The Oiler "little" boys are painting again!

William's Portrait of someone?

David's image of Penguins

The boys love to paint and create in any way, but when I start painting (which is not very often) then they want to paint with me so the mess begins! I actually love their paintings and their ideas you would think that with us all around the same area our ideas would overlap a little but they don't! The boys are independent and confident in their abilities as artists and I wouldn't have it any other way! Hope you enjoy their creations! They are my heroes and inspire me every day!

Tae kwon Do Belt Racks

I made a customized a Tae Kwon Do Belt Rack for my son David last year when he went to his first tournament. This was a big step for him and I wanted something to make it special, turns out he won a trophy also so he got a lot that weekend! He loves his rack, no one else has one like it, until recently. I am now making more on a commission basis and will customize them also. I can only do a few at a time as they take quite a bit of time, they are cut out and then hand carved and painted. Just one more project to add to my things I can do list. I never dreamed I would be making belt racks when I received my MFA in ceramics. You never know and they are fun to make! Keep your minds open and your spirit free! Keep Creating!

Oiler Boys and their other Passions

We actually do more than just art out here in West Texas and Sports is one of them. All the boys love Tae Kwon Do, although William is on a sabbatical right now, he is playing baseball instead and Brad has found a new joy in the martial arts as he is getting in great shape and he gets to hit things. It balances his life well with art and teaching!

Honey Pots

I had recently made about 80 of these honey pots for a honey farm in Colorado. It was a fun production project and one I hadn't done in many years. It was also great timing in sharpening my skills before I teach the wheel throwing classes this fall at McMurry University. I shipped out 60 and had all the other "good" ones sold within a week, just from people visiting the studio. There are times where I think I should just make functional pottery with nice colors and I will supplement my income just fine, and then I remember my true happiness comes from creating from deep within my spirit. My sculptures... Functional pottery is a process that I love and I will always keep my skills sharp and the pots coming, but I could never give up sculpting and carving. I have been finding some good collaborations between the two while I was working on this series that I hope to show later. It has been a very busy summer already! We are leaving for a family trip to Ohio, I will be visiting my sister with a farm, my mom who is staying with her and setting up my mom's ceramics studio while we are there. Maybe even starting her inventory for her. Then on to my dad's in Columbus to help him with a long list of projects we hope. We like to feel useful and a real vacation is hard for us to take! David and Brad will be working hard on their Tae Kwon Do Skills while we are away, David really want's to test fo rhis blue belt in August! Brad is getting ready to move up to a red belt soon. William is practicing being a Wii master and has already beaten Lego Harry Potter, released just a few days ago and of course baseball! In Ohio we expect to have lots of outside time and I am looking forward to temperatures that are a bit cooler than west Texas provides. Stay tuned for upcoming events and new art. I should be posting about once a week again now. Keep Making Art and Smiling every day!!!

Salt Pigs

SALT PIGS

A new item to add to my portfolio, salt pigs. Every once in a while you get a request from a friend or parent who would really like this item that they saw in a magazine, but they want it in red or yellow, etc... and "could you make it?" If it looks interesting and new I usually will, so now I can make salt pigs. I had made a few extra just in case, but funny thing is as soon as people saw them they all sold. I guess I better make a few more of them~ I will have more available at the McMurry Christmas Art Sale. These are fun and cute and great to have around your kitchen if you are a cook or baker. Just spoon out the salt as needed. Hope everyone has a great day.

new place setting project

Hello again. This year for the National Arts Program Exhibition I decided to go more traditional. I had been working on a new place setting design and glaze combination for our home and came up with this. I really like the combination of the balance between the masculine and feminine elements and all of the pieces work very functionally and of course stack nicely in my cupboard and in the dishwasher. Things I never thought I would consider when creating work. Currently I am overwhelmed with commissions which is a blessing but I am anxious to get back to my work this summer also. I am able to take on a new teaching challenge this fall that I am so excited about. I am teaching the wheel throwing classes beg and advanced. I will manage the lab and help the new adjunct as he finds his way. I am grateful for the help and I hope he is up for the challenge. I did take an honorable mention for this piece at the exhibition so it helped to reinforce I was on teh right track. I also have a more feminine series I am working on. Maybe I can get them done in the fall. The honey pots are thrown and bisqued and ready to glaze tomorrow.

The new thing in my life is massage therapy on a regular basis. It is amazing what it can do for your body! I highly reccomend that if you can afford it on a weekly or bi monthly basis to definitely do it! I have more strength, flexibility and I am in a lot less pain of a daily basis! THis is a big deal for a ceramic artist and teacher!

On a side note William turned 7 this month and David turns 9 tomorrow. What a crazy month! Mom is in Ohio taking care of my sister and her kids as she is recovering from surgery and a trip in July is looking inevitable! My dad also seems worse so the visit shouldn't wait! I just wish we had the time and money for the trip. I will take donations for this trip!!!

I hope this finds all of you out there happy and healthy and doing what you love every day!

Being away from family

O.K. I knew it was going to be hard to live so far away from my family but I had no idea how hard until this past year! My dad had a major cardiac episode and now has a pacemaker (pictured above), my sister seems to be losing her breasts to infection and is having trouble with depression and anxiety and also high blood pressure, and now as of today, my step mom is in a nursing home recovering from hip replacement and today my dad had another cardiac episode, he didn't even call 911, his pacemaker just shocked him and after he recovered, he went about his night. I was lucky he even called. I have the strongest pull I have ever felt to drop everything and go right now to help out. Dad and Barb HAVE to change their diet NOW and that is going to be hard for them! My sister has my mom with her now so things there will be better, I hope, but really..... what do I do? He called "just in case something else happens tonight".... It is a twenty + hour drive, even if I did leave now.... I know this is not my normal type of blog, but I really needed to just get this out before I felt a bit crazy! What am I going to do? I have a commission I have to get done, but I could leave that in others hands. and how will I sleep tonight.? O.k> I will stop whining now and get back to life. Thanks out there for letting me spill tonight. I promise the next one will be more uplifting.