A February wind brings new things..

I really haven't been keeping up with this thing...at all. I swear I will try harder! (I mean, does anyone out there read this anyways??) 

Anywho, some new things going - I currently have work up at Woods Gallery (www.woodsgallery.org) with 8 other artists for the "Dear John Exhibit." The opening was great! I got to see some of my favorite faces, as well as some new ones, and it was wonderful to see everyone else's work - the variety of styles and interpretations of the show's theme came together to create a really excellent body of work. 

I'm going to be taking some time to focus on learning new things, experimenting, playing with different concepts, etc., so this year you can expect less frequent sitings of me, but know that I have some good stuff coming your way! 

I sometimes get called a jack (or jill?) of all trades. Some know me initially as a fire/circus sideshow/burlesque performer. For awhile I worked with some of you as a makeup artist for fashion/conceptual photography. And some know me as an amazing procurer of vegan goods. But let's get back to art.. 

I primarily work with ceramics and illustration (either oil/acrylic on wood or watercolor/ink on paper.) More and more I would like to not only meld those two - doing more illustration on ceramic forms - but branch out into different materials. Bone, metal, found objects, and perhaps use other sculptural materials like papier mache. So here are some projects that I currently have underway:

I have been playing around here and there with some amateur taxidermy endeavors (totally bummed because I found a dead bird in the parking lot and forgot to grab it - it was a perfect specimen, too. I imagine the poor guy just got hit by a car or something mid-flight?)

I also have a story I am writing, which is on the backburner for now, but I hope to turn it into a storybook for adults. 

Mugs! I will have skull mugs, travel mugs and all kinds of drinkware *hopefully* by fall! These will be in my etsy shop, which is currently empty...so sad. 

Once it gets warm, I will be doing some more ceramic work. Slowly collecting materials to start doing pit-firing, raku-firing and who knows what else. It sure will be a good way to start spring!

I love working with paperclay! Recently, I got the idea of doing a few pieces inspired by pop-up books but making them out of paperclay. These would be fired, glazed, and then I'd like to get back into making decals. In my head it's rather interesting, but I have a lot to learn before this happens. 

I do a lot of reading, and I've been inspired by this book called The Waste Makers by Vance Packard. The book (published in 1963) basically breaks down how marketing and advertising had created a wasteful society that was profitable for these corporations but detrimental to the environment and also how it changed people's mentality and behavior by creating material needs where previously there had been none. I also read Tales of Outer Suburbia, a graphic novel by Shaun Tan, which was beautifully illustrated and written, and it reminded me of the power that art has to tell a story, to lift spirits, to inspire change. 

A piece by Australian contemporary glass/multimedia artist Tom Moore.