Getting Ready For December Nights

Here's a photo I took this evening of the wizard with green gloves. He's featured in one of my earlier entries. Now he's been glazed and he sits beside his large treasure box on the shelf in the pottery studio across the main patio from me. His creator says he has a very serious expression on his face although she didn't say why. I hope he's not distressed by any of the happenings around Spanish Village. I wonder if he has something in his box that will help us out. Maybe he's just feeling the weight of the responsibility for December Nights which is the two-day event starting tomorrow here in Balboa Park.

Lots of preparation is occuring around the Village and throughout the Park in preparation for the event. The large pottery kiln is going, lights fill the trees, ornaments and wreaths hang everywhere. Booths and tents are being erected. The whole main plaza of the Park is filled with blue and purple lights. There's a huge Christmas tree on the stage at the Organ Pavillion and it's covered with red lights. I don't remember seeing the sleigh and reindeer, but I'm sure they're there.

My favorite bakery booth is in place. I suppose I have to say my all time favorite food is Christmas butter cookies. I'm definitely planning to eat some tomorrow night. Or before. Actually, we have to be here early to get a place to park. I'm going to try to come over around 8:30 or 9:00 a.m. We can't park in our usual parking lot, so we need to get here early to get a place that's reasonably close. I've brought everything I'm going to need over here this evening so that I don't have to carry a lot tomorrow.

There will be streams of people walking through the Village. As a result, I plan to sit out at my worktable outside. The event goes on until 10:00 p.m. both nights. I've already brought extra sweaters and boots over to help keep me warm. Actually, I plan to leave some warm clothing in my studio so that I can still sit outside on winter days and remain warm. Now that the sun is further to the south, my table is in the shade all day. I've been very cold the last few days. The thing is, it's just as cold inside as it is outside. But with boots instead of sandals, sweaters instead of tee-shirts, I should be fine.

Today I was at school, attempting to create another photo etching. Unfortunately, the transparency was too dark and the plate will be too difficult to wipe. So I agreed with my professor that I will make it a little lighter and then try again next week. Also, I have another photo that he likes, but it has a scratch on it. So I'll print it over as well. Hopefully, I can create two editions next week. In the meantime, when my plans today didn't work out, I printed a small edition of another plate that I had with me at school. So my day was not entirely wasted.

Photo Manipulation

Here's a photo I took late this afternoon. I took it at about 4:00 p.m. You can see that the sun is shining on the tree above the studio, but it's beginning to get dark, or I should say that it's close to sunset which is not readily apparent from this photo.

I tried to get the wireless network running again, and I thought I had succeeded, but when I got back to my studio, it was still not working. I realized that the repeater had been unplugged in the gallery near me, and I thought plugging it back in would solve the problem. I also had to reconfigure the connection in the Spanish Village Board office, because that was disconnected. But there's still a problem between the two parts. Or maybe I haven't reconnected it properly. I'll ask Phillip to help me when I see him on Friday.

I spent the day working on a composite photo that I'm going to use to create a photo etching. I want to do a piece in memory of my late husband. I had previously scanned some photos of him into my computer, and I'd like to combine on of them with photos of some of the places we traveled to. I envisioned the idea after seeing some of the photographs Phillip has been creating in which he has combined part of the Paris Musee d'Orsay with a valley on the Napali Coast of Kauai. It's most effective. He also created one that is a combination of a statue from the Fountain of Four Winds in Rome, I think, and the coastline of Maui. Phillip, correct me if I'm wrong. But anyway, I like the statue and it gave me the idea of doing one with a photo of my husband against the landscape. I also thought I might use an old map as the background layer.

Nowadays there is so much that can be done using a combination of regular or digital photographs and a program like PhotoShop. When I left the business world, I thought I might get away from the computer, but I find myself being drawn back to it. It's certainly a useful skill to have: knowing how to use the various kinds of programs. I feel myself being drawn back into it. The disadvantage is that it's very easy to spend whole days working on something like manipulating a photograph. There is an infinite range of possibilities. Phillip mentioned that his photo collages take him ten or more hours to create.

One of the discussions we've had here at Spanish Village has to do with using the computer in our studios. We've also had discussions about creating our works of art here in our studios as opposed to at home. Certainly using a computer to manipulate photos is a legitimate creative process that can be done here in the Village.

Short Days Signal Holiday Season

Here's a photo I took several evenings ago, looking up what we refer to as the "alley" although it's really a narrow walkway between the buildings. There are studios on the right hand side and on the left is the Mineral and Gem Society building. I use to be one of the sub-lessees of the second studio on the right. That was where I was when I first came to Spanish Village in 2001. The tower at the end is part of one of the smallest studios. It use to be occupied by a paper arts artist who was my high school art teacher. We found out by mistake one day when we were talking. It had been so many years since we had seen each other and we had both married, so our names were different. But we enjoyed many pleasant conversations together while she was still here.

Today I spent working at my table outside. There weren't as many people in the Park as there were yesterday or Friday. We always blame the Chargers, our football team, if the Village is slow on a Sunday afternoon. And certain this was a day to watch them. They're in first place right now.

I worked on some plates for etching and also finished my 200+ pearl necklace. Or I should say that I've finished putting on the 200+ pearls. I'm not sure what else I'm going to do with it. I've cut the chain so that it's now 36 inches long. I want to wear it for awhile though because some of the pearls are drilled in a way that they could fall off. I want to make sure any that are going to fall off will do so before I sell it to someone. Because of the value of the pearls, it will probably be my most expensive piece.

I had several people come to visit after closing this evening. Even though we close at 4:00 p.m., there are usually at least two or three people working in their studios or around the Village. On Friday and Saturday nights we will be hosting December Nights, a Park-wide event which traditionally brings thousand of people to the Park. It's always very crowded and very festive. It's a little hard for the artists, though, because it lasts until 10:00 p.m. We keep the studios open that late. The key, I've found, is to make sure I'm prepared with warm clothes, something to eat, and lots of Christmas lights. Most people who come to the Park are not shopping for artwork. But they like to come through the studios anyway, and we try to make them feel welcome.

This week will be spent getting ready. And I need to get back to the task of working on Spanish Village business again. I made some progress, but there's a great deal more for me to do. I'm hoping that when we have elections next year, I can have an assistant to help me if I'm re-elected. There's so much more to do nowadays.

Taking Extra Care Of Details

Here's a photo I took this morning. It turned out fairly well, except for the blur at the bottom which, I'm guessing, is part of my finger. But anyway, you can finally see the studio across from me. It's Studio 19, and it belongs to Andy, the glassblower. You can see part of the glassblowing platform, too, with the awning over it. I got here so early this morning that she hadn't arrived yet. But I put out all my stands of jewelry and a variety of other items as well. Even though I have my own studio, I still have to do a lot of carrying back and forth to get everything I need outside. And I almost always forget one or two things and have to go back. But it's better than leaving them at home. That's one of the really nice features of having my own studio. I leave almost everything here. I don't try to take stuff back and forth.

There were lots of people in the Park again today, mostly just looking. I spent the time working on some pearl bracelets and then went back to working on my 200+ pearl necklace. It's still not finished. But I'm going to wear it when I go out this evening for dinner. Hopefully I can get it finished tomorrow. Even in it's unfinished state I've gotten lots of compliments for it. The pearls are so beautiful, extremely lusuturous. Of course that the nice thing about making jewelry. I can wear it myself. And actually, I try to, so that I know whether it functions properly. One of the pearls fell off yesterday. When I put it on, I was skeptical, the hole was drilled so close to the edge. It's lucky I discovered the problem and could replace it. I would feel terrible if it came off after someone purchased it.

I suppose that's one of my biggest worries, that someone will buy something that's somehow defective. I like to make sure everything is working properly and is well made. It makes me nervous sometimes when someone inspects my work. I feel they might find it wanting. So, I suppose, that's why I'm so conscious of wearing all the jewelry. I've had a few pieces that have developed problems. Some of my hand-made clasps have been properly bent and the piece has come off. Also, several times the manufactured clasp that I've purchased has given up or not closed properly. I don't like that to happen. When someone buys one of my pieces, I want them to wear it and enjoy it, not wind up being frustrated.

Learning and Teaching

Here's a photo I took several days ago, down where they teach the children's clay classes. I think it's pretty down there under that tree. And you can see the golden rain tree with the orange lantern pods on it. I do know now that the name is correct. I looked it up on the internet and found a variety of web pages about the tree and it's accompanying pest the red shouldered bug. We've been noticing those bugs all over the glass platform railing. And it seems they feed off the golden rain tree. According to what I read they are not destructive in any way. But they are all over the place. I have lived in San Diego since 1950, and I had never seen them until I got my studio. I've insert a photo of them that I got off one of the websites.

These bugs are about half an inch long. They start out all red as youngsters and then their body turns charcoal gray. This bug is an adolescent with small wings. Eventually its wings will cover its whole back and you won't see the red underbelly, just the shoulders. They've gone through their breeding cycle now, so there don't seem to be very many of them around, not like there were about a month ago. I don't know if they die out in the winter. I'll have to pay attention as the days get colder.

Anyway, there might not be as many bugs, but there were certainly lots of people in the Park today, more than we've seen in a great while. Everyone who wanted to avoid the malls and entertain their children came over to the Village and the Park as well. It looked like the "old days" of several years ago when there were streams of people walking through the Village all day long on the weekends. I hope we'll start to see more people enjoying themselves. I think it's very important that we talk to people, and that children have a chance to watch the artists at work. The schools no longer have art programs and so we remain a way to help people enjoy art.

I spent the day working on a pearl necklace that I started two days ago. It will have several hundred pearls on it when I finish. It's taken me a long time, but I want to keep going and not put it aside without finishing it. That was my sole task today. Except that my student and I went to the bead supplier after we closed up at 4:00 so that she could get some beads, wire, and tools to begin making necklaces. That was pleasant. I enjoyed teaching her. It makes me think about possibly teaching some classes eventually. I haven't wanted to, but maybe I should try it.

I have been so busy making pearl necklaces, that I forgot about making bracelets as well until I had a customer today come and look for one. So after I finish my current necklace, I'll work on some bracelets. I haven't made any bracelets for awhile, and I think my display of bracelets needs to be freshened. I like to do that with all my displays, add new pieces. I think that gives new energy that helps attract people. And frequently I will sell pieces I've just made. It's the energy.

Getting Ready For Thanksgiving - Internet Recipes

Here's a photo I took several days ago of the view from my worktable. I have to kind of laugh because if I point the camera to the right of where this photo was taken, I can never get a shot that doesn't look like it's crooked. Spanish Village was built for the Pacific Exposition in 1935, a temporary group of buildings that would be torn down at the end of the exposition. But a group of artists asked the City if they could rent it, and it has survived. The construction is casual and nothing is a very straight angle. If you sit in the main patio and try to sketch the buildings as you see them, your sketch will look like you don't understand the rules of perspective. For that reason, it's usually best to concentrate on a small area rather than a panorama, even in a photograph.

The wireless network has been down here in Spanish Village for several days. I'm not sure why, but anyway it seems okay now. If it's working, I don't question it. When it's not, I have the choice of going to troubleshoot it or taking the lazy way out and give up. One problem I run into is that if I wait until after 4:00 p.m. when the studios are closed, I don't have access to the one where the repeater is. I have no idea whether they have unplugged it, something they do upon occasion.

I was watching Good Morning America at the gym this morning. One of their reporters was visiting Plymouth, Massachussets, where the "residents" were preparing for Thanksgiving. There were various dishes on the wooden table in the thatched cottage. And the residents were dressed in 1620's costumes, attempting to show visitors exactly what life was like in those days. Even the conversation of the one of the residents reflected that she thought of herself as living in that time. But when they talked about the various food dishes they had prepared, the reporter said the recipes for the food could be downloaded from the ABC website. What did we do before the internet?

I've written some poetry that deals with the internet. I'd like to combine them with some of my etchings, a task that I'm currently working on. I have two large copper plates that I'm thinking I'll combine with a photo etched one to create some text in my artwork. Originally I talked to my professor about printing an etching and then putting the paper through the computer printer to print the text, but using a photo etched plate might be better. Then I could do the whole process myself. I don't know for sure at this point what I'm going to do. I have to think more about it.

I spent yesterday in printmaking working on a small edition of prints taken from one of the photo etched plates I created last week. Unfortunately they were over exposed, and a lot of detail was lost. But I mixed up some printing ink that was stiffer and used that, wiping carefully so that I didn't wipe off too much ink. Rembrandt use to print his etchings like that. Sometimes each etching was different from the next even though the plate was the same. He achieved differences by wiping more of less ink off the plate before he printed it. Nowadays, the acceptable way to create an edition is to print 5, 10, 25, 100, or however many prints, that all look more or less the same. But there's no reason why I can't make 10 prints all of which are different.

Working and Talking, Talking and Working

Here's a photo I took early this morning, looking towards the back parking lot. You can see that already the day was clear and the sun shining. It turned out to be quite warm today, unseasonably so. I think it was about 78 degrees. When we get air flowing from the desert this time of year, it can be very warm. I think the air/light in this photo even looks like the desert, a sort of dry crispness. Usually if we have air flowing from the water, everything is sort of misty and out of focus. I was looking at the weather forecast on my cellphone and the prediction is 64 degrees on Thanksgiving. That's much more typical. If it's foggy that day, maybe I'll get up early and come over to the Village to take more photos.

Today was a pleasant day in the Village although there were very few people here. I did explain the etching process to two women who were here before 11:00, the hour at which we're required to be open. And this afternoon I explained how freshwater pearls are cultivated, and how I use gold wire to join them together. A woman pointed out the fact when they're strung on silk, you have to get them re-strung every few years. She said she thought the wire is better in that regard. Yes, she's right, but really there's nothing like a beautiful strand of pearls neatly knotted.

My student was here again working on another necklace. She claims that her small motor skills aren't very good, but she's doing fine. I see an improvement in just one day. Yesterday she was confused by all the steps and all the tools required to bend and cut the wire, but today she was fine working on her own, and I didn't need to answer any questions. I'm happy to see her succeeding. Now she's made two necklaces. I told her to go home and compare the workmanship. I'm sure she'll see a difference, and that will be encouraging for her.

So today was a day for working. I made three necklaces. But mostly it was a day for interacting with others, visitors and artists alike. And that's one of the real benefits of being here at Spanish Village: interacting with people. I would much rather be here working on my artwork than at home by myself. I just have to discipline myself a little bit not to spend too much time talking without working. And usually it's not a problem.

Succulents and Pearls

Here's a photo I took several days ago, one of Jon's dish gardens. You can see he has combined succulents with geraniums and daisies. Well, I'm not sure they're actually daisies, but they have a daisy look about them, including their foliage. However, they have dark blue centers rather than yellow or even black. Anyway, they're not the kind of plant usually combined with succulents. That's one thing I like about Jon's gardens. They're very imaginative. And certainly we all try to aim for that quality around here.

I spent the day working on pearl necklaces. I brought a whole pile of pearls out of my studio and put them on my work table. I'm not sure how many necklaces I actually thought I was going to get made. It turned out to be two. I'm satisfied with them, but I would be happier if I had made six or eight, an impossible goal. I never get as much done as I think I'm going to.

One of the things I've been doing is adding pieces of gold-filled chain to my necklaces, to give them a richer look. However, in order to do so, I have to cut the chain, thus wasting some of it. Recently I went to a bead show where I found closed jump rings. Normally jump rings have a slit in them so that they can be opened to add something and then closed again and in some cases soldered. The problem with the open jump rings is that the thin wire I use can slip out through the slit. So I had the idea of buying closed jump rings instead of chain. I don't have to cut them, which saves time and material.

I bought as many jump rings as I could afford at the time. Also, I wanted to actually try them. I'm very happy with how they look. Now I wish I had gotten more of them. Fortunately, I saved one of the bags and they have a website. So I'll order some, from them or maybe from the place where I ordered the clasps last week. Ahhhhh, the twenty-first century is very nice, in some ways at least.

I wanted to work on my etching. I have two large plates that I want to put in the etching solution at school because there's a larger dish there. The plates won't fit in the etching dishes I have here in my studio. So, ideally, I need to get one done by Tuesday so I can have it ready to print the following week. I did get a start on one of them, but it will take time to really do the whole drawing as I envision it.

This afternoon, I had a student. I have a friend, a fellow artist from the Village, who has been asking me to show her how to do wire bending. So today, finally, we got together, after talking about it for at least a couple of years. She really enjoyed it and says she'll be back tomorrow. I hope so. I enjoyed having her, and she made a good start. It takes time and practice to perfect the technique. But by the time she left, she had a green glass bead necklace created with copper wire. The copper is easy to work with because it's soft, and it's inexpensive. If she makes a mistake, she can just cut it off and start over. I did the same thing when I first started. Now I have two other artists who want to try as well. Suddenly I've become a teacher with a waiting list. How nice. I'll practice on them and then maybe teach a class. Who knows what the future will bring.

Product Testing

Here's another photo I took yesterday morning when it was foggy. This shows a group of trees behind the Village and some of the track of the minature railroad as well. It might make a nice etching. One of the rules of composition is to show a road or any kind of line leading your eye into the picture. Certainly it does that.

I spent the day working on Spanish Village business again. However, I did spend a little time making myself a bracelet. I order some clasps from a website and before I actually use them on jewelry, I want to test them to make sure they are durable and the gold doesn't rub off. Theoritically, the gold-filled wire, chain, and clasps should retain their gold coating, but a few times I've bought what was said to be gold-filled, only to find later that it was actually gold-plated. The gold-plated clasps lose their gold covering. It wears off quickly. So anyway, I made myself a bracelet which I will wear for at least a few weeks and see how it stands up. I'll wear it in the shower, too, to test it. I'm not doing any swimming right now or it would get the pool test as well.

Now I'm off to one of the bead suppliers to look at their pearls. Pearls seem to be very popular right now. And I'm going to one of the major department stores which has just opened a branch here. Or maybe I should say, they've taken over from another chain. I'm not sure how that works. Anyway, my mother suggested I go see what they have. She says they have very nice items and the prices are reasonable. So I'm off to see.

Cellphone Photography

Here's a photo I took this morning when I went to my parents' for breakfast. This tree is much smaller than the ones that grow outside my studio and so I was able to get a closer shot of the lanterns. They look kind of like bougainvillea flowers, but they're actually the seed pods. And you can see they're beginning to fade on this tree as well. The ones on the trees at school look the same, too.

I had the day off, and I spent the morning with my parents. Then on my way to school, I stopped at one of the bookstore chains to get myself a calendar for next year. I have one now that I use to record what I do each day. Usually the entries are about the jewelry I make. I write down the price I paid for the stones and the findings, add a percentage, and then add in the labor hours. That's how I figure the price of each piece. I try to keep them reasonable especially when I've gotten a good value on the stones particularly.

So I have a new calendar for keeping track of what I make. I'm thinking of creating another one in which I write down what I've sold and what I've spent each time I go to the bead supplier. I keep track of this information in a different way, but I think writing it down in a calendar might help show me trends. And anyway, I like having journals and calendars in which I record information. It helps me feel organized on some level, even if it's just an illusion.

After choosing a calendar for my studio, I went to printmaking class. I have two large copper plates that I want to etch on and then print and add text to the prints, probably using the computer. However, the photo etching process might be a possibility, now that I'm learning more about how to do that. I created two new plates today from some photos I took with my cellphone. Unfortunately, I'm afraid they're over exposed. They didn't print very well. However, I'll try again next week, using a darker ink and less easy wipe so that the ink is stiffer. I may be able to get more of an impression than I did today. I left the plates in the sun for five minutes. When the professor saw them afterwards, he said he thought they probably should have been in the sun for only three minutes, to get the most from them. Well, it's still a learning process for me. But I enjoy doing it, and I see lots of possibilities.

I was talking to Jon and one of the other artists at the Village about clasps. I mentioned that I wanted to find large spring rings. The ones I bought here in town are all gone, and they haven't ordered any more of them. I did order some from the internet that seemed to be a good price, but they're still not large enough. However, Jon suggested a watch supplier, that he has a watch chain with a large clasp on it. So that will be my next area of research, along with all the other things I need to do.

Getting Back Online and On Track

Here's a photo I took early this morning. It's of the back of Spanish Village. Those two black spots near the middle of the photo are my studio windows. In the foreground, you can see the track of the minature railroad that runs on the track behind the Village. It's very popular with children of all ages, as they say. It only runs on the weekends. There's also a carousel back there. We can hear their music in our studios.

It was a foggy morning, and I was up early to go to the gym. Afterwards, I drove around taking photos with my cellphone. That was how I happened to take this photo of the back of my studio. I actually had been intending to do so for quite awhile, and today seemed to be the perfect opportunity. What I need to do next is use the camera that Philip loaned me. It is specifically for photographing my jewelry, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind my using it for landscapes as well. I do enjoy taking photos, and certainly I can take them easily with my cellphone. And of course I always have it with me.

Today was spent working on the wireless network. The DSL service provider claims there's incompatibility between it and the DSL line, so we have ongoing network "wars." First it works, then it gets unplugged, then there's some other problem. Someday we'll look back on this and laugh. It will seem so old-fashioned in a few years.

Speaking of old-fashioned, I had three CD's of fonts that I thought I might use to create some text in a script-looking style. But I had to laugh when I read that the CD's were compatible with Windows 3.1. They were dated 1995. Philip told me to get rid of them, and Jon said he'd take them to the thrift store for me. That's better than just throwing them away.

Aside from computer problems, which Philip solved, I spent time cleaning off the top of my inside worktable. It seems to be an ongoing battle to keep it reasonably presentable. I still don't have a place for everything. But for now, at least if I can keep everything piled up in organized, neat piles, that helps. All the etching plates in one stack, all the little plastic bags in another, etc. And this afternoon, when Andy, the glassblower next door asked me for super glue, I knew just where to find it. I guess I'd say I'm organized in patches.

While I was exercising in the gym this morning, I was watching Good Morning America on television. They've had a series going for several weeks that shows what they consider to be the seven wonders of the modern world. Today's featured wonder was the internet. It certainly has changed our lives in a number of ways. I remember using it in the late 1980's, when I worked for the government. In those days there were no graphics, just text that was maddeningly hard to edit. Now everything has URL's printed. I mentioned seeing one inside a shoe recently. Certainly they're in all the magazines, on the radio, on my cellphone. Who said the internet was a passing phase? Not me.

Learning More Lessons

Here's a photo I took at school of the vine that clings to the side of the building. You can see that more leaves have turned and some have fallen off. When I walked past the wall, my impression was that the whole had completely turned, but there are still green leaves mixed in with the others.

I spent most of the day taking care of personal business. However, I did go to school, to the printmaking class that I'm taking. I was able to print an edition from one of the photoetched plates that I created recently. It's a nice one, taken from a photo of Spanish Village, down in the sub-patio where they hold the children's clay classes, down where the towels hang on the window bars in the summer. I had prepared six more transparencies with the idea of creating at least one more plate today. However, it rained all day, a relatively unusual event for us in Southern California. Of course, we need the rain, but it did interfer with my plans. It's funny how we take our weather, and our sun, for granted.

One thing that was very interesting to me was a favor I did for the man who teachs enameling classes. He was interested in creating some etched copper to use for enameling. So I prepared a plate for him and he drew on it one day when he was at the Village. Then I put it in the etching solution for him and created the etched plate. Last week when he was in the Enamel Guild, I took it to him, and he immediately asked me if I had printed it. Well, I hadn't, but I told him I would. So I did that today. And it was a learning experience. He had removed the resist in large areas so that they would be recessed and he could eventually fill them with enamel. It's a process called champleve. But the interesting thing was that the recessed areas are not as deep as they would be if the plate were a zinc one. So the ink that was held in those large areas printed as dark brown rather than remaining relatively colorless. In addition, some of his lines were much wider than ones I normally draw. I can see from printing his plate how I can improve my own work, how I can add another dimension.

After school, I stopped at one of the bead suppliers to get pearls. They seem to be very popular right now, and I want to make up several strands. The mistake I made was not getting another strand from the supplier in Los Angeles when I was there. That place had some particularly large ones. I sold a strand of them, and now I can't find any more around here. Oh, well, live and learn.

A Handsome Jar

Here's a photo of the pottery jar I bought yesterday. It has my tea bags and artificial sweetner in it. And it's very handy. And I like the look of it. It's very pretty, I think. Handsome, my grandmother would have called it.

Today was a day for Spanish Village meetings. They were time consuming, but we accomplished a great deal in some respects. The Village is like any other small community with its ups and downs. There are always differences of opinions, but I think we all get along remarkably well, everything considered. And I find it a wonderful place to interact with other artists and to come and work. Anyone who works at home faces the inevitable distractions of their living space. Philip says he spends time thinking about taking a nap. I did, too, when I was working at home. And there are always things to attract your attention, like dust under the table, and the crooked picture on the wall. There's the laundry pile that beckons and the dogs who want to "talk" to you. Getting away to a separate studio, and being required to be here five days a week, is very good for concentration and generating new ideas.

Now I want to spend some time preparing a photo in PhotoShop that I can use to make an etching in class tomorrow. I will try working with some of the photos of the Village that I've taken with my cellphone. The camera in my new one turns out quite a good photo, as long as I remember to hold the camera steady. I try to brace my arms against my body and that helps.

Pottery Sale Sunday

Here's a photo I took early this morning of the tables of pottery in the main patio at Spanish Village. There was a great deal of beautiful work. I admit I succumbed to it myself, buying two pieces made by a potter whose work I've admired for four or five years. I'm very happy to have it. Both pieces are a bluish green color reminiscent of the green that was popular in during the Arts and Crafts movement. I suppose that's why I like it. My own house dates back to around that time period. One piece is going home with me. The other piece, a covered jar, is staying here in my studio. It now holds tea bags and artificial sweetner. It looks much nicer than the cardboard boxes. I'm gradually adding a few pieces that I enjoy. I have the vase Jon made and some clay pieces made by some of the children in the clay classes. Now I also have a mug their teacher made this summer. It's blue, yellow, and green. It's perfect for my tea. And now that the weather is turning cooler, I enjoy having a mug or two when I sit in my studio.

Today there were a large number of people in the Village. They were all interested in pottery and glass. Not many people were interested in my jewelry. But I don't mind. I enjoy seeing all the people, and I always spend my time working while I'm here, so I'm never wasting my time. In fact, that's one of the requirements of having a studio: you need to be working in it. Because we're in Balboa Park, which emphasizes education, we are required to provide education at least in an unstructured way. And we're encouraged to teach classes, too, if we want to. Certainly, Andy, the glassblower next door, teaches all the time, usually two students a day, five days a week.

I worked on some jewelry today. Sometimes I make the same style of necklace over and over again, just using different stones with the gold-filled wire. But today I tried a variation on my usual style. And I'd like to continue to push myself to try new styles, different designs.

It's funny though how pieces can sit around for awhile until I think they will never sell and then suddenly they do sell. I've had that experience several times recently. I don't really like pieces to sit around too long. I like to keep updating my work, so that everything is fresh and new. It is true that even though I use the same method of attaching stones together, I do use different sizes. I go through periods when I make small, delicate pieces. Then I go through periods when I make large, chunky pieces. Looking in the magazines for ideas is a big help. That give me ideas for proportions. And as I make more pieces, my standards of excellent go up. My workmanship is at a higher level and the materials I use are nicer. I'm fussier about the stones. I don't want to spend so much time on stones that are not a good quality.

Exchanging Ideas

Here's a photo I took in the main patio. You can sort of see the tables of pottery set up for the bi-annual Pottery Guild Show and Sale. It's one of the biggest events in Spanish Village, certainly in terms of the people who attend it. And many people arrive early to get the best selection of pottery. There's one potter who routinely sells all his pieces early in the day. By noontime his table is empty. His work is beautiful; you really have to be an early bird to get it.

The glassblowers across from me always set out tables of glass as well. Some people like both glass and pottery. I have the impression though that for the most part, the die-hard pottery lovers remain loyal to pottery. They don't seem interested in anything else. And certainly you can find beautiful pottery at the show and in the Potters' Guild itself all year round. They maintain a very high standard of craftsmanship and artistry.

I interacted with a number of people myself today, including a couple who remembered seeing my work when I was in a different studio several years ago. They found me by accident, because I happened to hang one of my etchings outside next to my worktable. They thought they recognized my style. I had a nice conversation with them, and I was happy to know that they remembered my work.

I also talked to a jeweler who liked my work and gave me some excellent suggestions for making improvements to pieces I have in my studio now. He liked the pieces that I've made from found objects such as roller bearings and fuses. I've made most of those pieces just for fun, not really to wear. I suppose they could be worn though, as long as a person realizes that they are made of objects that are base metal as opposed to silver or gold-filled wire like the rest of my pieces.

I had hoped to do some enameling this evening, but I'm not sure I will. The enamelist I usually meet with has his work in a show that's opening tonight, so I'm guessing he may not come back in time to work any more this evening. That's okay. I am getting up early in the morning, so I could profit from some extra sleep. But before I call it a night, I'm going to try to make a basket out of woven copper strips that I can enamel at some point.

Working With Photos

Look! You can see the plant beginning to die. The leaves are brown. I just noticed it this morning when I was coming across the patio after talking to the Spanish Village President. I really need to look this plant up and find out what its blooms really look like, if this is the most they bloom before they die or whether this poor plant is not surviving for some other reason. As I mentioned yesterday, there are aphids. Jon pointed them out. But the aphids are on the plant on the left and the one that seems to be dying is the one on the right. Anyway, I'm not sure aphids can do that much damage right away. Hummm . . . another subject for research.

I spent the day working on Spanish Village paperwork. But I'm getting close to the end of all of it. I still have two more sets of minutes to do, but both meetings were relatively short, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem.

While I'm working, I've put two copper plates in the etching solution. One belongs to a member of the Enamel Guild. He teaches enameling, and I promised I would etch it for him. He's coming to sit in the Guild tomorrow. And he said that he would give me an enamel lesson after closing. I put one of my plates in the etching solution, too, but I don't think I'm going to enamel on it. I might consider creating something this evening so that I could work on it tomorrow evening.

I originally got into enameling, or rather cloisonne, so that I could use it on my jewelry. The thing I learned about cloisonne jewelry is that you really have to set the cloisonne into a pin or other piece of jewelry in order to wear it. So based on that, I started taking metalsmithing. I need learn cold connections, but I really didn't learn to solder very well. I know I need to learn that to progress further than I am already. It's on my list of things to do, but I haven't gotten there yet. There are lots of things on my list that may never make it to the top. It seems like life is so busy nowadays. I just have to keep working away at everything.

It occured to me today that I need to move forward with my next etching project for school. I've done two photoetchings now. I printed an edition of the one. Now I'll do the other. I'd like to do several more that are just about the same size, so that I have a series. Or at least I want to work some more on photo etching as a way to create a combination of text with image. I thought of a series of photos of Spanish Village, and that might work, but I'd also like to do something that's a little more creative.

I did spend several hours today working on some of my photos, manipulating them in PhotoShop. The problem, as I've mentioned, is that you can be seduced into spend the whole day manipulating the photos this way and that, trying all the different color combinations and filters. It goes on forever. Then in no time, you fill up your harddrive and move onto CD's.

Technology Opens More Options

Here's another photo of the agave stalks. You can't see from the photo, but the one on the left is covered with aphids according to Jon. I hope the other won't become infected too. However, I suppose that's why both of them haven't grown and bloomed as soon as they might have. On the other hand, I have no idea how long it really takes under normal conditions.

I mentioned to Jon that if I tilt the camera so the building looks straight, then the palm tree is on a slant, and if I tilt the building . . . Jon said, "how can you tilt the building?'' Well, of course, I mean tilt it as it aligns or doesn't align with the edge of the photo. Anyway, everything tilts one way or the other. Of course that's what you learn when you study perspective. But if you painted what you really see, people would think it is wrong. That's why photography can never replace painting or drawing. They're show something different. I learned that when I took a plein air painting class. You really see that what you're painting, what looks right to the eye is not what shows up on the camera screen.

I did take a photo that I took with my phone to my printmaking class. The professor asked me if I had drawn it, and I said no, that I had manipulated it in PhotoShop. I turned it into a photo etching. It turned out well, but I think I need to try a series of them, to really get a feel for the process. I do think that taking photos of Spanish Village and other parts of Balboa Park would be a nice way to do a series of prints.

I showed him the printouts of the photos and scans of my etching plates with the resist still on them. He was interested although he said I should try printing on good rag paper, not photocopy paper. That way, the paper will last. Rag paper, actually made with cotton, is archival and will last. Photocopy paper will not. The ink in my printer is long lasting, but not archival, according to Philip. He has a new printer that prints a much larger size. He'll use it for his photos; it does have archival ink. He said he would print pieces for me. And he also has a printer that prints up to 13 inches by 19 inches which he might consider selling to me at a later time. I think I'd like having it. Then I could print some pieces myself as long as they aren't overly large.

Using PhotoShop On My Photos

Here's a photo I took this afternoon. It turned gray and cold. This morning was so warm and dry, but our Santa Ana condition is gone. The Santa Ana is created when the wind blows from the desert to the ocean, bringing the dry desert air towards us. I get onshore and offshore mixed up, but anyway, normally the wind blows from the ocean bringing us damp air. But when it blows from the desert, it's dry. Normally we have this kind of condition in the fall.

I don't feel as though I was very productive today. We had a Spanish Village Special Board Meeting to discuss an issue that we've been dealing with for awhile. Then I had a letter to write and minutes of the meeting to transcribe. That kept me busy for part of the day.

The rest of my time was spent working on some photos for my printmaking class. I wanted to prepare another photo to use for photo etching. I spent a great deal of time working with some I've taken with my cellphone camera. They turn out well, and then I can use PhotoShop to make them gray scale and also to change various aspects of them like the contrast and the line quality. Now that I have several done, I'll print them out in preparation for class tomorrow.

Photo Etching

Here's a photo I look at school. I'm such a warm-weather person that I didn't realize there is such a thing as a desiduous vine. But this vine that grows all over one end of the building, clinging to the sides loses its leaves. I have witnessed this phenomenon when I've taken the class in the past. I suppose it's a kind of ornamental grape, because it does have a little dark berry on it. Anyway, it grows in a very regular pattern up the side of the building. You can't really see the pattern here, but it looks like rows of leaves, as though they have been arranged by a computer, as though they are a canned pattern from PhotoShop or Windows or something.

I did go to printmaking class today. The professor was absent. He was having eye surgery. He'll be back on Thursday. We had a substitute, another instructor who teaches color theory. She was grading papers, and she explained the exercise to one of the students. Many people over the years have recommended the color theory class. Apparently it takes a great deal of work, but the rewards are large as well. I wouldn't mind taking it at some point. I'd also like to take the book arts class. It's just a matter of finding the time. I'm struggling with that right now.

I printed another edition of the photo etched plate I printed week before last. I wanted to print it again because it was difficult to wipe properly and prints didn't look the same. This time around, I was more careful about how I wiped the extra ink from the plate before I printed it each time. They look much better now. I'm hoping I can prepare another one of my photos to etch on Thursday. It depends on how much time I can snatch for myself from the performance of Spanish Village business. We have another special board meeting tomorrow morning, and I'm guess there will be more work for me. Oh, well. Someday I'll catch up, I hope.

Would An Apron Make Me More Efficient?

Here's a photo of my display table in my studio. It has lots of display stands on it. However, when I sit and work outside on weekends, I take most of it outside with me. That leaves the studio rather bare of jewelry at least. So I'm thinking about getting more display stands so that I can keep a number of them inside even when I'm outside. That way if people do walk into the studio, it still looks presentable. I don't get a great deal of traffic inside, but I do get some. And last weekend a woman chose a necklace that she found inside.

Display is, or can be, tricky. When I make a new piece, necklace or bracelet, I wear it. That way I know whether it is constructed properly and the clasp works, etc. And when I wear the various pieces, I always get compliments on them. But frequently, when I put them on the display stands, they aren't really shown off to their best. For example, if I make a necklace out of tourmaline, a stone I particularly like, it turns out rather dark. Against a pale neck, mine or someone else's, it's fine, but displayed on black velvet, it doesn't show up nearly as well. I've considered other colors besides black, but the other color of most displays is white. I think that seems too impractical and would likely get grubby very quickly. There's so much dust around here. So I'm sort of in a quandry about my displays. I've thought of making my own out of papier mache, but I can't see that happening anytime soon.

Anyway, today will most likely be spent on Spanish Village paperwork, meeting minutes and so forth. There's always something more to do. Maybe late in the day I can make one necklace. I always like to try to make at least one item everyday. I like making things. In fact, I never get tired of it. I'd like to work on some etching, too, but I have on good clothes. I don't want to splash etching solution on my nice shirt and pants. I need an apron. I had an old shirt, but it's at home. Gosh, there are so many things I could use to make my life more efficient. Will I ever get there? Sometimes I wonder.

Who's Copying Whom?

Here's a photo I took this evening of the moon. Can you tell which light it is? It's on the right, but not the far right. I took it from the glassblowing platform. John, the guy who comes around and collects cans, called to me from across the Park to tell me to look at it. Unfortunately by the time I went outside, it had wasn't as large and covered with clouds as it was when he first saw it. I took the photo of the moon at about 5:30. It was dark already.

There weren't very many people in the Park today. But it does seem there are a few more these days than there were during the summer. I spent the day working on jewelry. I wanted to make some pieces with the stones I found on my trip to Los Angeles. I realize that when I buy new strands of beads, I need to make them into necklaces while I still feel inspired and have an idea in my mind. If I wait too long, I'm off in a different direction with a new idea before they're all made. That leads me to believe that I should never buy very many new strands at a time. However, there are certain strands, certain types of beads, that I'm always using. I like small garnets and pearls. They're nice in between larger beads like tourmaline. Actually, pearls and garnets will go with almost any stone. They're so classic.

My mother saves jewelry catalogs and fashion magazines for me, and I spend time looking through them. Sometimes I find a piece that will suggest a new idea to me. Also, I think it's important to keep my eye up-to-date. We all do that by looking at television, magazines, store merchandize. There are new colors, new shapes that look wonderful, that make our belongs seem old and outdated. So it happens automatically, but I think I can increase my level of awareness by looking at magazines and consciously taking note of current colors and styles.

I believe in a cosmic consciousness. Consider in the old days how scientists working in different parts of the world would make the same discovery. It's less surprising nowadays because we're really a global village in terms of our exposure to media. The internet has done that for us.

Today, when I opened one of the catalogs my mother saved for me, I would swear the designers were copying my work. Several necklaces were extremely similiar to ones I made six or eight months ago. But that's impossible, because my work isn't visible on the web at this point. I just think it's because I'm tuned into the universal energy and my creativity, my eye, is moving in the same natural progression that other designers are experiencing. However, it's nice to know that I'm successfully keeping my eye up-to-date. That encourages me.

Celebbrating Life and Death

Here's a photo I took this afternoon. I'm not sure how well it shows, but the lantern pods on the tree are beginning to lose their bright orange color. They're turning a pale salmon. I'm sure they'll begin to fall more rapidly now. And it won't be long before the leaves follow. We don't ever have really cold weather here, especially this close to the ocean, but some of the trees turn bright colors and lose their leaves anyway. To tell the truth, I don't remember whether the leaves on this tree turn completely yellow and fall off or whether they just gradually turn and fall. This year I'll pay attention.

Today there seemed to be a fair number of people in the Park, walking around, enjoying the bright fall day. I was cold, because now that the sun is lower in the sky, my outside worktable is in the shade all day, only getting a little sun in late afternoon. Before the days become shortest, I'll lose all my sun. But I'm encouraged by the fact that there are only about another seven weeks before the days begin to lengthen.

I worked on the rosary of skull beads to go with the etched copper cross that I made for my Dia de los Muertos piece. This evening, I went over to the gallery early so that I could add it to my installation. I also added some shawls to give it affect. I took some photos and I'll try to lighten them in PhotoShop and post them.

My piece consists of an old desk drawer that Jon gave me. The orginal plan was to mount it on a camera tripod. That worked really well until I started putting things in the drawer. Then it tipped over. Fortunately, the gallery manager is a good problem solver. She suggested a large pedestal that they have. It was perfect, just the right size. And when I draped the shawls over it, the affect was softened. I filled the drawer with momentos, travel souvenirs and things that represent the events of everyday life. After all, no matter how much traveling you do, no matter how many monumental events occur in your life, in the end it still boils down to the everyday events, living through the day-to-day events of grocery shopping, paying bills, doing laundry, cooking dinner. And it's on those everyday events that you build a life for yourself and hopefully with another person if you're fortunate. That's what I wanted to show.

The opening reception was this evening. The show consists of a great many creative pieces; almost all of them are installations. In other words, the artist takes a number of separate items and arranges them together in a way that makes a statement. But unlike something like a painting that can be carried from one place to another, an installation has to be reinstalled or reassembled each time it is moved. And it very likely won't turn out exactly the same each time. Each one in this exhibit is so different from the next. Some are tributes to a specific person, some represent a rememberance of a class or group of people. And we all put so many candles on our altars that the heat forced many of us outside into the cool evening air.

Ordering Supplies From Websites

Here's a photo I took a few days ago. You can see how much the "branches" on the main stalk have grown and are beginning to have blossoms on them. Despite the fact that the main stalks seem to have grown so quickly, now it seems to be taking a long time at this point for the flowers to really develop. But, on the other hand, I am not sure what the flowers will look like. I think I imagined a cluster of flowers that are located much closer together. These seem more spread out, but they're not finished blooming yet. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Today was a studio day, but mostly one for catching up on various tasks. And I spent time working on my Dia de los Muertos piece. Jon is attaching a tripod to the desk drawer he gave me awhile back. I've already create a liner for the drawer and some photos that I've printed out. Right now I'm in the process of etching the two pieces of the copper cross that I've made. It still has about another hour to go. It's going to be awhile before the whole project is done and delivered. I'm trying to get everything done tonight, but I suppose I could deliver it tomorrow morning before I come to the studio.

I spent some time this afternoon ordering some jewelry findings from a website. I've been having trouble finding large enough spring rings. The ones I ordered from the internet are not as large as I'd like, but they're better than what I can get here in town. I will eventually get to the place where I can order more items from the internet, because for the most part the prices are lower.

Getting Back In the Groove

Here's a photo looking across the patio toward Studio 6, the one with the lights on. The studio holder is the artist who teaches pottery class to children in the summer and on Saturdays during the school year. She also teaches adults on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. I like to see the lights on in the studios at dusk. Unfortunately this photo doesn't show them as well as I would like.

I've been having problems with my new cellphone. One of the problems, I must admit, were operator error. Anyway, now I understand where to save the photos on my new phone so that they are then uploaded to the website where I can get them.

I spent the day on various personal tasks including my cellphone. I did also work on my Dia de los Muertos piece. Even though yesterday was technically the first day of the show, the reception isn't until Saturday night, and the gallery curator told me I could bring the piece in tomorrow. That gives me time during the day to finish it up.

There's lots to do tomorrow besides working on my piece for the show. I've got minutes to work on for Spanish Village, and the Chairperson of Gallery 21, our rotating gallery, called me to say that she wants me to look at some submissions for next year's shows. Apparently I volunteered to be on the jury committee. I like being on the committee, but of course it will take time, like everything else.

Another strange technological thing happened to me today. When I got to my studio and logged onto the internet via my web browser, I noticed that all the bookmarks seem to have disappeared. I called Philip, thinking he might know the answer, but he's clueless. I'll ask Jon when I see him. He has a key to my studio, but I don't think he was using the computer. So that's a new technological issue, probably one I'll never solve.

Taking Time To Keep In Touch

Who knows when I'll get to the computer again. My special friend told me this morning that my blog posts from my cellphone aren't working out quite right. Apparently, there's a problem when I use an apostrophe. It comes across as nonsense. Happy Halloween, I guess. Actually I noticed it when I sent the first post from my phone.

Anyway, here I am at the hotel in Los Angeles, and they provide computers for the guests to use. I tried to get to my cellphone provider to download the proper photo that shows where we're staying, but it doesn't recognize the password I typed in. I guess I have the wrong one, although I'm surprised at that. Oh, well, I suppose there will always be some technology disconnects in life.

My cousin has gone off to the doctor, and I'm going to sit down and work on some more jewelry when I finish here. It's been nice to have a little vacation, a chance to get away and then return home with a new perspective. Anyway, I hope I'll return home with a new perspective.