Create Chicago 2013~spirit guide sculptures

We spent the entire 3 day weekend working on getting ready for our house warming next saturday. I haven't even started cleaning inside yet. The good news is that the wicker is all repainted. The bad news is that the paint sprayer back fired and I wasn't wearing safety goggles. High gloss exterior grade paint, color "granite", directly into the eyeballs. After rinsing with the hose directly into the eyes and another round in the bathroom sink, I finally got out all of the paint. Did anyone see the episode on The Office where they are making the safety video and Andy has to use the eye washer? Yep. It was like that. Left eye still irritated. But hey! The furniture looks great!

(Note to self: you are not invincible, as young as you once were, nor a stellar house keeper. I really need to lower my expectations.)

So. Here's a few favorite pieces from Chicago's sculpture class. I didn't know what to expect since it was my first time teaching at this particular location. I have to say that I had a wonderful time. And I got to connect with several people with whom I've developed friendships over the past couple of years. My life is blessed and I am thank-full.

don't you just love the legs and feet on this guy?

here he is from the other side. cutey

this mouse isn't quite finished. love his butterfly covering.

i adore the colors on this bear. he'd look great with my new painted wicker:~)

this gal made a small earth to attach to her bear's back. and she discovered we could write on our sculptures with gel pens. j'adore

don't you love all of the striping on this giraffe by my bud Terri Commander?

That's all for today. I will post the rest of the pix throughout the week. Next week I'll start showing you work from the red road. Hope your idea list is keeping you busy in a good way. Mine is stressing me out right now.

~staci

day 16~the itinerary!

Exclamation point? I used that like I have any idea what the itinerary is for this trip. In actuality, it's time for us to plan and come up with a road map.

The last couple of months while I was traveling, I started making some notes in my sketchbook. Here's a list of the ideas that keep waking me up at night. Ideas are like that. They sit there in the corner of your room like a pair of sexy shoes you never wear.....Taunting you..."Take me out...
Take me out!!

Phew. Wipes hand across forehead. sorry.

Here's my sexy shoe list:

• work less flat, incorporate more relief and 3d sculpture
• return to irregular shaped "canvas"
• revisit my textile design background
• work more narratively
• paint new 'intuitive' pieces a la portraits from a few years ago

"along the paved roads" 30x40 c.2009-2010

guidebook: metaphorically speaking, where would you like to go with your artwork?

"home"work: brainstorm ideas. Make a list of anything and everything you'd like to try artistically. Don't be dissuaded by what you think you are capable of doing. Just dream big. Now...which ones make you the most excited? What is the idea that says to you "I have to make this RIGHT now!?" Which idea makes your sexy shoes look like sensible flats by comparison?

I'm getting excited to try on my new sexy shoes. Maybe I should go get a pedicure:~)

Staci

day 13~zane and the quacking flowers

these first few weeks of my year long project tracking my creative process, i'm concentrating on all of the 'stuff' that is swirling around inside my noggin that works it's way into my artwork. i'm just taking stock. i encourage you to do the same. (teacher nudge:~) (incidentally, do you think they let you use words like "noggin" when writing for real publishing houses? i bet not. i also bet i couldn't get away with my poetic use of lower case letters for this post!)

ok. so here is the story of zane and the quacking flowers...

showy lady slippers from  www.nature.org

zane, my grandfather lived in a mountain town in upstate pennsylvania. he was retired from the coal mines and had a barbershop in the front room of the house he shared with my grandmother for the 62 years that they were married. rose, my grandmother, worked in a clothing factory that made children's dresses. she was the floor manager, i believe. the spare bedroom of their house was filled to the gills with bolts of fabric and trims that she would get from the factory whenever they were cleaning out old inventory. it's no wonder i ended up a textile designer early on!

anyway, zane had a 6th grade education but was a pretty smart guy and just like most of the men of his generation, he was no slouch when it came to woodworking and fixing things around the house. while rosie's domain was upstairs in the spare bedroom with her sewing machine and fabrics, zane's laire was down in the basement where he built furniture and turned wood and tinkered with just about anything he could grab. as i'm writing this i wish i had the chance to go back to that house and view it thru eyes with a different sense of appreciation.

he also had a love for the outdoors. i can't say for sure but i suspect he went for walks in the woods as often as he could, if not every day. so when i was little, like 3 or 4 little, he used to take me for walks with him. it's where i learned about peace and quiet and just "being". out there in the woods above their house, at the base of one of the mountains, zane built this outdoor "room" for himself. it had a chair, and a set of wooden shelves that i'm sure he built from scrap wood down in the shop. on the shelves i have a picture in my mind's eye of pinecones, pretty rocks with crystals in them, and interesting tree pieces. there was also a small brick fireplace he built and a teeny tiny stream running right thru the middle of the room. it couldn't have been more than 12" wide because i could walk across it fairly easily and i was just a squirt at that time!

so one day i was visiting with my grandparents and grampop (that's what i called him), grampop asked me if i wanted to go hunt for lady slipper flowers. i'm sure at the time i thought he was talking about house slippers and somewhere in my mind i pictured shoes hanging off of flower stems.

lady slipper orchids are very rare and while looking for a picture online to include in my story, i saw where people actually post pictures of "sightings". anyway, we would go searching for lady slippers out in the woods near his sacred spot nestled in the base of the mountain. but since these magical flowers were so difficult to spot, zane figured we needed to use a little magic of our own to call to them. yes. you guessed it. it turns out that only the quack of sweet youngsters can speak to elusive flowers and coax them out of hiding. so there we were, me quacking like a duck, and my grampop guiding the way. works like a charm every time.

turns out zane was not only good with his hands, but he had a wicked sense of humor as well!

some day i'd like to recreate that magical spot in the woods in an art installation and hang the walls with paintings of fanciful flowers and woodland animal sculptures covered in calico fabrics and embroidery. and i suppose i'll have to create a small stream running thru the gallery.

and heard in the background will be chirping birds, crunching leaves, and a small child quacking like a duck.

Here's your assignment for today. Write down your favorite childhood memory. Start thinking about how it could work it's way into your art making. Maybe in a literal sense, or maybe something a little more subtle. Post your thoughts. I love to hear from you!

xoxo
staci

Day 8-visual introspection

I haven't painted in several days. Looking forward to returning home tomorrow and getting back into the swing of things. And I want to paint lady slippers. Because they are the quacking flowers...

I don't usually consume caffeine although I love the taste of coffee. This morning I may make an exception.

Good Morning!

-staci

Day 6- traveling to teach

I'm going to keep this short because I'm on my phone. I'm not a big fan of blogging from my phone because I can't tweak things like I can on my computer. I'm control freakish like that. But I'm at the airport and this book I brought isn't holding my ADD interest so I thought, "hey!" ( Si voice) "maybe I'll just throw a quick picture up to keep things moving along."

These are photos I admit to finding online ages ago and I refer to them often when I'm thinking about my roots. I love the women in these photos. Enjoy. 

I suppose in the spirit of the Internet I will have to try and research where I found these photos and post a link to their origin. But I left my laptop at home and so that will have to wait. I'm pretty sure it was a blog about Slavic textiles. Except that first photo. No idea there. 

As for how these ladies inspire me. Hard to say. I just feel connected in a universal way and when I'm working they are there in the back of my mind. Maybe not these gals specifically but their likeness embodies that which I hold in my brain. All churned up with loads of other crap. (Can I say "crap"?) 

I know I promised the story of Zane and the quacking flowers but I really want to write that one from my laptop so I can include some sketches etc. 

So for now you're stuck with my random musings about inspiration. So? You? Do you have an ethnic heritage that inspires you? I think this is so important when finding one's own artistic identity. You may not use it literally in your work. But you need to recognize it and embrace it. Even if its just a little tiny nightlight in the recesses of your imagination. 

Buvaite zdorovi!

Ok Daniel Silva. Entertain me!

-staci

day 5 ~ an explanation

At dinner the other evening a friend of mine asked what I mean by "the red road" so I guess I'd better explain. In Lakota culture it is a metaphor for living a spiritual and true life. They believe that there are many roads we travel in life and on those roads we are faced with decisions, good and bad. You can read more about it here: The Red Road

Journey into Native American Heritage has a poem about the red road. There end sums up what I especially love.

"If you walk the Red Road,

you know that every sorrow

leads to a better understanding,

every horror cannot be explained,

but can offer growth.

To Walk the Red Road

is to look for beauty in all things.

To Walk the Red Road

is to know you will one day

cross to the Spirit World,

and you will not be afraid."

Obviously I am not Native American. I'm of eastern european decent, thru and thru--Hungarian, Czech, etc. And maybe that's why the connection to the earth of the Native American culture resonates with me. There are strong similarities in these ancient cultures in terms of spirituality.

What does all of this mean to me? It's my life's blood coursing thru my veins. It's the choices we all make in our daily life. It's life--the red road. And I'm dancing along, trying to be the best person I can be. Trying to recognize the lessons presented to me and trying harder to learn from them. (Although, let's be honest. There are times when I make awful decisions. Damn if that doesn't cause me to trip over some ditch in my path! Quite a few twisted ankles and stubbed toes behind me to be sure!)

So Happy Monday! I've got to go put on my dancing/walking shoes. Busy week ahead. How are those journal entries coming? What sweet memories have you unearthed? Let us know what you've uncovered!

Next time I'll tell you a story about my grandfather and the quacking flowers:~)

Staci

dancing along the red road~day 2

Good Morning sweet creatives!

Sitting here in my jammies with my slippers up on the coffee table while I write.  It's gloomy grey and rainy outside and my Yerba tea with lemon and honey is piping hot. I'm actually thinking about lighting a fire since it's like the Arctic out there. I mean it's 64 degrees or something! Brrr :~)

Anyway...what better way to start my journey? Cuddled up on the couch with my cyber-pen mapping out my journey into creativity. I'm calling today's entry:

What's in my suitcase? 

An assessment of my baggage, if you will. Artistic baggage. But let's not think of this "baggage" as a bad thing. More like looking inside my closet before packing to leave and taking stock of what's there. 

1.a strong desire to make art with personal meaning. I want to make art that is personal to me. It's all well and good to look to others for inspiration, but if there isn't any personal connection to the imagery being made then it's merely pretty pictures on the canvas and decoration. 

2. stronger desire to make "art for art's sake". Often I fall into the trap of making art that I think will sell and I forget to just make what's in my heart. Time to play and return to the very essence of "play".

3. iconic house images. Right now I'm fixated on these folksy houses and barns. Aside from my ridiculous need to "nest", I grew up in the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania. Red barns, stone barns and houses, rolling countryside and fields. You get the idea.

4. use of Slavic textile designs. My grandparents and ancestors were of Slavic decent. I grew up writing on easter eggs (pysanky) with my grandmother and mother. When I was 11 I got to wear a traditional Hungarian costume while appearing on a tv special about writing on pysanky. This left a lasting impression on me.

5. I'm fascinated with the image of women with antlers. Strong women. I could write a book about that symbolism but for now I won't bore you with all of that!

Think of the next section as your guidebook. 

Where are you in your own artwork? What is the main theme? Write down what is working. Focus on the positives! Forget the crappy parts. This is all about what makes you happy. What are your influences? Where does your imagery originate? Are you relying on other people's designs or do you create your own?

"home"work: Investigate your personal story. Where did your ancestors call home? Recall family stories. Fill the pages of your sketch book with design details from your family home, your grandmother's china, a favorite flower that grows naturally in your part of the world, your uncle's argyle sweater etc. Let your mind wander. Remember to smile and feel the presence of people you love while you are working. 

I'll be back in a few days with pictures of my current/past work. Can't wait to hear from you!

dancing and smiling,

staci