Day 141 - 365/2014

Day One Hundred Forty-One

I was back at Diane's studio today helping with organizing.  Today was about sorting hardware drawers (for me) and working on tiny mermaids (for Diane).  And in the meantime for Arlo is was all about his squeaky cupcake.

The small mermaid beads by Diane Hawkey.

Diane also showed me something else she is working on for a Boston Terrier Festival.

The reverse side.

One of the hardware drawers.

Some of the sorting...I really enjoy doing this...sometimes knowing a (triple) Capricorn isn't so bad.

Bye-bye Arlo and Diane!

Day 134 - 365/2014

Day One Hundred Thirty-Four

I spent a few hours with Diane and Arlo again today.  I am helping Diane organize stuff in her studio.  

Diane and Arlo.

Delightful Diane and adorable Arlo.

Utensils holder in the kitchen.

One of the drawers of magical stuff I sorted out.

Diane and her teensy little "spy" camera.

Oh...and I am purchasing this fellow from Doug!  The ideas are spinning around in my head already!

Day 113 - 365/2104

Day One Hundred Thirteen

My big adventure day -- helping artist Diane Hawkey with some tidying in her studio.  Diane put out a sort of feeler offer via Facebook last week wondering if anyone local would be interested in helping her do some organizing and sorting in her studio as she prepares for upcoming shows, etc.  In exchange she'd compensate the helper with beads/artwork.  Of course a bunch of people responded, including me.  Yesterday Diane messaged me asking if I had any time available this week...and today was a good day.

What a great time!  Diane is such a delightful person and I also was privileged to meet the very sweet and wonderful Arlo, her Boston Terrier.  We had a good time sorting things and organizing Diane's work desk.  We talked a bunch and I marveled at the incredible artwork around her home -- inside and out.  Diane is married to artist Doug Spalding and their artwork is all over, plus really great stuff they have collected.  Diane was kind enough to let me take photos to share.

Diane and Doug's house -- kind of hard to miss it!

Some of Doug's work.

One of the two wondrous goats in their collection.

Artwork by Diane.

Boston Terrier artwork collection.

Now...looking around in Diane's studio...

I fell in love with this instantly!

The very delightful Diane Hawkey.

Work in progress.

Prototypes for bells.

Diane and Arlo

Arlo and his squeaky cupcake.

And look what I got to bring home -- oh my goodness!  I tried to purchase the larger piece but Diane insisted I have it.  I will probably be going back again next week to help some more...this time I will insist that I've already been more than compensated for my time.  What a wonderful morning/afternoon!  Thank You, Diane!  

A Boston "Terror"

Ai-eeeeeeee -- Diane gave me this piece!!!!!

This afternoon/evening I have been working on trying to find images in that repurposed canvas that I put the layers of paper on a few days ago.  Normally if a canvas starts out in its original form as a landscape, I turn it to portrait view for my collage...and vice versa.  This painting was a landscape and I have been really trying to find guys/creatures/shapes in the two portrait orientations.  Today I finally gave in and turned it back to landscape and searched both views for a long, long time...finally something started to emerge.  

How it looked after it dried a few days ago...in the "forced" portrait orientation.

Searching...searching...ah -- I see!!!!

And here is what I ended up with...

It is kind of a wolf/bear creature guy -- the front half is wolfish and the back half is bearish.  I like how it looks sort of like a cave painting.  There are all sorts of other creature heads in the background, too...I am only going to emphasize this main creature so that the viewer can see other images for themselves.

Wow -- that is something I would NEVER have been able to draw on my own...I am very happy with it so far.  I hope I can eventually do it justice.  I think I am mostly done for the day now.  If I do anything else later on, it will probably be to start sanding the frame that came with this painting.  I think I want to paper and varnish it.

Day 75 - 365/2014

Day Seventy-Five

Today I went with Juana to The Great Lakes Beadworkers Guild Bead Show, "Bead Bonanza" at the Southfiled Pavillion.  Wow.  I haven't attended this show in quite a long time...it is an incredible blast of color, glitz, people, fabulous beads...and did I mention color?  Man.

While Juana shopped, I had a personal quest today...to finally be able to purchase Blue Animal Dream by Diane Hawkey.  I fell in love with this wondrous piece of ceramic magic back in October of last year when Diane displayed it at Under the (Inspired) Influence...that group show I coordinated at the Northville Art House.  It has been on my mind since then!

Here are a few photos from today:

YOW -- the crowd, the beads, the colors, the shininess, the wow, the sounds, the madness of Bead Bonanza.

We found Diane's booth!

A couple of the fabulous ceramic houses Diane makes...so hard to choose just one!

Some of Diane's delightful little guys.

Close up of one of the guys.

Diane also makes incredible little creatures that sit atop blocks.

Here are some of Diane's mixed media pendants.

And the teensiest, tiniest, most perfect little acorn bead you will ever (almost) see!

Juana and Diane

I had to park myself while Juana shopped -- I tend to get overwhelmed with sensory overload lately.

Mission accomplished!

After the Bead Bonanza Juana and I went to lunch at a Thai restaurant in Ferndale and talked and talked and laughed and talked...the food was great!  Then when we got back to her house we ended up talking in the car sitting in her driveway for a bit longer...great day with a great friend!

Tonight I had to do a little photo shoot with Blue Animal Dream and two other pieces I purchased from Diane.  I am absolutely enthralled by Diane's work...I will be collecting her stuff for a long time!

Blue Animal Dream by Diane Hawkey!

Adorable cat on a block by Diane Hawkey.

Wonderful little house by Diane Hawkey...I want to get more of her houses -- of various sizes -- and make a little neighborhood!