some new jewelry

rustic red set — necklace and studs

 cabbage earrings

 sea urchinettes

pear blossoms

white eggplant necklace

... and a few pictures of the bead making process. :)

woodwork

Wood is a wonderful material to work with — it smells, feels and looks amazing! Here are a few of my recent works using recycled and donated wood scraps.

flock of rays

7" x 7" x 4.5" / wood, wire, leaves, nails and glue

ballooning spiders

12" x 6" x 3.5" / wood, wire, script brads, and glue

dream of flying turtles

16" x 6" x 3.5" / wood, nails and glue

Do you know of any sources for scrap wood? Am willing to dumpster dive!

collage of capybaras

They are here! Although, I can't decide on a name for this family of capybaras. Suggestions are welcome and appreciated! (The only requirement is that the surname start with "C". )

ABOUT CAPYBARAS

Capybaras are the largest rodents in the world. They are well adapted to swimming and can stay underwater for up to five minutes. These furry, whiskered creatures can also sleep in the water with all but their noses submerged — they even have webbed feet!

I love them.

(To view the study, sculpture, drawing, and vector graphic for this portrait, please view a previous post.)

new jewelry display etc.

I thought, "oh, I'll just make a new display real quick." A couple of obsessive weeks later, I finally finished! I used recycled cardboard boxes, found eucalyptus branches, and target bags (the white flowers) to make this 18" wide box-tree thingy. :)

I've also been working on some new wooden earrings, which are hand cut, sanded, oiled, and assembled.

The different types of wood you see here are
Purpleheart, Paduak, Zebrawood, Wenge, and Yellowheart

Yellowheart wood with Bamboo beads

A few more of my favorite new items for sale at Make Good:

matte blue ceramic studs (hand-formed and glazed)

hand-made ceramic pomegranate pendant on an adjustable chain

ceramic artichoke pendant on an extra long chain

capybaras people!

Do you realize how awesome they are? Here's my progress on their portrait so far...

step 5: vector graphic (next up, the fabric collage)

step 4: drawing of the sculptures

step 3: photographs of finished sculptures

step 2: sculptures (unfired)

step 1: capybara study

Shalise the Scarab

This portrait illustrates the life cycle of a scarab. I've named my beetle Shalise, which is an Egyptian name meaning "beautiful."




YAY ECODUNG!

To quote my friend Lee, "Dung Beetles lay their eggs in other animals' dung and make plant material. Yay, Ecodung!" I decided to go with the "eco" theme, using as many recycled fabrics as I could.



ABOUT THE SCARAB BEETLE

In addition to being an important part of our ecosystem, the scarab is a prominent figure in human history. This animal was considered sacred to ancient Egyptians, who believed in its connection to the sun god, Ra. The way a scarab would roll a ball of feces across the ground reminded the Egyptians of how the sun would "roll" across the sky each day.

IN CONCLUSION

The scarab is a creepy, crawly insect that rolls around balls of poop for a living, but I have to agree with the Egyptians. They deserve my reverence as a beautifully divine creature.


(To view the study, sculpture, drawing, and vector graphic for this portrait, please view a previous post.)

favorite projects from 2011 - thanks to you!

This sunset fabric collage was commissioned by my dad. It's a smaller version of the original, which I made for our friends, Fausto and Janelle. Thank you so much for your support and inspiration!

sunset collage no. 2
16" x 16" / fabric and thread

Ah, the monster guys! I have to say, taking classes at SD City College has been one of the best decisions I've made as an artist. Each of these glaze test pieces has assumed its own personality, and to me, they represent the amazing array of kooky classmates I have come to love.

mini monster heads
clay and glaze

My pickiest and most gratifying client: Martian Horses. :) You push me to create things I could never imagine on my own, such as this "end of world scenario."

smoke and bugs
11" x 17" / paper and paint

One of the most difficult things for me, is to let go of aesthetic expectations and create something conceptual. Here is something I sculpted this summer which I'm personally proud of. I'm very lucky to have a wonderful teacher, Terri, who always encourages me to push my own boundaries.

Outrospection

6.5" x 6"x 5" / ceramic sculpture / 4 nesting pieces

scarabs coming along...

OK, picking up a rythmn now — here's my progress on the next animal, the scarab beetle:

step 5: vector graphic (last step before the fabric collage!)

step 4: drawing of the sculpture

step 3: finished sculptures

step 2: unfired clay sculptures

step 1: study of the scarab beetle

Hopefully I'll be able to finish the fabric collage next week. I'll explain more about this peculiar creature in my next post with new pics. :)

Portrait of Mo the Mudskipper

Ahh! I can't believe it's been 5 months since my last animal book portrait. :( I guess jewelry has kind of taken over my life — but, maybe that's just an excuse to break away from a project that's lost some of its novelty. In any case, I have finally finished the portrait of Mo here. Hope you like this funny guy!




Here are some pics of Mo's progression:

step 1: study of mudskipper

step 2: sculpture

step 3: glazed sculpture

step 4: drawing of the sculpture

step 5: vector graphic

ABOUT MUDSKIPPERS

Mudskippers are amphibious fish that use their pectoral fins to walk on land. They are quite active when out of water, feeding and squabbling over territory. They also like to show off to mates and rivals, leaping up to 2 feet into the air!

MUDSKIPPERS IN POPULAR CULTURE

Since the mudskipper is a walking fish, it is often used as a symbol of evolution. People have long been looking for a missing evolutionary link between ocean-living and land-living animals. (However, the lobe-finned fish is a more likely link than the mudskipper.)

The Japanese name for the mudskipper is mutsugoro. For centuries, this comical and apparently delicious fish has been a source of inspiration for the Japanese. For example, here is a beautiful piece by Fumiko Koga.

oh, and of course...

The main fabric of my mudskipper collage is a japanese-style wave print, referencing this cultural significance.

NEXT UP

I'll be doing a portrait of the scarab beetle (aka dung beetle.) I have finished the sculptures for this one already, so at least I have a little head start!

Thanks for tuning in!

Luther meets Mo Mudskipper and Bearolf

Mo the Mudskipper
3" x 7" x 4" / clay and glaze

Luther meets Mo

Bearolf
6" x 3" x2.5" / clay and glaze

Luther meets Bearolf