Deadlines

Sometimes Deadlines are the only things that will "force" Making Stuff.

By Saturday afternoon I  plan/hope to finish three pastel paintings for an exhibition I'd forgotten I'd planned to enter.  Eeeek!

Here is unfinished "Freddie" - 

He started as a Lake Country Pastel Society demo piece. Soft pastel on velour mat board. No plan. Just a few circles that turned into a bear. A few hours of work. And then set aside. Enough of his sitting on the side-lines. "Freddie" needs finishing!

On to finding good music - 

On to stretching of the fingers - 

On to the adding of layers!

Best of Luck with your quests of the day!

- Fare-thee-well,

Sue

Finishing Started - 2:

Here's another old one from the stacks. An odd sized image - so Mr. Todd will have to invent some framing for him.

I redid the sky with more black pastel, and tried to improve on the old bear's face and body. That's when it got interesting. Todd and I kept having different opinions concerning "worse" and "better." "Muddy." That sort of thing. "I liked it better the other way." "I was just trying to (insert a number of possibilities)." A somewhat no-win situation for both of us -  and the bear?

But now we consider the piece finished. Not perfect but one to say "Done." For better or for worse. Two down - at least 28 to go.

Ever onward -
And some day the day might get Above Zero.
Some day.

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

Desk and Journals - 7

Well, well, some progress has been made.
This past week I'd settled in for a quick 15 minute stint on the giant pile of mysteries and a bit over two hours later (yes, I was in The Flow....), well, The Space Was Empty. Where there's been Chaos now was a Zen-like Void. The old wood appeared. A dust cloth appeared also - and woo hoo - a magnificent large hollow clean space came into being.

This was not a baby step. This was a giant stride - at least in my eyes. I left it empty until the next day - and occasionally opened the door  - just for the Joy of knowing this part of the Challenge was Completed. When YOU complete a Task or Challenge or Mission please allow yourself a bit of Pleasure in the Having Done. Don't go immediately to the next item on the list. Have a hot cup of tea or a cold glass of beer and simply gaze at your accomplishment. Remember this. "This, too, shall pass."

So what of the papers???? Well. Armed with an awl, ruler, foam core, needle, waxed linen thread, and such, I've begun making more Junk Drawer Journals. They are not perfect. Some are not pretty. All are somewhat useful, and each one has been a bit of fun to create. In fact, I don't feel much like making Real Art right now. Or finish with taxes.... It's pleasant to sort and punch and stitch and embellish these little nothings of reuse/recycle.
There are twenty journals so far. One's been put to use. One's been given to a friend. Others await their missions.

They hold Potential. Ideas. Sketches. Quotes. Grand Schemes. A child's first scribble. The birth of a novel. That's the magic of the blank page - no matter the size. In fact, the smallness and scrapiness of those volumes might just leave a person feeling less worried about ruining a beautiful and "precious" JOURNAL. I'll bring some along to art fairs - to give to those folks who say "I WANT to draw, but - " Heck, here's little sketchbook. "I want to write, but - ". Heck, here's a little notebook. No excuse now, right?  Write. Draw. Enjoy your new bit of Personal Potential. It's only paper - and a bit of waxed thread. But it could change your life.... (If you'd like one let me know.)

On to the rest of Groundhog's Day. May yours be Happy. The squirrel in the patio seems to be enjoying it - we would do well to follow its example!

Fare-thee-well,
Sue

Waltzing Bears

Wow. Today I put a few last touches on the dancing bears that were started as a pastel demo at the Minnesota State Fair. That was in early September, and it's now the first of December. "Making product" has been given priority over "creating art." but this pair of waltzing bears is as done as they're getting. Changed their footing from beach sand to grass. Seemed like the right thing to do. Lighting and shadow is always a fanciful thing - my bears and atmosphere tend to ignore laws of reflection and light source. That's a lovely part of being the artist. Susie-World Rules - ha!

I also finished and packed some tooled and painted leather bear ornaments for the Eckels Pottery ornament show in Bayfield, WI. They turned out surprisingly nifty - I'd forgotten how much fun it is to work with leather. If they don't sell, they will be welcomed additions to our motley ornament collection! To think that once upon a time I was going to be a "serious" ornament collector. Oh well.

The end of this week holds the Landmark Center Holiday Show in St. Paul, Mn. Always such a beautiful show - now to see how sales go. It's also my last show of a pretty good season. I do appreciate all of our customers - whether they buy a $4.00 magnet or a $400.00 original. THANK YOU CUSTOMERS!!

Back to the list of things to do....
-Sue