The Last Voyage

 The last cover of The Boat, showcasing the lovely sculpture, Hazel, by Morgen Kilbourn.

All good things must come to an end, and so it is with RESS and The Boat -- Voyage 42 is the last issue. Despite all its promise and benefits, life simply got in the way and grounded this effort. Yet the seeds it has sown are plentiful and wonderful, and members will be reaping the benefits for many years to come. I know that my crash course in publishing will be very handy for my own future endeavors!

I've enjoyed my time as editor immensely and was continually astounded at the generosity, enthusiasm and dedication each author, columnist and staff member poured into their contributions. Thank you! You've helped to create a unique and meaningful  collection of resources in the world of equine art!

To think back on how Lynn Fraley and I sat down over coffee all those years ago to flesh out the organization, and then to have so many amazing people join in because they believed in it, too. What an incredible experience! It was a true honor.

I'll remember my time with RESS fondly and keep close to heart all the valuable lessons I've learned. Perhaps if I'm lucky I'll be given a chance to share that knowledge with other artists to keep the spirit of RESS alive.

So what to do now with all this new-found "free time?" Welp -- I plan to throw myself into my work to make some tangible headway toward many goals I've put off for too long. Bronzes are at the top of the list as is a jewelry line in PMC (precious metal clay). It's time to pilot my own boat in earnest, and I cannot wait to see what new adventures await me! 

"Now...bring me that horizon." ~ Captain Jack Sparrow

The Last Voyage

Six of One, Haffie Dozen of Another!

March of the Haffies

To my great delight, Barry of Bear Cast LLC dropped off the first batch o' Haffies this afternoon. So nineteen sets will be sold soon, but I don't know when yet specifically. One set is being retained for cleaning, to be catapulted to Blackberry Lane Pottery for transformation into clinky goodness. Woot! And in theory, this set will be the fodder for Mayhem 2010! But if you need resin casting done, I highly recommend Bear Cast LLC: Top quality castings, with speedy, professional service. You won't be disappointed -- I promise.

And I was additionally thrilled to learn that Barry can do cold-cast bronze! So I'm going to have him work his magic on Reflective and Jax again, but in that beauteous stuff, which will open up whole new markets for them! We also discussed some options for my sproinging Arabian mare I'm working on in order to preserve the illusion of being airborne.

I'm also cold-painting a Laf'nBear Smittyn into some sort of sooty tastiness, and hope to have her done by Friday or Saturday, and up on Auction Barn next week. She is so fun to paint! I still have to finish glazing that Taboo, too. I love it when there's an overabundance of fun stuff to cram into each hour -- keeps me revved up!

The yin yang of Haffidom

I'm also happy to report that the sponge technique for equalizing the glaze on the tiles worked like a charm! I bought a few kinds to experiment with, but this definitely is the ticket. HIKEEBAH!

The Summer issue of The Boat is shaping up nicely, and I was given stewardship of the new RESS blog, which has been really fun to develop. And if you notice at the bottom of this blog, and the RESS blog, there are nifty Amazon widgets that link you directly to recommended resources. This new feature hopefully can be useful to you at some point in your own art career.

To cap off a perfect day, I saw three baby squirrels in my back yard! YES. I leave lots of food out for them so they gets bigs n' blobby, and it'll be so fun to watch these wee ones cavort about! And that Mourning Dove pair should be hatching their eggs any day now!

Exciting times!

"If art takes up much of the artist's time, then it makes sense that she/he be 'lost' in the euphoria of creating. Isn't that one of our ultimate purposes in life?" ~ Harley Brown

Six of One, Haffie Dozen of Another!

Delightin' in Nail Bitin'

This gives you a sense of scale of how small Taboo really is. Sneeze and boink! -- there goes a leg!

Thanks to good ol' Mom helping me to (again) clean out the garage yesterday, I've finally been able to get back to ceramic work! While I intend to glaze the piles of tiles that have sat forlornly for months, I've...well...perhaps it's spring in the air, but I've gone and done something crazy (at least with my experience level with ceramics) -- I've started to glaze a Taboo! This tiny piece is so delicate, with teeny legs everywhere and a tail that sticks out in an unsettling way from a tiny dock. With bisque, this is a recipe for disaster. So I have to really pay attention to what I'm doing, which is a challenge because I'm naturally uncoordinated. I'm a born klutz. If there's a door jam, I'll walk into it. If there's a horse to fall off, I'm on it (but not for long!). If there's a glass to knock-over, I'm there. It's my super power.

But I didn't stop there. Oh no. I decided to glaze something rather tricky, especially on something so tiny: A homozygous tobiano with gobs of "ink spots" (also called "cat-tracking"). I'm basing his pattern on two snazzy horses, Ima Switch Hitter and Royal Dreamwalker. Wish me luck -- oodles of luck. Nebulous clouds of luck. Clearly, this project is a big, swollen "we'll see how far I can hold off impending bisque cataclysm."

Here he is with his Miskit® applied (the orange stuff). This is a liquid rubber we use to mask off those areas want to be white. I'll apply plastic wrap to his legs and tail when it dries, so they stay white, too. I think picking the masking off those bits would tempt too much that dreaded sound in ceramics, "BINK!" No thank you!

I know all this is a bit ambitious, but I'm dying to try some ideas for the mapping I've been mulling over. I want to achieve that speckled, smudged, shadowed look in glaze. Ever since I began writing that series on painting conventions for The Boat, I'm jazzed to experiment with new methods to see if I can better match what I see in life more. So if all goes well, I hope to have him up for auction sometime next week. Please pray for me. No binking -- amen!

"Dare to be naive." ~ Buckminster Fuller

Delightin' in Nail Bitin'

The Grindstone

Yow! I know I've been neglectful of my blog lately, and I have been meaning to post about my wonderful trip to see Ed and Laurie in Florida. I got all the reference pix I needed for some upcoming sculptures, and some unexpected useful ones for other purposes! Woot!

But as soon as I got home, I had to plow into some pressing deadlines. Once those items are crossed off my list, I can post about my trip and get to work full bore on the new rearing Friesian stallion. I can't wait!

One of these list items is the Winter 2010 issue of The Boat. I had to really hustle to finish Part II of the "Painting Convention" series, but I just did. PHEW. Above is a teaser to that portion of the article. I want this series to help other artists reach their goals and potential when it comes to realism, and -- as usual when writing instructive articles -- I've learned a whole lot in the process. By having to put something on paper, I'm forced to really evaluate my perspectives which in turn deepens my understanding and improves my own work. So I gotta say -- I'm eager to jump into more paint jobs! Nonetheless, in the Summer 2010 issue, the series will be completed with Part III, and I suppose I'd better get to work on that soon!

"Our delight in any particular study, art, or science rises and improves in proportion to the application which we bestow upon it. Thus, what was at first an exercise becomes at length an entertainment." ~ Joseph Addison

The Grindstone

Tidbits to Tempt and Tantalize....

Now it's time for a shameless plug for the RESS ezine, The Boat, of which I'm chief editor (and graciously propped up by two diligent assistant editors, Irenne Randolph and my Mom! And perhaps a third, if I can convince her to hop on board as part of the crew!). So here's the cover of the Summer 2009 issue (above), with Karen Gerhardt's lovely draft horse sculpture, Boreas, in fine bone china and overglazed by her. Previous cover pieces have been a beautiful glazed ceramic Tuesday by Lynn Fraley (who graced the cover of the first electronic issue!), a splendid bronze Ravenhill by Hilary Hurley, and the fabulous 2006 silver coin Jasper National Park of Canada for the Canadian Royal Mint sculpted by Michelle Grant.

One of the things I really like about RESS, besides the educational and professional factor, is that it promotes realistic equine sculpture art in all forms and from all venues. It also brings artists together as colleagues, something rather unusual in the model horse world which forces artists to be competitors. Yet it's different from publications from the art world because of its practical, educational slant -- and education from all facets of "equine artist life," from equine color genetics, to ceramics, to anatomical study, to business matters, to sculpting, to technology insights, to painting, to articles for beginners, to even the logistical and philosophical challenges such artists may face. Issues average about 180 pages, though this last issue was a portly 244 pages! Members get "fed" quite a bit with each issue. Some have joked that this "boat" has become a "cruise ship" -- love it!

Starting with the Winter 2008 issue, The Boat became a biannual and electronic publication (available as a downloadable PDF, or sent to the member on a CD, as a PDF). The electronic format allows us to really go bonko with material and images, something that was impossible with a printed version (in terms of costs and logistics). I even had to get a fancy industry-standard publication program InDesign® in order to publish this puppy in its growing complexity (I cannot speak more highly of this program, by the way!). It's been fun learning the program and refining my publishing skills -- the little bells n' whistles make each issue an amusing challenge, and I think it's important for an artist to exercise her left brain in equal measure! This is a new skill this stubborn old dog enjoys learning! Whenever I need a break from right brain immersion, I tinker with the upcoming issue. Now -- to figure out kerning...

Anyway, it's actually interesting to see how many organization publications are moving to an electronic format for these very reasons. Many long-time publications are moving this direction, too. But enough chitty-chat...as promised, here are some teaser pages from the recent Summer 2009 issue. This first one offers selected pages from the approximately 20-page article about designing "medallions," or palm-sized bas-relief:

Here are some teaser pages from a 43-page article (or thereabouts) about painting conventions in order to help artists evolve beyond them and advance their own development:

Note: The text and images are copywritten to the author and to the individual artists who provided the images. So please write me for permission if you'd like to repost or reprint these teasers elsewhere or otherwise use them.

I've already started work on the Winter 2010 issue, which promises to be just as hefty. Hopefully I'll be able to finish the "painting a silver dapple" article by finishing the painting of the actual piece! I think I can now, since I've figured out my "new" painting techniques a bit more (and I'll be posting that paint job I've been talking about -- I'm almost done!). I look forward to my "quiet moments" in the office hammering out each issue, just as much as I look forward to my time in the studio. I learn so much by creating each issue, not just from writing the articles, or reading them, but in the doing of it. I'm a firm believer in learning new skills on a regular basis, and I suspect this ezine will keep my brain hummin' for a long time! If you're interested in becoming a member to receive this ezine, please visit the RESS website!

"This is the most interesting period for artists. Never before has so much diversity been acceptable. Never before has so much information been readily available to aspiring artists. All you need to do is connect." ~ Paul Foxton

Tidbits to Tempt and Tantalize....

Good Vibes

Let it not be said we don't have fun here with The Boat! Inputting all the proofing from the assistant editors has to be the most tedious task for me with this publication. One has to pay very close attention to make sure not to miss anything. And so there I was, highly focused and feverishly making the corrections to this issue's articles (all 244 pages of them). So imagine me, "in the zone," inputting the proofing Mom did on my hoof article. Then...lo!...I turn the page to...that (above).

Let's just say coffee nearly came out of my nose as I bellowed out a howl of laughter.

What the diagram shows is the palmar surface of a horse's foot, with the "frog," sole, etc. But it's been given a new spin by 'ol Mom. There are few things in this Universe that may be wholly original, and I suspect Mom's take on the horse's foot is one of them. This puppy now has a place of high honor on the wall in my studio. Lesson: Never take anything too seriously!

So joy! -- this Summer 2009 issue is done! I'm sending if off to the RESS Executive Director tomorrow and members should be able to download it sometime next week. Phew. Another big job crossed off. It's been a productive week!

It's strange -- usually every time I finish an issue, I kinda don't know what to do with myself for a little bit. But not this time -- I have that paint job to woo my attentions. I'm happy to say that the other side has been a snap. It's been a pleasure. This has taken me by surprise to be honest. I was expecting a struggle. Nope. Perhaps what I needed to learn from the first side is now completely uploaded to my sub-routines. So I hope to have this guy done next week (fingers crossed). Stepping back, this piece has been an interesting "full circle" experience for me. I've attempted this exact color and pattern once before on a much older piece (I think from 10ish years ago, perhaps more), so I'm eager to compare. How has my painting evolved between then and now?

Anyway, to celebrate, I'm enjoying a feast of some Akira Kurosawa films. About every 1-2 years I revisit this director's work. I've watched Ran, and I'm currently watching Yojimbo. Yesterday, I watched The Seven Samurai, which is one of my all-time favorite films. I never get tired of watching it, and pick up new details or interpretations each time I see it. Speaking of "then and now" -- I remember watching this film over the years as I grew up, and it's interesting to contemplate my perception of the film at each stage of life. But people can keep their knights, cowboys, dirty cops, rock stars, celebrities and rebels without a cause. My heroic figures have always been samurai. A katana sword, a kimono and geta work for me just fine. Don't forget the sake!

I really enjoy foreign films, and Asian films in particular. I was introduced to Asian films very early by my parents, since they lived a year in Japan when I was first born and brought that experience home with them (along with some amazing Japanese block prints, embroidery, silk paintings and raku pottery). And no dubbing please. Native language with English subtitles only. Too much is lost about a culture with dubbing, IMO. I heartily recommend these Asian films to get you started on that path: The Seven Samurai, Yojimbo, Ran, Rashomon, The Hidden Fortress, Hero, Crouching Tiger - Hidden Dragon, House of Flying Daggers, and for lots of fun, Kung Fu Hustle (it's described as Tarantino meets Bugs Bunny meets Kung Fu -- a very apt description! The landlady kills me!) and Shaolin Soccer (by the same writer/director as Kung Fu Hustle). If you want an exotic romp into the world of Japanese "wizards," try Onmyoji.

Speaking of a romp -- when my parents lived in Japan and I was but a wee grub, they rode a bullet train for the first time. But the other cars were very crowded, so the conductor placed Mom and Dad (and me) in a private train car, in the back. Then who should walk into this private train car? Toshiro Mifune, that's who! He was George Clooney, Brad Bitt, Gerard Butler, Clark Gable, John Wayne and Clint Eastwood all rolled up into one for Japan. He was IT. Still is, arguably. It was his private train car. My parents were blown away. Mom said she gave him a big smile. Mifune smiled at them, too, and then tended to business with his gigantic entourage at the front of the car. Mom said it was quite a thrill -- what a once in a lifetime chance encounter! Thank goodness I was good the entire time. Not a peep!

Anyway, back to feasting...I wonder if "imprinting" food preferences happens with babies. If so, I think I was imprinted with Asian food. Even today, my food preferences always lean towards Asian. I can tell you the location of every Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Korean, Thai or Mongolian BBQ restaurant (or grocery) within a five mile radius of our house! Chances are that if any dish involves the traditional use of chopsticks, I'm going to choose it. To me, my comfort food involves calrose rice, udon or stir fry noodles with something. And dim sum. And char sui bao. And rice crackers. And sushi. And Sukiyaki. And Thai Curry. And Tori No Mizutaki. Okay okay...and my Mom's Manhattan Clam Chowder and Banana Bread. And macaroni and cheese (ha ha). Hey, speaking of which...I have to get that recipe from Sonya!...her homemade mac and cheese was da bomb!...

Wait? -- how'd I get on the subject of food again from The Boat?....

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." ~ Luciano Pavarotti

Good Vibes

Time at Mach 7

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

Holy cannoli! Is it Friday already?! It can't be -- if feels like Tuesday! Well, then...I know I've had an awesome week. When the days zip by and blend into each other, it's been a perfect week for me. Why? Because it means I've been allowed to settle into a happy, productive routine without distraction, so I can take the bit between my teeth and run with it...blind to the passage of time. Oh, it feels so good to have periods of time like this!

It also explains why everything has fallen into place -- getting the RESS Finish show to the juror on time, hummin' along with The Boat (much faster than expected -- I'm almost done!) and finally achieving my goals with this dapple dun paint job -- at least for one side. So I think "tutor kitty" would be most pleased with me. (Though I suspect this is the expression on the faces of my assistant editors when I send them the barrage of articles to proof!)

I still find it amazing that The Boat attracts the awesome authors it does. Wow! I just can't thank them enough for their hard work in sharing their knowledge with us -- we are so fortunate! This is going to be a huge issue, though, and I hope people won't have a hard time downloading it.

I'm also amazed that I figured out this dapple dun coat! I thought I never would, to be honest. My little brain cells are doing that elbow motion (well, if they had elbows) and gleefully hissing, "YES!" So much frustration or disinterest happens with me during the middle of the painting process -- when I'm past the initial rush of starting a new project, but see I clearly have a long way to go. That's the danger zone for me, creatively. I just have to slog through it (though sometimes I'm not as diligent at that as I would like), and eventually I can find my momentum again.

So I have one side just the way I want it, but now I have to tackle the other side. Yow. Yikes. Hrmmm. Any painter will tell you this actually is the trickiest part because not only do you have to match the unfinished side to the finished side (in terms of tone, effects and color placement), but this is where boredom can again loom its ugly head and stare you right in the eyes. This is perhaps why some artists work both sides at once, sometimes in sections, which is what I ordinarily tend to do.

However, remember that I have very little patience, with practically nil left over for myself. I was just too curious to see if I could paint this color in the way I wanted it to look, according to my current Eye and skill, because I know I could not have painted it previously as well as I think I could now. I'm ready now. But that's a steep personal challenge. I've smacked myself in the face with my own glove. "Take that, smarty pants!" This meant I wanted the satisfaction of seeing the finished product sooner rather than later to prove something to myself.

Well, that, and doing one side and then the other would help me infuse that sense of genetic "randomness" on either side of the sculpture by helping my brain avoid too closely recreating the same pattern on either side. Indeed, sometimes "starting fresh" has its advantages.

But really -- I needed to see if I could do it, with my fresh outlook on painting and realism. Anyway...

Speaking of fresh -- my friend, Lesli, got me onto the work of Christi Friesen. I love it -- it's so whimsical, unique and imaginative. I also like the rounded shapes, the colors used and all the "stuff" going on with each one. I also really appreciate this woman's business model -- look at her website, packed full with helpful, fun and inclusive ways she gets people interested in her work. And some great ideas for sales! Lots to cogitate for my own future business plans. So when you have a moment, peruse and enjoy!

So anyway. Now. To paint the other side of this horse. In a word, ahem..."ACK!"

"To be tested is good. The challenged life may be the best therapist." - Gail Sheehy

Time at Mach 7

Back from Outer Orbit...

Good gravy -- what a trip! It's so strange to be back. You may know how it is, like you've come back from another life, or woke up from a dream, and you're back to reality. It's a rather abrupt feeling. It takes some time for adjustment. I gotta admit, when I got home, I really didn't know what to do with myself. Both of us just sorta wandered around the house, feeling outta sorts a bit. I was very happy to have my Blobbies back again, though! Mom watched them at her abode while I was gone -- thanks Mom!

But I wasn't quite ready to get back into the studio again, so into the office I went. And, lo! -- what threw me a rope back to my real life was, again, working on Boat material. I've begun outlining and writing a four-part series for The Boat on sculpting the equine head from the inside out -- from the skull to the flesh to the expressions. The whole enchilada. Readers can follow along this step-by-step series, so they can create their own horse heads from the inside out, too.

Every once and a while, it's good to throw something truly challenging in front of yourself, to try and tackle something that may seem "too big." The idea of not only creating an articulated horse head in polymer clay, from the inside out (with the hyoids!), is intimidating in itself. But then laying out a series that teaches how to do so is downright daunting! However, seeing the world from another point of view in order to clarify and convey things to others deepens my own knowledge. It's easy to take too much for granted, but having to teach forces me to relearn and re-evaluate what I already know. In turn, I'm learning tons more in the process! It's experiences like this that create obsessive behavior in me; a challenging learning situation pushes my buttons like a crazy space chimp. So it's been extremely difficult tearing myself away from working on this project to attend to more pressing things....such as the upcoming issue of The Boat! DOH. My assistant Editors should have the proofing to me soon, then I can input the changes and get that puppy published. Big issue and lots of great stuff! I'm so grateful to my Editors and authors! What a wonderful thing to know that our little industry is so willing to share knowledge to help others achieve their goals.

Anyway...I'll be getting back to sculpting on "stockie" probably next week. I'm really looking forward to it. When I came back, the first thing I did was rush into the studio to see if, so far, he still seemed "right" -- and he was! To be "right" this early in the game is a good feeling, but we'll see how he shapes up. No sculpture is that easy -- or should be. I still haven't peeked at the Haffie mare to see if she's "right," though. I'll leave that for next week, too.

In the mean time, I need to sort through and edit over 1,000 photos I took on the trip. Yes -- I got rather dorked-out with my camera. That's perhaps the great blessing and curse of a good digital camera -- not having to pay for shots up front tempts you to shoot like crazy. Yet you do get shots you might have been too skimpy to take if you did have to pay for film to see how they'd turn out. I'll be posting installments of my trip here soon, with pix, and I hope you enjoy the journey as much as we did. Suffice to say -- AC/DC ROCKED THE HOUSE. They DESTROYED the Tacomadome. OMG. More on that later, though.

As for the image in this blog post -- that's my new screen saver. Jedi Squirrels. I'm so OK with that idea. Laurie Jo also sent me a link to a "Squirrelizer," a means to insert an image of a squirrel into just about anything. Once I learn how to use it -- BEWARE.

"Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home." ~ Matsuo Basho

Back from Outer Orbit...

Now for some BIG things...

I'm playing catch-up...again. My life feels like a mad scramble up a speeding escalator these past couple of weeks. I'm chin-deep in the Summer 09 issue of The Boat (we have three proofers on this issue - it's that big!) and getting back to work in the studio (more on that in a bit).

Anyhoo....check out that double rainbow (above), seen from my parent's back yard a couple of weeks ago. It was impressive. Clear as day and complete, from end to end. Perfect. Oh, to have a wide angle lens! Doh. One often forgets the scale of a rainbow, and I think including some mortal debris in the shot helps to convey it.

Speaking of feeling one's mortality -- we took a day trip on the motorcycles with my cousin, Greg, (who also rides a Harley) up to Galena Summit. If there's anything that can make me feel part of a bigger picture, it's a vast landscape. Galena Summit (where this shot was taken) is about 8,450 feet in elevation and in the background there are some of the Sawtooth Mountains. It's truly impossible to impart the sense of distance and scale when it comes to things like this -- it's just something that has to be experienced. Oh, to be a bird and simply jump off a hill side and swoop around! If you'd like to peruse more shots, please visit my album here. By the way -- if you're "into" big puffy clouds like I am, you'll like quite a few of my pics!

There's a couple more shots of this bitty Blobby in the album, too. I went nuts with all the little squirrel-blobs running amok at the visitor stop on the summit. And when he goo-ed out like that...well, you can imagine. Well well WELL.

Anyway...the studio. YES. I'm back to work! Finally -- something has lifted and I'm feeling myself again. It's odd. If I don't have dozens of different projects going at once, I get bored. Yet if one of them "stops" me -- I get stopped on nearly all of them. It's like one of the millions of hamsters in my head gets stuck in a habit-trail tube and creates a big back-up. A ham jam. I think the Haffie mare was the jammed ham. Hey, it had to happen -- I had to learn and she was the teacher. But learning and art come in their own time. They cannot be rushed or forced. I guess my "sub-routines" finally worked out the problem cuz her sculpting is done! Yes -- DONE! Well...."done" for now. I'm going to put her away for a week or two and come back to her with fresh eyes. If she's still "done" then, then she's officially done done. And yes -- she left her big lesson for the last, but I'll talk about that later when she's truly done. The thing is -- now that she's taught me what I needed to know....

I'm now earnestly working on the mini-stock horse! I couldn't have attempted this piece without first completing the Haffie mare. I had to learn from her before I could tackle this fellow. And I have to admit that I was a bit trepidatious about him. You really have to know your stuff to sculpt a convincing stock horse. Their muscle quality requires a kind of knowledge and nuance about musculature that isn't for the timid or unknowing! It's very distinctive. It's also very easy to get carried away with their muscling and you end up with some kinda weird "Marvel Comic" version of a horse. Then again, it's very easy to go the other direction and create a kind of puffy-blob of a horse, with muscle more akin to Drafter bulk than bone fide "stockyness." It's also tempting to focus too much on muscle delineation, and you end up with something that looks like a skinned dissection illustration rather than a depiction of "living flesh." So riding all those tight-ropes is definitely tricky, and challenging! But thanks to Ms. Haffie -- I'm hummin' along on him splendidly! What I expected would be a hair-puller has been easy and second-nature. I guess my sub-routines experienced a necessary upgrade thanks to the mare. So all anxiety about him as been replaced with excitement and obsession. He's also grown, which is what I expected anyway. My sculpts tend to grow as I work -- once the length of the shoulders (which is here I start sculpting), back and hip are fixed, then it comes together. But until that time, the size of the piece is in flux. So here are some sneek peeks of the Haffie mare (again) and of the (very much in progress) mini-stock stallion:

Haffie hinder

stocky sneek peek

Speaking of obsession...this new PJ Harvey album, A Man A Woman Walked By. OK -- granted -- her music definitely requires a "taste." It's certainly not for everyone (Hubby refers to it as "freaky harpie music"). But, to me, if any "rock" musician can be considered a true artist -- she's it. I'm bonko over her work and have all her albums. Well, I got this new one on a loop as I work on The Boat while I wait for the epoxy to set up on the stock horse (so I can refine it more). But I hear those songs in my head when it's not playing! Ack! You can listen to "Dark Hearted Love" off the new album here.

Anyway...where was I?....oh yeah...The Boat. Working on this e-zine is a blessing. Being so right-brained in the studio, I need a balance with some left-brain work, which this puppy provides. It also helps me to "fill in the gaps" between epoxy-time and paint-time to keep me busy. It's a new kind of challenge, too -- between gradually learning the bells n' whistles of this fabulous program InDesign®, learning new spins on design concepts (from cereal boxes!), writing articles and relating with the wonderful authors....well....it's been awesome. If I could somehow make a living doing this and my art -- I think that would be perfect. One of my big passions is sharing knowledge -- I cannot contain what I've learned. It has to burst out. Even better -- The Boat attracts fellow artists (columnists and article contributors) who have that same yen. So working on this e-zine fulfills my soul as well as my left-brain needs. Anyway -- in a few weeks, I'll post some teasers of the issues here, so you get an idea of what I'm so gaga about.

"The cyclone ends. The sun returns; the lofty coconut trees lift up their plumes again; man does likewise. The great anguish is over; joy has returned; the sea smiles like a child." ~ Paul Gauguin

Now for some BIG things...

Halle - FREAKIN' - lujah

Ah! Thank GAWD. It's done! The Winter 2009 issue of the RESS ezine, The Boat, is done! It's a big 200 page issue with articles ranging from Appaloosa pattern interaction, photographing bas-relief, painting a Silver Dapple, learning how to "See" for painting, to sculpting hocks...and that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg! Awesome info, awesome authors and lots to learn and oogle! Phew.

I gotta say though...this issue felt like the Titanic. But in my alternate reality that iceberg didn't translate into "O-H, D-E-A-R." Instead, it translated into "B-U-C-K-U-P-L-I-T-T-L-E-C-A-M-P-E-R." Not only did I have to learn InDesign® on the fly (a huge program), and then recreate all the templates in that program (indescribably tedious), I had an entire complicated and image-laden issue to layout and organize already. Another labor of love. I feel like I've survived some sort of shipwreck and ended up in a tropical paradise. I hear steel drums! Where's my coconut-shell libation?! A big one. And it had better have little paper parasols in it!

But speaking of love -- InDesign® rules! Thank you so much for the recommendation, Jenn Danza, and kudos to the InDesign® team (this is a "shout out" to Denise S.! -- hey you!). This program rocks! Now to wrap my head around all the bells n' whistles before the Summer 09 issue!

Anyway...now I can get back to work! Hazzah!

"Today's accomplishments were yesterday's impossibilities." ~ Robert H. Schuller

Halle - FREAKIN' - lujah

Day-dreamin' in dry dock....

Spring has certainly burst forth, and my head is bursting with ideas and inspiration! Pow! But first I have to finish what I started, namely the (very late) Winter issue of The Boat. It's been in dry dock for way too long as I grappled with InDesign® and some last-minute tweaks. The members have been graciously patient -- thank goodness! Thank you! So that issue has gotta get launched soon, gosh darn it. To that end, today I worked on the new illustrations for an article I wrote for it, and it feels good that's done. Tomorrow, I'll be snapping pix for another article I wrote for the issue about photographing bas-relief. I'm a bit apprehensive about this since it'll entail organizational and mental-focus skills my very distracted brain may not be capable of right now. We'll see. Hopefully, I'll be zippin' the issue off later this week to the intrepid RESS Executive Director for distribution -- fingers crossed!

Anyhoo, it was just too gorgeous outside to stay indoors yesterday, so we took a day trip to the Bruneau Sand Dunes on a whim. I'll post pix from our jaunt sometime this week. Now I don't know about you, but there's rarely anything prettier in Spring than a flowering tree! And happily -- our neighborhood is chock-full of 'em!

Oh, I wanted to show you another sneek peek of the Haflie mare, but I really have to get The Boat outta here. Same with the mini Quarter Horse stallion I've started work on, too. Doh! So much to do...so little time! But my happy tulips don't have such worries...

"To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter; to be thrilled by the stars at night: to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring... these are some of the rewards of the simple life." ~ John Burroughs

Day-dreamin' in dry dock....

Charmkin Shangri-La

As many of you know, I'm a rat nut. To me, there's just nothing cuter. It's the beady eyes, the goo, the little feet -- those little faces! I go nuts. I love all rats -- yes, even the "yucky, scary" wild rats that roam the streets. In many ways, I'm rattish: I love food, safety, affection, warmth and according to my husband, I'm also prone to random fits of insanity.

The piRats are the mascots of The Boat, and I gotta say -- "dressing up" ratties in pirate clothes with Photoshop® is just too dang fun. Speaking of The Boat, the Summer issue has left dry dock! Phew -- it feels so good to get another issue out, though I've already started work on the Winter 2009 issue. Can never start soon enough with these puppies. I'm so proud how this publication has shaped up now that it's in electronic format. The hard-working proof-readers (Irenne and my Mom), the fabulous regular columnists and the special guest writers all do an amazing job to make this ezine really special and totally unique in the world of equine art. In my opinion, one of the greatest joys of knowledge is in its sharing, and watching it grow and evolve as each mind puts it to work.

Anyhoo -- Who's that in the photo? That's Scruffles! He's peeking up at you from his daily snooze. "Scruff" is a little rescue I scooped up about three weeks ago. He's a curly-coat and the poor little guy had lived his whole life in a stupid tiny aquarium tank -- skinny and dying for affection. Of course he came home with me, and started to fatten on the real food I give him (I've yet to meet a rattie who doesn't love scrambled eggs or tofu boiled in beef broth), and has turned into a "scruffley" ball of love, thriving on the attention he gets from us. Such a wonderful little character! He goes bananas on the "rat couch," the shredded, dilapidated couch dedicated just for "Rattie Super Funtime." Speaking of going bananas, I also have three babies I got a few months ago -- Epi, Wuzzle and Jeepie -- but they won't sit still long enough for me to take their photo -- stay tuned. When I got them, they looked like tiny mice with biiiiiig feet, but boy, they've grown! They've also turned into irresistible love bugs -- such a joy! They're black and white hooded, and so remind me of The Three Amigos, plus they're prone to the same insane antics. Rats are the only other mammal documented to "laugh," and if I listen hard enough, I hear them giggling -- a lot!

My little Charmkins instill such whimsy and happiness in my life -- I can't imagine a life without the sound of little rattie scuffling! Give your critter a hug today, and maybe a special treat, too. The caring bond between species is a rare thing, and we are truly blessed to peer into the glimmer of "The Bigger Picture." So back to work in the studio for me, to again express that bond through my work. Hopefully, I'll have something fun to show you soon!

"A smile starts on the lips, A grin spreads to the eyes, A chuckle comes from the belly; But a good laugh bursts forth from the soul, Overflows, and bubbles all around" ~Carolyn Birmingham

Charmkin Shangri-La

It's a bug hunt! Game over man!

In case you're wondering what that little blue arrow is pointing at....no, it's not a blob of snot...it's a wad of baby praying mantids clinging together as they hatch from their egg sac! Hubby purchased quite a few egg sacs, and together they're expected to hatch out about 1200-1500 of the little guys to deal with the grotesque earwig problem this year, in an eco-friendly way. Haven't seen much of the mantids, but the earwigs sure have vanished. Chomp!

Speaking of "game over man," it's that time of year again---publication of The Boat time! "Team Boat" has been madly working to bring the Summer issue together for publication this month and it's shaping up very nicely. One would think we'd run out of topics or information for a 150+ publication twice a year, but wonderfully I end up having to chop stuff out to save it for the next issue. Who knew that "realistic equine sculpture" could have so many relevant tangents of information? I mean, really, there's only so much a working artist can read every six months!

Suffice to say, I've had my Mazzy Star albums on a loop in my iTunes program throughout all this. They lend a vibe that really allows my brain to concentrate while still eased by cool tunage. I'm also a sucker for a good hypnotic melancholy, haunting tune, I admit. Anyway, as soon as The Boat is published, it's back to work in the studio, though, since I've got lots of paintjobs needing attention and sculptures in the works. For instance, besides that Arabian mare I mentioned in a previous post, I'm also working on that little foal's Mom! Here she is in her armature glory, as she currently sits on my work table (Boat readers may recognize her from the article I wrote about sculpting her kidlet)....
Lynn Fraley was kind enough to lend me a picture book on Haflingers because despite my pile of reference photos, I just couldn't find one of a Haflinger mare's hiney directly from the back, and if you know anything about Haflingers, the structure of their hefty hinders is rather important. Those babies gotta "have back." However, this feature can be very easy to get wrong if you don't know exactly how they're structured, because they're similar to a draft horse's hinder, but not quite, and then you add in the broodmare factor, and well...it's a delicate balance of bulk, curves and angles to make it look right. Ultimately, my goal is to make her rather "broodmareish," with the expression, belly and the slack musculature thing going on, which is something you don't often find in sculpture, with artists tending to choose a young "fit showhorse" type of mare. I don't know, though, I like the "patina" a mare develops as she ages. I think it lends to her appeal, especially for sculpture, or maybe I'm just able to identify with that type just a little bit too much now! So we'll see how she turns out. Sculptures so often take on a life of their own, one you just have to follow rather than fight.

So until this Summer's Boat has left dock, I'll sign out for now and hopefully have some images of completed paintjobs and in-progress images of the various sculptures coming down the pike soon. I've got more "minis" in the works and I've started on Stormwatch's base for his bronze edition that I hope (fingers crossed) to get started early next year. I'm really excited about the prospect of producing in bronze. Something new to explore and experience. Happily, my Uncle Mike and his fabulous wife, Mary Teresa (Hello there, you two!), live very close to the foundry I've chosen so what could be better?....family and new horizons, a golden combo!

"A perfect method for adding drama to life is to wait until the deadline looms large." ~Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby

It's a bug hunt! Game over man!

My Last Nerve is a Fighter

Hello again--but this time from the critical unit of Systemic Software Necrosis! In other words, I'd like to kill my Microsoft Word program. At least bit-slap it silly. So I apologize for not posting earlier, but nearly all my attention has been focused on a current writing project with an ominous deadline--next month! GAH! Every time I look at the calendar, my eyeballs pop out on stalks and my hair looks like something inspired by an experiment on MythBusters. So if I seem a bit hard to get a hold of these next few weeks, it's because this little Shetland is scrambling in the salt mines to get this project published on time.

Published? What published? Well, starting January 1, I became the new editor for the RESS newsletter, The Boat, which is now a biannual ezine published as a full color PDF for members. I'm rather passionate about this organization that has helped so many of my fellow equine artists grow, and I've poured that level of enthusiasm into this new version of the publication. For months I worked on it. 200+ pages. Totally formatted. In Word. I was so puffed up, thinking how efficient and competent I had been by starting so early!

But like most little conceits, it all blew up in my face like Acme Dynamite.

About three months ago, Word decided it simply didn't want to open it anymore. Harumphf! It even had the audacity to decide to crash every time I tried to coax-beg-cajole-shriek at it to please open the file! What gall! Now usually I have "Techno Joy" (in the words of Eddie Izzard) when it comes to writing, word processing and publication lay-out, but this euphoria turned to "Techno Fear" in one heart beat.

After a barrage of trouble-shooting, I was at wit's end. Ultimately, I figured I'd just have to pay a professional to rip it open and salvage what I could. But on a whim, I tried one last ditch effort on my part--my little iPages word processing program that came with my new iMac.

Open-Winter08-*click*-"Here ya go!"

Wham!--there it was! That funny little program ripped it right open, images and all, though all the formatting was lost. Small price, though, since I was ecstatic to have salvaged everything, even in raw form. Now since I thought I didn't have time to learn a new program and play eight months worth of catch-up, I re-started The Boat in Word again, thinking the document had developed a corruption that I would just avoid (somehow) in the future.

I desperately need to develop the skill of slapping myself at strategic moments in life.

Word crashed again!--After six weeks of work of feverishly reconstructing the publication. And with no indication as to the bee in its bonnet! I had it with Word. A program I had depended on for 10+ years was now simply unreliable for this publication, so I promptly bought AppleWorks. I would just have to bite the bullet and learn a brand new program on the fly as I re-did The Boat for a third time, while also wrapping things up to meet the publication deadline. But you know, it's ironic how things pan out to work for the best--here I thought my forced leave from the studio was a disaster, but if it wasn't for that, The Boat would be months late, or perhaps not published at all as a Winter issue! So hooray!--I guess?

And so far, so good, but keep your fingers and footsies crossed that AppleWorks doesn't develop a neurosis, too. But I gotta say--this little program is a lot better for my goals with this ezine, so in that sense things worked out for the best, too. Crazy. You just never know which disasters will actually turn out to be blessings!

Now one might wonder--"Why the heck would a self-employed artist spend all this time writing for and working on this publication?", and that's a good question. But the truth is that it comes back to me, in very positive ways that improve my work and advance my artistic goals. Really, it's not a selfless endeavor! I don't know about you, but I've never believed that "those who can't do--teach". BAH! What nonsense! Obviously someone with a goodly bit of insecurity and bitterness coined that phrase. In contrast, I believe "those who do well, teach" because teaching is one of the best ways to learn! I also believe teaching helps to elevate the art form by helping more artists achieve goals they never thought possible, creating a more cohesive and energized community for all of us. Accomplishment is a good and potent drug. So that's why my last nerve is doggedly fighting to get this puppy published, and on time! And as a teaser, I've included a small peek at a couple of illustrations in the Winter 08 issue.

So, until next time: "Who dares to teach must never cease to learn." --John Cotton Dana

My Last Nerve is a Fighter

Of Frogs and MRIs...

Shame on me! It's been far too long since my last post--my apologies. But boy, things have sure been crazy here this past month! Most of them with good things, such as completing my final duties as Parliamentarian for RESS, working on the new version of its newsletter The Boat for February publication and wrapping up two long-standing sculptures of a mare and foal that have been inexplicably troublesome for me these past nine months--If you heard a lot of cursing and arghs! from the general northwest vicinity, it was probably me as I broke off yet another leg for the fourth time! But they're just about done now, and I'm very pleased with how they turned out. Everything works out for the best really, and had I not been delayed all this time with them, I don't think they would have come out as cool as they have. Time puts you in fresher places, which often is an advantage for art work.

And the biggie good thing is the enthusiastic and overwhelming response to my sculpture Stormwatch (pictured above in resin, cast from my original in epoxy clay). I am so grateful and totally taken by surprise by the response--I'm still in shock. Hey, I thought he'd be a hard sell! Who knew that this funny little gelding would take the world by storm! (wink) And I'm happy to report he's going to be my first bronze, and I hope to have him in metal by the end of next year. I just need to sculpt a base for him, which is something I'm really looking forward to cuz I have some fun ideas for it. But the even greater thing with Stormy was that with him, I was able to help just a little bit with the Blessed Broodmare Project, to rescue dozens of pregnant PMU mares from slaughter! What a great way to kick off an edition! Check out the YouTube story on how these mares were rescued! Oh boy--does it get me verklempt. These dear people, the Bucklers, are also the same people who do many of my resin castings, including Stormy! The best things in life are those that come full circle in good ways.

So to celebrate his successful release in resin, I treated myself to something fun--an excruciatingly cute frog hat at a crafts bizarre in a local high school (above). LOOK at that smiley frog! The whole cap is rimmed with them! And there's a fly on the top! Is that not the cutest cap ever? It's wool lined with angora, so it's warm and soft at the same time--two good things that go better together! The lady who made this hat, and other assorted angora knitware, is there every year with one of her angora bunnies that you can pet, which of course is the highlight of the whole day for me. This year, she had "Mo" there--a big fluffy white beachball with ears. I about died. So c'mon cold weather! Bring your worst--my frog cap will protect me! The flower on each earflap gives me incredible power!

Speaking of which, my back. Ah yes...the spine--the great humbler of upright bipeds. My nemesis. My Achilles Heel. In my long, sordid battle against the best attempts of my spine to keep me bedridden, I have my first MRI this weekend. I'm not necessarily looking forward to it, but it's gotta be done to see what's going on. But I am so grateful that we live in a day and age of such technology and it makes me wonder what the next fifty years will bring us in ways of medical breakthroughs and discoveries! In the meantime, I asked my neurologist if I could sign up for a bionic spine, with the "sch-sch-sch" sound and all, and her reply--"We're not that cool...yet". I love it.

So with that thought, I leave you to ponder this: "Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." ~Lewis Carroll

Of Frogs and MRIs...