still walks him 3 times a day, with one walk at about 2 miles. Amazing!


We had such gorgeous weather while we were there that we got a ton of bike riding in. This gopher turtle scurried (as much as turtles can scurry) across the bike path and a few people stopped to watch. Every time someone stopped they'd ask "why did the turtle cross the road" and some other smart mouth would answer something equally silly. Happened about 5 times, finally I rode away.


This turtle was near a beautiful pond and was happily laying eggs while I watched.



I'm trying to upload a video of this turtle....but blogger is being rather slow this morning. Oh...maybe it worked! This turtle knew I was watching and gave me many baleful turtle glares - but all I did was watch, no egg stealing for this primate.

Have a Very Happy Animal Wednesday!!!

Using classic language

Since I am a prolific reader, and often read the classics I have always wanted to use the following sentence...and now have a chance. (visualize back of hand on forehead, swoon coming on - dramatic voice)

I have been given my conge!

I am so excited to be able to use that sentence that it overshadows any apprehension that I might have about my future non-work situation.

It's not for a year - perhaps more - but by that time our Miss Em is going to shine and be ready to launch a book.

Watch out Tintin - Miss Em'll mow you down.

More later !!!