woolly mammoths

The Woolly Mammoth species was first recorded in (possibly 150,000 years old) deposits of the second last glaciation in Eurasia. What we have here is a fascinating example of how mutations can occur and sprout seemingly out of nowhere. DNA samples prove that this is indeed a successor of the behemoth creatures that once roamed the middle of the high Arctic. Now found in the Northern and Western hemisphere, this shaggy flower is still relatively rare and thus coveted amongst horticulturists.

i can't stop making flowers....so much for jewelry.

hot out of my little hands

"Crushed"  Industrial Metal Vase made from reclaimed tube. 

This summer I had lots going on in regards to pipes.  I went and paid a machine shop to cut up a few pipes that were too challenging for me (this after breaking my newish expensive carbide blade trying to cut this very pipe) due to shape and density of material.  I was disheartened that they didnt have a large bandsaw to cut a 'flush' bottom so I ended up doing a ton of work grinding the bottoms of these babies so they don't become known as 'wobblers'.  I am happy with the result...I mean where are you gonna find a vase like this out there in the world?  Short of becoming a pottist...I couldnt make something like this if I tried right?

I also finished another Industrial Waste Basket.  Loving these...it's not often I find such wide pipes let alone a way to cut them.  Again...the machine shop did their thing and I practically burned up my grinder doing my thing to even it up.  (ps I do have another one yet to be made that is actually a few more inches taller than this one and I also have one more super fucked up black reflector one like the one above in the wings too)  Anyhow...here is my waste basket. 

Fire and Safety Basket, 2011
Approx 11" tall
8.25" diameter

And for those of you who don't check in with what is new in my etsy shop or on facebook or wherever else I blanket the internet with new works.... I also finished some tea candle holders, two kitchen utensil holders (special in that I cut them specifically to hold kitchen stuff as well as coated the enamel paint with waterbased varnish to protect the paint from scratching) and a handful of  'vanity trays'.  The vanity trays are fun...thanks to another customer who requested I make her a few I decided to make more.  I love using them in my bathroom to hold my essential oil bottles that I always manage to knock over with my shower towel. I only had a small amount of that adobe square pipe so thats it on those.  I have more blue 'rollers' to cut if and when I sell out of the blue vanity trays.  

And next?  Well believe it or not I finally made a pendant.  It's super simple and I'm not quite finished varnishing it.  I've decided to make a handful of these before posting them (perhaps I will debut them in my overdue newsletter).  have a good weekend people.

techincal difficulties and dark matter

interesting week.  my netbook would no longer let me boot and that is the computer i use all the time except for editing photo, office type work and storing stuff.  my big ole dell dimension is a 2001 ladies and gentlemen and other than a few fresh installs of the operating system and needing a cooling + heat sink fan this baby is still runnin.  well, compared to computers nowadays it's ambling along but probably better than most 5  yr old computers.  i like a desktop. it's nice to sit down at a table surface and type on a keyboard...have my nice dell speaker system going.  i've got a APC brand UPS battery backup, i've got the printer and scanner.  everything can be plugged in at once and is ready to go.

the netbook is for getting on and off line fast to check/market my etsy shops and stay in touch with people (i dont iphone or text or use my phone much).  hence when that stopped working i was a little anxious.  i dont wanna depend on the dell full time.  so i emailed the computer tech guy that helped me out with a router problem last month asking how i can 1) fix the problem or 2) at least get my files from the 'dead' computer.  i emailed again...nada.  sometimes you just have to go in there and deal with it.  i am happy to say that i was able to get my files last night thanks to learning how to make an img disc of ubuntu (linux) and get on the netbook via external cd.

a big boost of confidence is what i got too!  i'm thinking i'm going to get a better hard drive and a new fan (if i can EVER get the dang keyboard off) and use that computer as my linux learning computer.  and INCREDIBLY someone online offered me their asus netbook that they dont use!!!!!  so next week i will have a working xp netbook again (hopefully i can connect to my router since the computer guy even had problem getting my computers to connect to a 'secure network' and ended up finding a way around all that which means you can't just turn on a wifi computer and expect it to connect)

needless to say i havent been online so much this week.  and i've been tired...too much smoke in the air from texas fires?  too much humidity?  dare i say hormones? who knows.  i'm tired and i am allowing myself to lumber along thru the days and just be with things.  i spent all of labor day weekend sorting thru every object on my floor and 2 work tables in my studio and got everything all cleaned and organized. i decided now is the time to start on jewelry.  every day i would go in there and sit down and think okay i am going to make a pendant.  and i would pick something up from my pendant tray and look at it and think ' now this would make a great flower'.  i would set it aside and pick up something else.  a pang of remorse would hit as i realized this too would make a good flower.  as would this and that and oh fuck it let me make a flower right now so i can get back to trying to make a pendant.  eventually all the jewelry cord and accessories would get scrunched into a little pile and the rebar sticks would appear and the nuts and bolts and larger objects would fill every inch of work surface.  before i know it i'm hauling my umbrella out and my electrical cord and am grinding away at metal on the porch. 

this new flower i call dark matter.  influenced by my recent conversations with tod about such matter.  i love this flower.  i know most people prefer bright happy fun flowers, and it may not be popular but i can't stop looking at this thing.  for MONTHS i had this object on the porch.  it was connected to a big square piece of flashing that was beautifully flecked with red/pink paint.  i think i once saw this object on the back of a truck...could it be some light fixture?  every time i look at it i see a steampunk space age microphone.  i feel like this is the link that allows for connection thru time and space.  this is a powerful flower on a nice big fat unapologetic piece of rebar :)

i made a new clock too and i feel i need to preface it by saying, this too is an object that i've had laying around for pert near a year, knowing full well i would make a clock with it but feeling like MORE had to be done to it in order for me to feel like a respectable artist.  (excuse me while i club my ego to death okay???).  i gave up, gave in and allowed it to be what it's supposed to be.  natural save for the 2 washers i put in the round area for the clock to connect to.  the colors, the markings...already there.  the paranoid voice inside says anybody could do this. this is the type of grease-monkey art you would find in some dudes garage right?  well..maybe not. they wouldnt take the time to match the orange and paint the hands. hahaha.  i dunno if i'm liking the hands but i have it up in my kitchen and after living with it awhile i will know if i want to change it or sell it on etsy.

i like that it stands up on its own or you can hang it.  its lightweight....it's obviously some sort of valve cover from a vehicle.  took me weeks to get all the black grime and grease off of it since i dont use harsh chemicals.