A gift and some serious inspiration

First I want to say "Thank you" to those who have filled out my little poll (at the right on the web version of this page). Your feedback is helping me understand how to craft better content that you will enjoy. That in turn helps me feel better about what I'm doing here, both in this blog and on the planet!  :-)

As a little gift of gratitude to all my subscribers and readers, you are invited to share the image above and send it out to all your friends if you'd like. Just click on the image above till you get the large size, then save it to your computer. Now you can share it in your emails if you'd like.

If you are not familiar with Imbolc, this is the first "Cross Quarter" day of the New Year. Cross Quarter days celebrate the half-way point between the Solstices and Equinoxes. Imbolc marks the mid-point (roughly) between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox. Here in the northern hemisphere, it is when we usually begin to notice an increase in the quality and amount of daylight that we receive each day. And for those of us lucky enough to track the sunsets or rises on a horizon, we notice that the sun is really starting to move now on its annual migration. For me the Imbolc sunset usually happens pretty close to the point of the mountain seen in the center of the ice wheel above so it seemed like a good image to use for the e-card.

  So that is Part One of the inspirational gift I have for you. The second part is a link to a really inspiring recording I heard tonight. Some of you may be familiar with the Public radio program called "On Being". I can recommend it as a very intelligent and thoughtful show. But the one this week, an interview with Seth Godin was exceptional. Here is the link to listen online or you can also download from here and listen later: CLICK HERE 

 The subtitle for this show is called "On the art of noticing and then creating"  (can you see why I might be attuned to this talk?) and it is not just for artists, but for all of us. Seth really has a grasp of how this world is fundamentally changing, especially in regards to our evolutionary growth as a society of "tribes" as he calls it and especially how the internet and digital media are changing us all faster than we realize. This interview is one of the best I've ever heard him give. It lasts an hour so give yourself time to take it all in. If you really liked it, there is a longer version on the On Being website. Also, if you prefer to read the interview, you can do that instead... HERE is the link to that page.

     I hope you will find the talk stimulating and supportive....I know I did!  Enjoy and Happy Imboc ( usually celebrated on Feb. 2nd so it is coming up) Everyone!

Working with the Frost Faeries part 2

The patch of frost has undergone a transformation. The frost has lost its delicacy and has grown thicker. I experimented on another window and practiced what every North country child of a certain age knows how to do; make the frost melt in controlled patterns with the warmth of the body...in this case, I used my fingers. I figured out the pattern and got to work. It was great fun and I needed to be very focused... I could make no mistakes as it was impossible to repair the frost once it had been melted or scratched.

  I share the results with you, as promised!

 The sky was not fully blue so I had to pick and choose the times to take the photos as the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, but I was captivated by how much the changing light affected the piece.

 It took about 2 hours to get this design carved out of the frost and my fingers got very cold in the process! I had a bowl of warm water nearby but I had to keep my fingers dry because any melted water seeped into the crystals and gave the frost undesirable additional texture that was very visible in the light. When I got it right, the frost melted just enough to start to turn to water, I'd quickly remove my finger and it would begin re-freezing immediately because the window was so cold. So it was a balancing act between "Hots and colds, hots and colds! " as my Scottish friend would say to melt the frost just enough to create the lines to form the pattern. Yes, it is a labyrinth...just start from either spiral and work your way into the heart of the piece.

 In taking the photos, I discovered that if I held the camera overhead and shot downwards, the golden brown color of the grass and snow outside gave the design a completely different look. I hoped the sun might hit the frost at just the right angle to produce the rainbow spectrum I had witnessed the day before, but the clouds got in the way when the angle was right. Still, I'm not disappointed with how this came out.

 As the sun began to set the sky took on some really lovely colors and they seemed amplified by the ice which formed the tracings from my finger art. The gold of the setting sun lit up the bottom of the design beautifully. The very thin layer of ice added all kinds of subtle texture and detail.
 

 Even after the sun was fully down, the delicate purples and dusky blues of twilight were enchanting.  I couldn't wait to see what the moon would do to the piece!

  It took a while, but eventually the moon was in the right position however like the sun was in the daytime it was dancing in and out of the fast-moving clouds so getting the shots were very challenging... but for a few moments, the piece was lit up like magic.

     

 Click on the images for larger views.

 

A visit from the Frost Faeries

It has been exceedingly cold here the past few days, but there has been magic along with all the extra work of just keeping things warm and not freezing up. I discovered that a very large patch of frost feathers had started to grow on the big window in the end room. This room is unheated in winter and when it gets cold I've seen frost feathers here before, but this time the patch was huge and filled with incredible crystalline designs. (you can click on any of the images and get a slightly better quality view)

 It is hard to tell from the image but the patch is about 24 inches wide and over 4 ft tall.
As you moved in closer you could see the amazing patterns of the frost. This reminded me of a garden border. Not sure why the image is so fuzzy here... it is very crisp in the original.

I've posted these images in different sizes so you can (hopefully) see some of the details.

These crystals are lying flat on the glass yet they look 3 dimensional... it was quite enchanting to disappear into the patterns of ferns and feathers. It was hard to remember that this was just water vapor, caught in the cold. As I snapped the photos I realized that in a few hours the sun might come around the house just enough that it might illuminate the frost directly. I decided to wait and watch.

   I came back a few hours later and saw that the sun might have reached the window but was mostly blocked by some trees. Still, there were a few beams flickering and highlighting some of the frost feathers, so I moved in close to take more images. All of a sudden the crystals began to really sparkle and glitter. I stepped back in a bit to get a better view and in the center of the frost island I started to see an unusual rainbow pattern emerge. It had a symmetry about it but I could not tell you why.

 I could see it clearly but it was very hard to photograph. I had to be at a steep angle to the surface of the window and the field of focus was thus greatly reduced. I did not have my tripod with me and the rainbow shape was intensifying very quickly so I did not dare leave even though the tripod would have helped get better focus. In about 15 seconds the whole center section of the frost was lit up with the most fantastic rainbow design. There were colors present that I have never seen in a rainbow before:

There was a coppery-gold color that was very intense and you can see it here in this image. There was also an electric purple and deep blue-violet that was probably the fabled Indigo that is normally so hard to see. It was almost pulsing with vibrant life! I was completely enchanted.... and then, just as quickly as it arrived, it faded. It lasted a total of maybe 40 seconds. I waited for 30 more minutes to see if it would re-appear but it did not. I came back later (did I mention that the room was UNheated? and it was minus 10 out at the time...brrrr!) as the sun was setting behind the mountains to see what that light might do...it was glinting like gold with tiny rainbow prisms scattered across the whole field of frost.

I hoped the big rainbow might emerge again, but it did not. I stayed and enjoyed the golden glitter light show and even after the twilight began to gather the feathers were still magnificent against the deepening blue sky.

That night the bottom fell out of the thermometer. It went down to -25, which I know by some standards is not too bad, but for here it was impressive. The trees outside crack when it gets that cold. I had to stay up and keep feeding the voracious wood-stove. I didn't mind as I was interested to see what would happen with the frost and the moonlight. I had to wait many hours for the earth to turn around to face the moon, but it was even more magical than daylight, if that is possible. Unfortunately, I was not able to get very good photos as it was just too cold and I had to set the camera very high up on the tripod so the moon would not wash out the image with its bright light.

The island of frost now filled nearly the entire window. And the moonlight cast shadows onto the window outlining the pine tree branches just outside....but the effect was very soft focus because the crystals dispersed the edges of the light and shadow. What does not show very well in this image is the incredible glinting sparkles in every color imaginable.
I tried to get in close but the camera just cannot capture what our human eyes can see...

If you click on this image to get a bigger view, you might get a sense of the magic...the light sky outside is a bit of an illusion, in order to capture the feathers I had to over-expose the sky, it was inky blue black when I took the photo.  For some reason, these all look fuzzy here in the blog editor, but they looked crisp when I uploaded them...not sure how they will look on your screen and apologies if they look out of focus.. these images seem to not want to be reproduced very easily.... perhaps the Faeries have something to do with that!

    The whole experience felt like a glittering Sacred space that the Frost Faeries had created so they could have a place to dance and play. I quietly left the room so they could get on with their dancing.  ;-)

    The frost island was back again today but the crystals were less feathery than the day before. If it is still there tomorrow, I might see if I can make some sort of sculpture with it somehow. If it works you, you'll be the first to know! 

I dedicate this post to my brother Robert, who celebrates his birthday today. Happy birthday little Bud!

Asking for feedback

I have created a small poll just for fun... you can find it on the right side of the page (in web view if you are reading this on you iPad or other similar device). I am curious to find out what sorts of content is most interesting and valuable to the viewers who come here. You can select multiple answers or if there is something you'd like to see but it is not on the list, then please add a comment to this post and tell me about what you would like to see here for content. Please keep in mind that all comments are filtered so Trolls will be chased back under the bridge where they belong! 

 ;-)


Thank you for taking the time to give your feedback!

How it is... sometimes

Now the deep cold is settling in here. Too cold to work outside unless one has to. Great time to catch up on computer work I've been avoiding. The image is here to illustrate the moment... indirectly.

Over the many years of sculpture making and doing all the other things required to try and earn a living from my art, one thing has been constantly overlooked: my computer. I have a lovely workhorse of a beauty but "he" (and I call him a "he" because it just fits) is getting on in years. As are we all! The past year he's really slowed down and now it is time to unburden the workhorse from all the tangled clutter and weight of unnecessary files, folders and programs.  Over the years the system has become like like ice lace: a functional network of individual, crystallized moments, connected by a webwork of organizing thoughts that at the time may have made sense, but now have extended beyond what can be expected to survive any additional turbulence.

The system needs an overhaul. So, it has begun. Untangling all the projects, images, writings and details is a bit like trying to undo this ice sculpture. It feels like at any minute the whole thing might collapse. The fact that this is ALL my work of the past 7 years makes the stakes feel very high. Yet there is such beauty here...and as long as I proceed slowly, I am hopeful for success.


This work needed to be done now for a couple of reasons, the biggest one being that I've been working on my big Kickstarter book again and things were just going too slowly in terms of processing all the images. So...reluctantly, I realized I had to take two steps to the side, and two backwards in order to be able to go forwards once more.  I know that no one knows what I'm taking about but trust me...it happens this way sometimes!  ;-)

There are many other things on the horizon for me and I'll just share a few briefly here:
- I'm creating a new framework for blog postings which I'll talk more about soon. 
- thanks to my wonderful (and incredibly patient) web-mistress, Jennifer Star, we will be updating Greenspirit Arts website soon with some improvements. 
- I have a new and very different product line that I am working on and hope to introduce in the next few months
- a new calendar project is just finished up (yay!)
- the Kickstarter book is being worked on again...more YAY!
- a new line of Faerie House books is also being envisioned (but will not be worked on till the Kickstater book is complete)
- some new features for the blog are being worked out...more on that when I'm ready to launch them
- construction continues on several Faerie house commissions which I very much want and need to get out to their new owners
- open studio days are being contemplated for the warm months 

So yes, life is full and focused right now. Much to do and, knowing how this planet likes to keep dancing around the sun, it won't be long till the days lengthen, the buds fatten and the last place I'll want to be is stuck at my computer! So the moment to organize and re-configure is upon me and I need to tackle it with enthusiasm...which I do!

And if anyone wants to put in a "good word" with the Universe on my behalf, I'd be very grateful. I applied to the NY Fellowship for the Arts grant this year. It would be really wonderful to have my application be selected as a winner. The award is significant and it would help me set me back on course in so many ways...so all prayers of support for a positive outcome are gratefully appreciated!

Stay warm!

And... since you've read this far, a seasonal Haiku that shaped itself today just for you:

Bitter winter gales

flutter the wind-chimes. Eyes closed

Summer sounds again 

Cheers!

 

Artist's Life, Hard choices part 2

Sometimes we just need to let things sit and settle and the answers become clear. Other times, we still keep tossing and turning the options over again and again hoping we'll find some new angle.... and sometimes we have to find ways to meet ourselves in the middle somewhere.

   I decided that while I did not like the arrangements,  I simply could NOT keep my work out of this book if they would want me in it.  I decided that the opportunity to have my work represented in this collection was worth making a free contribution... but I would limit what they could use and they could only use images we agreed upon. So I am making my selections now and hopefully they will agree to show one maybe two of my sculptures. But that is all I am willing to give to a project when others will be making money from the book but the artists will not. It is not an ideal way to conduct business, but there may be some good still to come, we shall have to wait and see. If a children's hospital commissions me for a big project, or a large Garden centre somewhere, it will have been worth it.

    Now, on to the tale of another situation similar to this with a different plot twist. Several weeks ago I got a surprise phone call from a website that I've been a regular follower of for years and years. It is an Astrology site and there are many really excellent writers who contribute weekly to the site. It's all very collaborative. Some of the subject matter is of little or no interest to me, but on the whole it is a nice community of spunky and thoughtful people. 
     Every year they put together an annual report. It is basically taking a peek into their collective crystal balls to see what the upcoming year may hold for each Star(sun) sign. The report is very in-depth and remarkably canny in the detail and scope. This year they were hoping they could use some of my photography for the project...would I be interested?
    Here was a case where I knew that the work would be seen by a smaller number of readers and while folks might enjoy it, they'd be coming for the reports, not the art. Still, the group works very hard at being creative collaborators and I admire them for that. I knew that it was most likely going to be a swap for some of their services since they are a young and fresh company with not very deep pockets. I was fine with a trade as I believed in their collaborative business model. I thought about it for about 15 seconds and said "Yes" to the woman on the phone and we had a few good laughs about the timing (for other reasons).
     I was able to come up with a lot of images for them and it took me the better part of a day to make them all ready and upload them to her. I even managed to get them turned in a week or so early. It all felt really good and they were very kind and gracious for the use of the work. And I thought that was the end of it.
    A week or so later, I get a call... turns out, they need my tax ID number. I was puzzled...this was for a trade, why did they need my ID?  Well, they had some funds after all and they could send me some $ if that was alright with me. Amazing! And it was a nice, generous fee too, not just a token gesture.  So, this just made my week, and offered quite a contrast to the book deal (which I am still going to do).

    So you just never know. But it is nice when you feel that natural "Yes" come right from the heart, and when it is met, honoured and reflected back with the same integrity that it was given....well, it just simply feels great to have it come full circle like that.

    If you are interested in checking out the readings you can find them here:  http://planetwaves.net/pagetwo/ .   I've used this service before and I can say that the readings are quite good and I found them to be very helpful. The price is very reasonable compared to what other readings are and you get a lot of goodies with each report. They make a fun gift too...and hey, this year there is some unusual photography to go along with the readings!  ;-)

The Artist's life: hard choices

Hi there Everyone,

  This post may not be to everyone's liking, but it feels important to share the story for a variety of reasons.

   A few weeks ago I received an email from a person who was putting together a book on a subject matter that was a perfect match for my work. They had seen my creations somewhere and wanted very much to include me in the book...would I be interested? 
   At first I was so excited. This seemed so perfect in every way. Finally!... the kind of break-thru that an artist dreams of...a publisher's representative knocking on the door wanting to use my work in their book. What could be better? We started a dialog.

   It didn't take long for me to feel that something was not right. The people contacting me were the authors and they knew very little about contracts, licensing, distribution or any of the usual questions an artist needs to ask when someone is wanting to use an artist's photographic work in a publication. After a few more rounds of inquiry it became clear what exactly was being "offered" to me; the chance to line someone elses's pockets with income, but no direct money for the artist.
    There were several more emails in my inbox from other people who were part of the project, all asking me to consider carefully what a wonderful "opportunity" this would be for my work. The book would be in circulation for many years... it will be seen all over the place...enjoyed by thousands! One small catch....the artists who contributed to the book, indeed, who's work made the book desirable at all, would not be paid. Anything. Period. We would have the "joy" of inclusion in their very fine product.
     I asked pointedly if the authors who were under contract were going to be paid for their time. They were. I asked if the person who worked for the company who had written to me specially in the hopes of persuading me to reconsider if she was being paid for her time. She was. I asked if the printers would be paid for their services....and the bookstores that would sell the books....and the delivery people who would deliver the books...and the publisher who published the book.....were they going to get paid for their contributions to this project or were they being asked to work for free as well? The replies that I got back were a bit testy...as if I had SOME nerve to even ask such questions....didn't I know what an "honor" this was even to just be invited in the first place?

     The whole thing left me with a very bad taste in my mouth. I called my agent and asked their advice because I did not trust my own gut at this point it was so dislodged from reason and reality. I was encouraged to decline the offer. I wrote to my art coach Alyson B. Stanfield and asked for her advice. She pointed me to a very good blog post she had written on just this kind of situation and her words helped me to continue my dialog and raise my concerns with the publisher. You can read her blog post HERE.

    As I teased out the situation I realized there there were two ways of understanding this situation: If I were a landscape or garden designer, then inclusion in a book like this might make a lot of sense. After all, in cases like that, the artist is paid well for their design skills which are then applied to one scenario after another. Exposure in cases such as this can be a good thing. My work could sometimes be looked at in this way. However, if one makes their income from licensing their IMAGES, then this sort of use ( publication with no compensation) is questionable and should not be supported by either party.  Since much if not most of my income has come from the licensing of my images, I'm pretty sure that I should not let them have my work for free. However, if I see myself as a sculptor who is creating one-of-a-kind custom creations for discerning clientele, well then...perhaps I should think about being in the book and letting them have just ONE example of my work. But why couldn't they just be honest about it and pay the artists a small amount and simply acknowledge that what we do is valuable to the creation of their book?

    The whole thing got me feeling angry...and really disappointed. Why is it that businesses respect the work of artists enough to want it, to recognize how valuable it is, how our work will sell their products and yet, they don't want to pay us for it? They expect we should work for free while they make money off our creativity. What is really sad is that they think all this is perfectly reasonable and normal. I hate this part of the life as a working artist. I hate having to explain and defend myself and my work in situations like this. No one would think of asking an accountant or car mechanic to donate their time because it will be good "exposure" for their profession, yet artists are asked to do it all the time.

    My work SHOULD be in that book. The subject matter could not have been more perfect. My fans would flock to this book and would love it. There could be a lot of sales from my fans alone. It could have been such a joy to help promote it, and I would have done so if I could have been treated fairly as a contributor. If I had been licensed and compensated appropriately, I would have bent over backwards to provide tons of great content and awesome images and stories that would have made the book irresistible to anyone who would pick it up to look at it. The publishers knows this....because they contacted me in the first place and also because I offered to be a very helpful contributor... if only they would make me a part of the business plan and license the work. But they refused. So now I have to decide if I want to make ONE contribution to at least represent myself as a sculptor... and let the rest of my content remain outside this project. It is a very hard decision to make as it goes against my principals... but as my coach wisely asked:  "How am I going to feel if this book comes out and my work is not in it?" Oh that does put a painful spin on things.

So there we are. A cautionary tale for anyone else who may be offered a great-sounding proposal from a company who will profit from your work, but not be willing to pay you for it... this is what an artist has to deal with from time to time. There are times when we do give away our work for various causes and projects, but sometimes we just have to say "No" and walk away.  I'll have another more positive story to relay in a few days to illustrate the kind of scenario where an artist's contribution is respected and the choice is easy. Meanwhile, I wrestle with this dilemma. I'll let you know how it goes.
    

Happy New Year 2013!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Today the sun finally came out and spread glorious golden rays all over the whitened landscape. I've been sick for nearly a week and I finally felt well enough to go outside for a quick walk even thought it was bitterly cold.

I saw loads of coyote tracks. They came right up to the house and were all in the gardens too. I have voles that dug up the garden soils quite badly last fall....I hope the coyotes have a chance to find a few for dinner... we seem to have more than enough to share.

The light on the snow was incredible...the glittering rainbow sparkles were intense and did not come out in the photos, sadly. Still, it did inspire me to try a quick little idea that had come to me while I had been recovering my health earlier in the week.

A simple labyrinth line to the heart of the matter. After the sun sets, if the sky is clear, the snow turns the most gorgeous shades of blue as it reflects the deepening sky.

I have been feeling such gratitude for all that is here on the planet and in this life experience. As we turn over new pages in our collective day-keeping devices, it is always a good time to acknowledge what we do have in some sort of ceremonial way. For me, this was a simple gesture towards that idea.

As the sun sank below the horizon, and the twilight deepened, I placed a single candle in the well of the heart... it gave off a beautiful glow. 

The Heart of the Land.....warmed from the Earth below, wrapped in a frosty blanket...a simple, single line to follow...wishing Peace to All Beings.

May the Blessings of the New Year shine brightly upon you and yours!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!