The cutest frogs live in Texas. Seriously. I know Texas has HUGE toads and such but the regular little o’l frogs that hang out on the porch at the ranch early in the morning and on the country club sidewalk at night are simply better looking than frogs I have seen in other parts of the world. The Texas frogs are even cuter than the teeny tiny Coqui frogs that sing like birds in Puerto Rico. Perfectly proportioned with round little bellies and BIG eyes, they are beautiful…well…good looking anyway. 

Anyone who has visited my little cabin at the end of a road near the top of a mountain in Montana knows that I have a thing for frogs (and birds, and bunnies). I collect the little critters. They have also hopped into my paintings and even my favorite bronze piece (cast from a wood carving) features a frog. The frogs in Texas would make perfect models for future art projects.    You’ll see…

I believe his name says it all. “Hamlet” has a Shakespearian quality that is rough and ragged yet poetic and polished. I’m tempted to adopt him myself but would be happy if he found a loving home since the total purchase price of the "Pick of the Week” always goes toward charity. Visit the charity section of my blog if you’re curious.  Hamlet is half price this week. Enjoy

Back in the studio making a mess with power tools and chisels has me feeling more like myself than I have felt in a good long while. I can hardly stand to take a day off since “work” entices. My paws are sore (out of shape) but it is SUCH a good feeling!!!

I guess the sawdust will get to settle a bit since early in the morning I have a plane to catch. Texas is my destination.  My "studio" for the next few days will be in the warehouse next to the chicken yard at Chaco Ranch.  I have a commission to complete. 

My family had a poodle named “Fifi” when I was a tot. I don’t remember her being as glamorous as this little lady. 

Last week was my first official "Pick of the Week."  "Sage" sold in about 20 minutes when I announced the original artwork on Facebook.  A few days later, some disturbing news arrived about my friend Walkin’ Jim Stoltz. How is it that one of the healthiest, kindest, most gentle of souls could be struggling with a nasty medical challenge? He has a place on his site for donations to help with the medical expenses and there it went - the moola from the first “Pick of the Week.”  "Fifi" is half price.  Her sale will support one charitable cause or another.  Check out Jim's site if you've a moment and a hankering to meet one of the extra special people who grace this planet (Jim is quite extrodinary)

Alas, the bunny surplus has led to tragedy. Maya (my cat) is an excellent mouser. She is a super handy housekeeper for cabin-love’n mice but unfortunately her skills don’t stop there. Lately she has been grounded for the most part which means that she is IN MY FACE a good deal at night. Her protest tactics are highly developed and range from subtle (sitting within whisker tickling range of my nose while staring at me) to less than subtle (jumping on me in the middle of the night, howling, scowling, mewing and flinging herself about). Ugh.   Sadly, Miss Maya has successfully snuck out (I forgot to lock the screen door) or slunk out (I left the bathroom window open a crack while showering) or ran out (she ambushes me and scoots past while entering and exiting my house) which means that more than one bunny has gone to bunny heaven prematurely. Serious bummer…BIG bummer. Actually it is nightmarish to find a baby bunny ear on the bathroom floor. She brings the unfortunate furry little sweet rabbits inside my cabin to play with.   Thus - bunny saving missions punctuate my life when sly Maya slinks past the fact that she is grounded. More than one bunny has ended up tucked into my underwear drawer and even cuddled, protected, and slept with (I just love a bunny under the covers). Alas, only one has successfully been nursed, made it through rehab and been returned to the great outdoors. The cute tiny little bugger grew an inch during the few days of loving captivity. 

Inspired by the movie "Eat, Pray, Love" Julian Martin, a deep-souled, sparkly-eyed prolific artist from Nashville, TN decided to "hit the road."  She contacted her galleries (Nashville, Santa Fe, etc.) to announce a sudden sale -40% off - all her artworks, raised $10,000 in two weeks, had a buddy build a custom painting rack in the back of her Jeep Liberty, packed a tent and art supplies and TOOK OFF!

After a month of adventures, her GPS and gumption brought her here last night to my little cabin at the end of the road near the top of a mountain in Montana.  We drank wine while sitting next to a campfire on my deck under the stars and swapped stories.  We had never met before but my dear friend Wynn introduced me to images of Julia's delicate, bold and beautiful paintings more than a year ago.

I'm tickled and honored to have her up here on the mountain.  She slept "like a baby" in Granny's cabin last night.  While drinking my tea outside this morning, Julia and "Miss Liberty" showed up.  She stomped across my deck wearing short shorts, a flowing white blouse, red cowboy boots, and a grin.

We're both off to make art...

"Communion" (the painting above) can be seen along with other paintings on her website http://julia-martin.com

I have been enamored with colts who spring about this time of year under the watchful eyes of their mothers’. “Sage” seems like a mother to me…a calm, quiet, dark-eyed beauty. She is the second “Pick of the Week”…a new fun thingee on my website where I offer original art for half price with the money going to charity. “Sage” is viewable on the website until she sells…

Have I mentioned the powerful, creative, fun, funny, women with whom I currently share a large studio space? After a few decades of blissful hermitude + sweet solitary studio space - life has plopped me right down into the middle of a spacious building in Bozeman with two inspiring chicks. 

Kirsten Kainz is a talented welder who turns her passion for critters and eclectic found metal objects into wonderful, whimsical, grand sculptures. Her humor, keen eye, and boldness shine through the animal sculptures she creates with wit, grit and a grin. I have a huge crush on “Lewis“… the big three-wheeled rabbit who has hung out at the studio since spring while an awesome toad, a well-hung bull, a rooster, a wolf, a snail and lotsa crazy bugs have taken form under the creative talent of a gal who uses a Harley jacket as part of her welding “get up.” A solo show of her sculptures opens tomorrow night at Visions West Gallery in Bozeman.  Stacey Herries, my other studio-mate will be featured in "Studio Chicks - part two"   Meanwhile, check out this rabbit…!    

Listening to the roosters’ crow, the hens cackle and the ducks quack - all that "carrying on" is my favorite part of working at the “studio” on the Texas ranch (well…that AND the air conditioning!)

Ok. Yes. See? Your suggestions and requests are appreciated and even acted upon. Despite my own reluctance to print a poster or create a DVD…well…I did…! The poster features three detailed carving pictures to inspire you in the workshop. The DVD has video clips from multiple TV features…fun stuff…a peek into life inside and outside my studio and even one pretty funny stint on a game show. Game show?!

Yup   Years ago a producer read an article about the huge chocolate carvings I created for Nestle in a glossy women’s magazine. He insisted on flying me to LA, picking me up in a limousine, putting me up in a posh hotel, and taping this show. Personally I was uncomfortable with the amount of lipstick their make-up person put on me but the whole experience was a fun quirky adventure (maybe I even won...but I won’t tell).

 

Phew!  After months (and months) of delay, Paul and I wrestled with the mesquite logs last week.  He worked out a few kinks in the custom wench/hoist we built at the studio so that I can lift each thousand-pound half-log.  I admit they still make me nervous when trying to jostle the heavy buggers around.  My work consisted mostly of looking.  Yes.  Just looking.  Thinking.  Feeling. 

I drew lines.  Paul made cuts with a rented beam saw.

The logs are beautiful;  they command the space with their presence.  I have more looking, sketching, and feeling to do.  BUT soon plenty of mesquite sawdust will be flying… 

Three weeks were scheduled to complete the large chocolate creation for Nestle.  Paul and the kids were going to fly to Wisconsin at the tail end of the project so that we could indulge in the festival then scoot to a cabin on a lake with friends for Memorial weekend.  Alas, life reared up and interfered with those plans when my father was diagnosed with fourth stage pancreatic cancer.  Thank goodness Paul agreed to assist me so that together (without much sleep) we accomplished the project in seven days.  PHEW! 

We used over 5000 miniature CRUNCH bars in the creation.  Unfortunately the bars were individually wrapped since they were out-of-date product.  I could venture to guess how many Nestle-work-force-people-hours were used to unwrap miniature CRUNCH bars but suffice to say simply ...ZILLIONS!

Should have taken some pictures (or video) yesterday while toting a trailer full of large sculptures wrapped in a tarp looking like an 800 pound burrito to the Holter Museum in Helena. Mom rode along with Zaydee and I across the rolling green wheat fields past muddled looking Canyon Ferry Lake (engorged with rainwater and spring runoff). We munched on fresh croissant sandwiches from Wheat Montana bakery and enjoyed the sunshine while we kept a close watch on a classic Montana blue sky. Small dark bruised clouds hung on the distant horizon – a clue of the fitful late afternoon thunderstorms which would accompany us home. 

What a treat the show “Out of the Box” is going to be!!! More than 30 internationally known wood artists’ and artisans’ meticulously crafted sculptures and furniture will be showcased in a show where everyone is pushing the boundaries of vision and craftsmanship in wood. STUNNING!!   A fat friendly cat sat on a barstool and greeted us just inside the door of the Winston Bar. We met Cliff (who had spent the day fishing the lake) for a little snack. Cliff’s policy is “catch and filet.”  He threw two bags of fish in with the packing blankets and the folded up tarp in the back of my truck before we left Winston in a rainstorm to return home. Fresh grilled rainbow trout was a treat to top off a fine day of “work.”  I love my job :)

After pulling an all nighter in the BIG tent at the festival grounds, Paul and I finished 1.5 hours before the unveiling - just enough time to grab a shower before meeting the press. We “wowed ‘em.”  Felt good! Blurry-eyed, plumb tuckered, and in desperate need of a nature fix, we left the festival grounds for a short walk to the lake. Passing a nail salon on the way; we stumbled into the air conditioned space. Paul passed out in a chair while a cute little oriental girl worked at getting the chocolate, paint, and silicone from my battered hands. We wandered along the lake in a daze, plopped our weary bodies onto the grass, and looked up at blue sky through shimmering green leaves of a giant tree. White blooms danced and Eddie Brickel sang from the speakers which surrounded the lake in the town park. I admired my silver sparkle fingernails, felt deeply thankful for Paul’s help and support, and thought about the tears which glistened in the plant manager’s eyes at the unveiling as he thanked me for our passionate effort during a difficult time. I felt blessed. Relieved. Thankful. Paul and I returned to our hotel, pulled the shades, turned the air conditioning onto full blast and fell asleep at 6:30. Unaccustomed to sleeping more than a few hours at a time during the last few weeks; I woke three hours later and decided to attend the Chocolate and Wine Indulgence event at the festival. A full moon nudged its way through heavy low clouds determined to outshine the bright garish carnival lights of the festival. My father and mother fill my thoughts. Dad's nauseous body has rejected any attempts at eating for the last four days. Mom sounds a bit lost. I want to go home. 

(photos and video will be posted soon...)

Emerged in Willy Wonka Land...my eyelids and heart are heavy. We are racing the clock to the big unveiling on Friday. Punched with gaping grief, my chest hurts when I step back from the crazy world of chocolate, candy, and creation. Worry is wrapped around a difficult unexpected chapter in my parent’s life. Dad is hanging in there. He gets around with his walker - sleeps more and eats less each day.    Most hours in my Nestle-world are filled with scheming and problem-solving - fueled with nibbles of chocolate, sips of water, and deep breaths. My hands are tired and sore. Phone calls with family and Hospice nurses punctuate long hours of vivid thoughts, creative ideas, and lots of crazy yummy chocolate creating.     Wildberry nerds look like turquoise...a lovely accent for the Wizard of Oz-themed chocolate sculpture.

Phew! First day at Nestle working on the ChocolateFest creation = fourteen hours of head-scratching, sculpture building, chocolate eating, people meeting, and red hairnet wearing - along with a few good laughs. Thank goodness I’ve a GREAT partner to help me with this GIGANTIC chocolate sculpture!

Photo taken of Paul and I with the cell phone while watching the safety video in the security office before entering the chocolate factory.

The Stafford Animal Shelter in Livingston is special.  The facilities are top notch.  The love and care of the community and staff is above and beyond the norm.  Every year they host the Fur Ball as a fundraiser at  Chico Hot Springs (Friday, May 21st).  “No boring sit down dinner, no long speeches! Exclusive  raffle tickets can be purchased before or at the event: only 100 $50 tickets will be sold and the winner chooses any auction item.” I will be in “Chocolate City USA”  that week working magic with chocolate but I always donate art.  Kris King selected two of my personal favorites for the auction. 

“Austin” (the dog) and Dr Pepper (the cat) will be framed and “show-ready” for the event. “At the Stafford Animal Shelter we house the homeless, feed the hungry, and on the side we run a matchmaking service.”

This cute little big-footed bugger was just selected by a Charter Patron who renewed her patron membership by selecting a new art piece for her collection.  She’ll be entered into a special drawing for Patrons later this month and will always get the “inside scoop” about new art and projects before the rest of the world (that’s the Patron…not the chick).

Little one-year-old Faolan was born with an extra thumb.  A fun-filled fundraiser will be held this Friday at the Eagles in Bozeman (8 pm).  A friend of the family selected these two art works for the auction.

“Fawn”

“Bird in a Bush”

Late last Fall, we kept vigil at Evelyn’s bedside.  I don’t remember stars that long dark night when Evelyn breathed her last.  I stroked her grey hair and held her hand while hovered over the hospital bed in her living room at the little house next to the Yellowstone river.  A few days earlier, she asked me to draw  a blue bird for her gravestone.  Evelyn loved birds. All birds.  The only thing in this world she loved more than birds was her family, her children, grandchildren and friends.  She was a sweet little dear who adopted me into her wide-armed fold.  A week or two later I was wheeled into surgery followed by a winter of healing.  I had not gotten into the space/place to draw the bird until a few weeks ago when the sun shown and the birds chirped spring greetings.  I brewed a cup of tea, lit a candle, and sat at a table in front of a window which overlooks the valley where Evelyn was born, raised a family, and where she is now buried.  The afternoon passed quickly while I drew in honor of a precious being who touched my life.  Evelyn was a gentle soul.  The bird will be colored and the stone placed by Memorial Day.

“The logs lie and wait.  My fingers itch and my mind tumbles over the possibilities.  Last week I visited the Devil Woman Saloon in Texas to get a feel for the place where the mesquite sculptures will reside once I’ve carved and completed them.  I’m excited, inspired and challenged. 

I’m also swamped. 

Never has such a long stretch kept me from creating in woodchips and sawdust.  The demons have engaged in battle, pushed me into the trenches and gained ground.  I’m struggling.  Post surgery hormone craziness has fried my nerves, unsettled my stomach, messed with my mind and clenched my heart within an iron fist of anxiety.  The Blue Funk unpacked its bags, crowded the shelves, claimed the drawers, rolled up the rugs, and pulled the shades.  I hunker in a dark corner of my mind under the unrelenting glare of the Blue Funk’s unblinking stare.   Unclothed.  Shivering.  Vulnerable.  Scared and sad.”  

I actually wrote those words in February.   

I am happy to report that the Blue Funk is no longer a resident.  Unexpectedly the Blue Funk still plops down as an unwelcome guest now and then.  I feel the funk mostly in my chest - as if I swallowed a shoe.  The bugger makes me tired.  But between the naps and the long dream-filled nights, I am getting the studio ready.  Those logs sure smell good…I hear them calling… Here’s a little peak at the Mesquite:  Devil Woman Logs Video I’ll keep ya posted!  Stay tuned. 

Aspen,with her sunny disposition and golden locks, was an instant friend to anyone working at or visiting Mountain Sky Guest Ranch.  A Golden Retriever, she  greeted everyone with her tail wagging enthusiastically.  This little artwork hung at Elle’s Belle’s until today, when it shipped to a Patron Place member in Alaska.  “Aspen” has found a good home.

My dentist is not only exceptional…she is my cousin AND the latest winner of a drawing for Charter Patron Place Members!!  She’s still trying to pick out her Work on Paper, a gift from me.  Here are two lovely horse pieces she purchased recently:

Vibrant and fun, my Works on Paper series are playful pieces created in the studio as a break from the intensity of labor-intensive large scale sculptures.  The artworks are small (about 5x6 inches) and especially affordable because it makes me happy to make it easier for ANYONE to own art.  Technology has even made it possible for people interested in my work to purchase art and be a patron for $5.95 a month. 

Artist’s need Patrons.  Michelangelo needed the Medici’s. 

Thus…I launched the Patron Program exactly one year ago as a twist on the traditional relationship between artist and patron.  The idea is to gather LOTS of patrons who can invest a small amount toward my creative endeavors.  I offer affordable art and share an intimate peek into my bumbling honest authentic creative  journey.  Fostering a relationship between me and you; artist and patron – the community on my website is called the Patron Place.  Benefits include free art, special invitations, gifts, stories, audible downloads, webinars, and “insider” stuff - like the first chance to see new work.  People can even become a Patron Member for the cost of one fancy coffee drink a month via the automatic payment plan.

Rosina signed up as a Patron Member a year ago.  She was the first patron to renew her membership this month.  “Coyote” was  shipped to Rosina in Philadelphia this week…warm fuzzies and fun for both of us.  Interested?  Visit the Patron Place.  Join me and others on the creative adventure!

“Storm Bird”

“Honest Abe”

While I am happy to be able to donate artwork for important fundraisers - I never actually select the art myself.  Thankfully, Eli’s good friend Bev selected two pieces for the upcoming benefit for the Isaly family.  Eli Isaly sustained serious injuries in a car accident December 28th.  He is a young exceptional being from the kind of family that makes our little community shine.  Laura Bray of The Frame Garden donated time and materials to frame the artworks for the auction event taking place February 21st (1:00- 4:00) at the Elks Lodge in Livingston.  I just love how much my little town bands together at times like this!!

“Basha”

Just put 10 new Works on Paper on the site…check ‘em out!

A few summers ago I had the privilege to accompany 10  young students from our little town of Livingston to our “sister city” of  Naganohara, Japan.  The cultural exchange between the two beautiful towns is the kind of stuff I believe strongly in.  Travel stretches the minds, hearts, souls, and perception of our young people by exploring and sharing openly with another culture.  Neither Naganohara or Livingston are actually “cities.”  Rather they are both small towns in valleys along rivers with natural hot springs near by.  At least those are a few of the reasons why we were “paired.”  I’ve zillions of stories from a grand trip.  The Sister City Program is having an auction soon so of course I donated art.    Does your “city” have a sister city?  “Ray of Light” donated to the Sister City Auction

The logs for the Devil Woman Saloon commission arrived on Friday.  The weather was fine for unloading…a good thing since it took a few hours, three men and a Terex to wrestle the 1000 pound logs into my temporary studio space.  Sure is some pretty (and pretty heavy) wood!  Phew!

Ok.  This is fun.  I have a jar with slips of paper holding the names of each Patron Place member (someday I hope it is a very very BIG jar!)  I sit on the floor, empty the slips of paper into a big crystal singing bowl, play a chime on the bowl while I close my eyes and think about all of you who have collected my work and become my patrons…

And then I pull out a name.

Right there in my hand is the name of a person who supports my art, my lifestyle, me.  I am full of gratitude.  Here’s the fun part:  Now I get to give back.  A present.  Their choice of an original work on paper.  Wahoo!

My little brother was the lucky winner this time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Mattie”

Howard chose this little gal.  “Mattie” will be shipping off to Minnesota.

Thank-you Patrons and thank-you little bro!  Your support means much to me! 

“Spring”

edition of 36

The latest casting of my woodcarving “Spring” found a home just before Christmas.  Can I admit the sculpture is my personal favorite from the carved wood vessel series?  The bronze was only in my home for a few weeks and I miss the bugger. 

Named after an All Star wrestler, “Mr Fuji” took his attitude and left the roost to join the flock in the home of a Wyoming collector.  Personally I like this fella’s attitude, the challenging glint in his eye, and the energy in his wavy “do.”

I haven’t been too specific about the recent surgery and realize many of you are both concerned and curious. Actually it wasn’t fair for me to mention a “football-sized” tumor in my last blog post without being more specific so here’s the deal: My girlie parts were involved along with a few medical terms which are difficult to simply blurt out. We should re-think many of the words science uses to describe procedures don’t you think? Seriously…hysterectomy is just an icky word. Any word ending with “ectomy” never sounds good and the whole “hysteria” part is plain unfair. Then there is “morcellation” and “tumor.” The word tumor is not actually offensive in itself but it does plant fearful creepy thoughts (no pun intended) and morcelation means just what it sounds like – to cut into small pieces (think “morsels”). Double ick. The tumor was benign; common actually… just a big o’l fibroid. Except the fibroid kept growing inside my uterus for seven years while I tried to eliminate the bugger with a combination of alternative medicine, an “anti-inflammatory-tumor-reducing” diet, and pure stubbornness. I have always been very attached to my womb and believed I would have children; held onto luck and my uterus despite the pain. I lugged “Fibee” to plenty of mountain tops.  I climbed rock and ice, biked mountain trails and rafted rivers.  I made art.  Initially and for many years the tumor was grapefruit size – my uterus the size of a 3-month pregnancy - hardly enough to slow me down but definitely noticeable in spandex biking shorts. Notch by notch my belt-size increased. Sometimes the tumor did shrink – spiking my faith and deepening my determination to rid myself of the pesky painful bugger holistically.  During the past few years when the tumor grew to the size of a football and my uterus equivalent to a five month pregnancy I increased my efforts. However, the depth and frequency of the pain increased exponentially. Since early spring the pain became constant with varying intensity. Often it struck in cramp waves which could knock the wind out of me while I stopped in my tracks or doubled over. According to girlfriends who have given birth, the pain I described sounded just like labor pains and they were wearing me out.  The hard mass affected my balance and decreased my flexibility. I sought several opinions and researched thoroughly. Once I acknowledged and accepted my inability to conceive or carry a baby everything else fell into place. I love my surgeon. Dr. Haugen is a small spry spunky gal who looks like she just graduated from high school but talks with passion, experience and intelligence. Her hands expressed their own intelligence when she talked…something I have seen captured in photos and film footage of my own hands (am honestly always rather struck with astonishment when I view my hands on film). I  trusted Dr. Haugen and set a date for surgery.  The surgery involved removing my uterus along with the tumor and cervix. My ovaries were healthy and left intact thus we avoided an unnatural instant early menopause. The image of Susan Taylor Glasgow’s sewn glass sculpture titled “It’s Always with Me” just happened to cross my path via cyberspace the day after I set a surgery date. I can’t begin to describe how much the image of this piece touched my soul.  The sculpture is a perfect visual rendition of how I felt.  Delicate, tippy, weepy, broken, flawed, and attached.  My soul and heart were drawn to the sewn together parts and the oozing femininity.  The sculpture speaks to me on so many levels…deep and personal.  I have even equated pink roses with both my mother and grandmother; they have occurred in my sculptural works (i.e. “Grandma Smells Like Roses”).  The china, the glass, the visceral rope-y parts, the slump, the spill…even the teapot is womb-like…a connection to my health and psyche. Through a cyber-connection, the visual poetry of this sculpture perfectly placed archival pieces and parts in front of me which entered my soul, touched my inner girlie parts, and struck a chord beyond the artist, me, my mother, and my grandmother.  The journey goes on. I continue to be inspired and plan to explore with art my emotions and revelations. I lost some important girlie parts.  A seriously large hard fibrous blockage has been cleared from the center of my body.  A new chapter has opened, and even this quiet healing time feels ripe with potential.

The puffed up little bugger found a home in a sweet little cabin near a creak below Emigrant Peak in Paradise Valley.

    Found a new home before the snow storm.  Lucky little chirper!  

“Drambuie” is going to live with “Jack Daniel”…but I believe she will rule the roost!

 

"Juliet" found a great home with a good friend (and cat lover)

I can’t begin to describe how much the image of this piece touched my soul this morning. The sculpture is a perfect visual rendition of how I feel. Delicate, tippy, weepy, broken, flawed, and attached . My soul and heart are touched by the sewn together parts and the oozing femininity. Wish I owned the piece and nearly feel like I could have created it. Honestly…I haven’t a clue about creating in glass and don’t mean to sound disrespectful of you or your work. I guess what I mean to say is that the sculpture speaks to me on so many levels…deep and personal. I have even equated pink roses with both my mother and grandmother (they have occurred in my sculptural works…i.e. “Grandma Smells Like Roses”). The china, the glass, the visceral rope-y parts, the slump, the spill…a connection to current events in my health and psyche.

The timing is poignant. Yesterday I scheduled a hysterectomy after a life-long struggle with endometriosis and more recently a VERY large fibroid tumor. I always thought I would have children….have held onto hope and my uterus. Realizing just how detached from the pain I became over the years, I feel almost like I’ve had the wind knocked out of me as I acknowledge the depth and frequency. Maybe I need to fully feel the pain to justify my decision. I’m startled and a bit scared by how much I denied for sooooo long. Unfortunately the earliest possible surgery date is more than a month away. Emotional rollercoaster. The morning brought several rounds of tears and weeping…then the image of your lovely sculpture. Even the teapot is womb-like…

I have never written an e-mail like this Susan. I don’t expect a response. Just know that through a cyber-connection your visual poetry has perfectly placed archival pieces and parts in front of me today which entered my soul, touched my inner girlie parts, and struck a chord beyond you, me, my mother, and my grandmother.

I look forward to following your work.

Deeply touched by the image of another artist’s work this morning…the timing could not have been keener with events, thoughts, and emotions in my life today. Even some of the imagery she used resonated with imagery from my own work.     A piece from my past:   The fountain “Grandma Smells Like Roses" was one of five sculptures in my first public gallery show after graduating from college. I put rosewater in the fountain; the whole gallery smelled like roses. The blue birds are glass knick knacks like the ones which caught the sunlight on the windowsill above the sink in grandma's kitchen. My mom had rose wallpaper in her bathroom, roses on her fine china, and the most elegant gown she ever wore was floor-length, white, and embellished with two beautiful red roses which climbed from the hem to her torso in embroidered silk. I created the sculpture well over a decade ago.  The fountain traveled to Nebraska for my grandmother's funeral a few years ago.  Small roses adorned the metalwork on her casket. The rhythmic soft splash of water pouring from the “Grandma Smells Like Roses” fountain added subtle life and melody to the standard mortuary silence. The glass sculpture I saw today ties in with imagery and feelings woven intricately between past memories and current events. If I were ever to get a tattoo it would be a delicate rose as an expression of the ultra feminine lineage I share with my mother and her mother.   View "Grandma Smells Like Roses" on my site  

 

My current favorite ink color is this deep rich purple tone…somehow it looks both antique and contemporary. “Evening Bird” is entirely of the purple ink and…WOW…a big robin just hit the window and is recuperating on the windowsill. His (her?) beak is wide open…panting? The stunned little bugger can’t see me so I can get my nose right up there next to him. I had no idea that robin’s have…whiskers? Maybe they are super long eyelashes but they look like black whiskers. Poor fella.

Anyway. I was going to tell you about “Evening Bird” shipping off to a new home this week but the robin is still hanging out and worth looking at…

Later…

 

My big o’l 2000 pound logs are sitting on a truck in Texas. While my chisels lie sharpened and waiting for the lovely mesquite in their near future, I myself haven’t let any dust settle. Thanks to Paul’s foresight and ambition, two large trailer loads of free logs have arrived on my mountain and will someday be part of The Studio. We unloaded and selectively piled ‘em up near the tractor-powered sawmill while he explained which ones are going to be beams and which ones trusses. Feels good to gather materials and begin to manifest a studio…it’s been MUCH too long!! Hard to believe I’ve been studio-less for a number of years. Luckily, site-specific commissions kept my business as an artist rolling (a bit bumpily) along. The small works on paper don’t require much space to produce (thankfully Cliff patiently lent me the use of his dining room) but it is really…really…REALLY time for this gal to have a “room of her own” again. I even had my own studio space in high school while a student…complete with a key to access it on weekends (yes…I was obsessed with creating back then too!) I never imagined myself without a studio…so a few years ago when I found myself suddenly studio-less I panicked. My identity and my livelihood had sprung from within studio walls for much of my life. Just who was I without a studio? Like a traveler who’s suddenly lost their luggage and their bearings, I took a deep breath and embraced the question, the unknown, and the adventure. Freedom comes from letting go…new possibilities arise…demons lurk…emotions swell and swirl…exploration intensifies.

Life gave me an unexpected sabbatical…time to adventure both within and without. I had just discovered climbing and found strong similarities between the world of rock, ice, mountains and studio life. The urge to create pushed me past excuses into uncomfortable places. Growth.

Alas, growth is rarely pain-free. I just re-read the words above and feel compelled to confess; I cried. I wailed. I sobbed. I whimpered…more than once. I cursed the Universe. I curled up in a ball. I gnashed my teeth (at night…in my sleep). Do you know what it is like to have a head full of ideas like monkeys all screeching for attention? Did you see the words “demons lurk” snuck in-between the positive rambling toward the end of the paragraph above? Stripped of a studio, I was (and am) at times totally discombobulated. Lost. I am not all grace and graciousness. Yes…I explore. I seek adventure. But I can be a klutz and I certainly am not without fear. I did take a deep breath each time. I plucked myself from despair.  I donned a pair of tinted sunglasses to hide my puffy eyes and to cast a rose-colored glow on a seemingly hostile studio-less world so that could gather my gumption and move on. Am I better for it? Sure. (?)

BUT I am more-than-ready to return to studio life. I have yet to commit to a temporary space for the mesquite sculpture project…a short stop on the journey home. My guess is that another temp studio or two are in my future before I get to move into a “room of my own.” I will be lugging new suitcases filled past capacity with riches gathered during an unplanned journey. Maybe I increased the girth of a few muscles. I definitely have a few more scratches and scars…a deeper appreciation…a zillion ideas…a deepened thirst…and some new skills.

 

A rather distiguished looking fella...he is shipping off to a collector in Colorado today and will be missed.

Sweet sunny afternoon visit from my favorite doctor who became an instant friend the first time I met her in the exam room while wearing a paper sheet. She ended up purchasing this cute little chick for her home. Her daughter bounced like a frog on my bed and found forest treasures as we went for a little hike. The sky unleashed an impressive afternoon thunderstorm just after they left. The sound of rain on my roof has me thinking about taking a little nap…because aren’t naps in cabins on mountain tops during rainstorms just the best?!

This bright cheery bugger shipped to a new patron in Minnesota this week...  

 

Ah…a good night’s sleep is a treasure and a treat! Scrumptious. After a round of sleepless nights, when slumber visits and deep sleep embraces me, it is as if a pair of dingy scratched lenses have been taken off….the world is softer, my mood lighter, and possibilities more infinite. Insomnia has tested and tormented me since childhood. Many sleepless nights were spent reading…unless I was caught. The bedside lamp was too easy for my parents to detect but my closet was large with a light so I could crawl in there and read. Alas, my “hideout” was discovered when my mom was putting away clean clothes. The nest of pillows and books gave me away, the light bulb was removed. I borrowed the flashlight which stuck to the refrigerator with a magnet and crawled night after night under the bedcovers with a book, careful to return the flashlight each night. The loud “click” of magnet sucked to metal resounded loud in the darkened house and caused my heart to skip a beat. I don’t remember how they figured out I was using that flashlight…maybe they noticed the lighted tent that was my bed, maybe I failed to replace the flashlight in exactly the same spot on the fridge (although I remember being quite careful to do so) but eventually the flashlight was moved out of reach. My father had a flashlight in the trunk of his car, so I “borrowed” that one. I couldn’t imagine why he would have one there..? My eight-year-old mind couldn’t conceive of the need for a flashlight in a car, but he was a traveling salesman. I kept the flashlight carefully hidden but eventually it was discovered missing and I was forced to confess. The physical punishment I received for taking the flashlight paled in light of the torment I felt after hearing the examples of how my father would have suffered if his car had broken down at night, or he couldn’t save the life of some unfortunate soul in a roadside accident if he didn’t have that light. He suggested a few scenarios, my imagination dreamt up the rest. I resorted to the window in my bedroom. My room was in the basement, the window well was incased with cold looking steel or aluminum. Not much light, but on a full moon or near a full moon, light found its way to the window and cast shadows in my room. I would crawl up onto the wide window sill, scrunch into the corner and read by moonlight. Books kept me company during long sleepless nights. The moonless nights I tossed and turned, crept about the house like a mouse, helped myself to milk from the fridge, or tried without success to read on the cold creepy bathroom floor. Insomnia continues to haunt me, stretch my nights and challenge my days. Sleeplessness has forced me into dark places, added depth to my art, and given me insights hard-won but appreciated. Still…yummy drool-on-your-pillow sleep is a gift. A treasure. A treat.

 

I am so glad this sweetie is going to Tom in Texas! They are a perfect pair...! Don't you just want to throw the frisbee for Farley and wouldn't you just love to meet Tom?!

 

Named after a famous mafia gangster, this dark-eyed rooster shipped to a collector in Texas.

We’ve had a hot week. Thank goodness for delicious cool mountain breeze nights. Perhaps a snow photo would almost feel good. Taken the 4th of July on a ridge below the summit of Ramshorn Peak, my nieces enjoyed the huge snow bank. Just in case you are wondering…yes! Of course we had a giggly fun ridge top snowball fight!  

 

 

"Sweet Summer" - is the third artwork with a SOLD red dot sticker in the exhibit at Elle's Belle's Bakery and Cafe. Stop by for something scrumptious baked with love and check out the show!

 

I love seeing just who is drawn to what when it comes to the basket full of finished original works on paper. Each child got to select one as a gift from me. Here's what they chose: "Henri" chosen by Chloe (13 years old)    

 

 

 

 

 

"Little Boo" chosen by Kiera (11 years old)

 

 

 

 

 

"Leala" chosen by Zach (15 years old)

 

"Lucinda" is on her way to PA...bought by a collector as a gift for her friend's newly remodeled kitchen...think she'll rule her new roost?

 

Good o'l boy Farley found a new home...in Texas...after flashing his frisbee and those eyes in my art show at Elle's Belles. Hope he can handle the heat.

 

Mr Forbes was the first to sell from the exhibit at Elle's Belle's in Bozeman. What?! You haven't seen the show? Stop by for something scrumptious cooked with love in Elle's kitchen and check out the "Amber Art"

 

The energetic little bugger just landed in his new Illinois home. Sweet! (or is that "Tweet?!)

What?! Friday already? A week ago today I attended the first Art Walk of the summer season in Bozeman. I had a skirt on but luckily switched to jeans since the evening was crisp, cool and goose-bumpy with the spring smell of distant thunderstorms in the air. People were out in droves…a wonderful festive and good-energy feeling and much needed salve for the wound of the explosion that happened in March (see blog post about the explosion). I believe the best way to honor Tara’s untimely death was to celebrate art and artists. Early Saturday morning I caught up a bit with the desk part of life before pulling on padded shorts and driving to the Natural Bridge up the infamous Boulder Valley. Two girlfriends and I panted and puffed our way up Green Mountain on our mountain bikes. Wow…I’m out of shape. But we actually made good time, sat “on top of the world” in a wild flower filled meadow. I shared the elk salami and dark chocolate packed for lunch, we took in the views, giggled a bit and laughed a lot while Zaydee rolled gleefully in the thick grass. The descent was a fast and furious spin downhill over rocks and roots without any accidents. I changed in the trailhead parking lot and “gussied up” a bit for an evening at a Women’s Spirit camp. I had been invited to speak so I drove the primitive road another 12 miles up the Boulder Valley in a downpour. The ladies were inviting and fun…the evening entertaining and sweet. The barely made it home by midnight without falling asleep at the wheel.Five hours later I was putting away the mountain bike backpack and loading up my climbing backpack for a day of climbing with two other gal pals. I’ll post a few photos rather than ramble.

Honored that I was asked to be one of the first artist's to donate artwork for the Bridger Alternative High School permanent art collection. The art collection is the brain child of Stacey Herries who launched several new programs for the students during the past year. Her dedication to “at risk” youth is unwavering, empowering and downright impressive. "Jazz" found a good home.

Livingston has an exceptional animal shelter.

 

  Each year they host the "Fur Ball" to raise money.                             Jon Ellen Snyder wrote on Facebook about the two artworks I donated to the Stafford Animal Shelter. "They were both BIG hits! Thank you so much!!! You helped us raise lots of money for the Shelter and we appreciate your generosity VERY VERY MUCH!!!"     I'm always glad when my artwork is "adopted" into loving homes...but especially glad when the art helps a good cause.

 

May 10th   mixed media paper painting   Shipping to Jackson Hole this week to a beautiful woman with a colorful life and vivid dreamworld...great place for this dreamie bunny...!

 

May 8th   Sold mixed media paper painting Going to live with a collector in Clyde Park Montana

 

SOLD

 

- to the beautiful miss Diedre Quinn...fits her colorful character and soulfulness...

Part Poodle?

This fancy fashioned chicken struts the latest super model ensemble. Inspired by a photo in a coffee table book of Exotic Chickens…the goofy little long-lashed beauty is cute…and she KNOWS it!

She just shipped to Texas yesterday to join the art collection of the newest Patron Place member.

I'm gonna miss her!

 

SOLD - to the newest Patron Place Member (just before midnight last night)

 

 

March 30, 2009  

Stuffed today with kooky creativity, burly business, house-keeping (even scrubbed the bathroom), family care (took my father home from the hospital, visited with Flynn's parents at ICU, and climbed 3 pitches of ice in the evening until 8pm…should I mention the scrumptious dinner out…the big margarita…the soothing soak…the fine companionship? Awesome start to the week!  

    Rapelling off of the falls in the late evening...fresh snow falling...

 

 

 

Known as the most painterly method among the printmaking techniques, monotypes are essentially printed paintings. The spontaneous characteristic of monotypes is that no two prints are alike. Although images can be similar, making an edition using a printing press is not possible. I use an antique printing press (named Junior) and often combine ink, pastels, colored pencils and a variety of media in each original artwork. "Shasta" can be viewed/purchased at:

 

http://www.amberjean.com/portfolio/works+on+paper

 

March 28, 2009

sold - shipping to Arizona I am glad one of my cousin's purchased this soft delicate little painting...we shared the same beautiful grandmother.

March 24, 2009 - mixed media monotype -

latest artwork you may view at: http://www.amberjean.com/portfolio/works+on+paper

 

Just added this yellow-eyed contemplative cat to the website today. View it nearly full size at: http://www.amberjean.com/portfolio/works+on+papern.com    

 

Sold "Charles" today and shipped him to Colorado.

March, 14, 2009  

Kathryn Baker Bornemann wrote a kind thanks on Facebook for the donation. Little Kellan Young has been diagnosed with a rare genetic heart disorder. Here's what Kathryn wrote: "I wanted to say thank you for your very generous donation to Kellan Young’s benefit. The fundraiser was a great success thanks to you and so many really kind people here in Livingston. Proceeds have gone to Kellan’s growing medical expenses. Your horse painting was a great hit – And it was beautifully framed! We’re looking forward to April 1st at Pine Creek.Seems like we never get out for a date night!!! Thanks again for your kindness!! "

March 13, 2009

Newly added to the website...he is a sharp but friendly rooster...original monotype