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

earth

'earth' sculpture in black
40 in. (h) x 17 in (w)

'earth' sculpture in silver
37 in. (h) x 15 in (w)


Picture my 'earth' sculpture standing next to this white chair.


Instead of those three silver boxes on the right, visualize my sculpture there.


Imagine my sculpture adding a visual appeal to this light airy room.

**Images by Desire to Inspire

perspective

‎"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." -- Robert Louis Stevenson

I saw this quote on Facebook this morning and it resonated with me in an incredible way. I let go of that feeling I get at the end of the day when I wonder and doubt and don’t see the “harvest”.

I {heart} Beyonce!

Sometimes inspiration sneaks up and surprises you. Tonight I was flipping channels and stumbled upon this peek behind the scenes of Beyonce’s new album. I did not expect to be so moved and so inspired by it. Something about Beyonce searching for these guys she’d seen on YouTube and then few them to the US to work with her was mindblowing! Other things moved me too – like her nervousness and risk taking. All of it made me feel like I’m doing the right thing and moving in the right direction as I experience similar things… If you have twenty-two minutes, take a break and watch this.
Leave me a comment and let me know what you thought about it.

inspiration saturday

Inspired by...
art exhibitions focused on fashion
(click the links below and see for yourself)

the Balenciaga exhibit that just ended here in SF


Madame Gres in Paris


Alexander McQueen at The Met in New York City

morning brew

I desperately needed coffee this morning. I must say though – I drink the least amount of coffee I’ve ever consumed in the past 7 years. I usually have a big mug and once it’s done, I’m done. I don’t go out for coffee much anymore or drink it at different times of the day like I used to.
I’ve had a pretty mundane existence lately, that is – if you want my take on things. Today I was surprised to see the cold damp fog, which never burned away, leaving a dull gray day. I worked against the wet fog spray painting parts of a sculpture I am working on. Right now I am creating a few pieces that are different from what I usually create. They are pieces centered around aspects of nature – earth, wind and water. At the moment I am working on earth. Whether the other two will happen, we shall see. I like the freedom of being able to change course at any time.

tuesday potatoes

These were laid out in the kitchen this morning. I don't know why...
Meanwhile I made coffee and smiled - standing in the kitchen looking at two of my sculptures propped against the backdoor. I answered the door in my pajamas and signed for a UPS package. I listened to my mom's reaction on the phone as my sister-in-law updated her about this week. (My mom's reactions are always big, no matter how serious or non-serious the news so you can never tell if something bad has happened until she gets off the phone and tells you...) Later I read about an opportunity I'd lost out on - an opportunity that had so much potential that I felt grieved about having lost out. I allowed myself time to simply mourn and to let the tears flow. I worked all day and watched a few episodes of some Bravo TV shows thinking about reality TV and how sometimes ( well many times) I think other people's reality is more exciting than mine. 'Maybe I should cut back on my reality TV intake' I thought. Then an episode of Flipping Out came on and I sat back and watched forgetting about that last remark.

another week begins...

Can I just say I’m not a fan of Mondays?
I spent the entire day doing tedious little tasks that soaked up all of my time. One such task was sewing cloth bags to cover my sculptures in.

the random thoughts that keep me up

“I like too many things and get all confused and hung-up running from one falling star to another till i drop. This is the night, what it does to you. I had nothing to offer anybody except my own confusion.” - Jack Kerouac

I have lots of thoughts floating through my head, probably too many. In fact, I know I have too many, which is why as soon as it’s time to lay down and sleep I feel wide awake. Even my daydreams, which usually lull me into a great sleep turn into something serious and I find myself watching the room get brighter until I fall asleep as the sun comes up. Needless to say, I feel a bit thrown off right now.

So if I could spill out some of my life – here goes:
altoids by the tin, art studios, an old friend dancing like James Brown, abstract pieces inspired by nature, braiding my hair, BBQ chicken, clean sheets, dreaming of going away somewhere distant from my life, fairy tales, fireworks startling me, fight the power, feeling too serious, grits and eggs, gold sculptures, gray hairs, hostess cupcakes, interior design, John Coltrane, loud talking, laughter coming from the other room…, menthol rub, my dislike of ‘House’ coffee, need to vacuum, people posting what they eat and drink on Facebook, people watching, questioning the future, rotten fruit, racial tensions in the neighborhood, sunshine waking me up, SF Art Commission Exec quits, spray painting, trust or distrust, the smell of garbage, waterworks, watching reruns, wishing for peace…
How’s that for random??