Trips

I have grown up making pilgrimages to Mississippi from North Carolina, several times a year, (give or take) my whole life. I find that car travel offers the solitary driver an opportunity for meditation & deep thinking, and when a passenger or two are thrown in it's a great time to philosophise and for story telling. It also makes for multiple photo ops!
This is a factory along the John Belk in Charlotte that I've been attracted to since riding the school bus past it on my way to high school every day. I've always wanted to photograph it, and only just last weekend got a quick shot, cruising by.

I remember people always saying how "travel is good for you" and on & on in a rather Jack Kerouac sort of way; I thought it was all much ado about people with nothing more productive to do with their money.

I stand corrected. It's a time for reflection; putting physical distance between me and my home turf gives me a fresh perspective on everything in life. It's not really a revelation, but something that bubbled up to the surface of my conscious while commuting to Atlanta's Scott's Antique Market with my sister a few years ago. Oh, the ideas we would collaborate on during that monthly gypsy caravan of art pilgrimage!

I do love the open road. I'm grateful that after high school I worked in New Mexico a few summers and had the opportunity to drive from here to the Grand Canyon and back with only an atlas and a car! To sound perfectly old timey about it, travel was different before cell phones and navigation technology, more of an adventure and I'm so glad I got to experience it.

I'm traveling again this weekend for a fast & furious Friday through Sunday adventure, trying to get my fill before my hip surgery next week. And as you might suspect, I've asked if I may keep the bone they saw out. That hip has seen a lot of action and I'd like to have it back!
Cross your fingers that "they" will agree to my request. If so, I'll have pictures!

Mississippi Road Trip

I ran down to Mississippi for the weekend to attend a memorial service for a relative.
Mom and Dad were in the front, and I was in the back, taking pictures. The drive down was particularly gorgeous, with my favorite kind of overcast skies.

We saw the coolest bunch of bikers in Georgia. I took a million pictures of this crew, they were possibly the coolest thing I saw between here & Mississippi!

My Dad's love of  highways, Mississippi ones in particular was definitely cultivated in me as part of my upbringing. We are going to paint from pics I took with my camera phone! How cool is that? I can't wait to see what we do.

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.