A tornado, a new chair search at work, and a number of other events have conspired to make this a hard semester to get into my studio. To some extent, after being extremely productive last year it seemed pretty natural to slow it down a bit but I was finding that as the spring wore on I was getting meaner and unhappier the longer I stayed away. I had sculptures in national shows in Wyoming and Louisiana in the early part of the year and found I was needing to go a different way with some new work, but which way?
By the time February came around I was jonesing for a fresh start but knew that with my university commitments I couldn't and didn't want to get deep into something large in scale. I wanted to work in my home studio; I knew the time alone would be very important. That on it's own proved be a huge project; with a major squirrel infestation last year it was a giant project to get the space back in order, never mind replacing all the insulation and cleaning out all the nesting material that covered nearly every surface of the shop. I also needed some new tools and had to repair another to get everything in place to get going.
A new Shopfox belt/disc sander, the "big" purchase of the year. Love it! |
A router table for my router |
New tires for my bandsaw |
When I showed these to an artist friend of mine she called them, "my daily compositions", I like that idea.
When my mom viewed them she saw puppies, so I guess they have become part of my pack, my constant companions, like my dogs, that sit on the floor of my shop waiting for another to join the ranks.
I absolutely love the sculpture a day project. I've read a lot of painters' blogs that have started daily paintings. I may have to join in on this idea. The Mississippi/ Alabama Bi-State show deadline is coming up in July and I want to get something ready to submit. I haven't been in a show since 2009 and I'm chomping at the bit to get back into it!
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