a fascination with heads

In my search for interesting heads to use in the commissioned piece I'm doing I've expanded my area of research to include heads of ancient Roman statuary. It is a fascinating subject with seemingly endless examples. When I settle on the ones I want to use I will print them onto either fusible webbing or printable fabric and enhance them in various ways.

dye experiments

I hauled out my procion dyes last night and had at a piece of cheesecloth, but it didn't turn the color I was hoping for. I think, since I'm dying cotton, I might just go with Rit dyes instead. Cheaper, certainly, and I think better for cotton. My hands, of course look thoroughly disreputable today.

Tiger, our apparently stupid cat, spent all of Tuesday night and most of Wednesday up a tree because he wouldn't come down on his own and had to wait to be rescued. The tree he gets stuck in on a regular basis is an old huge walnut tree and he goes farther up than the top of our house. Whoever gets him down (not me) has to use the big extension ladder and work from the 4' deck off the back of the house because even the extension ladder isn't tall enough. He was rescued twice on Tuesday, then just blithely went up the tree again. Adam, my oldest son (actually 21 years old today!), was the hero with my second son Chris steadying the ladder. It snowed yesterday so Tiger was thoroughly miserable by the time he came in the house. I hope he's learned his lesson.

deciding on a color scheme

I think I'm settling on a palette for my commissioned piece.

Mixed forest-y and gray greens with some coppery touches, and who knows where it will go after that. People ask me if I have a project all laid out in my mind before I start. The answer is yes and no. I can have an idea of a look I want to arrive at, but often the end product is quite apart from what I had imagined in the beginning. Flexibility of expectations is a good survival tool for me!

I like these bronzy coppery leaves against the green ones, and I'm planning to use heads similar to the one above somewhere in the design. I'm actually being disciplined and developing a design board instead of diving in headfirst, which is my initial inclination.

a sure cure for the winter blahs

Well, I can't complain of boredom, that's for sure.

I had quite a productive weekend, finishing up a grant for VAAM, mailing bracelets to e-bay customers, photographing and posting more e-bay items, and planning my commissioned mixed media piece. I kind of went on sensory overload for awhile, but it was pleasant. I've been looking at more supplies on clothpaperscissors.com and other favorite art supply websites. Who wouldn't think this was mouthwatering?

Yum. Now I just have to clear the decks and get started.

Here's a photo from last year's Artful Taste of Autumn which I posted previously, but which deserves another outing, I think.

Biff-Pow-Blooey

That's what my dad says when things all happen at once, which is kind of what I'm feeling like these past couple of days.



I have a very good friend who has commissioned me to do a fiber piece for a specific spot in her home. She has other pieces of mine as well and she actually has them prominently displayed, so I guess she really does like my work. I'm flattered, of course, and anxious to get started.



Also, today I was asked to do a workshop in conjunction with VAAM's fiber invitational exhibition later this year. Again, I'm honored to do it, now I just have to figure our how!



Add to that the fact that I've been selling jewelry left and right on e-bay, and I really don't have time to be depressed any more! Thanks to those of you who wrote encouraging posts the other day. I truly am feeling better.

This is a juicy bit from a piece I've already posted. I love the color combo.

what makes me happy

I'm feeling better today than I was late last week. It did help to get Christmas (mostly) put away and take a couple of naps over the weekend. Laundry done, etc., makes me feel like I've accomplished something.

I have sold several bracelets on ebay recently. I love this one because it looks so earthy and organic. The beads look as if they came out of the ground.

The Gallery at VAAM underwent some refurbishment last week as it does every first week of January, when the storefront is closed so that painting and other work can happen. The hanging committee is working on setting a new exhibit today and The Gallery will reopen tomorrow. They are a very hard-working bunch, that hanging committee, and they always do a great job. I only have a couple of new pieces in the upcoming exhibit, but I think they're nice.

A close friend who owns a couple of my pieces has asked me to do a fiber piece for a specific spot in her home. I'm excited to get started on it and actually have an idea or two half-formed in my head. I really mean to get back to doing more fiber and mixed media pieces right away. Time to pack up the jewelry making for now, although it's never far from hand.

bleah

I don't know why, but I feel like I'm living under a cloud these past few days. Maybe just post-holiday blues. The weather certainly isn't helping--cold, cloudy, bleak. I think if I could get Christmas packed away and the house straightened up I'd probably feel better. That would be a good goal for the weekend.

I don't have a cat photo for catblogging Friday, but I can report that the young cats have discovered how to get up onto the roof. Pity they haven't also discovered how to get back down again. David has had to perform two rescues via the attic window. Silly kitties.