Whales of the Forest

This past weekend the metals grads, significant others, and our professor (and 5 year old son) took a little camping trip to Verde Glenn on the Mogollon Rim for a "critique around a campfire". It was quite a time. We left the valley at about 11:00 am on Saturday morning, and stopped in Payson to eat lunch and buy groceries. We then drove to the pre-planned destination and kept driving until there were no other campers. Then we set up camp! We grilled sirloin steaks for dinner and roasted up some yummy, garlicy potatoes, corn on the cob, and fresh mushrooms (not all together). It was delicious! We had fun talking and sharing stories over the campfire, but bedtime was when the fun really began! Never before had I had the pleasure of listening to an Elk bugle up close and personal. All night long. Loudly. So fun. I swear it sounded like whales in the forest! Luckily there are only so many hours in the night!! In the morning we found the tracks of all of our little visitors. Some pics of cool things around the campsite...

In the morning we cooked up some breakfast burritos and the men (Scott and Jim) dug right in! After breakfast we headed to the Tonto Natural Bridge for a short hike with a big reward! No, this wasn't the reward!

This was! The Natural Bridge was gorgeous, and I couldn't fit all of it's splendor into one pic, so I did a montage (In honor of my friend and former teacher, Filippo Tagliati).

The rocks inside the cave of the bridge. Can you spot Victoria?

Along the way...

Jim, Becky, Oscar and Lauren checking out the water.

Vic and Jim halfway through the bridge.

Looking through...

The finish line, Yay! Scott and I were tired campers!So were Vic and Jim!

It was a great trip and we can't wait to do it again!

Things to do, and Art Fairs

The other day I received two lovely packages of FUN stuff in the mail! One had my new business cards (I love vistaprint.com), and the other had an order full on things I need to start working on some production work for upcoming art and craft fairs I will be doing before the holiday season. Yay! Now I need to get to work...

By the way, mark your calendars, the art fairs I will be at (so far) are:

Mesa Arts Center Holiday Art and Music Festival: Saturday, November 17th, 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, Mesa Arts Center Shadow Walk, Mesa, AZ

Holiday Sale Extravaganza: Monday, November 26, 8:00 am - 7:00 pm, Arizona Room, Memorial Union, Tempe campus, Tempe, AZ

ASU METALS CLUB JEWELRY SALE: TBA

I'd love to see you there!

New Work

I know I have been lame with my posts lately. I have been SO busy with school. Everyone asks me, "How is grad school?", "Is it different than undergrad?". The answer is yes, it is very different from undergrad. Instead of having millions of little things to do, I have these big, looming, ominous things lurking in the future. There is TONS of pressure and a lot to do...on my own. It is good, and I am already growing a lot, I am just adjusting still. I have been working very hard, and I should have a really cool piece done by the end of the week. It will be my first real piece as a grad student. I will post pics as soon as it is done! Let's just say that it will be worth the wait, I am really excited about it!! Above is an image of the piece sketched out (very roughly). It is a necklace with links in a combination of enamel and embroidery. Below is an image of what one of the embroidered links in the neckalce will look like. I am also making these into single pendant necklaces, and they will be available in my Etsy shop soon.

Early Warning

Hello All! I just want to let you know that ASU is hosting an AMAZING show in a couple of weeks called the Intercollegiate Metals Exhibition. This year is our second year doing it and we are very excited about what the show is going to include. Six university metals and jewelry programs are participating and sending juried student and faculty work to be exhibited at ASU. This is a great opportunity to see a lot of quality metalwork, all in one place! I will be posting details soon, but mark your calendars for the opening reception on October 8th from 7-9pm. This is a show you don't want to miss!!

Sneak Peak

If you are interested, you can come see my work at a show that is opening tomorrow. Arizona Designer Cratfsmen, an organization of which I am a part, is hosting a juried exhibition at Arizona State University. The opening reception is Monday, September 17th from 7-9 pm. The space is Gallery 100, which is located in the Tempe Center (southeast corner of Mill and University, behind Chilis) if you need a map or directions, see my link on the right under "Upcoming Exhibitions". If you have any questions about the show, feel free to contact me. I hope to see you there!

Craftsmanship

Yesterday I helped set up the Arizona Designer Craftsmen Juried Exhibition. The show is entitled "Crafstmanship", and is a broad display of craft ranging from jewelry and ceramics, to handwoven tapestries.

If you would like to see some great art and find out what these little goodies above (made by Mindy Sue Meyers) are, then come see the show. The opening reception is on Monday, September 17th, from 7-9 pm. Otherwise, the gallery is open 9-5 and the show closes on October 5th at 3 pm. For details on where the gallery is see my link on the right under "Upcoming Exhibitions".

New Friend

I have a new friend. He is funny and can always make me laugh. He is large and in charge...and also in a big red diaper. Would you like to meet him? Here he is....

I saw him at the bike store like 2 years ago when I didn't even have a bike. Now I have a bike and he has a new home. Isn't he funny? I have this weird obsession with Sumo wrestlers. They make me smile. What should I name him?

Do Something Good

Today is the Anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. I read in this article

about something we can all do to remember that day and the people who lost their lives.

The article proposes that on September 11th, we all do an act of service.

"The idea of turning 9/11 into a day of service, charity, and good deeds came from the family and friends of one man: Glenn Winuk, a volunteer fireman and lawyer who worked a block and a half from the World Trade Center. After he helped evacuate his Broadway law offices, he grabbed a medic's bag and ran toward the smoke pouring from the South Tower. That's where his remains were found after the towers fell. Mr. Paine and Glenn's brother Jay had been friends for years. They decided that turning 9/11 into a day of service was best way to memorialize Glenn.

"It completely reflects the way my brother lived his life, and it also specifically reflects how he died," says Mr. Winuk, myGoodDeed.org cofounder. "He laid his life on the line for other people that day."

In 2002, Paine and Winuk sent e-mails to friends and family and suggested they do a good deed, such as donate a day's pay on 9/11. Then the idea evolved, and they founded myGoodDeed.org. In 2004, 100,000 visited their website and pledged to do a good deed on 9/11. This year, those pledging number more than 250,000.

"A lot of people don't know what to do on 9/11," says Paine. "This hits people in their heart and their soul. It connects with something that's fundamental.""

Today I am going to do something good, maybe something small and seemingly insignificant, but something to help someone else. If you would like to participate, I'd love to hear what you decided to do.

(all pictures on this post came from wikipedia.)

Intaglio = LOVE

I am taking an Intaglio class this semester. I did my first prints last week and fell in love. I am a process person. I love mechanical, repetitive, labor intensive things (obviously, since I am a metalsmith!) Intaglio has a lot of process involved and is just so fun. According to Dictionary.com, Intaglio is:

• a process in which a design, text, etc., is engraved into the surface of a plate so that when ink is applied and the excess is wiped off, ink remains in the grooves and is transferred to paper in printing, as in engraving or etching.

Our project was supposed to be about Identity. For me, identity is a lot about the choices you make in life. It is about what path you take. I wanted to create an image of myself appearing to walk on a fence, like in the act of making a decision (You know, the phrase, "sitting on the fence"?). I had Scott go outside and take pictures of me pretending to walk on a fence. I think everyone who drove by thought we were crazy. Anyway, so I started with this...

Then in photoshop I removed everything in the background to give the figure (me) a very solitary and isolated feel...

Then I changed the image to grayscale...

Next, I drew (scratched) the image I created in the computer onto a sheet of plexiglass...

I then inked the plexiglass plate and printed my image and came up with this! I really am happy with how it turned out. What do you think?

This is the same print on tan paper. I like it on white better!

Stumped

So, I have been having a creative block recently. I feel a lot of pressure to make something profound and amazing, and because of that, have been too intimidated to start on anything. I know, its not good. So the other day, I forced myself to just make something. I wanted to finish a pendant in one day, start to finish. The result was this. I was kind of inspired by cactus fruit, but its not really representational of anything. I look at it and it doesn't feel like my work, it really doesn't look like my work, but at least I got something done. I feel so much pressure to know what I am going to focus on for my thesis, I feel like I can't make anything until I know what I am doing. I better have an epiphany...pronto.

Business Savvy

Yesterday, I got a new book in the mail. I've seen this book talked about on a few artsy blogs recently and decided to read it myself. Craft, Inc. is about the business side of being a crafty person. I can create all day long, but I hate the business side of things so I think I can learn a lot from this book. We'll see!

I am an Endangered Species

According to National Geographic in this article, redheads are a "dying breed". It is believed that my kind will be extinct within 100 years, and even as early as 2060. Redheads surprisingly make up less than 2% of the worlds population. I also learned in the article, that "red hair was created by a genetic mutation in Northern Europe thousands of years ago." Interesting...I am a mutant. I always knew I was different... At least I am in good company! Well known redheads include Nicole Kidman, William Shakespeare, Christoper Columbus, Winston Churchill, Thomas Jefferson, Vincent Van Gogh, Mark Twain, George Washington, Billy the Kid, Axl Rose, Conan O'Brien and Queen Elizabeth I.

This article also led me to another, equally interesting wikipedia article about redheads. Here are some random facts from that article about redheads:

• Red hair is the rarest type of natural hair color in humans.
• Mark Twain said, "While the rest of the species is descended from apes, redheads are descended from cats."
• Redheads are more sensitive to thermal pain.
• Gingerphobia is the fear of redheads.
• It takes two people with a recessive gene to produce a baby with red hair.
• Scotland has the highest percentage of redheads. 13% of the population has red hair, and 40% of the population carries the recessive gene.
• Ireland comes in second with a 10% population of redheads.
• The U.S. is expected to have between 2%-6% of their population being redheads.
• Besides humans, red hair can be found in orangutangs, squirrels, highland cattle, dogs, cats, fox, and deer.

So, you learned something new today, and when they add me to the endangered species list, I expect you all to come to my rescue!

What is Art?

An answerless question, I think.

Apparently a diamond covered skull by British artist Damien Hirst sold on Thursday for 100 million dollars , setting a record price for work sold by a living artist. Now my question is, what do you think of this? I'm not going to say what I think (for once) I'd like to hear what you have to say...speak liberally.

(These photos were taken from yahoo).

I just have to say, is he trying to make art, or get into the Guiness Book of World Records??

God Grew Tired of Us

I watched a really great film this weekend called, God Grew Tired of Us. It is a documentary about the Lost Boys of Sudan, and their relocation to America. The film was eye opening and very very sad. It made me very aware of where I am in the world, of everything I have, and of all the opportunity I have been given. There are so many things I take for granted. It just really made me stop and think about life and the world we live in. I highly recommend watching it. Here is a trailer for the film:

The Secret Ingredient is Lime

I've heard it said that cooking is an art. I've also heard some say that most artists enjoy or have a talent for cooking. Well, I definietly believe the first and am not surprised by the second. I have known many artists to be excellent cooks! I too, love to cook. If I could have a second life, I would go to culinary school and become a stay at home chef!!

Yesterday my husband decided to clean the house all by himself while I went grocery shopping. I really am telling the truth... he did toliets, floors, the whole shebang. What I did to deserve this, I may never know, but needless to say, I was one Happy Camper!! So, being as I love to cook and he loves to eat, I decided to make some fresh salsa as a "Thank you SO much for cleaning the house all by yourself" gift. Scott loves salsa...with a passion. I think I may even come in second place when compared with salsa! So, I chopped up some tomatoes, green onions, cilantro, parsley, green chilies, roasted red peppers, and jalapenos, threw in some lime juice, cumin, salt, and roasted some corn on the cob on the grill to top it off. One big batch of fresh salsa later, we were both Happy Campers (with really bad salsa breath)!