Back to Basics

My studio is a fabulous place. We have started a figure drawing group every Thursday night in the gallery space; I think it's the most exciting thing that has happened there all year! It is $10 each for 3 hours of drawing, painting or sculpting from a live model!
I've been drawing since I can remember, it was just something you did in my family. In recent years, I've drawn primarily to sketch out loose plans for what I want to build, or to show a proposal to a client but it has been far too long since I've done any figure drawing. The first night I didn't exactly know what to expect from myself. This is from the first week:

These pictures are all gyppy camera phone pics shot on the gallery floor before cleaning up.

I've just been using newsprint and charcoal. There's something very liberating about using newsprint; it's not precious. On the fourth week I got stuck in a rut and broke into my sister's pastels, what fun!

I can not say enough how much I'm enjoying this, wish we had started it months ago. It makes my brain feel good, and how can one really claim to be an artist who does not draw? It is the foundation of everything.
I'm looking forward to imrpoving and sharpening my skills as well as broadening my mediums.

In short, let me just encourage you to get out there & draw!
Here's a little inspiration. Remember this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arTBmh89iOw&feature=related

I am a silver junkie. It's in my genetic code; southern women have fine silver the way southern men have fine guns.
This is another pice for the collection. I got it for $2.98 today, shopping with Cassie. At first I just bought it to break down & reuse in my art, but this one's perfect and I am having flights of fancy thinking about using it for fondue for Ellie's birthday party this October.

The feet are sort of Art Deco. It has a beautiful little alcohol lamp in the bottom. The handle alone is a sculpture.

I'm thinking candy bones to dip in chocolate fondue for a Halloweeny treat. Fancy and delish!

Works In Progress

It's Tuesday, my favorite day of all the week!
Last week was crazy, with too many opportunities to think about how I have ms. But I am on to the next one, and here I am with just a few days until the inaugural gallery opening at the studio. But it's okay, I had lots of WIPS up my sleeve.
I have two of these; unicorn skulls with chamfron sculptures. Here is one in the making:

Here's where I hang silver I'm working on; those are the rings I cut the chamfron plates out of. Right over my workbench I hung the beautiful bat my friend Jason made me! I'm so lucky to have such talented and generous friends.

Here is a silver cuff work in progress under my Grandaddy's magnifying lamp. It is huge, I really need a picture of the whole big, beautiful, 1940's thing, it's very cool. I use it every day I'm at the studio and I can always picture him hunched over it, looking at something under it's florescent glow and chattering about what he's studying on.

I am newly enamored of photographing things under it's magnifying glass.
Here is one of my favorite silver patterns made into a cuff. The patina on this one is an almost "color case hardened" finish that is so desirable in guns. Tones of blue and purple, like an oil slick. I need to learn to replicate that.

I'm reminded to appreciate each moment, and slow down on occasion and to be more patient with myself. I'm so patient with my art. I learn what I can do with a given medium through repetition and exploration. I don't get frustrated when I push things too hard and they brake, I just replace the saw blade or whatever it is. I don't think to myself  "Keep running, fatty!" when it turns out I have a necrotic hip bone. Who the Hell says that?
And even though it sounds cheesy, do I refrain from making some cutsey metaphor about how I, myself am a work in progress? Nay!
I am, forever a work in progress.
I'll let you know when I reach perfection!
P.S. I wouldn't hold my breath...

Semi-Annual Uncles Visit

It was another beautiful day up to The Farm last Sunday where I met up with the fam for a little semi-annual Uncles visit.
Pickens were oddly slim here in the little "swamp" where critters are usually abundant. Did'nt stop us from tryin' though!

Even the trash is fancy down at The Spring House.

Them ol' sorry Pearsons are at it again.

Uncle Tom telling me about the red beans & rice he's fixing for dinner. He's a Louisiana Coon Ass, and his red beans and rice are the best!

Cassie caught this beautiful brim, a Red Ear. Into Brandi's aquarium he goes!

This is the logo on the little boat I grew up in. My Popaw gave it to Dad nearly 40 years ago, I'm guessing. I always loved this aggressive, head-dressed Indian.

It was my first day in this year! I can't believe how late I am this season. The water is clean and cold and kids swim about, learning to map out the submerged stumps like I did.
This is my absolutely most favorite place in the world.

I finer 42 acres you will not find.

Lucky Surprise!

Do you ever find something you forgot you were looking for? It's such a great little surprise; you spy it and then it jumps out of your memory with a cheery "Congratulations!"
This is the missing tooth for my sweet, sweet 9 point from last year. It used to sit on top of my chest of drawers, then I moved it into the studio. I noticed the other day it was missing a tooth and I forgot about it...

...until tonight; I'm getting ready for bed, open a drawer and here it is! And I know which skull it came from because they share the same red clay mud stains I haven't washed out yet.
Such a little thing, but very important. Like a single pearl missing out of a strand, only harder to replace.
And yea though I may have just had a long week, my luck and my found tooth are with me, and I shall sleep sound tonight.
Sweet dreams, all.

Field Trip!

Last Friday I got a call for some aunting duties; Danny had a "family day" field trip with his kindergarten class and his parents couldn't stay, and would I want to go "even though he's not your favorite" said my sister!
Am I that bad? No, I'm not. Of course I can't say no to a field trip; it's been years since I've been on a field trip!

They had a scavenger hunt, each kid with a large ziplock bag with a list of items to find. You mark things off the list with crayon as you find them and throw 'em in the bag, or "baaaaaig!" as Danny used to say it. I will always call it a "baig" forever.
The last thing on the list was "something special" and Danny wanted to find a four leaf clover for his "special thing" submission. "Kid, you are in luck" I told him, "I am the best four leaf clover finder around!" We sat in a clover patch, and I told him to start lookin'. When I found my first one, he was impressed. When I found four more right after he was in awe! I should have gotten a picture of the look on his face. And then he found one of his own, and thusly the scavenger hunt concluded in a victory.

After that it was play time and Danny is non-stop action packed the entire time. Here he is leaping off the tire swing, leaving the other two little boys in the dust. On to the next one!

Playground equipment is all nice and plastic and fancy, with clean mulch and weird outdoor nerf-tile-things. Frank Liske is a really nice park, by the way. Sure does make me miss the old splintery wood and rusty metal equipment from my day though! One of my favorites was the merry-go-round; a group of kids could really get those things going like a centrifuge, flinging a kid or two off sooner or later. It was either going fast & someone getting hurt, or if it was just wantonly turning, elementary schoolyard gossip would ensue...you remember. Also I miss the big, cast metal rideable characters, mounted from the ground by a huge steel spring. We had then at Church and at the swimming pool. One was a blue tuna with a little white sailor's cap, just like the Sunkist Tuna guy! I would love to make grown up sized versions of those and put them up in the back yard. It would be so fun!
Sad that Danny's generation mostly lacks these novelties at the safe playgrounds of today. However, he has gusto for every piece of equipment on the playground, and indulges by throwing caution to the wind!
He's also an excellent photography subject; self aware but not self conscious, photogenic without hamming it up, never get's annoyed (as I immediately would) by the camera.

In the end the classes all lined up to sing songs to their family, who were in attendance and a wrapt audience. Even though they were all on the same song, they weren't in the same time, but still it was pretty adorable.

Later, Brandi was putting him to bed and asking if he had fun with his aunt Dusti today. He answered "Yes, but..." but what Danny? "Well, I thought at first she was gonna be...well, you know..." mean-what he meant was mean! HAHhahahhaa, I love it.
Mean ol' Aunt Dusti, not so bad after all. Hey, I pick a mean four leaf clover!

April Is Nigh!

This April, I find myself more & more living the art gypsy lifestyle and I like it.
Sometimes I sleep at the studio, I have fashioned a pretty gussied up parlor under this window.

I love being there, finally living in my workspace instead of working in my living space. But I don't actually "live" there, one night I might stay there then get up the next morning and drive out to Union County early to see a man about a horse!

Dad, Bran and I went to meet our ferrier at a farm to look at a little mare. This place had several of everything, critter-wise. They knew what to spend their money on. I approve of that. They had several peacocks andpeahens. I didn't know that when they strut around showing off their fancy plumage, they shake a tail feather and the whole thing makes a buzzing sound as they vibrate their tail! And this time of year, all the animals on this farm were on the hunt; love is in the air.

I think this is the ferrier's apprentice. I have always loved watching this work. I can trim hooves, and I believe I'd be a whiz on the anvil, but it is back breaking work. Then again, you get to be around horses and play with metal all day so...you do the math.

My "anvil" is crap. Isn't it beautiful? I covet...This is an anvil:

Then on days when I stay here in Charlotte I get a little reprieve in my favorite cemetery. I was walking through yesterday and took my sketchbook to draw some of the gorgeous decorative motifs. I found not one but two pretty black crow feathers. I took it as a double blessing and an omen of more good things to come.

I am so happy that we're right in the middle of Spring right now. I'm celebrating!