It's been awhile

Hello Blog land! It has been a long while since I have posted, I deeply apologize for leaving any readers hanging. Life has come at me very quickly and the new job (even though it's been 6 months) is still sending me zingers and keeping me so busy I barely have time to craft. In fact I barely have time for anything but MUAY THAI!

I have added yet another element to my life and that is Muay Thai kick boxing. I'm in love. I don't think very many people associate me with being active with all that crafting, video gaming and cats sitting on my lap but I really was, once upon a time. I suffered some pretty major back injuries about 6-7 years ago from a snowboarding accident and have kept on the side of safety. A good friend told me about the gym he goes to and suggested I try it since I was having problems getting into the habit of working my core and my gym routine was pissing me off only doing laps in the pool due to my weak core and back. I went and it's been amazing. It is some of the hardest training I have done in my life since Taekwando in Korea back in the summer of 1999. Not only has it been great physically but also mentally, everyone at the gym is great. They have a real community going there and lot's of love and support for all the students. I think this is also a huge part of why I have made huge efforts to keep with Muay Thai over everything else.

Community, it's an amazing thing and Columbus is well known for having such a terrific one. This is what made me want to work in my job with a non-profit, because I love the arts community and so many of my friends were a part of it. Muay Thai is the same way, such an amazing community in our gym that many days I stay up to half an hour after class just chatting with people. I recently saw the Nina does C-bus show and parts of it put me near to tears with all the love and seeing so many faces of friends in her show. I feel super fortunate of all the places in the entire world I grew up in a place where outstanding communities are all around me.

Now enough of this sap! Let's get to some updates!
I am no longer going to be having an art studio for two reasons:
1. Junctionview Studios will be closing it's doors for ever (boo)
2. I have spent so little time in the studio due to my job that is it just not fiscally responsible

So I have been moving everything home and it's fine, it works a little better aside from the smell of litter boxes next to me. I am set up in the basement in the far side from my sewing studio. It makes a little better sense to all be together, but the yarn..... dear lord the yarn is another issue.

Although most of my studio is already moved back home I will be a part of AGORA X at Junctionview Studios this coming weekend. There is a fancy Preview party Friday from 6-10 pm and then Saturday is the main event from noon-midnight! If you have never been to one, it is not something to miss. One of my favorite art events all year.

I've also been accepted into my first gallery show since college for my fine art and NOT fashion for once. I am super excited for that and it is a group show with two other ladies I have much respect and love for as well, Megan Coyan and Nicki Strouss. I have a lot of work ahead of me in embroidery and watercolor, but I am excited. Here is a peek of my current work still depicting bruises and how they represent interactions in our lives.

Lastly and on a fashion note I am one of the designers for the Alternative Fashion Mob fashion show in June. Once again a lot of work ahead of me. Coming up immediately is this fantastic Couture Cuisine collaboration with the Explorer's Club. I am going to be represented by dessert!

OH and one more thing! I met Ann Hamilton TWICE this month! I will get more into it in another blog entry but just had to share since it was one of the things on my personal bucket list. 

My vow going forward dear friends is to get a blog entry done once a week. This blog like my life is going to keep developing and changing to reflect my personal growth and exploration of the world.

Cheers!

Craft wars Episode 3

Last night was another anxiety filled round of Craft Wars. I know it feels like that is all that is going on my blog right now but I have many things in the works. Just that darn kitchen impeding my studio space and starting up my Hell month of having triple jobs keeps me off the blog more then I would like.  Bear with me and we will still have a good time with DIY demos, tutorials and OTD's on the way!

Last night was my first time being involved in a livetweet! Which was an experience all on it's own. I thought I would be good on my phone and kindle fire but the responses were blowing up the entire time so i had to break out the laptop. Commercial breaks were like a well needed breather.
Once again three very different crafters from all sorts of backgrounds were pitted against each other in a toy and pet themed craft off.


Of course the Cute Asian girl Amy Ng with her foxy scarf was my favorite of the show. There was the castle builder Brad, which I thought would be some tough as nails competition and then the glitter loving Pam.

Their first challenge was to construct a toy box using toys. Very cute and clever for a challenge. The judges were ruthless in their critiques on construction and misuse of materials. Amy was pretty much a shoe in with her clever little box turning it into a monster game to feed the toys to. Robby the Robot was getting some tough love from the elements when he toppled over and I thought for sure that Pam would be a goner and not have the time for repairs. Whilst Brad just kept plugging along proud of his work.


Personally when I think of toy box I think of a chest or that rad Euro Techno group ToyBox which is probably what would of been going through my head if I had this challenge.




Anyways! The winners were Robby the Robot box and Amy's Monster Box. The Judges were harsh in their critiques how they worried about Kids getting into the glitter and the clean up afterwards on poor robo Robby. While Amy did not escape scorn either for using felt everywhere because let's face it kids are sticky and fabric on toys unless it's a stuffed animal are not a good combination. Another problem is that you can't just stick a felt box in the wash to get it clean. I was not too surprised about Brad going home with his tent box. It was a cute idea but not very well executed and I think he should of stayed with materials her knows better and castle it up! I was sad to see him go of course because knowing that the master craft was huge he could of made an amazing Cat Castle that my three lovelies would of pounced on. Here is the last Video from TLC

 

The Master Craft was creating a pet house out of pet toys. Pam and Amy did not disappoint in size and both of them had strong beginnings. I was surprised by how much more work they had to do in their last hour. The fabric that Amy used for her bottom floor wall paper was super cute but her second floor was lacking in decor and the use of her materials was too literal. I would of taken the food bowls and made decorative mirrors on the inside and used the stuffed toy dog bones to create the flooring in the upper cat area instead of just a cat bed. This is supposed to be luxury right? What cat wouldn't love an entire squishy furry floor for them to knead and roll on?  Pam's aesthetic wasn't my taste but the craftmanship was there for sure. I think Glitter all over the walls was a bit much because just like the kids the animals will get that on them one way or another. From experience I know what it is like to clean up some glitter/sparkle poop out of the litter box.

At the end of the this episode I got to see my promo commercial! But I was on the phone having a quick festival recap meeting for Friday's Food Truck and Cart Fest.

What would you do differently if given these challenges?

Ohayocon 2012

As usual I went to Ohayocon.  I am now 30, dressing up seems little silly to me but I still want to do it because it's an excuse to be totally geeked out.  This year however I had too many conflicting things going so I couldn't full dedicate myself to sucking in all the nerdiness.  I also unfortunately erased majority of my photos thinking they were part of a set of Glow Putt Putt photos I took from another day (boo hiss).  Either way it's always fun.  This year was unusually huge as well.  I normally have no problems getting parking in that garage next to North Market but that was full as well as the other closer ones such as the Hotel's own parking.  I ended up parking in the Nationwide Garage which was better because it had an interior and skywalk that dumped me right into the heart of things.

The famously congested stairs before they started to clear people out.

Furries on the loose!

That is a Hammer brother in the middle!

It always warms my heart that handicapped people brave the crowds because of their dedication to having a an awesome time.

Oh Thor.........

Now the Dangerous part for me is the dealer's room.  I was smart and waited till Sunday when the pass was only $10 to get into there.  I'm lucky if I walk out with less then 5 plushies, they are my Achilles heel.  I also really wanted to get a new H.naoto keychain similar to the one I got at Ohayocon 2011.

The Cute Hangry and Angry set up in the H.Naoto Booth.

I really wanted that bear bag but I have no place to wear it to, and as much as I like Lolita I never dress that way.  I may dress a little Aristocrat from time to time but nothing blatant.

The spoils of my Ohayocon adventure, small Heen, mint rreen llama, Toki Doki Unicorno and the one thing I went to the dealer room to get, a Final Fantasy Moogle.  I saw it in London at Picadilly circus but it cost 45 pounds!  that is over $80 US.  Thankfully he was much cheaper here only being $25.

If you've never gone it is seriously a treat just for people watching.  It's free to wander all you need to pay for is if you want a pass for the dealer's room, viewing rooms, gaming rooms, Cosplay Masquerade and Rave (yes they still do raves).  I hold out for the last day since I only care about the dealer's room to buy things and the pass is only $10 for that day as well.  The other days range from $35-55 depending which pass you get and for how many days.  Once gain well worth it!

Rock n Roll Bride

Hello!In the bustle of this holiday season I forgot to mention that I am a Rock N Roll Bride.  Last week our wedding hit the UK blog full force and it was a great little shine in the spotlight.  I put on a few of my favorite photos but you can see our post here.

Here are some candid ones from different guests and friends

Having fireworks going off at the baseball game behind us was the perfect ending to an incredible day.  Those are the kinds of magical things you just can't fake on a wedding day.

Silence and Thoughtfulness

Sorry for the silence the past week or so.  Things have been less then pleasant at my day job and then I've been working hard on Christmas presents that I wish I could post here but I don't want to ruin the surprise.  Not to mention still working on portfolio pieces and my Grad School letter of intent.  I am doing my best to stick to my guns in one thing in my life which is to keep a positive position and not to get all fire and brimstone about ethics and the bad turn of fate I am having. 

In other news here are some small quip updates for you!
My husband and I enjoyed the "Grand Illumination" this past Friday.  It might not be as spectacular as some other cities but it's home.  I also got a chance to finally check out the wonderful OSU Urban Arts Space downtown. 

 All the elegant scroll work on this piece was well worth the trip just to view.  It also had this disco ball in the middle that was refracting the shadows like crazy. It was a good reminder of things I have to look forward to doing when I am in Grad school.


Lastly in this small update I am getting back into working on a photo shoot with my friend Adam Leigh-Manuell.  Trying to get some newer work photographed for the portfolio while also getting back into the groove of being the professional artist that lives deep inside of me.  These are some snapshots of one of the dresses that I am taking for the photo shoot.  This dress was made from remnants of another garment and I like what came of the scraps much better. She is a juxtapose between evening and casual, looking unfinished but polished at the same time. Using a sport wear knit fabric instead of a high end silk or wool.

If you have gotten this far I'll tell you a secret.
I don't feel fully comfortable being called a Fashion Designer.  I would prefer to be known as a soft sculpture artist.  I feel like my work really shines more when they are stand alone OOAK (One Of A Kind) pieces.  There is a certain connection that they all have and can be considered a collection but I never set out to follow this collection.  I think it only looks and feels like a collection because of the way I manipulate the fabrics, just like how you can tell if a painting is a Picasso no matter the subject matter that is how I feel about my work.  I make pieces that invoke a feeling of awe when looked at then curiosity when investigated.  I like to break the conventional rules for fashion and garment making ways to obscure shapes and lines.  Things that transform the body and vision of the body through a garment.  So that is how I really feel about my work.  It's nothing new just new to saying it out loud as I prepare to defend my soft sculpture in my Grad School application.

Por Vida

I wish you could of seen how Glitzed out this sign was in person

This was one artist studio.  I can only imagine how unnerving it would look to the intoxicated person. I was totally sober (per usual since I'm allergic to the spirits) and it made me feel like I was Alice tumbling down that rabbit hole.

There was also a wall of logs that my Hubby kept photobombing me when I was trying to take this.

My friend the Log Lady enjoying herself with one of the many strangers that we met that night.  I'm not even sure if it was a man or women in this costume but they were happy to give out Free hugs!

Paintings by Lisa Mclymont

Painting by Adam Brouillette

Painting/Drawings by Cat Sheridan

This Sculpture was by one of the Organizers Kat Marie Moya

Picture by Laine Bachman

This was also one of my favorites.  I always have an affinity towards playing card and tarot card type of works.  Maybe it stems slightly from my love of fortune telling and Alice in Wonderland.

Sculpture/Doll by Sharon Dorsey

It was my first time attending the event and I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the artwork and the turn out.  I know Columbus has a lot of fantastic artists but I haven't been to an art show event in a while due to the wedding and going to weddings this entire summer into fall.  I was very happy that this was my first show to witness because it puts lot's of good vibes into my artists heart.

Unlike my friend Claire who's log is apparently very very sad.

She was a rockstar that night!

TiLT - Just a little Humour

Getting back into the swing of things I am going back to my regular programming (finger's crossed).  What better way then returning with a Thing's I love Thursday!

1. This came from a friend on Facebook Cyrus Fire. (artist unknown, but please speak up if you know so I can give credit)

 2. Spending quality time with quality lady friends.  This was right before we headed out for the Columbus Fete Un Blanc Party.

 3. Yet another awesome thing randomly found that needs no words to explain it.

 4. Oh Planking..... how I love you.  Especially that clip from The Office Season opening Episode with Erin. "Planking is one of those things that either you get it or you don't, and I don't. But I'm SO excited to be a part of it!"

 5. Making it a little classy with a shout out from my Honey moon and the amazing details all around me at Saint Peter's Basilica in Vatican City Rome.

On the Scioto Mile

In Columbus last week this really nice new park opened up called the Scioto Mile.  Andy and I rode out bikes there to check out the opening night festivities.  It's no Bellagio but it is our own Columbus charm.  It was also a good night where I tested out our new small digital Camera and my Kodak Playsport.  We feared that since we rode our bikes and there was warning for rain that my DSLR would not be the best choice to bring on the ride.

The Park was beautiful!  It had these 4 circular rings that would either mist, spray water or even create a fog.  The ground had little water jets jumping up and down in neat rows and then there was the massive middle fountain.

 

 Here's some Video from when we first got there.

After the sun was completely set and they started the fountain show there were ton's of kids jumping into it having a great time.  I hope to go back soon with just some friends to do the same thing but as awkward 30 year old adults.

This was  photo of the Fog effect that the fountain was capable of.  It was really hard to see more then a foot in front of your face for a bit.  I'm sure some people ran into each other or wandered into the fountain unexpectedly.  

After the fountain we headed across the Main street Bridge to take some photos and check out the park coming form the other side.  I took the time to play with manual funcitions on the little Cannon Powershot S95.  First the just the photo of the city then the next two is me playing with the shutter speed and moving the camera around.  It was fun stuff, nothing I have done before but always wanted to try.  Next time I'm out with my DSLR I will have to play around more in the lights.