Safe and Sound

It has been awhile.

The end of the semester has come and gone, so has Christmas and New Years is about to be next.

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I just made a big purchase:

• A new Canon EOS 7D Digital SLR Camera

Now that I have this camera, I have no excuse not to get my work done. My work has been put on hold for far to long because it has been waiting for this camera. 

I am envisioning Macro images of beef, pork, and poultry, as well as lobster tails and shrimp.

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I have been loom knitting whenever I have a few moments. I think I want to do an installation piece using the long stretched tubes of fabric I have created. Mostly to look like stretched tendon-y, meat look to it. We shall see. Dan says our first critique is Feb. 1st. I think I will find a model and continue on busts and full figures to hone my live figure sculpting skills.

I was told I had a gift and I could make a lot of money doing busts. Meeh, okay but what else is there?

Figures come fairly easy and naturally to me, they are safe. I want something that is challenging for me, unexplored territory. I like soft materials. I want to make this work. We shall see how successful it is and how the first critique goes, then we shall see if I continue on this path or go back to figures. 

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My studio mate who just graduated and had his BFA show, has cleaned up his studio. He is not quite out yet, but it is inevitable. Any day now. 

I found a sur-prize in my studio last night. It was just what I needed. Somehow it has made this transition better, even though it will still be shitty. Knowing we both think so makes it easier to handle. 

I am making a book. It is slow going. I finally started the final copy. I hope it turns out well. 

I also, through making this book, as well as, a very dear friend that keeps me going into studio, even when it is so easy to stay out, that has me to the realization a room is just a room. Time keeps ticking on, and memories and friends can stay with you forever if you let them. 

I feel like I have gained fifty years worth of knowledge and wisdom in just two weeks. These two weeks have been some of the longest and some of the most trying weeks I have had to deal with in a very long time. 

Work has been stressful, Christmas just did not feel like Christmas this year. I missed Christmas Mass with my family, and I have been losing sight of what I am doing up here...what my purpose is 

Tonight, as I was working on this book I just felt so free, so light. I haven't felt that light in a long time. My body, mind, and spirit have been sitting very heavy these past few months, but finally a weight has been lifted. 

Tonight, I figured out what gives my life purpose. I now can't help but smile and let the new creative ideas flood over me. 

Well I open at the restaurant in the morning, so I had better get some kind of sleep. 

Good night, sweet dreams, pleasant tomorrows,

Love, Bridget

The Boy and His Horse.

Two Weeks.

Nice jeans, Gucci glasses, makeup in studio--doesn't make sense, oh well.

Get Your Shit Done List:

• Art Research
• Sketches
• Pull 2 waxes of Rhona's Head 
• Pull 1 plaster of Rhona's Head
• Work
• Thank you notes to write
• Gifts to make

James wants to stretch canvas before x-mas.

Cathedrals filled with water. 

Cow necks. 

Two weeks. 

Just a boy and his horse. 

-b

Beautiful.

You are my Sunshine.
Just thought I would share.

B

You'll Never Know Dear.

Dan is back.
I received the first hug.
I cried.
all is well.

Oatmeal and Coffee sound nice.

No rest for the wicked.
Studio for the last 14 hours.

Rhona's bust is now in a mold and curing.
It was a beast.

A nap and coffee are in order I think.

Las Vegas, New Mexico in seven days.
Birthday in five
Dad's Birthday in four.

Busy week ahead.

Cheers, B

Glutton for Punishment.

Tonight I cried. Not the good kind of cry that you feel better afterwards, but just a cry that you know will have to continue until you face what ever it is that made you cry.

The problem is I am not sure I will ever face it. I like avoiding it and working around it to actually saying or doing anything about it.

It would just be more painful to admit I need help and do the damn thing then to just keep walking by through to my studio.

It's crunch time and shit is down to the wire. I know emotions are running high and I don't want to be the one to throw the shit into the fan but who knows?

Work is good.

Headed to New Mexico soon.

Birthday coming up and all I can think of is seeing my kindred spirit. I miss you my love. I know you know but in case you forgot.

I just have to slowly pull away.
This might be the hardest thing I will ever have to do.
I have to do this for me, and it's time to be honest with you.

-b

It's all in the eyes.

Wow, two post in one week! Go me.

So, what I thought was going to be a shift here and there turned into me picking up two doubles and a Sunday morning shift. All I have to say is 15 hours on 1.5 hours of sleep with one very strong cup of coffee and not eating until 5 then steeling bites of your food while still prepping is dedication. Oy vey.

I never plan on working that much. It always just happens. I think, I enjoy being needed. I might also like to play the hero. I have come to terms with this. I am learning quickly, especially in the restaurant business, when enough is enough and more is just too damn much.

I needed to get lost at work this weekend. I have much to think about and wanted an escape. I know that can't happen every weekend but it was nice. I really do like the people I work with.

I am brushing up on my Spanish. So it is easier to talk to the boys in the back. They are lots of fun and they work hard.

Okay, enough about work already...sheesh.

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I saw a status update on my friends Facebook, "Where's my happy ending?"

All I have to say, is sometimes, scratch that, most of the time you need to play a BIG role in your happy ending. It is not out their looking for you...You need to be out there looking for it.

I miss Jeff and Em in studio. It's not the same without them there. Manndi and I went through their box they left and She took the clothes to goodwill. I took em's jeans. They are going into a quilt eventually. This way I will always have a part of her.

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I need to find an outfit for my cousins wedding in Colorado.
I also want to look at cameras before I go too.
It is essential to have one for getting my portfolio together and posting pictures on here.

I have been doing a lot of thinking on graduate schools lately.
Hopefully, Nancy will help me out and talk some sense.
I am feeling a little lost and weary but know that will soon pass.

I miss painting. I bought a canvas pliers the other day...why? Not sure, just have always wanted one and found one under ten dollars. I also ordered lots of art books. Cannot wait till they get here to start reading my little artsy heart out.

well I want to get up at a decent time tomorrow morning so I will say good night my loves.

Bridget

Answers in a silent revery.

I am so tired.
Just tired of trying to keep up.
Tired of following through...or not.

I just want out.
I feel trapped yet I know I am entirely free.
Free to do what I want, when I want, wherever I want.

the end.

I am tired of the senseless drama and the presumptions people make. I have been feeling a bit down and out lately. Just in a funk.

Yet, I am feeling more like myself. More like myself then I have in the longest time. I just, I am not sure. I am just done. I don't 'need' to do anything but be true to myself and get my work done. I just wish people would be more considerate.

This is how I feel.

I also feel like I miss my kindred spirit and my familia.

I work a double tomorrow and then Saturday morning and Sunday evening.

I cannot wait for Colorado in September. Bring on the mountains.

Love you,
Bridget

517 Vattier

It's much like saying good bye to your best friend, your confidant, your open arms after a long day at school, at work--didn't matter. This one place, just this one, this is home.

Last night sleeping in 517. I will miss the familar smells, sights and sounds. I miss it already deep in my bones. There is a dull ache. I think it is more for the people who have once occupied it and those who do now and for those who will.

I always love for people to come into my space and say it feels like home. That is what I love doing...I love going home, so to hear people say that and enjoy my space it makes me smile. I hope my new 1220 will be just as good. Maybe a little more retro, shabby, chic but good enough.

I just want to thank everyone who has ever crossed 517's threshold. You helped make this house a living, breathing home. It wouldn't have been the same without you.

Now I am off to sleep on not my couch but it is still very willing...

Good night my loves,
b

Hotdog, hotdog, hot diggty dog.

TI told my manager that I wanted to train to be kitchen prep in the mornings. I am to report to duty at 8 am sharp dressed and ready for orientation with my other manager Derek.

Oy vey, what did I get myself into.

I have started to crochet a rag rug out of old t-shirts.

It gave me an idea for a gallery peice. It made me want to make a phone call.

I was told I was tenacious today and a hardworker. I never feel tenacious  enough or as hardworking as people perceive me to be.

I have been seeing pictures of everyone's wonderful, adventurous summers thus far; it makes me a little sad I haven't had one. But then I remember I married a sister off, witnessed my neices third birthday, my aunt's 70th one and various things inbetween. Its the small things that have happened to me this summer that has helped me grow.

I undertook a wood working project--I am making my own captians bed (basically a platform bed with storage and drawers). The drawers are in future plans...I want to finish sanding and staining what I have finished.

I also want to make my own table desk. Different project for a different day.

I bought an old singer sewing machine and table for $25 --it needs oil but works like a charm!

I am dog sitting for the next week and a half. Going well thus far. We shall see what next week brings.

Love,
B

This and That, Tit for Tat.

 Pictures from Sloss:

Leveling Molds.

Joe giving us the run down.

Other student ran furnaces.

The whole gang before we ran.
Left to Right: Bridget, Emily, Jeff, Spencer, Vicky, Sloan, Angelica, Corneilus and Micah

Checking for hot metal.

Pouring SCREAMING HOT iron!

Skimming Iron before we pour it into molds.

Emily and I after all the work is done!

The Sculpture Gang after we won the PERFECTION AWARD!
National Champs...Just Sayin'

Team Hundle after we were through!
And BREAK!

Bury My Head in the Sand.

I havent spent more than ten minutes on Facebook in AGES!!!! Well since Febuary it feels like ages. I think I have gotten my facebook fix for quite a LONG time. At least until after April's wedding.

I am getting excited, nervous and STRESSED! It isn't even my wedding but Whoo....I am in desperate need of a drink!

Oy vey.

Almost done scanning in pictures for Aprils wedding.

I want to write, to communicate, to talk, however, I am not sure how well I will like what I hear from you?

I have dishes that need to be done and I just left them sitting all up in that sink :/

I feel bad!

Oh pandora...

Had fun in studio today. Made a mess, got payed, made more of a mess, shop vac-ed up said mess and then came home.

I made my first REAL home made meal in quite some time. It is so HARD cooking for one. I miss cooking massive quanitities of food...

I made pork steak with a reduced garlic, lemon, butter sauce. Yumm-o

my rice was a bit crunchy though :/

haha, oh well it still tasted good!

Okay, okay back to this movie for April and D!

• Scan Pictures
• Itunes--MUSIC!
• MORE PICTURES!

Alright, good night friends!
<3, B

Birds, Ships, and Shortcake.

Just getting ready for work.

Shared some of my new ideas and concepts with my studio mates. I don't know why I am ever nervous sharing ideas with Zach and Angelica...they are nothing but positive energy and constructive critisism and thinking. I really do enjoy talking art with them.

Angelica and I had good talks today. She has pretty hands.

I want to do a photoshoot. I miss my Scotes.

I need to eat before work.

I got my spray tan scheduled and got my hair cut. AMAZING!!! Took a little more off than I wanted but when it finally does grow out it will look SOOOOoooo GOOD!

Sigh...so yeah.

I sorta skipped out on studio work. I just dont want to be there. I am getting burnt out quick. Part of me feels selfish when I know there is work to be done but not so bad. It is nice taking a little Bridget time!

Lee Vanity...do you feel it?

I do.
Just a little.

I chose to befriend that old acquaintance...we shall see how it goes.

Better to forgive and forget.

Goonies and popcorn tonight after I get off I think.

Thats that,

B

Fiesty.

To friend an old acquaintance or not to?

Will it make me happy? It's what I have wanted for awhile isnt it? I have stopped deluding myself about our relationship...or lack there of.

Someone backed out of our pasta dinner tonight...

Dan got his reliefs poured. Well two out of three. so close!

I am getting my hairs trimmed up tomorrow. And looking into a spray tan for Aprils wedding.

I have some google research to do tonight but I am procrastinating.

I have been feeling fiesty lately.

...I have also been feeling secretive and insecure.

Home was good even though a barn is missing a roof and several trees needed cut and picked up out of yards.

Its always the little things.

I miss you as always. I want to sit you down and tell you EVERYTHING! A letter doesnt cut it. I have started at least three but throw them away...it just wont cut it.

sweet dreams my loves, B

The Devil Spoke.

I hope to be better at keeping this blog. It never felt right without having your blogs to read up on.

I have been having strangely ordinary dreams lately. Well, except for last night. A blast from my past made an appearance. It was interesting for sure.

Michael Rose turns 3 on Sunday.

Happy Birthday Love! I sure have missed watching you grow into the wonderful little person you are. I CANNOT WAIT to see you on Sunday.

I finally got Aprils Bachalorette party all planned and invites sent out. Now for the T-shirts...sigh, so much done but soooo much left to do.

Work is work. Still good but I am wearing thin working doubles Friday, Saturday, and Sunday's. All I want is good help...a Great Busing partner can make all the difference!

Another semester has come to an end. Rhona, Tamica and various others are done and all graduated. I wish them the Best of Luck and all my CONGRADULATIONS! Go out into the world and be and do good!

Somehow I thought this would be just a transitional semester...I thought I would be accompanying one of my 'better friends' across the stage come December; however, Dan and I talked and decided that one more semester would be best.

Moral to the story, I don't want to be stuck here. I don't want you to leave. I don't want to stay here without you. The end.

I have lots of thoughts and feelings on different things but I think a letter or two may get it before this blog does.

My camera is on the fritz so no pictures of my work in studio...it is worth the wait, I promise.

Well until next time,

B

Like Blood Like Honey

Song title, by Holly Brook.

SLOSS, National Conference for Cast Iron 2011 is done and over with and guess what?!

West Wales and KSU took Best Overall Furnace!

It was an exciting and beautiful thing to behold. We were so calm and collected when we ran the furnace. It was AWESOME to be part of the crew. Jeff and Em made me mold captain. I have pictures of the pour we did in Georgia...I will have to post here.

Still in need of pictures of my activities in studio....exciting stuff!

Still working at Longhorn...come eat steak!

two weeks and it is all over with.

Well, with school that is.

I have more to say but I think I would rather write it down on a piece of paper.

...it's easier to put to peices that way.

Oh yellow goat you make me smile.

<3, B

Pouring Iron in the Dark.

It is difficult and you cannot see very well. I personally do not care for it, even if it is slightly more "dramatic," or so they say.

These last few weeks have been pushing me hard. Every bit of me hurts but I know it wont stop until SLOSS is over next Sunday, April 17th.

The link below will help explain what SLOSS is. Eight of us students, one professor and a visiting artist are headed to Birmingham, Alabama to go pour some iron. I am on a crew of six for the student built and run furnace. I am Mold Captain. I need to learn to be loud and bossy. That is hard for me becuase when I am really working I am quite and don't like loud and controling people around me. We shall see how this goes.

http://www.slossfurnaces.com/

Another exciting thing happening lately is...I am PUBLISHED! Yay!

Look for page 36, 37, and 38

http://issuu.com/sunflower_publishing/docs/mm11sp?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Fdark%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true

Manhattan Magazine did a spread on KSU Painting Society and I as well as a fellow classmate and my professor are all featured in it. I hope these links work.

I also have some new stuff started in studio but I will find my camera and document so it is easier to explain and show what I am doing.

I hope all is well!

Love, B

P.S. Oh man, I almost forgot. I got in to the Commerece Bank Juried show. I havent made it over to the bank yet but apparently I am to recieve an award the day I am leaving for SLOSS. It is my painting "Syrup and Honey," The paitning that is at the head of my blog with my title on it. It is one of my favorites and the one I am most proud of so I am glad it got in!

Okay Okay, enough!
-B

Goosebumps

I need to get organized...I never used to be this disorganized.
I miss my family.
I am working 40 hour weeks and trying to be in studio the rest of the time.
I am quickly burning out.

I cannot wait to get home and stand south of the house and just take a deep breath in.

I am slightly downhearted and frustrated with people right now.
Nothing new and I will never know it in thirty years.

I am excited for things in studio.
Will post more pictures soon. I like that you can actually look at what I am up too.
Soon as I charge my camera battery.

Sloss is coming up.
Hope Longhorn gives me off.
I am in need of this.
I hope certian people get a helping hand and brace so they can go.
I just might lose my marbles if they don't.

Steel wool.

It comes from steel sheep!

Love, Bridget

Jurassic Park

Pictures are worth a thousand words, but I will probably end up writing just as much or more than that. I haven't updated in quite awhile and I have people wondering what I have been up to. So here we go...

In late January, I finally got hired at the new LongHorn Steakhouse as an S.A. (Service Assistant) here in Manhattan. I am not going to lie, I love working there. I know working in food is not as much fun as some of the other jobs out there but I really do like the people I work with and honestly I love going to work and then leaving and not taking the work home with me.

So I kicked off this semester with making some little figures. I was going to make a whole bunch of these little ladies and cast them in something, whether it was going to be aluminum, or plaster, or resin...I was never really sure but I was going to string them together to make a chandelier. It's hard to describe my concept. It's just an idea the popped into my head while I was in the shower. This is as far as they have gotten, I have kept them around for a reason though. Not sure what that is yet.



Little partial finished oil clay figures, ruler for size comparison.







































Just recently, I have been  looking into dying my lemon yellow wool. So I tried this Chia tea April left when she moved. I really dislike it and so I thought I would put it to good use and used it as a stain to dye my wool. It turned out a little more neutral then such a bright yellow. Hard to tell by this image but in person you will be able to tell. 


Left: tea stained wool, Right: natural wool.



So this lead to, Kool-Aid dyed wool!

http://www.knitty.com/ISSUEfall02/FEATdyedwool.html

This is where I found how to do it. I spent my Friday off dying some wool. It turned out so nice and vivid. I think I will tone it down and look into getting some green and blue so maybe I can "paint" with my wool. I want to do figures and would be curious to see if I could get a flesh tone. If not I would like to do really neutral, natural looking colors.

This was just a fun experiment.

Experiment: Dyed my white wool with hot water and Kool-Aid.

IT WORKS!!! They turned out so nice.


So I have been sketching lately and have come up with some figures. I have been playing around with elongation, more movement, interactive figures with heads, hands and feet. I am usually so focused on the torso it is hard to make myself think about the rest of the figure but I am trying to make sure they have heads, hands and feet. It is turning out well, I think. Images to come soon. I am using most of these sketches to work on Zach and I's collaboration we have going. This is to come...stay tuned!

Just some sketches I have been working on.



I was working on eliminating or simplifying some of the figures limbs.

I was playing around with making some of the figures interactive with each other.



So this is 'Art & Fear,' I highly recommend it to anyone who makes art and occasionally gets stuck. I made Zach read it and eventually just gifted him his very own copy. But this is what started Zach and I thinking about collaboration. It has also helped us both through some rough artistic times. Worth a read if you ever have any worries about your art.

Art & Fear: the beginning of Zach D's and I collaboration.



Art & Fear: lead to collaboration between Zach and I. We both like sculpting figures and found this shelf floating around from the Willard basement renovation. We thought it was perfect to fill with figures. Most of these figures pictured are Zach's but I just added several new figures to this since this weekend. I have been a busy bee.


This is just the beginning of Zach and I's collaboration. I have just placed 4-5 new figures up there.
Our plan is to fill this old chemistry shelf with figures.
Still unsure of what medium we are going to be casting our figures in.


So this is what I have been up to lately. I will write more later this week. This is just a taste. I am planning on felting around a three dimensional object soon and if that works out then I would like to make my figures lifesize or bigger and wet felting around it. I will definitely let you know how it goes.

Love, B