Keeper of the Flame.....

A thought....a hazy vision....some clay, some tools, fabric, mosaic tiles.....a new piece appears. What is her story?

in her hand she holds a tiny half egg that I found in the forest.  I sealed it, preserved it, reinforced it, painted, and embellished it and attached a flame.  Perhaps she is saying that within us all lies the flame of creation, of transformation, of new beginnings....

Autumn's Angel

Working on an angel....

I was asked to create an autumn angel for Fire Mountain Gems, for use in one of their ads.....

I buy a lot of my beads and embellishments from them and this time picked out wonderful pieces in greens and bronze and purples.....

plus using some antique tarnished gold laces.....

It's fun to watch her take flight....

Hardscaping......

I'm putting together a new class called "Creating a Hardscape".
Years ago, after moving to Hawaii where silk velvets and lace just don't do well, I began creating costumes with apoxie clay and embellishments and no fabric.
I call these "Hardscapes" and they are great fun to create.

I have a series of classes now offered at That Creative Place that begin with how I sculpt and paint a face, how I sculpt and paint hands and arms, legs and feet, how I create a torso and put together the arms and legs and build a stand. ( not up on site yet ) And now the culmination of those classes will be "Creating a Hardscape." Since I've been so lost in my Blessing wall pieces, it's been a while since I did a Hardscape and I am loving this process!

Here's a few photos of some parts of the class....the undergown, the hood and today will bring a glorious cape!

If there is any class you would like me to offer, please let me know.

Texture and Treasure.......prelude to the Mermaid

For me, the first step in costuming a piece is to reach into my drawers of antique trim, beadwork and various embellishment pieces. For me, that's where inspiration lives.

I have collected so many fabulous treasure pieces over these many years, but sometimes I find myself unwilling to let these gorgeous trims leave my clutching fingers....however now I've decided that it's time to let go and use these pieces more freely on my artwork. What am I saving them for?

It is the beauty and quality of these metallic laces, 100 year old netting pieces and amazing beadwork that really infuses my creations with incredible energy and rather than hold back, I'm challenging myself to let go.

The mermaid now has a tail of capice shells.
Little shell disks, so fragile and beautiful.
Along with the capice shells, I added abalone shards and micro beads....and some white velvet leaves.

Creations.....

The Japanese fisherman hold their fishing nets up with big plastic balls. When these balls break free from the nets they crash up onto the lava rocks and crack up into wonderful shapes.
Using those shapes, I apply mosaic tiles and other embellishments to create these pieces.
They are so fun to make. The first one is called "Atlantis Found" ...the second one is "Pele's Cauldron" and the third one is
"Flight of Fancy".