Those Who Can't Do, Teach!

I don't know where the title of this post came from, but, I guess in some sense it may be true. Seems strange to think you would want someone to teach you something they couldn't do. I can do alot of things well, and work in multiple mediums, but, I'm just not a very good salesperson of my own wares. So, tomorrow I'll teach.

Most who know me are astounded that I'm not famous. I hear it all the time. "Why aren't you famous? As talented as you are, why aren't you making a million dollars?" My response is always, "I don't have time to sell things while I'm working a creative spurt, and...I'm not dead yet!"

When it comes to being an artist, one must practice, starve, sell a piece occasionally, work your creative hands to the bone, and then die. Soon after, some aquaintance or family member has an epiphany of what a valuable artist you were. Then posthumously, they abscond with your forgotten art pieces packed in a closet; market and sell them, the work becomes famous worldwide, they become rich, and finally, the world is amazed you died penniless.

Here's the truth, artists are just that...artists, not salesmen. Most just want to spend their lives giving over to every creative inspiration, not selling their work. I should hire someone to market me so I can be fatter now, buy more art supplies, and have something besides a closet full of artwork for my children to fight over!

However, for the time being, I'm going to teach home-schooled kids through a local co-op. This means I must know how to do or they wouldn't have invited me to teach! :)

I begin tomorrow teaching on Mondays for the next 15 weeks. I'll have three classes; two sculpture and one calligraphy. This should be great fun for me and the students. Also, I've decided I may start a whole new blog to follow the things we work on and the student's progress. We'll see. Wish me luck.

Gingerbread Whimsy House Series

My first mini Gingerbread house (that I'm saving for Christmas) was so much fun to create, that I had to make another! This Halloween Gingerbread Whimsy House, was the second, and has now inspired a whole new limited edition "Gingerbread Whimsy House" Series.


Halloween Whimsy House is made on a 1:12 scale (1-inch=1-foot) used by miniature dollhouse collectors. So, for example, this tiny house will fit nicely on a dollhouse kitchen table! The 3-D tiny gingerbread scene has the following elements, all handmade as well: a hanging bat, licorice fence posts & other licorice candies, lollipops, candy corn, a painted spider web, rooftop snail, green toad, ghost, pumpkins, scarecrow, copper smokestacks, and a dead tree trunk to boot. They come wax anchored in a square crystal acrylic collector case that's stackable. (cute to display if you get the whole collection) and also have a hanging ribbon so they can be used as ornaments.









Sign up for the series and buy this one at WonderWorks.

Gosh they're fun! So, I'm doing a whole series of collector gingerbread houses for all holidays. I'll be adding two other Halloween/Fall houses in the next week. Then will come Thanksgiving, and finally this year, I'll be able to reveal the Christmas Gingerbread House already done. Can't wait for you to see that!

Dollhouse Kitties

♥ Just the size a real kitty would be if roaming around a house, this little black clay, 1:12 scale kitty is the right size to fit into a dollhouse for Halloween or any other time. You can buy him as your very own black cat pet at WonderWorks.









♥ The kittycat below is scared straight and sits on top of a 1:12 scale pumpkin. He's a cute addition to a Halloween dollhouse and also slips off of the pumpkin to be used in any dollhouse all the time. Buy him at WonderWorks too. I love kitties!

Bird Commissions

This pair of tropical birds was a recent commission. Painted in acrylic, they each measure 16"x20" I had a hard time getting the canvas moire' out of the photos. What's up with that? Anyway they must get blogged to save for posterity!
They're not the cutest birds I've ever seen, but their colors are fairly true to life; painted from some botanical drawings. Imagine what beautiful plumage they must have in real time.

The Mouse's House

"Christmas Gray Mouse at the Door of Her House." Just had to share this little ornament I made yesterday as a special order.


She's sculpted from colored polymer clay, and not even finished yet. When done she'll have two hooks on the back and will hang from a red silk ribbon bow. Think I'll be doing a line of these for the holidays. Call this a preview!

Falling

It's already September again. Seems like yesterday was January. Guess time does fly as you get older. But, I do so much love Fall, even though it's hard to tell here in Central FL. This month I'll be another year older and...better I hope. Some days I want to go back and do it all again differently, then there are other days I realize, (now that my head's screwed on a little straighter) I could have a good thirty productive years left. Better jump up and get on it! There's way too much to get done before I choose to expire!

♥ A new line of note cards with my own home grown, pressed, and dried flowers printed on translucent vellum. It's a cover that goes over a notecard printed with another arrangement so it winds up looking like a whole dimensional bouquet.

♥ A sneak peek at my new series of chunky, manly, oxidized copper pendants and key fobs. I just love these, and can't wait to see how they fare once I finish editing the photos and list them.