Thinking Abstract

Here are some new pieces from my abstract Nebula series. They are fun to do and I am lucky enough to have a friend who makes the frames.

I'm doing them in color groups; jewel tones, desert colors etc. These babies are some of the jewel tones.

They range in size about 5 3/4" x 9 3/4" and come signed on the back and ready to hang.

Heart Song

Years ago in high school I remember
a teacher saying "don't die with your music still inside you." Of course we all were like "what is he talking about?" Well years later the phrase stuck with me and often chased away doubts of pursuing art as my day job. Funny but to this day I always associate it with song birds, birds in general.

Like one of those fortune cookie tapes that say something like "sing badly if you must, but SING."

Song birds will feature in some of my new pieces and this is the first. Cabinet door frames and tempered glass put them in my 'recycled green' series.

Working in series helps keep focus on a particular subject matter and is the way my brain seems to flow. I have one more in the Abstract series in progress, with two more designed for a total of five for the five seasons in Tucson - spring, summer, winter, fall, monsoon. Finished spring and fall, summer in progress here. It is called Heart Fire - Summer Passion. Mixed media of reds, oranges, yellows on a recycled cabinet door. It will be rich and passionate with color and movement. Plus it will be more 3-D , a bit sculptural. Can't wait to start!!

The November show will have a lot of new work that I am eager to show because it has been such a fun learning process to do them. Art is the heart that beats inside me.

** On Another Note: This summer has been very challenging for my mom health wise and now she is having surgery for cancer so I will go immediately to be with my family. Did not realize how stressed I have been until today when the veneer cracked as I told someone "my mom has cancer and she is in surgery right now." Suddenly I was trying so hard to keep from having a small meltdown and had a teeny one anyway. I hate it when that happens - how embarrassing!! And I imagined myself to be one of those cool, calm, self composed individuals - Ha! Meanwhile my mom is the one suffering through everything and she is the cool one, so strong - what a champ!

Aaanyway, enough boo - hooing - enjoy my works in progress (WIP's for short).

Spring Dance

Here are the finished pieces as I continue exploring the possibilities with tempered glass. In the new abstract series my work explores the mystery and magic of nature. The literature series is all about my passion for literature. This summer I developed an addiction for audio books. The studio can be isolating and listening to stories is easy. Some of the pieces are influenced by What I am listening to and I remember them by books and the feelings I had while making them.

My parents sent me flowers! They are beautiful and I keep them right where they inspire me at my work table - I am so blessed!

Blue Coyote Mini mosaic WIP

Still playing with tempered glass in the mini mosaics. Made copy of my painting to for mosaic. No glass on it yet. This one will be sent as a sample when finished. The appeal of the TG is that it allows painting as well as mosaic. Painting, drawing, design is the foundation for my artwork. The visual "comfort food" that always soothes and restores the creative juices.

Think I am drawn to trickster tales in general. A great book on trickster tales I just finished - The Coyote Road Trickster Tales edited by Ellen Datlow. An anthology of tales by popular fiction authors and illustrations of Charles Vess. Introduction and Preface was fascinating and I learned much about the history of trickster folklore in different cultures.

St. Francis Mosaic & Mosaic book

This is a special commission done with a little kitty and an owl - so cute! It has an amethyst stone, turquoise, beads etc. The painting is very detailed and I loved doing it. Also the work in progress of another mosaic booklet. I wish I had remembered to take pics from the beginning! At this stage the tempered glass is being added. Then I will grout, using two colors this time. It is part of a series I call Fragil, focusing on endangered species. This is a desert Gila Monster.

New Mosaics

Well it has been too long since my last post. Easy to get out of the routine of posting and so much has been happening. The glass pins have taken off as I knew they would. Those that see them end up placing an order - yay!

Also I will be teaching mosaics thru a summer program this June. The project I proposed combines my love of mosaics and books. Student ages will be 8 - 13 and I am so excited to start the classes. They will be making mosaic books. The end pieces will be mosaic and the content will be student choice of words, phrases, story. They are very different and it will be wonderful to see what the students come up with. I always learn so much from them. Here is the prototype that I will send to United Way as part of the grant application. Pandas are a favorite subject and the sample is 4"x 4". It is an accordion style folding book. Still have to finish the inside content. Can't wait to start!