Something about having time...

Karma seems to not much like me some days. I went to bed on time last night and slept well up until waking up sick in the middle of the night. My plan to spend time in the studio today is thus slightly messed up due to feeling marginally better than a zombie who has yet to have his horror-movie batch of brains.

... clearly my poor use of mixed metaphors is an indication of how well I'm doing today.

I believe my plan will be showering, traveling to the store to buy gingerale, and possibly beginning armature work on a new piece. We'll see how well and how far this goes and I'll update later.

Summer Time Again

It's been nearly a year since I posted anything here - though certainly not a year since I've gotten any work done! My apologies for the delay and the dissapearance.

A little about the past year first - I got laid off from my job teaching at Zenith in Kissimmee, FL due to budget cuts and got hired on at Neptune Middle School several months later. I got married. Our house was finished. We moved in. My cat is still insane. I've been working ridiculously long hours to secure my position at Neptune and get involved in numerous after-school activities. In short - while I was still making art, it wasn't quite as prolific as I would have liked.

But summer is now upon us and my house is built and the wedding is done. Which means, with no uncertainty, that my art time is back.
As if to prove this, I took on a request from a friend to create several steam punk masks to be vended at Metro Con in Tampa Florida. Here are a few samples of that project.

Up next are finishing some house pieces for my walls - copper etchings for the dining room and a mural on my studio wall. I'll be working on Autumn Rider - a new sculpting piece shortly as well.

Everything around here is moving at the pace of slow florida summer, lazy mornings and e-mail checks before I dissapear into my studio for the day. Arthur, my cat, will frequently come and keep me company, curled up in the studio chair or perched on the windowsill watching for the neighborhood Sand Hill cranes.

Sometimes he investigates my equipment to make sure it's functional.

Given that this photo was taken shortly after said adorable, loving fur ball turned into Hyde cat at the vet, I was fairly happy to see him back to his usual gentlemanly self. Clearly my photo set up was up to snuff (although I spent a great deal of time getting orange fur off the back drape).

Moving all over the place

Things are a little crazy here in Florida! Jake and I have started the process of building our first house. For the first time in my life I get a room that's all my own for a studio and I'm looking forward to painting and decorating my own creative space.

In the meantime, I've managed a few small projects. I seem to have this urge to add wings to everything lately. Jake loves both of these two so much he doesn't want me to sell them but I keep trying to convince him we can't keep everything or I'd run out of room!

And so...fairy cats.

I've tried posting them at the below link on Etsy as I'm trying to increase my exposure and try a new selling system outside of Ebay.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5652921

New Santa

Happy holidays! Holidays are especially hectic times of year for me now that I'm no longer living with my folks. There's a lot of traveling and visiting and trying to get my own home ready for the season. Still, this idea grabbed a hold of me and deserved some sculpting time.

Last year while shopping at end of season sales, I found a metal and wicker bicycle in the store that screamed to have something put on it. I picked it up not really certain what to do until this year when the bike got painted red, bedecked with bells, and a santa put on top. He's one of my favorites to date and is now up on Ebay.

There's a ton of detail in this one - his sack is full of toys and all his letters are openable with individual messages in them. (Special thanks to Jake for helping me cut them out!)

No fears, that dragon is still in the works but it was time for the yearly holiday santa.

Updates in the studio

I've reposted The Dragon King's Bride, Gypsy Moth, and Victoria on Ebay in an attempt to get some shelf space restored to my studio. I also posted a new felt critter - QT Dragon - on ebay as well. He was just too adorable and was admittedly spawned by Jake's frequent "but I'm cute!" defense statements.

You can see all my current offerings at: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZphoenixrisingdolls

In other news, things are starting to calm down a bit here and once the crafting for an upcoming convention slows down, I'll be getting back to work on this guy. He's..uh..well huge, and will be getting a rider shortly as well. I think he tops off at just over a foot tall and his wings are going to be fairly immense as well. Still unpainted and unfinished, he's being sculpted out of Aves apoxie clay which is a long process but well worth the durability.

Whew! Back in the swing of things

Well 1300 miles, one new job, and a proposal later, I'm in Florida. It was quite a relocation process and after several months I'm finally back in my studio. For the first time, actually, I have a studio. It's small and shares space with my fiance's computer and study but given our mutual love of books it works very nicely and gives us time to spend together and talk while I work.
My work station, one wall above my cabinets, and my chaise lounge (gotta take a break sometimes!)

And work I have done!

The Offering was completed in a workshop with Wendy Froud in New York before my move. She came to me in the middle of meditation and offered me a drink from the drinking horn around her neck. She's special to me and thus is retaining a place in my studio as a symbol of inspiration and giving and something maybe just a little primal.

Next up is my testiment to Florida life: Slink the faerie gecko.

Three weeks ago, having finally unpacked the miriad boxes litering my apartment, I walked into the living room to tune my harp. A lizard, casually perched on the window, peered back at me. These little lizards are very very common in Florida and I didn't think anything of it until I realized his little tail was draped over my blinds and he was inside.

I called my fiance in a panic and he started chuckling at me. He's been used to these things for years. "Just leave it," he says. I am absolutely not leaving a lizard in my apartment and so I attempt to catch him for over an hour to no avail. These little guys are quick!

I eventually gave up and there was a brief period where I thought I might have vacuumed him up with the Dyson. He did turn back up though and I was able to remove him several days later by using a cup to trap him and release him back to the "wild" of our yard.

Slink, is the end result of this story. I figured some good gecko vibes might keep more of them out of my home and really, with as fast as these lizards are I'm fairly certain I just can't see their wings. (he is also available on ebay at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200137123862)

Victoria's Debut

Well the technical side of things is still a bit hazy around here. My computer is finally working again although now I have to go dig out the passwords that will actually allow me to update my web site. In the meantime...

This is Victoria. She's not yet fully told me her story save that she's a forest fairy and she's preparing and waiting patiently for her beloved. She's spent most of her morning gathering and weaving together roses into a garland. (The roses are all individually sculpted)