New Horizons....

I  dropped my first waxes off at the mold maker today. I feel so unsure and giddy.

Will they turn out okay?
Will they not be clean enough of sculpts to produce excellent product?
Will the rest of the world like what I’ve made?

So many uncertainties. I feel like I am leaping into an abyss, no net, just tenuous faith. Justin is supportive, in fact he is funding these first reproductions and these first molds. I am deeply grateful for this and more than a little humbled. It is an uncustomary feeling having someone so thoroughly and unwaveringly supportive in my efforts.

I could not have conjured a more loving man.

Elves in my head

I love painting and started out with the idea I needed to be a representative artist. My early heroes were Vargas, Olivia, Michelangelo and Sulamith Wolfing. I was inspired to explore watercolor and gauche via their inspiration.

This image is in pen and ink which I haven't worked in for a very long time. I love the feeling that the fairy is a bit haggard and elderly. I always envisioned that the fey world was filled with a bunch of different fairies, not just the bright, cute sparkle-covered ones. Some were kind of menacing too in my imagination.

Potatoes of 2010

Today the row of potatoes went down and so did the beets. I felt that it was time to get them into the ground. I have waited long enough…the weather is clearly changing and spring is here.

There is a bit of bitter sweetness. Much as I appreciate the beauty of our home, the amazing view and the great relationship we have with Mario, I am ready to leave here. I feel a bit uneasy with living on the bottom of the house and worry about earthquakes…like the one we had today.

At least we will have fresh veggies until then.

The Bradbury Building

Love Blade Runner? How about that bitchen’ scene where the light from the advert dirigibles beam through the glass ceiling of that cold, abandoned building? Loved it!

Today, we were messing around downtown when J pointed out the Bradbury, giving me its movie star status. We waltzed right in and I dropped my jaw!

Wow.

Whatta building!

The wrought iron work alone is worth a peek but the tile and brick and the sheer laceyness of the whole place left me awestruck. A blinking confection of iron, glass, wood and stone. Of course in its real-life appearance, the interiors are not as dingy and cheerless as in the film; the sheer grandness is breath-taking.

This most definitely qualifies as one of my newest favorites of Los Angeles’ Secret Stash of Stunning Destinations!

Where my past became my future

I had the good luck to meet up with my old teacher, Donna , and she became my boss at Greneker, where we made mannequins. Here’s one of my sculptures. This guy was made for the Big Red Boat, that sailed in the Caribbean. That’s about 700 pounds of clay!

Lemuria - In the Beginning

What if...

What if there was a time before our recorded history that was essentially erased by a stray meteor or a massive flood?

What if?

Well, I've been poking at the legends of Lemuria, which are said to pre-date Atlantis mythos.Lemuria seems a very muzzy story that is surely not fully explored.

I love the Altantiean story and can fully buy into the concept that there were civilizations much more advanced than the Egyptian/Greco/Roman documented peoples. And I have often wondered why ONLY Atlantis.

Mme. Blavatsky and her pals, aside, the mythos of the Lemurian rise and fall is confusing and filled with conflicts and I wonder if there may be other substantiations or documentable research that has been read by any of you that is current and on going. What with all our developments as a techno crowd, one would think underwater archeology would have made huge strides!

Some of my favorite things

Some of the preeminent projects I have ever been involved with have been making scale models for the Disneyland Resorts. Often the floats we see going down Main Street in the parades are produced in other states and a model is necessary to send to the factory for the on site artists to work from. Here’s the Caterpillar as a model ...

and as the final product going down Main Street in the 50th anniversary parade.

I am always surprised by the final result. Generally in the past, I have been moving from project to project so fast that I had barely anytime to look up and see what I had made. This time when I went to see the opening night, I was thunderstruck at the joy I felt in being a part of such a marvelous team.

...and for the record....his hands and head moved, so he was awesomely creepy too!!!

Parrot endorsed Hooch

Made some Lemoncello today…well started the process, at least. It is labor intensive in the fact that 20+ lemons must be peeled to create enough essence to flavor the Everclear. It is patience taxing as the whole time element from beginning to end can last up to 3 months.

I recommend Everclear over using vodka, as some recipes recommend. The final product is by far more superior and tasty. This is my third attempt and I am feeling kinda confident that this will be one of my best batches yet. It is all in the timing, being patient, allowing the peels to soak a good long time.

Our land lord Mario taught me this recipe. The lemons are from the front yard,off a tree that has, for the most part, been organically grown. I love the fact that I make a far superior product for ½ the price for the best Lemoncello on the market.

And I am enjoying a sipping glass of it now as I write you.

Hee!

Here’s The recipe:

• 15-20 lemons - clean, unwaxed with nice clear skins Should give off a rich lemon scent
• 2 (750-ml) bottles Everclear.
• 2 to 3 cups of water
• 2 to 4 cups sugar
• A Large (2-3 liter) glass jar with a sealed lid.
• Bottles to put your final product in. I like glass bottles with attached stoppers.

Step 1: Lemon into the Alcohol

Wash and dry the lemons. Only use the ones without blemished peels or pare off any spots and the stems, ends.

Remove the peel from the lemons with a sharp peeler or fine grater/zester, carefully avoiding the bitter white pith. If you get any of the white part in the batch, the limoncello will be bitter and you don't want that!

Put the peels in a glass jar and add the Everclear, leaving at least two inches below the top rim. Seal tightly.

Leave the lemons to steep in the jar in a cool, dark a month. I leave mine for at least 2-3 months. I like to swirl the peels around in the jar to mix it up and check out the progress. The peels should be colorless before you proceed to step 2.

Step 2: Add the sugar

Heat the sugar and H20 until it turns clear and all the sugar is dissolved completely. Cool.

Put the cooled syrup in the jar with the lemons Seal tightly and return the jars back to the closet for at least two weeks. I go for a month.

Step 3: Strain and bottle

Strain out the lemon peels. A fine colander lined with cheesecloth will do great. This way you can gather it all together and squeeze out the final lemony goodness!

Decant into clean bottles, seal tightly and leave the finished bottles for at least 1 week before using.

Exercise patience….It will be worth it!

(seriously...I am not fooling here)

Finally, store the lemoncello in your freezer. It shouldn't freeze because of how much alcohol is in it and it is awesome ice cold.

Tips:

• Take your time peeling the Lemons. Don't get any of the white underbelly of the skin in the batch.
• Use organic lemons or at least ones you know where they came from.
• Make a big batch at once. (Once you share this, you are going to become mighty popular!!!)
• You can also make similar liqueurs

What to do.....

Working with my hands has always been my way of life. This is a "scooter' for Ariel in the Little Mermaid show at Disneyland.

Isn't she the cutest little Sea-horse?

Rainy days in LA.

The cool light had me thinking I had inadvertently switched the mode of the camera to black and white, but I hadn’t. This is the color of the day! Amazing!

We really have some profoundly lush theatres here. I only wish there was a way to preserve them. This building, though thoroughly modern from the 4th floor up maintained its astounding façade. It has been a sadness in my heart that so much of the coolest buildings in LA proper are now swap meets or condemned.

The fun Japanese tourist boys, who followed me across the street, were thrilled with the architecture of this building and we left them happily clicking away.

Candy is dandy....

My life as an artist and a single mother pressed me to stretch my abilities into areas where I did not anticipate growing to. I became a sculptor even though I thought I was only an illustrator. Little did I know my love for ‘making things’ in the commercial would start out as a bonbon.

Precious Cargo

I read through my posts for the last year and it appears my life has been on hold for nearly exactly a full calender year.

When I fell back in 2009, I was gearing up to produce and present a great deal of work from my bench. Now, I am looking at the exact same things with an eye for initiation into a new aspect of my growth as a jeweler: mass production.

The good part of 2009 is it offered me the perspective of my physical body that helped me become much more careful and tender with it. The one lesson my family never really taught me was to be careful with my body, to treasure it and protect it. Well, many moons down the road and injuries collected along the way, I am well aware of the fragility of my body now. It is my most valuable tool.