The graphic says it all

New Years "Intentions" for 2011 (I prefer intention to resolution.)

1. Embrace the quirkiness.

2. Feed the creativity.

3. Fill up on positivity.

4. Enjoy the ride!

Here's hoping  for pleasant surprises, loads of love and a few valuable life lessons for us all in the coming year. 

Thanks for being there!

Merry Christmas to all!

The result of the gingerbread house workshop I lead at work last week.
Can't wait to eat it!

Just a few minutes away from holiday hubbub to wish everyone an enjoyable Christmas wherever you are and whatever you do. Looking forward to the promise of 2011!

Update with Pics

It has taken me far too long to get back here, and for that I apologize. This NaNoWriMo thing coupled with the eight hours I spend on the computer at work have not inspired me to make time for a new post. Speaking of NaNo, I am well past the halfway point with my word count. Today's goal is 36,674 if I want to be finished by the 30th. I wanted to work ahead this weekend to give me some cushion, but I was not as motivated as I thought I would be. There is still time. Not sure whether I am coming up with anything that can really become anything with edits, but it feels like I might be surprised. Once it is finished, I will let it sit a while before I return for another look. I have a book that I introduced to my writer's group that I will probably do edits and rewrites on first.

As for my artwork, the Gift Bazaar at the beginning of the month went well. The response at seeing what I do with old softballs and bowling balls was very positive. People seemed interested in my inspiration and my process. I ended up selling half the items I brought with me. I am currently working on orders that I took that day and one since then along with a few Christmas and Winter themed pieces. I have included some pictures for you below of my art and my display the day of the bazaar. Sorry for the quality. I guess I need to work at my technique so that I am getting better shots.

We are just a few days away from "The Big Eat." Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. I hope that you all have much to be thankful for this year. I know I do.

Happy Halloween!

Couldn't let the day go by without acknowledging my favorite holiday. The traditional "boo-chos" (nachos) on the menu for supper, then a spooky movie (The Eclipse), and taking turns answering the door. Will be taking the night off from time in the studio. Back at it tomorrow after work. Probably some late nights while I wrap up. In addition, it is the first day of NaNoWriMo on Monday, so I will try to get in my 1,667 words before everyone gets up for school and work. Gonna be a challenge to stay on track for the first week with still so much to do for Saturday's Gift Bazaar. I expect there may be some catch-up up to do starting next Sunday. Hope to have pics of my finished softballs in the next day or so, and more pics from Saturday's event next week.

Have an enjoyable Halloween. Back again around Wednesday.

Making progress!

Very productive couple of days in the studio. Finished all my sculpting in a couple of hours last night. I have to say I REALLY like working with paper clay. So easy to manipulate, dries hard and quickly, and seems very well suited for what I am doing. I was also able to get the remainder of my foam sheet pieces cut out and ready for painting. As I work, I sense a change in the way I approach the balls now. I am less concerned with maintaining the appearance of the balls (ironic that I ever did given my lack of interest in sports) to seeing them primarily for their shape. Now I am using them solely as an armature for each piece. Be interesting to see where this all goes. Hope to have some pics of completed pieces up this weekend. I should have about a half dozen ready for their close-up by then.

Still here and covered in paint

Been a few weeks, so I feel I should make a brief appearance. With the fast (too fast) approaching Gift Gallery coming up, I am now in the thick of getting some things finished up while starting as many more as I have room for in my work space. Weather was nice when I got home from work, so I was able to get most of my sawing and drilling done in the driveway. Very wet and dreary here today, so much of it will be spent in the studio. Got up at the crack of stupid (for a weekend) and had a productive couple of hours already. It feels good!

Had the second of the three introductory writer's group meetings last Wednesday. Made myself step up and have the group critique my first page of "The Gingerbread Lady" novel. Was happily surprised at the comments, and the groups interest in reading more. When you write only for yourself, it is difficult to let others see your stuff. I worried, naturally I think, that I was deluding myself, that I had the chops to be a writer. Feeling a little more encouraged now. Once the bazaar is behind me, I will take a month off from the heavy duty painting and sculpting to focus on writing. Got an idea brewing for November's NaNoWriMo, and one writing buddy (Kathy Steffan, author and my writer's group facilitator). Even keeping an eye on the area writing get together's coming up for the Madison area NaNoers. With the MacBook, I can now writer places other than home, so it might be fun to check out at least one "write-in".

Well, that's where I'm at at present. I will post photos of my finished softballs, as well as my table at November 6's bazaar as soon as I am able.

Till then, enjoy the dwindling days of fall. Let's hope the snow here will hold off until after Thanksgiving at the earliest.

Save the Date

Everyone is invited to attend Advertisers Press’s Fall Gift Bazaar on Saturday, November 6th 9:00 am - 1:00 pm.
Address is 2222 Parview Rd., Middleton, WI. Over 20 artisans and vendors available for you to shop from and to purchase unique gifts for that “someone who has everything” on your Holiday list. Start your shopping early and enjoy a cup of cider or coffee while you shop. Admission is FREE. Hope to see you there!

Checking in

Happy first Sunday of Fall y'all! Things are beginning to look very autumnal in this part of the country, and I'm in the mood for all things fall. 

Was planning to wait until my current WIPs were further along to post again, but I am already feeling like a new entry is overdue. I guess they are still works in progress, even if they aren't where I envisioned they would be. 

With the Fall Gift Gallery event coming up the first weekend in November, I have my work cut out for me. Right now I have 4 repurposed softball pieces going, and a list of others to begin when I have made room on my workspace. Below is a picture of what I am working on. In the front is a black bear (a commission for a friend of a co-worker). Behind that is a bat (with unpainted foam wings) which will be a hanging piece. Then I have the very start of a scarecrow plant stake. Lastly I have a rubber duck ball which will have bubbles, a small bar of soap (which I am still not sure about) and an acrylic "puddle" base.

Funny story about the small pink bar of soap. After forming the bar out of paper clay, I pressed carefully selected macaroni letters spelling out "soap" into the wet clay and set it aside to dry. The next morning when I went downstairs to feed that cat, I found it facedown on the concrete floor covered in dust, cobwebs, and cat hair. Apparently someone thought it made a great toy for batting around during the night. I suppose I should be happy that I found it so easily since it could easily have ended up under the washing machine or some dark corner of the laundry room. When I picked it up to return it to my work table, I discovered that the cat had also eaten all of the letters off. Guess she wasn't aware how tedious a job it was sifting thorough the dry pasta letters to find just the ones I needed. I guess the imprint they left behind is probably better for what I was going for anyway. Thanks Twyla?

I am also working on some more traditional painted pieces when I am not inspired to work on the softballs. Here is an older painting I rescued from my stack of canvases to be painted on or to re-gessoed and repainted. I am reworking what I had originally sketched out, giving it an autumn look by setting the scarecrow in a pumpkin patch, and adding the colored maples in the background. I love crows, so I envision one or two making an appearance here as well. Still not completely happy with it, but as of yet, I can't put my finger on the what or why. I welcome comments or suggestions! Sorry that the accompanying picture is a little blurry. I am just learning to use the digital camera. I was also working against a failing battery, so I kind of rushed it. I promise to make the next shot sharper, so that you can see the details.

I have a few other ideas percolating for a couple of other canvas paintings. As soon as I 

have something on those, I will post pics.

Guess that's all I have for now. Time to head back into the studio. 

Until I post again, take care of yourselves. 

My favorite time of the year!

Well, it is now the end of August and only days away from Fall, my favorite time of the year. I know that fall doesn't officially begin till mid September, but as far as I am concerned, we are close enough. There is so much that I look forward to when the temps begin to drop and the green gives way to browns, reds, yellows and oranges. There is just something about the feel of the autumn months, the brings me to life. I feel much more energized and inspired once we get beyond the heat and humidity of June, July and August. Doesn't hurt that besides raking leaves, the outdoor tasks list begins to dwindle, and I feel like I can once again focus my efforts and energy elsewhere.

Got some fun Halloween themed art project formulating which I will post pics of as they begin to take shape. Now that I have discovered that there is a whole division in the art world dedicated to Halloween art and things of the macabre nature, I look forward to trying my hand at creating some pieces in that vein as well. I only hope that my work comes half as close to the awesome things I have seen on this blog network and elsewhere in my trips around the web.

In addition to the visual arts, I am still working on some writing projects. I am signed up for NaNoWriMo to take place in November, and I have joined a writers group to be held at the library in the coming months. At this point the group is just a short-term thing, but it sounds like the plan is to make it a regular event if the interest is there. I know I would welcome having a group of peers to work with. If things go as planned, (there I go planning again) I hope to be working regularly on my series of "midwestern gothic" novels, and featuring artwork described in the books on this blog. Think it could be a fun challenge to find a way to "marry" both my writing and my art. Will see how it comes together.

Well, that gets us somewhat up to date for now. Following is a picture of the laminated paper project that came out of a workshop I did back in June. Finally got around to the finishing touches. Liked the medium, and once I can get a hold of the gel used, I will try some more. I see a monkey in plaid pants in the future!

Any way, till my next entry, here's to living the creative life!

I'm back

I can't believe that once again, I have let this blog fall by the wayside. I did some redesigning a few weeks ago, and check in regularly to review post from the blogs I follow. Not very good about posting myself however. As I have stated before, it had always been difficult for me to give my creative life the time it deserves when I know that others and other things require my attention. Spring and summer and all the work around the house that those season bring, definitely got in the way. Not that I have kept up that well with the to-do list there.

Anyway, I am once again making an effort to commit at least a few hours a week to the creative pursuits. In addition to getting back into the studio, I have taken up my writing again. I have begun work on some short stories and have already signed up to do this year's National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo). About 5 years ago I did my first NaNo when a friend who is a published author convinced me to give it a try. I successfully completely my 40,000 novel in 30 days both that year and the following year. (Those manuscripts now reside on this computer waiting for revision.) I tried for a third year, but doubt and frustration caused me to give up at about the halfway point. The past 2 years, I have been occupied with the Fall Gallery and Gift Event I started at work. Since I have now left the activities committee, and since no one else seems to want to take up the baton for the event, my Novembers are now free again. Because of that, and because I have been hearing the call to write, I signed up to participate again in a few months. Not really sure what I will be writing just yet, so we will see what develops on it's own.

In addition to the short stories and NaNo, I have been reading more about the art of writing, and have attended a seminar on writing mysteries. I don't believe that mystery is my genre, but I still came away with some good advice and recommendations. As a result of the seminar, I picked up Stephen King's book On Writing. It is a great book - part memoir and part guide to writing. I was encouraged to read that SK was once embarrassed about being a horror writer. He felt it when people questioned why he was wasting his talents on writing scary stuff. Aren't all writers supposed to aspire to writing literature? He eventually came to terms with what he is drawn to write. I can't tell you how encouraging to know that someone as successful as Stephen King once worried about what other people thought about the horror genre. Since I was a teen, I have enjoyed reading horror novels. Because that is what I like to read, it is also what I feel drawn to write. I can now say that I am OK with that. Rather that fight it, or not write at all, I shall write what comes to me and hopefully that will take me where I need to be creatively.

I am beginning to feel very much the same way about my painting, sculpting and assemblage artwork as well. I am drawn to the dark and somewhat gloomy subject matter. (With a bit of whimsey as well. Don't want you to think that I am this brooding and unhappy individual.) I am a story teller, and the stories I like to tell, aren't necessarily pretty or have a happy ending. With that realization, I have done a great deal of web surfing and research and have found this whole breed of artist I never knew existed, and many of them have a presence here on Blogger. I have found that their are painters, and sculptors who specialize in Halloween as their subject matter of choice, and I LOVE their work. I am really looking forward to exploring these same things in my own artwork, and daydream a little about joining their ranks some day.

I think that I just need to focus on combating the doubts that keep me from living the creative life I now know I am meant to live. When I do that, and begin to create the stories and art that I am naturally drawn to, I can find the fulfillment and success that I know is waiting out there for me.

Well, enough rambling for now. I will be posting more again soon. I promise myself that. I hope to include some snippet of my writing when I am more comfortable as a writer. In the mean time, I can include pictures of the things coming out of my studio.

Here's to a productive fall, full of all things dark, and spooky and just a little fun!

Spring has definitely sprung

Right now is as difficult a time of year for me as it is enjoyable. Though the warmer temperatures, as well as the leafing and greening up of the yard, are welcomed after the cold and gray winter days, I find myself torn about where and when to spend my free time. Giving myself permission to work on creative projects when there is yardwork and housework beakoning has been a challenge of mine for some time. Learning to find the right balance is something I am trying to focus on this year - making sure that everything gets my time and attention.

Nothing new to "show" you at this time as most everything is still "in process." I am finding it very liberating to have so many things going at one time (a new concept for me). As I wind up work on things (or at least get closer to finished), I will post more pictures. Though I have seen some great W.I.P. photos on other blogs, I am not sure that the things I have spread thoroughout my small space would be much to look at.

In addition to the painting and sculpting I am thinking it is time to pick up a sketch pad and colored pencils again. I got a great spiral bound pad from Mary for Valentine's Day, but I am reluctant to sully the pages yet. That has always been my "beef" with drawing. As much as I think doing more regular drawing would help get the ideas flowing, I am daunted by what to put down on paper when I do make the time. My guess is that anything is better than nothing, but I too often give up or tear out what little I do manage and then put the whole "shebang" away. Any suggestions?

Can't tell you how inpiring the world of blogging is proving to be for me. I have come across many incredible artisans in this part of the online world, and look forward to each and every new entry that gets posted. I can only hope that some day I too can inspire someone to create things in the same way.

Hope to post again in a few weeks. By then I will have photos of what I have been up to. Until then, enjoy the spring wherever you are. I know I am!

Chris

Can it be March already?

When I started this blog, it intended to make weekly posts detailing my process and progress. Due to a handful of tech issues that took us off-line, and my resulting resistance to dive back into the cyber world again, here I am nearly two month late on my posts. Anyway, as promised last post, here are some pictures of my work space. It isn't my dream studio, but it will do for now. Feels great to have everything out and organized. I can step in and work for 5 minutes, or all afternoon if I wish.

Here is another shot from a different angle.

I've decide for one of my first projects to initiate the space, I will paint this stool. It is a garage sale find that came with the desk our daughter uses in her room. It is just the right height for my desk. Since the pink and white just aren't working for me, I am giving it a makeover that better reflects my taste.

I have the basecoats completed, and am working on the finishing. I will post some shots of it when I have it done along with some pics of the other things I am working on at this time.

Thanks to Kendall for taking the time to get these pictures taken and on the computer! I promise to learn to do this on my own soon.

Until next time (probably sometime next month)

Take care all!

Forward movement...finally!

Spent a couple of hours last night carving out space at one end of the laundry room for my studio. Not an easy task as it required moving nearly everything out, sweeping out the cobwebs, sawdust, cat hair and such, then rearranging storage bins and shelving to create my "creative man-cave."

Am happy to report that I now have a permanent place for my easel and newly acquired desk, with plenty of floor space for larger sculptural pieces. Still another good evening or two's worth of sorting, pitching and organizing, but an end is in sight. Once everything has been gone through and I have made room for the things that were displaced, I can get the lighting hung, the peg board mounted and my tools and supplies put out. How nice it will be to have everything all in one place and ready whenever I am. If all goes well, I may begin actual artwork by the weekend. I think I feel like a serious artist for maybe the first time in my life.

By next week's post I should have a few pics of the studio such as it is.

Till then!

Slow start to 2010

I am not sure I much care for the month of January. I always have such high hopes and even bigger plans for the beginning of a new year. If only real life played out like I have it mapped out in my head. I was alright with taking time away from my creative pursuits during the holidays, but had planned to hit it hard and heavy once January 1st arrived. Here we are on the 11th day of the month, and all I have done is read about other people's processes and progress. (I'm filling my data bank?) This is why I struggle to call myself an artist at times.

I know that I just need to be kinder to myself and remember that when I am inspired, I will move out of this period of "unproductivity." (Is that even a word?)

I know that part of my hesitation in getting to work on some of the things that I either have started or am working out in my head is that I haven't really claimed a workspace for myself here at home. Though the workbench in the garage was great during the summer and autumn months, it is far too chilly (and often too wet with melting snow and ice from the car) to spend more than a few minutes out there. Maybe setting up a permanent indoor studio space should be my focus for now. Once that has been accomplished, it is hard to believe that the inspiration and motivation won't follow.

In addition to artwork, I had planned to begin rewriting one of my NaNoWriMo novels this year. Since the virus took out our PC in December though, I can't spend more than a few minutes on the computer. It's working again, but I don't trust it any longer. I hate to let something as stupid as a virus stress me out, but I keep waiting for it to get infected again. I no longer care to even turn it on anymore. Having it functioning for Mary to work from home seems more important right now anyway.

When I think about it, I really just need to bite the bullet and shell out the $1,000 or so for a Macbook and then I won't have computer issues as an excuse any longer. In addition to writing I can spend some time getting this blog that way I want it as well. I would like to post more pictures of my work to date as well as images of current works in progress.

Then again, maybe I should just crawl into bed and not wake again until April or May.

A glimpse at what I have been up to

Here's the fellow who started me on my current path. A repurposed bowling ball. Painted with acrylics, and embellished. Smaller versions made from old softballs followed, as well as a menagerie of other critters large and small.