One Year Later...

You know how, in the movies, the director can quickly move the film ahead by simply inserting a black screen with the words, "One year later..." on it? Well, that's how I feel right about now. A year ago, I "retired" from the corporate world and moved to Colorado to begin a new life. I'm a lot happier now, infinitely more relaxed, and I finally have time to be creative. After first settling in to our vacation home in rural Southern Colorado, my husband and I decided to buy a home in Colorado Springs to be our main base of operations. Even though it delayed my ability to start making art, the move provided a few things we just couldn't pass up. Namely, a bigger art studio which is now operational. Side benefits include being within walking distance of Starbucks and authentic Vietnamese food.

For the last month, I have been able to squeeze out a few hours of studio time almost every day and I have set goals for producing a body of work by the end of the year to be composed of textile paintings and paper pottery. I'll also be working on a new website and Facebook page. Lots of work, I know!

I hope you'll continue to follow my progress and watch as my artwork takes shape.

A Change in Altitude

Wow! It has been two months since my last post.  So much has happened that it seems a difficult task to document it all.  Here are a few of the more memorable events: 

• Sold condo in Bethesda, Maryland
• Retired from corporate life :)
• Drove across country with husband and puppy
• Got and trained a second Boston Terrier puppy
• Designed a kitchen for our Colorado home
• Found a rock with a fossilized leaf
• Saw eight elk in a mountain meadow
• Planted columbines, strawberries, poppies, sage, and chives
• Shoveled a few tons of gravel

Needless to say, not a lot of pottery was created during this period.  Before I can get going again, I must finish the floor and walls in my kitchen, and locate my supplies, which are currently in a storage room 2 hours away.  Once my husband arrives in a few weeks, my puppy care responsibilities will become shared and allow me time to create.

In the meantime, the creative process does not disappear altogether; it simply takes a different form (like kitchen design).  The ideas are stacking up! Can't wait to start "making" again.

One Step Closer

I have no new work to post this week because we have been busy selling our condo in the middle of the biggest blizzard to hit the DC metro area in almost a hundred years. Amazingly, we got two offers just as the snow began to fall.  They are solid, not great, but in this economy, we are thankful for any offer and the chance to pursue our dream of living at a slightly slower pace and doing the things we have put off for so long.  The snow is still falling and it looks like the totals will be somewhere around 20 inchees.

The storm has given me time to sketch out designs for new work and to think about new techniques, and how to set up my studio.  In my mind, that is all good.  Sometimes, I guess, it takes a blizzard to make me stop and smell the proverbial roses. Mmmmm...

The leaf bowl is finally finished!

This bowl, made for a friend as a wedding gift, taught me many lessons, including how to use fishing supplies in a piece of art.  The white latex tubing that forms the lip of this vase is normally used as a fishing lure (Don't ask for details; I can't imagine...).  I love the strong and warm colors and hope that some of my enthusiasm found its way into the bowl.

More Inspiration

Another source of inspiration for me is the glasswork of Dale Chihuly.  I love his work so much that I even purchased on of his bowls a few years ago.  Even thought the methods that I use in paper pottery are very different than those he uses in glassblowing, the organic nature of the pieces produced is similar. 

Take a look at this Dale Chihuly piece that I find amazing: