Dearest reader,

I am so sorry to have kept you in the dark. I have only myself to blame for being lax on this whole thing.

I was hoping that I could go longer with this whole 'do something creative every day thing,' but as usual I have fallen of the wagon.

Softball, clarinet, tennis, soccer, rock climbing, swimming, the flute...

The list goes on.

I have always had a tough time keeping up with things I start, and it makes me very sad that this is another thing that I have messed up.

...

Enough of being sorry for myself! I am going to be on an extended hiatus for a while, just keep an eye open for me, and root for me please!

Until next time...

Yours, the artist

Dearest reader,

I apologize for my absence- I have no excuse, and I will try to make sure it does not happen again!

Since I missed uploading for the last three days, I had an art extravaganza this morning. I tried out a few new mediums (to me) and did some more sketches of pots.

Enjoy!

Yours, the artist

Fun with Sumi ink!

I went a wee bit crazy with the sumi ink...

 Acrylic paints! Bursting with color!

Sketches of pots! In pen! 

Dearest reader,

I love crayons.

They are waxy and colorful, entirely too easy to use, and remind me of my childhood.

Hence, upon my first visit to Beth's Cafe in Seattle, I colored with crayons.

And it was glorious.

(the corned beef has was pretty good too!)

Yours, the artist

Dearest reader,

I cannot say that I am an artist, but I can say that I am a potter.

I learned how to throw on the wheel around when I was eleven, and have been doing so ever scine. I went to school for ceramics. I attended workshops. I went to NCECA in Tampa. All these things I have done, and I feel they make me a potter.

Why do I consider myself a potter, and not an artist? Well, I feel that pottery is mainly a skill. A creative skill and one that can be stretched conceptually as far as any other medium, but really at base a skill that anyone can learn. Pottery is a mundane thing, after all. Our plates and cups have been made from clay for centuries and today handmade pottery is making a comeback as the household china of choice.

To me, being a potter but not an artist is not a contradiction. I have struggled long to become competent in technique in clay, but my concepts are lacking. I feel that because of this, I am not an artist in that area.

I make pots. You can use them everyday. They may not be beautiful, but they do what they are meant to do.

This opens up the whole can of worms concerning what is 'art' and what is 'craft.' I feel like maybe one of those terms is an umbrella term. I would say that 'art' covers everything done to expand another persons world by beauty, truth, insult, or confusion. then 'craft' would be things done with more utilitarian prupose. the quiet objects that continue to please day after day. 'Fine art' would be to me the traditional arts-painting and sculpture- the arts that have been around the longest.

But, as with any artist, dearest reader, my mind changes on a whim.

In the sprit of being a potter, I sketch pots and bowls and vessels constantly. I hope you do not get bored!

Yours, the artist

A vase for Thursday

A tea bowl for Friday 

Dearest reader,

At last! I am caught up!

This sketch is one I did tonight. I had the idea for it on my way home when I was done with work. I had a scary second of thinking that the yield sign was a very tall, dark, hunched over figure. I had the strange feeling it was looking at the moon.

I would like to paint this one in dark colors with possible the detail in the bottom right being some kind of blooming explosion or sunrise or something along those lines. I hope I can execute it the way I saw it in my head, but that remains to be seen. The sketch will serve to remind me of my idea.

I have lots of ideas when I am driving. I think my brain relaxes into the steady concentration needed for driving, but then my subconscious wakes up and starts seeing and thinking and putting things together. I have lots of my best ideas come to me this way.

For example, a gallery installation felt entirely through your feet!

Through your shoes, of course.

Although bare feet would have to be personal prerogative...

In any way you want to feel it, I suppose, dearest reader!

Done on regular ol' sketch paper with a regular ol' pencil.

Yours, the artist

Dearest reader,

As I write this, I am looking at the product of my labors last night, meant to be posted last night, but not because I fell asleep before I could make it to my computer.

I made a crane.

I fold paper all the time, and I was casting about for ideas and lit upon making a paper crane. Instead of boring old origami paper, I decided t use an old calendar photo I had stashed away in my magical cupboard of paper and cards.

Since I work at a store that sells such things, I bought a grab-bag of scrap booking stuff (paper, ribbon, charms, etc.) and proceeded to fold and decorate a crane.

I think it looks like a turkey.

A fancy turkey, to be sure, but I was going more for the 'spirit of fall' kind of thing. Oh well. It is kinda fall-ish, but a bit too artsy crafty for my taste.

But, in the grand scheme of things, I think its okay that I made this crane, dearest reader. I set out to kick myself in the but creatively, and even though I feel like I am starting out small, it feels good.

Do not let me do it too often!

Yours, the artist

Turkey crane!

Dearest reader,

I have returned! I apologize for my absence, but there were thing to be done and places to see this weekend in the beautiful mountains and town of Leavenworth. I had a great time up there with my handsome fiancee, but now I am back and ready to get back to work.

I did in fact make some art while I was up there, but I have to warn you that it is all in pen. When I reach for a drawing utensil, nine times out of ten it will be a pen. I have just never gotten used to the pencil being a first-choice drawing implement.

Ah well, as long as I did something, I am happy.

And I did do something, but they just a few sketches. I did one from real life, but the other two are from my brain. Monday I also missed uploading, but that as because the night before I was at work until very late.

So, I will give them to you, dearest reader, and you can judge for yourself!

Yours, the artist

Postscript: I will be uploading the art for today this evening after work.

 This one is from Sunday, and is from my brain. 

 These little guys are from Monday, and are also from my brain. 

This one is from Saturday out in the wilds of Leavenworth. 

Dearest reader,

I have not had this blog going for more then a week before I already mess up. I was hoping I could be more disciplined then this, but I guess that is what I am working towards.

I missed making art yesterday.

Its true, I admit it. I was a bad person and went to the UW Husky game instead. Was it worth it? Aw yeah! Go dawgs! 17-13 against Stanford! Woo!

*ahem*

...Back to the art. Or the lack thereof.

In order to make up for the lapse, I made two pieces today, dearest reader. Not my best, but then again nothing is. The first is a picture entirely drawn with highlighters, expo pens, colored pens, etc. All in my favorite color temperature. The second was a bit of an experimental piece- I used my moms water soluble oil pastels to make a picture of my new iphone 4s in different colors. Cool stuff, but kinda finicky.

Unfortunately, I am not going to be able to post for the next two days- I am headed on a trip to a mountain hideaway. But, I promise to make a piece for each day I am gone.

I trust you will make me keep to my promise!

Yours, the artist

The view from my desk/window

The candy coated iphone

Dearest reader,

I write to you now yawning my head off. Today has been a busy day, filled with errands and laundry and all sorts of sundries and such. I did manage to get something done today, but I am unfortunately not up for a long post about it.

I made a sunset.

With paper, watercolor crayons, and some super sparkly paints I found in my moms workroom/studio. Better pictures to be had on the morrow.

Forgive my short and sweet post, dearest reader!

Yours, the artist

Dearest reader,

In the pursuit of artistic opportunities, there can be many avenues. Different media, different concepts, and different methods of putting those two together. Artists across the globe have defined processes and creative outlets that they use to astound, dismay, and offend.

And then there is me.

Being the kind of person I am, I like to observe things. I watch people, I count birds, I pick up thing from the ground that most people walk right on by (like nuts and bolts. No one picks those up, but I do!). I try to find interest or beauty or humor in anything I see, and it has served me well so far. Observing in such a way has indeed led to interesting art projects and funny sketches.

Which brings me to this morning.
In the shower.
With a bunch of hair.

Everyone knows the experience- well, females with longish hair mostly- your washing your hair, you rinse, you come away with a bunch of hair strands in your hand from wherever the heck they were hiding on your scalp.

If you are me, you stick it on the shower wall until you are done, then roll it up into a 'hair bug' (my mothers term) and toss it.

Not today!

Today, I realized I had an opportunity to play around with this hair. Everyone has done that before, right? Swirling hair all over the walls to see how it moves and comes into lines that can be so easily disrupted by a stray splash of water, right? Right?

Well, maybe its just me, dearest reader.

In any case, I took some time playing with the hair schmeared (not a word, but one I say) over my showers tile wall and came up with a bit of a portrait. I am not very good at portraits, so I think you will agree that it is not pretty. I added some things here and there, but I still think it is not going to get into the Modern any time soon...

Maybe in a retrospective after my death? ;)

Yours, the artist

Dearest reader,

So, on the first day of my grand effort to kickstart my creativity and reclaim my identity as an artist, what do I do? Why, errands of course. None of which had to do with art in any way (unless you count getting new glasses an art form) and took me an hour or so.

So, no art during the day.

Then, before I could will myself into being the creative person I hope I am, I had to go to work. Admittedly, I work at a frame store where I get to be creative with other peoples art, but its not really the same as putting your hot little hands all over something and then being able to say 'yeah, thats mine."

So, no art during the evening.

Disgusted with myself for being a lazybones about my promise to myself and to you, dearest reader, I arrived home determined to do something before day one was up. I then proceeded to bang out the quickest, ugliest sketch of the road at night I have ever seen, and called it good.

So, crummy art at around 10 o' clock.

I really can't even call it art! A sketch is a brain fart on paper- quick, dirty, and easily glossed over with bigger and better things. But, in my mind, its something to get me going, and really thats all I want.

And you, dearest reader, to kick me in the butt when I lapse!

Yours, the artist

The quick and dirty inspiration...

The quick and dirty sketch. 

Dearest reader,

I have a mother who has a fabric studio I was always allowed to steal from. My sister has a dremel tool I was able to borrow. My dad has power tools and screwdrivers I could use to take apart and put things back together again. I went to workshops, kids classes, hung out in the art classroom after hours at my high school.

I went to college for art. I took ceramics classes, drawing classes, jewelry classes. I attended guest lectures and went on field trips to museums. I hung out at the art building all hours and even made waffles there at 3 am....

But I don't feel like an artist yet.

Having been out of college for several months now (and with a bachelors of fine arts degree to prove I made it) I now feel less like an artist then I ever have in my life. I have always thought of myself as an artist, but I never had to quantify it. I was creative, therefore, I was an artist. I feel like now I have lost that confidence to say, 'yes i am an artist!'

So, in order to help myself feel more like I did when I was a kid, I am devising a project. I will create work every single day in whatever medium I want for at least a year. Drawing, sculpture, vast mixed media or sound installation, I will try as much as I can and not look back.

My bedroom will be my studio. My garage will be my workshop. And my parents....they'll be unwilling guinea pigs every now and then.

I hope this helps me jumpstart my creativity. I hope this helps me feel like an artist again. I hope this makes me feel like less of a fraud.

Keep me on my toes!

Yours, the artist