Affecting a Plant Rescue

Here's a photo taken this evening of one of the plants I rescued from a sunny location. You can see how the one leaf on the right is light, having gotten dry and burned by the sun. It was originally in a shady location and then was moved to a sunny spot. However, I have offered it a spot in my little garden outside my door. I had a view of it when I sat at my table outside, and it seemed it got drier and more unhappy looking as the day progressed. So I dragged it back into my corner. I hope it will be happy there. And if it's owner finds a new home for it, I will give it up. But for now I'm happy to have it. There's another plant, too, underneath that you can't see. I'll take a photo of them again in the daylight when I go back on Saturday.

I spent the day working on some etching plates. It's been such nice warm weather that I've wanted to sit outside and work. And despite the fact there was traffic in the patio and lots of people to talk to, I feel as though I accomplished a great deal. As I mentioned, I'm amazed at how quickly I'm able to make progress on the plates, so much more so than when I was working on them whenever I had time to pick them up. It shows me again how valuable it is to be in my studio working for five hours a day for five days a week. We can really accomplish a great deal. I'm very happy about that. I like feeling I'm making progress, accomplishing something.

Back To Etchings

Here's a photo of a portion of the etching I'm currently working on. My cellphone camera isn't really good enough to take an excellent, clear photo, but it does give some idea. All of the lines that appear white or light are the places where I have removed the asphaltum from the plate and exposed the copper underneath. When I eventually put the plate in the ferric chloride, the exposed copper will be eaten away and grooves will be created. The grooves will hold the ink and the printing press will press the paper down onto the plate and pick up the ink in the grooves.

I'm very excited about the fact that I'm able to recreate at least a portion of the etching process in my studio. I currently don't have a printing press, but when I've prepared some plates, I'll take them to a friend's house and use his press to print them. If everything continues to go well, I might consider eventually getting my own press and printing etchings a relief prints at the Village. I think being able to print them so that people can watch will give them a better understanding of etchings in general. The other thing I need to do eventually is create a story board that explains the whole process and has some photos of the process as well.

I spent most of the day working on the plate pictured above. I finished up a necklace when I first arrived and then started on the plate. I feel as though I've made quite a lot of progress. In the past, creating an etching like that would have taken me all week, but I can see that two or three concentrated days may be sufficient to complete each one. I've got 10 plates altogether. I'm sure I won't get them all done by the time I go to my friend's to print them, but I'll aim for four to six. That shouldn't be a problem. I've got four sketches already, including the one I'm working on now.

Besides using the etched copper plates to print etchings, I'd like to create etched copper to use in making jewelry. I've already taken some of my zinc plates and turned them into jewelry. And of course the copper is a natural. They'd be wonderful bracelets, pins, and pendants. Something to aim for.

Still Morning Clouds and Some Rain

Here's a photo of my new electric skillet with four small copper plates on it. The one in the bottom left corner has asphaltum already spread on it. The other threee have dabs of asphaltum that I haven't spread out yet. I used my new skillet to put asphaltum on all the copper plates I cut the other day. There are ten of them. It was remarkably easy, almost like doing them at school. However, at school we had a great big hot plate that measured probably 24 by 36 inches. I have much less space, but it's plenty big enough for my needs.

The one thing was that I had no newsprint to wrap them in when they cooled the way I did at school. So I left them spread out all over my table. I put them on the cardboard box when I first took them off the skillet. Fortunately I had the forethought to buy two spatulas to maneuver them with. That made the task much easier. I did drop one on the floor, but it turned out fine anyway.

Late this afternoon when I was considering going home, a woman came in with two children. They looked at everything, and she was obviously instructing them although not in English. It sounded as though one of the children spoke Spanish, but the woman was speaking some other language. It turned out she is from Italy and she lives with her husband and children in Ensenada, Mexico. Her husband is an astonomer, and she is an architect.

She was particularly interested in the etchings, saying there was one in particular that reminded her of a topographical map. Other architects have said the same thing about that particular piece. In fact, my etchings seem to appeal to architects. I think it's partly because I majored in interior design myself and took 10 units of landscape architecture. I went to school long enough ago to have learned to do architectural drafting by hand. I have since learned to use AutoCAD, but the hand work has stuck with me.

There were other visitors to my studio. Having my canvas out in front definitely attracts people in. Certainly for now it's all I need although I'd like to eventually create one that is more studio specific. Aside from the Italian woman, there was a woman from Chicago, and another woman whom I think I have seen at the Village before. Then the photographer from across the way stopped in as well. There was no glassblowing going on, but he came by to bring some more of his work. And I explained the etching process to him as well.

Still Cloudy

Here's a photo of some of the succulent that grow in the Village. The succulents influence my drawings on a conscious or unconscious level. I'm currently working on some sketches for some new etchings, and all the ones I've drawn are of plants, some with strange flowers. I like to create plant life that is recognizeable, but not realistic, not photo perfect. And the succulents are so unusual to begin with that it's really easy to morph them into something else. I notice the tourists are frequently amazed and intrigued by the succulents. I always see them with their cameras up close, taking photos.

Yesterday was a hot day, relatively speaking for San Diego anyway, getting up to the low 80's I think. I sat outside at my table and worked on several necklaces. I think it's going to be important for me to sit outside on weekends, where people can see me, and see my jewelry. But during the week, I'm probably going to work inside. Actually, though, I enjoyed being outside so much yesterday that I might consider being out there this week as well, during the week. Tomorrow though I want to prepare my copper plates for etchings, so that I can get them ready. My goal is to be ready to print by the middle of July. That doesn't give me a great deal of time. The other thing is that if I take advantage of the warm weather, it is conducive to warming the plates and making the creation process go a little better. The asphaltum is warmer and easier to work with. So that's my goal for this week.

Aside from the etching plates, I want to begin a new book, one I make myself. I have an idea of making one out of brown paper bags from the grocery store. Then I plan to fill the book with paper that I've collected and call it something like "The Paper of My Life." We encounter so much paper everyday, and I'd like to chronicle it. I started to do that once before, but I wound up throwing away all the paper I had saved. I was spending alot of time eating at fast food drive-thrus and I had lots of burger wrappers and such. Now my eating patterns are different, so my book will be as well. Anyway, it's something to get started on. I'm planning to continue working with paper and when the next jurying comes around in January, I'll take the best pieces and try to enter again. It will be a good break between making pieces of jewelry.

Slow Cloudy Saturday

Here's a view of the main patio at Spanish Village showing the jacaranda in bloom and the bougainvillea in the background. I can see the photo looks a little crooked. I admit I get excited and I just snap the shot. Sometimes I'm not at all careful about keeping the camera straight. However, Spanish Village was built in such a haphazard fashion that it's very difficult to use the ordinary rules of perspective to draw the buildings. So if everything is leaning or strange, it might be the camera operator, but it might be the buildings themselves.

Anyway, if you walk down beyond that second awning and turn right, you'll come to the little patio where my studio is located. I sit at my outside table and look at the bougainvillea, the fushia flowers on the second story roof in the back. I sat out there today, looking out at the gloom. The weatherman predicted hot weather for this weekend, and we still might have hot weather tomorrow. But it certainly didn't materialize today. Well, when I say hot, I mean in the high 70's. Don't laugh. That's hot for us. A typical summer day is usually no more than 74 or 75 at the highest, except maybe in August. Today, however, I think it was only up to 74 degrees and it was overcast. The humidity was relatively high and there seemed to be a tropical storm blowing up from the Gulf of California. That sometimes happens, usually in August.

Yesterday, I got some of the tools I will need to create etching plates. I bought a piece of copper that measured 18 by 24 inches. I use to pay $44 for it. Now it costs $65. Then I bought an electric grill or skillet to heat the plates on. When they're warm enough, the asphaltum which provides the resist will melt and I can spread it on the plates with a roller. That's the first step in the etching process. While I was out, I got two spatulas to lift the hot copper plates off the grill and a glass cooking dish in which to etch the copper.

This morning, I figured out how many pieces I was going to cut the copper plate into, based on the standard sizes of the mats I use. I wound up with two plates that are 9 inches square, six that are 4 inches square, two that are 7 by 9 inches, and two that are 4 by 8 inches. Now I just need to plan the artwork to go on them. I'd like to do a series of plants, kind of like sea plants or succulents, strange plants that are just barely identifiable as such. I like to see how far I can push the envelop and still create something recognizeable. When I showed my sketches to one of the artists, he saw the plant likeness.

So after I marked where the cuts would go, I went back to the Enamel Guild and asked to use their jump shear again. I had used it previously, but I decided the plates I cut were the wrong sizes for the standard mats, and they seemed a little thin as well. One of the members helped me by catching the cut pieces so they wouldn't fall on the floor. If they do, their corners can bend, and it's hard to flatten them out again.

I took the plates back to my studio, but I haven't put any asphaltum on them yet. Maybe I'll do it tomorrow. I find myself hesitating frequently when I do something new. I don't like that about myself, preferring to think that I'm courageous and just jump into any new situation, but the reality is that's not the case. I will spend some time thinking about heating my plates, and then I'll do it tomorrow morning. Certainly I heated lots and lots of plates when I took printmaking classes in college, but using this new grill may turn out to be a different experience. Something unexpected might occur. Oh, that makes me laugh. Really, it's silly to be so silly.

Fourth Thursday Last Night

Last night was Fourth Thursday again. Some people were surprised, because the month began on Thursday and so the fourth Thursday came around more quickly. Lots of folks thought it would be next week. But people discovered us and we did have some traffic through the Village. It stayed light until almost time to go home. I took this photo at about 8:00 p.m. and the camera makes it look lighter than it appeared to me. It shows the lights all around the perimeter of the main patio.

The photographer from the studio next to mine kept me company. Or maybe I kept him company. Anyway, he's very personable and so we spent the time chatting, mostly about his recent trip to England and France. He had some beautiful photographs already on his laptop and some already modified. We've talked before about using a program like PhotoShop to enhance or change a photo. One person asked him how he knows what to do, and he said he just works with a photo until it clicks, until it looks right to him. That's been my own experience when I've played with my own photos.

The computer is great, but it does take time. I spent several hours the other night trying to create a single page for my website. And I did manage to do that. However, I wasn't able to upload it to my site. Part of the problem was that all the files needed names without spaces in them. So if a file is called "Thursday Night Main Patio," Yahoo won't upload it. So all my files have to be "Thursday_Night_Main_Patio" or whatever. So that means going back and working more on one simple page. Sigh. Everything takes time.

A friend just called to say he wouldn't be able to get together today because he's meeting with business contacts. It's disappointing not to see him, but I understand. Even doing something as simple as making a necklace takes numerous steps and preparation. Yesterday afternoon, before Fourth Thursday, I worked at my table outside. I gathered up all the tools and supplies I would need to work. I still had to make several more trips back into the studio to get additional supplies. But that's the whole point of business: just going the extra mile, keeping the momentum going until you get where you want to go. It takes time. But sometimes that's really all it does take is time, persistence.

Getting Better Organized

Here's another photo of the blossoms on the jacaranda tree outside my studio. There are ten trees in the main patio of the Village. Or is it only eight? I'm not sure. But anyway, they're in bloom now. They have no scent but they certainly are a lovely color I think.

I plan to sit outside this weekend, but currently I've been working inside getting everything organized. Today I spent about three hours sorting through a bag of pearls that had spilled on the floor. I put them on the display table and when some of the artists in the Village were helping me tear out the old ceiling, a large chunk of drywall landed on the table, spilling the pearls on the floor. They were mixed in with all the dust and dirt on the floor. I swept them up into a bag at the time. Today I finally took the time to pick them out of the dirt and then sort them by size and type. Some of them are 3 or 4 mm lavendar pearls. They've inspired me to make a bracelet of them.

I spent some time today knotting some tiny turquoise beads on a piece of silk to make a bracelet. Unfortunately, I pulled too hard and the needle came off the silk. I hope I put enough beads on the silk before I pulled off the needle. If not, I'll have to cut the silk between each bead and restring them again. I should know better. It's not the first time I've broken the silk.

I spent time this evening working on my website page in Dreamweaver. I took a class at the local junior college several years ago, so I have some idea how to use the program, at least enough to create a single page website. Then I can link my blog and site together. I created the page, but I haven't figured out how to upload it yet. Oh, well, a step at a time.

Everything takes time. I want to start creating some etchings, but there are a number of steps I need to take first. I have already cut some copper into plates. However, what I didn't think about was the mats. Originally when I started creating etchings, I cut my plates in sizes that would fit the standard openings of some picture mats that I particularly like. That way, I could take my etchings, buy standard mats and frames and frame them myself relatively easily. It worked really well. However, when I cut the plates the other day, I forgot about my "standard" sizes, so I'll most likely need to cut more plates. And I think I'll go to the art store and buy a copper plate made especially for that purpose.

So I need a plate, a hot plate to heat the asphaltum, some 100% rag paper, some ink, some easy wipe. Etching is a multi-step process and I have never been willing to create the whole setup myself. I've never been sure whether I was sufficiently committed. But since my friend has agreed to let me use his press, I will begin the process. He has an excellent setup himself in his garage. I've been to see it. I'm looking forward to getting started, after I assemble all my paraphenalia.

A Sign For the Door Brings People

Here you can see the canvas that I hung out in front of my doorway along with the ribbon windsock. I had some PVC pipe that I used as a display when I tried to jury into the Village with mixed media. I took apart the display and used half of it as a frame to hang the canvas on. It worked really well; I had a great many people come into my studio, far more than I've had in the past. I'll get busy and design a real sign to hang there, but in the meantime the canvas works really well. I have some clamps to hang it from. Then I can take it in at night. I've been leaving the windsock out because the ribbon is polyester and won't fade. Also, if it's stolen, it won't be the end of the day. However, I'm extremely fond of the canvas and I don't want to risk losing it.

I was motivated to work on straightening up and organizing things in the studio today. I work on things for awhile until all I want to do is make jewelry. So I make jewelry until I can't stand the mess and I switch to working on the studio. Things are really shaping up. Next I need to spend some time concentrating on my etchings. Also, not all my jewelry is tagged with prices, and I need to do that. It seems like there's always something to do.

Everything I do makes a mess of some sort or another. I guess the trick is to clean up between projects. And certainly I'll have to remember to do some of that. It's getting easier now as I begin to find places for everything to go. My jewelry stuff is in good shape. I managed to rearrange some of my plastic boxes so that I had two free ones in which to put jewelry findings (clasps, chain, head pins, earring wires). And then I went through my beads and picked out ones for earrings. I made several more pairs this morning. So when I get discouraged, I just have to tell myself that we're making progress.

Changing Creative Gears

I made a . . . hmmm, I don't know what to call it. It's a display made out of ribbon, hopefully to catch peoples' attention. You can see it there next to the tree, but it's not very noticeable, certainly not from very far away. But I did see people looking at it when they went by. And I am getting traffic in my studio. When people walk toward the glassblowing platform to the left of the trees, they see the light in my studio and come in.

I spent the day making earrings. I hadn't made more than a few pairs in the past, mostly just ones for myself. But recently I got a display stand to put them on. I think it will hold about 50 pairs when I'm finally finished making that many pairs. I made five pairs on Thursday and eleven pairs today. It took me awhile to get started and to start thinking about how to make the earrings. But once I got into the swing of it, I made better progress. The actual assembly time is very short, compared to a bracelet or necklace of course. But earrings take time to create. It's so much easier to make a necklace out of a single strand of beads or even a number of strands of beads in a pattern. Once you get going, you don't have to think anymore. But with earrings, you have to keep thinking up combination after combination of beads.

Tomorrow I intend to sit outside. It's hard to do when I'm working on earrings, because I kept looking through all my boxes of beads. But tomorrow I'll figure out something I can make, a necklace that doesn't require so much inventory all at one time. The June gloom is definitely gone, and it would be nice to sit outside under the umbrella.

One thing I did do was go over to the Enamel Guild which occupies one of the studios in Spanish Village. They have a jump shear that cuts metal. I took some copper pieces over and cut them in preparation for creating some etching plates. Now I just need to figure out what I did with the asphaltum that I have. The asphaltum is used to cover the copper plate as a resist to the acid. In order to create the etching itself, I will take an etching needle and draw into the asphaltum to expose the metal. Everywhere the metal is exposed, the acit will bite into it and create a groove. The groove is then filled with ink and when the plate is covered with a piece of damp paper and rolled through the printing press, the etching is printed on the paper. If I can find some asphaltum, either liquid or cake, I can start the etching process. I've already got out my sketchbook.

Spring Everywhere

Everything is blooming, including the spathaphylum in my studio. You can see the one bloom in front. There are two more hidden under the leaves. I'll photograph them when they open. I haven't given the plant any fertilizer, but it seems to be happy enough to bloom anyway. This is the usual time of year for them to bloom. They will bloom year round if you give them fertilizer once a month. I need to get some. Some many things to think about. But I guess, if I just keep plugging away at everything, eventually I'll get caught up, or at least mor organized than I am now.

I spent today working on making some earrings. I think everyone likes to buy earrings. I hope they like mine. I worked for about three hours and made five pairs. But it took me awhile to get organized. I really haven't made very many pairs of earrings, so I'll have to develop a mine set for them. But anyway, I've got a start. And I got a display stand to put them on. They'll be easy to hang up and then I can take the stand outside, too, and put it on my worktable when I'm out there on the weekends.

After working one earrings, I stopped and made a necklace. I wanted something new to wear when I entertain tomorrow. I like to keep wearing something new. And after I wear it, I can put in on display. Usually people like what I've made for myself.

I'm getting traffic into my studio and compliments for my work, so I'm sure I'll begin to build up a clientele. I have one commission, and I had a request yesterday from a man who wanted me to make a silver chain for his wife. That was easy. But it did show me that I need to makes sure I keep various "findings" around in case I do have request. I need various sizes of clasps and chain in silver, gold-filled, and maybe some copper. I'm in pretty good shape, except somehow I've wound up with all 22 gauge wire, rather than 24 and 26 which is what I usually use. But I'll get some more.

Printmaking - My First Medium

Here's my wall with some of my etchings hung up. My friend put screws in the wall and so I'll be able to start with the ones I have there now and then change them around after awhile. I have a large number of etchings and I don't have room to display them all, but I can frame more of them and keep them in the corner of the studio. Also, I have several large portfolios of etchings as well. Actually what I'd like to do is get a flat file. Another artist in the Village says she has one for sale, and I might consider getting it from here. I've wanted one for a very long time, even before I was a printmaker. Actually, I'm not even sure why I wanted one, except that they appeal to me.

It's funny that no sooner had I finished hanging up my etchings when an artist who's a friend came by to give me a lecture about getting back to my etching. He says anyone can make jewelry, and that I shouldn't be wasting time on it. Printmaking was the medium with which I first juried into the Village.

Anyway, I challenged him to let me use his press that he has in his garage, and he took me up on it. So I will get back to doing some etching. The ones I have hanging on my wall now are four or five years old and I'd like to have some new ones. I'm determined that I'm not going to put artwork on my walls and leave it there for 20 years and never change it. Changing is important.

I'm actually getting to the point where I can put some of my jewelry back as well, and then I can bring it out and change it. That way, it looks fresh. Also, there's something about changing things around that frees up the energy and helps people see things and buy them when they wouldn't otherwise.

I'm really very happy with my studio. It still needs more work, but I think it's becoming an extremely pleasant working environment. I try looking at it to see how it looks and to make changes and continue to get everything organized. I'll get there eventually. I'm actually in good shape already.

Cactus and Succulents In Bloom

Here's a succulent that grows out in front of the mailroom at Spanish Village. You can see the blossoms, sort of a pinkish coral color. All the succulents around the Village are blooming right now. It's nice to see them. There's a cactus and succulent society that frequently has sales in the building down the way from us. As a result, over the years, the artists have collected a number of interesting specimens. They grow around many of the studio doors. Tourists from out of town are always fascinated by them and frequently take photos of them.

I spent the day making a necklace, bracelet, and earrings for the daughter of a friend who is graduating from high school this week. I'm invited to her graduation party. What I need to do is make up some of my business cards and take them with me to the party, to give out to people. Who knows: it could lead to some orders.

Today I received my first commission, one that was a referral from another artist. It's to make a pair of earrings to more or less duplicate one that was lost. I like the challenge of doing so. I feel convinced I can come very close to the original. It will be a fun project.

Stop and Smell the Flowers

Here's a view across the main patio. I took this photo last week. You can see the jacaranda tree over there in bloom, with it's lovely lavendar flowers. They're blooming all around the Park and in other parts of the county as well. I noticed them on Laurel Street near the main entrance to the Park and also in Poway when I went up there with my parents this morning. Here in California, or at least San Diego, we think of jacaranda as having lavendar flowers, but apparently there are some which have yellow blossoms as well. I'm not sure where that is, but people mention it now and then.

Today was a day off for me and I spent it doing errands and chores around my house. Now that I'm required to be in my studio five days a week, I have to spend the rest of my time more efficiently. I'm working in that direction. Last night I went grocery shopping, did two loads of laundry, answered email and wrote in my blog all in the space of a couple of hours. I felt very accomplished once I was finished.

I'm starting to make lists and set goals. Actually, that's one of my next serious projects is to really start setting goals. And I was thinking about writing a business plan as well, or at least beginning to rough one out for myself so I begin to know where I'm going with all of this. I do feel my life is coming together and now I want to make sure it moves ahead in a worthwhile manner.

A Festive Weekend

Here's a photo I took while sitting at my worktable outside. You can see my umbrella and beyond it the tables of glass. The glassblowers in the studio across the patio from me put out eight tables of glass this weekend which was the Potters Guild bi-annual sale. I sat at my worktable and put out some jewelry as well, more than usual. I noticed that my more dramatic pieces of jewelry attracted the most attention, especially the necklace in which I combined citrine and amethyst. People also liked the ones made from resistors, friction reduction devices, split rings, and cellphone parts. Those are worth bringing out again for people to look at. I'm not sure most people would want to wear them, but they're fun to look at.

Right out in front of my studio is a glass-blowing setup, including a furnace, an annealer, and a heated container of liquid glass that stays on all the time, 24/7. The woman who has the studio opposite mine blows glass herself and has a number of students who take lessons. Many of them are members of Spanish Village. A number of years ago, they determined that putting out tables of glass was worthwhile when the Potters Guild has their sale. Some people who come are looking just for pottery and sometimes very specific items. But some people like the glass pieces as well, I suppose because they are vessels, like the pottery.

The students spent the weekend in the Village in shifts, taking the responsibility for selling each other's glass. It was fun to have them all there together. They're a nice group of people. And I always find it interesting to talk to other artists about aspects of their work and to get ideas. Even artists who work in the same medium each have their own style. My jewelry is completely different from everyone else's jewelry, not because I specifically try to make it different but because I'm a different person.

One of the things I need practice with is talking to the people who come to the Village. Although I'm frequently comfortable with people as I get to know them, sometimes I'm shy in the beginning. So I practiced just saying hello to people and admiring something they had on. When I saw jewelry they were wearing that I liked, I admired it and had some interesting conversations as a result. That's what I want to practice, especially on the weekends when there are lots of people around. That's a goal for me. And that's a part of the Spanish Village outreach, to instruct the public about art and art techniques. It's a form of education the same way going to the museums is educational.

Don't Give Up

Here's a container that's been on the job for a number of years. As you can see, it's parts are tied together with a piece of rope. It's located back in the inner patio where I use to share a studio. One of the artists who has since retired told me one day that one of the City employees told some of the artists that the pot with it's plant must remain a part of the Village. It has a certain mystic. Nobody can dispose of that plant in that pot. Actually, I think that's nice myself. I like to see anyone or anything that doesn't give up no matter what the adversity.

Today was a day to remember not to give up. Today was the jurying in of new members and current members in new media. There were 49 entries for the jury's scrutiny, and only 9 of those were accepted. I tried for two new media and was not accepted in either. In my case, it means I can't display or sell in my studio any art made in either of those media, but it doesn't mean that I lose my membership or my studio or anything like that. However, for artists who are not yet members of Spanish Village, they are not eligible to join until their artwork is accepted by the jury in at least one medium.

The jurors are impartial judges not affiliated with Spanish Village. Certainly nobody could accuse them of being partial this time. They do rotate, and there will be a chance for all of us to try for acceptance again in January. Hopefully there won't be anyone who is discouraged enough to give up. Certainly I'd rather be numbered among a large number of rejected entrants as opposed to be one of the only few who didn't get in. And there were some really excellent entries this time. But that's the lesson: don't give up. There are many members of the Village who didn't get in the first time around.

Will June Gloom Ever End?

Look at my little table. One of the artists here at Spanish Village built it for me to put my metal storage chest on. I think it's so cute. In fact, it seems a shame to put the chest on it and cover it up. But it will be very useful for me and so I will. Anyway, I'll still be able to see it. However, the chest is very heavy, so I have to wait until someone strong comes along who can lift it onto the table. But I expect someone will turn up later tonight or tomorrow.

The table was built by the same artist who built my outside worktable. He's very creative with wood and other media as well. He loves to scavenge for stuff and frequently shares his "overstock" with me. In fact, some of my three-dimensional pieces that I've created for tomorrow were created with pieces of stuff he's given me. I admit I am like him. I like to take old things, including scraps of paper, and put them together into something new.

I remember first seeing the Bull's Head by Picasso. I'm not sure that's the actual title, but anyway, he took a bicycle seat and some handlebars and made a bull's head out of them. That was one of my first exposures to assemblage and I've always been very taken with it myself. Now I'm going to try it. I've been wanting to create some assemblages that are compact and look as though they actually do something, but I haven't been able to figure out how to do that. Recently, however, I saw a drawing that included some gears and I thought about some of the stuff I've got. I think I can make something. I'm going to try tomorrow.

But tonight I need to get ready for the jurying in. I bought some PVC pipes at the hardware store and cut them down from their 10-foot lengths. I still need to make more cuts and then assemble the whole into a structure that will hold up my pieces of three-dimensional mixed media. They're like windchimes, except they're really not designed to chime. They're designed to catch the light and to provide visual stimulation. They've met with positive responses from other artists here in the Village. I hope the judges like them. By comparison, my paper art pieces are very easy to display. But once I get my PVC display built, I can use it to display my jewelry as well as my other pieces.

Today was another gloomy June day. Apparently we're headed for some nicer weather over the weekend. I hope so because the Potters Guild here at the Village is having a bi-annual sale. I want to sit outside at my table and work and display some of my jewelry. And if it's sunny, it will be more pleasant. One thing that's interesting is that when I turn on the lamp near my front door, I definitely attract people in. They see the lit lamp and the jewelry sparkling in the light.

This Week's Projects

Here's my little garden, the one in front of my studio. It's growing and one of the artists has been adding plants to it. One of the plants has a bloom on it. You can't see it because this photo was taken several days ago before it was sticking up above the greenery.

I spent today finishing up my projects for Saturday. I'm almost finished with both sets of projects, further along with the paper arts projects than the three-dimensional ones. This evening, I'm hoping to make the stand that I'm going to hang the three-dimensional pieces on. However, the artist who's help I need is nowhere to be found. I'm sure he'll turn up, but I'm stimied until he does.

I spent time today cleaning up after creating my paper projects. I'm determined to keep my large table as cleared off as possible, especially when I'm not working on a project. My desk is still rather cluttered, but after I deliver my projects on Saturday morning, I'll come back and concentrate on it.

I've noticed that moving the lamp over near the door and keeping it turned on does draw people into my studio. Yesterday, I had no sooner turned it on when I had a visitor. The walkway outside the door is several inches higher than the inside, so most people kind of stumble in. I've gotten use to their gate as they come through the door. But there were only a few people today. It was generally a quiet, gloomy day. Still June gloom.

Serious June Gloom

You can see how gloomy it was today, dark and moist. I finally turned my ceiling fan down a little, not that I was cold or even particularly cool, but I thought I could reduce it.

I spent the day working on paper art projects. I've got four of the five finished and the fifth will be finished tomorrow. On my three-dimensional mix media, I have three of the five done and the fourth is well on it's way to being completed. Actually, I worked on it some this afternoon. So I think if I work on Friday, and one evening, I should be in good shape for Saturday morning. Then I can relax and go back to some of the pieces I was working on previously. And I can go on with fixing my studio. I've almost gotten up enough courage to put nails, or at least screws, in the walls so I can hang the etchings.

A friend came by the studio, a woman I use to work with a number of years ago. She's a member of the Village, and has just accepted the chairmanship of one of the major committees. I think she'll do a good job. She very well organized. But anyway, she asked me about my etchings, saying she hoped I'd put them up soon, that she liked them. I like them, too.

I had an idea for doing some relief printing using the stamps I've created. If I print on rag paper, I could call them monotypes and frame them. They might be a nice addition and maybe have some color to them. Anyway, I'll try.

June Gloom

What a really gloomy day it was today, actually a little drizzly, or maybe some people would call that a heavy mist. I can't believe I really thought we wouldn't have any June gloom. How silly is that. You can see it even in this photo.

You can see the lights on in the gallery next door to me, Gallery 21, which is has a rotating show that changes every two weeks. And then back there in the corner, you can definitely see there is something, another studio, my studio. And the lamp helped especially today, on a dark, gloomy day. I had about 10 or 12 people come into the studio. I'm not really ready yet. I still haven't hung up my etchings, and I haven't priced all my jewelry.

This week I'm concentrating on getting my pieces done for the jurying on Saturday. I need five pieces of paper art and five pieces that would be considered three-dimensional mixed media. I've got five pieces of paper art in various stages of completion. I made a great deal of progress today. I'll finish up tomorrow. Then I'll concentrate on the three-dimensional Thursday and Friday if necessary. I've got several of those pieces finished already and the others in various stages of completion. Using a combination of coming in on Friday and burning a little midnight oil should get me where I want to be.

When I first started the paper art, I made several pieces I wasn't too pleased with. They seemed manufactured, copies of earlier ones I had made. Then I started cutting up pieces of card stock and fiddling around with it, taking some scraps to use in the pieces. That was when I made some I'm happier with. I like taking leftover pieces of paper or metal or fabric or whatever and using them to make something. It's more creative than taking new materials and fabricating something.

One of the things I did was to make a little book with a sewn binding. I've studied the diagrams in the various bookmaking books, but they all seem so complicated. So I just did what made sense, and it worked just fine. Having a good paper cutter and a large work table made a big difference. It's so nice to be able to spread out on the table. It's a wonderful place to work. I'm very happy now. The more I use it, the more I enjoy having it. I never could have done what I did today without that big work space.

No Such Thing As a June Without Gloom

I'm trying different things to attract attention back in my corner. Of course, the obvious would be a sign of some sort, but until I actually put one up, I thought putting a plant where people can see it in the open door and now a lamp that is turned on can attract your eye. You can see it here. And there were some people who came in yesterday when I was in my studio, even after the normal 4:00 p.m. closing. So I think the lamp helps. On the right side of the door, you can see the top of an old table of mine that I thought I might use as a work table, but now I've decided it's extra. I need to move it so that it doesn't look like it's stored there, which of course at this point it is.

After I said we might have no June gloom, it appeared. That's so typical. I've lived in San Diego for 56 years. You'd think I'd know by now that we have June gloom. We've always had at least some, and we had some yesterday and today. But typical of the gloom, it burns off, hopefully by around noon time. There have been a few years when it's been around all summer. I hope we don't have that this time.

I spent yesterday working on paper arts. One of my current juried media is printmaking. Several years ago I created a number of small relief cuts, made of some material that is softer than linoeleum and consequently easier to print. I used some of those on my paper projects, and it occurs to me that I could print them on paper and frame them like other prints I've created over the years. I would like to present some that are new and fresh. It's been three or four years since I did etchings. I don't want to give up doing them, but they require a large setup of equipment and chemicals. I'm not willing to put the money and energy into that right now. Maybe later. In the meantime, relief prints are fine.

A June Without Gloom?

Here's a photo of my new table. I actually purchased it in August or September, when I first heard that I was getting my studio. Yesterday we finally went to pick it up. If I had it to do again, I probably wouldn't have purchased the table because I don't want the studio to be too crowded. But this afternoon when I sat at the table and took some time to make a book, I was so happy to have it. It's a nice big table, 72 inches by 30 inches. I have plenty of room to spread out my paper supplies on it. I can even use it later for drawing and maybe some painting. Anyway, I'm very happy with it. It really gives me a large area to work. I promised myself I will use it for paper art and then use the desk in the back for bead work.

If you look closely at the end of the table, you can see that the glass top is sticking up. When I purchased the table, it had a Chinese sign inside it, set on a bed of yellow satin, and covered with a thick piece of glass. I purchased the table at a bead store, and while they were waiting for me to pick it up, they used it as a work table. So there were a lot of tiny beads down inside the table. When we brought it to the studio, the guys who helped me suggested I might want to take the sign out and put something else in it, like jewelry. I agreed, and so they used some pieces of wood to prop up the glass so it would be easier to get off. I subsequently decided against making the change, so I asked them to come replace the sign and lower the glass. If I want to do something different, I'll do it later.

It was a very warm day, much warmer than usual for this time of year. Usually we experience June gloom, a foggy marine layer that hangs over the coast before the water warms up. The fog is caused by the cold ocean air hitting the warm air especially inland, where it is already over 100 degrees. But this year we've had almost no marine layer in June. There was a little fog this morning, but it burned right off. They say it's going to be a hot summer. I'm glad I have my ceiling fan. I bought it for decoration and atmosphere mostly, but I turned it on today.

Taking the Day Off

Here's a photo someone else took of the main patio of Spanish Village. My studio is located in a small patio beyond that farthest blue umbrella, all the way at the back. But I'm actually not at the back of Spanish Village which continues on down a little narrow "street" at the back of the patio. The Village is modeled on one in the Adalusia region of Spain. The floor of the patio is made of stamped concrete to look like flagstones. The artist periodically get out their paint and paint the flagstones different colors, usually following a theme of the colors of their own studio. The ones in my area are painted blue because the building trim back there is painted that color. I want to change that and have even started to collect some paint to change that. I'd like a combination of green, pink, lavendar, and bright blue, maybe even some red in small quantities. But for the next week, I'll be concentrating on getting my pieces ready for the jurying in of new media. That will keep me busy.

Right now, I'm finding that my days off are spent sleeping more than I'd like. I'm hoping that eventually my schedule will straighten out and I won't feel as though each activity is pressed up against each other activity. But, I have found that everyone I know lives the same kind of lifestyle. It seems as though there's so much to do nowadays. Maybe it's because there are so many different options to choose from. Certainly having the option of using the computer takes time, but it's worth it, I think. I'm not giving it up. There's so much you can do on/with it.

Is Summer Really Here?

Here is some of my jewelry on the display table that one of the artists built for me. I just thought as I looked at this photo that my walls look bare. Actually, my walls are bare right now. I've been hesitant to put any holes in them, but several people have suggested I use screws to hang my pieces. So I think that's what I'll do. And there are still quite a few etchings at home that I'd like to take over to the studio. And I suppose I should take my print rack as well, although it takes up more room. I'm already planning to add a table tomorrow or the next day, one that I bought in September. The place where I bought it keeps asking me when I'm going to come get it. Anyway, once I get it and arrange everything the way I want it, I'll have a better idea of where everything should be hung. I'm trying to leave a large portion of the longest wall completely blank so that I can hang lots of etchings there, even down to a relatively low level. And then I need to fix my portfolio of etchings so that people can look through them. There are a great many of them that are not framed. I'm actually amazed at how many there are.

One of these days, when my life is back in order, I'll go back to etching and other forms of printmaking. I'd really like to do so. It just doesn't fit into my schedule right now. In fact, really any class would be a problem. That's funny though because I've just been thinking about taking a en plein air class that meets at the San Diego Zoo on Monday mornings from the middle of June until the end of August. That wouldn't be too bad. That class would involve drawing and/or painting outside, something I enjoy doing. But, really my schedule is too full now I think.