Little Spring Blooms

I just love springtime.  Over the 15 years we've lived in our home I've planted many, many flowering plants in our yard.  I learned quickly that our soil LOVES plants and actually accelerates their growth patterns.  I'd like to think it's the love planted right in with the bulbs, and there may be a little truth to this statement, but mostly it's just amazing soil.  Anyhoo....this time of year little blooms start appearing all over the yard that have been sleeping quietly throughout the winter.  One of my favorites is the candy tuff.  At least I think that's it's name.  It comes back every year with little white cotton candy like blooms.  It's low to the ground with deep green fern-like foliage.  It makes me happy seeing it everyday from now until winter calls it back to the ground.  These blooms play a huge role in my art.  They do.  The innocence of their existence inspires many a "Spring Bloom" painting in the studio.  Just like this one below:

And now they inspire some new jewelry.  I, like many of you out there, are smitten with these tiny flower cabochons.  I can not quit buying them on etsy.  I have hundreds(seriously). But figuring out what to do with them, now that was the trick.  Until I made the birdcage and mattie bird necklace for my Solo Show Opening outfits the flowers were all nestled in a divided plastic container.  I guess a bit like flowers in winter waiting to bloom.  And then it just sorta hit me.....why can't I do this with these?

Well, spring has sprung in the studio FULL force.  I am a bit overwhelmed with myself to be honest, the ideas are spilling out so fast I can't slow down.  What is going on right now in this little sunroom studio is quite special.  And I can not wait to share it with you all once they are finished.  I'm growing guys!!!! 

Mark of Life

I just wanted to pop in and show another painting from the week....

This is my new bird, she kind of made her way into all my paintings this week.  I found her in a file of bird inspirations(yes I have files of inspirations labeled according to subject, birds being the largest file!).  I just love her position, the way she's looking back on her nest. Don't we as parents always find ourselves doing that?  Standing back, watching and studying our children?  Sometimes I can't help but stare and marvel at what God has blessed Billy and I with to raise.  It's just about wordless the love I feel towards my two.   And that love, well it came spewing out tri-fold this afternoon.

Today was the district 4-H BB tournament at the county fairgrounds.  Rain had been threatening to fall all day, and yet it held off until the very end.  Of course.  It came down like freakin cats and dogs.  We were all hanging out in the beautiful barn type structure avoiding the severe rain when several Dad's began receiving calls from panicked Moms that tornado's were headed our way.  Ok.  It was raining really hard, but tornadoes?.....and then came the hail (a sure sign of coming tornadoes)........and then came the 4-H director who quietly asked our coach to direct all of us into the main building for safety.  You are talking about 150 parents and kids evacuating one building and going into another in the middle of a serious storm.    William was like, "Mom it's not a REAL tornado is it?"  "Well son, I don't think we'd be evacuating if it wasn't."  Mailey then got hysterical.  Crying and crying.  I'm holding her on my hip, William is attached to me as close as he can while Billy ran to find our jackets.  Finally we all gather in the hallway of the main building on the fairgrounds property and wait.  Mailey is still crying..... She's panicked that the roof is going to fly off (which given the structure we were in is not far fetched.) and that Lily is home alone.  William is saying it's not really happening Mom.  Billy is on his phone trying to get a signal like all the other Dad's.  And then it was over.  Just like that.  The tornado did come.....quite close too.  I am not sure the damage to the area but pray that families were safe. 

During what seemed like hours in the building with all the other shooters and parents I felt an unbelievable surge of love for my family.  Like serious joy and gratitude that they are in my life.  Of course while standing huddled together the crazy thoughts came in my head.  You know, the flashes of what will I do if ...... happens?  And just like the Mamma bird in my painting, I looked back at my family and remembered the words, "what a wonderful mark of life".  Their mark may be faint right now, they are so young, but their mark on my heart runs so deep it hurts sometimes. 
Which leads me to the jewelry I modeled after some favorite nest paintings.  A gentle spirit.  Yep.  That's me.  All fragile and tender and sometimes too cautious with my heart.  Today my spirit was tested and I think it passed.  I think we all tasted the fear, and overcame it with the love we feel for one another. 

I am home now, cooking a yummy dinner and keeping a close eye on them all.  Watching from afar as they continue to make their mark.

About Those Threads

Like I said, the threads I am using lately are really coming together nicely.  In fact my art is beginning to replicate itself in all forms.  Take for instance this lovely texture painting of a bird cage.  It was inspired by the image below:

Of this birdcage.  Yep.  I am freaking out a bit over the new metalsmithing techniques added to my bag of tricks.  Wait til you see how I translate the flower texture paintings into jewelry!!
About the words in the painting.....keep your heart open.  Man I've been doing that lately. Like WIDE open.  And geessssh if amazing things aren't happening.  I know it's because I am begining to let go of fears and those whatthehellareyoudoing monsters from my creative brain.  I know my Solo Show has had a major influence on this shift in my attitude.  Of course it has given me a ginormous boost in confidence which is translating into energy towards working in the studio that is just flat out inspiring!!  So hold onto your laptops peeps.  This blog is going into overdrive the next few days as I share the journey!

New Threads

In early January I wrote a blog post about finding a common thread.  In the post I wrote that finding your thread is important to creating a body of work and giving yourself an identity in the art world. Here's the thing though, I fight that thread. Yep. I have a beautifully woven "mattie blue" and orange sweater hanging in the studio.  And darn if I don't I feel the need to add something crazy like purple to it every once in awhile.  We all fight the urge to create the trend, to create the what's hot now.  But truly, if you continue down an authentic path with your art, you will find yourself growing.   Now I'm not going to get past my stellar 5'4", but I can certainly grow in my artistic strengths and trust the journey more.  

The past two weeks I have been literally growing by leaps and bounds.  I'm finding my favorite threads again.  And trying not to use any purple!  One of my favorite techniques in painting is to add a texture layer base to wood, carve into the layer, add rich opaque paint layers then an oil pastel rubbing.  I know, sounds interesting right?  Here is what the texture layers look like while drying: 

When I do this technique the ideas flow so fast from the sketchbook to the wood.  Literally I was able to draw out 8 compositions in 2 hours.  Now painting the compositions, well that takes a little longer.  I'll show you the next step Thursday after the paint layers have dried.  For now though, I've got to get some rest and start fresh in the morning!!

Energy in The Studio

I am loving the jewelry making energy right now.  The juices are in overdrive with texture, color and combining elements together!  Love it.  So here are some of the end results.  All of which I really wanted to keep in my own jewelry box.  :)

These last two have my original paintings reduced and printed onto porcelain tiles as the focal point.  I love infusing my jewelry pieces with little paintings.  I think it's a technique that sets my pieces apart from the rest.  And I am pretty sure one of a kind. 

These can be found in my booth at The Vintage-Flea in downtown Newnan.

I Puffy Heart This

When I get excited about something....like really excited, I say to my blog friends to express this joy that I "puffy heart" it.  Yep.  I don't puffy heart something unless, well it truly deserves such a title.  It's my 10 so to say.  Last week I was doing just as I promised and was visiting all your sweet blogs.  Yep....if you've left a comment in the past month I've been visiting your blogs.  And honestly I've enjoyed every minute getting to know who is reading and commenting here in Mattie's Social Circle.  It's amazing how much we have in common even across the ocean!  Wow!

So while visiting this one blog I found these PUFFY HEARTS!!!!  EKKKKKKK!!  Of course I hit her etsy page immediately and poured over them to find the perfect one for me.  A few moments later Tammy sent me the sweetest darn email....made me cry.....so here's the thing.

 As blog writers we have no idea what words we say will strike chord with who.  I just write what I feel, straight from the heart. Sometimes it's silly stuff, sometimes what I am making, and sometimes how I am feeling.  All those words though at some point are bound to connect us.  Me and you.  And I like that.  I like that my words make you happy, inspire you, encourage and challenge you.  I puffy heart that part of my job as an artist.  Yep.  And I really like the words on this puffy heart:

"she believed she could so she did"............wonderful words to live by.

What's On The Table

I seem to be spreading out a bit in the studio today.  Yep.  I started one jewelry project on my regular table last week and didn't want to clean it up because I'll be going back to it asap.  So instead I set up another table in the middle of the room.  And spread out!  You see, before Christmas I ordered TONS of findings for a new look.  I made one set of new jewelry items for my booth at The Vintage-Flea about a month ago.  And this week I decided it was time to finish the other pieces.  Finally.  I suppose I'm in a "checking things off the list" mood.  Most of the jewelry has beautiful dingy brass finish.  With lots surprise elements (like those clay birds...they were ornaments I found after Christmas!).  I really love the way all the pieces are coming together!

The pieces above are my original paintings reduced and printed onto porcelain tiles.  Beads were then hand wired for chain along with regular chain.  Oh, and they are displayed on my fabulous new mannequin half body forms that were decoupaged Monday!

If you are interested in any of these, come on down to The Vintage-Flea's Spring Open house this weekend!!