so i found this artist (monroe hodder) on a website while looking for original Tony Ortegas. will try to create a similar effect with beads. putting down a base layer of beads and will layer on top with brighter colors. later.
inspiration.
christy is my lifelong friend. we were college roommates. the gift of her friendship over the years and the adventures we’ve had have provided countless moments of inspiration - for creative endeavors and other things. she’s just that good. thanks christy. you mean the world to me. and, for the latest inspiration, a beautiful weekend together in Washington DC, doing exactly what we do best, tour and dink around.
she's done.
she’s done and i have an idea for the next one. yay! notice the ecuadorian weaving at the top, from a market in Quito.
tumbled sea glass windchime.
a friend recommended a rock tumbler as a birthday gift for Ruth. we used it to make sea glass. now it’s a windchime. we drilled holes with a dremel. super fun!
back on top.
ready to start anew at the top.
mix of materials.
this seems to need something different, something striking, at the bottom. not just a repetition of the pattern above. idk what that means. was going to bring back some great threads from ecuador but another time. feeling grateful for creative time.
Then, now.
sad. time cut short. but, voice is important. back soon, Quito. que se cuiden.
Chula Vida
chévere. “Chula Vida” means something like YOLO.
La vida es chula, no la desperdicies enfadándote por cosas que no tienen remedio. Life is neat. Don't throw it away getting angry about hopeless things.
cambio de aire.
aprendí algo nuevo - en Quito, they say a change of place is “un cambio de aire.”
gratitude.
grateful for things i love. LZ home for summer. Ruth band camp. Maggie lifeguarding. my running girls. friends. all the things. time spent.
mixed emotions about the pink background. have thought about cutting it out, placing what’s done on white or gray, it seems the beauty of the inspiration bead may be lost without the contrast elements of an opposite color. after a few nights of waking up and reconsidering how to help it shine, decided to just lean into the pink and keep going. maybe in the end, not being perfect will be perfect.
Intensity in waves.
ups, mediums, calibrations. this piece makes me think about waves of intensity that peak, calibrate, and blend together into something beautiful.
went to a bead garage sale yesterday and found this piece, made by local artist Jan Dalton who recently passed away. her family had set up a table to sell some of her work which has been inspirational to me before, so it was pure luck to stumble upon her work at this small event.
ruth, maggie and i spent the day together at driving school, bead sale, breakfast, and the bookstore. throughout the day, and i thought about how i would extend this metaphor on fabric. today it begins. beads are ready and so am i.
so many ways to create.
the beautiful southwest, mexican coffee outside in santa fe, and a trip to the national gallery of art in DC - so many things to inspire beads and threads. love.
bendiciónes.
me siento lleno de bendiciones. de mis hijas, de viaje, de trabajo, de palabras, de tiempo, de amigos, de amor de my familia y otros. en este momento queria tomar la oportunidad de realizar y expresar gratitud por todo lo que tengo, por este momento.
36 hours.
road. music.
best. run. ever. snow, trail, sunrise, cold. hotties in the mittens. santa fe in the valley.
she's on the way.
i’m in santa fe, by myself, outdoors, it’s cold, drinking coffee with mexican chili chocolate - just watching the world go by. i’ve taken a run in the snow on a red dirt trail and watched the sun rise. i’ve already visited the folk art museum to see handicrafts by people around the world and be filled with inspiration. i’m going to see beautiful things in galleries this day, eat small snacks, buy a powerball ticket with some lucky numbers and drive home through taos to stop at el taoseno for sopapillas. can 36 hours restore a person? yes.
simple, not intricate this time.
i’ve been doing some small, intricate designs and decided to go larger and simpler this time. this is me sipping a spicy mexican chili chocolate latte, sitting outside on a cold day in Santa Fe recently. it’s something i want to remember.
new. what shape will it take?
not sure yet. but here goes. on red this time.
she's done.
this one is done, January 2022. Today I’ll get ready for a new one. I don’t have an idea on the new on yet. Hmm. I do have fabric. So I’ll get that ready and put on the frame.
open spaces.
there are some open spaces in the fabric and i’ll be thinking about how to fill them. really enjoying this one.