fountains

I love fountains and look for them when traveling. Growing up the sound of water was always in the background but now, living a few miles inland, I miss it.

The angel above is on the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, NYC, the dolphin baring its teeth below is part of a fountain in the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena, California.

camouflage

When the hounds and I came back from our walk the other morning this little guy was taking a nap on the front door.

stairway

I have to do some writing about my work and I’m dreading it. I don’t feel very articulate about what I do, and I don’t have a clear idea of what people want to know about me or my art. I did brainstorm a list of stuff about the work I’m currently doing, maybe I need a ghost-writer to shape it. I wonder if people still hire ghost-writers, it seems such an old-fashioned term.

I’m not a writer at heart (I used to say I avoid writing the way I avoid cutting myself with knives, that is, sometimes it happens despite my best efforts), so it has surprised me how much I enjoy publishing a blog, but my posts do tend to be pretty brief.

inconnu

Work in progress. The texture will be softer, the various edges will be worked, and the gilt enhanced.

There is a thunderstorm overhead, a very dramatic background to work to.

Revisiting this one, with more colour. This is not my usual palette and I find it changes the emphasis quite a bit.

cashio

I’m excited because I’m getting ready for three months of travel, but I’m also mourning because I haven’t been able to work on assemblages lately, and I won’t be able to bring those materials on the road. I will be restricted to working on pieces like this one (which I do love creating), plus a few fiber projects which pack easily. It’s frustrating to want to be making things and not be able to get my hands on the bits and pieces, but at least I will be finding more in the four countries I’ll be travelling through to visit my family.

There are a few things I’m sharing from the garden before I leave – raspberries, boysenberries, figs, pads for nopales (with lentils, yum!), and this lone avocado, very buttery. When I get back there may be a few strawberry and pineapple guavas left, then there will be pomegranates. I’ll miss the peaches – heavenly when they’re ripe and the skin slides off in your fingers, also the ripening of the manzana bananas and thimbleberries. My stubborn pineapples think they are just for show, all the other bromeliads bloom while they just sit there, but I am very happy because an ancient cycad that was damaged and seemed to die three years ago just produced a beautiful crown of leaves.

I love traveling, although I will miss a lot of close friends – three months is a long time between visits, but I will be staying with family and friends, some of whom I only see every few years, and there will be a new bébé when I get back.

weggehen

I was thinking about the process of art – I love how poet Hilde Domin talks about being deeply immersed in her writing, then stepping back. From a poem of hers:

Man muß weggehen können
und doch sein wie ein Baum:
als bliebe die Wurzel im Boden,
als zöge die Landschaft und wir ständen fest

(my not-very-poetic translation:
One must be able to go away
and yet be like a tree:
as if the roots remained in the ground,
as if the landscape moved and we stood fast)

wing

I happy to find this bit of handwriting to use for this piece, it’s so smooth and dense. It looks blurry on this post, but the original is quite clear.

Being away from the flotsam & jetsam of my workroom for so long I somehow fell out of the groove of assemblage. Back to work the other day I was at loose ends, mainly in the mood to rivet, but not inspired by anything right away. I finally made mini box with a beautiful dark pearl (from a lovely friend) and copper wire, I’ll post a photo later. I need to get back into creating complications, moving parts, etc.

another sun

Another poem. There has been a lot of writing in my art this year, but not much in these blog posts.

So many small disasters have occurred since December – I think that I must have offended some minor god. Everything from a truck falling through my bridge and having to put one of my dogs down, to a key breaking in the gate lock and the kitchen tap exploding (surprisingly, I managed to fix that last for 38 cents). Each new event happens before I’ve finished dealing with the last, leaving no time for boredom, or writing much here.

In the midst of everything else I’m looking for a place that will reproduce these pieces.

draft

I have a commission for a huge version of this, yay!

rock-combing

I grew up combing beaches, exploring tide pools and rocks hiding washed up treasures. My sisters and I walked miles (we thought) on driftwood without touching the sand, squished our feet at the edge of the water to make quicksand, and flew kites for hours on end.

I’m not even sure where to buy paper and balsam to build a kite anymore!

waves

I didn't expect to go so long with out posting, but I was off in the wilderness and internet-less. Apologies to commenters whose comments have gone unanswered, and double to Mike whose comment somehow got sent to the spam bin. I'll write more tomorrow, then it's back to work.

petals

Hmm, this appears too cool on the blog. I like the warm original better (the photo was taken with sunset light coming through smoke).

lotus