Box Mania

Assorted boxes I've just finished

It's box mania here.

I received a rather large order for china painted boxes in late November and I've been working steadily on them since. It's truly crunch time now and the more difficult pieces are getting completed this week. From Dachshunds to Calico kitties to a portrait I've been bookin' to get it all done before Christmas. It's all I've been working on. I'm happy to say that this major diversion from model horses is always good for my painting skills both on and in the MH industry. Everything art truly feeds off each other.

This work comes after many months of working clay and glazing. I'm honestly sick of playing in clay so I am happy to be china painting and working the illustrations. By next week I will be fully satisfied of this job and looking forward to working on horses again, or maybe finishing the mold production of Lil Pumpkin. In any case, I find that having many things juggling at once is the way I like my studio running. It suits me.

First a drawing
Crow quill drawing on porcelain.
First fire

Recovery....Slow

Morgan Mare in buckskin

Recovery from the horse show has been slow and dare I say, difficult. I feel like ever since I came back from PA my feet, hands and head have been stuck in mud....and not the "turnin on a wheel kind" of mud either. LOL

This week I made a serious effort to settle down into my studio and work hard on tidying up any loose ends and prepare for my church Christmas Fair. There were several distractions including meetings at church, phone calls and a disaster of a house to clean. Oh, and the worst distraction of all.....finding the chicken coop missing yet another chicken and feathers everywhere. Not difficult to put two and two together and come up with an answer on that one.

Needless to say, I went into a real funk over loosing a chicken to (most likely) a stray, mangy cat. Yes, I said mangy. I like little cute beady eyed critters and I love wild birds so naturally my affections for cats are (sorry cat folk) very small since they like to gnaw on cute beady eyed critters and birds. I grew up with cats and that was fine, but they were always breaking things. Our cat Cricket loved to break porcelain. Every chance she got she would break it. We decided to hide all of it after she broke a 100 year old basin.

"Chicken"

Despite the sad setback I still have four lovely hens who have all grown very fond of me and affectionately sit on my lap anytime I go into the garden when they are free ranging. They have grown used to our Collie being out. She patrols the yard and is getting fat with all the treats I have been giving her for her good work. I never thought I'd gather such joy from a chicken, but alas they have inspired me in new and exciting ways and have brought such a sense of calm and peace to my daily life. I have become very protective of them and hope to sculpt something "hen-like" in the new year. That is, after I have completed all the lingering 2009 projects.