Approaching Holidays

Every year around this time I promise myself that I won't be so frazzled NEXT year. So far, every year has been the same. Never enough time to cook, buy, wrap, send, visit, hug and kiss. It's getting easier though, since I no longer stress over Christmas cards! Thank goodness for the internet which makes it possible to shop in my pajamas any time of the day or night. Also can contact friends when I think of them instead of waiting for a reasonable hour for a phone call, or days later for a card to arrive. Yes, the internet is wonderful.

2009 has been the busiest year ever for my art business. I have painted more variety this year, and added some new skills. In addition to lots of abstract paintings I've painted quite a few landscapes, and just in the past few weeks, lots of cows. Lots of resin, carvings, castings, and encaustic. I took a workshop and learned image transfer to fresco, but haven't perfected that yet.

I lost a good client this year, by virtue of becoming business partners with her long time employee. We formed a new company in 2009, an art consulting firm, Art-Centric LLC. We were fortunate enough to land a big contract early in the year, artwork for the public spaces of the JW Marriott Hill Country resort and spa in San Antonio, TX. The project is now drawing to a close. It's been a great time, and big challenge for our first year of business. We've been blessed.

It's been a good year for love, too, since I started dating after a long hiatus! We've taken a few trips together, and bless his heart, he's a pilot and flies me around anywhere I want to go on his passes. I hope to take advantage of that a little more in 2010.

I moved my studio out of my house and into a 3,000 sq ft commercial space a year ago, and it was a long transition as I learned to paint in the new space. Now I love it, and have even gotten used to driving to work instead of rolling out of bed into the studio. It's good to have that separation of work and home.

It's been a good year overall, and mostly I have my partner Margie to thank for that. She's a gem, and we complement each other well. I'm blessed, WE are blessed, and I can happily close out this year and welcome the new one.

May each of you source the things that make you happy ~

Mania Sets In

With six projects all in various stages of production I have run out of studio space, which now includes my living room, dining room, and third bedroom. And when a client calls to ask me to do just one more thing before I leave town on Tuesday I freak out! Too much to do and not enough time.

I went to visit my Dad in Harlingen this past weekend, and we had a lovely time watching golf on TV. Golf has been his passion for many years, and since he can no longer play, he watches. He's lonely though, and I wish we lived closer because I don't see him as often as I'd like.

This morning I am printing three giclees for model room for a hotel resort. Purchase orders will be issued for this job when I get home. I'm printing all three images, with quantities of 900 ea, so I need to get a move on - it will take forever and I'll use both of my 44" printers. Also for this project I am painting the casting that I've had made of the original sculpture I finished this week.

I have struggled mightily to get three good prints on aluminum. I've had different problems with every print, and it has cost me hundreds of dollars since I'm buying pre-treated metal from Booksmart. Yesterday I pulled my last sheet out of the package and it has a big gouge across it. I'm a little high strung right now and fired off an email which was quickly answered by Eric, offering to replace the product immediately, and he helped with the other problems I'd had, too. Thanks Eric!

Spring storms are wreaking havoc here in North Texas. Besides tearing up my beautiful flower beds, the high humidity makes it hard for paint to dry. I'm trying to heed all the cautionary labels that say "do not use in high humidity". Well I can't wait forever!

My medical clinic project is coming along nicely. I love working with Denise! We have all but a couple of pieces picked out.

I have a new project that's a large grid painting for a local construction company. I went to their offices yesterday for a photo shoot, and got lots of really great ideas walking around their back storage yard.


The new abstract commission the Glorieta series (above) is almost done, but it just hasn't told me so yet. It still needs a tiny bit of tweaking. Lucky for me the wonderful woman who ordered it understands the creative process and will wait.

This weekend I'm fabricating another photo box with resin so it can cure while I'm out of town.

With all these things in process, nothing will get finished before I leave town, but I sure will have a lot of work when I get home. There's some security in that.

3d Artwork

High Density Foam Carving, 36 x 36

So far so good. I made alot of progress on this over the weekend. Consequently it's Monday morning I am am totally worn out! I wanted a massage last night but Royce was in a volleyball tournament and couldn't come over. darn-it-all

This is the rough out. All the holes are cut, but not shaped, and I haven't dimensionalized it yet. Just a start, really. At least I got smart this time, and instead of dressing in a jumpsuit and hanging plastic to isolate my studio and protect the rest of the house from this static-y dust, I did the whole thing outside. It was a perfect 72 degree sunny day, low humidity. Then used a lawn blower to clean it (and me) off before bringing it back inside.

As you can see, the design has changed dramatically (more than once). If you can't tell by looking, it's the top of a cowboy boot, from the side. There's the strap down the middle, and lots of stitching and cutouts.

This is the piece that will be cast in resin and placed in 900 hotel rooms in a resort in Central Texas.

I'm on hold right now, waiting for a response from the designer before I take it any further. The thing about sculpting is that once that material is gone, there's no putting it back. Except for the swirly hole cut by the Dremel tool when I yanked on the cord and the drill slipped! I had to spackle that!

It's All Art

When my client and I got in an argument about a current sculpture project we're working on together, she announced, "I'm sorry but I don't know all your capabilities." At that point I had to laugh and tell her that I don't either!

I certainly didn't know how to create the clay sculpture you see above. My only experience with clay was back in the 70s when I worked for a wholesale ceramic supply company as a bookkeeper. I just applied a little knowledge and common sense to create the shell form. I bought a bag of air-dry clay, a few tools, spread out the plastic and went to work. How hard could it be, right? My client and I met with the designer yesterday and got approval (with a couple minor changes - she said it was too perfect). Next I will let this piece dry (it's hollow underneath), then make a silicone mold. It will be cast in clear resin, tinted an aquamarine color. There are 15 of them for a hotel installation.

Leap Day!

Even an extra day in the month wasn't enough for me to catch up.

I spent a big part of the day on Friday with my friend and fellow artist Beata Szechy who runs the Hungarian Multicultural Center, with artist residency programs in Hungary. She lives in Dallas, but I actually met her when I attended a residency. She's a very accomplished artist in her own right, with a lifelong exhibition schedule worldwide. The residencies are a way for her to give back to other artists, and provide them a space for working away from their "real" lives, plus international exposure. When I attended in 2005 I sold both my paintings at our first show. Beata was kind enough to retrieve the paintings from the owners to enter them in a large show last year in Budapest. Of course an Eastern European residency isn't for everyone. It's not America in any sense of the world, and most artists are open-minded explorers who appreciate that. I know I did.

Last night I attended the opening reception for Trayc Claybrook, who is showing her whimsical-on-the-surface encaustic paintings. The colors are light and playful, the meaning much darker. I love them all! If you are in Dallas, you must go see her work at Times Ten Cellars (it's a wine bar!) 6324 Prospect Ave, Dallas, TX 75214 through March.

I'm designing the 20 piece installation for behind registration at the renovated Westin here in Dallas. It's really fun, but tedious. I never was good at spatial relations, and it seems I've been needing that skill more and more lately. How do you learn that?? I've noticed that most of my "cool" ideas are a little too "out there" for the lobby of a high end hotel.

And I've almost got the purchase order for the shells. "Almost" because I don't have it in my hand, but my client said go ahead. That's the project in California, and I'm sculpting a shell shape which will have a mold made from it, and 15 castings in colored resin. They are 8" in diameter, so not too big. That's going to be fun!

I planted poppies in my flower beds this week, and there are pink, orange and yellow blooms already. They won't last long, but I'm enjoying watching their bobbing heads in the breeze out my office window.

Inspiration of the day: spring blooms

Third Stage of Sculpture

I had an assistant all day today. If not for that I wouldn't have accomplished near as much. As it is, the carving is complete and approved by the designer. I took it outside and varnished the front side and left in in the sun to dry. While I was doing that, Debbie cleaned my studio from top to bottom and side to side. That dust has static cling and I had to get rid of it before I could get back to painting.

I know the carving is too fragile to make a mold of as is, so after the varnish dried I brought it into my back studio, and put down a layer of resin on the back. I'll turn it over tomorrow and do the front. That should give it more stability.

I did some test pieces, first, just to make sure the materials were compatible.

I've two paintings up on the studio wall, almost done. And I have a print job running, but it doesn't need me to babysit. This was another "art emergency" where a designer "forgot" to order art for 40 hotel rooms. I did three other pieces for the same rooms about a month ago. Got the purchase order today, will deliver on Monday. That's a fast turnaround!

It's late, and I just washed the resin out of my hair (when will I ever learn to tie it back??). Got to get up early again tomorrow, it's Susan G Komen Race for the Cure day, and my friend Janet and I are walking the 5k. It's beautiful weather, a great day to get out and do something physical with 26,000 other women. Girl Power!

Thorough Clean-up

I'm almost done with the carving. I've sent off photos to the designer, will be interesting to hear what she has to say. In researching the process of making a mold from this foam I have discovered that I will probably have to coat the whole thing with resin. Otherwise it's just too fragile and will come apart when the first mold is made. Since there will such a volume of castings (930) we'll need multiple molds. They wear out. Who knew?

So since resin has to have a dust-free environment looks like I've got a heavy duty cleaning session ahead of me.

Metal boxes done. Have to antique and varnish the last ones.

Dust and Debris

I knew it would be messy, but I didn't know the dust would have such sticking power. After gluing two pieces of foam together and cutting it to size I couldn't wait to start cutting. First I took my full size pattern and transferred it to the foam using graphite paper. Then I got out my Dremel tool, Exacto knife, and other various cutting tools. And sandpaper, the screen kind you use for wallboard.

I've just started, and can immediately see that this won't be as hard as I expected. What you see about is about twenty minutes work. The Dremel tool can get away from you, so that was a surprise. I'll have to use a gentle hand with it. But the cutting bit I'm using is very effective. I think it's all going to work out fine. Deep sigh of relief!