the lululemon manifesto

A friend of mine just introduced me to Lululemon and The Lululemon manifesto. It's too great not to share. (thank you friend!!!)

the lululemon manifesto
~ Drink FRESH water and as much water as you can. Water flushes unwanted toxins from your body and keeps your brain sharp.
~ A daily hit of athletic-induced endorphins gives you the power to make better decisions, helps you be at peace with yourself, and offsets stress.
~ Do one thing a day that scares you.
~ Listen, listen, listen, and then ask strategic questions.
~ Write down your short and long-term GOALS four times a year. Two personal, two business and two health goals for the next 1, 5 and 10 years. Goal setting triggers your subconscious computer.
~ Life is full of setbacks. Success is determined by how you handle setbacks.
~ Your outlook on life is a direct reflection of how much you like yourself.
~ That which matters the most should never give way to that which matters the least.
~ Stress is related to 99% of all illness.
~ Jealousy works the opposite way you want it to.
~ The world is changing at such a rapid rate that waiting to implement changes will leave you 2 steps behind. DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW!
~ Friends are more important than money.
~ Breathe deeply and appreciate the moment. Living in the moment could be the meaning of life.
~ Take various vitamins. You never know what small mineral can eliminate the bottleneck to everlasting health.
~ Don’t trust that an old age pension will be sufficient.
~ Visualize your eventual demise. It can have an amazing effect on how you live for the moment.
~ The conscious brain can only hold one thought at a time. Choose a positive thought.
~ Live near the ocean and inhale the pure salt air that flows over the water, Vancouver will do nicely.
~ Observe a plant before and after watering and relate these benefits to your body and brain.
~ Practice yoga so you can remain active in physical sports as you age.
~ Dance, sing, floss and travel.
~ Children are the orgasm of life. Just like you did not know what an orgasm was before you had one, nature does not let you know how great children are until you have them.
~ Successful people replace the words “wish”, “should” and “try” with “I will”.
~ Creativity is maximized when you’re living in the moment.
~ Nature wants us to be mediocre because we have a greater chance to survive and reproduce. ~ Mediocre is as close to the bottom as it is to the top, and will give you a lousy life.
~ lululemon athletica creates components for people to live longer, healthier and more fun lives. ~ If we can produce products to keep people active and stress-free, we believe the world will become a much better place.
~ Do not use cleaning chemicals on your kitchen counters. Someone will inevitably make a sandwich on your counter.
~ SWEAT once a day to regenerate your skin.
~ Communication is COMPLICATED. We are all raised in a different family with slightly different definitions of every word. An agreement is an agreement only if each party knows the conditions for satisfaction and a time is set for satisfaction to occur.
~ What we do to the earth we do to ourselves.
~ The pursuit of happiness is the source of all unhappiness.

The Erosion Bundle Project

I decided to take part in the 2010 Erosion Bundle Project.

First, the important dates:

January 1, 2010 - place bundle in nature

In between = share thoughts and photos

April 15, 2010 - retrieve bundle from nature

August 1, 2010 - finish art piece using your eroded stuff and rejoice

Below are photos of the items I've included in my bundle. Some of these items are twine, copper foil, gilded leaf, a drawing from my sketch pad, a sliver from a 2X4, a paperclay heart wrapped in wire, watch parts, old magazine pages and assorted pictures.

I then wrapped my bundle in the old magazine pages. These pages were so brittle they started to break before I was even finished. I tied everything together with my twine and realized this bundle wouldn't last the night.
So then I wrapped that bundle in a piece of copper mesh and tied it off with red wire. I love this copper mesh and use it often in my mixed media pieces. I'm excited to see how it weathers.
The bundle is hung outside my kitchen window on a sheppard's crook. I'll be able to observe it every morning when I'm making our coffee.

November is the month of W-I-Ps... December is the month of ....?

It never fails. November is always a highly productive month for me... for starting projects. As is always the case, I start more than I can finish. This doesn't truly bother me. I know they'll be finished eventually, when the time is right.

But here's my problem. November is highly productive... and December? Well everything comes to a screeching halt for the month of December. All my creative efforts have to be shifted to items which will be gifted. The paintings and/or sculptures that haunted me until I started them are stacked out of the way until the holidays are over with.

Here's a quick peak at what's waiting for me in January:

And that's really just the tip of the iceberg. Don't even ask about the paint and sculpting ideas in my sketchbook!!!

Erosion Bundles in 2010

This time of year I'm always on the lookout for art projects that will keep me busy (or at least keep my mind occupied) for a good part of the year. For 2010 I think I found that project with Erosion Bundles.

This is from the blog post: The idea is simple: create an artistic bundle made from materials of their own choosing and “hang, bury, submerge, or just place” the bundle in the elements. This collaboration is to be with the ultimate partner…Mother Nature herself!

Here is the time-frame of the project:
January 1, 2010 - place bundle in nature
In between = share thoughts and photos
April 15, 2010 - retrieve bundle from nature
August 1, 2010 - finish art piece using your eroded stuff and rejoice

I've already started gathering items. I made a quick clay heart (paint & wire still to come). I have a little slice of wood, some photocopies of vintage pictures. I'm going to add a few different colored, decorative papers, some fiber, some metal mesh. Not sure what else yet. Then I'll fold it all together and tie up with a combination of hemp and steel wire. I plan on hanging either on the Sheppards Crook or in the Rose of Sharon, both right outside the kitchen window so I can easily document any changes.

It needs to be hanging by January 1st. More posts to come.

linking help

For the life of me, I can't get a link to show up as a hyperlink on my blog. I can do it on my livejournal but not here. Does anyone have any helpful hints?

Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Jealous Curator & Carylann Loeppky sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G

My new favorite artist I found thanks to my new favorite blog!!!

Blog? The Jealous Curator. http://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog/ Each blog entry showcases the work of a new and/or amazing artist. Just scanning this blog has introduced me to so many artists I hadn't heard of before.

Artist? Carylann Loeppky. http://www.carylann.com/ She does the most amazing portraits. I'm drawn (heh, drawn?) to creating portraits but my work pales in comparision on Carylann.

This is the post that did it for me: http://www.thejealouscurator.com/blog/2009/11/23/im-jealous-of-carylann-loeppky/

Birdhouse In Your Soul

Tiny canvas' make me paint tiny subject matter. Inspired by the They Must Be Giants song Birdhouse In Your Soul.

Circle of Cool

I just used the phrase Circle of Cool and then thought hmmm, that'd be a great theme. I've had in my head for a long time a mixed media piece called House of Influences. It would be a glass house and each wall I would draw a different artist (visual or musical) that I was influenced by.

The Circle of Cool would be simular. But I can't make a complete circle. so far:

Jack White --> Meg White --> Jackson Smith --> Patti Smith --> ______

I don't know a connection from Patti back to Jack. Shoot.

Slotin's November Masterpiece Auction

Last night was the viewing for this weekends Slotin's auction.

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/19841 <---- Day 1

http://www.liveauctioneers.com/catalog/19897 <---- Day 2

Though we get 2 catalogs in the mail for every auction I never make up my mind about the lots until I see them in person. Often times items I've completely overlooked in the catalog end up being amazing works of art.

Thus was the case last night. I saw so many beautiful pieces that I hadn't even noticed before. Things that don't photography particularly well, like the oils on reverse glass paintings (AMAZING!)... or the 465 lots Steve added AFTER the catalog was mailed!!!! This auction has been split into 2 days. I won't get to watch day 2 because I'm in a PMC class all day. So I purposely didn't look too closely at those lots because I didn't want to fall in love with anything I couldn't even bid on.

But there are items I feel in love with on day 1. Sadly, my budget won't allow me to bid on anything this auction. I usually only get to bid on items in the Slotin's March Masterpiece Auction (can you say TAX RETURN?)

It's the morning after the viewing and there are a few pieces I can't get out of my head.

I saw this in the catalog and knew it would be good. I then saw it in person and changed good to fabulous. http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6766256 It's a large piece on unstretched canvas. Once stretched and framed I think it will be extremely dynamic. The estimate is low so I'll be very interested to see the final price.

The oil on reverse glass paintings are lots 701 -708. This one is my favorite. http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6766266 This photograph doesn't even hint at how cool it is.

I'm partial to crows and this is the best one I've seen at Slotin's. http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6766360 I'm not familiar with the artist. I do love what they did here though.

This is 2 separate paintings. I love the whole black sheep/white sheep concept. And I love the decorative-arts style. This would be perfect in someones Folk Art Kitchen. (Mine?) http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6766369

I've always wanted a David Tinsley. From all the lots (564 - 569) this is my favorite: http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6766128

Another artist I've always admired and thought it'd be nifty to own in Malcolm McKesson. This auction Steve acquired 2 rare colored McKesson's. http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6765862 and http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6765863 The first one is my favorite but I honestly think both are fabulous.

Woodie Long, Florida Folk Artist, died a few weeks ago (and weeks after the auction catalog was published.) I'm extremely interested in seeing what recent events do for these sales. Though Mr. Long has always sold well, now that we have a finite number of paintings, what's going to happen to the price? His paintings are lots 312, 313 & 314.

Erich Staub is another artist whose work I've followed. His are lots 349 - 351. His subject matter can be a little cutesy at times. But his technique is simply amazing. Someone once tried to convince me he was using punchinella (sequin waste) but I don't believe that to be the case. I think each dot is his own handwork. Here's my favorite from the group: http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6765908

We (me, Ben & my sister) ALL feel in love with the Robert Brady paintings. There were quite a few. (Lots 144 - 151) Most were nude portraits. But oddly of the grouping this was my favorite: http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/6765709 It did for me what Folk Art always does. It made me laugh!!! (not to mention it was just a fabulous painting!!! And as me and my sister decided, very much in the style of a Max Beckmann)

So this morning I'm already registered and logged into the Live Auctioneer website. Unless something goes UNBELIEVABLY cheap, I won't be able to bid. But I'm still very interested to see what my favorites go for.

talisman

talisman (TAL-is-man, -iz-) noun
1. An object marked with magic signs and believed to confer on its bearer supernatural powers or protection.
2. Something that apparently has magic power.

I felt the need to make a talisman for Someone. I found a great book called Amulets And Talismans by Robert Dancik where he made some unusual objects using found objects, clay, PMC, and so on. I've had the book for awhile but never done more than flip thru the pictures.

Then last week I read it. I found it very interesting, full of wonderful tips on how to do certain techniques, how to work with certain materials, some must-have tools, etc.

I didn't currently have access to several of the materials or tools he spoke of (though my day-long PMC workshop is next Sunday; YEAH!). But I can work with found object, polymer clay, wires, woods and metals.

I made the body of the piece out of pearlized polymer clay. I carved a mountains on one side (with a well-worn path) and pressed a geode into the other. I removed the geode and fired. Once my fired piece had cooled I inlaid more polymer clay in green and red into my mountain and path. I fired again. After the last firing, I placed my geode back in and attached with a two-part epoxy putty. I then got busy working on my base.

I took 2 small pieces of wood slightly larger than the body of the talisman. The bottom piece is wrapped in wire mesh. The top piece is wrapped is a soft sheet of copper. I used small purple glass beads as spacers and the feet are wood cubes painted black.

The body of the talisman was then screwed into the top piece of wood. I wanted to use the minimal amount of glues as possible so it's just held on with a screw. I wrapped a red wire (22 gage) around the top of the talisman and decorated with assorted glass beads and Milagros.

I then tea-stained a piece of paper which I had removed from my moleskin journal. I tore it into strips in various sizes, making sure each side had a rough, torn edge. I then wrote some of my favorite quotes about dreams, goals and following your path on each.