What big teeth you have!

No matter how hard I try, this little girl won't go away. So I'm going to keep her. I'm going to sharpen my teeth and show her the big bad wolf. And what I mean by that, of course, is I'm going draw the hell out of her. And paint her, and shape her until she returns deep into my subconscious and is replaced with another memory for me to oblige. 

On a different note, I've been having a great day. We stayed up into the wee hours of the night chatting with friends on the back porch. The moon was beautiful, the air was cool, and we'd just stuffed ourselves with pan per du, eggs, and jimmy dean sausage. Woke up late late late this morning, watched a few episodes of The IT Crowd and got straight to creative madness. Its great because I don't have to put on headphones or anything, I've got a husband making music in the next room.

I started a little project, but I can't post any pictures yet because it's sort of a gift for someone. Just know that it will involve lots of oil paint due to the overwhelming amount of Turpenoid I was, sort of, scammed into buying on Friday..

And now that Joel's at work and I've successfully reached a point where I'm still willing to return to my pieces without maiming them first, I'm going to hit up Vulcan Video and find a dollar movie to watch with friends. 

There's something beautiful about being painfully broke and occasionally too self aware. Makes life and people more interesting, more joyful.  

-dig

There is great pain in all love..

Let me not start with apologies. I'm done with that part of my life. Let me just start and finish with what I do (did).  It's been almost a year since my last post. Fittingly, lots has happened in this time. For the sake of out of touch friends and family, I'll explain..

I'd say we had a decent winter. In January, my niece Paisley was born and our great friends/brother and sister in law, moved back to Mississippi with their sweet babe Ruby. In February, three of our dearest friends left Mississippi to live in Austin Tx. In March, my husband and I celebrated three years of marriage. April was kind of a blur. In May, I lived to see another year. We also visited our friends in Austin. June was another blurry month, I suppose. I guess in June we decided we liked Austin so much that we would move there. So I quit my job in July and moved to Texas... In the meantime, Joel hung back in Mississippi for a little while, and toured with these fine gentlemen. He was, in fact, a Golden Bicycle, traveling down that long lonesome road. All across the Northwest, landing in Austin..back to his wife and his dog.

So what I've decided is, well, I'm making an appointment with an admissions counselor in a few weeks at University of Texas in Austin. I'm going to get that fine arts degree I've been putting off for so long. Now, 'cause it's my turn. I've also got a little cash jar near the bed, saving up pennies for French lessons and a Parisian excursion. But shhhh, don't tell anyone.

So I spent a month living with my friends, finding a job, and getting to know the city. Then I found us a duplex to live in, up on a hill, with a 'janky' back porch, and a great view of downtown. Our neighbors were the most wonderful people , but they decided to up and leave for Germany. Bigger, better things is the motto for 2010, apparently.

Here's a look into the life of me, while wasting away at home, husbandless and/or without motivation to make anything..

 

I chased Millie's tail most nights. She was confused, but got the hang of it after a while.

 

This is the face that I make most days when driving down one way streets, just trying to read this map to get myself to a grocery store. But don't pitty me. Just let me make the face.

This is the coolest place in all of Austin. The Alamo Draft House.   Dollar movies are the best.

This book changed my life.  "There is great pain in all love, but we don't care, it's worth it"

Don't really know what else to say. Don't do no worryin' though, I'll have some photos soon of the slow progression I've made. Chipping away at the stones of art-making. Throwing fear and dread to the wayside. I'm on a launching pad.

a bientot!

-dig

 

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

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

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 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

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