Because of a ducky...

So this morning I was cleaning the bathtub and I noticed my baby's rubber ducky sitting on the side of the tub. Inspiration struck. I would write a song about a rubber ducky! Just kidding. But, I would take some PICTURES of a rubber ducky! So I got the tub as clean and shiny as I could manage and started my bath toy photo shoot. I was having so much fun I decided to move the party to the sink, which meant I needed the sink clean and shiny. Then I moved on to the kitchen sink. When it was all said and done I had cleaned two bathrooms and the kitchen, all for the sake of pictures of a rubber ducky. Hey! Whatever works! It may be silly way to clean, but it was definitely a lot more fun!

Whoa! I have a baby!

Created using the ZenBrush application on iPad

Well, as you probably gathered by my subject line, I had my baby! A beautiful, healthy baby girl born October 29th.  I expected it to be an adjustment, but wow...I feel like I'm really just now getting my feet back under me. I haven't gotten to do any art since she was born, but I think we're finally getting into a groove. I'm loving being a mom, but I can't let what makes me, me completely disappear.

With the new year and new life stage, I've also had some new thoughts on art. As a fairly new artist, I've been trying to follow all the rules. One of those rules being, "Your art must have a consistent theme." I agree that themes are good and I agree that it's best if my art all looks like my art, but that's not something that can be forced. I've got some new ideas that I'm excited to explore- new textures, new painting surfaces, new themes. I'm not the same person from minute to minute, so how can my art be the same for the rest of my life? There are different aspects to me and there are different aspects to my art. With time, I believe those different facets will all join to form one big, consistent, crazy quilt of a picture... with time. 

And as usual, my attitude about art and about life change in sync. I'm not a super-organized person, I'm not a super-schedule oriented person, however I tried to make myself that way believing that that was the way to be a productive artist. Instead of being productive, though, I usually was just frustrated that scheduling was not working out as planned. I've realized in the last couple of months, though, that I need to capitalize on the fact that I'm flexible and enjoy.

So, here's to life and all of its changes and stages. Here's to art and adaptation. Here's to 2012. Happy New Year!

How to make a floater frame- Part 3

 After leaving your frame to dry in the strap clamp overnight, it should be firmly and beautifully together. Take off the strap clamp and sand the corners, and any other seams where two pieces of wood join. Next, smear wood filler into the seams like so:

If you look closely you'll see tan woodfiller smeared into the seam on the front corner.

Once you have the wood filler on all the visible seams, go do something else for a little while- read a book, eat a sandwich, take a nap, work on a painting, make up a song and dance to entertain your dog or cat- whatever you like while the wood filler dries. 

Now, go back and sand the wood filler so that it's nice and smooth. The point is that when the frame is painted it will look like one solid piece. It's a much more polished look without the visible joints. 

You're ALMOST done!! Feel free to lay your picture into your frame and admire how well it fits before the next step.

Time to paint the frame! First, I suggest using a spray primer. For one thing it helps the paint adhere and for another thing, if the paint should ever get chipped, it won't be as obvious. This part is moderately tiresome just because of drying time. Just allow for the time and relax. It's all part of the process. You didn't work this hard until this point just to get impatient now, did you?

Ok, so lay your frame down on a cloth or something to protect your deck, garage floor, driveway, or wherever you're doing this. Whether you start with the back or the front is up to you. Spray a nice, even coat of primer and then walk away and do something else. The primer should be completely dry in an hour or so, so that you can do the other side. I like to go ahead and prime the whole thing first rather than prime and paint the same side before priming the other side because sometimes little imperfections you missed when the wood was bare show up when it's primed. Now's a perfect time to fill, sand, and fix them. 

You'll need a few coats of paint to really get it looking good. Pay attention to the directions on your spray paint. Mine says to reapply within the hour OR wait 24 hours. I'm not sure why that particular timing is important, but I'll trust them. I really wanted to be able to show you my finished product in this post, but it's not in a good spot to photograph and it's still too wet to move. I promise- it's coming soon. Not that you need to see mine- you've got one of your own! Go ahead and play this while you present your finished frame to your friends. Tada!

Quest for Zen and Peace of Mind

I love an empty pool

Dear Gentle Reader,
Who is it that used to start letters that way? Was it Ann Landers? Ms. Manners? Dear Heloise? I don't remember. Anyway, Dear Gentle reader,
I'm not usually one for New Year's Resolutions. It seems to me that changes that I want to make (the successful ones at least) are the ones that I just DO...no beg fuss about it...no announcement. But this year I do have one resolution. I resolve to try to notice little moments about each day and appreciate life more. Remember when you were little how summer seemed to last forever? And now that you're an adult everyone always talks about how time just seems to move faster and faster the older you get? I have a theory about that. I think that we notice more when we're little...it's not that time moves faster now- WE do. So, everyday I resolve to try to stop now and then and be IN the moment. Good or bad, I want to be all there.
I practiced yesterday while I swam laps. I tried to put grocery lists and other thoughts out of my mind and I concentrated on how my muscles worked, the way the light reflected on the bottom of the pool, the overwhelming sense of breathlessness I had after just a few laps (hey, I said good or bad), and I left the pool feeling refreshed...calm...unhurried. I'm tired of multi-tasking. Aren't you?