Wednesday, October 21, 2009

working --too late

Seems like I always think I have more time than I do. then all of the sudden reality hits when I look at the calendar and realize I have only two weeks to get what I should have worked on for months. That is where I am today.
I am taking a break from sculpting faces using DAS clay. I really like what I am creating little gourds with gnome-like, or are they country Santa, faces. The small ones, which are actually artificial gourds, will be just faces and become ornaments. A little larger, are real dried gourds. I have given them a base of huge feet, crafted from the DAS as well as the faces. I most likely will add clay arms and hands as well.
While the clay dries, I will use Bendi dolls and create holiday fairies. While the dolls paint dries I will create beautiful bows from glittering Holiday ribbon.
All this will be done after work and perhaps also before work. And--YIKES!--it needs to be finished tagged and ready to drop off to the Rome Art and Community Center for the annual Holiday House sale by Nov. 1.
I will post photos of my creations here after all is done.But for now the clay is calling me. There are gourds that need faces!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

autumn colors

This time of year in central New York state nature exclaims it's beauty in vibrant and rich colors. Before moving here I never knew that the leaves on trees could turn so many colors. Where I grew up fall leaves would turn basically two, three colors at the most: yellow and brown and a little orange here and there. Still I thought of it as very pretty. I honestly thought that all the colors I saw in fall decorations were probably done with artistic license and the leaves really did not turn those colors.
As I lived in new locations I saw more colors in autumn but nothing as beautiful as the colors here. They are breath-taking. I do believe that the hillsides full of a variety of trees, each with leaves of it's own hue, must be the inspiration for the calico prints. This time of year each bend of the road gives view to a new and wonderful patchwork of vibrant and earthy tones,
I have joined a postcard exchange in one of my favorite online groups. We are each to make one postcard for all the other members of the group that signed up for the exchange. The theme is autumn colors. I have worked on mine a few hours here and there for the past week or so. tonight I have them almost finished. I still need to tweak them a little but for the most part they are done.
I had them drying on the table a few minutes ago. How surprised I was when I realized that I have not used the vibrant hues that I see here every day. Instead, the colors on my card are of the autumns I knew as a child. I find that so odd. I have lived in central New York longer than I have lived anywhere in my life, yet it is through what I knew in my growing years that has come through my creations.

An afterthought--It is now the next morning. After writing this post, I wondered if I should go back and add some vibrant colors. This morning I studied the cards. Although they are darker, hues, I like them. I will not change the colors. They are colors I know and love.