100th Post!

Why is it the busier I am the less productive I feel?

So sorry for the unplanned absence but I have been very busy. And it has not been at creating art!

 I did find some time to create these stacking rings for my friend's birthday though. It was very satisfying to be able to complete a project so quickly and be happy with it. I made 7 rings from 16 gauge argentium silver wire. Then I gave them a nice hammered texture, and buffed them so they sparkled.

This isn't exactly what I had planned for my 100th post. I really wanted it to be something more special than this but I started to feel guilty for not having posted in so long. Plus I miss conversing with you all!

I might be able to squeeze in some studio time this weekend which would be really nice.

Enjoy!

In the mail

I purchased a gift for my brand new nephew from Sparrow Avenue. But this isn't all of it because I don't want to spoil the surprise.

Barbara was so kind to also include a little gift for me too. One of her hand dyed zipper pouches with a whale print. I am a huge fan of Barbara's sketches and her textiles are top notch. So beautiful!

Just a peek

This is a small peek at what I have so far for this project. It's really not flowing very naturally though. I did use the alcohol inks in a way I liked finally. They are the round blobs and I used them on the board before I covered it with wax.

I am so ready for the weekend and it's only Wednesday. Maybe it's because we've had such nice weather and I haven't been able to go outside during the day to enjoy it. Exactly one year ago today we had a giant snow storm and had two days off of school. What a difference this winter has been compared to last winter!

New Work



Overflow
Encaustic
15x7



 Here is the piece I spoke about in my last post. I will still probably tweak it a little bit though. As you can see it is a triptych but it's not as organized as I would like it to be. I started this one in late November and I used my daughter as my muse for this piece. As a result I tried to put too much into it and it seems a little visually chaotic. But I guess that's what I get for using a 13 year old as my subject!

Anyways the breakthrough I had was with the dry transfer technique. I had never quite gotten the hang of it and was very displeased with the amount of detail, or lack of detail I was getting. But last night I figured it out. And I also found out that my micron pens will actually draw on the wax in small amounts. I used this technique with the bird and the cage and I will definitely be exploring it more. Drawing directly on the wax is something I have been wanting to do since I started working with it.

This last image shows the card advertising the 4th Fridays show for next month and my artwork submission from July is on it! It's the image on the lower right. And there's my ribbon! Thank you so much for all the great comments too. I am still flying high from that night!

I will have a sneak peek to post later on this week because as my friend Ariadne From Greece said...I am on a roll!

Wow...just wow!

Who knew?! This is what I saw when I arrived at the show last night. Not only did I receive an honorable mention but someone actually bought my artwork! I was positively giddy. I tried to hide it a little. I told myself not to make a big deal about it but I don't think I did a very good job.

It is so flattering to think that someone else appreciates this piece just as much as I do. At the same time I never, in a million years, expected to sell anything so I was totally unprepared to part with it. It's a weird mix of emotions. I am so happy but at the same time I feel like I've lost something important.

So today all I kept thinking was that I must make more! I must get into the studio and keep working. In my last post I said that I was stuck and I was hoping for an epiphany. Well, I did! Okay maybe epiphany is a strong word but I did have a breakthrough. And tomorrow when it's light out I will take some photos so I can show you what I have been working on.

Finally again

Remember these? Well I finally found the time to enter the 4th Friday's show again at the Starline Gallery and the two pieces I submitted were accepted. I packed them up into this colorful upcycled burlap bag I found and navigated the snowy roads to drop them off.

Bridgette made a post not long ago about how she changed one of her encaustics because the fern frond had faded from a pretty green to a dull yellowish hue. I didn't think about that when I submitted the photo for my work. I used a photo that was taken right after I finished it and realized afterwards that my leaf had suffered the same fate. You can see the original leaf color in the Laruelapalooza header if you scroll up. Well it was too late for me to change it, but I wonder if there is a way to prevent the fading. I really like using pressed leaves in my work.

Hopefully I will be done with a few new pieces soon. None of them are coming along the way I'd like them to. I seem to be stuck. I can see the idea in my head very clearly but the artwork just isn't conveying the vision in my head at all. I might get some time in the studio tomorrow to work a little and maybe I'll have an epiphany!

Happy Saturday!

In the mail

I actually won a giveaway!

I received this cute little felt pouch from Prairie Garden.

 Liane at Prairie Garden is a gardening guru and crafter extraordinaire. Check out her etsy site and her blog to see for yourself.