Elementary mask workshop

'Giraffe'

Where has the time gone?

I can't believe it's been a month since I chatted here. I am really glad so many of you stopped by to read the interview with Eric Maisel. And thanks to all who left comments. I know I learned a lot from the interview and I enjoyed all the other stops on the blog tour, too.

What have I been up to?

I finished up my two mask workshops at local schools. One was for little ones and focused on making 11 different wild animals. It was great working with the kids and fostering their creativity in new ways. With the middle schoolers, we worked on animals from fairy tale stories...big bad wolf, three little pigs, wicked witch and a scarecrow just to name a few. I could tell that they were all proud of their artwork and I was, too. The masks in both workshops turned out great!

Then it was back to the studio for me. With more time to devote to my newest pieces including the last 'season' sculpture...spring. I 'm also developing a new series of copper repousse' paintings and moving along on my tryptic in metal mesh.

Also in the studio, I guess, I've been working on a story. This is a new thing for me and I didn't expect to be a 'writer' again. But this story started out a few months ago and it's evolved to more than 50 pages now and each time I sit down with it, the characters just seem to appear and start talking. I am amazed at what they have to say and I just try to focus on them and let them reveal themselves to me. This is not what I ever thought writing a story would be like. I thought that 'writers' had the plot, characters and ending all figured out ahead of time. Then they did whatever research they needed to do and set about writing it from beginning to end. My process seems to be very different. I'm trying not to think about it or judge it but just let my hands move across the keys and write down what these characters are saying.

Why don't I find the time to write here more often?

I don't know. I sometimes forget the blog is here waiting for me and I get caught up in the details of everyday life. I know that teaching, home remodeling, parenting, domestic duties and dog training take up a lot of my time, adding in studio work and writing, so the blog seems to get put last on the list. Does that ever happen to any of you? If so, how do you handle it?

I'd love to hear what you have to say, too. Leave a comment and let's start a dialog...maybe we can all learn something!