Soap...

It has been so long since I've posted that I've forgotten how to go about this. I'm sure a lot has changed. Just reading through some of your posts and thought I would say hello and post a photo of what I've been up to. Making soap! Really enjoying it a lot! It is not without its difficulties - much like making pots a lot can still come out as unplanned or just plain wrong. But like with making pots, I try and embrace the outcome for what it is. One of my favorite bars is one I initially thought...eh. A bar made with lots of sea salt. I had initially envisioned random colorful speckles which did not happen. But then I looked at it with fresh eyes and realized I was looking at this great bar of soap that reminds me of white marble. I'll post a photo next perhaps so you can see what I mean. Ta-ta!

Waz up lately

Hey all...been thinking about saying hello for a while. It's been a crazy year to say the least. Think I'm starting to pull myself together a bit now, but it's been a journey and some major learning experiences. I can honestly say this last two years has had more impact on me than probably any other time in my life. Some of it good and for good, some not so good, but trying to make good of it anyway. It all is what it is, as they say. I've been recovering from my back surgery pretty well. Generally okay now, except my back isn't what it used to be, and my poor withered right leg is definitely not. But...I sadly admit I have not been good about doing my stretching and strengthening exercises, and so am my own worst enemy. However...I have begun to do some quilting again. Somewhere on this blog I have some photos of a quilt I finished a couple years ago, and I just made a queen-sized quilt for my daughter Amy. Now I am working on another original design. The photo at the top with the bright pink is the drawing I did on the computer, and the second photo is it coming to life in fabric. It's about 4' x 4 1/2' I think-ish. Its been great to get creative again, after some stagnate time. I will try and keep you posted on the progress. Hope you all are well, and great seeing your work, as always. 

Healing and limbo....

Hi all, I don't know if anyone out there is still picking up on the rare post I put up, but I saw a pot by Michael Kline this morning and got me thinking about my old blog, and thought I'd put up a post about what's been going on with me. Graduated from school but not licensed yet, because...I herniated a disc sometime earlier this year and just got worse and worse, until by the end of summer I was in constant pain and having a really hard time getting around. Almost couldn't walk much anymore. So, long and painful story short, I had surgery on September 4, and am healing nicely now. Good thing is that I am no longer in constant pain, but it's set me back a bit again. But once I am up and about again hope to get my MT license and hopefully soon have my own practice going. Still get a little nostalgic and an itch to be working with pots, but sometimes you gotta make decisions that seem the most prudent rather than ideal, and this was one of them. Someday hopefully I will be in a position that I can combine the best of both worlds. Making a living, and making some clay art on the side. Anyhow, I hope everyone is doing well and know that I think of you.

Here's your Christmas card!!!!

So I did something funny the other day. I posted this photo here that you see-on Facebook. And I often go back the next day to look at them again (maybe see if someone said something, or just to remind myself of how super creative and special I am ;) and it's a good thing I did this time, cause...the photo you see now is a new re-edited version of the one I posted. The one I posted, upon taking a second look, realized I could clearly see my breast in all it's spectacular 46 year old glory, poking around behind Rich's arm. So if you ever watched Seinfeld and thought it unrealistic that Elaine would inadvertantly send out christmas cards with her nipple exposed...think again! It is indeed possible. Thought this photo was cool though, cause of the way he moved his hand during the shot it seems to melt into my face.

Nothin bout nothin

Here's an impulsive little post, and then I might just disappear for another year or so again! Last postings I was applying to grad schools....uh yah....kinda went another direction for various reasons. I need a bona fide job-the kind I can pay bills and support myself with, and still have enough money left to occasionally do other stuff-like have fun or something-so I am in my last semester of school training to be a massage therapist. Can't exactly say it's a life time dream come true, but it's been pretty good. Met some great people, and I'm told I have a knack. We'll see if that translates into $$ someday! Someday soon hopefully, I will have the money, time and DEDICATION, to pursue some clay work and writing, if for nothing else than an artistic/creative pursuit. We'll see! Still peek in occasionally to see what everyone is up to, and hope all are well!

Sooo Pretty . . .

Ehllo....for lack of any other "art" to post, I pulled these out the other day. Some cartoons I drew at work a couple of years ago. I had just seen Bruno before drawing this one, and it was also Thanksgiving time, so it was natural of course to combine the two...

Not that anyone is following my sure to be long ordeal of applying to grad school, but I am getting close to narrowing it down to about five schools. I'm thinking Alfred, University of California Long Beach, Chicago Institute of Art, Montanna University and maybe R.I.T. Years back I wanted to apply to R.I.T. mainly because Julia Galloway taught there, but it seems she has since moved to Montanna to teach if my research is correct-hence my interest in Montanna.

I can say of this process that I wish the application process was a little more unified between schools. Already, I have THREE different formats of portfolios going (I have a feeling that number will grow). One school wants the GRE test, another wants the MAT, two letters here with this form but do it this way over there. I'm just plodding along through it. Well, that's it for now.

Oh dear . . .

Hello all! It's been so long since I've posted. I have kept an eye on what's going on, but been distracted myself. A lot has happened! Let's see...I lost my job! Kind of a bad thing, but actually a blessing in disguise. I have been wanting to go to Graduate School for a very long time to get my MFA so I can teach ceramics in a college somewhere...and this was really a boot to get me going. I was looking around and applying to all the jobs that I DON'T want to have for the rest of my working life and I'm like: eureka! Of course! I shall pursue my dream. But getting fired has it's downside. Lack of money, having to move out of my apartment and was a bit of a blow to my self-esteem for a while, but I'm back! Applying to grad school is so much work! Daunting, especially when you multiply it by 5 or 6 places, but I'm plugging along. So this photo I attached is an early attempt at using Photoshop Elements 9. I can't wait till I have time to really study the program. Mind boggling what you can do with it. Another photo of moi'. I'm kind of into self-portraiture lately. I hope everyone is doing great and I will try to post a little more often and let you know if I get in! I am applying so far to: University of Montanna, Alfred, R.I.T., University of California, Long Beach, and my old Alma Mata Plymouth State!

Death and Taxes and Rainbows

People don't change. It is the idiom that no one wants to believe. You always want to believe that everyone exists in the same mental reality that you do. In the sense that they think about the things they do, their actions, the effects of those actions, and they always want to do better by them-for themselves and for everyone in their lives. But it's not true.

Most people only exist for what is the better for them. It is just the sad truth. And so when people tell you "he'll never change", "she'll never change", it's not because they are being cynical, and you want so much to believe that they: JUST DON'T GET IT. They: JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS PERSON THE WAY YOU DO. But the truth is . . . that they do. Maybe they don't understand that particular person, and so they have no emotional attachment to cloud their views. But they at least understand human nature, in a way that dreamers and artists rarely do. We are optimistic! Visionary! We see potential where others see blank canvas and maybe just a lump of misshapen clay. Where they see chaos or fear-inducing uncertainty, or so much potential, that it just stops them dead in their tracks without even trying-we often see hope and a vision. And who is right?

I guess it depends on whether it is life or art, or life imitating art-which is usually the mind of the artist. We can't let go of the reality of failure. A failure is just an opportunity that we might not have seen with our eyes glued to perfection and our original vision. So who is right?

I don't know. It depends I guess on what you view as right or successful. Safety? Peace? Predictablility? Everything going according to the great happy plan? And maybe you thrive on chaos. Maybe you thrive on drama. Maybe you thrive on the anxiety and intensity of it all. Or maybe it rips you to shreds, as you realize, that no matter how optimistic you are, no matter how many colors of paint that you layer, over layer, over layer, you still can't let go of the work. You can't just step away and go: done. I should stop now. And so you keep on swirling that brush around and around; blues, greens, yellows, reds . . . but it doesn't matter. You just end up with a murky, greyish- brown. It is one thing, other then death and taxes that is certain. You can layer all the colors you want, and mix them fervently with all the hope you have, but you will never end up with a rainbow.

They might be right.