Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Burrito's Welcome!

Happy Thanksgiving to all...we have purchased our bird and other dinner items. We will be packing up said dinner items and taking them over to a friend's house to share the joy of prepping and cooking food stuffs. This works out GREAT for us as we just don't have the time to clean our kitchen properly!! Tomorrow morning we are packing up the turkey and said prepped food items up to Placerville to assemble and finish cooking...then eating. We're up there at the folk's house while they are away in Mexico! (I have my mother-in-law's permission to do this!!).

It sounds complicated I know. But I found the need to be extremely non-traditional this year. The "traditional" has fallen apart and I was feeling a bit....un-achored. So, to compensate and still get my turkey/stuffing/mashed potato/yam fix...we are doing it this crazy way.

It is crazy enough that I'm hoping it will shut my brain down from all this metal stuff and give me a break. Usually this plan works very well for me! Something absolutely different to distract me from the usual.

The usual that I need distraction from is the mode of putting one foot in front of the other and don't stop for anything! We have been incredibly busy!

Busy like twelve hours both last Saturday and Sunday and every night after work...

I have read in many blogs that craftspeople/artisans take January off. I can see why. By the time one makes product and does the holiday craft shows, taking time off to do nothing artistic is a must. I am amused that come January, when I should be taking time off...classes will begin. Both of us will be signing up for two metalsmithing classes. Two different teachers. I figure that January - May is a better time to take classes than September - December.

In the meantime, Josh and I are busy making things out of recycled materials. At first it was because we are doing a "green" show at Amanda's in Berkeley, CA. Then it became a creative challenge...what can one do with the bottom of a 7-Up can (they really are beautiful domes!!).
Josh came up with an amazing solution and I'm sorry to say that I don't have a pic right now to share. But trust me on this...it is very, very cool!

I have also discovered black wire and have been listening to Phutureprimitive and making all kinds of neato things. Took the shots with my phone.



The other night while I was doing this wire work I thought that I should take a class at one of the local bead stores on wire wrapping. Thought about it further, and realized that I really enjoy the problem solving aspect of it...AND, since I'm not learning any of the "standard" ways of wrapping, my designs will always be unique. I still go back and forth on that one...but for now I'm good with standing in my unique-ness! :)

I do miss the hard-core metal work, that takes time...which I am looking for!

Some days it would just be great to have someone drop a burrito or two off..."I know you're busy...here's dinner..."


Monday, November 16, 2009

Brass, ink and goth belly dance music

I had the dining room/studio all to myself tonight. I put on my latest music obsession...Shiva in Exile and Phutureprimitive (to be found when one searches music for "Goth Belly Dance"). Anyway, I decided tonight was going to be "experiment night". This is where I purposefully forget all the rules and make messes. To my amazement, I discovered the joy of alcohol ink on brass. OH MY GOODNESS. This discovery led me to digging out some pieces that have not moved...not even seriously considered...and dropped ink on them. Alcohol ink is made specifically for non-porous surfaces...and it is incredible on brass. I have a little bottle of Cranberry (lovely red), Eggplant (gorgeous purple) and...mmmm a green one...Asparagus? Anyway...a green one. After the ink dries, one can go back in and buff the ink off the silver...so you have these organic silver lines swimming across these reds, purples and greens. The purples are especially cool...very goth...very primitive. Totally inspired by the music. I am extremely content with tonight's experiments. Success!