All in the Attitude....well, maybe more than that

The park won over the Farmer's Market. And I was reminded that "I can yell pretty loud," though thankfully it did not come to that, though she did win the many negotiations to try to get the FM in first.  Warm, in the 80s, but the big pink boots won over the other shoes, I do suppose because they were pink. 

Tree House Sketch Stitched in Thread

Tree house. The pink and orange is the ladder. The blue a pool of water to jump in, should that be needed. The green sketchy stuff the tree. I think the purple is another escape route. I haven't put in the roses or the smiling face....think I need to do that by hand. Found this a bit challenging by machine...I think it was the relatively tight swirls she had drawn on paper....hard to navigate the machine that way...even an agile one like the Bernina. 

She did this sketch a couple years ago I believe...around 5 years old at the time. I know she had explained all the workings of this tree house in great detail....and I didn't do it justice in stitching.  I had started, but put aside, and then rediscovered last week, and worked on it a bit more.  The bottom picture was how she drew it, but the back side turned out brighter for some reason. I don't think my bobbin colors were different than my spool, so perhaps it is the remnants of paper left under some of the stitches...but since the paper is white, is still a bit of a mystery.  And, yes, next time, no paper, but solvy, or backside trace. Oh, yes, and I should iron it, shouldn't I? Nothing like a photo to show that aspect to it's clear statement. 

Breaking the Shell - Bronze Sculpture

Sprue system most apparent in last shot.  Some issues with gases escaping (or not) on this one apparent during pour...perhaps the shape on an element or the shell too thick and not porous enough to allow escape. Either way, the sculpture itself ended up not as initially "concepted", however we will see how it works out when I begin finishing and working on mount. 

Pre-pour shell:

Just Around the Bend

oh april posts....hurry up....running out of april......

Wildflower walk early last week.  Lots of lupines, poppies, clover, and assorted this and that. Yes, very lucky to live here!

Monkey Brain Clay

 Tasked with mask making, I thought of what creates the mask...the normal mask some people wear ever day...and, of course it is usually mind created mask...their face looks as it normally does, but the mask is motivated by the brain. Had a conversation a couple weeks ago with a friend who uses the term "monkey brain" to sometimes justify thoughts or behavior that is perhaps less than one should be thinking in terms of ramifications.  So...monkey hanging out in this head. This ended up being smashed into the clay dump, as it was too cruddy to keep ...but it was the thought more than the physical object. Clay is so great for quick thoughts.

Fourth Iteration

Yes, part of the process...doing this over and over, different iterations.  This uses Hydrocal, a kind of blend of plaster and cement...more durable than plaster.  Smooth finish thus far. Fine powder, mix with water. Pour a little thick, but pours, and the tapping to release air bubbles helped move some of the mixture through the box.

Once I pop it out of here (screwed in sides), will see how it works when dry.  This time the letters are made to "stay in" the plaque.  Back has a sheet of hardware screen (metal small grid mesh) to add strength.

Happy California Cow?

Trip up the coast a couple weeks ago....he (she?) had a steep climb up the side of the hill.  If it were night time, glad white variety.