a day in the life

Always prepare for an unexpected opportunity to knock on your door. – me

I scraped myself out of bed today. I have been so exhausted after a week of going to bed around 3AM each morning as I worked on my sculptures for my show. I got up this morning slow and draggy contemplating my next move. My room needs a major cleaning as half of it is piled up with sculptures and paperwork, old mail, recycling and books that need to be put away. I wondered if I should tackle this task or forget it all and go downtown to a gallery show I have wanted to see. It doesn’t help that I am out of coffee and the boost that a hot cup of Sumatra would offer isn’t readily available.

I got up and went to the computer to check my email when the phone rang. And just like that I have a new venue to show my work. My work will be featured in a fashion show at a high end shopping area in Marin next week. They are having an event that includes a cocktail party, fashion show and a screening of the documentary about Bill Cunningham – the famous street photographer. My art dealer will pick up several pieces from me tomorrow. So, just like that, my day was planned – I selected artwork for the event, retouched paint, wrapped pieces and created an invoice sheet.

sneak peek of the show

We installed the show yesterday. It was the fastest installation I have ever been a part of. Tanya's husband hung the work and he was as meticulous and detailed about it as my husband is when hanging work so I felt relieved knowing he’d do a great job.
Tanya and I finally got a chance to see what the other has been creating (in person- as opposed to photos) and we were both excited about what we'd created. Our work complements each others in a wonderful way. The show is very beautiful, magical and intriguing. Gosh - it was such a good day.

I tried to upload pieces of Tanya’s and they would not load properly. Click HERE and HERE to see some of her amazing work for the show.



title: the transformation
inspired by Cinderella

“The clothes are like us, worn and worn until our ideas and values are slackened by the passing of time. The renewal, the revivifying, takes place in water, in the re-discovering of what we really hold to be true, what we really hold sacred.”
– Clarissa Pinkola Estes, Woman Who Run With Wolves

Beauty from ashes, the refiner’s fire… Hardship and struggle to become the people we were always meant to be is a life long journey.

400 beads and some sculpting...

Oh how we all wish for magical shoes to lead us to new adventures, to take us far away, to change the course of our current dreary lives.

hey there, hi there...

I'm very tired. I haven't been sleeping well and I have been sculpting/working many hours. Most of the work I have come up with lately has me thinking, "This is insane. What the hell are you doing?" mostly because I feel like I am pushing the envelope. As I fall asleep each night (Which may be why I DON'T fall asleep) I ask myself if the work is good. It's hard to create in a vacuum. I love some of it but whether anyone else will love it as much as I do remains to be seen... Meanwhile I am catching a cold, have a sty in my eye and I am exhausted. One day I will blog regularly again but for now - here's a quick check in and a hello.
Hello!

inspiration saturday

One day I will sculpt a dress like this, blowing in the wind...

- found via le coil

this room makes me happy

- found via Desire to Inspire

Purple in a kitchen! How unexpected and yet so cool...

- found via the style files

eye spy

Notes from the bus--
It’s a rare thing to find a bus driver who waits for people to find a seat before jerking the bus into gear and pulling off. I watched as he waited for an elderly woman with a big bag of groceries to find a seat even though she walked to the middle of the bus before sitting down.

I saw a teenage girl with a cute chubby faced baby in pink ruffled pants and a purple sleeveless shirt. The baby looked like a modern day cherub as her mom held her while sitting next to the baby’s daddy – a guy who looked like a sophomore in high school.

A really thin man with an extreme under bite wearing a security uniform sat in the seat across from me on the bus. Why do security guards tend to look fearful and timid or old and slow- especially the ones guarding a bank when the most muscular, intimidating ones are guarding a dance club? Hmmm…

There was a really loud talking sassy lady on her cell phone talking throughout the entire ride. In case you were wondering – she was on her way to “this high a#@ meat market to get some ground beef” because tonight she’s making a big meatloaf, mashed potatoes and creamed corn! Her meatloaf is special. I heard the whole recipe (along with the rest of the passengers on the bus). She uses ground beef, ground pork, carrots, onions, spinach, some breadcrumbs and a couple of other spices that she throws in. Yes girl! She uses spinach in her meatloaf! She tosses those carrots and spinach along with the other ingredients into a food processor. If the kids ask her what the green stuff is she just says, “ Oh that’s mama’s special spices!” (Yes- I smiled and tried not to laugh when I heard that remark…)

I watched a really plain looking woman get on the bus. She wore a grey t-shirt, a boring black quilted coat and some faded mom jeans. Her hair was silver and in a roller set. She looked so blah. Such a blank and bored look rested on her wrinkled makeup free face. Then I suddenly noticed something. As she sat down I looked at her feet. Peppermint striped red and white socks peeked out from her black orthopedic shoes.

inspiration saturday

Inspiration on a plate
Isn't this beautiful? I found it to be really striking.

- found via Simply Breakfast

Breathtaking view
Look at the colors in the house - the variations of color in the blue stained wood. Who knows what the black ground surface is but it is the foundation for a great reflection as you see the trees echoed on it. The trees, the water, the calm quiet feeling - AHH!

- found via Desire to Inspire

Water washed...
I have looked at this photo a few times and my eyes always go towards the artwork on the wall.

- found via Desire to Inspire

The chairs!
I love them. Enough said.

- found via Desire to Inspire