post your latest stuff

[thebarkingbird]

i'm gonna start. seems like nobody's posted anything lately. doesn't need to be anything huge. these are just some things i did for school, except for the painting which i did on my own. it's actuially in a sketchbook.


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...&id=1290155433

[Aithne]

My latest was a bunch of digital photos from the National Aquarium in Baltimore a little over a year ago, and then mine and DH's wedding scrapbook and now baby boy's baby book. I've spent most of my time either packing for a move, or unpacking, or getting ready for the new baby and haven't done much by way of art work.

But here's the link to my photos.
National Aquarium in Baltimore MD

[thebarkingbird]

those are really nice. i'd love it if there were a place to find and draw or photograph exotic animals around here. i like the little orange/yellow bird and the fish in the shadows.

i ended up going back to school just so i'd have time and pick up some skills. the stuff i posted isn't really what i'm into or particularly good at but at least the classes sort of "legitimize" working. i live for the semester breaks when i can do my own thing.

[Aithne]

You're drawings look a ton better than mine did. That's the one thing I'm not very good at. Which is odd because I do have a degree in Art. I did just enough drawing classes to get my degree, everything else I took was photography, metalworking or digital design.

I really liked the portraits that you've done, I was quite impressed.

[thebarkingbird]

thank you. i'm still in that self deprecating-scared to put myself out there phase. i'm sure you're familiar with it if you've been to art school.

that so neat! that's almost the list of classes i want to really sink into. metal and digital. our school is about to finish a facility that will make bronze casting part of our curriculum. what do you/did you last (i know it's rough with kids and moving) do with metal? jewelery? sculpture?

[Aithne]

Most of my metal work was jewelry - at the end of my final semester I started making chains and absolutely fell in love. I mostly do fabrication and chain work, but at the moment only because I can't afford a good studio with casting equipment - that was fun too.

DH wanted me to price out the equipment I wanted for my "ideal" studio - yeah...somewhere in the general area of about $30K for it. LOL, that's the last time he'll ask me for the cost of an ideal anything!

But then, my ideal studio has full fabrication and casting equipment and a full dark room for B&W photography (which is a pain in the butt to find supplies for now...), along with a computer set up and a small shop in front to sell stuff from.

DH actually really wants to be able to help me get to that point though and he's working his butt off at work to pay the bills so we can start buying my equipment (little things at a time). He's the best-est.

[thebarkingbird]

that is wonderful. my mom has a studio with stuff in it but it's all cluttered. i want to help her clean it out. all those kilns and things just sitting there! she had to take a long break to take care of her mother when she was ill.

do you solder your chain links or weave etruscan chains?

[Aithne]

Solder. Although I made a soldered chain bracelet to hang charms on for my final semester, soldered the charm on as well...and somehow, still lost the charm for 2 weeks. When I found the charm and examined both it and the chain, both were still in tact...??? Color me confuzzled!

[melissa17s]

I am a jeweler. Do NOT need a dream studio to get it done either. Chaining would be quite do-able with minimal tools in fact. You only need a little butane torch to solder jump rings and you can get precut and soldered through suppliers like Rio. I try to get tools second hand or make them when in a pinch. One of the best resources I have found for jewelers is Ganoksin.org, and maybe you will find it useful.

[Aithne]

I know you don't NEED a dream studio - mostly I just need a few small and fairly inexpensive tools to do the pieces I've got sketched out. The dream studio however, WAS what DH was asking about. He handed me my equipment catalogs and said to basically list out everything that I wanted for my ideal/dream studio. So I did. Doesn't mean I actually NEED it all.

[melissa17s]

Originally Posted by Aithne

I know you don't NEED a dream studio - mostly I just need a few small and fairly inexpensive tools to do the pieces I've got sketched out. The dream studio however, WAS what DH was asking about. He handed me my equipment catalogs and said to basically list out everything that I wanted for my ideal/dream studio. So I did. Doesn't mean I actually NEED it all.

I think you missed the point. I am encouraging you to get out there and work on your ideas. I do not have my dream studio, but it is not stopping me.

[Aithne]

I didn't say that not having a dream studio was stopping me either. However we are currently a one income household getting geared up for our first infant. So my time, energy and financial abilities are limited. I've got 2 series of works sketched out and have been attempting to collect the supplies I need, when I can afford them.

I do work on various projects when I can, but being 7 1/2 months pregnant is exhausting and having no income to afford my metals addiction well -

One of these days I'll have what I need to start the actual fabrication. And on that day...I'll celebrate! And tell DH to take baby boy for the day. Then I'll do a little dance and get absorbed in my addictions (at least until baby needs food).

[AllisonR]

I'd love to paint full time, but at the moment, with 2 kids and a "real" job, it's not even part time. Closer to 10 hours a month. At the moment, I'm using acrylics. But the silk paintings from the link below were all done on my maternity leaves (we get 4 weeks off before birth).

http://abrosenlund.com/paintings/View.php?pictno=0

[Aithne]

Those are great! The expressions on the faces, the styling, the colors. Wow. I especially loved the color combinations.