admin_tos – Page 76 – The Olive Sparrow

Horse-play

Nov 24, 2008admin_tos

Okay, you might at this point wonder how all this horsey-business fits in with my "Twitters from a Creative brain"… well, it does, in that everything I do feeds my creative mind… also, being an artist does not cleanly separate itself into being in the studio and creating, while I then go and live the rest of my life separately.

So, here we have some images to share

We started to call this Taka-Tuka Land, as in the Island where Pippi Longstockings dad is a pirate. In actual fact, it's an island in the pond on the farm.

Huxley's other Lucy, a little, wee doggy that loves chasing him and play-snapping at his bum.

The paddock with Nina, Primo, Abby, Bobby, Caveat and Rosco the donkey.

Big girl Abby, the horse which has to put up with my out-of-shape riding habits. Then again, she's getting back in shape too, after a couple of years of little riding. I have more than once apologized to her today for my sorry ability to give her direction of what I like her to do.

Primo, Bobby and Huxley

Nuzzles for the little boy playing his instrument for the horses, a private concert for sure.

Becoming friends

My favourite picture — sharing and handing on my love of the elegant four-legged friends.

In the car, arrived at home, safe, with Mommy-doggy-woof-woof kisses.

Tomorrow, there should be a thing or two of the fibrous creative efforts I'm currently engaged in.

Snow & The Kingly Court

Nov 23, 2008admin_tos

Snow, oh beautiful snow:

One nights' worth of snow resting on garlic chive seed heads.

This one is just for Robert!

Huxley came with me to the studio on Thursday. He's been having a bit of a challenging time falling back into the rhythm of things after his teacher was off sick for three days, so to give both of them a break, we took the day off. When I do that, I'm always reminded of bringing him there as a teeny-tiny two week old baby (that's how fast I was back in creating. I didn't have a choice, as I had a large show 6 weeks after he was born). I didn't do any toxic work when he was with me, and we used to only go for a few hours every day. There was a play area set-up with a nice rug, a sheep skin and toys, in a very large free-form play-pen. Somewhere, there must be some photos of that. Once he hit 8 months though, it was no longer possible, he just cried and cried and simply wanted to be on me, not just in the same room with me. So much for the fantasy, that he could grow up in the studio with me. This lead us to have him go to daycare for 3 days per week until September 2007 when he started at the Waldorf school for 2 days (8:30 – 3:30) and 2 days (8 am – 6pm) at the daycare. Now, this year he is at school every morning form 8:30 until 12:30. Details I'm providing, because there might be one or the other artist mom out there who is wondering how I did it.

The main thing I wished to have known/had, way back when is a Beco Baby Carrier I only got one of those when he was about 3, and mainly for hiking, but I have said many times, that a proper back-carrier would have meant that I could have kept Huxley with me at the studio for longer.

So back to now…. Here is what we did on Thursday.

While I had my hands busy, Huxley played with my little drill, put tape onto an old chair to make it more comfy, (It's fun at mami's studio, as not many things are creatively off limits), and built a pretend castle set-up with his animals. Note, that the "elephant" was a dragon-horse that the knight was riding. I love the fantasy play going on right now. The Waldorf school really encourages this kind of play, as do we at home. I've seen other children, that have had the early academic "training" and they already at 4 and 5 don't play like this.

I dyed felt crowns. Many of them will be for our Waldorfschools' Winterfair, the other ones will be available through The Olive Sparrow, e.g. right here. I will post images of the finished pieces when they are ready. Last year the school was selling them for $30 each, and sold all 10 pieces I gave them.

Huxley modeled one for me:

Quite a kingly presence, isn't he.

Then Huxley wanted to direct some photos and told me exactly how to pose with the crown:

This weekend, I'm finishing the crowns for th
e school and on Sunday we're planning to go back to the farm to go riding again. BTW, in the background of the picture above, there are some unfinished paintings, some specially dyed fabric that I will do a separate post on and also a huge 4' x 6' abstract that is in the works, and yes, I'm sitting on a spare bench from our last mini-van, my studio couch and napping place. Oh studio naps, how I covet thee.

Back-Tack

Nov 19, 2008admin_tos

This is my first time participating in BT4 organized by Alison of 6.5 St. and Nicole of Craftapalooza. I had some bad luck with my first partner, in that conversation was never established from her end. Now though, I've got a new partner: Pam from Hortensia.

It is in her honour that I am posting some very unseasonal pictures here (we're expecting 10 cm of snow over night – gulp – )…

Tomorrow, pictures of what will happen tonight. One thing I know, it will be beautiful, it always is.

A medley of Things

Nov 18, 2008admin_tos

There was some fabric coloured at the studio, with the sun behind the clouds

some I'm not showing, but that I love so much (a girl has to have some secrets…)

Then there was a "Party with Everything" that I attended with my wares

At Dvorah's house on Saturday evening, while rain turned to sleet.

Then there where the 2 day old piggies, born at the Royal Winter Fair

Today, I'm not allowed to go to the studio, as there is a laundry basket full of papers that need to finally be sorted and put away. This will ad greatly to my feeling of getting stuff done at home, after I also re-arranged the under-the-stairs clothes closet and the back room. I'm trying to get the house in order for Advent.

And, what are you up to?

Itty-bitty-little-tiny-treasures

Nov 11, 2008admin_tos

Since 4' x 6' (122 cm x 183 cm) is the other end of the spectrum of paintings currently in the works, these 6" x 6" (15 cm x 15 cm) and 8" x 8" (20 cm x 20 cm) pieces do seem puny.

These are the little reworks mentioned a couple of days ago. Some will go to the Magic Door Gallery, the others are still available.