the end...

So last night, I came home from a family portrait session in Wellfleet, (great family, beautiful spot btw) and was so exhausted I could barely move. I sat and thought about this project, about getting up and making something, about the reasons I was doing it, and made a decision to stop. For a bunch of reasons. It was more fun when Marla was doing it for sure!, I should really be cleaning my house everyday, exercising more, marketing my business everyday, doing my books everyday, updating my studio everyday, creating photography samples everyday, doing my studio blog everyday, insert any of a number of other things here, but what I'm finding is that I'm creating just for the sake of creating something. Most days I cram in a project which I can't do the way I want, or rush it just to get it done, or whatever. This adds more junk to an already bursting at the seams house, and isn't helping either my creativity or my inspiration. Almost 5 months later and my art room is even messier than when I started I think! I need to create for the pure joy of it, without the pressure of trying to meet the deadline. I think if I were a working artist (which technically I am, but in a totally different way) and spent my days creating anyway it would be different. I create everyday. Family portraits, senior portraits, marketing pieces, even art on a regular basis, etc., so for at least now, that's where I'll put my energies. Honestly, where they should be at this point anyway! I'll still be creating all of my kooky things on the side, I think some little part of me thought I could just create the kooky and get rid of the portraits. But I've learned through this little exercise that is definitely not in the cards, my kooky is just a release for me. (& much if it is better seen just by me too!!) So now it's time to figure out what it is I want to do with myself. A much better use of my time! It will definitely include handcolouring some more of my stone photos, I have one hanging in the studio, and it brings me such joy every time I walk by it. That's what art is about for me.

oh... know any good crafts from the 70's? I might have a little time on my hands?

Speaking of the 70's, Ray will be happy that I'm finally going to get back to the project I promised him, braiding little rugs for the stairs!

I may still share a project or two, I've enjoyed this blog, so maybe we'll just give it a different by line and continue it differently. Marla's coming to visit next week, last time she was here the craziness started, maybe this time we can find a new path for this little adventure we've had!

#148 Home

Bear Bear was a favorite companion of childhood, he was even strapped into the passenger seat when I left for college... I found these b&w's I'd taken sometime 20+ years ago, and knew he needed to be immortalized. (& yes, I do have this song on my ipod).

#147 Sean the sheep

Todays silly little sheep, he's quite tiny, and not that much better looking than the photo! comes from two different things. One is a piece of roving Adriana was making something with at some point, that instead ended up going through the wash, voila, instant felting! So I had this little body that needed a head, etc. Weeks later, I go to the fair, Ray & Adriana are spinning themselves silly, the entertainment is karaoke (!!?), unable to stand it any longer, I visit the sheep, and there I find myself these fabulous sheep, nicely shorn, except for these silly little dreadlock-y bits around their faces. I know immediately that's what's going on the body. Adriana came up with the name!

#146 puffins

When we were in Acadia, I really wanted to see Puffins, but there simply wasn't enough time... darn... I'll just have to go back... or... I've heard there are Puffins in the Orkneys, one of the places on my long, long, list of places I've got to get to... maybe I'll just visit them there!!
In the meantime, I've a frame for an Acadia photo...

The frame, another from my wedding frames... this was table #3. Hope they had fun too!

#145 yet another 70's craft

Macrame... Ray kept complaining that the cord for the fan in the kitchen was too short, today he got a little macrame extension...

wonder if he wishes he hadn't said anything!

#144 mermaid {two}

It's so hot, we should all be mermaids and live under the sea...

#143 experimentation

We got home from the fair last night at around 11:30pm, decided I might as well experiment as I didn't have any time to do anything else. Turns out handcolouring with pastels is not such a great plan...

#142 the bouquet

I accidentally posted on my studio blog, and decided I'd leave it! Here's what I said:

I photographed a job for a client, and the next day got the most beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered as a thank you, what a treat! So I did what any photographer would do, I photographed them!

#141 Callanish {two}

I love handcolouring the colour images, especially these ones where there is very little colour to begin with, think they come out so well...

Must be time for another Callanish story... when we arrived the sun was out & shining brightly, then it got cloudy and windy, then it started to rain, I laughingly said, 'gosh, we've had every kind of weather but snow' within minutes big enormous bits of hail started falling from the sky! We 'battened down' behind the big stones, my friend Mouse behind one, me behind another, and the only other couple there behind another. I took a video of us, but of course I'm laughing so hard I can scarcely breathe, the video bounces around erratically and you can't make out a word I'm saying!!!

#140 it was then...

that I learned how much love one heart can hold...

beautiful hands

I had a henna artist come to create gorgeous designs with (and on) my teens at the library.  She's fabulous - her name is Jamilah - and she lets the girls create their own designs and later on adds hers.  The palm is my design, she added a beautiful lotus on the top of my left hand.  Henna is tricky (you can see a few globs on my hand!) but really good fun.

a little shadow box

With some of my library kids, I made nichos, tiny shadow boxes inspired by the arts of Mexico.  We had a great time making them and I want to create more...little boxes all over the house; that's all I need!

#139 the best sound...

in the world, is without a doubt, for me anyway, the sound of children laughing. It is pure joy.

I think Marla may have taken this photo of the girls, maybe in Puerto Rico, I came across it and knew it needed to be hanging on my wall, it's got such great emotion!! & they're wearing their cute matching Mimi dresses!

#138 Goldfinch in Sunflowers

During last summer's excursion to the sunflowers, we had a calendar of sunflowers to give us ideas and inspiration. Well, the entire time was so magical, and we loved every bit of being there, but we started making jokes, well, if only a goldfinch would land right in the middle of the patch... and lo and behold, a goldfinch landed right in the middle of the patch, just like in the calendar! I was so excited, until I looked at the images later, and of course, all of the ones with the birds are the dead, nasty looking flowers! Still way, way, cool. Yesterday, I thought a border might bring your attention even more to the bird...

#137 that's it?

So I was so inspired to create today where I've had a boring couple of weeks, but after a long day, & then making dinner (guess I do make it once in a while), Adriana wanted to make a duct tape purse, so that's what we did. Decided to make a wallet and low and behold, the day is at an end, and it seems that this is what I've got for today. My goodness. I feel so creative, and yet what I produce is well... not so very much!!! Maybe tomorrow!

#136 finally

my gosh... in the big scheme of things, that it took me less than two weeks to make a blanket should be a good thing, but boy was I happy to finish it last night. I'd thought about a ruffly edge, but thank God, I'm not a ruffly edge kind of girl because I don't think I could stand one more minute. It is perfectly baby sized (ended up about 38" square), I hope Olivia is warm & comfy with it!!! It was definitely created with love!

#131 bright future

Last Saturday, Adriana & I went to see the Lion King on Broadway, what fun we had. The show was amazing, we couldn't have loved it anymore, such a great time! And we had a lovely day just the two of us, wandering the streets, window shopping, etc. Of course the day would have been made more perfect for Adriana if we had happened upon the Cash Cab!!!!! Our entire waking day was spent on this venture, so I created an image that showed the fun of the day!

#128-#135 almost

oh man, I certainly cannot make a living at this. I have two rows left, it's now at 37" square, and after these crazy hazy, hot & humid days sitting with a blanket on my lap, I'm ready for it to be done!!!! Should be done tonight!!!

a cloudy day

So far, I've created four tiles for the deck, this is the largest one...it reminds me of a cloudy day with the different layers of colors in a brooding sky.  It's also awaiting grout, as are the other three. Tomorrow's project.

Maine

Well, it's been a while since I've posted...the days of my life have been way too busy to set aside time for this!  Unlike my wired sister, I went to Maine without a computer (but I didn't like the lack of cell service!) and didn't really create a thing.  And that was good, too.  But now I'm feeling like I've got all my ducks in a row (for the moment any way) work is okay, I'm organized & on top of things, my daughter's away until the end of the month, and after that wonderful trip I'm feeling centered again.  We have a little tiled deck byour kitchen door that keeps loosing tiles - it drives me crazy - so I decided to put my seaglass to good use.  All the sea glass in this mosaic is from Maine (mostly from that skeevy little section of beach that my sister mentioned a while back) and, even though it hasn't been grouted yet, it looks awesome.

#126 and #127 still going...

I've been crocheting my little heart out, the bigger it gets the longer it takes for sure! It's coming... I saw these great baby blankets at the library craft fair, $35. they were selling for!!!!! Oh my gosh. I'm so not going to be selling crochet anytime soon!

#125 Olivia's blanket part one

Our cousin Sian, had a baby last week, Olivia Kitty (isn't that the cutest name ever? she's named after her paternal great grandmother). So she needs a gift, I thought a big, chunky, baby blanket to lie upon would be perfect. But I'm neither that accomplished at crochet, nor do I have much free time now I'm back from vacation, taking portraits every day and trying to get the studio back in order, so it might take me a few days. This big granny square (16" nearly square) is the first bit...

#124 a house fit for a fairy

I have wanted to go to Monhegan Island to visit the fairy houses for years... I thought it might make the perfect ending to our Maine vacation, but when I thought about the logistics, I thought perhaps Mackworth Island would be a better fit. So we ended our fabulous trip to Acadia by visiting, and building fairy houses. Like the shirt my daughter brought home with her, Life is good.

(mine is the one with the shell flower, Adriana's is the fabulous one with the great birch bark cover, Ray found it for her, boy was I jealous! What a perfect home for some fairies...)

#123 the bear

Today was our last day of vacation, and it was just perfect. We went to the top of Cadillac Mountain (in the sunshine this time), went through the Gardens of Acadia, had yet another fabulous picnic, explored more tidepools, had a beer tasting at Atlantic Brewery, Lobster rolls for dinner... what could make this day even better? How about a sweet bear roaming through our backyard when we'd just finished dinner? Ray was like, 'oh look, a bear.' So nonchalantly, we almost missed what he said! What a treat!

#122 Bubble rock

Yesterday was a great day, we climbed up to the bubbles and bubble rock, of course we all had to take the pushing the giant erratic off the cliff photo! We had a super picnic out on a beautiful trail, overlooking the ocean, Great Island trail, gorgeous! We did a ranger program, Tide Pool school, amazing! We saw a Brittle seastar, sea urchins, anenomes, lots of different algaes, and learned all sorts of cool things about barnacles - we even got to see them eating with their feet! What a great place Acadia is...