Category: beadg jewelry

So That’s That With That

While typing away here, thinking about the Greece vacation, trying to decide how to finish that garden painting, and overall impatience and indecision that is my usual trademark, I found out I had a few orders in my Etsy shop.  When did that happen?
A buyer purchased this set of spa cloths I knit.  They’ve been up on the site for quite a while.  Months ago someone bought a set, but the site’s been sort of dry for some time.  I’m not sure how much I like Etsy for art.  The artists there have been complaining that there’s a lot of mix ups in the search feature.  If a shopper is looking for original art, the search will include a lemon reamer among the paintings.  What’s up with that?  How confusing is that to someone looking for an oil painting or a pencil drawing? 
I have a few small watercolors on Etsy, a couple of small handknit items, and the bead jewelry I’ve become fascinated with lately.  The paintings I’ve been doing this past year haven’t made it to the online shop yet.  I’m ambivalent about putting them up and having them sit there.  But maybe that’s the idea?  I don’t know. 
So I prepared the spa cloth order and sent them out.  Yesterday I noticed I had another order for the same set of cloths.  What a thrill!  I put aside the garden watercolor for now and got busy knitting this order.  And then today I saw that a friend of my mom purchased a couple of small watercolors.  Another thrill!  Things are looking up!
Oh, and by the way, we’ve decided to nix the Greece vacation this year.  There’s too much going on here and there to warrant knocking ourselves out to go.  Better off staying put, taking a short trip to the east end of Long Island, knitting, painting, beading, and waiting for my first grandchild to be born. (Thrill!)
So that’s that with that.

Just Going with the Flow

The painting dry spell seems to be lifting.  I think we need to just do nothing for a time while the brain resets and inspiration can return.  You know that thing called Life gets in the way and what can you do but sit it out for a bit. 

Some things must be done and other things can be left alone.  Go with the flow and forget it.  I wasn’t painting and I wasn’t in my usual fist fight with resistance either.  Just chilling, looking at my studio space, organizing stuff, checking out yarn and knitting, drooling over beads and just daydreaming in general.  No commitment to anything.  Maybe that’s the trick?

Here’s the new studio set up.  I never went to IKEA, although I will eventually get there, but I confiscated a bookshelf from my son’s music room for my use in the studio.  I won’t tell him if you won’t, okay?

 At least I can store some things out in the open now. I’m not done.  That door on the left is a closet I keep older work and other stuff.  I’m planning to paint it inside and add flat files or shelving on one side with horizontal slots for canvases on the other.  It’s a thought.  By the way, the light still doesn’t work.  I guess it’s time to call in the pros.

I started a sketch from this month’s photo suggestion at the Virtual pARTy blog.  It’s not a great photo composition, but a good starting point for painting ideas.  I missed the deadline to enter on the blog, but I don’t care because this has my “thing” working again, and I don’t even like horses.  My focus is going to be on the nearest figure and I’m blocking out the rest as shapes and grounding lines. 

Another artist already finished her work with the same  idea, which isn’t all that unusual.  Each artist has their own vision and techniques making each work different anyway.  I’m interested in the process right now, not the outcome.  Oh, and in case you’re wondering, I’m not using the new watercolor paper yet.  I want to, but I’m frugal that way.  I’ll finish the old paper before I use the Arches that cost big dollar bills.

 And these are the beads I bought.  Aren’t they just amazing?  Well, I fell for the colors and then the shapes, and all kinds of ideas came to my brain.  I’m compelled to arrange them with silver beads, maybe wire wrapping them, I don’t know what to do first.  I set up my jewelry stuff on the opposite side of my studio desk on an old kitchen table we had when I was a kid.  Yes, it’s still alive and works! 

Keeping my stuff out seems to inspire me.  I could be in that room for a pencil and end up seeing an idea glinting out of the corner of my eye.  Before I know it I’m working on the sketch or the beads. 

The week is new yet, and I have errands to run.  After that my time is my own and  I’ll be in my little foggy dreamland.