Sculpting a creative life
Tail end of the nasty cold still has me feeling almost too tired to see this computer screen.
Today I launched into a new commission…on site…at a home up Tom Miner Basin. Lucky me to enjoy perfect weather for working outside on front entryway posts. Shade until early afternoon then a little tease of a breeze helped a bit with the hot afternoon sun. I must try to remember to take pictures…but honestly once I start working I can scarce remember such a thing as picking up my camera.
Read more
Sunday June 21
A cold-bone, sore-throat and headache-y bug has me and the sun just came out…! I’ve zillions to do before beginning a few commissioned carvings up Tom Miner Basin but just want to curl up and nap. Who gets a cold in the summer time? Chastised myself for overdoing it…am I getting too old for early mornings at my desk, followed by long physical days working, plus climbing and biking while averaging about five hours sleep?! Mmmmm….
But no! I just found out that everyone at the camp on the Grizzly Creek Ranch is sick. The camp was established to offer underprivileged youth a chance for an outdoor wilderness and leadership experience. http://myeconnect.org/ Pretty neat. The days spent up Tom Miner Basin have felt good...just simple outdoor physical labor for 10 hours a day rain or shine scours rusty spots from the soul. Hauling hay, catching horses, welding steel patches on cattle guards, and pruning trees in a Scotch Bright world complete with big-kneed animal babies and dramatic Montana skies. Good stuff.
A new collector visited over the weekend to discuss a commission for her Texas saloon. Loved her idea inspired by the Reliquaries. She walked away with 10 original works on paper and a belly full of fried food. No…I didn’t actually fry food myself but took her to this yummy little fried food stand in town where they served us seafood, sweet potato fries, and okra. We licked powdered sugar from our fingers while we ate the yummy fried Oreos… sugar lips and grins.
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.
Saturday morning I grabbed leather gloves, threw a shovel into my truck and sloshed a mug of hot tea down with yummy wheat-free cookies from the Nova (yes…breakfast!) Heavy dark clouds loomed large and ominous but actually cooled things off nicely for the work ahead. Five local fellas and I created a brand new trail to the local climbing craig. Zaydee hung around and kept us company. We made quick work of it and loaded the tools back into our trucks just before the rainstorm (which turned into a SNOW storm). Late afternoon I soaked in my sweet claw foot tub while a blanket of white snow hid the bright green forest floor outside.
The following post was written by Jim Earl for the
Montana Climbers Coalition website
"At the early-bird hour of 9:30 AM, six of us met at the parking lot for Allenspur. Our goal-to build a new climber access trail on a recently obtained trail access route- which mgiht become permanent after one year. On the crew were Amber 'dig it' Jean, Dustin 'chainsaw massacre' Gaines, Ted 'trail pro' Wood, Hermes 'pick ax' Lynn, Mark 'spud bar' Wolfenden, and myself, Jim 'lazy ass' Earl."
Read more
Friday May 22
Woke to 6 a.m. sunshine and the promising feeling of a summer day when summer days are still fresh and new on the tail of winter and mixed up spring weather. So many possibilities! Cliffs to climb, trails to ride, peaks to summit, grass to roll in, wild flowers to witness, baby animals to “ooh” over, ice cream to eat, and margaritas to drink.
But I had to work….a real job…not studio time or desk/business/marketing time…just plain labor and “pay per hour” kind of work. Lucky for me the work involved my handsome boyfriend and a shipping container full of reclaimed wood in a beautiful part of Montana just a valley or two away….could be interesting anyway. We picked up a skid steer on our way out of town, sipped hot drinks and drove.
The reclaimed wood came from Florida…mushy, moldy, and rotten…most of it anyway. A few painted boards and a rare slightly carved piece caught my eye but none of it belonged to me. We labored while the dogs played in a nearby pond. Late afternoon we cleaned up a bit and had dinner at the sweet old Willowcreek Café. Super sweet. A rusty red old tandem bicycle leaned against the porch post out front. Haunting and compelling, the old bike invited plenty of conjecture. No doubt plenty have sat astride the broad worn out seats…young couples oozing sexuality and hyper-awareness…sweet slow loving old couples…giggling children… drunk cowboys yip’ing and hollering on a good natured dare… maybe even a bright-eyed shining pair of newlyweds? Stanley G West mentioned the bike in his book “Blind Your Ponies” (highly recommended read). We enjoyed a few drinks and home style ribs before driving off into the sunset, up the Jefferson River to pitch a tent and camp in the moonlight and cactus with the dogs.
Momma Nature has unleashed spring. The Yellowstone River is engorged like an overfed snake winding through town and the valley below my cabin. I was actually supposed to be on the Selway River right now. I was lucky enough to draw a permit. A dozen river rat friends and I put in for permits every year but Selway permits are rare. Second only to the Grand Canyon trip on the Colorado River, the Selway is extremely difficult to get a permit for. Only one group is allowed to launch each day. The wilderness river is a classic challenge very few are priviledged to attempt. Only fifty percent of the lucky people awarded a permit actually get to launch since river conditions must be carefully monitored. Seven years ago I was the only girl to join a group of guys on an early season Selway river trip. Two days into the trip, spring run-off coupled with high mountain thunderstorms raised the river three feet overnight. FLOOD STAGE. We camped on the edge of the raging river and waited. Huge rocks made the rumbling sound of thunder and vibrated the earth beneath our feet as they rolled in the strong current. Giant trees tumbled like twigs in the tumultuous murky ice cold water. Each morning we hiked to the rapids below our camp, tucked our tails, and returned to camp. We actually hiked to high country one afternoon carrying hammocks to nap away from the loud fury of river sound. Seeking whitewater high adrenaline thrills, we found ourselves in awe of the river and actually more rested up and relaxed in the forced stand still. I literally watched snails move on blades of grass in the early morning sun, ate chocolate covered raisons and drank wine in the middle of the day while reading out loud.
Eventually I packed a small fanny pack and hiked 20-something miles downriver out of the wilderness and back to civilization. The boys waited out the flood…for weeks…before giving up and flying out. They returned by small plane many weeks later to get the rafts and gear.
So…I have floated part of the infamous Selway River. Someday luck and Momma Nature might give me another chance. Meanwhile, I am glad for the spring and the moisture. Right now rain is pelting my metal roof; the forest floor is gratefully and greedily quenching it’s thirst, and I am reveling in the lush life-full green.
Livingston has an exceptional animal shelter.
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!!!"
May 18th
May 15th
Five days without being “connected” to the internet world. Oceanside. Sweet sunshine…crisp cool sea breeze…seals with whiskers…whales spouting…waves lapping…blue sky…exotic plants…fresh fish…new friends.
May 9th
BIG bright sky, beautiful morning, buds blooming...and a job putting up 4'x 12' sheetrock with a handsome partner.
Read more
Juggling a job and my own art/business/writing world has thrown me into overdrive. Ten hour days working in the world of construction sandwiched between my own creative and business life has given me a butt-kicking. I am not complaining. Honestly I believe my butt needed a bit of the “boot.” One thing I realize is how much I miss physical labor and how much I simply must work with my hands. I have been studio-less for too many years. No matter my financial circumstances, I must clear a path and find a place for sculpture making.
The first few days on the job made me down right grumpy. I have not worked for someone in that capacity for a decade and a half. The project is a remodel of a poorly built house. I have a thing about how things are constructed; very little patience and no respect for cheap materials and bad construction. The bad mood was replaced with cheery gratitude for a job and the simple satisfaction of working with my hands.
I scrambled to put in 15 hours on a grant application last week. The online application was uploaded 14 minutes before the midnight deadline on May 1st.
phew!
I am thankful for a chance to earn some much needed cash. Still, I long to be playfully painting the small works on paper again….
Soon.
Trees loom large, heavy laden with heavy wet white spring snow cloaks. Snow ghosts in the mist this morning. Burdon. Beauty. Mystery.
Six inches of fresh snow yesterday, actually was a blessing that kept me productive indoors. So much to do since I’ve a “normal” job for two weeks as a carpenter’s assistant. Eight hour days, one-hour commute each way…so that the art part/business part is early morning, late night, and…Sunday (punctuated with a much needed cozy nap with my cat in the late afternoon).
People packed into Elle’s Belles for “Birds, Bunnies, and Chainsaws.” Chairs were borrowed last minute from the bar next door and still the people kept coming. I was blown away…and thrilled to have a room-full and receptive audience. Still feel both plumb tuckered and energized at the same time from the performance, much like the mix I feel after a productive studio day or a climbing day. Different kind of tired…and maybe a subtle different kind of energized, but all good.
Really good.
Sleep goblins snatched much needed rest; left my insides coated with sticky muck and darkened my mood last week. Even my best intentions and less-than-lofty ideas got mired in the goo. Any attempts to clean up seemed futile. The more I rubbed and scrubbed, the messier and darker I felt. Many of the yummy things in life have messy moments (i.e. making art…making love) so why fight it? But I was frustrated to tears, frightened, and grumpy.
I took Sunday off. Indulged in an order of biscuits ‘n gravy AND a cinnamon scone served by the sweet ladies at Wheat Montana while on the way to Indian Creek Canyon for an afternoon of hot rock and good climbing. Despite the treats and the sunshine, the muck lingered. Fear flared as I took the “sharp end of the rope” and led a few climbs up the rock. I shook. I took deep breaths. I rolled my eyeballs when my partner tried to make jokes. Sometimes men are…well…MEN!! My lips tightened in a grimace more than once despite his best efforts. I could not sincerely grin. The rock was inviting and challenging. I climbed klutzy with hesitation but I did not quit. I accomplished one climb and then another, and another…and another. Here’s where I’d like to write that I climbed myself out of the bad mood. “The sunshine, the happy dogs, the good food, and the kind company polished that black gook into bright dazzling clean happy innards.”
NOPE!
My mood did not noticeably change. I didn’t kick, hit, spit or scream but felt like the goblins had taken those liberties with me. Pummeled and panting, I continued to climb. I wanted to be happy. I get mad at myself when grasped by the goblins. I told my climbing partner that I felt like a big zit that needed to be squeezed to release the foul fluid suffocating my soul. Perhaps if I could figure out the source of the infection, I could cure it. Many possibilities…but here’s where I’ll edit my journal writing so this remains a blog post and not a whole chapter. Simply said, life can be complicated.
You’ll never guess what finally blew my mood later that day from dark and dreary to light and fluffy! But I’ve run out of time and will have to leave you hanging until I can tell that part of the story.
Stay tuned!
Spring camping last night! Big fat round moon reflected in puddles of melted snow. Happy dogs trying to share sleeping bags and bedding. Sleep with a smile. Pink sky and sun-drunk moon linger bold and bright on the horizon. Hot tea and warm thoughts. Good company.
Read more