A Little Summer Fun Followed By A Little Summer Anxiety!

Last Summer there was an alien in my yard.  

This summer she is finished.  A full fledged sculpture.

My first ever project of a large scale.

My most detailed endeavor.  Tons of planning and drawing and researching.

Every flower chosen for the element that I connect with.  Zinnia are so unapologetic, fervent and joyous.  Calla lilies are so very elegant and simple in their shape.  The leaves of the Calla Lily are just as strong and elegant as the blossom. 

So long I wondered just what was she all about.  She knew, she always knew.  But Art Prize made me give her a title which became= Life Cycle; bounty of joy and sorrow.  There's a long story that goes with the title.  All about stages in life from that of childhood dreams ( the ballerina) to soaring free as a young adult- (the dove) to realizing maturity and the strength that comes from knowing one's self.  Knowing where one has been, what has been and what is yet unknown but welcome.  That is what this sculpture has been about. 

I learned so much.  How to make hands.  How to create a face and a persona.

I had not  sculpted an animal before.

This one took a tumble down the stairs with me.

Because I always want to do everything all at once I decided that her finished appearance should be that of cloisonee`.  I used wire to outline the shapes of the leaves and planned that the shapes would be filled in to the point where they would seem that they might overflow.  But intrigued with the depth of the spaces I thought I should include glass because it has thickness and translucency all at once.  I had a local stained glass person crush glass into bits for me.  He was so tired of it that he quit 1/2 way through the project.  Turns out I had plenty- have plenty left over too!

Let's not forget that those flowers could not just be flat- oh no, they must have depth and dimension.  Turns out those sculpting tools they sell are really helpful for well- sculpting!

But today....today she left me.  She was packed up in a large box and slid into the back of a vehicle and transported to her new home for the next two and half weeks.  She made the journey quite nicely.  I, however, have aged a decade- from nerves alone.  A years worth of work- late, late hours, a house neglected, a family perhaps neglected (they still love me- I think) thrown in the back  and driven way.

The neglected family looks well, considering.

I however, am tired and a little loopy.

It will be interesting to see what the next two and a half weeks bring!  Thanks for bearing with me during my absence :)  It will be just awhile before blogging gets back to normal.  I'll keep you posted as to what goes on at Art Prize.  Tonight I went to an opening party that seemed pretty benign- until the man who wore a suit coat and a tangerine skirt with matching pumps showed up.  Yep.  You can always count on a cross dresser to liven things up!  Artists!