a peak at the darker side of the studio

a confession of being a tad overworked these days;  i am having a hard time splitting the creativity between writing and painting- and as a result, my blogs have been sadly ignored. in attempt to let everyone know that i am infact still currently amoung the living, i have put together a few snaps of my darker, more inspirational side- pulling back the curtain, lifting the veil and sneaking you a peak into the "other"
 side of the studio.

(mixed media totem wips)

(mixed-media wip totem w/ my signature flamed enamel painting technique)

(yes. her head has been turned into a paintbrush holder)

(my 'boyfriend' and the pinnacle of inspiration in the studio; Beau Bunny. he hangs in the foyer, in his 1800's mahogany frame; such a dapper guy deserves no less!. The genius behind this dashing bandito is Donna Courtney at The Decorated House; just know his heart belongs to me!)

(mixed media altered art piece)

(waiting their turn.... creepy, huh.)

(gargoyles and dream jars)

live well.

love each other.

For the Change of it all

Pumpkins for the Season, fresh from the garden!

I am in the process of yet another metamorphosis ~ first on the hit list was the blog. I thought it was getting a bit stale and needed a touch of color. How did I do? Since I have already stepped off that edge and am no longer dreaming but living the dream, paying homage to the Muse- The entire blog will be following this new direction. First up is the name- Whisperings 13.  Inspired by finally listening to the whisperings of the Muses I have ignored for 13 years- they deserved acknowledgement- and, it also serves as a reminder to myself- not to ignore them again.

The Artfire shop got it's overhaul early this week, and the Halloween Ornies are up and listed. Have a look see.  Over at Etsy, The Giggling Goblin has gone into an overhaul as well (big surprise, right?) and now only lists vintage and found objects. I will be updating that shop quite often as I have tons of wonderful little finds to share!  I do have another art shop in the works - but that is for another day, another post.

Speaking of the 100th post- I promised a give-away! I will be announcing the winner (and the prize) on Wednesday, you guessed it - the 13th.

Have you all signed up for the Hauntingly Magical Celebration??

    Vanessa always puts on quite a fest for the senses, and her guest list is quite extensive! It is a party that lasts for days. You never know what will happen, or who you will meet. All you need is a camera and a bit of imagination! Don't be shy! Sign up today and put your best ghoul forwards!

On the subject of Ghouls~ I am excited to announce that I am a new member of the Ghouls Guild! A guild devoted to all things All Hallows Eve! So if your head spins at the scent of spice and the sight of falling leaves, if you love the time of Autumn, things gothic or ghouly or just plain spooky- you need to check out the Guild's blog. They promote artists that capture the essence of Halloween all year long! 

Enjoy each other.

Live well.

Off the Starboard Side

This is my window. The view off the starboard side, as the sun begs off to retire from this day and this place.

I am sitting back, gazing at this wonder around me, feeling more and more relaxed; at home in my surroundings, inside my own skin; once again. Finally.

I think back, on all of those years, inside my dull, square, windowless office- and I remember the sign that I had hung over my computer. It said, "At any given moment, you have the power to say- This is not how my story will end". At this very moment, I am relieved that I took those words to heart; that I had the strength and the power to believe, that I took that leap- because this is how my story begins. I am in bliss.

Seriously. Does This NOT happen to anyone else?

I am ... working along, minding my own business. Stereo is cranking, the Muse is sitting happily on my shoulder munching on a mixture of cherrios and sour patch kids (don't ask- I've tried to get her to stop) The world has completely disappeared- and BAM! I don't even have room to put down a paintbrush!

Sooooooooooo. Three guesses as to what I will be doing the rest of today?

P.S. thank you to the wonderful, daring, dangerous and emotionally unstable Heather for the tag. I reserve playing until I find out what exactly the bribe is going to be.... Naa.

Recommendation, Realization and Pure Joy

Do you just love her - or what!
I saw a piece very similar to this a while ago - not Duda - a copycat- -it did NOT work. and I forgot about it. Until I met Diane - and I saw her work. and I fell in love with "these silly little works of art". And that is when it hit me. The sad piece that I had seen so long ago, as an attempted copy of this piece - did nothing for me. At the time I did not know that Duda Daze even existed, that the piece I was looking at was not an original idea - and still - no effect. There was no life - it was as thought the piece itself knew that it was nothing but a sad attempt at trying on someones soul that was just too big for the copier to fill.

Fast forward to about a month ago - when I discovered Duda Daze and the wonder that is Diane Duda- I was blog- hopping, blurry eyed, ready to give it up - and this delightful creature popped up on my screen:

Now for those of you who haven't figured this out- it's not that i don't appreciate the artists and artistry - but this is not the norm for me to go gaga over. I don't do cute and silly. I don't collect cute and silly. I don't "do" whimsy. So... startled by my own reaction - I delved further, and went to shop on Etsy... and I am now excited to say that I am the proud owner of the three Diane Duda works pictured here. The first, just screamed me... I am always standing on my head, sitting on the couch upside down, hanging upside down in a tree - just cause I like the look of things from that view!

Woo Hoo! what can I say, but... Woo Hoo!!!! One of my favorite sayings of all time! the ultimate exclamation of excitement. And who doesn't like being excited?

And the third. If more people in this world just learned to listen to that little girl and followed their hearts.. well. things would be different.

So I learned two very important things the day that I "discovered" Diane Duda and her amazing Duda Daze.

1: People can try to copy others work, and will try to copy others work, until the cows come home. But they can't copy the heart that is put into that original work, what draws you to the work to begin with. You can't copy that. And without that - the piece is meaningless and worthless. And it shows in the copied work. There's no heart- nothing special - it's just another copy.

2: I can do silly. I LOVE silly. I love this crazy woman and her "silly little works of art" (how humble is that!)

Diane Duda creates something special with every stroke of her paintbrush, and every sketch of her pencil. She has managed to capture the essence of pure joy and convey it to the rest of us.

And I for one, am hooked on her work.

Visit. Enjoy. It may take you a few seconds to realise what that thing is on your face. it's a smile, a grin - and it will last you all day.

http://dudadaze.blogspot.com/ www.dudadaze.etsy.com

And while you are there - make sure you get the music stream on "There she stands" by Aaron Duda. Yup -You guessed it. Diane's son. Aaron. What a talented family!

**All photos of Artwork have been reproduced in this posting with permission from the artist, Diane Duda. Any artwork contained in this posting may not be reproduced in any manner, from this site, without additional written permission by the artist directly.**

Finished. Back to the Studio!

I have successfully completed all but three painting that were started in the studio. That is 6 in two weeks. While I feel like I have accomplished something (especially since three have already been sold), I think either I am suffering from acrylic burnout (hee hee- yeah right!) or my brushes are now nubs - because it looks like it is going to be a sculpting weekend! (yeah!) The arthritis is acting up from this last cold snap - and I need some clay therapy!

It appears that the last of the snow is leaving us (please, please, please) and Spring is officially on its way- Soon it will be time to throw the doors open on the studio and I CAN'T WAIT! ::muaha haa haa::: Party at the studio! Open House! Classes start! Art shows under twinkle lights and a large moon! Long evenings under star filled skies! bonfires and friends- It is going to be a loooong spring/summer! wooooHOoooOOOO!! You ready?!

Hope ta' catch you here :0)

In the Meantime :0)

OK- so I know that I promised to post a few of the in-process/sneak peak of the "Organics" and, I promise- I will. But some time you just have to break up the monotony of things. So- while the studio was frozen, I had to find other creative outlets- which interesting enough, led me right back to the studio. In an attempt to "warm" things up and boost the inspiration level of my work space.. I took a bunch of these........

And added a bit of this and that. A LOT of that wonderful German Glass Glitter, a few sticks, a bit of wire and a whole lot of ribbon. And now when I look up at my studio sky, it looks like this:

This of course is a "night view"- So I ran back out to the studio the next morning to get a "morning view" And I was not disappointed - the lovely pink goodness that envelopes the inner core of the studio was crowned with shimmery bursts and (since I always have to respect the dark side that rules over my Muse) Long, sharp pointy stuff that looks as though, should you take one step out of line - they will get you! Muah ha ha!

My stock of glass glitter has been severely diminished and the bottles are now under constant surveillance of the Guard:

Along side a constant reminder: A small chip board that I altered a while back

"CHOICES~ For The Cure Of Stuck- Stuck. In A Rut"

When things start to get redundant -it's time to make a few choices and shake things up again!

So there you have it. One more inspirational quick fix for the winter BLAHS... Every little bit helps. For those that live half their lives in temperatures below 25 degrees - you know how important it is to find little things that just make you happy. Looking up to sparkles, music blasting from all corners of the studio, the warm glow from the heater, and the stream of visitors and well-wishers that stop by to lookey-lou on progress made, share a glass of wine or just bask in the warmth of friendship, firelight and creativity. These are the things that get me through these cold months. The days are starting to get longer and brighter- soon they will be getting warmer. And a whole new exciting season starts to breathe at the studio- I just can't wait.

As for my new inspirational glittery goodness - they are staying. I can only imagine how they will sparkle when the sun hits them in the morning. Should be quite a show!

Just a quick note

Busy, busy, busy... wow- feast or famine rings true, doesn't it..

I am working on a commissioned series the "Organics" - almost finished 5 pieces! whew!

I will give a sneak over the next few days, as things progress.

Why is it that when you paint- you come up with all of these grand sculpt ideas and when you sculpt- all you want to do is paint? Ahh - those Muses! Always teasing!
Until later :0)