New Books

Super boring day at work one day last week and I always get myself into trouble when I have one of those.

I made some great book purchases and some bad jersey purchases.

Super boring day at work one day last week and I always get myself into trouble when I have one of those.

I made some great book purchases and some bad jersey purchases.

Finally I have the book Art & Fear for my personal library. I must tell you all if you do not have this book go and get it cuz it’s a good one.

My Local Library has a program where if it is in one of the adjoining libraries you just request it and when it shows up at the local one they shoot me an e-mail and I go pick it up. I recommend the try before you buy program because you just never know when you will buy a klunker. When I tried it last year I liked it so much that I paid over 4.00 in late fees because I just did not want to take it back. Stupid I know because I could have paid for the thing already but hey we all make bad choices every once in a while.

Other book purchases were Polymer Clay Color Inspirations by Lindy Haunani and Maggie Maggio. I had heard from a lot of people that this was like a workbook in color and have wanted to try it since I spent my summer two years ago mixing colors…..well now is my chance. This one is going to Dallas with me.

I also purchased The Art of Jewelry Polymer Clay and Making Beautiful Beads these were to replace books that someone borrowed and just never gave back.

So that was my good part of the shopping spree.

The jersies I really do not want to talk about except to say that it involved me closing my bankcard and filing dispute papers.

Going to Dallas for some much needed F’s leaving hubby and son at home……..

Family

Friends

Food

Football

I will check in with you guys when I get back and I am sure I will have some Dallas musings along with my clay mixing antics.

Enjoy your days and I can not wait to dig into my books and see what comes out of them!

Art & Design Collide

Pretty positive week for me. I tried to make my days .

I wanted last week to give you a quick tut and so here it is with my drama of Art & Design colliding in a not so positive way.

At a recent swap I found out a cool way of using an o ring for a bail.

Can you see that those are wonderful clay creations with bleeping o rings!

I asked her how she did them and here are my black and white beads an unfinished project that just wont complete no matter what I do. I say it is the design gods telling me in a not so subtle way that this is not the project for these beads. Astrid thank you for the instructions on how you do it!

Take your baked and finished bead and drill a hole in it in two places where you want your o ring ends to be glued in. Make sure your bead is finished because you are now ready to assemble your piece once you put the o ring in. Photo note this is me trying to show the drilling step WHILE taking the picture I need more hands for good pictures.

Go to your local hardware store and find some o rings. I recommend you get various sizes because different pieces require different sizes. Start cutting your o rings.

When deciding on the o ring for your piece you also must consider that you can cut it in half or even three-quarters depending on the look of your finished piece. Take some super glue and place it in the hole stick your o ring ends in and voila.

These beads have special meaning to me and of course a story. If I try to tell it it’ll be a long one and you will fall asleep before I finish showing you how Art and Design collided for me this week. So I will say that I drew out on a piece of paper how I wanted the piece to lay. You can see it  in the picture it is the one on the very bottom if you look close. Looking good so far……….

Its looking good but as I am working I notice that if I move it too much it seems like the layers are getting tangled and not laying the way I want them to.  I am concerned at how I will store it when not wearing it….but keep building anyway. It has been forever since I have been able to sit down and create, most of my time lately if working on clay has been spent finishing the magazine article.

This is me arguing with my son because I need a shot from the neck down only focusing evenly on the necklace gone wrong. This is take three………….

This is the necklace gone bad! It just does not hang right. Not sure if it is the beads with the o rings, the lightness of the chain or the design but it aint working for me. I will take it apart and put it back in the drawer until I am inspired again by these beads. I do not know why they do not want to be made into a finished piece it seems like they have a mind of their own.

How many times have you had a vision of a finished piece only to have it not work out when you actually got to making said finished piece? What did you learn from it? Did it make you stronger? Or did it send you into a corner pulling your hair out and cussing?

I think we have to learn from an episode like this……however until I finish my piece I will never be able to tell you of what I learned. This makes me think of a topic in the book Art & Fear, where they were talking of the two different aspects of a finished piece. There is the buyer who sees the finished piece and forms their opinion, and the artist who can tell you of every twist and turn in the making of said finished piece. Two mindsets.

Once this one is done ……….the story will be a long one  but all mine because this one is mine and not for sale lol.

A Day is What Cha Make It

What the heck?

 A day is what cha make it? I thought this blog was to be about art and clay not philosophical stuff. Bear with me for a few hundred words and  learn about me and maybe yourself in the process.

We all have bad days. I am talking the lose your job, car crash, illness or loss of a furry friend days. Those times in life are just bad days and on those days laughing, crying, friends and alcohol can not even help. All you can do on those days is just get through them the best way you can.

What about all the other days? The ones you do have control over?

Case in point our 23rd wedding anniversary was August 27th. This is the one day of the year I get to be sappy, and have him tolerate being sappy with me for at least a few hours anyway. We have dinner or orderves (sp?) and just enjoy talking of our life together and talk about how far we have come and where we think we will go together in the years to come. For me that is what I want on my anniversary and I am a happy camper.

Usually I get my wish but this year someone  in our lives came to town and needed (or so hubby said) a ride from the airport. I tried gently reminding hubby about our anniversary without actually coming out and saying it.

Me: What day is Saidi coming again? Did you find out what time yet?

Him: He is coming Friday and no I do not know what time yet I will call him on Thursday before he leaves and find out the flight information.

Next Day

Me: Do you have to go and get him Mahmood is closer wouldn’t it be more convenient for him to go and get Saidi?

Him: It’s Saidi Julie even if Mahmood can pick him up we will go together and get him from the airport.

Me: ((inside hmph! Go get him WITH Mahmood))

next day

Me: Did you get a mattress for Saidi yet?

Him: No I will do that Friday with Mahmood.

Me: Did you find out what time he is coming yet?

Him: No I just know he is coming the 27th. Whats today? The 25th? Yea he is coming Friday the 27th……….(huge eyes I mean huge eyes) Ohhhh that’s why you keep asking about Friday. Its our Anniversary.

Me: Honestly its okay I just want to know when you will be home because if its late I am going to go for a mani pedi with Roseanne.

Him: Dont you ever learn? You are going to go with her? Good Luck!

We both really love Roseanne but she has a bad history of actually showing up for our mani pedi’s the first three or four times they are scheduled. We did end up going out to get our mani pedi’s on Friday night and I told her how happy I was to spend the time with her. I honestly think that if she stood me up too I may have had a bad day. While getting our pedi’s I heard of her anniversary woes and she has got me beat hands down. Hers is the 28th of August and now I feel responsible to remind her hubby because all she wants is to have her hubby remember and he isn’t doing that if she has to remind him. (ohh we went around and around that one for a long time and all she wants is for him to remember).

I could have been mad, cried, thrown a hissie fit, started a fight when I did not get what I wanted from hubby. But right now in my life that is not where I am as a person. Years ago not so but now I am okay with it and spent the time with a dear friend laughing and talking about our marriages and children. It was a really nice day.

In art we can have a bad day heck any real artist will admit they have them all the time. Say you sit down and nothing flows from your fingertips or what does is not good looking at all to us anyway. Remember we are our own worst critics with our art. So when these days happen what are you going to do as an artist?

Well you can cry, cuss, learn from your mistakes and cry, post pics on Facebook for where/how did this go so wrong feedback from our friends and family there are so many things you can do. One of my favorites is to reach into the bowl! Another one is to make Natasha’s.

Being an artist is such a solitaire life. I mean it is us sitting at the work table or bench, by ourselves, all the time. I know we have the great option of clay groups and Facebook but in the end it is us sitting down to make that blend, or cane and no tutorial will ever prepare us for that moment when we actually do it. Having it not turn out the way we want to can really lead to a bad day but only if you let it.

The next time you doubt yourself as an artist get feedback to either help you get better, or help you get over your feelings of inadequacy. A day is what cha make it!

What will you make your next studio day be? Uplifting? or  Nothing but negative?

Only you have the power to choose because in the end it is you sitting solitaire at the table!