A Busy Month

It's been a busy month. I can't believe that a lot of the big tasks I had that seemed next to impossible are actually behind me. At the beginning of the year I made a list of 10 things I wanted to accomplish this year. I don't like New Year's resolutions but I wanted to set some goals both large and small that would take me out of my comfort zone so that I could learn and try new things. It's so easy to stay in the same place and do the same thing because you don't have to think much but change inspires growth.

One of the things on my list was to enter something in the California State Fair. This past Friday I took two of my favorite dolls, Verlene and Michael and entered them. It really isn't about winning a prize but just having something that I made at a venue that will be viewed by so many fair visitors from all over the country. I didn't really think about it that way until after I got home. Now I'm really excited and hoping that they get selected by the State Fair judges. I'll keep you posted when I get the results. I'll share the other nine things on my list as they develop.






The kid's doll class at the Moral Values Program home school was a lot of fun. Their teacher Patricia Guerra has done an amazing job with her kids. They are smart, courteous, patient and well spoken. We had 12 students make dolls for their moms for Mothers Day. I was grateful to Lillian LeBlanc, Debbra Murphy and Jan Hollins for bringing their hands, hearts, heads and spirits to help us out. We got a lot done in  the class but there is never enough time in doll making so I did to take them home to finish so that they would be perfect for all of the moms. A little lace and satin ribbon made them just right but the basics and the choices were all made by the kids. All of my doll classes for kids and adults both in the future are going to be a little longer. Making a doll is something that should be enjoyed and not rushed.




















I was very honored to be invited by Sisters Quilting Collective and Professor Darryl Freeman to bring some of my dolls to be part of a textile arts exhibit at The Cooper Woodson Center CSUS Black Graduation. I am happy to say that I have been working hard and have replaced all of my lost dolls over the last few months. I did a collection of dolls for this exhibit. I did some of my "Tribal Energy Mask Dolls" and some of my African Village dolls.

The 28th annual African American Graduation Ceremony was amazing. If you felt grumpy or in a bad mood before it started you left in high spirits with this wonderful sense of hope.  There were over 400 African American graduates on the list for the Class of  2013-2014. They didn't just march in they came dancing in. Their energy and spirit was contagious. You just knew you were witnessing something wonderful.



The best part of the evening was that I got to work with three awesome ladies. Faye Kennedy-Wilson, Kanika Marshall and Fredi Slaughter-Walker. We had a blast.    

 

Creative Energy and the New Moon

I have a long term project that I am about to begin for a friend. It will be a series of 36 inch, soft sculpture dolls that will be created over the next several months. After talking to my friend and working out the beginning details I am intrigued and excited to be a part of this creative adventure. One of the special requests that my client had was to begin each new art project on a new moon. I have never had that request asked of me before but I agreed. I looked into information about the new moon's creative energy and read that it is potent and useful for projects that require you to tap into your emotions and subconscious thoughts where the best art is made. It is a time to fuel intuition and connect to your body. This creative period is at its strongest from the three days before the new moon through the three days after the new moon. The next new moon will be March 1st and the creative cycle begins on February 26th and ends on March 4th.

I have always loved and been fascinated by the moon and it has been a key part of a lot of the artwork I've done in the past. One of my favorite things to do is to watch the sky in the evening especially when the moon is full. I lived in the South Bay Area for most of my life and moved to Sacramento about six years ago. There is so much more flat land here with views unobstructed by buildings, trees or hills and the moon seems so much larger and closer. When I'm restless or troubled or trying to work out a problem, I spend a few minutes watching the moon, I have a good view from the window in my room. It always settles and calms me and refreshes my thoughts.

If any of you have had a creative block in your art, business or problem solving lately try approaching it again tomorrow, February 26h on the next new moon cycle.

Stay tuned for my next post. I'll share with you my latest dolls. I created 9 new dolls inspired by the Cirque du Soleil silk acrobats. Any of you who were kind enough and patient enough over the last few months to listen to my story about my car being broken into and 30 of my dolls being 'kidnapped' before Christmas. I had just done a holiday faire a few days before and hadn't had the energy to get my bag up my stairs. After four years of living in my apartment complex without a single incident and I left stuff in my car for months at a time, my luck finally ran out. I grieved about my lost dolls for a few days and then prayed that they were in a good home with someone who would love them and take care of them. My promise to myself was to make 30 new dolls to replace my lost ones although I can never duplicate them. More about my Sky Dancers in my next post.

I was so glad to meet new people and see old and new faces at the Brickhouse  Holiday Faire, the Third Annual Sisters Quilting Collective Quilt Exhibit and Sisters Quilting Collective's Day at the Crocker Art Museum. I will be sending out information about new doll making classes for this spring and summer soon. Thank you for signing my book and coming by to say hi.