gratitude redux

in the month or so that i've been blogging, i've been given a lot... it's taken me by surprise. i had no idea i'd meet so many kindred spirits, receive so much support, and feel such joy at interacting with the cyber art community. thank you...

i wanted to give away something as a way of saying thank you, something that came from me... so i made two beads, a bone and a heart -- two shapes that are meaningful to me and that i love to make. yeah, i was so motivated to have a proper way of saying 'thank you' that i fired up the torch - a rare event these last months!



a close-up... copper, silver, gold, and paladium leaf, as well as miscellaneous powders and frit on the surface.



just plain ivory (moretti, for people who know glass)... the base of the heart is ivory too. the heart's about an inch tall, and the bone not quite two inches. you can go here to find out why i love to make bones...

i'll put the name of everyone who's posted a comment in a hat on sunday and draw a name. and, if you want to comment but don't want the beads, that's fine too! just let me know in your comment...

if you're not a bead wearer, you can:

1. set them on a shelf and gaze at them
2. hang them from a keychain
3. hang them from the spine of an altered book or journal
4. use them in altered art
5. hang them in trees
6. bury them for future archeological expeditions to dig up
7. hold them
8. give them away (probably the most important)

okay, now i'm going to try and win something on this blog!!



lisa blackwell of zoa art just painted her studio and posted pics of it on their blog. it's fabulous... you'll see... she's going to give away one of her bronze pmc pieces to someone who posts a pic of their studio. so lisa, does this count?! it's not much compared to your wondrous space, but it's my teeny, tiny little art room!



jim and i are leaving tomorrow for a trip to mt. shasta and ashland, oregon. i'll be taking my little (3" x 5") travel journal with me...



i paint simple little pictures in it... something to remind me of the way a place feels. this is the first pic i painted in it, sitting on a rock on the side of mt. shasta almost two years ago. i remember being careful not to tip the tin of caran d'ache crayons over and have them roll down the side of the mountain!



this is the last painting from mt shasta. it was cold out and i was sitting in the car. wow, if i hadn't put them in this post, i don't think i'd have noticed the similarities in the two pieces... in the first one i painted a flower just emerging, and in the last one the flower is in full bloom. and they both have hearts in the bottom center...



in ashland i'm going to be sharing art stuff with friends, so i'm taking my journals from the last year. one year's worth here...

goodbye for a few days, and, muchas gracias!!