Monsta – Mommy can we make sumpin?

Me – Yes, sweetheart. What would you like to make?

Monsta – Sumpin from the box (Our cousin Rachel gave him this cool Box filled with Art projects awhile ago – perfect for those inside days)

Me – That’s a good idea

pulled out box

Monsta – (pointing to the pictures on the box) I wanta make dis dis and dis!

Me – Pick one thing because if we make too many things, we won’t have anything to do the next time.

Monsta – Ok, I wanta make da dawg.

Me – Good choice.

after some smushing and rolling and sticking and pressing and fixing…….

Me – Wow! Ben, look at what you made!

Monsta – It is bootiful Mommy. Now I wanta make da cow.

Me – Ok

he was an expert now.

Nice cow huh?

He was pretty impressed with himself. I love moments like these. I asked him if I could maybe take a picture of him with his two new friends. He said Yes.

I had the pleasure of shooting my friend’s nieces yesterday.  It was a difficult task I must say being that it was my first time with two.  They were 15 days old and fussy.  I managed to get a few single shots but the together ones were…… really difficult.  I know for next time to get them in their first week of life.  They are pretty much ALWAYS sleeping and much easier to pose.  I had a blast though and can’t wait to see them in about 6 months to do another session.  Thanks Bea and Maritza!

We just had a wonderful holiday weekend and I hope you did too.  Craig took Thursday off so we had four days together.  We basically stayed home and played around in the pool.  I worked in the garden and Craig cleaned the garage.  We attended a beautiful wedding on the Fourth of July and had a great time.  Ben had spent the night at my inlaws, so we had Sunday to relax.  Now that the garage was clean, I spotted my pottery wheel.  I got inspired to sit down and throw.  It has been a year since I’ve stopped going to class and I miss it terribly.  It was rough at first because I have a kick-wheel and it took quite a bit of effort to get the wheel going the speed I wanted.  I’m 27 weeks now and my tummy was definitely in the way a bit.  I managed and enjoyed.  I wasn’t rushed so I decided to make a nice salad bowl.  You can never have too many of those.  It felt really good to get back into the clay and the process.  It is also nice having my own wheel because I can just leave my work on it till the next day.  A luxury you don’t have when you have to work at a studio.  I was really pleased with my bowl so I will share:

                                   It will stay as greenware (unfired) till I find the time to get back to the studio.  Who knows when that will ever be.  I already have an office full of stuff that needs to be fired, glazed and fired. 

I also mentioned that I spent a lot of time in the garden.  The bunnies are doing great.  The Mommy sits close by under our hydrangea now keeping her babies protected. 

                          I even spotted her nursing in the nest the other day.  Couldn’t get those pictures though – sorry.  We peeked at the babies and they are so much bigger now.  They have fur and their eyes open.  It is really amazing.

The garden has been doing great.  Things are just growing and growing, even the weeds.  I pulled about 50% of them but jeez, it is hard.  My pole beans are the BIG show right now.  I never planted them before and don’t even know how large they are supposed to get.  Does anyone know? 

                          It really has been a lovely Monday so far.  Ben has been sleeping since 2pm (4:30ish now), I was able to trim (finish off the bottom) of my bowl and reflect on the nice weekend.  Getting back to throwing is huge for me.  It makes me feel good.  I suggest you all find something that you have dropped and try it again.  It does wonderful things for the body and soul.

I have finally updated my Etsy shop with some prints.  Ok, so five prints is not that many but I have to test the waters, right?  If there are any prints that you have seen of mine that you would like to see in the shop, please just let me know and I will certainly post them asap.

Please take a minute to visit:  Earthandskye.etsy

Thanks!

I found this great little website and felt I must share it with you.  It allows you to paint like Jackson Pollock.  If you never heard of Jackson Pollock (shame on you!) here is a little background.  He lived in East Hampton with his wife/artist Lee Krasner.  (Isn’t that neat?)  He was an abstract expressionist and is considered one of the great American painters.  After his death, his studio was given to the Stony Brook Foundation.  They have tours and a study center that is open to the public.  It’s a great piece of history and worth going to.  I remember I visited back when I was going to NYIT. 

Check out my Pollock masterpiece…

Ben has totally mastered this.  He presses the mouse button to change colors and then hits the F5 button to clear and start over! 

Have fun…

jacksonpollock.org

I’ve been playing around lately with different concepts when it comes to my picture taking.  I was talking about being inspired last night and how it becomes a chain reaction.  For example:   I’m inspired by flickr (we all know I’m addicted) -> I experiment after seeing some ideas I like -> someone else, like my friend Jill, sees my work -> it now changes the way she takes pictures.  Isn’t that cool?  I think so.  This is the very reason why my photography skills have grown so much in the last year.

I’ve seen jump shots and silhouette shots a zillion times before.  This was the first time I actually tried a combo.  I like the result.  I have to say the art of processing adds a lot in this instance.  Look at the original:

It’s a pretty good foundation but after bumping up some of the colors and toning down others, adding more contrast and finally a drastic crop……You get something super duper grand.  I just love having a digital darkroom where I can play. 

Well, I put this lesson at the top of my list.  I will definitely practice some more though because you never know when you will get “The Shot”

I made Frontpage Explore!

For those of you that are not really into Flickr ahhhhhhh sarrrrry!  For me, it is a BIG deal.  Flickr recognizes 500 photographs a day as being the most “interesting”.  It’s in an area on the site called Explore.  If you go there,  you can pretty much waste a few hours looking at all the fantastic photographers.  Well, I’ve made Explore before but only made Frontpage once and that was with this photo:

Now I made it again with this one:

                                                                                                                                I am pretty psyched!  I’ve been working really hard to get shots that I have in my head actually come to be.  That is what I’m most proud of.  So if you haven’t joined Flickr, let me know and I’ll send you an invite.  You can see most of my photos without joining but Ben photos are set to private.  You have to join (it’s FREE) for that.  So go explore Explore…..IT’S FUN!

What an exhausting week.  I actually fell asleep at 10:15 last night.  Can you believe that?  I don’t usually go to bed till ’bout 12 or 1am.  I feel well rested and ready for the weekend.  I finished up 4 ACEOS this week too.  For those of you that don’t know what they are…here is the definition.  I will either put them up on eBay or Etsy this weekend.  I hear Ben calling me from his crib so I’m off.  Have a great weekend!

                                                                                                         .

I’ve been working hard at the pottery studio this session.  I made lots of planters for this summer to hang and put on the deck.  It’s nice to be at the point where I can say, “Ok, I will now sit down and make a blank.”  Before, I would sit and try to center a hunk of clay forever and then try to see where that lead me.  I love the feeling of making progress.  Here is my latest….a small pitcher for soy sauce and bowl.  It charming and I can’t wait to use it.

                                                                                                                    Experimenting with different looks and textures on my photographs. This one is vintage with an old film feel. What do you think?