....and I have definitely been absent of late!

I realized today that I haven't posted anything since our car was broken into. Shame. That has, luckily, been resolved quite nicely.

I've been beyond busy with the final weeks of the semester, working on multiple projects at a time and lamenting how I always put too much on my plate.

Currently in the pickle rest two lichen brooches for my Nature & Culture class, surrounding me sit multiple dream drawings for my Drawing class, and at school there is the structure of a hollow box in my locker in the metals studio, for my Digital Tools for Artists class. And, in my backpack sit my flashcards for Art History, waiting to be drilled into my memory.

Here are a few visuals to sooth your curiousity....enjoy!

Where Dreams Are Held (In progress)

I Dreamed That I Could Fly With the Power of the Stars

The Desert Bazaar

Electroformed Eucalyptus 

Lichen Study No. 2

In other news, I am having a little sale in my Etsy Shop. Enter coupon code MOTHERS2012 at the checkout, and you get 20% off your entire purchase!

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. On Thursday, March 29, while we were across the street having a phenomenal dinner with friends at Abby's Table, our plucky little Subaru was bashed, banged, and robbed. It completely ruined the evening for us...heck, the whole week, really. DW and I were just starting to feel really good about everything, and were making plans for traveling (hello honeymoon!) when this happened. A lot was taken, too, since we had just come from work and had stowed the bags in the car (yes, I know, I know).

Luckily, we have decent insurance, but still had to spend most of our savings on getting not one, but two windows replaced. And yes, we're getting reimbursed for the stolen goods, but again, there's factoring of depreciation and the deductible, which lands us with about only 2/3 of what was stolen. Last week I was in a haze of overwhelming repairs and dealing with insurance...it is something I never want to deal with again.

This week, I ordered my new backpack to replace my lovely Osprey FlapJack Pack (I'm getting the same backpack, because it's amazing), and will hopefully be replacing my laptop later in the week. I am really glad that the thieves who broke in to the car and stole my backpack actually threw my notebooks out of the bag, because those are irreplacable and I would have been pretty lost without all my notes. And luckily, I did not have my portable hard drive with me! Phew! Imagine all those photos and documents lost. 

What hurt was how selfish people are, and how violated we felt after being robbed. Someone took it upon themselves to decide that we had what they wanted, and they took it. The moral degradation in others is staggering at times. It truly makes me question humanity. I decided soon after, though, that I would try to take something positive out of this, and that is this: Because I am good, because I do good by others and have integrity and am honest, I will continue to move up in the world. My life is rich with love and happiness. But those thieves? Every time they do something bad, every time they hurt someone else, a part of their soul is lost, and soon they will be empty shells of human beings. I take comfort in that.

Things are wrapping up now, life is carrying on, and I am finding my organization skills once again. We are now more vigilant than ever as well.

Be vigilant. Be safe.

Dear Pops,

Hey, up there, in the great blue yonder!

The last year has been quite the roller coaster, and I've missed your presence more than ever. 

I have prayed time and time again to see you in my dreams, but those visits have been few and far between. Luckily, I always have you with me, in my heart and in my integrity.

Dave and I got married on August 3, 2011. You would have been so proud! Ben walked me down the aisle, and Henry made a really sweet toast. All of the moms were there, and siblings--it was a regular family reunion! And it was so fun. Dave wore your diversity pin on his suit, so we would have a symbol of you there with us. Chris Margolin even officiated the wedding! It was great.

I am constantly reminded of the lessons you taught me, even unintentionally. The need to wake up early, to do things when they need to be done, and to live life full of integrity. I am so grateful for the way you raised us.

Thank you.

I miss you, and I hope to see you in my dreams.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately.

Well, realistically, this subject has been on my mind for years. 

You see, my chosen discipline is one that has a history of intruding and harming not only the earth but countless people and animals. A bit morbid, right? Or simply realistic.

All metal has to be mined originally. I now only use recycled silver, and am working on finding a source for copper that is more sustainable. 

But there are these things that I love, that tear at my heart strings, that bring color into our lives.

Stones.

Oh, the stones!

Stones in all shapes, sizes and colors. I love them and have since I was a child. But now, when I look at that gorgeous Ocean Jasper, or Drusy, or Chalcedony that I really want to buy, I can't help but think..."where did that come from? Did mining it harm the ocean's ecosystem? What animals were living on/around it?" And it goes on like that. There are a few stone cutters who I buy stones from, and some of those stones I know the origins of, but not all.

So here are my solutions that I can see:

1. Source recycled metals (Silver, check. Gold, check. Copper, ?)

2. Research the origins of stones, and ask stone dealers what they know, before purchasing. There are a few sources that I know of already.

3. Use vintage stones and glass in place of mined stones.

4. Use more alternative materials--wood, fabric, plastics, etc.

What do you think about this issue of sustainability in the arts? If you are an artist, do you do anything to make your own practice more eco friendly and sustainable?

There has been a lot of processing going on lately. In my Digital Tools for Artists class, we have been printing on different surfaces, including fabric and thin aluminum sheet. Above is an example of some aluminum sheet that I printed an image on, which was manipulated in Photoshop.

I decided to see what would happen if I the printed aluminum in my hydraulic press to create a pillow form. My concern was that, because we are using ink-jet printers, the image would warp or crack or tear in some way. On the first round through, there was no warping or cracking of the image, but I did push the press too far and the metal cracked along the bottom.

On the second round through, I put soap onto the underside of the die, so that the metal could move further up into it without cracking. I was able to get a deeper press, but the soap did affect the image, as can be seen above.

 

Here I was just playing around with piercing the metal, imagining it as a series of hollow forms.

I may choose to do more of these, and cold connect them into a chunky necklace or series of brooches. I was actually imagining a series of them with digitally fabricated plants...fantasy plants, if you will, and adding different media.

This is some cloth that I printed an image on to. I cut out a piece to try to incorporate it into a metal form but it didn't work. I would love to fiddle with this some more, once again imagining pillow forms but sewn with different patterns and images.

Another idea is to print over various already-made fabrics. I think the original pattern showing through whatever is printed seems like it could be interesting.

Thanks for reading!

Life has been happening, dears....and I am loving every minute.

March has been full of:

A 30-Day Vegan Challenge (which I am loving, to be honest--above is a 'mock tuna melt' made with chickpeas)

A 6 day jewelry workshop for a local private high school--we're exploring all things that you can do with cold connections

Help from the gatos while finishing up projects before Spring Break

Experimenting with digital printing on different surfaces

A month away from Facebook (another challenge I accepted, and am loving)

Thai dinner with DW

 

Oh, and despite this being the 2nd or 3rd day of spring, it's been snowing! I kind of love it...all the trees are white and weighted down by the fluff.

What has your March been like?