Another Saturday night...

And we are home.  Sigh.  I would like to go see a movie soon.  I don't even like going out, but after a long and rainy day with a very particular toddler, I want to go let off some steam.  JoJo did her second gymnastics class this morning.  She really enjoyed it but wanted a snack after 15 minutes, so we took a break and had a banana and got back just in time to hang from the parallel bars.  Then home to play in the rain and make "cake" from puddle water. Very short nap and whiny toddler with buckets of rain coming down.  It was a long day.

Dudecraft gets it right

I like what this guy has to say about the value of giving things away.

http://www.dudecraft.com/2008/09/5-reasons-you-should-give-away-your.html

I had someone tell me never to teach a class to anyone, even for money, because then I would be the only one who knew how to do pysanky in this town and I would have a captive audience. This struck me as so wrong.  I want more people to learn and do these because then more people would understand why they are worth what I charge!  I want more people to know how to do this so I have some company and someone to talk to.  I was really bothered by that comment.  Of course, this was from a person who works with silver jewelry so maybe from her point of view it was valid.

I have been working on a set of new eggs as a result of one of the holiday art shows I have applied to. I had to write an artist's statement this time around and it actually helped me figure out a new direction for my artwork.  I have been feeling stale and bored with what I have been doing lately, so it was a nice change.  What I came up with was a series of "fetish" eggs with stylized animal imagery in a universe of stars/flowers.  Maybe not the most earthshaking decision, but it was good for me to try to clarify some of the ideas that have been floating around my head for a while.  Here is the final statement:

Artist Statement

     I create my artwork using a centuries-old technique called Pysanky.  This is a batik-type process using beeswax, a small heated funnel, and aniline dyes on eggshells that results in intricately layered patterns of color, geometry and two-dimensional line on a three-dimensional surface. 

     Currently, I am combining elements of traditional Pysanky design, Native American forms, and Japanese textile patterns, exploring the depiction of flora and fauna combined into fantastic shapes and stylized fetish creatures. The challenge is to loosen or even set free the pattern from the traditionally rigid framework without losing the rhythm that gives it a heartbeat.  All this must happen within the enclosed frame of the eggshell without feeling cramped or limited in scope.

     I believe that the art of the past can teach us patience, explore culture and forgotten beliefs, and communicate what is otherwise hidden.  With my Pysanky, I hope to not only keep the technique alive, but also the meditative and spiritual aspect that is necessary to create and view such an art form, an exercise for both the artist and the viewer. Using traditional symbols and techniques combined with my own more contemporary ideas, I hope to combine past and present in a heterogeneous and lively form.

New Kistka Tips

I'm splurging on some new kistka tips.  I'm also trying a new supplier:  www.polartcenter.com.  I am hoping that these are better than the last batch I got.  I suspect it is a matter of preference more than anything, but I found that the brass kistka tips clogged far too easily and "freeze up" more quickly than the stainless steel ones that I am getting now. At least I hope so...

Today I worked on the custom egg for my friend "Pyk" at the Cherrywood Coffee house. I have rediscovered my love for hanging out in coffee houses to work on things when I really need to concentrate. At home there are simply too many distractions: dishes, sweeping, cat vomit, the intertubes...

I worked on trying to incorporate the initial "C" into a Trypillian eternity band design and came up with three or four workable concepts. Now to find a good central motif. I would like to do a stylized German Shepherd since that it the kind of dog Pyk has, but I don't know if I am up to speed on the essence of German Shepherd enough to translate it into a stylized visual.

I am also attempting to set up a Zazzle store so I can sell things like tote bags, stationery, or Keds with my egg designs on them. I can't wait until my digital imaging class starts in a couple of weeks to that I can more easily edit my images and make them more print friendly.