New Year, New Directions

So I've had a lot of time to think about where I want to take my art in the upcoming year and while I love to make ornaments, I miss spending the time on the larger pieces. (making all those little guys takes so much time) I will continue to make my little elf doll ornaments, they are ideal for the times when I overuse my thumb smoothing paper clay, but I'm hoping to spend a little more time in 2011 making larger pieces like the White Rabbit and even the Mad Hatter ornament.



Literary characters are actually very intriguing to me. Before I had my wee tot, I used to love to read. Mostly I loved Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, Edgar Allen Poe and the classics. Imagine some of the characters that could be sculpted from, say, "The Great Gatsby". The material is ripe with images. My mind conjures up all sorts of colorful characters as I read.


Old Movies also are intriguing to me. Especially some of the old classic Christmas movies. My first project for next Christmas (or maybe sooner since I just love "It's a Wonderful Life") is "George Lassos the Moon". How cute will that be? A little sculpture of George lassoing the moon. (an engineering challenge also)


Let's not forget Alfred Hitchcock movies (my favorite!) or how about the old Vincent Price movies. (I loved "House of Wax" and "Twice Told Tales"). The "Wizard of Oz", "Sound of Music". the list could go on and on. So many fabulously creative works that could be translated and memorialized in artwork.


And lest we forget about classic TV. Ahhh....the good ole' days. "Bewitched", "The Adaams Family", "Munsters", "I Dream of Jeannie", again the list goes on and on. (and these I can see being one of a kind Christmas ornaments)

The "Twilight Zone", "Outer Limits" and "Tales from the Darkside" would also be cool especially for my other focus in 2011: Dioramas.

It all started when I made the Ice Skater Ornaments and then the "Wizard of Oz" ornaments. I wanted a way to remember them after they sold and my friend, Rebecca from "hoffee and a nuffin", told me she took photos of her finished sock monkeys in different appropriate settings. I loved this idea, and to take it a bit further I decided to create little 'store window displays' that could be hung on your wall or set on a mantle. Just over the top enough to be uber cool. I also hope to delve into cut paper a little more this year and incorporate it into these dioramas. The subject matter could be anything: a scene from a movie, a Christmas window idea I would love to see, even an interpretation of a favorite photograph. The possibilities are endless. I love details and I love drawing but I find I love the challenge of *drawing* three dimensionally. I love the engineering aspect of the creative process. I love the feeling of accomplishment when I engineer something lovely.

I also plan on not doing as many shows next year. I may do one or two if they work into my schedule but this year was too hard when child care fell through at the last minute. It wasn't fair for my little one, customers or me. In 2011, I hope to get my website up and functioning they way I had always planned. To really focus on my Etsy shop until I can do everything from my website.

In the meantime, I plan to organize my studio better than it has ever been organized; to create a workspace instead of a storage space. To destash all of the supplies that I can't see myself using.

On a personal note, I look forward to going back to school in 2011. I hope to get a degree in Mechanical/Electrical Engineering and eventually a Masters in Environmental Engineering. Been brushing up on my mathematic skills (it has been an awfully long time since I had to use those muscles!)

So now I have everything written down so I can reflect on it over the next twelve months.

I wish you all a Very Happy and Prosperous 2011!

From My Garden (and more!)

Large garden mums

What's left of my football mums after the deer snacked on them

Scary weed in my potted peony that I can't pull without heavy duty gloves(at least it will have flowers, LOL)

my little one with *his* Japanese Maple tree we bought the year he was born

the last remaining bloom on my butterfly bush :o(

Stowaway Grandpa Ott's morning glory.(it secretly transplanted itself )

my garden moose

In the past couple of weeks, all the energy I had going into my latest works has shifted to fall cleaning. Since I loathe cleaning, I heavy duty clean, purge and rearrange about twice a year (sometimes 3 times depending on my mood;o) Now, this doesn't mean I don't clean here and there throughout the year, I do on a semi-regular basis, but the entire house is never as clean as it is after my fall or spring cleaning is finished. I take down and wash the drapes(and shower curtain) and vacuum under all the furniture. Pull up all the floor rugs, wash them and mop all the tiled surfaces. Clean all the cupboards and rearrange everything so I can find it.(there must be a little troll running around this house who just puts things wherever they can find an open place) Dust and wipe down all the furniture, clean baseboards and all flat surfaces. And so on and so on. Needless to say, doing all this in short succession doesn't leave much time to create. Thus the reason I only do the heavy duty stuff 2 or 3 times a year and spot clean when needed. I'm almost finished with the insanity which means I will soon be painting and creating (oh! how I long to escape to my happy place once more.)

In the meantime, here are some new photos from my garden. We are still waiting impatiently for the cosmos to bloom! (But the marigolds are blooming) and my little one's latest creation. We go to a little ceramics place here every year and he makes me an ornament for the Christmas tree and gets to paint a piece of his choice (this year a race car!)

While I think of it, does anyone know if you can bring Gerbera daisies in for the winter?