Happy Halloween!

Scarlet's Halloween costume:) She is so much fun to take pictures of when she is in one of
her sillly moods.

Jodie's Goals

Okay so besides the usual goals of finishing my pieces on time and working in my studio in general I've been thinking a lot about HOW to get more time in the studio and how to get it
on a regular basis and I've come up with a studio re-vamp plan:

-I am almost done polishing the floor & touching up the walls paint to help make it somewhere I WANT to hang out:)

-One of the problems with my studio is that I have three small surfaces to work on instead of just one large one. For me too many surfaces=places for clutter and half finished projects. My sister is helping me design and build a desk that will be higher (more ergonomical) and larger to replace my current mish-mash.

-Create a space for Scarlet to work along with me & spend time working together! (Duh! Long overdue!)

I will take some pics of my progress and let you all know how it works out!

Susan: I'd like to do something photography related with you:) Any ideas? topics you are thinking about? Do you want to collaborate or just challenge each other? Let me know!! I'm up for anything that will get me off my arse;)

Kris: I've been collecting things but haven't started tubes yet...I'll let you know when I do!

More soon:)

Wish I could fly!

Definately not for the Birds....For me!

Hello Ladies - I've been spending lots of time thinking about art, not so much doing. Kris - You were asking about studio habits. I've noticed, I'm a thinker. I spend my dreams, extra time, and driving time, thinking about what I want to do in the studio. It's not mixed with guilt, I feel like I'm there in my thoughts. Weird. I find that I just want to create in the studio not think. I wonder if I can change that habit. Maybe I should read in there, or just be in there and that would change? Maybe I don't need to change that. Now I'm rambling.

Idioms - Yes, Kris let's do Bird of a Feather Flock Together

Jodi - are you interested in exploring As Free as a Bird?

Susan - Can I talk you into... A Bird in the Hand is Worth Two in the Bush?

I'm going to the studio right now!!!!!! Cheers ladies.

shannon in the studio!

contemplating the chickens...

writing from the studio tonight

so good to be home for almost 24 hours.
(arrived up north at 3:30am last night.)
lush and quiet and cold here.
unpack, laundry, work, cook... studio.

and here i sit.
i have a list, but not sure where to start.
tempted to climb in bed, read, sleep.
but i'll stay here a little longer.
struggling a little, but giving myself permission to just be in here.
cutting out prints, mindless work, and typing on this blog.

sometimes, i seem to need to putz around in here a bit, before i can actually start making.
tidy up, organize, shift things around, play music, light a candle.
do you guys do this?
have a ritual? process?
or am i procrastinating?
wasting valuable time??

i have decided, i'll fill one sketchbook page tonight, at least, before bed... here it is!
two birds with one stone?

'studio is a sanctuary'

i loved seeing the studio spaces at the open studios in oregon this weekend with shannon.
i especially liked seeing sara swink's space and clay pieces.
take a look:

http://www.claycircle.com/

also, a vid about her here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPM6KzfYnPA

she speaks about her process, and i can really connect with what she has to say about her subconscious ideas and thoughts revealing themselves through the clay.
she really seems to trust her way of creating.

found this bit of writing in sara's studio, and asked her permission to photo it. (click and zoom for easier reading.)
'studio is a sanctuary'

Goals for Shannon

Goals - Hmmmm

1. Enter work into shows. Just applied to Beaverton Visual Arts Showcase. It's open to Oregon artists, Susan????? Jodi??????
2. Create just because I can. Creating to create for me has always been tough. I'm a person who is driven by deadlines/structure.
3. Get in my studio at least once a week, even if it's just for an hour. It should be at least an hour. This is going to be tricky!!!! I can do it.
4. Try something new.
5. Play with Emma in the studio more. Nurture her love of this space and the time we have here together.
6. Blog on Sunday's

I think that's it for now. This piece inspired me at Open Studios. I like the push and pull. Ideas are brewing, need them out of my head and on the wax soon.

Bird Idioms Kris & Shannon Anyone else?

Kris and all - I hit the jackpot of bird idioms and they are getting me excited! I'm liking the idea of connecting this to the studio. For example, if I'm free as a bird, I'm allowing myself to be unhindered, free and create in my studio. Get it? Here are a few for your consideration:

free as a bird - Cliché carefree; completely free and unhindered.

bird in the hand is worth two in the bush - Prov. Having something for certain is better than the possibility of getting something better.

bird's-eye view - Lit. a view seen from high above.

Birds of a feather flock together. - Prov. Similar people tend to associate with each other.

early bird - Fig. a person who gets up early. (this would be ME!)

Eat like a bird- Fig. to eat only small amounts of food; to peck at one's food.

For the birds - worthless; undesirable.

It's an ill bird that fouls its own nest. - Prov. Only a foolish or dishonorable person would bring dishonor to his or her self or his or her surroundings.

Kill two birds with one stone - Fig. to solve two problems at one time with a single action.

Little bird told me - Fig. a way of indicating that you do not want to reveal who told you something.

The early bird catches the worm. - Prov. If you wake up and get to work early, you will succeed.

A bird's eye view - a view from a very high place which allows you to see a large area We had a bird's eye view of the old town from the top of the city walls.

A bird-brain (informal) - a stupid person

Birds of a feather flock together. - something that you say which means people who have similar characters or similar interests will often choose to spend time together

Hmmmmmmm Can we work with one of these? I like the idea of coming from the same place but creating our images at the same time and see where it takes us. Well not exactly at the same time but you get the idea.

Anyone else game for an idiom? I like them very much, they make me happy.

goals

some goals i have that are related to this project:
- read, post new artwork, and inspiration on this blog at least once a month (thanks, shannon! fantastic name.)
- mail my three pieces out before february 14th
- remove obstacles that i allow to keep me out of the studio, both physical and psychological (move clutter to storage. rearrange priorities to schedule time for the studio.)
- improve accountability and time management when it comes to my artwork. (i do this well in my career life, but struggle with it in my artmaking life.)

anyone else willing to share?

first thoughts

trying a photo...
oops, crop before upload next time.

this was a good exercise for me. to loosen up and let the process determine the finished product, instead of the other way around. i'm excited about the texture in the horns, and want to try another watercolor at home with more of this.

did anyone else take home a challenge, or a new experiment to try, from the oaea workshops?

Something to consider - Ownership

In the most recent issue of Communication Arts there was article I read last night and it stuck with me all day. I would like you to consider, what do you own?

"Ownership means being involved with something, putting in an investment of energy, caring and learning. You own what you are committed to."

Consider the subject of ownership, you are usually dealing with a specific problem or task or object. Was this stock a bad investment? Do I need liability insurance? Should I buy an iPhone? But if we think more broadly about ownership, it becomes more complex and more interesting. When I ask the question, "What do you own? What is the first things that comes to your mind? Your car? Your bank account? Or do you think of ownership in the non-physical realm of, say, friendship or faith or knowledge? Do you see ownership as a freedom, or are your possessions a burden? Does ownership imply yours vs. mine?

For years the authors mother told her that she was lucky because she has an important possession, one that she owns completely; her work. By that, she did not mean a job or a particular profession or even a talent. She means a commitment to creative endeavors to developing and producing objects and environments and to ways of thinking and looking. It is a crucial part of her identity. She has cultivated it, grown it and she lives by it.

Think of your creative journey. All the years you've spent pursuing and developing your creative identity. You have worked to make it yours. Do you own it?

I need to own my creative energy. I want to be committed. If you get a chance to read this whole article it's very inspiring.

still learning

Just another thought about Idioms

• An idiom is a phrase whose meaning cannot be determined by the literal definition of the phrase itself, but refers instead to a figurative meaning .

idiom - an expression that does not mean what it literally says, as “to have the upper hand” has nothing to do with hands.

idiom - an expression in the usage of a language that has a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements (eg, raining cats and dogs)

idiom - an expression that does not mean what it literally says, as “to have the upper hand” has nothing to do with hands.

Noun

• S: (n) parlance, idiom (a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a language)

• S: (n) artistic style, idiom (the style of a particular artist or school or movement) "an imaginative orchestral idiom"

• S: (n) idiom, idiomatic expression, phrasal idiom, set phrase, phrase (an expression whose meanings cannot be inferred from the meanings of the words that make it up)

once bitten twice shhhh

bird in the hand worth 2 in the bush

WOOT!

Yay! Here is a pic with Susan too:)
I'm so excited to get the conversations
going! Thanks for being so quick,
Shannon!!

three + one

Looking forward to learning more from my friends. Thanks Shannon for taking action and making this blog spot so quickly.

I got on.

The Beginning of a Long Conversation

http://www.thepatstudio.com

Okay Ladies, I think I did this right. You should be receiving an email to invite you to this blog as an author. I've never done this part before so hang in there with me. If it doesn't work let me know. I'm not sure if you create your own password or if you have to use mine. If you could just leave a comment or email me to let me know where you are at with all this blogging craziness I would appreciate it!

Kris or Susan if you could send me the original image of the four of us at the pizza joint from last year I will use that as our profile picture. If there is anything you would like me change on the page let me know or better yet, since you will be an author to this sight just do it yourself :) This give us a place to start.

This should be fun.

One of my students sent me a link to this artist. She has images of her studio posted on her site. Rather timely that this student sent this to me. Does this inspire you?