segment maier sexual

Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark.  George Iles 

After a day working on the black-on-black little quilt I decided I really need to get to the studio first thing to finish up the Twins quilting-  or at least work on it- so I was here and ready to work at 8:30.  Made myself a cup of coffee and there, still stuck in my slippery-sloped sink, was that tiny little lizard I saw on the other day but figured he's get out on his own.  Today had to be rescue day so I chased him around trying to capture him in a plastic yogurt cup but gave up on that because he was too fast and the cup too small.  I got a bigger quart size, trapped him, and got him moved to the outside.  I don't know how he will do without air conditioning but he will have to fend for himself from now on.  Unfortunately for him as soon as I landed him in the grassy plot of happiness, a major tropical downpour started.  He is only an inch long, doubt he will make it after being used to living in a sink...  I am feeling 'cruel and unusual' while 20 minutes ago I was an animal rights activist.  In my head.

But back to the big quilt-  I managed to get four or five lines sewn across before the computer started cutting out again.  It is SO annoying to have to restart the thing every time I stop sewing, wait, and proceed.  I did finally decide on how to do some shadowing along their legs and in their smiling mouths and finished that up, with maybe one more pass with the brush before it dries out completesy.  So, I am taking a break from that, waiting for the ceiling to cave in from the massive rainstorm, and instead catching up blog-wise.  And I wonder why I don't get stuff done.  

With my budding book-making skills I need to make a new little box for my coffee tables to hold the GD remotes which have grown to FOUR.  I've been picking papers and will check measurements when I return home so they fit perfectly and can be easily grabbed.  I have lots to chose from but it's hard to find four coordinating pieces that are big enough to cover all the parts.  My book board is out ready to cut and I have to find some little legs for the bottom but with my huge box of buttons and beads I know there's something in there waiting to be discovered.  Silver, it needs to be silver.  One more pass with the machine, one more dig through the papers, wash the brushes, and hope that it stops raining long enough to get to the car because I wore my sparkly shoes today!   Can't get them wet...

Honeycomb Figures-     This might be one of the most amazing artistic collaborations I’ve ever seen… Canadian artist Aganetha Dyck, and a whole bunch of bees! I’m going to let Aganetha describe this project, because she can do a much better job than I can:

'First, a clarification; I am not a beekeeper. I rent the colonies of honeybees, bee hives, and apiary space from a qualified beekeeper. All my work with honeybees is overseen by a scientist and is always completed under the direction of a beekeeper. The beekeeper takes care of the bees. I am an artist interested in environmental issues and in inter-species communication, specifically interested in the power of the small. My ongoing research asks questions regarding the ramifications all living beings would experience should honey bees disappear from earth.'

She finds second hand figurines, cleans them up and carefully places them in the hives for the bees to 'fix' with their wax.  Occasionally she pulls one out and returns it for additional work-  the process is fascinating and I adore the collaborative work!

Here I should show some fabulous encaustic work, but instead I'll show you some Other Stuff with bee simpatico-  like a decoupage tray with honeycomb and bees on the surface: 

 Or this experimental encaustic wax piece that unintentionally...

 looks way too much like cauliflower.  But it was sure fun to do

9 Ways to Boost Your Artistic Creativity  (last one!)

9. Find other artists and teachers to work with

Isolation can make common problems seem bigger than they are, or make you feel like you’re the only one with these troubling issues.

But the truth is, every other artist goes through the same thing, and can empathize with your situation, or even help you work through it. So connect with others in similar situations and learn from them.

It’s an unfortunate fact of life that everything ebbs and flows. . . even creativity. And while we would love for our creativity to to just flow out of us, whenever we want it, sometimes we need a few “tricks up our sleeves” to move out of the ebb, and back into the flow.

Hopefully a few of the techniques above have already resonated with you, but if not, I encourage you to give one or two a try. More creativity is always a plus, wherever you get it.

Good luck!

You may have never heard of the Droste effect, but you’ve seen it before in loads of artworks. The effect sees one image repeated, seemingly in infinite repetition, within the same image. What you probably haven’t seen is that effect realized in a sand sculpture. Carl Jara did just that with his sculpture “Infinity” at the Hampton Beach Master Sand Sculpting Competition in New Hampshire. In his sculpture we see a figure holding a smaller version of himself atop his palm, and a smaller version atop that figures palm, and on and on to infinity… well, not quite. What is probably the most surprising part of the sculpture is those massive fingers popping out of the beach, revealing the presence of an even larger figure below the sand.

                                   

And to top things off, I thought maybe you'd like a change from the squirrel thing, so I'm under the waters today with a vintage print found at Biblioddysey to complete the land/sea/air theme:

(Yeah, I think squid are pretty interesting too, even before they are calimari.)