Just Another Day and a New Camera

It's not so hot today, whew! It's been up around 100 everyday for the last week and it's hard to be creative. We don't have air conditioning, thankfully it cools off at night. I have been working a bit in my studio and am making shibori dyed velvet tunics. I'd like to post some photos but Belle Armoire voiced some interest in them so I'll be shipping them off to Stampington Press for possible publication, I'll keep my fingers crossed!


I got a new camera and have been out taking pictures to learn the features so I am posting some photos of where I live and some of the art on my property.

This is the view from the front of my house overlooking the mountains and the Pacific Ocean over Santa Cruz.










These wonderful metal sculpture fish were created by a local mountain aritst Phil Lange. http://www.philsmetalworks.com/statement.html They are sentinels of the ocean and swirl and point with the wind.

















The Sequoia Gigantigas were planted by my father-in-law almost 50 years ago. He named them "The Three Sisters". They are young for this species but still they tower over us and you can see them from a distance on the drive up from town.


























My studio is housed in this two car sized garage, separate from the house but just a short walk up the drive.




















More art on the property, a table my husband made from a material called "Darjit" in a workshop by Brent http://www.alchymia.co.nz/darjit.htm and a mosaic tile plaque made by my son Tony & his friend Gabe in a workshop with Nancy Howells http://www.paintedchairstudio.com/











Hope you enjoy the photos and a glimpse into my world.

Round Robin Altered Book - The Muses of Greece

I had seen these books created by other artists and was curious about them. I wanted to be involved. A round robin begins when someone decides to moderate the group and poses a theme. This group was the Nine Muses of Greek Mythology. I am Terpsichore ~ the Muse of Dance. I started my book and passed it on to the next person who would don the pages with artwork related to their Muse and on around until the book comes back to it's owner with all the Muses pages done. Here is the last page I entered before returning the book to it's owner. This concludes my participation in the round robin.




I enjoyed doing this and getting to know the other artists involved but I have to say that it requires patience to participate in one of these. I have attempted to be part of a few other round robins and inevitably someone doesn't meet the mailing deadline. Yes, life happens and there are sometimes more important things for a person to do than create their spread in someone else's books, but this holds the process up. It takes longer to get a book and then the deadlines get screwed up and to be honest I'm not sure I have the patience to dive in to be part of another one anytime soon. It's an interesting experience, as I said, I'm not unhappy I was part of these but realized somethings about my self and patience.

For these pages I used a fabric called Lutradur that I was introduced to in a class I took with Lesley Riley. I painted it and then sculpted it using a soldering iron. I printed images on fabric with an ink jet printer and ironed them on with Steam-a-seam and top stitched. I created the "Dance,dance,dance" collage in PhotoShop.

Shibori Dyed Silk Ribbons

I spent some time yesterday in my studio dyeing ribbons and beginning to package them for up coming shows. Especially Art & Soul Portland! I'm working on making some necklace pieces using them but mostly it's designs in my head at this moment and a box full of parts, beads, and closures. Here are some of the ribbons.

Where I've Been

Since my last post I've been to Missouri to visit my folks and help them move. I also attended my high school reunion while I was there and had a great time catching up with old friends and acquaintances. And yes I danced and sang Karaoke.

I've also been in my studio a lot working on inventory for the fall shows that will be here before I know it. Ordering supplies and props for teaching and trying to photograph things with a camera that is old and doesn't seem to be working properly. I'm afraid the auto-focus is shot. I listed a few silk scarves I dyed on my Etsy shop but the photos are a little out of focus because of my camera problems so I didn't list more than that. Maybe next week after I go shopping this weekend I'll have some new work listed for sale at Etsy. (see the link on the side bar).



I find that I got distracted this summer. I was intrigued and enthused with being involved in altered book round robins and I'm very glad for doing it and what I learned from the experience but it took me away from a focus. I find I need to be committed to showing my work at art fairs and galleries, to sell it, but that means being focused and in my studio doing that and not scattering myself around to lots of different art forms.

I'll be teaching at Art & Soul in Portland, Or. in Oct. but I'm also taking classes myself, which again will take me out of my focus area but I feel I can allow myself this time to do that as long as I come back and stay on track . Speaking of which I need to get to work now!

One Woman's Take On Life

I think the world would be beautiful if only my ex-husband would move
to Mars. I think life would be easier if everyone smiled instead of
flipped you off when you cut in front of them in line. I think coffee
is a god-sent blessing and dating sucks. I think purple is the only
color VW Bugs should be and anyone under 21 is a fool in baggy
clothing. I think Elvis is really dead though Vivian swears she slept
with him last year. I think, I really do, I think. I think I could
love someone completely. I think that beer is actually part of a
conspiracy to keep men from drinking water. I think I want to run
naked through a train station just to make people wonder...why???? I
think though you may not that life is full of wonder and surprise. I
think Change is good and I think, I think love is a possibility.

~ Carole Phoenix

An admission of messiness and the clean up effort

For the last couple of years my office/art space somehow got completely out of control. I was so busy doing things that I never stopped to take time and file stuff or put it away because I didn't have the tools to do that. After I accumulated piles and piles of "stuff" I became overwhelmed. ACK! I tried to organize myself but wasn't very successful so I hired a professional organizer. There are such people out there and though it wasn't cheap the results are amazing to me. To have someone know what sort of organizing that will help you personally makes a big difference. To have someone there who is a hard worker and just does the tasks and almost knows what those are before you do instead of hiring someone that says " now what do you want me to do?" If I knew the answer I wouldn't have hired someone! So, I am going to post the before and after pictures. I will preface these by saying the job is not complete. I still have to purge my filing cabinet (a whole other job) and you'll see in the before pictures all the "art items" that are displayed I still have to cull through and decide where they go. I think the Kayak Jack will go to my dear friend Jack in Indiana for his McIver bag. The rest I still have to deal with.

Before photos:



















I painted one of the walls and want to paint the others when I get time to pull everything away from the walls. That could be a while! I removed a piece of furniture that I really like but it doesn't a function in this space other than it didn't fit anywhere else in the house. I'll have to sell it. I added a bookshelf too.



















After Photos:















All the see through bins are labeled and because of the nature of some of my art projects that are collaged the organizer, Jennifer Coveny is who I hired from Santa Cruz, even let me have a bin titled "decorative doodads". These organizers can be tough about what they let you keep! Her comment to me upon my wanting to keep bits of ribbons and well "doodaddy stuff" was that with most of her clients she would not let them keep that sort of stuff but she says to me "I actually think you might use it"! So HA! I get a doodad bin!! LOL!

A Day in Big Sur

Cruising down highway 1 with Rodney Crowell and the Outsiders blaring I was on my way to Big Sur taking inventory down to Local Color Gallery that sells my wares. I have taken this trip many times but today things looked different. Big, craggy rocks that stick up out of the Pacific are so white they look like icebergs. I imagine it is crystalized salt, but why had I never noticed before? I later discover from a local that it is bird poop. Not nearly as idyllic as cystalized salt looking like ice! I failed to bring my camera so I'm unable to capture the incredible azure and cerulean colors of the water. I swear I've never seen so much turquoise water in this part of the Ocean. Contrasting the sea is the reddish green patches of sea kelp floating like land masses. A color combination I want to recreate on my dyed fabrics.


After delivering my wares I continue down the coast to Nepenthe to have a late lunch. Sitting outside on the veranda with brightly colored umbrellas protecting patrons from the bright sun I am waiting for my glass of Chardonnay and lunch of a fruit and cheese plate. This isn't just any ordinary plate, it has hunks of brie, St. George Porteguese style cheese, and herbed goat cheese with viens of bleu running through, grapes, apricots, a slab of fig and almond turrine, and a block of plum aspic and bagel chips. I wanted the glass of wine even though it costs as much as a bottle! The restauranteer knows we'll pay for the atmosphere and because this place is so isolated.

I stare out at the view of the vast ocean as crows gather around, swooping and dancing from tree to tree. I like to think that crow's are one of my animal totems and that they are gathering to impart a message to me but I know they're really here for food morsels left behind and not as taliman's.

After I leave this place to drive back home I stop at Andrew Molera State Park to walk the trail down to the beach I notice I have never seen as much of this beach before. Low Tide but still, is it global warming? Is the Ocean shrinking? All these details I've never seen before makes me wonder.

It's been a perfect day with perfect weather and I would love to stay here and considered it but all the camp grounds are full as is all the lodging. Everyone comes to Big Sur this time of year so I'll come back soon and plan to stay longer.