We Survived Mayhem 2009....Barely

Lesli -- Don't confuse your water cup with your pina colada! Doh!

Oh my gosh -- what a time! The week just flew by! I had intended to do a kind of "play by play" of each day, but alas....we all became too immersed in good times to remember much else other than catching our breaths between laughing.

Lesli and Joanie are on their way home today, and will probably be recuperating as I am. I've lost my voice from constant chatting. My face hurts from laughing so much. My brain is swimming with new ideas and information. My inspiration is running amok. And my belly is so sated, as to be shameful. I'm still full from last night's dinner! Who knew that "work" would be such a tremendously enjoyable vacation!? We've existed in some strange dimension for the past week, high on good vibes and good food! Now it's so strange that they're gone -- the house is oddly quiet and lonely. I kinda don't know what to do with myself! So here are some pix from the one day I remembered to grab a camera....



Joanie and Lesli taught me what I was doing so very wrong with these multi-part molds! Yay! I'd been doing it backwards with the plaster -- I needed to do the littlest pieces first! Plus some mold-soaping issues I was messing up. And Lesli taught me her "damming" technique to build those insert pieces from scratch -- thank you Joanie and Lesli! You helped me jump my obstacles! Wooo hooo! So now I have a good working mold of Sonya Johnson's Bjorn...finally! I was unable to pour the Feral Mare medallion master mold (we just ran out of time), but I now have a good idea of what to do...so I'll get to that pronto.


Anyway....Here's a pic of Imp's teeeny tiiiny mold (shown with Taboo, for scale), made by Lesli (which you can follow along with its creation on her blog, kinda starting here).




And here's Joan working on her teensy weeensy Imp, which came out fabulous this morning from Maury's belly (Maury is my little kiln -- we mudheads name our kilns, we're just strange that way. But "Maury" is short for "Moravia," which is the archeological site believed to be the first place where ceramics were made purely for art's sake).....




Here's how Joan transported bisque Taboos on the plane, all lined up neatly...




And here is one of the Taboo molds, "exploded" in all its complex glory (each of those inner pieces is custom made for that particular mold):




Look at these tiny inner mold pieces! Don't sneeze!:




And here's how Vixen and Imp arrived with Lesli on the plane -- neatly tucked in a Harry & David pear box!:




The box o' Brownies arrived via mail, and the gals dove right into them. Predictably, all manner of "ass" jokes were lobbed about a-plenty. I mean really...who can resist?! Amongst the giggling, I was able to create a claybody Brownie for each of them (and they flipped a coin as to who would get which one), and I'll post pix of them when they're fired.

I also finished a claybody Collier, which I -- miraculously -- decided to keep for myself....gasp! I haven't done something strictly for myself in well...I can't remember in how long. But I ended up liking him so very much, I just splurged. I'll post a pic when he's fired. Through him, I remembered how much I enjoy playing in the mud this way, so I'll be pouring more Colliers and Limericks to claybody later today, for the gals to glaze eventually. Claybodying (in which you resculpt the unfired greenware) is such a joy. The clay wants to be played with, and takes to resculpting so well. And being able to do variations on a "theme," such as with Collier and Limerick molds, allows me to push my imagination in useful ways that help me to "think out of the mold box," so to speak, which helps develop new perspectives in design.

A real highlight of the week was venturing over to Lynn's studio, to play with her there. She and Barry are such a delight, and her studio is simply wonderful! But golly -- she put together a fabulous china painting starter kit for each of us, beautifully packaged and with glazed medallions to give us starter fodder. We were blown away -- Thank you, Lynn! She also gave us a demo of china painting techniques and preparation, and hands-on so each of us could play with the materials and methods. Thank you, tons! Wow -- how differently it all feels and works, but oh so fascinating and inspiring! I love the feel of it. So much more like cold-painting than I expected, which suits me well. Not only are the pigments more "what you see is what you get," but the way you work them is more "cold-painting-y" than underglazing. I have a really hard time with underglazing since it works so opposite what I'm used to doing and I'm such a hopeless klutz, but I'm thinking I could combine the two for a happy medium. I think that's what we're all thinking! It's these synergistic, positive retreats like this that push us all forward, along with the technologies, and Lynn's china painting demo was a classic example of how great the model works. It also is just plain ol' fun!

The food was amazing, of course, and we stuffed ourselves silly. Thai (yes, Steph -- Sa-wah-dee....twice!), BBQ, Japanese, Idaho pub food...the works. I think my pancreas was just about to go on strike. Amongst all the brazen feasting, I also managed to devour a whole jar of Stay Puffed marshmallow creme. Hey...what can I say? I love marshmallow creme. Lesli was icked out, saying it looked like styrofoam....and it does! Tasty styrofoam! Her Mom sent us some salt water taffy, too -- my fave! Thank you Mom Jeffries! And my Mom treated us to an amazing "farewell" dinner Friday night at a local mom n' pop restaurant, Kahootz. Thank you Mom Mink! The meal was fantastic and epic -- we waddled home and spoke of our great meal in hushed tones. But it'll be a loooong time before I'm truly hungry again. Oy. Lesli fell asleep on the couch while we digested and chatted while playing with the Well Wells. We even managed to squeeze in a matinee of the new Star Trek movie on Friday, and boy...was that awesome! Viva Spock! And Scotty!

Anyhoo...I'm laying low today and getting my bearings on my life again. I sure had a fantastic time with those two and I can't wait for next year's Mayhem! Thank you Lesli and Joanie, for another amazing visit and learning experience! You rock!

Now...to regain my voice, my appetite and my mind in time for tomorrow's MDA ride with Hubby!

"If it's not fun, you're not doing it right." ~ Bob Basso

We Survived Mayhem 2009....Barely

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Well, first of all -- here are those natches I neglected to gouge into the first piece before the second pour, in case you were confused before. The second pour went great, and now my mold is drying in the oven. The oven isn't on, it's just a drier place than the cold garage -- I just have to remember that it's in there before turning on preheat! Oh, the stink of those rubber bands could put me off Thanksgiving altogether! And again, the plugs worked perfectly! Buck-a-wah!

I have to restore the original clay (it got damaged demolding it), and then pour a rubber master mold of it. Now I should have done that before casting the plaster mold, but I'm pressed for time with Christmas around the corner, and the plaster needs to dry before I can cast from it. This way I can make minor changes, too, to ease production and to make the castings from this mold special in their rarity (a plaster cast will yield only about 30 castings).

Anyhoo -- onto the real subject of this post...it was bound to happen. I could watch it creep up each year, really. Like a train wreck in slow motion -- I ran out of shelf space for my books! Some people collect baseball cards. Some people collect bottle caps. Some people even collect rubber bands. I collect horse picture books and equine anatomy books. It's like an addiction. My friend, Tina, gave me a joke gift -- a teeensy tiny miniature horse book, about 1 x 1 inches, because, she told me, that even though I seem to have every horse book ever printed, I certainly do not have this one! And well...she was right! I should belong to Horse Book Anonymous. "Hi, I'm Sarah, and I'm a horse bookaholic,"....Hi, Sarah." One would think, "Geez, ya weirdo, do you really need all those books?" And my answer is, "Heck yeah!"

I truly use each and every one in some fashion, at some point. Aside from the inspiration, each image offers a different insight into the movement, physics, spirit and anatomy of this beautiful animal, and also a new take on the human perception of him, too. Likewise, each anatomy book has a different perspective, or some fascinating morsel of information the others lack -- no anatomy book can be taken at face value, or regarded in seclusion. I have reams of horse magazine and calendar clippings organized into binders according to motion that I'm constantly using for reference, as well. Besides hours of life study, these things are an essential supplement to anatomy books because, we have to remember, anatomy books are depictions of dead horses! An artist needs to be well-versed not only in anatomy, but in the eccentric nature of the flesh and physics, the play of motion and emotion, the energy of the moment and immediacy, and the profundity and soul of the individual, otherwise she risks a kind of lifeless sculptural formula that seems to sap all that is sublime and energizing about this animal. But when your shelves are stacked disasters, being able to access these resources becomes, well, tiresome.

So we took a trip to an office supply store on Saturday for a bigger, taller bookshelf for my picture books, and Hubby put it together that night (what a trooper!). Now, you know when you start something, and about a quarter of the way through, you realize that what you thought was a "quickie chore" is actually a waaaaay bigger project than you anticipated? After the 8th load of lead-like books piled onto the bed, I realized, "Crimony! I'm going to be at this all day!" And so it was -- load after load of books and binders were piled on our bed, so heavy I thought it would snap through the floor boards!

It didn't end there, though. I decided (of course) to rearrange my studio somewhat so I could use that discarded shelf in the studio rather than moving it into the storage barn, which meant pulling everything out and on top of of all my cabinets and shelves (of course), cleaning them, moving things around, and then piling everything back in. It didn't end there, however! I decided I needed to clean my entire studio, too. It was like a car out of "park," rolling ever-faster down a steep hill. Hey, it needed cleaning, but after a full day of heavy lifting and moving big, cumbersome cabinets, it probably wasn't the best idea. But when you're plowing forward, you have to keep going! Suffice to say, I was completely pooped Sunday evening. Happily though, my back was fine, but boy my arms and legs! (I'm still feeling it today!) I was in bed, snoozing away by 9pm -- super early for me! It was well worth it though --- My horse books....

Keep in mind that in the "before" shot, there are books stacked behind what you see! And yes, books spilled out on the floor was typical since there just wasn't any more room! Now my anatomy books...

My newly cleaned painting station (below, which you may remember from my very first blog post! On there is an old commission on a lovely Brioso I'm painting for nth time -- I finally have the technique down to pull this color off how I want it):

...and sculpting station (below):

The two cabinets together (below, the left one holds my reference binders, and the right one holds my anatomy books...the TV is constantly playing Mystery Science Theater, and the dedicated microwave is for heating clay to soften it for sculpting)...


After a good vacuum, phew...a clean, newly functional studio, ready to be destroyed again by the ravages of creativity!

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." ~Thomas Carlyle

What a Difference a Day Makes!

Eureka....and DOH!

I had two moments today, one of "I RULE!" elation and one of...well...let me say that if I'd had a fork in my hand, I'd be in the emergency room right now with it stuck in my forehead (Joanie and Lesli -- prepare to chuckle).

OK...let me backtrack a bit...I hate hate hate gouging out pour holes from plaster molds. I probably hate it more than prepping resin sculptures for painting. It's messy, tedious and it hurts my hands something fierce. While Sonya was here, we cogitated ways to get around it, and she came up with some grand solutions that, frankly, went over my head. She has waaaay more casting experience than I do, and gave me perhaps a bit too much credit in the grey cell department. To be quite honest, I'm a bit of an idiot, and one fated to learn through turgid failure (as you'll see in a moment)..."And so...I flail!" should be my motto.

Anyway, I had to figure out a way to short-cut around gouging pour holes, when an idea popped in my head (much to my surprise)...the "eureka" moment. Now I knew that what I was about to do was either alarmingly stupid, or would save me heaps of hassle -- the potential pay-off was just to great for me not to try. Public humiliation on a grand scale or easy street? Hey -- it's a fair wager. So forging ahead, I used some craft clay that I use for claying up, and rolled a blunted cone on a flat surface (in this case, a kitchen tile I bought at a DIY store): Then I stuck a toothpick in the end, being careful not to distort my thingamagig: I made two of them and poked them into the back of my oil clay ornament, already stuck in the first pouring. I pre-poked holes into the back of the ornament, since that clay is much harder than the gooshy craft clay (being careful not to be too aggressive and poke through and damage the inner side of the front piece). Once in, I gave them a little twist back and forth to make sure that joining was snug, and I made sure they were upright, too:

I proceeded as usual:
Now...those of you experienced in making plaster molds for slip-casting will notice I've done something remarkably silly...the "doh!" part: I've neglected to make keys in my first pour! Keys are natches that the second pour oozes into to create a male-female lock that makes sure the mold is aligned and locked tight when the two sides are joined together for pouring. I was so fixated on my contraption, and making sure I'd soaped this puppy before pouring (I nearly forgot again!), that this essential step just plain slipped my mind. Again, hosing up in spectacular ways is my best teacher...sad, but true. Anyway...I make the pour (because I hadn't realized the key thing yet):
Everything seemed to work just fine! I was concerned the cones would move or dislodge, but nope...they stayed as sturdy as concrete, even when I tapped the table to ease air bubbles up to the surface. And I guess Fate was kind to me...this pour was pretty bad, even by my own lame standards. It set up way faster than I expected (or I got sorely distracted and lost track of time and texture, which is what probably happened, let's face it), and I apparently didn't mix it as well as I should have (there were lumps in it!), so I had to rush the pour. Afterwards, I didn't expect this section would be a keeper, but that's fine. I can do another, and it did prove that these cones would stay put even in a ramshackle, hasty pour.

So I let it set and off I go grocery shopping, wondering if my diabolical plan would work. I come home to find the plaster set, I pop off all the stuff, pop the two parts apart (phew! I did soap enough!) and out popped the cones, as easy as pie! I swear I heard the trumpeting of angels...seriously:
The cones are in such pristine condition, that I can simply use them again for my re-do! I'd hoped it would work, but I never dreamed it would work this good!No more dang pour hole carving! Whaaaaa-hooooooo!

Now I wonder if various rubber cones could be poured as permanent "templates" (there's always extra rubber in a pour!), or if simply remaking ones in clay may be a better option. Hmmm. I also wonder how I can factor this into a rubber master mold. Oy.

"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds the most discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!), but 'That's funny.'" ~Isaac Asimov

Eureka....and DOH!

A Good Day

It's been a good day today. Though a week late, I finally was able to get to mold-making for ceramic slip-casting, starting with my new Christmas ornament. That's the first piece poured and curing in the photo, above. My trusty handyman made those wonderful clear plexiglass mold boards for me, according to Joan Berkwitz's specifications.

Since I have to wait until each piece cures before I can soap and pour the next, I'm working on Boat articles for the Winter 09 issue in the interim. In particular, I finished the technical section of a photography article, and LO! -- I finally understand all that "stuff"! Histograms, apertures, shutter speeds -- Oh my! I also now understand lots more settings on my camera -- "Wow! I didn't know I could do that?!" Long overdue learning, that's for sure.

One of the best aspects of writing for The Boat is that this forces me to sit my hinder down and spend the time it takes to learn something enough in order to write about it. And much to my glee, that photo (above) was taken with the knowledge gleaned from four days worth of research using only my newly-learned aperture and shutter speed settings on my camera -- no complicated lights or contraptions! Now I'm working on Part II of my hoof series, and I was able to organize my thoughts and information, which in many regards, is the hardest part of writing anything. Lots of tremendous learning there, as well.

Learning creates its own high, it's own addiction. Once you get caught up in that whirlwind of positive feedback, it's impossible to stop. It's like crack for a curious mind. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why I love realistic sculpture so much -- there's so much you have to know to create a convincing piece, but there's also so much you have to keep learning to create a responsible piece. So many bits of information are interdisciplinary, as well, allowing your mind to bounce between fields like Tigger on speed. I think that keeps me humble as an artist, and lover of horses. The world truly is a big place full of big, wonderful ideas!

Speaking of education, Hubby is meeting with some classmates today to prepare for The Big Final (Scary) Presentation this week. When he gets home, he'll grill up some beast for himself, and some shrimp for me. We'll watch a movie together, with the Charmkins running amok on The Rat Couch, and then I'll go to bed and sleep soundly -- eager to wake up tomorrow for more mold-making and learning in my own in-house classroom.

Christmas seems months from now, though that little voice nags at me, "It's right around the corner, you dang fool!," but I'll ignore it for now and keep moseying along with these pleasing brain waves. Hopefully this mold will be a good one and I can start casting ornaments next week!

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes." ~Marcel Proust

A Good Day

Those Darned Time Gnomes!

My goodness! We're already halfway through July! I'm convinced those little Time Gnomes have started to crank their gears faster each year, though my Mom assures me it's "an age thing." She's probably right, though I like the idea of gnomes better. "Daylight devours your unguarded hours," sings Siouxsie Sioux in Belladonna. So very true.

Speaking of age, I'm turning 40 on the 31st of this month! Yes, I'm a dyed in the wool Leo according to the European Zodiac, and an Earth Monkey according to the Chinese calendar. I'm bitter about the Monkey bit. I'd much rather be a Rat, but such is life. As for turning 40 though, I'm rather excited about it, really. I don't feel any different, just the same ol' me, only now I have four decades backing me up. I still get carded, too! It's crazy though...I remember being in my 20s and celebrating my Mom's 40th! How did 20 years zip by in the blink of an eye? I completely understand now how children seem to "grow up overnight" or how old couples married for 50+ years say it feels like only yesterday they got married. You would think we creatures of such short life spans would have a better sense of time.

Anyway, I hope your 4th of July was awesome! Our cul de sac, and our extended neighborhood, goes bananas each July 4th. Folks in a five mile radius light up their BBQs at first light and at dusk set off what can be described as a firework cluster-bombing of the area, well up until 1am. This year was no different and our cul de sac looked like Ground Zero after the fiery mayhem had ended.

Another 4th of July weekend activity is the NorthWest Motorfest at the Fairgrounds. Hubby is a vintage car junkie, particularly of the "muscle cars." We saw all sorts of souped up, hot-rod, original and restored rolling pieces of history, it was cool. Personally, I like the old Mercs (and other cars from the 40s), Woodies and VW Buses, and we both love the muscle cars. Hubby loves the cars from the 50s, too. We saw lots of rare muscle cars, like loads of GTOs, Chevelles, Chargers, and lots more. Even a couple of Road Runners, Super Bees and a Super Bird. These folks love their machines, and it shows. Those machines gleamed. You could eat off the engines. What I found particularly cool was that the Motorfest held old school "grunge" drag races with these cars! 100 feet of squealing, smoking black rubber as these cars actually fulfilled their purpose! I'd never actually seen these kinds of informal drag races before, like how the "Everyday Joes" of yesteryear really did it, and I instantly felt transported back in time. I can see the appeal, for sure!
To top off the day, we headed downtown for a sushi dinner in anticipation of what was to come: Downtown Boise closes to regular traffic and all these cars from Motorfest show up and cruise in a parade for about five hours. The sidewalks were lined thick with folks, cheering for their favorites, and the MC talked about the history of the cars and their owners over loudspeakers. It was pretty cool. I joked with hubby, "So I guess this is how Idaho responds to the gas crisis....at least for one day." We Americans are an interesting lot...A mixture of nostalgia and defiance, with a dab of fun for good measure.

Speaking of dabs of fun...check out Brownie!
Here he is being molded by the skilled mold-maker, Barry Moore of Laf'nBear Studio LLC. I find it amusing that Brownie perched on clay kinda adopts that look of, "What the..???" Soon there shall be a little army of snow white resin Brownies marchin' out the door.

Hubby and I also went for a ride yesterday. It was a perfect, clear blue sky Idaho day, so who could resist indulging? We like to take these little jaunts, exploring South West Idaho's little back roads and funky small rural towns. Just 15 minutes in any direction out of Boise offers the open road and vast expanses of beautiful high desert scenery, perfect for riding. We stopped at a funny little Mom n' Pop gas station in Walter's Ferry for refreshments, and it was lined with these cute little bird houses with large poofs of petunias growing out of every possible dirt-laden container...
Summer is crazy time here---it's like we all come out of hibernation and wallow in the greatness of this season. I love to grow my flowers and listen to the birds and watch the fat squirrels bound on top of their complex fence and rooftop highways. It's always a delight to hear them "ka-thunk, ka-thunk, ka-thunk" across our roof! The smell of earthy cut grass, smoky BBQs and our sweet honeysuckle vines fill the air. The horses slick out, too, like they're clothed in brilliant satin, and you can see their lovely muscles ripple with each step. I love those warm rays of the sun. I'm constantly cold, pretty much, but on the other hand, Hubby loves the cold---it can really never be too cold for him. He's a Wisconsin boy, so it figures. Shorts in 20 degree weather? Of course! So I'm a Summer baby, and he's a Winter baby, conjuring up images of Mr. Heat Miser and Mr. Cold between us. The Summer evenings and nights here in Boise are simply wonderful. It stays light until around 10:30-11pm and it's the perfect temperature, that warm, embracing temperature and stillness that relaxes you and eases your senses.

I do hope your Summer is equally fabulous! Wear sunscreen, though, and hydrate! Wear your flip-flops proudly!

"The summer night is like a perfection of thought." ~Wallace Stevens

Those Darned Time Gnomes!

"I am living amongst BARBARIANS...."

Meet "Sir Squish," my new tile press, freshly mounted to my new custom built work table! He's named after one of my little Charmkins who was so large, gooey and mooshable he was hard to put down, and who was also grey, so it seemed a fitting name. Now I've long used those folding plastic jobbers for work tables in my ceramics area, but when this puppy arrived, he had to be bolted down to something more substantial, which meant enlisting my handyman to build this new hefty table for me. I'm so excited about the prospect of pressing tiles, I can barely stop thinking about it! Like I just needed a new swath of projects in my schedule, but when something resonates as clearly as tiles do to me, I have to act on it. I love combining the design challenges of graphic work and sculpture into narratives, plus adding "non-horsey" elements and art glazes....I get rather dreamy-eyed just thinking about it all. So many possibilities! So many new ideas to explore! So now I must experiment and tackle the learning curve that comes with stoneware clay and high fire glazes. Life is never static with ceramics! Amen. But if you see a mushroom cloud in the general Northwest vicinity, you know I got a little too ambitious for a newbie. Though I may end up looking like Wily E. Coyote after his Acme dynamite goes off, I'll have a big grin on my face.

Speaking of big grins, the title to this post, "I am living amongst BARBARIANS," is a quote Lesli Kathman quipped during the recent Mayhem. She had taught me to make genuine Southern Sweet Tea, with the proper brand of tea and cane sugar. The whole nine yards. My husband loves it, but I'm just too impatient to wait for water to boil (yes, I can be ridiculous when it comes to patience!). So what did I do for my own tea when she was here?---I whipped out the Lipton Instant tea and Splenda. She took one look at the Lipton and out popped that comment. Now it's stuck in my head, and I can't help but giggle every time my neurons replay it. I also imagine she's armed to defend herself against the Barbarians with her husband's trebuchet, which cracks me up just as much. I now have images in my head of an alternate universe Mayhem, with Lesli hurtling jars of Lipton Instant tea into swarming rabid hordes of rampaging Barbarians, with her dog, Emma, barking enthusiastically beside her, with Joanie quietly popping chocolate in her mouth, while her fluffy white dogs stare intently at her, and Lynn grinning ear to ear, with her cat, Aji, perched on her shoulder and her other cat, Chimayo, peering from behind her legs....and me covered in my bruxing rats and laughing hysterically.

Anyway....speaking of Barbarians, my German-heritage hubby is in Cheesehead Heaven, thanks to Stephanie Michaud. He's a Wisconsin native, being weaned on beer, brats and cheese, and even having worked as a lumberjack in his younger days (and yes, he has a Cheesehead hat to root for his beloved Green Bay Packers). However, he longs for the culinary goodness of that forested land, treats which Idaho apparently lacks. Such things as homemade sauerkraut, SunDrop pop, various handmade bratwursts and knutwursts and sundry sausages, and, of course, squeaky cheese kurds are all spoken of in hushed tones in this house. He and Stephanie waxed philosophical about the gastronomic delights of the Minnesota and Wisconsin area, something that went clean over my head at the time, never having indulged in the genuine article myself. However, I now fully understand the endearment to squeaky kurds since Stephanie overnighted three bags worth! Delish! Hubby has consumed enough cheese to plug up a mule deer, but lovin' every minute. Thank you Stephanie! And thank you Sonya for your fabulous cooking during your stay! Hubby still talks of your fajitas and chili with a wistful look in his eye, and if I even hint at some of your antics, he busts up in hysterical laugher. Antics you ask? Well, such things like THIS:
But you may be wondering why Sonya is in my kitchen! In June I was lucky enough to host Sonya Johnson (who was one of my bridesmaides in my wedding back in 2000) and Stephanie Michaud for a week of arty, horsey, foodie fun! It had been eight long years since I'd visited with Sonya last and it was fabulous to carouse with her again. It was very much like we just picked up where we left off, as though eight years simply never happened. It also was the first time I'd met Stephanie, though we had previously chatted through email, and I gotta say....it was like we'd known each other for years! What a riot! Then when Lynn was able to join us, I could hear the happy hummings of the cosmos again:

Ed Gonzales was supposed to join us, but alas, the scheduling was off so we'll have to wait for him next year (we hope!). We ate a swath through Boise, and Sonya even cooked several wonderful meals for all of us, including homemade pizza! In the arty department, it was a whirlwind of ideas and raiding the local art stores! During her stay, Sonya and I had tried twice to make a plaster mold for her Bjorn relief sculpture, and both times we failed, honestly due to my inexperience. Much to Joan's amusement (and I think I can hear Lesli giggling, too, through the telepathic ether), I first entombed the rigid resin copy of Bjorn in a plaster mold...something I'll never do again, trust me. Then after breaking him out of the mold, we decided to pour a rubber flexible positive ("flexible" being the key word, here) and try again. It was my first time pouring rubber, and thank goodness for Joanie's guidance over the phone, Barry Moore's pouring demos, and Sonya's experience with such things, because we got a nice rubber positive of her lovely piece. Everything worked fine cocooning this green guy in plaster, until the last mold piece...the little ear piece (isn't that how it always happens?)! It cemented in there as sure as it was glued (yes--we did soap it!), and I had to chisel it off---dooooooh! After a consult with Joanie, she provided the probable cause for the sticking, which I'll be sure to remedy in the next pours. So while we failed to create a plaster mold for Bjorn, we learned a lot in the process and had fun, and now I'm confident not only to pour rubber, but to make my own three-piece relief molds, too. So Bjorns should soon be popping out of a new mold like spiders out of an egg sac. Here he is in his green glory, with his two "beat me with a clue bat" molds (Yes, Joanie, I can hear you snickering!), and sitting on top of his silicon mold Sonya previously poured:

Bjorn was a good "teether" for my next project, which is to make a rubber master positive, and rubber master mold, of my Feral Mare bas-relief sculpture, so wish me luck! Can you hear the circus music? Here she is "clayed up" and waiting for her green reincarnation:
Both Sonya and Stephanie also got to do a bit of glazing and greenware cleaning, and we three exchanged methods and ideas on cold-painting and sculpting, and anything else that tripped our triggers. Stephanie also showed the three of us some handy tricks in PhotoShop, a program that's better taught in person, than through a book. We even introduced Stephanie to Mystery Science Theater with special screenings of "Manos, The Hands of Fate," and the movie, "This Island Earth,". Manos, by the way, is easily regarded as the worst movie ever made, but made into a cinematic gem by the crew of MST! "Relax...it's a natural exfoliant!" The information stream and laughter was a happy resonance throughout the week, and we all look forward to next year! Playing in ceramics again also got me inspired to do more claybody customs, so I'm busily at work on more of those little guys for Joanie, Lesli and now this time, Addi Velasquez, too!

I've taken to these artist retreats far more than traveling to shows or expos because they allow us artists to relate as colleagues rather than competitors. I believe it's important for us artists to remember who we are as people, and to nurture and maintain our friendly bonds more than anything else. In a career so often characterized by sequestered solitude in the studio, it's these visits that help me remember some important reasons why I do what I do in ways no other avenue can provide. I also believe that staying open to other creative points of view and staying in "learner mode" is essential for artistic growth and staying centered as an artist....and who better to learn from than dear friends who have something wonderful to share? The energy generated by this kind of dynamic isn't only potently inspiring and informative, but consummately satisfying, as well! I can't wait for Mayhem and JuneJuju 2009, that's for sure!

The competitive angle isn't always the best path towards improvement, and winning isn't necessarily the healthiest way to find fulfillment. I've discovered that the most satisfying experiences and achievements have been found in the company of good friends, sharing in their enjoyment and triumphs, and absorbing the good vibes and insights they shed in their joy. In this safe and relaxed environment, we can stretch our perceptions and become bolder in our paradigms, more eager to venture into unknown territory with a friend by our side. Our ideas become more flexible and varied, and our brains become eager for information and experience, in ways hard to come by in other avenues. I'm a firm believer in our own friendly classrooms, where camaraderie and laughter are the only grades, and discovery is the final test! And boy...those school lunches!

"Real learning comes about when the competitive spirit has ceased." --Jiddu Krishnamurti

"I am living amongst BARBARIANS...."

Lean, Mean, Mold-Making Machine

No, it's not a fancy bar of Neutrogena soap! No, it's not a wiggly block of orange Jell-O! And, no, it's not a giant fancy piece of tangerine Jolly Rancher!

It's mold rubber--a big wiggly-jiggly-squiggly rubber version of my new Jumper plaque that Joan of Pour Horse Pottery cast for me, making it the new master from which production plaster molds can be poured, ad infinitum. Now you may be wondering what those black lines are, around his chest and neck areas, and those are the mold lines she drew in to guide me since this will be my first multi-part plaster mold I make on my own (in this case, a three part mold, with a floating inner bit). Hey--it's high time to give that learning curve a good jolt. If you don't use it, you lose it! And I have chisel at hand just in case I entomb it in the white stuff--it's like a rite of passage with plaster molding.

And this piece is big, measuring about 9.5 inches long and 6.75 inches at the widest parts, which offers a lot of space to play with glaze and technique. Joan has already glazed one, beautifully, as usual--Wow Joan! I'm positively enthralled with sculpting relief work of various kinds because I can infuse the challenges of graphic design and new ways of interpreting the equine subject that I just can't exploit with a conventional sculpture. And with my new tile press, I'm excited to dive into that aspect of sculpture. Who said playing in the mud was for kids?

And in case you're interested, feast heartily on Joan's new rosegrey Dafydd. Ay chihuahua! What a looker! I am so very fortunate to have so many talented and fabulous people in my life. It's hard to tell where the inspiration from the work, and the inspiration from those involved, begins and ends!

This shores me up as I contemplate my impending spinal surgery this month. To say I'm anxious about it would be a Godzilla-sized understatement (with jumping around and glowing spines and all--and is that Mechagodzilla and Rodan in there, too?). But necessity dictates this course of action. The only way around it, is through it. The recuperation will take six long weeks, where I can only sit upright for 20 minutes at a time, so finding new and bizarre ways to work will be an interesting exercise in new kinds of creativity. And this right when I'm to receive my new tile press!

But my wonderful hubby bought me the widescreen DVD of Ratatouille the day it came out, so I'll have ample, rotund rodents to cheer me up, well, besides the two blobular pygmy landsharks here who keep me busy enough! I think I shall fall under the ether with the image of Emile, stuffed full of grapes in all his lumpy, bumpy, blobby glory.

So Christmas here will be somber and sedate, but I'll truly have much to be thankful for and feel it more deeply this time I suspect. So many good things and exciting possibilities still to come! And gingerbread cookies--lots of them. This time of year usually leaves me with mixed emotions and an eagerness to get back to the routine, but I believe this year I shall wallow in a new, and perhaps better, sense of it. Life is like art, in a way, with each new experience, like each new creation, is a learning opportunity, and with a bit of reflection and auspicious grace, we become better for it.

So with that, I leave you with this: "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." ~Cicero

Lean, Mean, Mold-Making Machine