Happy birthday, Vincent

I remember the first time I really got to know Vincent. I was about thirteen years old, and having a year that wasn't so wonderful. On hot summer Mojave days, I would get dropped off at the library, just to have something to do, and in a place that was peaceful and delightfully air-conditioned.


I remember taking out a stack of art books. I have always loved to draw, and to read about artists. Looking at Vincent's work, really looking at it, I fell in love with his passion. You could see it in his brush strokes, his colors, and the amazing amount of art he produced in his life.

These were reasons enough to be friends with Vincent, but then I read about his life. For me, struggling as I was to fit in, to find myself, and to make sense of the things going on around me, it was as if Vincent reached through time and put a finger on my heart. I felt his pain, and a connection was made. This has only happened to me one other time, and that was later, in college, with Frida Kahlo.

I am grateful to Vincent. He was my first teacher of color. He taught me to break the rules with art. Most of all, he was a friend when I needed one. I wish I could have returned the favor.

Happy birthday, Vincent, and thank you.

Anvil reinforcement and some new work

You'll be happy to know that I have applied a second fishing line to help support the weight of the dangling anvil. I used E6000, which I think is just the ticket.

I've been busily working in the laboratory. What? I am having a bad hair day.
Turns out that Sweet Charlotte has a big sister.Meet Enchanting Ettie.

Smile Ettie!

Aw, little pumpkin girls and their ghosties. Ettie's ghostie is a little cold, and some of his ectoplasm has crystalized.

This is Geneve, a panda girl.

And these two are called Luther and Silas. They are teeny Halloweenies.

Luther

Silas

Is it my imagination, or does Geneve look nervous?

Yes, definitely nervous.

I think I might have a slight Sculpey Ultra Light addiction. I find it's the perfect thing to play with while waiting for dinner to finish cooking (just don't drop it in the pasta water!), or when you are really supposed to be doing unpleasant things like paying bills. Or working. I think about it when I'm not using it (isn't that a sign of addiction!?!). If only I could take it grocery shopping with me.

Anvils and new work

Lately I have been feeling like there is an anvil hanging over my head, attached above by one scrawny fishing line.
Attached to what, I wonder.
But I supposed we all have anvils dangling over our heads.
Maybe the trick is not to look up!

Life is keeping me hopping lately, and so I want to apologize for not visiting all my friends here.
Hopefully life will settle down, and the anvil will have a second (stronger) fishing line attached to it soon.

Here are two new pieces from my laboratory.Frida

AnnabellaAnnabella, Frida and Nestor

Keep moving forward, and try to ignore the anvil.

What do I want to be when I grow up?

Like there is any chance I will grow up.

Old and saggy, oh yeah. I'm growing there at warp speed.

Mature? Not so much.



I have come to the conclusion that I stink at being an adult. Good news is - I am getting too old to even try! At this point, why bother?

But here is my list, anyway. Let's call it my Adult-Challenged Wish List (ACWL, for short):

I want to be a writer when I grow up.
But I only want to write what I want to write and nothing else. Except the occasional grocery list.
I want to write picture books. Chapter books. Maybe some weirdly strange novel that I get to illustrate myself. I could print it out and stand on a street corner.
"Weirdly strange books! Get your weirdly strange books while they're hot!"
I want to be an artist when I grow up.
Folk art, and art dolls. Fridas and skellys, supplemented with whatever catches my fancy.
Assemblage art. Robots. Aliens. Chickens. Stuff like that.
Maybe I could join a group on Etsy. The Alien Chicken Frida Skelly Team.

I want to be a better human when I grow up.
Help people. I want to remember those manners I had drilled into my head back in Benbrook, Texas. Go the extra mile now and then. Stop sniveling ('sniveling' is one of the best words, ever, btw). Stop obsessing over 'me' and put some energy back into the world.

It's helpful, I think, to look at your life every now and then and make sure you haven't taken a detour that will have you catapulting off a creative cliff. Or any cliff, for that matter.

ACWL completed. Now all I have to do is act on it. Ay, Scotty, there's the rub.

Some more skellys...

I've been making some dolls with poly clay. I'm adding some collage elements to these dolls, which I am very happy about. I discovered Sculpey Ultra Light, which is much nicer to work with than regular sculpey (which is like concrete, in my humble opinion). I like Creative Paperclay, too, but the advantage of the sculpey is no drying time. Just finish your piece and pop it in the oven! Viola! Skellys that you can sand and paint!
I guess I am always in a hurry, or pressed for time. I should work on relaxing. I'll get right on that, right after I finish my do-list. This weekend's list is a doosie. A super doosie, even.

I hope you don't have a doosie weekend before you. Maybe a nice cozy weekend with no do-list at all, other than to hang out and have fun. That's my kind of do-list. I'll even come over and help you work on it. :)

Remembering Renee

An entire year has past since we lost our dear friend, Renee.

How wide was her heart?
Wide enough to take us all in and care for each of us.
She wrote so brilliantly, and with such feeling, that you felt like you were sitting across the table from her.
Renee took us by the hand, and showed us her life.

Words fail when you try to encapsulate a person like Renee into a paragraph.
But I won't forget what you've taught me, my friend.
What an honor to have known you.

A blog shout out, some thank yous, and some new WIPS!

I am happy to report I have NOT stabbed myself with a fork lately! YAY ME! However, the other day I went to the movies with my hubby and left the theater without my purse. We had gone to see the King's Speech.

So I blame Colin Firth. And Geoffrey Rush (Oh, dear wonderful Lionel, pitter-patter, swoon.)

Luckily, honesty prevailed, and it was waiting for me at the ticket counter. Whew. Someone almost got my $11 plus change. Not to mention my Trident gum, my lip gloss, and 5 million receipts.

But enough about me and my dehydrating brain cells. My dear pal, Janie, has started a blog. She writes great essays on getting older (baby boomer-ing), life, and family. Go say hi to her at The Boomer Rants. Janie shoots straight from the hip, is very funny, and she is not shy about talking about ANYTHING. Don't say I didn't warn you! Oh, and tell her I sent you...he he.

I won two wonderful gifts from OWOH! The first is from Anne at El Milagro Studio. She sent me this lovely little painting, with the most luscious hearts on it. I swear you cannot look at this painting without touching the hearts. Plus! A skelly necklace (how did she know I liked skellys?) and a beautiful Frida pin. Everything Anne makes is just spectacular, and she has wonderful tutorials on her blog. Thank you, Anne!








I also got this magical doll, little blue Moopsie, from Hoopie. I think he looks like a baby elf wrapped up in his cocoon. There is a sweet little metal tag that says "Believe". And I can hang him up! He has a beautiful glass beaded dangly that catches the sun. My pictures don't do him justice. She makes wonderful art dolls, go take a look! Thank you, Hoopie!

I have been busily using up my Michael's coupons on Sculpey. I made these three little Halloween creatures. I am going to list them on etsy.

Lelia and her cat, Sparky

Dudley, the skelly dude

Wallace, the pumpkin boy

I hope all is well with each of you. Are you ready for Spring? Today it was sunny and warm and I felt deliriously happy. Which, btw, beats depressed and cold, just for the record.

Happy beginning of March! The month that contains Spring!