Mixing New and Old

  

Last post showed these kids all retro and I thought I'd show them in their natural light. The piece at the top is going to be for sale soon. Clay hair and all. The bottom figure is called Wonder. Because they remind me of Wonder Woman. And really, aren't we all wonder women?

March Calendar Page

It's that time of the month again. Please feel free to use this calendar page for personal use. The warm light might have you dreaming of spring.

February Calendar

Hello. I was very naughty and didn't post this yesterday. I was out jogging, walking and enjoying the perfect winters day in South Florida. I am about to post images of the newer girls. Soft silky flowing hair, free standing and all that. Keep watching.

Happy December

It seems like I blinked and it was December. Here is the calendar page for December. It features my sculpture Hunters. Hope whatever you celebrate this time of year is happy, jolly and bright.

November Calendar Page

Halloween is tomorrow and I saw a Christmas ad on television today. Zoiks.
Please enjoy the November 2014 calendar page. This month features Dot and her Hippo friend all painted up. Feel free to use as your desktop image. Personal use only please. Happy Thanksgiving!

February Calendar

My Goodness. This kitchen redo has me so distracted that I didn't post my February calendar! Shameful. As you know we've only got 28 days and I've already missed nearly a week.
Enjoy this calendar. The sculpture is Skipper and Peg from my personal collection.

Sale on my Etsy Shop

I finally got off my lazy butt and listed a few new/old pieces and marked down the prices by A LOT. Yes, in case you didn't know I paint too. I should put some of my horse paintings up there. What can I say I just need to make some space.

Welcome November!

For the past couple of weeks I've really been having fun Photoshopping my sculptures into lots of different vacation photos.  Feel free to download this image and use it as your desktop calendar for the month of November. I am going to challenge myself to make a new one for each month. I hope you enjoy it and if you do come on back in December for the next calendar.

To download a nice high res version click here.

Abstract Painting

I've gone mad and pained our living room again, (the 4th time in one year but who's counting) this time it's white.  I grabbed an old canvas,  headed out to the back garden,  threw down a drop cloth, grabbed some paint, and asked Jody to join me and together we labored on Labor Day and made an abstract painting. He'd make a mark on the canvas and then I would, taking turns and I really like what we did. Now I just have to decide on a frame. The living room isn't 100% finished but at least I've got myself a painting.

New Salt and Peps on their way to Florida Craftsmen Gallery

I finally got off my lazy butt and photographed some of the new salt and peppers that have been laying in boxes in my hallway since unloading the kiln 2 weeks ago.  Shame shame... These kids will be on their way to Florida Craftsmen Gallery in St. Petersburg, Florida. Having fun with native motifs of course wings and dots too.

Ceramic Sculpture for July

Since getting back from California I have been making doubles (double figures). Lots of doubles. Got some nice influences from the West. The vibrant colors, the native and Spanish influence. If you saw my facebook page or the photo posted earlier from California I had this crazy pictures of a red wagon filled with cactus. That inspired this piece titled Dreamer.

The double figure and free standing figure have long braids inspired by native peoples, and the heart on the free standing figure reads "Love Is Love". Which it is. And that's that.

Small Favors at the Clay Studio, Philadelphia, PA

Great news, three of my pieces were selected for the Small Favors VIII Exhibition at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, PA.  The show is a really great concept. No piece can be larger than 4 inches and no piece can cost more than $100.  What I really like about it is that it allows people access to affordable art.  I adore it when my favorite artists do the same. So hopefully those of you who have tight budgets can pop by The Clay Studio between May 3 - June 2, 2013.

There will be  mini versions of these little guys at the gallery. The first piece is called If Marie Antoinette was a Bird in a Push Up Bra and the second is called Dog with a Ball and I believe they will retail for $90.

So what are you waiting for? Support local art and craft galleries. They are small businesses and they really need your support. And so do artists.

New Work for Piedmont Craftsman

I've been recycling old ideas while making my new figures. The big hair, the flowers, the twigs. If you've followed my work you'll remember seeing the motifs in my old bird boxes from a couple of years ago. These two pieces are winging their way to The Piedmont Craftsmen Gallery tomorrow. The bird figure measures approximately 10 inches. The birds I was making a couple of years ago were much smaller (4 inches) and the girl with legs is approximately 17 inches high. If you're near Winston-Salem please pop by and visit my kids.

Mr Bates and Anna: for you Downton Abbey Fans

With a new year starting I needed to post a new piece. Last night Jody and I did the rarest of rare. We sat and watched tv. (Gasp, shock, horror!!) PBS was showing the entire Downton Abbey Season 2 back to back. Me being me and not being able to sit still had my sketchbook in my lap and was drawing the characters. God I love some of Mary's dresses. And suddenly I realized Mr Bates and Anna would be the PERFECT double figure.

Of course Anna wears her Edwardian apron and her ruffled maid's cap and as you can see I took a few liberties with Mr Bates. He has his pants tucked into boots and a vest (or waistcoat to you Brits) and his bowler hat. The figures are not done but I am having a lot of fun working on them.  Maybe I will start on of Mary and Matthew or O'Brian and Thomas. Ewww!! What great actors they (O'Brian and Thomas) are because they're just so hateful. I have to admit that I would have a ball sculpting O'Brian's hair! While Googling I came across this really funny picture of Conan O'Brien with O'Brian's hair which I've included. Hope it makes you smile.

Happy New Year everyone. Health, happiness and wonderful things for 2013.

New web site coming soon

I am finishing up the last little fiddly bits on my new web site. Within the next few days I am going to pull down the old site and replace it with a new shiny version. You'll notice similarities and major differences. Biggest difference is the green is gone replace with clean white background.

I am including a screen shot of one version of the homepage. I say one version because each time you refresh the page the image changes. There are 12 different figures and sketchbook page combinations. So if you are so inclined be sure to hit the refresh button or go back home and notice the different layouts. If you are a web builder/ designer I got the code for the random image from javascriptkit. I love that site and send my students there all of the time. It's also worth mentioning I got the code for my form on the contact page from thesitewizard. Follow the instructions and you too can have a really easy form on your site. There are so many people sharing great bits out there. If you find any please share them with me too.

And I  have also decided that I am going to start showing more sketches and am about to start selling prints of my sketches in my Etsy shop. Well, the sketches that aren't covered in clay since I do use my sketchbooks while working in the studio. Hope you like the new concept for the site.

Busy Bee

Well the weather here in Florida has broken, it's perfection if I must say so myself. We've shut off the a/c and are enjoying the cooler weather. I just finished shooting images of the new work that was pulled out of the kiln today. I love the pictures that I got today. Not sure if it's the lighting outside, maybe it's the colors that I used when I glazed, I don't know but the images are just popping. The lighting is so dramatic. Probably just dumb luck (given my photography skills)

I am calling this piece Count To Nine. It's a double and it stands about 20 inches high. The title once again making reference to siblings in my family.

I am actually really busy, I've got a commission to make a life sized double figure and more galleries are selling out and need more work. Whew.  A good complaint to have. I've actually been really bad this week, repainting my living room instead of working in the studio. I've got some new wall pieces I am going to post on Etsy. Watch for those shortly.

All Things Are Connected

What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beasts also happens to man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the children of the earth.
Chief Seattle - Suqwamish & Duwamish

A Netsilik Song

Have you ever seen or read something and you feel like it was written just for you? I came across this quote and it spoke to my soul. Within its words there is everything I feel and why I make the art that I make. It's from an Netsilik (Eskimo) song.

In the very earliest time,
when both people and animals lived on earth,
a person could become an animal if he wanted to
and an animal could become a human being.
Sometimes they were people
and sometimes animals
and there was no difference.
All spoke the same language.

Couldn't leave it with that mess

Me being me couldn't leave that photo of my studio in boxes as a last word. It's awful. And do you know what's even more awful? Me still getting up in the morning and going into my studio even though I can't do any work. Jody said I am "addicted to my studio". (Shhh, don't tell him... but I think he's right).

Anyhow, I thought I'd put a prettier picture up to hide that view of the studio in the entry right below.
This is one of my newest favorite pieces. It's called Stanley. It's a wall hanging and is about 15 inches tall. I love the expression on this ones face. Sort of wistful, like they're reflecting on something in the past or dreaming about "what could be".

As you can tell I have really gotten into wall pieces this year. To me they're so much easier to display in my house. They aren't plopped on a table blocking anyone. They can be hung safely away from klutzes (like somebody I adore... even when he breaks my stuff). Like I've said before when I looked around my own house most of the art I collect is wall pieces so I said "ding dong" why aren't you making more? Hope you enjoy.

Acquisition for the Permanent Collection: Cafesjian Center for the Arts, Armenia

I just received some really great news from Morgan Contemporary Glass Gallery in Pittsburgh, PA where I am currently taking part a Tea Pot exhibition. The Cafesjian Center for the Arts in Armenia has acquired one of my pieces for their permanent collection.

The piece they purchased is She Pot: Green Tea Leaves (accompanying this entry). As most of you know I tend to make sculptural pieces rather than functional ware. So rather than a tea pot I made a she pot. Her hair is meant to mimic a spout and she is a vessel with holes in her head for adding water or other liquid.

If you're in Pittsburgh in the near future please stop by and see her on display. Otherwise you'll have to trek to Armenia to visit my girl.