The day after Christmas.

My brother is on his way to San Francisco, my Mom is travelling back home to the Gorge, and Dave is at work.  The house is rather empty, and I am soaking up the quiet.

Christmas was wonderful.  We keep it pretty low-key around here, concentrating on spending time together and cooking yummy food, as well as a few walks in the rain.  We made two of the family's favorite, simple meals this weekend--Mexicali Gumbo, and a spicy seafood pasta with heaps of salad.  

One thing I love about the holidays in the past few years is that each one is different.  As much as I may love organization in most of my life, I love the unpredictability of the holidays.  Will we be with Dave's family or mine?  Who will be travelling?  Hood River or Portland?  Fancy or simple feast?  It's never the same.

This year, on Christmas Eve, we went to see our friend Chris Margolin play an acoustic show at the Edgefield Winery, and last night after Christmas Dinner, we went to see "We Bought A Zoo".  I can't remember the last time we went to the movies as a family!  

I hope your holidays have been full of fun and new experiences!

And now, off to clean the studio and be productive!

Photos by David Woody

Oh, it has been a wonderful day.  

And the weekend!  I spent the whole weekend with my husband and friends.  Now, my idea of relaxation is not necessarily laying around reading (although that is part of it...), it's more that I can do what I want, when I want, at the pace I want to.  And it has been wonderful!  

Our cute little tree is now lit up and dressed.

Decorations and stockings are hung.

The menu for the holidays is coming together.  

My brother and mom will be here in a few short days!

I've gotten to see three wonderful friends, and will be seeing more tonight. 

I've also been able to venture into the studio a little bit.  Not much..just a bit, but that's enough for me.  There will be more studio time to come, and I will revel in its glory!

Even the cats are excited! Sammy was so excited that I was home today that he just kept climbing up onto my lap, purring and loving on me incessantly.  It was both cute and annoying.  I loved every second.

I hope you are having a lovely holiday season, as well!

I am officially in the home stretch.  

My last class is in about an hour, and then I have four beautiful weeks off.  

Of course, I'll be working and filling my time planning my workshop for the spring, but I will also be able to see friends and family, and relax.  Maybe even read a non-assigned book!  The joy!  

For now, here's a few shots of my book project.  It's gorgeous and long and I can't wait to take proper photos of it.

For those of you in the Portland, Oregon area, my jewelry will be at the Oregon College of Art and Craft Holiday Sale this weekend!  

There will also be LOTS of my Lemongrass Candles for sale, as well!  The sale starts on the evening of Friday, November 25, and runs through Sunday, November 27, 2011.  

Please stop by and have a look!  The proceeds from sales go back to the artists and to scholarships for students at OCAC, so not only are you supporting artists, you're supporting students who are attending or want to attend the Oregon College of Art and Craft!

For more information click HERE!

 Self Portrait in Charcoal & Chalk, progression from left to right.

As some of you know, I am currently attending the Oregon College of Art and Craft as a BFA student.  Due to the nature of my Bachelor's degree from Australia, I am not qualified 'as is' to enter into a Master's program in the U.S., so I had to transfer my degree to OCAC and finish a degree here in order to move forward to a Master's.  

Still with me?  

I know, it's complicated.

Anyway, part of my curriculum is Drawing Foundations (wha?!  Yeah...think of my school in Australia as more of a trade school, I guess..).  

When I first entered the class in September, I thought "oh man, I am not going to like this.  I'm not good at drawing."  But, I consciously decided to be open to the process, and luckily, my teacher works in almost a mathematical way, which works perfectly with my learning process.  Yay!

And, as evidenced above, I'm not nearly as bad at drawing as I thought I was.  

Realizing this is very exciting for me, and gives me a renewed sense of confidence.  I'm definitely looking forward to next semester when we'll be able to get more creative--and since I am not a drawing artist by  nature, that will be an interesting challenge (and I do love a challenge).

My constant advice to people struggling with learning to draw, or learning a new process, is to forget what you think you know and be open.  It makes a world of difference.

I am finding inspiration...and in the strangest place...

Rain!

I love rain.

But living in Portland, I know that in April, after months of incessant rain (last year we had 50+ straight days of rain!), I will hate it. 

But for now, in the gorgeous cool of fall, I love it.  It is inspiring me.

What inspires you right now?

(Artist talk by Eric Adjetey Anang, Michael DeForest introducing him)

 We have a visiting artist here at the Oregon College of Art and Craft this week, and it has been incredible to watch him work.  

(Students working with Eric Adjetey Anang)

(Michael DeForest sanding the fish coffin)

His name is Eric Adjetey Anang, and he is a Fantasy Coffin maker from Ghana.  He did a presentation on his work and history on Monday, which was absolutely fascinating.  One of the Wood faculty, Michael DeForest, actually did a residency with him in Ghana at one point, and for the rest of the week they have been working together to make a smaller scale model of a Fish Coffin.  

(Eric Adjetey Anang carving details in the fish)

I cannot wait to see how it turns out!  It has been fascinating watching the process of how Eric builds these forms from planks of wood, and they become this gorgeous, painted sculpture.
I love that he has been collaborating with the faculty and students on this project.  Right now the tent is all enclosed, but hopefully there will be a more finished product on display soon!

Today, my husband and I met up with family to have lunch at McMenamin's Edgefield, where I got the yummy Terminator Stout + Chocolate Milkshake above, followed by a little stroll through some antique stores in Troutdale, Oregon.  I found a great shop that had some Native American artifacts, which I adore.  

I'm finding myself wanting to explore more Native American history.  As a child, I was always completely fascinated with Native Americans, constantly reading stories, drawing pictures and making little 3D models of huts, and even clothes out of bark for my troll dolls :)  I have always felt such a connection to the land, nature, and animals, and I found something I could relate to in so many of their belief systems with that.

Through my childhood, I now remember that I was always surrounded by Native American artifacts.  At my mom's house, there were arrowheads, and a sling for a baby, and at one point I think even a headdress.  Her home was also situated near a Native American graveyard, and there was a longhouse down the hill.  At the family cabin in California, there were woven baskets.  I don't have anything like that now, but would like to.

What's interesting is that I feel like I've rediscovered this passion, or curiosity, after so many years of being focused on other places...I finally feel like my interests, and my heart, are coming back home.  

Already, this has filtered into my work, with my jewelry reflecting endangered plant species from the Northwest, but I wonder how the Native American aspect will affect me and my work.  

I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

It's that time of year, when the leaves start turning, temperatures are dropping, and our thoughts turn to the upcoming holidays (or for some of you down under, leaves are growing and temperatures are rising...lucky ducks!)....

And it is the perfect time of year for my 

EARLY BIRD SALE!  

Friday, October 28th at 12:01 am

to

Monday, November 7 at 11:59 pm 

EVERYTHING in my Etsy shop will be 20% OFF!

Because after all, the Early Bird gets the worm...and in this case that worms are shiny and made of metal :D

You may have also read above that there is going to be a GIVEAWAY.  

We all love those, don't we?  

I will be giving away a pair of my gorgeous The Dalles Mountain Buttercup Earrings to one lucky winner and one Lemongrass Jar Candle each to three lucky winners!

Here is how to enter the giveaway:

1. Post about the sale & giveaway on Facebook (and leave a comment): one entry.

2. Tweet about the sale & giveaway on Twitter (and leave a comment): one entry.  (My twitter name is cechandler).

3. Post about the sale & giveaway on your blog (and leave a comment): one entry.

4. Leave a comment here about your favorite thing about Autumn: one entry.

So there you have it!  4 ways to win some fabulous goods, and a great sale as well!  I'm looking forward to reading your stories and comments.  I will be announcing the winner of the Giveaway on Tuesday, November 8.

p.s. Aren't those Kookaburras so cute?!  The image is from the Powerhouse Museum Collection in Sydney, Australia.

 Fall is upon us, and with it come thoughts of the holidays and....gifts!  Gifts for yourself, gifts for your loved ones...gifts for your coworkers, even!  

So.

Starting this Friday, I will be hosting an EARLY BIRD SALE in my Etsy Shop!

 The SALE will run for 10 DAYS.  TEN. DAYS.

And, there may even be a giveaway....I'll let you know....

The details:

What: EARLY BIRD SALE!!! All items in the shop will be 10-30% OFF.

Where: http://www.catherinechandler.etsy.com/

When: Friday, October 28 to Monday, November 7

I'll be posting an announcement again on Friday, October 28!  See you then!

Because remember...the early bird gets the worm.

Every year for the past four years, Dave and I have made a trip to the Pumpkin Patch at Sauvie Island, near Portland, Oregon.  I know I went there as a kid, but I don't know if it was an annual thing, and now it's one of the traditions we've built that I love the most.  Yesterday was no exception...

The day started out bright and blue, with a beautiful cup of coffee and plans to visit the Pumpkin Patch with friends...

....we drove along the freeway, up and over the Fremont Bridge...it's one of my favorite bridges.  I love all the shapes and the high, high arch...

....then we passed through the industrial district of NW Portland.  What beautiful lines those power lines create!...

....onto Highway 30, past the St. John's Bridge...

...and onto the Sauvie Island Bridge.  Look at those X's, and the gorgeous rust color!...

....the X's on the Sauvie Island Bridge remind me of chromosomes...

....we arrived at Columbia Farms, which has a wonderful selection of pick-your-own flowers, berries, and a great selection of crazy pumpkins....

....after we all picked out pumpkins, noshed on apples and honey sticks, we decided to head to St. John's for Thai food, so across the St. John's bridge we went...

....to a little place called Thai Cottage where we enjoyed Thai iced tea and various yummy soups, curries, and noodle dishes...

...and where Dave made me take out of focus pictures of our friends.  

I hope you had a wonderful weekend, too!  Do you visit a pumpkin patch each year?

We made these gorgeous Lemongrass Candles for our wedding, with the help of a few friends, and I am now listing the rest in my Etsy Shop!  They give off a lovely light, burn nicely, and the scent is lovely.  Plus, they double as insect repellent (perfect for camping or outdoors)!

 Constructing the walls of the box

Last week, as some of you may have seen, I created a handmade box for my Book and Box Structures class at OCAC.  This week we will be moving on to book binding practices, but I have to say, I absolutely LOVE making boxes.  The techniques tie in beautifully with my love of fabrication, and I find the process very rewarding.  It is much quicker than creating boxes out of metal, and I get to use beautiful book cloth and papers of various textures and colors.  I have always been fascinated by beautiful fabric and papers...the colors, textures, and patterns make my heart flutter, so getting to use them is very exciting!  

This last week, we learned how to make paste papers for covering books, which was really fun.  There were some really interesting Indian fabric stamps made from wood that were great for creating patterns on the paper.  I hope they turn out nicely!

In other adventures, the kitties have been struggling with all the changes going on around here, what with the wedding (and all the supplies for it being around), people coming and going, multiple house guests, and then both Dave and my schedules changing so drastically that neither of us are home during the day.  Sammy and Amber have been showing their dislike the only way they know how...by peeing on things they're not supposed to.  So, after a nice visit to the vet to make sure there was nothing medically wrong, we learn it is all behavioral and are now making changes to try and appease the babies and reduce the bad behavior.  Wish us luck!

 Sammy playing with his new toy, attached to our front door

I am consistently telling parents about their kids, "This is a phase," which most behaviors in children are.  So now, I hope that with our cats, this is a phase.

What a week it has been!  My days have been FULL!  

Full of wonder and beauty, mixed with varying levels of sleep deprivation and creativity.

This last weekend, I spent a good amount of time (17+ hours) finishing a box for my mid-term project in my Book and Box Structures class.  It's a fairly simple box, but has significant meaning and lots of little surprises.  I can't wait to have Dave photograph it and show it in all it's beauty to you!  The outside cover is a gorgeous cream with tan striations, and the inside is a bright magenta!  I love it.

It felt SO good to spend the weekend in the studio, even if I wasn't working solely with metal.  There is a copper box to go in said artist's box, so I was able to make a little something (actually a really big something, the size of a crow's feather).  Now I just have to clean up all the solder and patina it!  

Amidst all this wonderful creativity, there were some lovely breaks:

Breakfast with the hubby

Cooking sweet potato, sausage and wild rice soup (which was gone in two days!)

and

Lots of cuddles with the kitties (we have to keep them happy somehow!)

This weekend my mom is visiting, and I haven't seen her since the wedding, so I'm excited.  There will be some good food, funny movies, studying for the Art History test (eep!) and possibly, a trip to the pumpkin patch.  We have been going to the Pumpkin Patch for the past 4 years...we always go to a small one down the street from the ridiculously large one...there's rarely a crowd, and I feel good about supporting the little guy.  Plus!  They have ghost and cinderella pumpkins!

What's your favorite pumpkin?

I hope you have a wonderful week!

I took myself up Mt. Tabor today, on a rambling walk...

through the dog park (I wonder if people think I'm crazy, walking through a dog park with no dog)...

up trails, across roads, and around the reservoir,

all the time stopping here and there, searching.

I looked under trees, in grasses, along the paths.

I was hunting for feathers, and boy did I find them!

(I was also calling out, within myself, 'feathers, come to me!')

I found big feathers, little feathers, mommy feathers, baby feathers, tattered feathers, and pristine feathers, and even one dyed feather.

Now to prep them for their evolution...

I have been sick for the last week.  

I am trying to heal, but time doesn't wait for sickness.  I was able to take one day off school last week in order to rest, and now I am healing.  Unfortunately for me, at the end of my colds, things settle into my lungs and my throat gets dry, and I end up coughing a lot.  In fact, I can't really speak right now, it throws me into coughing fits so quickly (and I am SO sick of cough drops). 

So, I am being quiet.  I am eating home made chicken pho, and being silent.  

The clouds are covering Portland, and a subdued light casts over everything.  It makes for a rather nice, quiet feeling amidst everything, reminding me of an Ani Difranco song that starts,

The sky is grey

The sand is grey

And the ocean is grey,

And I feel right at home,

In this stunning monochrome,

Alone in my way...

I learned of a friend losing her dog today, and it absolutely broke my heart.  I lost my own dog, Buddy, a few years ago to ridiculous, frustrating, stupid circumstances that were totally out of my control.  Being as empathetic as I am, I feel for her and her little family and their loss.  

(I don't mind being empathetic.  It's part of me.)

In a bit, I will go feather hunting around the neighborhood....wandering seems the only logical, meditative act to work through those feelings.

I hope you having a beautiful, calm week...

Growing up in the soggy, green Northwest, you learn to yearn for two things....sunshine, of course, but also the rain.  After weeks of dry weather, which I don't mind in the least, and an explosion of wildfires, I have spent the last month wishing and hoping for rain.  Just a little.  Just to bring down the smoke, dampen the ground, and put out some fires. 

I am a water girl.  I have a connection to water, and while I may loathe the gray skies of winter and spring, I welcome their raindrops.  They water the plants, the trees, our earth and skin.  Rain builds up the rivers nearby, that center me in their vastness.

I would wither in a desert.

I lovingly made each link of this necklace, connected and shaped them, while wishing for rain.

The Raindrop Necklace is available in my Etsy Shop.

Sterling Silver

24"

This coming week, I'll be entering my 4th week of school at the Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland, Oregon.  I've been here before, but this time it's different.  I find that people are nicer, more open to making friends, less clique-y.  It's most likely because the last time I started this process, I came into it mid-year, but regardless, it is a relief.  Every time I come to OCAC, I am reminded why I love this place so much.  There are only about 200 students here, and it's a pretty tight-knit community.  In addition to that, the staff and teachers are phenomenal.  There is so much passion in these people, it's palpable.  And that is exactly what you want to be surrounded by when you're spending thousands of dollars to get a stellar education.  Granted, this is my second time around, but I know that I will walk out of here far more knowledgeable than when I graduated from my Australian Alma Mater.  

It has been quite an adjustment, as far as time management is concerned.  I envy those students who don't have jobs, who can just study, and do homework day in and day out.  And heck, even have a social life!  I am definitely juggling, but luckily I am a 'busy bee', as Dave lovingly says, so I can handle it. 

Here is what I am learning so far:

I am much better at drawing than I thought.  Much better than 10 years ago!

I knew this already, but I LOVE history.  I find it absolutely fascinating.  My life is steeped in family history.  I am constantly thinking about history, and how it has affected how and where we are now.  I am two history classes right now and love the heck out of them.

Making boxes is so fun!  Working with board and book cloth is a lot more fragile than metal, but it is so much faster and very fun.

And of course...I am constantly reminded of how much I love working with metal and creating jewelry.  It is part of my soul, my heart.

What are you learning right now? 

Just as things began heating up in the Pacific Northwest, the fires came.  

Not just one or two, but many.  

The smoke surrounds our fair city, blanketing the sky in gold, orange, and purples each night at sunset. 

Knowing that these fires are raging to the South and East of us (and a few in Washington, too!), I cannot help thinking of all those brave men and women firefighters, and my heart prays for rain.  Raindrops are thus, finding their way into my work, drenching it in blue hues, and lending shapely drops to my designs.

 

Is it raining where you are?  Or are your sunsets infused with oranges and purples as well?

These beauties can be found in my Etsy Shop!