hibernation

I’ve been in hibernation this weekend – watching a marathon of TV shows on hulu, eating sweet potato pie, sculpting, working and just keeping to myself. I currently feel more misunderstood than understood (at the moment) and so silence seems to be the best remedy for all concerned. It’s not that anything is tragically wrong but I just feel out of the loop and like somehow my timing is off and my intentions are misread. It’s easier to simply step back, pause, reflect and simply listen.
Nothing glamorous happening here.

a lost interview…

I found this when on a fluke I googled myself tonight… Funny thing is I’d forgotten about doing an interview. Listening to it I remember being really tired and struggling to concentrate because the studio was so noisy at the end of a very long evening.

happy thanksgiving!

pick your diamond pick your pearl there is beauty in the world...

giving back

"In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love." - Mother Teresa

Last night I was thinking about the holidays - thinking about Thanksgiving and how I haven't really paused to reflect the way I would have wanted to before the holiday. Then I went on with my evening and got excited reading my friend Willie's updates on Facebook about this organization he is working with. I don't know if I have mentioned it much here but I really have a love for missions and efforts to create change globally. I also find myself in love with Uganda and Rwanda and the women and children in these countries. They are somehow a part of my consciousness when I think of the war against AIDS so while I do things to contribute to fighting AIDS locally, I often reach out to programs that affect Uganda and Rwanda when I do something to benefit AIDS globally. It's not just AIDS - but clean water and health issues and many things. If we were chatting over coffee and wanted to go deep, I could talk your ear off and you'd see my heart spill out before you with all of the ways I wish I could change the world.

So anyway...
I was thinking about the big picture and how some of us think the world's problems are just TOO big and we give thinking about it, grab a drink and watch some trash TV instead of dealing with the the heaviness of it.
I understand.
Yet, since we are all probably going to do some Christmas shopping I thought I'd mention a two places that offer great gifts while benefitting people in need of help.

Youme Clothing

Youme Clothing is a collaborative recycling project with a desire to take what is old and make it new, locally & internationally. It is a partnership between people to produce a creative expression of the heart for the people.
RAGS TO RESOURCES!
They currently conduct clothing exchange programs in the following countries:
Uganda, 
Swaziland, Mozambique, and Kenya. Each item is one of a kind, with fabric that comes from a child in either Swaziland, Kenya, or Uganda so color and placement of the swatch of cloth may vary.

Check out this video to get an idea of the impact they make. My friend Willie has gone to Uganda for clothing exchanges before. He's on the video too...



Samaritan’s Purse

Sometimes we think it takes being a millionaire to be charitable. This is SO not true. Here’s one way I have helped others in the past. I realized that for the price of a grande vanilla latte (my favorite café drink) I could provide a child with milk for a week.

A cup of milk seems so simple, but its essential nutrients like protein and calcium are vital to poor children fighting malnutrition. That’s the reason we provide milk and other nutritious items to many schools, orphanages, and hospitals in poverty-stricken countries. A gift of $4 can provide a week’s worth of milk, so we can help a needy child grow. For $7 you can offer a week’s worth of hot meals to children in Calcutta India.

Samaritan's Purse is a nondenominational evangelical Christian organization providing spiritual and physical aid to hurting people around the world. Since 1970, Samaritan's Purse has helped meet needs of people who are victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine with the purpose of sharing God's love through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Each year they produce a gift catalog with things you can buy as gifts that offer hope to the world. The gifts span from $4 all the way up to hundreds of dollars contributing to a variety of ways of impacting lives from clean water, to livestock, to providing doctors or providing bibles, to rescuing children from exploitation and so much more. Check it out by clicking here.

ordinary monday...

Today was another work filled day - running errands, painting sculptures, sculpting, emailing people... Here are my two latest sculptures that I have created...

inspiration saturday

Clothing I'd sculpt...
This has been a WILD week! I sold a piece the other day and I have a standing appointment with someone about another work of art. Then my art dealer contacts me and tells me she has three clients viewing my work right now. Later I get an email from a woman who saw my work downtown and she had a bunch of questions for me. Then late last night I got an acceptance notification for a juried show I applied for! Out of 297 submissions one of my sculptures was selected! Meanwhile I have been here working on pieces for my etsy shop and completing two big pieces I have been working on all week. Today after I did some laundry and sculpted for a while I pulled up these photos for inspiration. All but one are from the Sartorialist. I read his blog everyday and always find myself intrigued as I find inspiration for my work through the people he photographs. I'm off to put away my laundry, make my bed and maybe select one of these to work on while watching this Julia Roberts movie-a-thon that is on this weekend...


found via The Sartorialist
I like the flip of her skirt.


found via The Sartorialist
I rarely sculpt men's clothing simply because there aren't enough curves and flowing fabric yet this wrinkled jacket really appeals to me.


found via sfgirlbybay
I keep looking at dresses with a top similar to this. I think this will definitely become a sculpture of some sort.


found via The Sartorialist
I like how her suit is wrinkled but at the same time chic... I'd sculpt it wrinkled.


found via The Sartorialist
I like the way her clothing is blowing in the wind.

do what you love

There’s something about getting up in the morning, taking out supplies and working, working, working. Stopping only to eat, drink and take a bathroom break. There’s something about seeing what resides in your mind come into existence as pieces of wire come together. There’s something to be said for pouring effort into a work of art and only stopping because your hands feel like they might bleed and you are so exhausted that as soon as your head hits the pillow you start to snore and drool. And even still, in your dreams you imagine what you will do next and where you will share your work. And sometimes Lenny Kravitz and Lee Daniels are there. Sometimes the sculptures are accessories in a fashion show. Sometimes, the work is in a museum… Other times ordinary people you don’t know are there and whether it’s Oprah that you are talking to or stay-at-home mom or a career woman, you feel good sharing your work and wake up in the morning with a lingering sense of warmth in your heart. Days like today I woke up with sore hands and tight shoulders but with an overwhelming feeling like I needed to complete the wire corset that sat on the floor in the corner where I left it earlier at 2 am when complete exhaustion led me to bed. And so I worked and cut piles of wire and painted pieces in the backyard while coffee brewed. And after a long shower where the warm water loosened my tight shoulders I worked some more, stopping to talk on the phone with a friend and to take care of some things I’d put off – like ordering more packaging for my etsy pieces and hanging up clean clothes in the closet. The day went quickly and eventually I found myself on a bus headed downtown to meet with a potential art buyer. As this man told the story of how my artwork captured him and how it would be the perfect gift for his wife I found myself feeling honored to be able to share my passion in such a unique way as to have my work become a part of their lives in such a special way. We talked and I shared my journey as a sculptor and my goals as I attempt to capture the essence of a person in each piece. I saw a light go on as this guy recognized what I meant. We parted ways happily – he with his new sculpture and me with a check and the satisfaction of being able to share something I love so much. Now after an evening and night of more sculpting, I am heading off to bed. Tomorrow it all begins again and I can’t wait!

for today –

outside my window … sunshine, lots and lots of trees, silence, birds chirping

i am thinking … about joining my man in taking a nap

i am thankful for … my husband and the way we can finish each others sentences at times

from the kitchen … nothing- we are playing it by ear for meals

i am wearing … a pink t-shirt and a purple sweater

i am creating … wire letters leisurely

i am going … to get a second cup of tea

i am reading … a travel magazine

i am hoping … I find some old CDs I have been looking for

i am hearing … music on my iPod

around the house … it is quiet as the two of us are have a rare moment alone

one of my favorite things … daydreaming about christmas cards for this year

sending beauty your way...

home on the range...

I think the best thing about San Francisco is that there truly is a neighborhood for everyone - no matter who you are or how you live, there is a place where you can settle in and have the life you desire.
- Stephanie Johnson

introverted, inspired and restless

I’m in a weird but predictable space at the moment as the dust settles on my last show. It’s a time of feeling restless and tired and a little out of sorts… (I know it’s normal so I’m just going with it although it’s uncomfortable.)

Meanwhile I have watched Iconoclasts with Lee Daniels and Lenny Kravitz about three times. The stories of their creative processes and the way their friendship shines through makes me want to watch it over and over. Plus – let’s be real – they are easy on the eyes! ICONOCLASTS is a series on the Sundance Channel of intimate, unpredictable portraits of creative visionaries whose passion for what they do has transformed our culture. This particular episode was shot in the Bahamas. I watched and wistfully wished I was there talking to the two of them as I soaked in what they had to say and drooled over their surroundings. {sigh}

I am ridiculously behind with my Etsy orders so I am trying to catch up.

I got all of my artwork and supplies put away finally. I also went out and bought more paint the yesterday. (I’d used up everything preparing for Open Studios.)

I am most comfortable being quiet and daydreaming…

I’m invited to art openings tomorrow and Friday night but don’t know if I’ll actually go. We shall see. I’m burned out on socializing at the moment.

portrait of a lady?

In case you missed my show, here's some of what you missed...





title: Little girl dress
size: 28 in. (H) x 25 in. (W) x 6 in. (D)
medium: wire

Whatever comes, cannot alter one thing. If I am a princess in rags and tatters, I can be a princess inside. It would be easy to be a princess if I were dresses in a cloth of gold, but it is a great deal more of a triumph to be one all the time when know one knows it.
A Little Princess – Frances Hodgson Burnett



title: the homemaker
size: 39 in. (H) x 30 in (W) x 10 in. (D)
medium: wire

Perfection is not about healthy striving or being our best, it's how we protect ourselves. Being our best selves is about cultivating the courage to be vulnerable, authentic, and imperfect. It’s about cultivating the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, “No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough. It’s going to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable and sometimes afraid, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am also brave and worthy of love and belonging.
- Brene Brown


title: the ‘ordinary’ girl
size: 40 in. (H) x 33 in. (W) x 7 in. (D)
medium: wire

Beauty is an essence that dwells in every woman. It was given to her by God. It was given to you. So the choice a woman makes is not to conjure beauty, but to let her defenses down. To choose to set aside her normal means of survival and just let her heart show up. Beauty comes with it.
A woman in her glory, a woman of beauty, is a woman who is not striving to become beautiful or worthy or enough. She knows in her quiet center where God dwells that he finds her beautiful, has deemed her worthy, and in him, she is enough, In fact, the only thing getting in the way of our being fully captivating and enjoyed is our striving.
- Captivating by John & Stasi Eldredge



title: the bombshell
medium: wire
size: 37 in. (H) x 22 in. (W) x 5 in. (D)
Being a bombshell is a state of mind.
A bombshell is a woman who has learned to use her vulnerability to her advantage, a woman who allows for her frailty and breakable humanity, but does not let it eclipse her aura of glamour.
She never pretends to be anyone other than herself.
She behaves as if life is a movie and she is the star.
- Laren Stover, Nicole Burdette



title: the working girl
size: in. (H) x in (W) x in. (D)
medium: wire

woman by nikki Giovanni

she wanted to be a blade
of grass amid the fields
but he wouldn't agree
to be the dandelion

she wanted to be a robin singing
through the leaves
but he refused to be
her tree

she spun herself into a web
and looking for a place to rest
turned to him
but he stood straight
declining to be her corner

she tried to be a book
but he wouldn't read

she turned herself into a bulb
but he wouldn't let her grow

she decided to become a woman
and though he still refused to be a man
she decided it was all right