Wonder

First Step Farmer

 

 

   

I spent a glorious long weekend with Kim and Ryan on Gabriel Farm with wide orchards of almost ripe apples and many different types of Asian Pears.  They are first time farmers, working incredibly hard and putting all they have into a new venture, covering a few acres with gorgeous, bright flowers for bouquets, pumpkins and other veggies. 

Their progress is chronicled on their blog, First Step Farmer, which tells the delightful story of living and loving with an organic farming family in Sebastapol, CA.  I have taken some of their photos from the blog as my camera has a small injury at the moment. 

It was so refreshing to get down in the dirt, planting and weeding while listening to old timey tunes and chatting away.  Thank you, Kim and Ryan! 

Hatching

I'm back!  My new studio stands bathed in the brightness of cottage skylights, and I'm preparing to hatch new plans.  Above are delicate, speckled quail eggs I blew out carefully, and a mass of burnt orange phoenix, dotted plymouth rock and long bantam feathers.

Moving twice in five months plus the death of my kitty has shaken me a little, and so I have tried to be gentle with myself.  As Lily Tomlin said, "If trying harder doesn't work, try softer." 

I just finished reading Tara Brach's book Radical Acceptance, and was inspired by her quotations.  I love this one by Rumi:

"This human being is a guest house. Every morning a new arrival.

A joy, a depression, a meanness. Some momentary awareness comes as an unexpected visitor.

Welcome and entertain them all!...

The dark thought, the shame, the malice, meet them at the door laughing, and invite them in.

Be grateful for whoever comes, because each has been sent as a guide from beyond."

Exploring my relationship with stuff

It's moving time for me and as much as I love sorting through old junk (and I do!), it's humbling and also aggravating to see, piece by piece, how much stuff I really have.  There is also a loop I have noticed in my thoughts telling me to go search for more materials so I can make fresh, new things for my shop (out of recycled materials, of course) - but I already have so much! And lugging it around is congesting (I have a cold right now so the analogy seems appropriate - "stuffed up!?")

Recently I re-watched The Story of Stuff with Annie Leonard, which is an excellent illustrated short video on our relationship to stuff as Americans.  I also am excited about Douglas Rushkoff's new book, Life, Inc, about how stuff has impacted social structures and cultures.  You can see a short video of him speaking about the book here.

Searching for deeper answers, I found out that stuff isn't really made of matter. Yes! In Quantum Physics we have "possible stuff" (a probably messy place that needs to be cleaned up and organized is much easier to tackle than a definitely messy place that needs to be cleaned up and organized).  I just watched What the Bleep Do We Know and the Quantum Activist, and would really recommend them (even to curl up with your honey!). 

Feature in Altered Couture Magazine

I'm very honored to be featured in the Spring edition of "Altered Couture" Magazine!  It has all sorts of ideas about how you can use fabrics and recycle clothing into wearable art, and is available at most big book stores like Barnes and Nobles, but you can also order online here.

On page 129 there is the top that I made called "Artemis."

It is nestled right next to two tops by one of my favorite Etsy artists, Rebecca's Art Closet.  Here is a photo I took of the top on my friend and model, Dashielle:

It has been raining all week and it was such a beautiful surprise to open my mail and see this magazine there in front of me.  There are numerous amazing Etsy artists featured, and it's really worth a look.  

Interview with Joe Evershot

In the dead of winter everything contracts with cold, and shapes become simpler, more curvy and grounded.  Recently, I  found the art of Joe Evershot, and it resonated well with these thoughts and an enjoyment of what makes winter unique and beautiful.  I'm excited to share some of Evershot's work as well as a short interview.

Tell me a little bit about yourself. When did you begin making art?

I was born 1978, into messy circumstances, parents rock musicians, but then I studied physics and discovered it's even messy-er.  Later I studied architecture.  I've always produced art in my spare time.  Now I have a 3-year old son and that takes care of the spare time.

What shapes your creative process? Can you describe an environment: time, place and company (people or pets) where you feel most inspired to work?

A pub will do, I drink a lot of beer... Seriously, what inspires me is the stories of Jorge Luis Borges. Enigmas.  Nature is based on a set of strange (very complex) laws and the closer you look the weirder they become.

I love the way the ink blends seamlessly into the paper like an old photograph. What kind of materials do you work with and why?

For the pieces here I used old paper, charcoal, ink, beer, as well as a MacBook Pro.  For my paintings (not on etsy) I use enamel paint and a propane torch.  Lately I picked up doing some sculpture, mostly made of weathered wood and cotton string.

Many of your pieces look like they have parts taken from old diagrams or maps.  How do these images play a role in your art?

The parts that look like diagrams represent mazes.  Very finely tuned labyrinths.

What's next for Evershot?

I wish I knew.

Huge thanks to Evershot! I hope you enjoyed his gorgeous organic shapes and scenes.  For more Evershot you can visit his Etsy store.

P.S. Joe - I'm a big fan of Borges too - after reading his piece, "Las Ruinas Circulares" in high school I was hooked and went on to minor in Spanish in college.  

New Year Shop Update

A relaxing vacation and a slow start.  I feel refreshed!  I've just finished a huge shop update this week and here's a sampling.

The jewelry I am making these days is gravitating more toward the curious and the unusual things I can find in my wanderings about the city, like this small Indonesian box pendant made from a light metal to hold small mementos:

 

Here's a cross cut quartz geode.  Have you ever cut in half a perfectly fresh pink radish?  This is what it looks like on the inside (yum :))

 

Wonderwear wouldn't be Wonderwear without my love, Steffy Sue.  I couldn't help but notice her similarity to a small wind-up doll in this one!

A couple more of my favorites:

 

Best wishes for a happy, healthy and stylish 2010! 

Interview with Brandi Strickland of Paper Whistle

I recently fell headlong for Brandi Strickland's art - Paper Whistle - and wanted to know more.  Lucky for us I was able to get in touch and feature her in a short interview below.  

Tell me a little bit about yourself.  When did you begin making art?

I'm a 24 year old artist, living and working in Charlotte, North Carolina.  I love coffee, documentary films, reading and riding trains.  I'm inspired by my Grandpa, Kurt Vonnegut, Bill Hicks, Ray Johnson, Ancient Egypt, The Golden Girls and the long memory.

I've been making art for as long as I can remember.  I was lucky to grow up around creative people.  My mom started early encouraging me to paint and draw.  I spent lots of time with my Aunt Nadine & Uncle Carl, who practice all kinds of traditional crafts.  My grandpa was a farmer and a carpenter.  I witnessed the whole spectrum of creativity from pure aesthetics to pure utility.  I was an only child, so I also spent a lot of time entertaining myself, getting really absorbed in all kinds of make believe.

What shapes your creative process? Can you describe an environment: time, place and company (people or pets) where you feel most inspired to work?

I like to have documentaries, books/lectures on tape, or music playing in the background.  I often work in my studio, which is a second bedroom in our apartment.  Sometimes I pull my supplies out into our living room and work there, where I can hang out with my boyfriend.  I think I do my best work in the early morning or late at night.

I love how you blend old images into your pieces.  Where do you find these images and what do you look for when selecting them?

I hoard paper, collect books, antique photos, and postcards.  I love to plunder at thrift stores and used book stores.  I like a wide variety of books and magazines, both contemporary and vintage.  I respond to figures who aren't posed, landscapes, crowds, and neat pictures of outer space.

What's next for Paper Whistle?

I'm wrapping up a few things and will be releasing lots of new work.  Paper Whistle will be offering larger prints very soon.  And there will be more original art too.  But in general I'm keeping my eyes open and my ear to the ground, there's always something unexpected and exciting around the bend.

Many thanks again to Brandi!  I hope you were warmed by her lovely moods and beautiful colors.  You can find more of her prints and information here. 

In one place

 

Fall light in the late afternoon.  Life, death and laundry (beet sprout, decaying ground cherry hull, Steffy's hankies on the line).

Lavender Flax Sachets

I adore lavender and was able to get some fresh from a local, organic farm I worked for last Fall.  Taking off the potent blossoms made the entire room smell beautiful, and I stuffed the dried blossoms into these little sachets (made from scrap pieces of linen) and added organic flax seeds to give them some weight.  My trusty tree stamp also got a work out with the fabric paint, and I finished everything off with some vintage buttons.  I love pulling out my clothes from the dresser and smelling lavender... 

Piezoelectricity (and my love of minerals)

I've recently learned about piezoelectricity, and the amazing power of minerals in our bones to possibly generate tiny currents of electricity that help stimulate bone growth.  Amazing - we have crystals and minerals and electricity in our bodies.  Learning about it makes me pretty ecstatic, and I love reflecting on the infinite intelligence of our existence.

During study breaks this past week I've tried to fit in as much jewelry making as possible to fill my shop, and have been (of course) trending toward fossils, bones and minerals.  

From top to bottom: pyrited ammonite, tourmalinated quartz, antique carved bone (do you see the three elephants?).