Monday, March 12, 2007

Basking in the Warmth of the Sun









The next stool in our group was Kathy's. She had recently added to her real estate collection a home in the desert complete with cactus warm dry air low maintenance in the yard work department and time and space to create and dream and explore mama earth and all of her wonders. So the theme was set and it was my first project. Keep in mind it was January cold and dreary and here came this brightly painted stool warm red and brilliant blue. and a copper circle etched to read basking in the warmth of the sun.
Well I had recently been teaching mosaic classes to small kids and discovered recycled glass as a material. And Kathy had mentioned snakes and that she liked them so........ One thing lead to another and I decided to create a snake winding it's way up the stool. I found a yummy piece of glass which looked like a desert sunset and I had some red Glass which matched the red of the stool leg. them began the cutting process tiny triangles formed my diamond back snake ans of course I picked one of the coldest weeks to get creative also I had waited until there was no more time to fiddle around and when the clock was ticking down the final few daylight hours I was working at breakneck speed. It was so cold my fingers would refuse to bend until I returned to the house for hot coffee and warmth. It is dangerous to loose the feeling in your hands when working with the sharp edges of freshly cut glass. But triangle by triangle the snake inched it's way up the leg of the stool. then I applied the red glass and finally the grout. I was doing the happy dance when at last the snake glowed to life.
Another snake was added and created whimsically out of an argyle sock complete with stone fangs Janice created a cactus garden in copper complete with thorns ouch!!!!
and signed them with her signature dragonfly. Sandra added a delightful little kachina and studied to make him as authentic as possible. His detail is world class and invites you in to wonder if perhaps he will dance a bit for you??? The desert is a mysterious place with hidden delights which must be discovered with patience and observation. Things are not always what they appear to be. Soft earth tones are a backdrop to jewel tone skies and rainstorms are events complete with the drama of thunder and lighting. And at night the stars appear so close you can begin to understand thoughts of other worlds and the connection between us all.

Suga the Adorned

Here are some close and personal photos of Miss Suga and the creative ways her hide was adorned. Kathy spent many hours covering each of her spots with seed beads. This was a unique stool in the fact it was made of a resin and so unable to pierce or sew upon her every one got very creative in their approach to her. Janice made a delightful basket which sat at her feet and looked as if she was collecting dates to eat on the long hot road home. Here is a close up of her spots. Delicious rich brown beads add warmth and texture, while she bends down to admire her anklets wire wrapped and looking very festive yet tribal . On her back adding subtle color and texture in rich silks Sandra created her saddle blankets and these are indeed fit for a queen. Not only Silk but a special beaded topper and reversible to celebrate her quicksilver moods. She is a mysterious tribal dancer with grace and beauty traveling along the African savanna. And if you happen to catch a glimpse of her in the twilight striding off to dance just for the joy of it. You have indeed been privileged to see a bit of magic.

You know once adorned there is no going back to the mundane. A girl has to have a sparkle to please her soul and bring joy to an ordinary day.


Here is a close up of her lavish covering and her mane or ruff. and a final photo of her. This was indeed a scaling down of ideas and working to fit a smaller object. and Suga spoke to me when I had my turn with her. There are many projects that once the idea is worked out from the dream into actual design and form things go as planned and ta-da you have a finished object. But I found over and over that this project let me know in no uncertain terms what it wanted or more importantly what it would not accept. When the beads talk to you they really pack a wallop. there is no pussy footing around. things will not work together. beads have uneven holes, fall off the table while stringing Kiln has melt down.... you get the picture. But when all is in the right place at the right time or in the flow. Then magic happens and creation is a joy and time flies. I cannot get my fingers to work fast enough for the creative energy that is moving thru me. I love it and that is one of my favorite places to be. The only problem is when that strikes me as I am teaching and then all thoughts of speech disappear and I am lost in the creation. Not a good place to be when I need to answer questions and provide help. So I try to limit those times when I have a moment alone. But I must admit it is not a controllable shift and like any artist who experiences this there is always a bit of fear that they may never come again. So if I happen to be creating and in the flow please bear with me and I will return to the measured world of everyday time.