Stained-Glass Geisha Triptych

I had a good friend call the other day. She said she'd been meaning to call because she gets my blawg updates, and she wanted to tell me how much BETTER she thought I was getting at my art. 

Ahhhhh.....friends.

Anyway, she went one to tell me how she felt I'd made a huge jump-not only in technique and process, but in output.

"My LORD", she exclaimed. "I don't see anything but once a month, if that, and all of a sudden, I'm getting one-if not TWO-of your blog emails a day!"

I told her it was clearly a case of growing as an artist, and the creative process being blah...blah...blah...blah.

But, in reality, none of that means anything. 

The REAL reason for these changes can be summed up in one word:

COLD.

Flower Geisha

That's right...it's too freaking COLD to move from my 'studio'. 

NOTE: Yeah, yeah...it's a craft room. But 'studio' sounds much more professional (read: 'snooty') and I LIKE it. So there. 

I'm not kidding. I don't even go out into the garage to get a bottled water. Which, I might add, is staying colder in there than in the fridge. And don't think I get my own water, either. That's what God made children-and husbands-for.

Normally, when it's above 50 here in North Carolina, I'm out at the barn. My horse is at a full-board stable, so when I go out there, I'm usually grooming (health permitting, of course) riding or mucking out her stall AGAIN (it's the OCD...I choose to pick my battles with it) or scrubbing her feed and water buckets with bleach. Or, working with a yearling filly named Fenari (Finn) who has finally gotten to the point where she stopped trying to kill me and simply settles for a good nip here and there. 

Needless to say, I can stay as active as I can without setting off this damned disease (Dercum's Syndrome...long story...search for my post if you're interested...or know someone diagnosed with fibro who is in more pain than average) and in doing that, I feel like a better person. But it's taxing and, after an our or two out there, I come home to little or no Art. Hence, the sparse art output and posting.

Fan Geisha

But at 49 degrees and below, this NC girl puts on her fleece, eats endless grilled cheese sandwiches and "arts" her butt off. Mostly because the only other option is relating to my children, and since they've already sold their souls to video games, there's not much work to do there.

The BAD thing about weather-related artistic mania, is that with lots of sitting comes fat. About 10 pounds worth of fat. And might I add that, with this happening, not only do you get to wear leggings all the time, you are ALSO able to discern who your true friends are. Two birds with one stone, my friend. Two. 

Crane Geisha

You see, your TRUE friends are the ones who tell you that they can't tell you've gained, when it's obvious that my chubby thighs are rubbing together hard enough to spark friction fires. 

Sidenote: Ever seen leggings burn? Of course not. They don't burn. They melt. Don't ask me how I know this.

Anyway...THAT'S a friend. 

The OTHER people will tell you that you 'look different' but they 'can't put a finger on it'. 

Flipping passive-aggressives. 

I usually like to have fun with these people by saying "Is it my hair? I got it colored." or "I wonder if it's my nails. I haven't had time for a mani in the last decade, or so."

By this time, they start to get frustrated that you haven't copped to gaining weight, so they try to get more specific. "No...No...not that. Have you been working out?"

"Everyday!" I say with a smile. "I'm thrilled you can tell the difference!!"

They usually leave in a huff, after that. 

But I digress. Again.

It's cold. Therefore I art. As to the weight, well, I'll get it off again when it warms up. I know that the family will be thrilled when THAT happens...especially since one of them made the mistake of telling me that when it's cold, the body's metabolism goes up, therefore we burn more fat without trying.

I have to admit that Arting in a bikini isn't the easiest thing...for any of us...but a (chubby) girl's gotta do what a (chubby) girl's gotta do.s

Dresden edging and width

PROCESS:

Laura Carson at artfullymusing.blogspot.com has a glass slide tutorial HERE. This is the technique I used for these ATC's. Using stamps from SU! Kimono and Oriental Brushstrokes, along with an unidentified stamp, G45's Birdsong, brass ephemera, dresden scrap and flowers finished them up.