Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Hot or Not

Loobylu has a weekly Hot or Not list that I've been hankering to try out, so here it is! You can check out her fantastic site here as well as my friend Elise's here (a repeat offender) who introduced me to the wonderful world of blogging in the first place.







Hot:
Homemade or  makeshift Christmas trees! My husband and I decided to make our own tree this year (although I do love the look and smell of a real Christmas tree). We thought it'd be fun and it saves a good bit of money.
A Very Esperanza Christmas was this weekend and it was awesome! Some of my very best friends played (Law School) and the band that my husband plays with (Johnny Bertram and the Golden Bicycles) dominated the crowd, especially when we all ran on stage to do a cover of Arcade Fire's "Wake Up".

I'm going to be visiting a lot of family this Christmas that I haven't seen in years. Time flies when you're growing up, but I'm very excited to reunite with them.

Lastly, but most definitely not least... The Jim Henson's Fantastic World exhibit at The Mississippi Museum of Art. I saw it today, and it was brilliant. Jim Henson is a visual genius, and he just so happens to be from the lovely state of Mississippi where I proudly currently reside.

Not:

We'll be traveling to New Orleans to see our families on Christmas day. Although I'm excited about seeing them, I hate the long stretch of flat land and bad highways almost as much as I hate having to sit still in a car for two and a half hours.

My body is so sore. It hurts to laugh. I'm finally using an ab roller I got for myself last year...pressing on...

My dearest friends are packing up and heading to Austin Texas in about a month. I'm trying to spend as much time as I can possibly handle with them before the big move.

Its been a rainy winter and my poor sweet puppy hasn't been able to enjoy what little back yard we have. I'm crossing my fingers for some good weather soon.


Aside from all the "nots" I have been thoroughly enjoying the holidays. Many many new years resolutions to come..

-dig

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

the persistence of memory

I'm a little ashamed of how long I've let this blog go untouched. But I'm back now, and have many things to share. During the lull between markets and making crafts I've been working on some of my fine art pieces that I'm trying to build for a portfolio. I've long been dipping into the idea of "memory mapping" for some paintings and drawings.




It's been interesting finding ghosts from my or someone else's past to create pieces with minimal imagery while trying to provoke the same emotions I have or remember. I think this will be a much needed but challenging process.



I'm beginning to understand why the holiday season is the hardest time for some people to get through. It's been a year and some days now since my mother's death. I find myself unmotivated to work on these pieces because of the occasional emotional strain, but I've realized that I will never have an excuse not to make art, because as long as I have a person or memory to make images from, I will always be able to connect with someone through art. What is more human than a memory? They are ours, to be viewed with no one else's perception.  There are worlds of images that are completely unique to you.



I've got 2 weeks off around Christmas because the screen printing shop I work at has gradually been losing business the closer we get to the holiday. Not unusual for this time of year though. I plan to use the time to work intensively on these pieces, so stay tuned!
-dig

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

1st Maker's Market

Well, I did my first Maker's Market in Oxford this weekend...and it was great! I sold some things, made some money, and met some really cool people. What more could you ask for?! Here are some pictures from the weekend (including some of my finished pieces that I never got a chance to show off before the market)



Me and my trusty companion Elise. Check out her stuff here.

 

"Save the postal service, write a letter" stationary and t-shirt line




Some votive candle holders.



Pretty ceramic bookends.




 

Pretty wooden bookends.



Most of this is gone, but I will definitely be working on these things and more ideas intensively. I thoroughly enjoyed my day in Oxford. I met some really sweet people and got to hang out with some of Mississippi's finest.  I'm also going to try to have some stuff out at Fondren Unwrapped (Jackson's annual arts festival) so watch out! More updates very soon.
-dig



Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Tuesday is the new Monday.

I'm currently trying to talk Joel into letting us get a puppy. I just don't know how our precious little feline would like it...should I try anyway?

That is besides any relevant point..Today, on the other hand, has much to tell....



My day started here, after I carefully transported all of my ceramics to be fired in Belhaven's studio, sometime in the early morning.


And it started to wrap up here..sometime in the very late evening.

Now, in between all of this time, I managed to burn a few fingers, put in a few hours at work, make two trips to the local hardware store, and spill an entire can of wood stain all over my back deck. Thankfully, there's not much more damage you can do to that deck. And luckily, our neighbor and friend Istvan showed up just in time with a bottle of some Greek licorice liquor.




 OPA! 



Now we're finally getting somewhere.



And more big plans for this one as well... lamp? maybe, we'll see.


All that to say, well..not much intended really. Just another update.
I'm hoping that tomorrow will not take as big a toll on my lower back.
-dig




Sunday, November 1, 2009

wailing and nailing

As I am typing right now, I cannot feel the keys beneath my finger tips. This is because there is such a think layer of wood glue all over my hands that I cannot seem to get off! At least I have alittle something to show for it though. Here are some of the things I have worked on this week..


Right now I am working with wood panels, wood blocks, and thin aluminum sheets to create little cityscapes. This peice is more on the sculptural/decorative side. And of course this is the very beginning stages, so I will have more pictures up of the progress soon.



I cut all these with a hand saw and miter box. In fact, the only electrical tools I've used is a sander and a nail gun.


Epic failure. Me and this nail gun kinda got into a fight. Pressing on!



More book ends..still trying to figure these guys out.



This week I will be able to fire all of my ceramics and glaze them, stain and paint my wood buildings, and put up more pictures of the actual finished products. So watch out!

In other news..I thoroughly enjoyed the two pre-Halloween parties my husband and I attended as an owl and a fox, although we were too tired to actually do anything on Halloween night. Which means I didn't get a chance to show off my second costume...I guess Andrew W. K. will have to wait for next year. Either way, I'm so glad it's November.
-dig

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

good good goodies

Oh what chaos has taken over my head this week! I've decided to take a little break from clay. We were moving towards a love/hate relationship, so I've decided to try working with some other materials like wood and metal. I will be taking a trip tomorrow on my day off to Old House Depot, Jackson's architectural salvage warehouse, to find some goodies for my building series.
In other great news, my sweet friend Elise and I printed some really cool bags that promote buying handmade... what'd ya think?!

cute right? you can buy them at our tables or at Elise's Etsy Shop


In other OTHER great news...I made t-shirts to preview my upcoming stationary line encouraging people to write letters!



save the postal service..write a letter!

 

in silver and baby blue!



I will be printing letters, envelopes, and postcards in the next week so keep an eye out. I am also attempting to learn how to use this thing young kids are calling "the internet" so that I can start an Etsy shop...I'll let you know how that turns out. 
-dig




Sunday, October 25, 2009

en progresss

After many months on a production hiatus, I have ventured back into the world of art-making.  Thankfully, I have a very encouraging husband and friends who share my enthusiasm for creative things. Here's a preview of some things to come in the very near future:



First, I make a lot of slabs. There are slabs all over my kitchen..



Then I shape and score them so they fit together just right.



Once put together, they need about a week or two to dry before I can make them pretty.



Cityscapes of lit buildings all over my house!



I'm waiting patiently to regain use of my dining room table.
Stay tuned. More to come!
-dig.