Sue Gnu

Merry, Merry, Merry

2010-12-23T08:10:00.000-08:00

and Happy New Year!
We're off to Utah (Zion) until early January... looking forward to sharing the shenanigans we've been up to then.
Hope everyone's holidays are joyful, warm, and safe.
* One of the many family pics that didn't make it onto the Christmas card this year*

Coming Around

2010-11-24T09:36:00.000-08:00

Looking for sunshine-y feelings, despite the current lack of sunshine. Not sure why it comes so naturally to me to focus on the somber notes in life, rather than the cheerful ones.
But not today!
Thanksgiving is tomorrow; by far my favorite holiday. I suppose that's because I feel most at home in the kitchen, and I just love to cook for people. We're feeding between 12 and 15 (half of that is just our immediate family, of course!), so I've got my work cut out for me. I tried to be smart this year; I started cooking yesterday.
Despite Peanut being a great help to her mama, I never seem to get as much done in a day as I'd hope;)

It's good for me, too, to remember that cooking is just as much a part of a creative life as making prints or sculpture, or making baby's clothes, etc. And of course, caring for a large family is also a rather challenging creative endeavor, as well. In fact, at this very moment, I am trying to be creative about keeping a 4-month old entertained and away from the keyboard as I try to type this post...

The past several weeks have been about time with baby, mostly, but also about nourishing walks in the woods to find inspiration, little steps in the studio toward making new prints (like the collagraph plate, above) and new books, looking for opportunities to exhibit and sell my work, and checking things off my very long list of to-dos around the house. All in all, not a terrible way to spend one's time. Doubtless, I'll look back on these past few months very soon, and wish that I'd accomplished a little more. As Peanut gets older, and I have to start commuting to work again, I'll also wish that I'd spent a bit more relaxed time just being mom. Because there's nothing wrong with that.

Love and Peace for all of you, during this upcoming holiday season. Blessings abound.

Belated

2010-09-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

These shots are from the studio last week. I'm trying to spend regular time there, even with Peanut tagging along. It's been much harder for me, however, to schedule regular time to update the blog!
I found these beautiful vintage dolls, and lovely doll pieces, at my local thrift store. I can't wait to use them in a sculpture. The dolls may wind up being a gift for the the baby, although not for some time. I'm sure they're too delicate for baby or toddler hands.

I realized I've acquired quite a fun little collection of doll parts! It may seem a bit morbid, at first, but I'm so much more interested in these as separate parts, than as finished cloth dolls. Especially the hands...

I also used some studio time to finally frame up some prints that I had for baby's nook: on the left is a piece by Olivia over at Restless Things, and on the right, one of my favorites from Paul and Val of Tugboat Printshop.
And of course, my constant source of inspiration, and distraction, little Peanut. Surprisingly, she's much more helpful than you'd think.

Lovely Discoveries

2010-09-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

The universe is saying to just keep putting the creative energy out there...
I just found out that one of my prints was showcased on the fantastic online art journal, Escape Into Life. And on my birthday, no less.
I also received a somewhat cryptic phone call about having an upcoming exhibit here.

So, back to work!

Re-Directing

2010-09-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

my energies.
What little I have of them once I get to the studio, that is.

I completed this short series of sculptures earlier this year, and still have several more in-progress. I've been really excited about them, despite the very small amount of time I've been able to devote to working on them. This is pretty unusual for me; I often lose interest in a project if I'm not able to work on it somewhat continuously over a period of time. I hope this is a good sign. A sign that this is a path I need to follow for the next phase of my career.

So, I've just listed these lovely found object sculptures in my Etsy shop today. Not sure if it's the best venue, but I don't want them to sit around the studio doing nothing while I try to figure out what my next career step might be.
In the meantime, Peanut gives me her "critical eye".

New Favorite Book

2010-09-01T19:21:00.000-07:00

I can't put it down!

Returning

2010-08-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

in all sorts of ways. Returning to the blog, to the studio (although rarely), returning home from seeing family in Utah, returning to infant motherhood...
Our little Peanut was a bit late but she finally arrived on July 27th. Her name is Keaton. It's been an absolutely fantastic month so far, getting to know her, remembering how to nurse, and diaper, and soothe a newborn again - it's been over twelve years since the last one, after all. I could list all my favorite things about her, but I think that I will just give you this (and spare you any schmaltzy-ness): babies force you to slow down. Thank God for that.
So, while I haven't accomplished even a fraction of the things that I wish I could have, I've been experimenting with my first online class, sewing, baking, walking, and thinking about how to find a new studio space. But more on that later.
Have a restful weekend!

Short Note

2010-07-16T11:09:00.000-07:00

Found a small blog article about the upcoming exhibit at the Haydon, here.

An Unintended Haitus

2010-06-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

I have a few good excuses (being 8 months pregnant, for one), but I've begun to feel pretty guilty about my excessive absence from this blog.

I've spent next to no time in my studio over the past 6 weeks or so, so I haven't got any lovely pics of new sculpture... Instead I've been busy working away on costumes for my local community theater's production of Oklahoma!, and prepping for this year's art camp, which starts July 5th.

I should probably mention that I've got an exciting show coming up very soon at the Haydon Art Center in Lincoln. It's a three-person show with two other lovely ladies whose work is stunning, titled "Within Reach". The opening reception is only a few weeks after Peanut arrives, so I'm hoping I'll be feeling ready to travel for one evening!

I have no idea when I'll get the gumption to post again (after baby most likely), so I'll post some of the inspiring images I found while visiting museums in the Twin Cities several weeks ago - better late than never!

Happy and productive summer to all!

Yankton Press & Dakotan Archives River City Art Forms: Heggestad Offers Example Of Local Artistic Diversity

2010-05-19T22:11:00.000-07:00

Yankton Press & Dakotan Archives River City Art Forms: Heggestad Offers Example Of Local Artistic Diversity

A Deadline Met

2010-04-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

and the havoc wreaked in meeting that deadline...

Finished choosing, labeling, and packaging artwork to drop off here, today. All went well until I arrived, and realized that my framing arrangement conflicted with the gallery's hanging arrangement (my frames have no wire, but only two screw-eyes at the top). We managed to figure something out and make it work, however.

The work is up and looks good - will post pics after the reception on Friday!

Studio Friday

2010-04-23T20:30:00.001-07:00

Too much to think about. Began the day with the news that a young painter I know and have worked with, a very lovely soul, has been recently diagnosed with cancer. Perhaps I can blame it on the pregnancy hormones, but I found it quite difficult to not dwell on it - all day long. I'm sure the rainy weather played a role, as well.

Spent a great deal of time in the studio today, alternately obsessing about our vulnerabilities, and trying not to think about anything at all.
There are a swarm of visual images flying through my head because of this (despite this?), and I hope to put finishing touches on a couple more pieces this weekend. It will then be packed up and transported for the next show...

Studio Friday, April 16

2010-04-16T18:24:00.001-07:00

A book-block block - glued together in the hopes that I can cut off just the spines, in something of a sheet. Wish me luck.And an uncertain piece... I like the nest, but I don't know about the rest of it...

Put the finishing touches on the dartboard piece! Feels good to have another piece done, although I haven't yet any idea what it's title will be. Funny how sometimes the titles come before the piece is made, and sometimes the titles are a complete afterthought.

Studio Friday

2010-04-09T20:38:00.000-07:00

finally worked out for me. A matter of changing my priorities a bit, I suppose (and resisting distractions!).

At the top of my studio to-do list is finishing some sculptural works to include in an upcoming exhibition here. The plan is to have a number of pedestal pieces, to accompany the big prints. I have a few, but all of the new ones keep winding up as wall pieces (?)... the wall is something I just can't seem to pull myself away from, I guess.

Here's the most recent piece - no title yet. Needs to be mulled over a bit.

Sculpture Love

2010-04-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

The work of Dona Anderson. Can't remember where I first came across her work, but I loved that she has such a natural affinity for fibers. I find them very intriguing.

The Consequences

2010-04-02T10:04:00.000-07:00

The eldest boy was sick yesterday, forcing me to stay home from work. Darn! The dog is not sick, just so you know, only very spoiled...
So, I had to find other ways to keep myself busy, and to assuage my despair over not being able to travel all the way down to classes. I came up with a few things.
Like frittata with spinach and home-made goat's milk boursin cheese.
A first attempt at making mozzarella. Here I'm stretching the soft curds, and kneading them similar to what you do with fresh bread dough, then...
the little balls of cheese are set in ice-cold water. Next comes the brining overnight, which cures them. They're ready to eat today, and oh! how I wish it was tomato and basil season! What a perfect sandwich they would make.
Baking up some cinnamon sesame seed bread.
All-red potatoes almost ready for planting (which will happen today).
Excitement that the peppers were emerging, so that meant time to start the tomato seeds (seven kinds). In the background: broccoli, cabbage, and leeks.
Watering the garden, and drooling over the things that have just begun to come up, like arugula
and radishes...
But mostly drooling over the simmering crock-pot dinner of curry chicken. Chicken from our new local food shop, Prairie Sun Organics. It was delectable!

Despite the hassle of having to stay home, I think I'm getting over it. Naturally, the boy is over his illness, too.

Sculpture Love

2010-03-26T06:58:00.001-07:00

The book sculptures of Alicia Martin. Via A Good Idea on Paper.

Rejuvenation

2010-03-17T09:46:00.000-07:00

Signs of spring.

Spring has also meant renewed energy and motivation. Here are some of the bread bags I'd been thinking about making for ages. The batard bags (above) were fashioned from old 'calendar' tea towels found at my local thrift store. I love that rooster!
The square linen bag (below) is a mock-up for large, round loaves, like a boule (sp?). It has a fold-over flap kinda like plastic sandwich bags. I can see making a few of these and block-printing some nice imagery on them... they'll make great gifts with a fresh loaf of bread inside. or maybe a good product for the farmer's marker. Hmmmm.
Oh, and Happy St. Patrick's Day. Yesterday was my two-year blog anniversary, and this is my 250th post!! How to celebrate?
Cleaning up my back yard to prep for planting (the melting snow has revealed a lot of ack!), or playing hooky and having a studio day? It's half over, so I'd better make a choice. Whatever I wind up doing will certainly involve some fresh Irish soda bread!

Oh Yeah,

2010-03-16T21:15:00.000-07:00

almost forgot!
It's my two-year blog-iversary today...

Be back tomorrow!

Ten Things

2010-03-12T15:09:00.000-08:00

As Spring Break draws to a close:

1. Sleeping in

2. More snow (but also more melting!)

3. Edible playdough
4. Discovering new art and artists, like her and him (thanks Matt, and Tom!)

5. Too much time indoors
6. Baking cookies

7. Rock Band and bored kids
8. Starting seeds
9. Grading midterm exams (still not finished!)
10. Sleeping in

Spring Break means

2010-03-10T18:43:00.000-08:00

getting back to work. In the studio. And it's not even Friday!

Gave a presentation on my work for my friend Tom's Art Appreciation class at WIT, in Sioux City this morning. I've never been on their campus, and it was nice to finally know where it is... then had lunch with Tom and the hubby (nicely coincided with our weekly lunch date!) at Pierce Street Coffee Works. Their blue cheese salad is lovely.
Then back home and off to the studio... got back to sealing those doilie collagraph plates.
Also experimenting with some of the found-object sculpture that's been evolving since last year. I'm thinking of celestial imagery with this one. What do you think?
Got an exhibition coming up in April that will feature some of these pieces (as well as the most recent collagraphs), so I'm hoping to have a few more completed by then.

Fargo and Food

2010-03-09T09:42:00.001-08:00

Made a quick jaunt up to Fargo this weekend. The scenery was bleak, but the hubby and I had a nice time. We were listening to "Travel with Rick Steves" on the way up, specifically to a bit with Jane and Michael Stern on their book 'Road Food'. We were literally salivating. So, we decided to make our whole-day trip into a food adventure. We stopped in Sioux Falls on the way up, wondering what we could possibly find that we hadn't tried before. We found Whisk and Chop. Maybe not road food, and certainly not a hole-in-the-wall diner, it was nonetheless a place we hadn't been before. And the place was just crawling with people, so we figured it must be good. It was fantastic.
We started with a sticky roll (to share) that was monstrous, and melted in your mouth. We could have stopped there. But I had also ordered the Crab Benedict, and it certainly did not disappoint. M had the chicken pot pie (interestingly, something he'd been craving earlier, and we were lucky enough to find on the menu - how often do you see pot pie on restaurant menus anymore?). Our adventure was off to a good start!
We made it to NDSU's Memorial Union by 6, in order to pick up my exhibit. It all went smoothly, and it was nice to see Esther and Bob once again.
We then made our way over to Renaissance Hall, which houses the Art and Architecture departments. It was time to see the progress of the edition being printed by the Pears program intern, Judith Feist.

It was all coming along wonderfully, and after I gave my impressions and input, we asked for a good suggestion to finish our food adventure. Things were a bit slim, as it was a Sunday night (why do all midwestern towns completely shut down on Sundays?). Luckily, someone remembered Doolittle's.... again, not a "diner", certainly not a greasy-spoon, but man oh man! What a treat! Everything on the menu looked fantastic. And it was. And filling. We opted for the wood-fired options, as these are obviously their specialty. We came nowhere near finishing our food. We stopped early, however, in order to save room for dessert - Apple Bread Pudding. It was the highlight of my whole week, honestly.
It's so great to be pregnant, in order to have the excuse to eat like this!
Also a great way to start Spring Break.

Studio Friday

2010-03-06T07:28:00.000-08:00

This week's Studio Friday consisted of preparing for today's road trip to Fargo.

Unfortunately, today's trip to Fargo is not going to happen, as the roads going north are incredibly icy.

So! Back to those domestic projects I've been dreaming about. I will finish the sock quilt,

and attempt to make some of these:

All the while daydreaming about the impending spring, the returning farmer's market, and finally meeting Peanut (who is so crazy-active most of the time that it just makes me laugh). We'll try Fargo tomorrow.

Stunning, Disturbing

2010-03-03T07:38:00.000-08:00

Just discovered the work of Chris Jordan today.

I found "The Midway" photos incredibly moving and disturbing. And I'm pretty sure it's not just the pregnancy hormones making me feel this way. It's a lot to think about.

Studio Friday

2010-02-27T13:40:00.001-08:00

Saturday is blowing by, just like the rest of this week. Seems like it always does. Maybe because I let it.

Studio Friday was a short one, unfortunately, as I had two other engagements which kept me away (weekly lunch date in Sioux City with hubby, and a volunteer art lesson with a 4th grade class). Tried to be as productive as possible in my short time there, however.
As productive as I could be while still making a brief appearance downstairs in the Coffee Shop, and across the street at the Civic Council (bag day!).
Studio work included re-arranging treasures on the window sill, and working on a mixed media drawing that's been sitting on my desk for far too long.

Today should have been a sewing day - but since the day is nearly over, we'll just put that off until tomorrow. For now, the hubby and I are thinking about a date night... been wanting to see this.

Studio Friday

2010-02-19T17:14:00.000-08:00

Studio Friday did not result in much studio work this week. This image is of new collagraph plates in progress, begun last Friday.

Today was more social: leisurely morning with the dogs, drive to Sioux City to have lunch with my hubby here (quickly becoming a weekly affair), and back home to have tea and a chat with dear friends at the Coffee Shop Gallery - yes, the CSG! She's open again, but only on Thursdays and Fridays, until she gets the place sold. The town just exhaled a collective sigh of relief. Seriously.

This weekend:
watching this
back to the studio
working on two of these
grading papers
perhaps making these?
adjusting summer plans now that we've discovered Peanut is due July 19, rather than early August...

wish me luck!

Sculpture Love

2010-02-09T20:01:00.000-08:00

Just remembered that I found her work recently. Can't remember where, but I did make sure to bookmark the website. Especially intrigued with the dirt works.

There are Intentions, and then there is Reality

2010-02-09T09:22:00.000-08:00

It's not my intention to be a once-a-month blogger, but it does seem that I haven't posted in awhile, and now have quite a bit to catch up on.

Seems like it's been forever-ago now, but in January I traveled to NDSU in Fargo to be a visiting artist in their art department. I had a lovely time, and became quite enamored of their gorgeous printshop. I've never seen anything like it!

While visiting, I gave a public lecture on my work, presented a workshop in collagraph (lots of fun), and had an exhibition of my recent work.
Snapped a couple of shots of the exhibit space, just after the reception. Pardon the refreshment table in the middle of everything.
The exhibit is up until February 24th, in the Memorial Union Gallery. There was a very nice article in the campus newspaper the week of my visit.
Meanwhile, back in the studio, I've been trying to freshen the place up, in order to try to find some motivation to be there despite the bitter cold, winter blahs... New poster on the door is a recent Etsy purchase from NGInc. The first time I saw it, I laughed hysterically.
I don't think I ever shared the awesome shelf my hubby constructed for me over the holidays. It's a convenient space to store large, framed artwork, as well as the numerous boxes of prints and paper that I've collected over time. I can finally see most of the floor in my studio. Time to make sculpture!
Speaking of sculpture, I'm trying very hard to think of ways to use these old book blocks. This is what's left when I deconstruct them for making new journals. I couldn't possibly bring myself to get rid of them. So, they'll just keep eating up storage space until I can figure out what sort of life they need to live next.
Most of my studio time lately has been devoted to framing. Had a few small framing requests over the holidays, one larger one for USD'S chapter of NALSA that I'm am currently finishing up, and one (finally!) for myself: These prints you see are things I've picked out for the new baby. A couple of them are old prints of mine - the two with the embryos in fruit forms - while the others are from friends or admired artists. I'm hoping that having some artwork framed up will jump-start my desire to get a room ready. It's also got me thinking about possible designs for the birth announcement.

Be warm and happy creating! Let's see if I can get myself back to the blog before next week...

Back at it

2010-01-05T15:10:00.000-08:00

The lazy holiday is officially over.

Kids are back to school, hubby is back to work, and I'm not. Not that I don't have work to do!

I've got three big things coming down the chute at once:

1- the spring semester at WSC starts Monday (Tuesday for me)

2- I fly to Fargo to be a visiting artist at NDSU Wednesday-Saturday

3- I hang an exhibit at the VAAC on Sunday, to coincide with MLK Day events

Am I quite ready for any of these things? Of course not.

This weekend I started building the crates for shipping my artwork to Fargo. It was actually a whole family endeavor. Something I should have done last week. Along with calling UPS to find out more info about shipping large items (freight). I mistakenly assumed it wouldn't be much different than shipping standard, just with bigger boxes, and bigger trucks. But no! I don't find out until today that thay don't technically ship artwork at all, and even if I fibbed (which I did), shipping my 3 crates was going to cost me about $1200. To Fargo. I have a lot to learn...

So, had to make a last-minute change to rent a U-Haul trailer and take them myself, this weekend. I would have planned to do this all-along, but after last year's blizzard excitement, I don't jump at opportunities to drive cross-country in the middle of January. I decided last month to be on the safe side: book a flight to get myself there, and plan to ship my work, in case there was to be any inclement weather during my scheduled visit. SO, I will still be flying next week, but I will also be driving up and back this Saturday.

And working on syllabi, and working on a newspaper ad for the exhibit, and getting a slide lecture together for my artist visit...

Thanks 2009, it's Been Real

2009-12-30T13:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!

This is not a picture of me, or even of anyplace in South Dakota, but this is how it feels, lately.

We were stuck in our house Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, the day after. We didn't un-bury our cars until the 27th. Begrudgingly. What a chore, but a good workout.

We decided not to travel to Utah this year. An exceptional disappointment for the children, but we've tried to make up for it over the past couple of days by taking a "vacation" in Sioux Falls - shopping and tubing one day, a night at the Ramkota (complete with waterpark-side rooms), and now skiing all day at Great Bear. Great Bear is a bit of a joke compared to Brighton or Snowbird ski resorts in Salt Lake, but what can we do? It's the prairie. The kids are not complaining; they know they are being spoiled. Tonight, dinner at the Shalom Ethiopian restaurant, and then back home. Monday, back to school. Back to work.

Christmas this year, instead, revolved around a large Christmas surprise that didn't depend upon where we were: I am pregnant with my third child. This is the first time I've written it, and it is truly surreal. Sharing the news with the kids was equally surreal - it had been killing me to keep it a secret for several weeks leading up to the holiday. And when all was revealed, it was a mixed reaction: the youngest was excited (although disappointed that she hadn't asked sooner, because she suspected it), my boys and the middle girl were skeptical (the boys even, well, creeped out?), and the oldest lamenting that she won't get to know her youngest sibling as well as the others will, but excited that she figured it out (we played 20 questions to reveal the gift - 20 questions turned into 35). Basically, it's still not very real for any of us. But the grandmothers are excited!

The morning sickness and food cravings have been all too real, however. The first trimester should be over soon, and I am really looking forward to it. Morning sickness has been all-day sickness for me, being especially susceptible in the evenings and overnight. Eating soda crackers (which I loathe) by the boxful. Cannot stomach anything remotely sweet, besides the occasional orange, or glass of grapefruit juice. Fried chicken crosses my mind daily, but am happy to report that I've only given in once. Trying to keep it healthy, but I'm also trying to stay sane. Having virtually no energy, feeling like crap continuously, caring for a large family, trying to wind down a semester of full-time teaching, and preparing (not so successfully) for the holidays, and don't forget the weather!, has left this mom-to-be wanting to crawl under the covers and hibernate for the next month.

We'll see what I can get away with.

In the meantime, I'll try to find the energy and motivation to keep up with the blogging, and get prepared for spring classes! Wish me luck!

Studio Friday, er, Saturday

2009-11-14T16:39:00.000-08:00

After stumbling across a hidden stash of lovely artwork given to me by friends, the inspiration wall started to expand...

And the found-object sculptures continue to evolve, as I putter around and play.

Studio Friday

2009-11-13T16:07:00.000-08:00

was away from the studio today.
It started with a moody morning drive to Madison, to the campus of Dakota State University,where I'd been invited to give a collagraph printing workshop.
It was a pretty hectic scene, helping more than a dozen complete beginners make their own collagraph prints... but it was also very rewarding, and I think the students had a lot of fun. I know I did. Especially at the magical moment, when the print is first pulled off the plate. For complete novices (there is no printmaking at DSU, and these students were, for the most part, non-art majors) there were a lot of really fun results.
Thanks to Linn Nelson, who invited me out. It was a great experience!!

Studio Friday

2009-11-06T15:06:00.000-08:00

Playing around with boxes. This actually took much longer than they look like they should have... because I deconstructed what was an elaborate jewelry box.

I didn't think it would show up in the picture, but here you can see the wonderful ghostly image of Mary that bled through to the back of this old print. I love it! Very subtle...

Some of today's Civic Council (thrift store) finds.

I love Fridays!!

Next Friday I will have to skip my studio, unfortunately... as I'll be a visiting artist at DSU - doing a collagraph workshop. Wish me luck!

More Sculpture Love

2009-11-02T20:55:00.001-08:00

Varujan Boghosian.

Another long-lost favorite. Found his work rather randomly once, in a book about art boxes, pulled off the shelf by chance at the Vermillion Library. I can't find the book now, or the name of it. Finding books with his work in them is not easy... but I am determined to find some.

The Best Part of Halloween

2009-11-01T19:09:00.000-08:00

is coming up with creative costumes... hands down!!

Who cares about candy?!

Studio Friday, or

2009-10-31T12:17:00.000-07:00

the return of STUDIO CHAOS.
"How do you get anything done in this mess?"

Good question.

Somehow, I managed to clean, organize, and play. These aren't finished pieces, but may become something eventually.

Took the kids out to the movies later in the evening, for some good, clean, family quality time...

Couldn't resist the temptation to have some fun in the photo booth. I edited the last photo out, because it was fun, but not very tasteful...

A wonderful All Hallows' eve to you! Be safe!

Sculpture Love

2009-10-28T18:26:00.000-07:00

Or more specifically, "wunder-kammer"/curio love...

Been thinking a lot lately about my long term love of all things Joseph Cornell. I will never tire of it.

Shop Update...

2009-10-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

Studio Friday

2009-10-23T16:29:00.001-07:00

Studio Friday began with an ungodly, early morning drive to S.F. for a medical appointment (blah!). I did turn it into a decent morning, however, by stopping for breakfast and coffee afterward at Kaladi's. Sat by the fireplace, and wrote in my long-lost art journal. Where have I been for so long, my dearest journal?

The afternoon was spent in the studio proper, working on random sculptural ideas that have been swimming about in my brain for some time...
here are some of them, in progress:

Using a plastic anatomy toy as a mold - we'll see if it works.

Evidence of the odd way my mind functions...

A Full Day

2009-10-20T19:01:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to my number 1! son!!

You are finally a teenager - and no, that doesn't mean that you can play T-rated games now...

Productivity

2009-10-19T21:07:00.001-07:00

comes in spurts.

Felt compelled to start a new batch of books today. I currently have a large-ish stack which are still waiting to be stitched, from last month...

Also spent a considerable amount of time preparing for birthdays: a 13th birthday tomorrow, one the next day, and one next week. Of course, then there's Halloween!

Visual Inspiration for the long weekend

2009-10-17T19:38:00.000-07:00

Studio Friday is going to be Studio Sunday, Monday and Tuesday this week!

Wish me luck!

Morning Walk in the Country

2009-10-17T19:23:00.000-07:00

It seemed like all that rain, cold and gray would never end.

Hope it's a lovely day wherever you are...

Big Gallery Night

2009-10-17T18:57:00.000-07:00

Last's night's reception at the Washington Pavilion went smashingly. Had such a lovely time. Nice to see so many friendly faces, as well as many new ones.

Amy Fill, Patti Roberts-Pizzuto, and I decided that we wanted to change the format of the artist's talk, so that we weren't each under pressure to be on "center-stage" during our allotted speaking time. We used a discussion-format instead, so that when it was Amy's turn to give her talk, Patti and I prompted her with particular questions we found pertinent, as well as opening it up to the audience/visitors to participate.

Patti and Amy did the same for me, when it was my turn.

It worked out really well, and sure took the pressure off.
We had a lot of really great questions from the crowd, as well as nice feedback. I would have to say that we were all fairly proud of ourselves by the end of the evening. Making the work is the easy part - having to get up and talk about it, is whole 'nother thing... It feels like quite an accomplishment to make it through an evening like this.
Thanks to everyone who came out to support us!
The exhibit of my work, as well as Patti's, is up until the end of November. Amy's work is up until the beginning of January. Plenty of time to go see it, if you haven't already!

Catching up, quickly

2009-10-12T19:09:00.000-07:00

Although catching up will require a rather long post.

Last week's (week before last's?) Art of Fine Craft conference at the Lux in Lincoln was great. A good experience for the students, I think, and a chance for me to do some arty stuff to fuel my brain. Especially inspiring was the work of Victoria Goro-Rapaport (master printer), and Jason Briggs (master ceramicist!).

The day after returning from Lincoln, my sweetie participated in an exciting triathalon in South Sioux City. He'd been preparing for it for a long time, and was very happy with his performance. What next?

We'll wait till things warm up...

This past weekend was homecoming for USD - or D-days, as it's called. It's mostly an excuse for college kids to spend the entire weekend drunk, but we tend to look forward to the annual parade! This year, both Kenyon and Dylan participated in marching bands (although my camera died before I got a chance to catch a pic of Dylan - the high school marching band is always last). The poor kids were freezing - and so were we!

Speaking of freezing, this is what I woke up to today:

This is what I'm trying to keep in my brain (not always successfully, I must admit...)

Would have loved to stay curled up in bed, but had to get to work. WSC doesn't take Native American Day off! Of all the nerve. The kids have the day off from school, and my husband had the day off of work - but not me:(

It was alright, though, as I needed to be on campus for my exhibit opening. All went well, and it looks pretty good. I'm very happy with it - even if it isn't the most recent work.

Briefly,

2009-09-30T13:51:00.001-07:00

Excited for this tomorrow. Should be really, really excited - but I am struggling to keep myself awake and organized lately, so... I'll have to settle for being plain old, excited. And hope to be able to maintain that energy over the next couple of days, while in Lincoln.
Teaching full-time (as well as mom-ing full-time, and trying to be an artist at least part-time) is truly kicking my ass.

Next week - hanging the show at WSC (I'd better get that poster designed!), the reception for the USD Alumni show, then the reception for the WSC show, and next Friday, the reception for the Pavilion show. My head's already spinning!

In the Studio, Friday

2009-09-21T06:03:00.000-07:00

I had thought about beginning a weekly post here - "Studio Fridays", since that's typically when I get around to working in my studio. I did work this past Friday, but I forgot to post! So maybe the Studio Fridays won't always be posted on Friday...

This Friday was about catching up on residency, art fair, and juried show applications. They've really been piling up, along with physical piles of unfinished projects. So Friday was also about cleaning and re-organizing the studio (which I have to do about once a month, lately).

I actually spent the majority of my time taking slides, and putting together a new gallery packet for a body of work that is not my most recent. One of the galleries I'd sent a packet to in the past year (with a proposal for my most recent work), took the time to send me a reply that basically said: We don't want to exhibit your work, but we do like the older work we saw on your website. You should re-submit your proposal.

Well, how could I not do that? Because generally, galleries won't even bother to respond to your proposals, not even to let you know that they've received them, let alone give you personal feedback about what work they like best. What this meant practically, however, is figuring out which pieces needed to be re-shot (because a lot of my old slides are pretty bad), and which ones had never been shot at all. Also, because so many of them have been sold over the past five years - exactly how many pieces do I have in this body of work? It took a while to figure out how to best present a seemingly full body of work.

But perhaps the most note-worthy thing to happen on Friday happened in my a doctor's office: I found out that I need glasses! It sounds silly, but it was a bit of a shock to me. I've never needed glasses before (although I've always been somewhat enamored with them as accessories, going so far as to wear a fake pair for a good long while at the end of my undergraduate years).

Here's why I need glasses:
Too much time on the computer!

Sidewalk Arts is Accomplished!

2009-09-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

I survived the weekend! That may sound a bit overly dramatic, but I did seriously question the possibility of my demise before the end of it.

I've been trying diligently to prepare for several weeks, but it hasn't been easy with a full-time schedule (and the commute), and then with being sick for the three days prior to the festival... I was feeling pretty run-down Saturday morning, but managed to get myself up at 4 a.m, after only a couple of hours sleep. Got to Sioux Falls by 6 for the set-up - had the car off the road by 7. My lovely artist friend Jill came along to help me set-up, and to keep me company for the day. It was great to have her help, as well as her "eye". I think that this year's attempt at presentation worked fabulously! A big thank-you to my husband, who helped me bring it to fruition.

All in all, it was a good day - socially, if not financially. And it was great to be able to refer folks who were interested in my work up to the exhibition in the Visual Arts Center of the Pavilion, right behind us. The show looks great! Looking forward to the reception on October 16th.

Another Busy Week

2009-09-07T20:11:00.000-07:00

Five days and counting until I must be ready for the Sidewalk Arts festival in Sioux Falls.
As usual, I make things more complicated than they need to be (because this is my nature), and so I am attempting to re-configure the way I will present my work, and the types of things that I will be bringing... naturally, I also haven't had much time to focus on these issues before this past week.
SO... my husband is currently working on engineering a hanging display system for me, utilizing chain and steel pipes. We'll see how it turns out. I'm hoping to display more framed works this year, and to have a better system than wires strung from tent pole to tent pole!

Most of my attention has been directed toward finishing up the numerous sketchbooks that are in various states of completion. So what do I find myself doing when facing this large stack of books to stitch? I start a new one, of course.
I have to admit that I am totally enamored with this most recent book, however. I'm finally making use of this gorgeous book cover that I've had for several years. Isn't the embossment on the cover just breath-taking?
It's pretty large, as you can see from the second photo. The over-all size of the book is about 8x10", and will be filled with this bright white, heavy cotton drawing paper, 48 pages of it. It'll be more expensive than the rest of my sketchbooks, but I'm not too worried. My very first sale at last year's festival was my most expensive book at the time ($55), along with two other books. The buyer didn't even hesitate...
Here's hoping there are more buyers like that this year!

One More Project Checked off the List

2009-09-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

I was very diligent this weekend - finishing frames for the work that will be exhibited at the Pavilion. I HAD to be, because they were scheduled to be dropped off on Monday evening. I just barely made it in time. Special thanks to Jodi, who met me at a random hour in the evening, because I have to work down in Nebraska most days.

Here's the stack of plexi "sandwiches" - prints layered between two pieces of plexi...

Despite the stress of the last minute finishing, it's so fabulous to have them done and dropped off! Now I just have to show up for the opening on October 16th!

Website update

2009-08-28T21:57:00.000-07:00

Long overdue.

Since I'd finally gotten around to shooting slides of the work finished this summer, I figured I go ahead an post it to the 'ol website, and maybe do some rearranging in the process. I'm rather happy with it. Let me know what you think...

Sculpture Love

2009-08-27T19:29:00.000-07:00

Just discovered the work of Michele Oka Doner, via Sculpture magazine.

I'm in love.

Reminds me of the work of another artist I discovered long ago, somewhere... Adrian Arleo (yes, it just took me 2 hours to find her again on the internet).

This stuff is going up on my inspiration wall this weekend.

Waste Not

2009-08-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

Been trying to make use of my paper waste - the strips and bits of lovely paper that pile up when you're tearing sheets down to size (to fit pre-existing covers, as I do). I realized that I could make a series of smaller journals, ranging in size from 3x5" to about 6x6".

Here I'm gluing the cover paper to the book boards...

gluing down endpapers....

and these are roughly what they look like, with folded signatures of scrap paper. Not too bad, heh? They still have to be stitched up, of course. there are 12, in-progress. Will they be finished by the 12th? Mmmmmmm...

The Last Dog Days are Crunch-time

2009-08-18T09:46:00.000-07:00

Oh, how I wish I didn't have to spend my precious last few days (last few free days, that is) of the season this way, but what can a girl do? There are frames to be built, books to be sewn, and seemingly endless preparation for classes this semester. I did finish my syllabi last week, but I now realize that it was nothing compared to what I still need to do just to prepare for Art History lectures...

In order to make the most of what little free time I can find, I've tried to be diligent about walking the dogs in the morning. This morning, K came along and shot this gorgeous pic of the view through the corn, which is about 10 feet high. He also managed to catch the monster swarm of gnats we just about walked through.

Despite the fact that I haven't even once made it to the river this summer, at least I'm thankful that I can get out a bit to enjoy the sun. In all, life's been very good lately - so I don't want to sound like all I can do is complain about how much work I have to do! A bit of this life loveliness came in the form of two big boxes of antique books, a gift from one of my husband's clients (along with the books came a 5-gallon bucket of leeks, onions and a huge bag of rhubarb).

These precious covers are soon to be new sketchbooks!

Preppin'

2009-08-14T15:49:00.000-07:00

Two syllabi down!

Two to go! Been spending a little bit of time down at WSC, prepping for classes. Cleaning classrooms, and sorting through handouts, and writing syllabi, etc. It's such a lovely drive, but I know that I'll be sick of driving it every day by the end of the first few weeks.

Two more books finished; but sooo may more to go...

Don't tell anyone, but I'm not totally finished with all the work for my show at the Pavilion, either. Shhhh. One more piece to finish. And then, 13 pieces to frame up! The cost of plexi is killing me! Thank goodness for loans from Mom.And my poor garden; I won't be showing you any pictures, because gardening is such a complete failure this year. If only I could split myself up into three people...

For now, I'll just have to be content being one person, and try to enjoy myself as I take my family to the Clay County Fair.

Finding Focus

2009-08-06T21:47:00.000-07:00

I am absolutely swimming in course materials right now... and am having a rather difficult time keeping myself organized. But what's new? My bedroom has been overtaken by four large stacks of books/folders/handouts, etc that I need to assess the usefulness of for each of my four classes this coming semester. Why do I feel inclined to re-invent the wheel every semester?

On a brighter note, I have had a fair amount of success in staying focused on the book-making. Have gotten six finished in the last few weeks. The intention is to have a stockpile for the Sidewalk Arts Festival in Sioux Falls (September 12th), but I figured I'd just go ahead and list them in my Etsy shop anyway... who am I to argue if a few of them sell between now and then?

A (not so) Brief Respite is Now Over

2009-08-03T10:02:00.001-07:00

Before I elaborate on why I've been so very, very absent from my blog, let me say "Happy Anniversary!" to my sweetie. We were married formally two years ago, the day after our community's Sundance ceremony ended. It was technically the 5th of August, and our reception party was the 6th - but we just like to celebrate the whole week following Sundance. We also like to celebrate our legal wedding day (Nov 2nd) as well as our first date (January 16th). We're a bit sentimental that way.

So we've just finished a beautiful and meaningful Sundance ceremony, which marked my second year of dancing, and the first for my boys, and our youngest daughter. It was really wonderful to be inside that circle with most of our family there. We met beautiful new souls, as usual, and had to learn some important lessons from a number of challenges that faced us, also a normal experience.

Immediately preceding Sundance were two weeks of Art Camp, at the Washington Street Arts Center. I act as the director of the camp, as well as an instructor, so my work generally extends beyond the daily schedule, and beyond the two weeks of camp. There was a great deal of preparation for several weeks prior, and I'm still, even now, trying to tie up many loose ends. It was a lot of fun, but also extremely exhausting. Working with kids all day long (over 70 for the two weeks), ages 4-14, can be rewarding, but also challenging. We learned a lot, and have new plans for next year, which will be our third annual.

And before that, were two weeks of vacation in Utah.

It seems like ages ago.

And now, we're in the last grips of our precious summer break... the kids go back to school in 2 and 1/2 weeks! I go back to teaching (full-time this semester) in 3 weeks. So in the next three weeks, I will be working diligently on preparing my syllabi and curriculum (for Drawing, Printmaking, Art History and Visual Arts Experience), producing as many hand-bound books and prints as possible for the Washington Pavilion Sidewalk Arts festival, and finishing the frames for the work that will be comprising my solo show (also at the Washington Pavilion) in early September.

It sounds overwhelming, but I'm actually feeling really good about it all - and can't wait to keep you all updated on the progress... I promise to fall off the face of the earth again any time soon.

Happy Summer!

PJ Harvey and John Parish in MPLS

2009-06-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

Fantastic concert by PJ Harvey and John Parish last night at the Minnesota Zoo Amphitheater (it has another name, but I don't remember it...) The drive there and back made for a rather long weekend, but it was worth it. Outdoors, next to a lovely little lake, awesome music, good company....

Refreshing My Memory

2009-06-10T07:18:00.000-07:00

One of my all-time favorites, the inspirational Antoni Tapies.

Diligence has Benefits

2009-06-09T14:37:00.000-07:00

Second week in the print shop.

And the prints are stacking up,

and up,

and up.

Still all works-in-progress, but I am pleased!

Motivation to get through the tough times...

2009-06-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

Here's an uplifting article for a blustery-cold, gray June day.

Commitments

2009-06-07T10:32:00.000-07:00

The one thing on my daily to-do list that I hate to miss. And the one thing the rain is keeping my from these last couple of days...

Checking things off the list...

2009-06-02T20:56:00.000-07:00

It feels like years since I've been inside a real printshop, printing... and well, it has been over a year since I've worked on these collograph plates. Yesterday (thanks to my obsessive schedule-making) I finally got myself into the USD Printshop and started cranking out some new work that will supplement the work I've got scheduled to exhibit over the next couple of years. It's a fairly good-sized body of work, but I've really been wanting to make it a little bit bigger...

I'm overdue to get myself back over there today (so much for my meticulous scheduling) so I'm going to keep this short.

Oh, and here's my first attempt at making a pressed cheese! I'm very excited about it... it's currently in brine, magically becoming feta cheese!

Summer is just not conducive to effective time-management...

2009-05-30T19:08:00.000-07:00

It probably doesn't seem like I've been up to much around here. On the contrary, there is so much going on (and so much going to be going on) that my head is already swimming. This is typically the feeling I have around the end of August, when the school year is around the corner - not at the beginning of summer.
I have so much to stay on top of that I recently laid out a daily schedule for myself that extends into the first week of August. I kid you not.
And I'm not just being obsessive about this; I REALLY have to use my time wisely this summer!
I'll spare you the long drawn-out list, but the summer includes producing a large inventory of journals (see the latest, above) for an arts festival in September, getting innumberable ducks in a row for this summer's Messy Hands art camp at the VAAC - in July, stitching up an inventory of produce bags to sell at the Farmer's Market (mostly because I haven't much of an income this summer), the usual two weeks in Utah, lots of prep work for a full teaching load in the fall at Wayne State....
and I'm honestly not giving you the full list.
So what am I doing this evening? Eating ice cream and watching episodes of the X-Files. So much for time-management.

Views from Montana and Yellowstone, Randomly

2009-05-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

This Week's Studio Play

2009-05-14T22:49:00.000-07:00

It's pretty obvious that I've developed a gesso obsession. I haven't found much yet that doesn't seem like it would be absolutely perfect with a coat of white gesso over it...

a curio shelf...

a plastic figurine of Mary, and a horse's head...

book blocks and matryoshka dolls...

snail shells, and many other things to numerous to list here.

What I have not been working on, however, are those things that I should be working on. Isn't it funny how inspiration always seems to come in the form of procrastination?

On an unrelated note, tomorrow we head for Montana!!

See you next week.

May 9

2009-05-09T17:20:00.001-07:00

Today's harvest: asparagus and oregano. Not pictured: dandelion greens - but what to do with them?

The beautiful, blooming tree outside my studio window.

And some old work that I am attempting to make new; i.e. rework.

Looking forward to a Mother's Day brunch tomorrow with my mum and grandmum (and the rest of the family).

Updated, Finally

2009-05-08T17:27:00.001-07:00

Decided to post some "new" (old) work in my shop today. It's a bit overdue.

More coming soon... now it's off for a marathon night of art receptions!

Dedication

2009-05-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

Every year, the fifth graders in Vermillion partake in an educational activity called "The Wax Museum". Students choose an historical figure to learn more about, and to represent, in the annual "Wax Museum" event. My youngest boy chose to do Mohandas K. Gandhi (at his mother's urging:)).

He is quite dedicated to this role, and to help him prepare for his performance today, we shaved his head! It was quite an ordeal, but he suffered through it, with minimal struggle and only a couple of nicks... it would probably have been much easier if we had had a set of functional clippers.

It's such a surprising contrast between these two boys now - with hair, and without.

I'm looking forward to seeing it at 2:30 today!

May 6

2009-05-06T20:19:00.000-07:00

Still working on grading papers...but the day was much too gorgeous to stay inside!I did get into my studio for awhile, to play a bit, and took a quick jaunt to the Civic Council (thrift store), where I scored these two very cool items, and more.

My number one son scored a "1" rating on his trombone solo today (!) - so we celebrated by riding our bikes downtown for some Chinese food.

Transplanted some tomato and tomatillo seedlings, planted radishes, purslane, lettuce, and zinnias, and started fresh seedlings of leeks, brussel sprouts, muskmelon, and hopi orange squash.

Back to the papers!

Happy Spring!

My Long Lost, Lonely Friends

2009-05-04T07:34:00.000-07:00

Meet Frank and Lola. Frank is my relief press, and Lola is my little baby etching press.

Now that the semester is behind me (I wish - I still have over 100 papers to grade!), I'm looking forward to finishing up the printshop. My good friend Shel and I are sharing the space between our studios in order to set up a shared printshop... and I'm so excited. You wouldn't necessarily know it, given the amount of time I've dedicated to it over the last two months. But it will be functional very soon!

Three Weeks of Pictures (maybe more)

2009-05-01T07:27:00.001-07:00

In no particular order...

A losing battle...

2009-04-22T09:30:00.000-07:00

Have not had much gumption to sit down at the computer lately. Mix that with a fair amount of computer/connectivity issues, innumerable end-of-the-school year activities, and the absolute NEED to be outdoors and you have a recipe for blog neglect.

There are too many things to recount from the past few weeks, so I will simply pretend they didn't happen, and pick up with the now:

ONE MORE WEEK of classes. (a welcome break, but I will miss many of my students and maybe most importantly, an income)

Impending road trip to Montana for my brother-in-law's graduation. We are very excited - Yellowstone, here we come!

Preparations for this year's summer art camp hosted by the Vemillion Area Arts Council. (and my lovely friend Lizz, hired to be my executive director, so that she'd finally come and visit me!)

More printing and building frames for my show at the Washington Pavilion in September.

And of course, lots of gardening. I've been building new raised beds in my front lawn:) Pictures soon.

Happy Earth Day!!

A Gentle Reminder, mostly for myself...

2009-04-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

A Little Overdue, but

2009-04-02T17:43:00.000-07:00

better late than never, procrastinators like me often say.
I haven't posted since last Friday, when I offered up a give-away, and planned for a weekend of celebrating my 35th year.
Our plans often don't work out the way we expect, usually for a reason, I suppose. My hubby and I's romantic weekend in a cabin was cut short when he started experiencing chest pains, and we subsequently spent the rest of the weekend in the hospital. Long story short, everything is fine, at least as far as his heart is concerned. He is still ill, however, and I'm experiencing a couple of health issues of my own that have me a bit panicky. All that said, I'm simply realizing that I haven't been too organized this week!
And I wanted to congratulate some folks: Elizabeth, Mary, Lindsey, and Teresa have all won a hand-bound journal. I couldn't choose, for one, and I wanted to send back some of that good karma we've been experiencing here back into the universe. So - I need your addresses!! I have Elizabeth's, but I need the others. I will get these in the mail ASAP.
artist@susanheggestad.com

Happy Spring!

Rejoicing

2009-03-27T09:02:00.000-07:00

This is my song for the day. I've listened to it six times already...
And it makes me smile to imagine all my friends, all around the country, turning up the volume on their computers and dancing with me:) If hubby was home today, he'd be playing air drums and rocking out with me!

How to Celebrate?

2009-03-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

Ok - so, I've been wracking my brain, trying to come up with something interesting to do to celebrate one year of blogging/ my birthday. It seems like most artists have some kind of fun give-away of some sort, just for fun. I'm turning 35. I need more fun in my life.

I've not been feeling very decisive, but I've come up with this...

All you who (not proper grammer, I know) leave a comment for me between now and noon Sunday March 29th, will be entered in a random drawing for a precious little hand-bound, vintage book-cover journal made by little ol' me!

That sounds good...

In the meantime, I plan to do a bunch of my favorite things tomorrow. And I'll tell you about them later.

Something about this one...

2009-03-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

Something reminded me of this video animation today... and I've just spent way too much time trying to track it down again. So now I'm posting it - and hopefully will always remember where it is. Enjoy!

Treasure

2009-03-24T16:32:00.000-07:00

I haven't been focusing much attention on Etsy lately (can't even remember the last time I posted something new). Classes have been using up most of my energy.

I got a nice boost of encouragement today, however, when sudiosu included me in one of her treasuries. A nice gesture.

Oops!

2009-03-22T10:24:00.000-07:00

Forgot to mention my one-year blog-iversary... see how much my blog is a priority for me lately:(

Perhaps I will remember to do something special - like a give-away or something, this weekend (for my birthday!).

Spring, or not too Spring

2009-03-20T12:48:00.000-07:00

Renewal

Happy Spring Equinox!

It doesn't feel much like spring here, today. Cloudy and blustery. Very blustery. Took the dogs out for a run this morning, and the wind through the trees sounded like jets overhead. It was invigorating, but didn't exactly feel like spring.

A Gentle Coaxing

Hubby has been home sick for over a week now. It's very unusual, as he never gets sick.

Like, never has had a bellyache or headache in his life. And he's married to me, the girl who practically spent her entire pubescence on Pepto-Bismal, and her early adulthood on Ibuprofen. It's funny.

Except that what's not funny is that hubby has had no symptoms besides this wicked cough that knocks him out. Literally. We've been to the clinic about four times in the past week, and there still is no absolutely definitive diagnosis. Perhaps pertussis (yes, that' whooping cough - one of those sicknesses most of us get vaccinated for as toddlers. Your DPT shot should apparently be updated every ten years, as an adult).

At any rate, I've been hawking over him, waking up every time he coughs, looking across the room every time he coughs, to make sure he doesn't fall over, or stop breathing all-together. I haven't gotten much sleep. He tried to go to work on Wednesday, after the doc started him on a regimen of steroids. Within an hour of being at work, he had a coughing fit, passed out, scraped his face on his desk, and hit the floor. I missed classes in order to go and pick him up, for fear he might have a concussion. He did not, luckily. His bosses have told him he can't come back to work until he's gotten an all-clear from his doctor. It's odd to be in a position of providing a doctor's not so that you can go back to work...

So, we've spent a lot of time together in the past week and a half. He's been getting lots of little projects done around the house (and the garage - hooray!). But I'm just wiped out. I fear I might be getting it, too. I've been downing Emergen-C like a madwoman, but there may be no putting it off.

Amidst the sickness, I've gotten one great piece of news this week: I've lined up another show for my recent work! Very excited. It'll be sometime in 2010, at the Haydon Art Center in Lincoln, Nebraska. I've sent out another 18 or so exhibition proposals to other galleries in the past couple of weeks, so I hope to have more good news to post about that soon.

I hope spring is spring-ing wherever you are, your weekend filled with good news, and no sickness!

Imagining Green

2009-03-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

It's not green yet, but soon will be...
Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Migration, and books

2009-03-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

I could hardly believe the weather today. There are still thousands of geese migrating above us each day... tried to capture the masses of them, but it was a difficult shot.
I also dropped off my three submissions for the Altered Book Exhibit at the U. Above are the final versions of two of them. In all, I'm happy with them, and glad I accomplished something in the studio last week.

Printing Inspiration

2009-03-15T12:21:00.000-07:00

maybe a new line of work? For me, I mean...

Found via BarenForum, via Translucent.

2009-03-13T22:12:00.000-07:00

Not Quite as Planned

2009-03-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

So, I didn't make much progress on the book sculpture today. Did I say that I hadn't yet lost interest in it? Well...

I did manage to get a dozen gallery packets in the mail. Something I've been meaning to do for oh, about a year now.

Also played around with putting my inspiration wall back up. Was one of the last things I needed to do in the new studio space. The place feels finished now!

Yesterday in the Studio...

2009-03-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

was fairly productive, considering the scant amount of time I wound up spending there.
The book sculpture is actually beginning to look like something, isn't it? Not a very good something yet, but I haven't lost interest in it yet, and that's a good thing. And all of this with just a little ol' utility knife... can you believe it? Of course you can. It looks precisely like it's been hacked up with only a utility knife. Alas, I have a long journey to take on the sculpture road.

When my hands got tired, I attempted to put my curio shelf back together. It was due for a re-arrangement. It's full of silly, lovely stuff that makes me happy.

Despite the gorgeous weather that has finally descended on us, I'm headed back to the studio this afternoon, in the hopes of putting some finishing touches on things for the book exhibition. Wish me luck!

Thinking Warm Thoughts

2009-03-11T18:29:00.000-07:00

Continuing the book sculpture work in my studio today. Not much to say about it yet, as it's, well, in-progress. It may wind up being something worth talking about. And it may not. It just feels good to be playing around, and not thinking too much about shoulds or shouldn'ts.

The kids and I spent some time yesterday afternoon with Grandma Lela, who was celebrating her 90th! Quite an accomplishment. She said she'd gotten something like 28 cards in the mail (she was pretty proud of that)... I don't think I've gotten 28 cards for my last several birthdays, combined. But hell, she sure deserves it! We had a nice little treat of peach sorbet with a berry sauce. The kids and I sang for her, too.

The night before I'd been inspired to bake a cake. Just like that - no occasion or reason. Just a sweet, simple almond cake. It was much easier than it looks.

I sincerely hope that the cold, icy weather is finished for a while. This spring break is turning out to be the coldest one I can remember. Be warm!

Spring Thawing

2009-03-09T17:18:00.000-07:00

I've been in a daze.

Maybe it's the slow thawing of the world that has my mind constantly wandering. Although it doesn't look much like spring yet, you know it's there. There's a smell in the air. Of course, there are also the millions of Canada geese crowding the farm fields. They're hard to miss. Came upon a huge mass of them this morning, while out with the dogs. I didn't notice them at first, because of the fog...

Also carved out a bit of time in my studio today. Got a few things in the mail. Organized another corner of the studio. Put together a piece that I may submit to the Altered Book exhibit at the USD libraries next week. We'll see if I can manage to double my time in the studio tomorrow.

At some point, we'll be visiting with my Grandma Lela, who is turning 90!

Quality Time

2009-03-03T19:39:00.000-08:00

The two youngest kiddos and I had some quality time together tonight. We decided to go bowling together, and have a decadent meal at a local restaurant (shrimp alfredo, anyone? tiramisu?).

The older two got to see this with dad.

Finding Some Motivation

2009-02-28T15:29:00.000-08:00

I'm making slow progress on the studio move. Nowhere near pretty yet. Actually, it's pretty good progress, considering all the s*&?*&ff I have... Hoping to be completely done in the next couple of days.

Also, finally found the motivation to organize the new sewing niche. Which is in the office.

Not very pretty yet, either. Needs some decor, don't you think? And possibly the closet doors should return, to hide the contents.

New Studio Space

2009-02-26T21:13:00.001-08:00

Despite the weather, and having two kids home from school today, I made some progress on setting up the new studio space. Very excited!

Change of Plans

2009-02-26T07:43:00.000-08:00

Not much to report. Still trying hard to gather the last remaining bits for the SD Arts Council Grant. The boys are home from school today because the roads are icy (and yesterday was such a gorgeous day... I actually wore a skirt without any stockings!). I may not be travelling to Wayne today because of said icy roads, so perhaps I will get back to my studio? Promise pics of my new studio space by tomorrow!
Whatever the road conditions where you are, be safe and have a fabulous day!

Lazy Saturday

2009-02-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

The boys are snoring away as I write this. I love them dearly. Aren't all children easier to love when they're asleep?

I should be diligently working at finishing this grant application for summer's VAAC Art Camp (but I'm just taking a break:)).

Dylan just returned home from her Math Counts competition (Vermillion Middle School took 3rd!).

My hubby is currently traveling, somewhat impulsively, to Kalamazoo to see Dru perform in her first opera. It only runs this weekend, so he figured it would be nice to show up and surprise her - and support her. Dawson is along for the ride, as is a family friend we affectionately refer to as our "nephew". I'm keeping my fingers crossed for their safe travel (and sighing with relief when I get an update call from them). Wish I could be there, too.

Slogging Through Another Week

2009-02-17T11:09:00.000-08:00

I'm really just not sure why time seems to be passing me by so quickly recently. Or why I just can't seem to get much done.

A boy is home sick today, so I am home, too.

Worked on a book sculpture this weekend, with limited success. I need to find a new tool - one more appropriate to the task.

And I've received these lovely gifts recently; the wasp nest from my hubby, and the little hair nest from my youngest boy. Aren't they sweet?

Intriguing Thoughts

2009-02-15T11:27:00.000-08:00

Found this today via DearAda. These ideas are somewhat useful for me, as a creative person... although I did certainly enjoy scrolling through the comments section on the ted.com website. Interesting perspectives on both sides. I think it would be a very intriguing debate to be a part of.

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

Spent some time in the studio working on a few things for my hubby ; including matting some artwork to go in our bedroom (still need to be framed - once he cleans out the garage...), and a fun little love book/card made from an old book cover, and a few of the saucy prints I won from Olivia Jeffries a few weeks ago.

The kids are intoxicated on chocolate, and soon I will be, too!!

Have a beautiful weekend of love - any kind of love!

Video Snapshots, continued

2009-02-12T07:37:00.000-08:00

New Work?

2009-02-11T20:53:00.000-08:00

Playing with some sculptural thoughts that have been floating for awhile... we'll see what happens.

Jogging the Memory

2009-02-11T08:57:00.000-08:00

Finding that picture of PJ Harvey last night made me remember how much I love the work of Leslie Dill...

Images found via George Adams Gallery.