New piece

New pieces

After about 5 years of feeling out of step with my muse and a lack of inspiration,
I feel like I'm back to hearing my muse.  Happy dance!
I created a couple of pieces in my typical style, and have now decided that I need to move on.  At my stage of life I am paring down and I want/need to reflect that in my art.  Here are new pieces created in the style I am known for...

Here is a new piece I created....much more minimal and I really love it.

The inspiration for this piece came from a bone that I found.  I held it up and it looked just like a corset to a dress...and so that is what it became.
So energy is pouring through me and I can't stop sculpting.  I have been invited to show in a art doll show in Petaluma in July and a new gallery is opening in Santa Fe and wants to show case my pieces.  Oh my gosh...I feel like I'm back from the dead!
Here's a piece I'm working on now:

Stay tuned for updates.  I worked on her more today.  Painted her white...added crackle glaze and then pasted on bits of paper from a french book .  I have to figure out how to add wings that I found from an antique hat, made in Paris, years and years ago.  Such fun!

"I am a Garden Growing"

                                                             "I am a Garden Growing".  

 I'm not sure where this idea came from, as it was created in pure inspiration, and just took me along for the ride.  I found the 1/2 gourd in my stash and pulled out the mosaic mirror tiles in the colors of the chakra system. Such beautiful color!

Then I sculpted her face and created her cap in the crown chakra colors.  I like to paint my faces white....not sure why, but it has something to do with representing the mask we all wear.

Rumbling around in my supply closet ( that spans 40 years of collecting ) I found these wonderful glass flowers and leaves, probably from a chandelier dating from the 1800's.  I am noticing that it has been hard for me to use some of my collected treasures, so I am now making a conscious effort to use everything that I have collected, instead of saving it...for what!  So I added flowers  & leaves to the edges of the gourd and thus she became a Garden Growing....bright with color, energy and intention.

 The trim that lines the edges of the gourd, and around the base is also from the late 1800's. The wooden base is decoupaged with handwritten French sheet music....found on one of my trips to Paris.
Her arms were sculpted and dressed with antique gold metallic lace, which I also have kept for years and years.  It's so beautifully handmade.  What ballgown did this lace adorn? What aristocratic lady danced beneath the moon, with the lace of her sleeves glistening?  I love to think of the story and the energy that these bits and pieces of treasure hold.

I adhered handwritten French letters, from the 1800's, onto the gourd and then covered them with skeleton leaves.

I added the little gold netting across her eyes...also to show a bit of mystery. 
The final touches are the Swarovski rhinestones which are added all over her headpiece and everywhere else I could put them.  I love the added light that they bring.

"I am a Garden Growing"

"Abundance"

"Abundance"  17.6 " tall.  Polymer clay, apoxie sculpt, antique lace and netting, sea shells, rhinestones.

                                                                 19 little baby bunnies

                                                          So much fun to create..... :) 

A Rabbit emerges....

When I was around 12 years old,  my dad brought home to me a 4 ft tall flocked, styrofoam rabbit....dressed in crinoline full skirts, with a huge parasol.  It was wonderful and charming and whimsical.  When I first started doing art work, Rabbits were what I created.
Rabbit Princes, in all shapes and sizes....1, 2, 4, 5 ft tall.

 The above rabbit was a soft sculpture...painted and costumed.

 A four ft tall Rabbit Prince....with lots of antique fabrics and nature's bounty.

 A Rabbit embellished with mosaic shards and sea shells....

 I called this piece.."Wonderland Lies Within".  It was created using a gourd, cut so that you could lift the torso off, and find Alice standing within.

So now...as I work to find my rhythm and momentum again, another rabbit is showing up.
The  name that comes to me for this piece is "Abundance".   :)

Sculpted from polymer clay and apoxie sculpt, I used a conch shell for her body, and a smaller conch shell to hold the abundance of babies on her back.  I covered her with French printed papers, and added a crackle glaze.   Today....hmmm...embellishment begins. :)

Aloha....Hello...aloha...goodbye!

Aloha is the word for "hello" and for "goodbye".   We are saying goodbye to Hawaii, for now.
And heading back to the green hills of Sebastopol.  From one paradise to another.  Hello!

We live on a 7 acre property in Northern California, that we share with two of our three daughters and their families.  5 of our 7 grand daughters live here, with us....so lots of energy. 
There are 3 houses on this property....a big one, a medium one, and a little cottage where we live.
 It's just about 650 sq ft, nestled among the giant redwood trees.  I love coming home to Sebastopol.

Even though it's only mid February, spring is singing her song! 
The yellow acacia trees are brilliant in their bloom....the daffodils are everywhere, along with the wild mustard and yellow sour grass blossoms. 
Bright yellow against the apple green grass.

The flowering plum blossoms are heart stopping!  When my children were small, we would make a game of calling and counting what they called the popcorn trees...pinks and whites everywhere, along with the beautiful pink flowering magnolia blossoms.

This morning, on our deck, their blossoms fell like snow flakes......Beauty abounds!

Kai Mana Orb "Within"

Kai Mana Orbs are created from coconut shells & shards that I find on the beach in Hawaii. The shapes are wonderfully random and very inspiring. After cleaning and drying them, I take them into the studio and embellish with found objects, sea shells, crystals and beads.
I call them Kai Mana Orbs because the name for the sea in Hawaiian is "Kai"....the word for power is "Mana". "Orb" is defined as a noun, as a celestial body... and as a verb, to encircle or enclose. These coconut shards are powerful in the vibrations of nature that they hold and that they contain. The power of the Palm Tree, strong against the trade winds, as it bends and never breaks. The power of the Sea....with thunderous winter waves, gentle summer seas....the Kai Mana Orbs carry this power...a celestial orb on the earth's shore. If you have a moment, read more about this Mana Orb in my Etsy shop. http://tinyurl.com/h7t2rq9

Available for purchase in my Etsy Shop......Along with sweet aloha. http://tinyurl.com/h7t2rq9