FRUSTRATIONS!!

There are just some times when the best laid plans of mice, men and artists go astray!  What you see here is Syed taking my Foredom apart for (hopefully) repairs.  That would be because I nearly drilled a hole in my stomach when the grinder got caught in my tee shirt, instantly wrapped it until the torque stopped the motor just a fraction of a hair's width away from my abdomen.  Good that it stopped.  Bad that it broke the shaft.  I was reduced to finishing the "grinding" of ragged edges with a knife - very slow.

I was working on this Iris piece and ran into a little dilemma trying to clean the inside of the neck.  It's a very strong gourd but the slits are not wide enough to get any kind of tool through to shave the plant material away.  So, I cut an entire section away, giving me better access.  With a bit of luck I will be able to fit it back together so you can't see the joins.

I'm thinking of looking for a job designing puzzles.  Maybe gourd puzzles.  I wonder if there's a market...

Back to work...time is flying and my fall show schedule starts next weekend.  Isn't that what Labor Day is about....working???

Fall?

Sunflowers and Fall!  It's cool and rainy today, overcast, windows open, the slushy sounds of tires on wet streets - stores not open yet and no one walking around - I love it!  My hermit self is loving the quiet!
And it means the stack of half finished gourds is calling to me!  Over the weekend I nearly drilled a hole through my stomach as the Fordom caught my tee shirt as I was grinding some sculpted boxes!  Yikes!  It torqued the tool and stopped the motor all just short of my gut!  Now I have to take the Foredom apart and do some repairs - I have learned over the years to always keep a spare on hand, so work continues.

I working on a slightly new design for the gourds - a new way to use them - keep checking in.  I hope to post more "in process" states so you can see the stages of development as I go along.  So often it's difficult for people to understand how I get from the field to the pedestal, so in the interest of education, I'll be recording the process for you.

Commission

I love doing commission work because it makes me think in ways different than I would under ordinary circumstances. When Peggy and Larry asked me about doing a strawberry, I wasn't too sure - but doing the "patch" proved to be lots of fun. This is about 12" w and sits nicely without an added base.

I am recovering nicely from my hip replacement - at 2 weeks I am walking around on my own and off the pain meds. It's good to be back in the studio where I am at work on a couple of tall Iris pieces - one of old fashioned brown iris and one in purple/blue.

Grampa Syed and Whit entertain each other!

We all need a little diversion! Playing with the Mac and tutoring Gramma (that would be me) while it's too hot outside for playing. Back to work soon!

Developing Ideas left and right!

When an artist works in more than one medium, it 's interesting to see the intersections and the ways techniques can overlap and complement each other. I am working here on a flat wood surface, basically doing exactly what I do on the gourds - draw the image, engrave the line in with a woodburner, and paint. The effect is quite similar to the gourds, and rather unique for a flat painting - almost more like looking at a tile piece. This is the beginning of a body of work having to do with women of various cultures surrounded by the patterns of their lives. Look for more at the Celebration of Fine Art in January!

Working on Japanese inspired box designs.

Currently, in an effort to respond to the cautious marketplace, I am working on box designs.  This means a couple of things to an artist.  First, it means that we are developing a price range that is accessible for a wide range of incomes.  Secondly, and of great opportunity for the artist, it means we can work out ideas for new work, or in my case, for elements of larger work in a vein not previously investigated.  I like these very graphic types of designs.  They work well in color and black and white.  They lend themselves to intricate ways of filling space and to creating complexities in negative and positive space.  Watch and see what happens and these little works grow up.

Ever been to GLACIER? Better read this now & take action...

Pure water and pristine wilderness make Glacier National Park
and its sister park in Canada, Waterton Lakes National Park, a
unique place worthy of its designation as Waterton-Glacier
International Peace Park, a UN World Heritage site and Biosphere
Reserve. Grizzlies, wolves, wolverines, lynx and many threatened
species depend on its pristine habitats. However, the park and
its wildlife are threatened by mining and gas drilling in the
Flathead River Valley adjacent to the park.

Our leaders need to know how YOU feel about this special place.

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TAKE ACTION: Protect Glacier National Park

http://action.earthjustice.org/campaign/flathead_0609/ii8x7gs4077nkm8e?

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This month the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations
will meet in Spain to rule on a petition submitted by 11 leading
environmental groups in the U.S. and Canada. The petition urges
the committee to add Waterton-Glacier to the list of World
Heritage sites "In Danger."

One proposal under consideration by British Columbia's
government is for an open pit coal mine less than 25 miles
upstream from the park. More than 325 million tons of waste rock
would be dumped into a tributary of the Flathead River that
forms the western border of the park and provides critical
habitat for threatened bull trout and genetically pure westslope
cutthroat trout. Any leakage from the waste dumps would send
toxic sludge into Waterton-Glacier within 24 hours.

Other mineral exploration is underway even closer to the park
boundary. Proposed mining and drilling in the Canadian Flathead
Valley would push threatened species closer to extinction by
disrupting the seasonal migration of trout, eagles, falcons,
moose and elk, and the dispersal of wide-ranging carnivores.

Take action: Tell decision-makers in Canada and the United
States that mining and gas drilling do not belong upstream of
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park in the Flathead River
Valley - http://action.earthjustice.org/campaign/flathead_0609/ii8x7gs4077nkm8e?

- Earthjustice
Because the earth needs a good lawyer
426 17th Street, 6th Floor, Oakland CA 94612

P.S. Every voice counts! Please tell your family and friends to
urge U.S. and Canadian decision-makers to protect
Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park:
http://action.earthjustice.org/campaign/flathead_0609/forward/ii8x7gs4077nkm8e?

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Malaysia Pulau Perhentian

Oh!  Jet Lag!  It's a good week since returning from Malaysia and I am still waking at 3 a.m. ready for the day to begin....where is everyone else?

Renting a car, we drove almost the entire perimeter of Malaysia from KL to Cherating on the East coast where we swam in warm waters and walked on white sand.  The transition season, so not too many travelers to compete for the charming guest houses on the sand.  Had one of the best massages I've ever had - the approach

 not for the feint of heart but wonderful for those who are looking for the theraputic working of trigger points, chronically aching necks and backs.  

Up the coast to Trengannau where we caught a fast speed boat for the 35 min ride to Pulau Perhentian, a federal marine reserve, where there are no roads, cars, 

motor vehicles of any sort, and very little development of the coastal line - just enough for the few guest accomodations which run from the "basic" (read no ac, no private bathroom, mosquito netting

 only) to more generous cabins with running water, toilet, and ac.  Having started traveling to SE Asia 20 years ago, I can tell you that though I succumbed to the more generous accomodation, something is lost in the doing of that - a certain gentle ambience, the magic of hearing the frogs, geckos, birds and breezes in the palms, the slightly weighty, languorous air in the tropics - all that carries one away to another world of sensibilities.  Each night we chose from the array of freshly caught fish, shrimp, squid to be cooked in our choice of a dozen ways and served with fragrant mangoes, pineapple, dragon fruits, papaya and white or fried rice.  How could I not overeat?  

Cuisine in Malaysia is a gift from the Universe!  Malay, Indian and Chinese cultures blend their voices into the must unique, exciting flavors I've ever experienced.  And the truth of this in evidenced in the wealth of food stalls operating all night, each serving its own specialty, sort of like the secret family recipes.  One could spend their entire vacation sampling varieties of just laksa (a sumptuous fish soup), or of curries, or  nasi candar (a rice with assorted side dishes - each chef offering his own combinations).  We start salivating about a month before we leave for Malaysia, and grieve for our loss for a month upon returning.