Women Rule.....

I do a monthly swap with someone I met through my Blog .  We either exchange ATC cards, small canvases, assemblages, or whatever strikes our fancy for that time in our lives.  It's been a wonderful experience and every new swap brings another challenge to my studio. 

The current challenge (chosen by my partner) was to create a crown that represents the person it is being sent to.  I wanted to make something that spoke to the dynamic, successful person my partner is.  She holds a position of great responsibility in her job and is looked upon as a leader in her company.  On top of that, she is a very creative soul who loves to travel and spend time with her husband.  Women Rule is meant to reflect those qualities I have found in Veronica. artbyveronica.blogspot.com

One of the problems I have with my art is that I tend to try to translate everything in a very literal sense.  It's hard for me to let go of reality and just follow the muse. So, in my mind, a crown should be made of metal.  I gathered my rusty found metal pieces and began the process of trying to attach things to one another.  I don't have welding in my tool kit and my soldering is very limited. 

Having scrapped two crowns before settling on the one I am sending out, I decided to try my hand at using epoxy.  This is something I had always shied away from.  The process of having to mix two things seemed a little intimidating to me.  Guess what?  I love the epoxy!  It worked beautifully and it wasn't hard at all.  If you haven't tried it, don't wait.  It works :)

Newest assignment.....

A friend has asked me to create a guest sign-in vehicle for her upcoming wedding.  She doesn't want a book necessarily, but is looking for something unique.  I have heard of things such as painted tree branches, and keepsake boxes where people leave notes for the bride and groom.  I really don't know what else is out there. 

I'll be doing some research today to see what others have used.  I would love to give her something special that will have lasting qualities unlike some of the things my husband and I used when we got married.  There were the matching champagne flutes with our names and wedding ate on them, the tarnished (now) knife specially designed to cut wedding cakes but little else, the requisite garter with baby blue ribbon, and the ridiculously tight white cloth wedding shoes that I've never worn again. 

Of course, we were married a little over 100 years ago, so things may have changed a bit!  If you have any new ideas or have seen any unique items at recent weddings, please let me know.  In the meantime, Google is my friend........

Change is good!

I woke up this morning with a new revelation.  I am happy.  Did you hear me?  I AM HAPPY!  How often have I been able to say that over the years?  Don't get me wrong, I have been extremely happy raising my family, spending time with my friends, building a life with my husband.  That's more of a "universal" happiness I guess.  On a daily basis, however, how often can one get up in the morning and say, "I'm happy!"?  During my 32 years of teaching I generally woke up feeling #1 tired, #2 tired, #3 leery of what the day would bring, #4 rushed, anxious, and overwhelmed with having to get out of the door on time, #5 worried, #6 tired, tired, tired......

I'm talking about a personal, one day at a time, "happy". I know you may be thinking, "yeah, that's easy for you to say, you're retired"  It's true that I don't have to face the daily grind at this point.  That helps.  But that's not to say that there aren't concerns associated with being retired.  For one thing, I have no money!  Retirement comes with some pretty hefty financial sacrifices.  There are certainly worries associated with that. And loneliness, I know that I will wake up some mornings in the Fall and wonder what my former colleagues are up to and whether or not I'll ever have any one to talk to again that doesn't have four legs and a tail.....

I have to say, in spite of those things, there is something purely wonderful about waking up with your own company, planning your own time, appreciating your own garden, dancing to Ellen De generous with your own canine pal, and just plain enjoying the day.  We don't often get a chance to do that while working full time.  Well, I did that working thing for a long time.  I paid my dues, earned my retirement and have to say that today I feel truly blessed.  Blessed, and happy...........

The advantages of getting organized..

One thing I have discovered about having an organized studio (finally!) is that I am utilizing materials in my work that I haven't used in a long time.  Things that were stashed here and there, up and down tended to be forgotten and I ended up using the materials I could see in front of me.  You see, my previous studio (the kitchen table) could only hold so many things while still allowing room for my husband to eat his dinner.  As a result, I would keep a big bucket of vintage papers and ephemera, a huge bottle of gesso, a (I wish they came in huge bottles) small jar of gel medium, and a bucket of rusted metal. 

The rusted metal (being in plain sight) continuously prompted my husband to remind me that I haven't had a tetanus shot in decades and the gesso tended to splatter the nice new red kitchen chairs I have. Canvases were stored in the garage along with towers of old boxes and even more rusted metal.  My black kitchen sink was continually splattered with white gesso and the tile counter top has Diamond Glaze on it that will NEVER come off.

My family was quite used to this arrangement and seldom complained about living with the table clutter and chemically enhanced sink.  The result of this , however, was that all of my projects contained a combination of these items and very few other mediums.  On the one hand, I was forced to always think of new and different ways to combine my limited palette.  It stretched me in ways that may not have otherwise happened.  On the other hand, many of my carefully (and sometimes not so carefully) purchased art supplies never made it out of their shrink wrap cocoons.

Enter newly organized and assembled studio!  I'm revisiting old friends and discovering new ones that came home but were never utilized.  Whether this is an improvement to my artistic endeavors, only time will tell.  One thing is certain though, I have no need for purchasing more supplies.  I said, "no need", not "no desire".  Two very different concepts...........