Gallery

My current gallery, check back often. I’m always working

Mermaid

Mermaid Desk front view

copper pot

Blue cannonball pot

Joy in every language frames the images that are special to Susan. The circel includes a dolphin, a butterfly, a black cat, a crane, hearts and flowers

Pieces of gourd that are always left over I draw on. I use them for Jewlery, decorations for pots, etc.

Dargonfly potpourri and decorated pot

on something new!

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The Laurel

This gallery contains 1 photos.

One of my gourds in Common Ground’s new ad in The Laurel of Asheville

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still working

I’m adding a couple of new pieces here. My brother, Johnny, gave me the wooden duck. He found it in a thrift shop. It was brown, and the bill was cracked. The phrase “Ugly Duckling” applied to this poor wooden thing regardless of age. Ugly, ugly. I love projects like that! My photography isn’t good enough and it will eventually get to the pro, Eli, but for now I wanted him to be seen in his new persona.

The blue gourd bowl with the orange petals is a project using a medium called Powertex. It hardens fabric and can be even left outside. I’m still workign with it, and I have some new ideas for using Powertex. It’s also hot. I got home and wanted to work on some furniture. The duck has got me itching to work with a couple of stools and some tables, some chairs, that I ahve been eyeing al;l winter. But it was so hot when I got home…yeah, I pansied out. After a few minutes of lackluster sanding I decided to see how I feel tomorrow. Somebody slap me. I should be more disciplined than this….I’m also behind on my writing. Again, somebody send me a literary smack on the head. I need some inspiration, encouragement, something to get me out of the “don’t give a shit” I’m in right now!

Tomorrow, tomorrow.

Jewelry

I will be posting some new photos soon. I’m sending items to him in  a couple of days. I didn’t really want to start making jewelry, but I found myself with quite a few jewelry supplies-much of what I work with comes to me from  people who don’t know what to do with what they’re giving me and can’t bear to throw it out….”I know you can make something with this!”

It’s wonderful compliment and what I really, really like to do. In this case, I got some jewelry supplies, some broken gourds and saw something I hadn’t seen before.

These pictures aren’t that great, but I am having such a great time making this jewelry that I wanted to share that. Comments welcome!

New Work, New Venues

I’m now in another gallery in Tryon

http://simplyirresistiblegallery.com/

Check it out. New work!!

copper pot

How do you guys do it?

It’s been too long since I posted so I apologize to anyone who may have checked by only to find the same old same old. It’s hard to find time for the computer and everything else.

Let me apologize for the way that sounds. I love computers. I think they are one of the real instruments of progress. We are even beginning to use them for positive, enriching experiences instead of just games. But I don’t have a lot of time after work to spend on the computer, on the Net. I leave in the morning a little after 7AM. I get home a little before 7PM. I feed then cats, check my mail, check my email, respond when needed, do anything that is really, really necessary in the house (clean the cat box, wash stray dishes, pick up bits of this and that the cats scattered during the day, etc.) then settle in to artwork. I am getting ready for 3 Christmas shows and I have to start delivering work the first of November. Sounds like plenty of time for those of you who don’t do my work but it isn’t plenty of time. It’s been rainy here, so things aren’t drying as quickly as they should. Now it’s getting cold, too. My work is truly individual. When I sit down to draw (using a wood burner), it’s slow. Each design is original. When I start drawing, what comes out of my head through my hands is what comes out-I don’t copy one design repeatedly. Frankly, I may try some of that for these shows since I need lots of stuff in a short period of time. Of course, I know how that goes. I start drawing, even looking at a design I may have just completed, thinking I really like that and I’ll draw several, and I start drawing. I get into the lines, the loops, the flow and then I’m connecting this line to that and the burner wanders around and I’ve drawn something new and I love it and I keep going until it’s finished and I think Oh, I like that, I’ll do several and off we go again. Once I’m into that zone, I go and I don’t try to control it. That’s the point of making art for me. It’s a creative process that releases something in me and for me and I resist controlling it by making 6 of those and 12 of those…I did that with the potpourri pots I made from gourds. I designed the dragonfly cutout that went on the lid. That was really the only thing that I used over and over. The pots were finished with different colors and textures, and I was doing the same thing with that as I do with drawing. Watching what happens with this color, what happens when I do this? Or this? So the pots are just as individual, but the theme is consistent. That worked out pretty well and I’ll finish more of those. I’m also experimenting with finishes, sanding space off for drawing and making new pots that have interesting finishes and colorful designs. I’m letting the designs take new avenues and creating functional pieces that are beautiful and unique.

More pictures. I finally figured otu what I was doing wrong!

Dragonfly potpourri pot and pot decorated with gourd piece. The picture below shows the bits and pieces left over from broken gourds that I draw on and use for jewelry, gourd decoration, etc.

Lord, that’s enough marketing for one blog, don’t you think? Anyway, the point is that I have so little time after work that I want to do MY work, my artwork, or my writing. The blog is part of that, but not everything. Jeez, now it sounds like I don’t want to blog, or that I think this is less valuable than some other activity. Sorry, I don’t mean it that way. I’m just so surprised when I read other people’s blogs and I realize they do it almost every day. (!) I admire that, I do, but I can’t give up my art time. And I go to bed pretty early because I read for a while before I sleep. I can’t give that up, either.

So, I’ll post as much as I can and will try to make it a more regular thing so more of you will stop by and read what’s happening. I do want to hear from people and get feedback on my writing and my art. Without it, without feedback and interaction from those of you OUT THERE how can I tell if I’m communicating?

OK, now you have something to reply to: how do you do it? How do you keep up with email and blogging and Internet searches…and everything else? Does having an 8-hour a day job make that much difference? I work 10 hours a day and my travel time is 40 minutes each way so I’m effectively gone 12 hours a day. What gives? I go to bed to get 8 hours of sleep, so tell me, how do you split up your day?

THE SHOW

The show was fabulous!!! I sold a lot of gourds; I talked to a lot of people. I received lots of encouragement and kind comments. I was invited to show in two more shows next month for Christmas (back to work!!!) and I felt exhausted and very, very happy at the end of the day.

I am posting a few pictures here, but check the website in a couple of days for new work. Those pictures are better, because they were taken by a professional in a studio.

My brother, the savior I wrote about recently, helped me get another car so I could concentrate on the show. Now I don’t have to worry about getting to work and around to galleries who want me to exhibit with them. When I’m famous, he’ll get a bigger cut. Right now, he’ll get the cost of the car and my undying gratitude. When we get together, I have to do a lot of bowing and scraping but it was worth it!! I’m kidding about the bowing and scraping. He prefers documentation (don’t we all?) so here it is again

My brother, Johnny, is my savior. In addition, his wife, Linda, who puts up with both of us and never crabs about it. Out loud.

I know I should write pages and pages, but I’m still tired and I have to get back to creating-those shows are coming up immediately and I want to be ready. I want my work to be terrific and make people “ooh!” and “aahhh!” like they did last Saturday.

I also want to send heartfelt thanks to all of you who thought positively for me when I lost the ability to do it myself. Tell me what you want for Christmas-I’ll put it on a gourd and send it to you!