I
spent the day yesterday photographing the finished pieces. Yes, I
have finally finished all the Botanicas, well, except the one that
has the small crack, still haven't re-fired it yet.
4”w x 4”h x 2"d rose
4”w x 4”h x 2"d anemone
4”w x 4”h x 2"d poppy seed head
4”w x 4”h x2"d iris
4”w x 4”h x2"d tulip
6”w x 6”h x 2"d cyclamen
And
ta da...the peach box is assembled and finished.
You
might remember the sketch I did two years ago. That's how long this
piece was in the making. I might have more financial success with
these if I didn't take so fucking long to complete them. There was a
period of about 10 years where I was determined to get noticed and
become a successful gallery artist and I cranked stuff out working
all the time and submitting to exhibitions and going to shows and not
having time for anything thing else and I was not having fun. Then
the bottom dropped out of the economy and people forgot all about me
and it was all for naught. So now, I struggle with the desire to
still be a part of that and my desire to enjoy my life. I may never
have success in the galleries or with collectors who can make your
career but fortunately I'm not dependent on that. The upside of not
being in demand is that I can work when I want and make stuff I want
instead of making the same thing over and over and over with minor
variations cause that's what the collectors want. I look at the work
of some of the successful artists in the glass medium and years later
they are still making the same pieces that they became successful
with.
So,
I know I've been saying for weeks now that I am going to get my model
making stuff out and start on a new body of work but I have yet to
actually do it. I've been a little busy around here and now I have a
small etched glass job, a simple design on a full door lite, and there
was the painting of the back bedroom last week and other stuff.
Yeah, other stuff. Surely there was other stuff that was keeping me
busy and not working on new models besides just skipping tra la
through my life. And Sunday I go fetch the other 17 year old
grandgirl for her week.
One
other piece of exciting news. Last August, I received notice from
the Houston Center For Contemporary Craft that our work was being
considered for possible acquisition by the City of Houston Portable
Works Collection that will become part of the permanent collection of
the Houston Airport System and will be displayed at the Houston
Intercontinental Airport. Two days ago I received notice that our
small sculptural work had made it to the final selection pool with
the actual selections to be made the end of July this year.
Selections will be made from the actual pieces (and yes, they ARE buying them!) so I will need to
gather up the available pieces and cart them down to the Center for
consideration.
I am grateful to the Houston Center For Contemporary Craft for their support
and inclusion in the selection process.
I'm gasping with awe! Oh, Ellen! These are just jewels!
ReplyDeleteI'm keeping my fingers crossed for you on the selections process.
congratulations on making it to final selections! fingers crossed!!!
ReplyDeletelove the botanicas. and congrats on the peach box!!! hooray for it coming together!!
Gorgeous stuff! That peach box is the bomb. And congrats on making it so far in the selection process!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful all. You deserve all the recognition you garner. Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations. Those botanicals are stunning. Absolutely stunning. The frames go so well too. Just my taste.
ReplyDeleteThink how many writers and artists who died before gaining popularity. Nice to get the look and nod before that happened.
ReplyDeleteRecognition coming in on little cat feet, to paraphrase Sandburg. Congratulations; your pieces are beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThese are beautiful, Ellen..Love them.
ReplyDeleteAs Brisco T. Darling was wont to say, More Power to Ya!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see your work in person some day.
ReplyDeleteIt is SO cool about making the short list for the city of Houston. After all that rain is there still a city?
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats on finishing The Peach Box. It is lovely. I love this botanical stuff; it's just gorgeous.
What you say and feel about your art is so much like my feelings about my writing. I like to think I have it in me to have a book published, but I would hate the process, and I don’t know if I could be accepted for what I want to write in the way that I want to write it. I just know that I spent a year writing for magazines, made little money, wrote a lot of things I wasn’t interested in, and even injured my knee due to a habit I developed of sitting for hours with my left calf tucked under my right thigh. If I’m going to strive for a book, I have to get on the stick because I’m 66 now, but instead of getting more motivated as time passes, I get less.
ReplyDeleteI thought of you a lot during the flooding. I guess it’ll be back to drought for you as summer passes. That’s what’s happening here in Oregon. We normally only get ten days a year when the temp tops ninety, but--as my Portlander buddy, Stephen Hayes, can tell you--we’re had more than that already. When I look at the ten day forecast, every day is supposed to be above ninety, and we haven’t had any rain since May. A lot of people here don’t even have air conditioning because they don’t normally need it that much.