Friday, March 27, 2009

The Family that is Art

I am absolutely in love with The Family! That is my art family. Be it those dear souls that share their triumphs and failures in pottery class each week, those who willingly experimenting with new techniques in fiber art guild, or the community of Etsy where I find joy and encouragement every day.

And I love seeing what an other artist will do with something I have created...taking it to further heights...letting it be all that it can be! Thanks to the three artists who have shared their work that encompasses my work. I wanted you to see just how wonderfully creative these three artists are. Please visit their shops and their blogs to get a sense of how art will flow from one to an other. Click on the photo to go right to their shops! You are in for a treat.

What is even more wonderful are the new friendships that evolve through the process. Three photos at right show communication, willingness to give and share, pride in ones art and work. Wouldn't the world be a better place if everyone could be open like this?

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Elsie Made me Do It...

Here's what you're supposed to do...and please do not spoil the fun. Copy, paste in your notes, delete my answers and type in your answers. Then tag a few good friends! The theory is that you will learn a lot of little known things about each other.

Three Names I go by

1. Dorcas
2. D
3. What's your name again?

Three Jobs I have had in my life

1. United States Air Force Journalist
2. Interior Designer
3. Surveyor Crew Chief

Three Places I have lived

1. Alexandria VA
2. Charleston, WV
3. Reidsville, NC

Three TV Shows that I watch

1. Bones
2. Fringe
3. Sons of Anarchy

Three places I have been

1. King Tut Exhibit in 1976, Smithsonian
2. Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit, 2009 NC Museum of Natural History
3. Ramses II Exhibit, Charlotte, NC

People that e-mail me regularly

1. Gina
2. Dan River Basin Association friends
3. Family

Three of my favorite foods

1. Italian, Italian,Italian
2. Anything Mexican
3. My husbands Roast Beef and Havarti grilled sandwich


Three friends I think will repost

1. Gina
2. Andrew
3. and hey you!! surprise me...

Things I am looking forward to

1. Birth of new grandbaby this year.
2. Continued inspiration and interaction with artists friends... local and on the web.
3. Gleaning down and moving to a smaller home.

Favorite things to do (In no particular order)

1. pottery
2. photography
3. visits with my son

Forever behind in things I need to do!

I wish I could get a routine down to do all the little things that make a blog work. I compose in my head during the day as to what I would like to say, then the time to add to this blog seems to elude me. I have a few moments...let's see what happens?

On the Hundred Acre Wood project..that I talked about being so nice to survey...so far. Well, lets just say as nice as that was, it has been time to do the dirty work. Ticks, heat, up and down hills,and carrying tools and supplies that make each step you take up the hill on the decaying leaves cause you to slide backward three steps. Very frustrating on 57 year old legs. And going down the hills you slip and slide hoping you will not get tangled up in barbed wire fence. I am not above scooting on my behind down a hill side...but it is easy to get hurt doing that. Hands are not free to hold on as they are full with eight pound hammer, prism and rod, bush ax and pack with lunch and water for the day. Every twenty steps there is a hidden hole in the leaves from a decayed stump that my feet inevitably find. Don't know how I have never had a broken bone! Warm weather is so hard for me to acclimate to..and eighty degree temps after working in thirty degree weather is simply a "bitch". As rodman and frontman I have the pleasure of retracing my steps at least twice every shot we take. Back shot then front shot, move the transit up, back shot front shot. I always need to be somewhere else to make the methodology work. The plus side to this side of the job is that I don't have to carry the forty pounds of transit and legs every where I go. I did that for ten years. The responsibility of not falling and damaging, or knocking a ten thousand dollar piece of equipment against a tree is more than I care to do! I leave that to my husband now. I will be glad when the economy improves and we can rehire some younger help!
Did I mention watching for snakes, yellow jackets, deer ticks and spiders who love to put their webs just at my heads height?

All that said, and still I would not give up being in the deep woods, seeing the occasional babbling brook and Carolina waterfall. The wildlife is amazing. The fall is beautiful, the winter splendid, the spring spectacular and the summer just plain HOT! There is nothing quite like the first snow while you are in the woods away from the cars and noise. You can hear the snowflakes hit the fallen leaves. Catch the flakes in your mouth like you did when a child...and no one can see you twirl and swirl and laugh with glee in the deep woods in the falling snow!

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Seven Things That I Love...Tag, I'm It!

I have been tagged, and nudged into updating my blog by my friend Elsie of Namaste-Elsiee.blogspot.com. So here goes...no turning back I suppose? These items are not in order of importance by no means...but all are important to me.

1. I love possibilities, the future, the opportunity to hope.

2. I love the smell of the earth just moments after a summer rain begins...the shallow clear rain puddles that stand in grassy areas, and the fine white sand that surfaces on occation on our Carolina backroads...

3. I love my family...the beautiful, hopeful, ingenious, flawed people that we are. My flaws exaggerating everyone else's.

4. I love the pewter starfish necklace that the love of my life gave me in the third grade. It represents to me all that is pure in love...all fifty years that I have loved with him.

5. I love to hear my husband tell about the first time he saw me...or rather my waste length natural curly hair.

6. I love to see my sons eyes dance, a broad smile on his face, joy in his voice.

7. I love the interaction with others like myself...people who create...who don't feel complete if they are not creating. They are my family too...not blood..but my spiritual family. No matter the medium we work in...it is the creation of something new from within...a piece of our souls that we give the world. Be it good, or be it bad...we take a chance letting others see a part of who we are in our offerings. We offer up our ego to have it dashed or uplifted...this we have in common, perhaps something stronger than blood?

That was not as hard as I thought...did I put too much out there??? Thank you my friend, Elsie, for prompting me...I have a smile in my heart...