Ive officially moved the blog. New link: NEW COOL BLUE STUDIO BLOG

I've been having trouble getting onto Myspace again. I swore if I had one more issue with getting into my blog here I'd move it and I've decided its time to move. When its my time to log in, I want to be able to log in at my convenience, not at theirs. Im sure Im overreacting, but another issue (and one that has been bugging me) is aesthetics. This blog is the most boring and ugly blog ever. So, its time to move.
Ill post the new link shortly.

You know, I was trying to get things completed in the studio so I could open up my lottery books but damnit, Im just tired and frustrated. Maybe its the heat....maybe its just the fact that no one seems to bother to respond kindly in this industry or around for that matter. Forget when they buy a piece of art off me to let me know they GOT the package let alone let me know if they even LIKE the piece. These are the little things that pump up the artist. Like a piece of chocolate to a chocoholic...keeps you happy and going. There are a few who lavish with praise and let us artists know the pieces arrived safely. To you all who are so polite and kind...THANK YOU!!! It means THE FRIGGIN WORLD to hear from you and know you are satisfied.

Now, Im not dissin on those who may have recieved their horses late last week. Im talking about people who have had 2-3-4-5 months to give some sorta voice and nada. Nothing. Ive actually tried to chase a few just so they will let me know they GOT the package....Im done chasing.

So, Ill work on what I still have lingering in the studio and the lottery can wait. Sorry if you've been waiting. Im just sorry. I just cant do it. Im sorry. I dont know what else to say but sorry.

There are a few things progressing in the studio. My little ceramic sleepy mice sculpts are done and getting photographed. I should have a few ready for sale soon. I have NO idea if anyone is even going to like them but I dont care. I did this piece for myself. Im so thrilled that I took clay and was able to create something from start to finish and have it look pretty decent. Ive also started my Region X show donation. I decided to paint up a Highland Heather resin and although she didnt tell me her name I keep refering to her as my study in "dapples and gold".

Well, again, Im sorry for those that might have been waiting for my books to open up last week. Maybe once the seasons change and the chill of fall is in the air Ill have a renewed spirit for things but right now I doubt you'd want me pawin on your piece anyway. :/

Im thrilled to report that my recent experiments with temp change and linseed oil worked extremely well with the china painting. I pulled out gorgeous medallions and a super rich vase from the kiln. Its such a relief to be FINALLY getting this medium down.

Ohh, just in time for these succesful experiments is a bisque Hadrian....unpainted...coming my way! Totally snagged another one. Im thrilled. I also snagged a couple Oberons this month. People are clearing out their closets after Breyerfest. I always keep a bit on the side for this time to spend. Never expected to get another bisque Hadrian. Bisques like that are hard to come by.

Im beat. My enthusiasm to write about the happenings of the past few days has just dwindled as Ive been typing my thoughts. :/ Ah well....

I've really been experimenting with my china paints. I had a nice chunk of time set aside to work with the underglazes and my new airbrush and without going into much detail it ended up in major FRUSTRATION! Me and the airbrush just don't like each other. Grrr! So it was with renewed gusto that I revisited the china paints on horse figures.

This morning I woke dying to china paint. Instead of sitting on this machine here I went to my china paints and continued to add details to some medallion magnets. These medallions have been an interesting experiment to see if underglaze and overglaze can truly work together. My initial findings is that they can, but my china paints have suffered greatly from firing in the kiln. I seem to loose color almost every time. I have thought long and hard about this issue (cause its frustrating to see all the details you've labored over dissappear in one felt swoop). Ive sorta determined that because the details are being applied very transparent and with more oils than say a normal vase or china blank would require (heavier applications...straight on) the transparent detail work can't handle 016 heat. I decided to under fire the medallions this morning. Ill stay under cone 016 and see what happens. Im also venting just a bit for the first hour.

Another change Ive made while painting is using linseed oil instead of the pen oil. I found that the linseed oil made smoother strokes that could be blended easier. The difference was most welcome as streaks have been a real obsticle in china painting flat surfaces. So, hopefully the changes in oil and heat will give me the results I desire.

The blues are gone and the creative explosion has begun. My mind is traveling in a million directions right now. I have so many irons in the fire it's not even a joke any longer. It's actually starting to stress me out. Sooo....Im honin in on a few and getting those projects completed this weekend. That includes a Punjabi resin and a Valinor. AND it also includes putting DOWN the Salinero CM and just giving it a final spray and sending him to his owner. I've tweaked that boy enough. To death, actually. He looks pretty though.

With that Im off to have a nice cup of tea while I finish some final tweaking on the Punjabi and Valinor. Those will be two less visiting pieces in studio. They have been here too long IMO. I want their owners to be enjoying them. Nite.

The rain was glorious here yesterday. After dinner and fun with the family all day I went straight to working on updating a few sections of my website. In particular, the Winner's Circle. That poor section hadn't been updated since early 06. Lots of wins in 07 so far. Its nice to see the horses doing so well for their owners.

I also did some sketching. Im just noticing I never resized the format on this one. Too lazy and tired to do it this morning so...well, here it is nice and big. LOL

Did a little of this, a little of that yesterday. Mainly, I worked on trying to get my website up to date. Its sadly lacking quite a few horses I finished. Great ones too like Lonestar and a few Valinors. Even the apply Valor that I did (that caused the stink on that Fallen Leaves forum) is missing. He was IMO my greatest piece this year so far. I can never get as much accomplished on the site as I hope to when I sit down. My main concentration was the "Winner's Circle". Im still gathering all the emails together with all the wins the owners notified me about. I have all that news in bits and pieces on this computer. I must find a new method of organzing this news.

Well, its Sunday. Family day here. Lots to do with family members. So, the studio is generally closed today. Enjoy!

Rain. I can't wait for it to rain this weekend. Nothing like a good soft rain to recharge my soul. I won't feel obligated to do anything but stare out at the rain. Which I find fun. I'll probably go out on the rooftop terrace too. The black tar flooring actually looks inviting when its wet. So, bring on the rain.

The worst of the blues is the high point where you want to do nothing. This morning I woke in that state. I want to do nothing. No amount of coffee will help. Today will be a most unproductive day. But, by Monday I should be recharged which will be good for my lagging commission orders.

I do have exciting news. The little mouse mold I cast last week dried already (it normally takes 2 weeks and it was dried in 1) and I have begun pouring slip. The mold I made is nice. Everything works nicely and there is very little clean up. My one seam is rather large but nothing too over whelming. Im most excited that I made a NICE mold this time. Well, the outside of it is gastly. Nothing like the Kathman horsepin mold I have. BUT the inside is fantastic and right now Im really concentrating on this part. Ill eventually make prettier molds (on the outside) once I have more experience under my belt (AND when I get some Leggos to build up my mold boxes with.)

This little one is so tiny she fits in the palm of my hand. I was able to fill the kiln last night and pop two greenware mice in the firing. After they cooled I painted them up. Im now bursting to fire them up and see them as all shiny and clinky!


I almost forgot to mention that I have been revisiting my sketch book again. I havent kept one in about 2 years. I forgot how much fun it was to doodle in the book. I opened up a brand new sketch book for myself. I've decided my sculpting is lacking because of the lack of drawing I do. The drawing, the sketching...it all goes hand in hand. Here are two of the better drawings I did from yesterday's session.





Thats all...

Firin' up the kiln this morning. I have a few custom glazed pony magnets in there, an Alchemy drafter foal and a new minature vase.

I couldn't pull myself to get into bed last night. I just didnt want to leave my secretary desk. Its where I do most of my china painting. I had started china painting a minature vase with plums on it and it felt so good to be painting again. Just moving color around on a form. I sure miss oil painting. Pulling out the ol canvas and traveling easel was a favorite hobby of mine in days long gone. Hmm...Im really spending quite a bit of time this week traveling down the "artsy memory lane".
Its been interesting to see how these old past times are creeping back into my life in new forms.

Im most excited about the minature vase. I decided to paint right on the matte china and found that it was much easier to blend the paint. Im wondering how I could get my pieces glossy if I finish them on a matte surface. In china painting you make that decision early on. If you want it glossy you place the glossy glaze down first then paint over the glossy surface. But the glossy surface is slick to work on. Im struggling with that. Ill have to see if there is a product that can go over the piece in the end cause the blending on this matte bisque was excellent. Just what I have wanted.