Work In Progress!

I've been working on this doll a little bit here and a little bit there. I have to finish her hands and glue her into the wooden stand after I paint and varnish it (the stand).

I need to practice sculpting faces some more. I can see from some of the photos that her nose is quite crooked and her eyes are looking in different directions. :)

Her face and neck are sculpted from polymer clay. She has a soft body over a wire armature. I hand dyed the cloth for her dress and robe. Except for a little decorative stitching around her hood she is entirely hand stitched. It takes some time but I really enjoy it. Her face and eyes have been painted with oils and acrylics and her hair is made from wool. I have real doll hair in blonde, brunette and red, but I prefer the wool. She stands around 22 inches tall.

I haven't chosen a name for her yet nor do I know her story. It will come to me eventually when I'm vacuuming or washing the dishes.

Last night I started a drawing for the first watercolor I have done in over a year or more. It will become my Christmas card for this year. I hope I still remember how to paint!

Cleveland





 A lot has happened in my life since these photos of our trip to California in August were taken. Some good and some bad.

I haven't had a lot of time to spend in my studio and there are so many things that I want to do in there. Sometimes I think I would like to go away somewhere by myself for a month and just paint.

Two of my beloved cats have died, Hermione and Cleveland, and I miss them so much. A third cat, Simon, a stray that we took in three years ago is ill. Although Roman and Ickles are healthy and well it seems so quiet around here. We have decided to adopt a new cat, Bailey. She belongs to a friend of ours who can't keep her anymore. She lives in Alberta and will have to be flown here. I'm so excited!

Me standing in front of a giant redwood tree

I also made the decision in May to go gray. I woke up one morning and realized I did not want to dye my hair anymore. Here's a great website, Going Gray Looking Great that has made my transition so easy.

I'm looking forward to the cooler days and longer nights and time spent working on dolls and painting and making new jewelry, and nights cuddled in bed with a good book. :)

And we're not moving to Omaha!

John and I on a hike through the redwood forest.

Jewelry!

Life is very busy! I'm getting ready to take a much needed break with John to San Francisco. We'll explore the coast and relax and drink wine and explore some more. I really can't wait! :)

New Jewelry!

Have a great weekend!

I'm Back!

Today I signed up to participate in The Sketchbook Project! You can follow the link and sign up too! It looks like a lot of fun!

The summer is progressing nicely although it got off to a late start. I've been painting, sculpting, making jewelry and sewing in my studio and not photographing any of it or updating my blog.

I've been reading the poetry of Mary Oliver and I am almost finished this book, Sing Them Home. I bought the book because the story is situated in a fictitious town in Nebraska and my family and I may be moving there within the next six months! I also liked the image on the cover. If I like a book cover I will pick it up and read the back and if it sounds interesting I will buy it. I have about twenty books that I am currently reading, fiction and non-fiction.

I just got this treasure of a book in the mail and am working my way through some of the projects. I love getting things in the mail, don't you?

New Earrings!

Art Dolls & Journals!

Esme has fed the chickens and is now free to read.

A hand bound journal with tea stained pages with a resin filled frame on the front with text.

Treasury East!

One of my journals has been included in an Etsy Treasury featuring artisans from Newfoundland. Thank you Julie!

Art Dolls

This is Brigid and she's a gypsy. She's my second art doll. I sculpted her face and hands out of paper clay. Her clothes have been made with recycled clothing and the bag hanging from her waist is made with tea-stained muslin. Her hair is made from wool and the earrings are made from steel wire.

This is my very first art doll, Morgaine. She's my learn how doll. I sculpted her face out of polymer clay. She's old and had a very hard life which shows in her face. She spends so much time walking in the woods that the birds have made a birds nest in her hair.

I like working with paper clay much more than polymer clay. Paper clay is easier to smooth and can be sanded when dry and air dries. These are my first sculpted faces and I have to say that I LOVE sculpting. I'm totally hooked! I'm starting my third doll tonight.

Today I spent an uninterrupted afternoon in the studio. What a treat! This morning I dropped my car off for an oil and transmission fluid change, did some errands with John, came home and put the groceries away and cleaned the kitchen. With coffee and laptop in hand, I headed to the studio to finish an order for Johnny Ruth and my Etsy customers. I also made some new earrings for my shop. The jewelry is now in the tumbler where it will tumble all night long.

I'm very happy to have received some new beads in the mail and I can't wait to use them. I have more on the way.

Happy Weekend!

I recently started working with copper wire and I love it. It is so versatile! And I don't have to tumble it like I do steel wire. I can make the earrings, oxidize them and photograph them all at once.

With steel wire I tumble it for hours and hours to shine the wire. So I'll make the jewelry and I won't be able to photograph, edit and list on Etsy until the next day.

I really like the way copper looks when it's hammered, oxidized and sanded. So cool!

Here are a couple of new designs.

Hand Bound Canvas Covered Journal

I have a lot of heavy sailing canvas in my studio that is just perfect for the covers of my journals.

It's stiff enough so that I don't have to gesso the canvas before I begin to paint on it. Anything goes and I get the creative fix I need.