J.T. Nee Sculpture

eleven-ten-eleven

2011-11-10T15:59:00.003-06:00

Well, I have been making a lot of things lately. I just haven't been writing on my blog lately.
I am JTNee on Facebook in case anybody is interested.
I keep making things because I'm afraid if I stop it'll be hard for me to start again.
I think my titles are supposed to be descriptive to be found on Etsy or Google search engines.I don't like that, but I suppose I have to do it because getting views on Etsy is very competitive. Okay, I think I'll put Kardashian
in the title of this one. That ought to do it.

October 9

2011-10-09T19:01:00.002-05:00

This is my "I have been neglecting this and I need to come back" day.
Today Paul McCartney got married (yay!) and it would be John Lennon's 71st birthday (wharrgarbl!)
I am rusty. I hope this works. Here is my annual guy in a tutu

New York

2011-09-10T19:35:00.002-05:00

Here's an old picture of me with my cousins and my brother on a boat on the way to the Statue of Liberty. We climbed up to the crown. The Twin Towers hadn't been built yet.

Oh, You Scamps!

2011-09-02T20:11:00.000-05:00

Cat-in-a-Jar

2011-07-26T22:16:00.003-05:00

OMG! I am so rusty at this that I couldn't upload more than one. This is what I made today. When it was done, Alex showed me videos of Maru, a cat on youtube who is famous for liking to stuff himself into boxes. There are also cats who stuff themselves into jars. It reminds me of Temple Grandin's theory of animals liking tight comforting spaces, like a baby in swaddling clothes.
For a while I was having trouble making things, but I'm now on a roll.
I sold my mermaids in a jar today. Lots of people still like mermaids. Years ago I made nothing but mermaids for a shop on that pier in San Francisco(I can't remember the number, although it's famous and I've been there).
I want to make a mermaid on a Vespa next.
It will be a challenge.
We'll see.

Supersomeone

2011-07-21T21:45:00.001-05:00

Yes, I need to write more, but not now.
I'm trying to think of a name for this piece.

Watson vs. The Roomba

2011-04-01T11:18:00.000-05:00

Day of the Loris

2011-03-12T13:46:00.000-06:00

I Like Weaving Clay

2011-03-08T17:28:00.000-06:00

THREE little Kittens

2011-03-07T11:49:00.002-06:00

Freda the cat will come to stay with us while Molly is on spring break.
This is my mea culpa for laughing when I tried to tell Molly about an episode of Animal Hoarders.
"Mama, I found Jingles" is supposed to be sad, but, damn, I can't say that without laughing. I must be really mean.

Toulouse-Lautrec

2010-12-28T15:10:00.002-06:00

There are a lot of photos of Toulouse-Lautrec. While researching for this statue I came across this set of him pooping on a beach. What a cutup!

ELVIS_PRESLEY1965 BLUE CHRISTMAS

2010-12-04T20:06:00.000-06:00

The Green Fairy

2010-11-02T16:31:00.002-05:00

Today I made a new, improved Green Fairy. I sold one and I have another one here, but it's old and I don't like it. I sent away to Hong Kong for little goblets. I put one in the oven and it did what I thought it would, it melted. This one is attached with wire and glue. This weekend everyone put out the tall sticks to mark our yards for the inevitable snowplow. No, snow's not in the forecast, but this is Minnesota and the word is, "wait".

Halloween Stuff

2010-10-30T17:36:00.000-05:00

Things I have made.

Maroon5

2010-10-29T20:58:00.002-05:00

Molly won tickets for Maroon5, but she is in Duluth. Jim and I took the train into Minneapolis to see them and I really enjoyed the show. I worked on a Bone Fairy today and she is done except that she needs a fabric skirt.
Tomorrow.

Almost Halloween

2010-10-26T16:43:00.002-05:00

The gorgeous weather is over. We are now into Fallslidingintowinter. You can see the rain beating down in the background of my frog prince.
Molly says it's supposed to snow in Duluth tomorrow.
Molly caught me some Walleye(fish) and I cooked them. They were great, Molly.
We saw "Hereafter" over the weekend and I liked it a lot.
Now I'm remaking a monster under a bed.

Lobster Monday

2010-10-18T16:34:00.002-05:00

I've been busy with Real Life lately.
Today I thought I'd do something with lobsters.
Elsa Schiaparelli collaborated with Dali to make this lobster dress. The hat is one of her shoe hats, probably not meant to be worn with this dress, but what the hell.
The lobster is playing a Stratocaster, so that makes him a Rock Lobster.
I sent off a couple of custom pieces.
I really, really should remake some of my pieces but that's not as much fun as experimenting with new things.

Roger Ebert's Journal

2010-10-16T15:56:00.000-05:00

Roger Ebert's Journal

Miss You, John

2010-10-09T22:31:00.002-05:00

The Fat Budgie: by John Lennon

The Fat Budgie

I have a little budgie
He is my very pal
I take him walks in Britain
I hope I always shall.

I call my budgie Jeffrey
My grandads name's the same
I call him after grandad
Who had a feathered brain.

Some people don't like budgies
The little yellow brats
They eat them up for breakfast
Or give them to their cats.

My uncle ate a budgie
It was so fat and fair.
I cried and called him Ronnie
He didn't seem to care

Although his name was Arthur
It didn't mean a thing.
He went into a petshop
And ate up everything.

The doctors looked inside him,
To see what they could do,
But he had been too greedy
And died just like a zoo.

My Jeffrey chirps and twitters
When I walk into the room,
I make him scrambled egg on toast
And feed him with a spoon.

He sings like other budgies
But only when in trim
But most of all on Sunday
Thats when i plug him in.

He flies about the room sometimes
And sits upon my bed
And if he's really happy
He does it on my head.

He's on a diet now you know
From eating ear too much
They say if he gets fatter
He'll have to wear a crutch.

It would be funny wouldn't it
A budgie on a stick
Imagine all the people
Laughing til they're sick.

So that's my budgie Jeffrey
Fat and yellow too
I love him more than daddie
And I'm only thirty-two.

Wedding

2010-10-06T09:21:00.005-05:00

We're in deep, gorgeous fall.
This is a custom piece that's in the oven now. It's a wedding portrait (sort of).
I'm on Artfire now, too, but I haven't had time to arrange the shop the way it needs to be.

Brilliant & Charming

2010-10-02T22:01:00.000-05:00

Except for the laughter in the background.

Bald Fairy

2010-09-24T17:00:00.003-05:00

I've finished this fairy but I haven't put it on Etsy yet.
It reminded me of the recordings made of the last living castrato in the beginning of the twentieth century. Interesting.
I need to sign up for Artfire and Cargoh. These things don't just fly out of the house by themselves.
Also time to exploit Harry Potter again.

Minnesota Fall

2010-09-18T13:53:00.002-05:00

Fall flowers are the prettiest. I went to a farmers market and got these. Alex and I went to a fire station and bought some booya to take home. It's only made in the fall in Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Great, Funny Country Western Song Titles

2010-09-17T20:55:00.002-05:00

Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road
Do You Love As Good As You Look
Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor On The Bedpost Overnight?
Get Your Biscuits In The Oven And Your Buns In The Bed
Get Your Tongue Outta My Mouth 'Cause I'm Kissing You Goodbye
Guess My Eyes Were Bigger Than My Heart
Heaven's Just A Sin Away
Her Body Couldn't Keep You Off My Mind
Her Cheatin' Heart Made A Drunken Fool Out Of Me
Her Teeth Was Stained, But Her Heart Was Pure
Here's A Quarter, Call Someone Who Cares
How Can A Whiskey That's 6 Years Old Whup A Man That's 33?
How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away?
How Can You Believe Me When I Say I Love You When You Know I've Been A Liar All My Life?
I Changed Her Oil, She Changed My Life
I Don't Know Whether To Come Home Or Go Crazy
I Don't Know Whether To Kill Myself Or Go Bowling
I Don't Want Your Body If Your Heart's Not In It
I Fell In A Pile Of You And Got Love All Over Me
I Flushed You From The Toilets Of My Heart.
I Got In At 2 With A 10 And Woke Up At 10 With A 2
I Just Bought A Car From The Guy That Stole My Girl, But The Car Don't Run
So I Figure We Got An Even Deal
I Keep Forgettin' I Forgot About You
I Knew I'd Hit Rock Bottom When I Woke Up On Top Of Ewe
I Liked You Better Before I Knew You So Well
I May Be Used (But Baby I Ain't Used Up)
I Meant Every Word That He Said
I Still Miss You, Baby, But My Aim's Gettin' Better
I Wanna Whip Your Cow
I Wish I Were In Dixie Tonight, But She's Out Of Town
I Would Have Wrote You A Letter, But I Couldn't Spell Yuck!
I Wouldn't Take Her To A Dawg Fight, Cause I'm Afraid She'd Win
I Wouldn't Take You To A Dog Fight Even If I Thought You Could Win
I'd Rather Have A Bottle In Front Of Me Than A Frontal Lobotomy
I'll Marry You Tomorrow But Let's Honeymoon Tonite
I'm Gettin' Gray From Being Blue
I'm Gonna Hire A Wino To Decorate Our Home
I'm Havin' Daydreams About Night Things In The Middle Of The Afternoon
I'm Just A Bug On The Windshield Of Life
I'm Not Married But The Wife Is
I'm So Miserable Without You, It's Like Having You Here
I'm The Only Hell Mama Ever Raised
I've Been Flushed From The Bathroom Of Your Heart
I've Got Four On The Floor And A Fifth Under The Seat
I've Got Red Eyes From Your White Lies And I'm Blue All The Time
I've Got Tears In My Ears From Lying On My Back In My Bed While I Cry Over You
I've Got The Hungries For Your Love And I'm Waiting In Your Welfare Line
If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me, Her Memory Will
If Fingerprints Showed Up On Skin, Wonder Whose I'd Find On You
If I Had Shot You When I Wanted To, I'd Be Out By Now
If I Said You Had A Beautiful Body, Would You Hold It Against Me?
If It's Got To Be Later, How 'Bout Later Tonight?
If Love Were Oil, I'd Be A Quart Low
If My Nose Were Full of Nickels, I'd Blow It All On You
If The Jukebox Took Teardrops I'd Cry All Night Long
If The Phone Don't Ring, Baby, You'll Know It's Me
If Whiskey Were A Woman I'd Be Married For Sure
If You Can't Feel It (It Ain't There)
If You Don't Leave Me Alone, I'll Go And Find Someone Else Who Will
If You Leave Me, Can I Come Too?
It Ain't Love But It Ain't Bad
It Takes Me All Night Long To Do What I Used To Do All Night Long
Learning To Live Again Without You Is Killing Me
Mama Get The Hammer (There's A Fly On Papa's Head)
May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose
My Every Day Silver Is Plastic
My John Deere Was Breaking Your Field, While Your Dear John Was Breaking My Heart
My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend, And I Sure Do Miss Him
Oh, I've Got Hair Oil On My Ears And My Glasses Are Slipping Down, But Baby
I Can See Through You
Oh, Lord! It's Hard To Be Humble When You're Perfect In Every Way
Pardon Me, I've Got Someone To Kill
Please Bypass This Heart
She Feels Like A New Man Tonight
She Made Toothpicks Out Of The Timber Of My Heart
She's Got Freckles On Her, But She's Pretty
She's Out Doing What I'm Here Doing Without.
Swing Wide Your Gate Of Love
Tennis Must Be Your Racket 'Cause Love Means Nothin' To You
Thank God And Greyhound She's Gone
The Last Word In Lonesome Is "me"
They May Put Me In Prison, But They Can't Stop My Face From Breakin' Out
Velcro Arms, Teflon Heart
What Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)
When We Get Back To the Farm (That's When We Really Go To Town)
When You Leave Walk Out Backwards, So I'll Think You're Walking In
Who You Gonna Believe, Me Or Your Lying Eyes?
You Can't Deal Me All The Aces And Expect Me Not To Play
You Can't Have Your Kate And Edith Too
You Can't Roller Skate In A Buffalo Herd
You Done Tore Out My Heart And Stomped That Sucker Flat
You Hurt The Love Right Out Of Me
You Were Only A Splinter As I Slid Down The Bannister Of Life
You're A Cross I Can't Bear
You're Ruining My Bad Reputation
You're The Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly

I've never heard most of these songs. I was thinking about a song," If That Phone Don't Ring, You Know it's Me" and I got to wondering.

Creepy Cake

2010-09-16T22:58:00.001-05:00

Poodles & Plants

2010-09-15T13:27:00.001-05:00

Here are some poodles. I haven't decided about them yet. I'm making a skull plant. Just because. Whenever I'm channel surfing and I come across Frasier I watch it.

Clown & Frogs

2010-09-13T13:07:00.002-05:00

I made another Day of the Dead clown because I like him. People often buy skeletons seasonally and the holidays are just around the corner.
I wanted to try a red eyed tree frog today. Each one requires about thirty pieces. Can't I do anything easy?

Lorelei Lee

2010-09-10T16:15:00.003-05:00

I'm working on a Marilyn Monroe statue. Just before Monroe shot the "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" song from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes",the first issue of Playboy came out with nude pictures of Marilyn that had been taken before she was famous. The studio freaked and worried about their star and production being sunk before it was even completed. They quickly created a stiff, pink dress that was much more modest than the original sexier dress. I can't find a picture of it, although I once saw it in a book. It was black horizontal bands over flesh covered fabric. Rhinestones were sewed along the black bands. It looked great, but the studio was worried about too much flesh.
Monroe defused the situation by admitting that she posed for the pictures to pay her rent. When a reporter asked her if she had anything on for the photo shoot, she said,"Yes, the radio." People adored her.

I'm Thinking About Dogs

2010-09-08T09:22:00.002-05:00

Minnesota turned to fall on Labor Day.
Here is a picture of Cassidy and Watson. Watson loves chasing the frisbee but he doesn't like to relinquish it. That's because he's a terrier, not a retriever.
The other picture shows the news vans outside of that crummy little church in Gainesville. Terry Jones, the pastor is just loving it. He's right up there with Fred Phelps. I wish someone would send him and his Qurans to Iraq for 9/11. He could do his thing there and they could pick him up the next week.

Ascot

2010-09-02T20:57:00.002-05:00

I made a skeleton seal, but it doesn't have a name yet. Now I'm making a skeleton with this outfit Audrey Hepburn wore at the Ascot races in "My Fair Lady". Here is a charming clip.

Pigeons, Whales and Music

2010-08-31T11:20:00.002-05:00

We saw Cassidy's SMB band off in style at First Ave(THE place to play)Fortunately, he has another band, Omnitrigger.
Sandra Healy made a Passenger Pigeon for me. It's lovely and much better than the one I made.
My Saving Whales made it to the front page of Etsy this morning. I still don't know how to save a screen and now it's gone. I wouldn't have noticed except I got a couple of convos complaining that I put "don't go to the Gulf" or something like that under it. Oops! I was speaking for the whales. On the news at the time they were reporting that they were worried about the whales in the area. Oh, well, I'll convo them back. At least I widened my audience.

Toiling on the Sabbath

2010-08-29T13:47:00.000-05:00

Stuff

2010-08-27T11:59:00.003-05:00

Well, I've been doing everything except blogging. I've had a few failures lately but there are no pictures of them. I guess my reach exceeded my grasp.The weather is perfect, which means that we're in Minnesota fall. Jim played the 331 Club on Wednesday. Tonight we'll go to the Riverview Cafe in Minneapolis where he'll play. Sunday we'll go to see Cassidy's band play at First Ave. It's a musical weekend. I would have liked to see Lady Gaga on Monday night, but I didn't want to spring the serious cash for decent tickets.
I'm making a man and dog made of vegetables.I'm a fan of the works of Guiseppe Arcimboldo.
I'm reading "My Year of Living Biblically".It's very entertaining.

The Beatles

2010-08-21T20:34:00.002-05:00

Yesterday the local Minneapolis radio station played Beatle songs to commemorate the 1966 Beatles concert here. The next night they played St. Louis and I went with my cousin. Best day ever(except for your birthday, Jamie)
I couldn't find any decent footage of anything done in '66, so here is a video of their 1965 tour. On August 29th, 1966 they played their last large concert, ever, in San Francisco at Candlestick Park. Things had gotten too crazy, they said.
I was very lucky.

Theremin & Star Trek

2010-08-13T22:14:00.002-05:00

Dog& Frog

2010-08-04T17:06:00.002-05:00

Happy first birthday to Watson Jones.
Watson is such a smart dog. He didn't want to wear the hat to have his picture taken. He kept shaking his head to get it off. I sat him down and told him he would get his snack after I took a couple of pictures. He seemed to understand because he cooperated after that.
Good boy. Have a cow ear.

Ponies and Crayons

2010-07-29T13:38:00.002-05:00

I'm working on My Little Ponies for now. One is a Trojan horse and the other is a bony pony.
Tonight is the cd release party for Hardcore Crayons. I made the statue in the jar for Jake. Looks pretty good.
The tomatoes are coming in and that makes me happy.

Shirley & Mice

2010-07-24T00:04:00.003-05:00

My mom loved Shirley Temple so I grew up watching her movies. She was on TMC tonight. This is one of my favorite scenes. She was a dancing savant.
Today I finished mice and made a LandShark. Next I think I'll make dogs in a car.

Weddings

2010-07-19T06:49:00.002-05:00

I've been working mostly on cake toppers. Here is a miniature cake. It took quite a bit of time. The shape of the cake was the hardest. Polymer clay doesn't want to be smooth ,crisp and hollow. I had to sand it, The flowers were easy but they took more time than you'd believe.
Penny and I discussed a Renaissance wedding themed one. I'm trying to come up with costumes that are doable and generic. I know that Renaissance fans are very particular about historical accuracy. Do men really wear tights? I'm thinking it'll be small enough that if the groom wore black with puffy sleeves, it wouldn't be apparent if he was wearing tights or breeches. Decisions, decisions.

Turtle Loves Cat

2010-07-09T13:08:00.000-05:00

Watson & Cats

2010-07-06T13:18:00.002-05:00

Well, I'm rusty about writing here. Lets see-Watson actually wanted to be in these pictures. That's never happened before.
I've been selling for just under three years. I've sold 147 pieces on Etsy and a few in other ways. I have 1000 hearts on Etsy. I've made waaay more pieces than I've sold.Good thing that they're small or I'd have a serious storage problem. So my making is disproportionate to my selling.
Still.
I've never enjoyed anything so much in my life.
This will be a wedding cake topper with cats. There's lots of cake topper action on Etsy. People are willing to spend more on weddings. I make skeletons but I wanted variety. Maybe I'll make dogs.

Manfred mann's Earth Band

2010-06-30T22:03:00.000-05:00

I'm Still Working

2010-06-29T14:31:00.000-05:00

Saturday

2010-06-19T10:50:00.002-05:00

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jtnee/
I've been putting a lot of my photos on Flikr this week. Check it out.

For the Fun of it

2010-06-17T10:38:00.001-05:00

Here is a goofy Beatles video from "The Magical Mystery Tour". I'm using the title for my next piece.
Tuesday night went to practice with Jim. Apollo, Elroy, Whiskers and Louie were the only ones in the house with me, and they are dogs and cats. I felt privileged to be their only human audience. I suspect that there are thousands of great artists out there that get little attention. Sometimes you just have to create something for the indescribable pleasure of just doing it.

Gloom and Doom

2010-06-14T19:36:00.001-05:00

I've almost finished two pieces today. The skeleton doesn't have a name yet but the girl will be called Raven Haired Beauty. Yeah, yeah, I know.
Ever since the oil spill happened I've been plagued with a feeling of doom. I can't bear to see pictures of the wildlife.That is why I've been working but not writing.

I Still Love Sloths

2010-06-09T16:54:00.002-05:00

Sloths Are Cute

2010-06-08T16:40:00.002-05:00

Well, I rejected the first Statue of Liberty and made another. I should be doing more housework, but I made this snake instead and it's time to make another Sloth.

ARGGHHH!

2010-06-07T20:32:00.001-05:00

Today my oven broke and I am devastated. I hope someone will come out and fix it tomorrow. I should have never let Watson on the furniture. He owns it.

Little Green People

2010-06-04T16:59:00.001-05:00

Yes, I've neglected my blog lately. I have been working, though. I have this statue in the oven right now. It won't be shiny after it's baked. It doesn't mean a thing. I am not, after all, deep. I just thought it would look interesting. That's enough for me.

What a World

2010-05-25T01:06:00.003-05:00

I shouldn't act on an impulse at eight o'clock in the evening. It's after 1am and this witch is in the oven cooling off and the photo doesn't look very good. We'll see in the morning.
On a brighter note- This week saw two of my favorite movies again-"Unbreakable" and,"About a Boy". Even better this time around.
I just noticed that someone actually wrote on my blog. That hardly ever happens. Sherlock Holmes looks easy to make, you say. Well, maybe he didn't seem so hard because he is such a major part of me. I first read him when I was 12.Reread him when I was 19. I usually bake a piece 3 0r 4 times before it's done. A few hours passed between each step and of course i don't think I did him justice.

More Passenger Pigeons

2010-05-24T14:01:00.002-05:00

Yesterday Jim and I went to the Bell museum in Minneapolis. It was like a dark, old mausoleum. It was mostly dioramas of animals native to Minnesota. With all of the marvelous wildlife films made recently the concept of using taxidermy in dioramas is just about obsolete. The reason I went, though, was for the Passenger Pigeon diorama.It's a good thing Victorians were keen on taxidermy. You can't film something that doesn't exist anymore. I was thrilled.
Gave a lot of thought to my flying monkey. It's just about done. I'm not sure what I'll make next.

Holmes and Toto

2010-05-22T08:10:00.003-05:00

The Game's Afoot!

Score: 100% (8 out of 8)

I have a failure here. I can't seem to recreate Toto and a flying monkey.I need to make something else and rethink what I'll do.
I cheered myself up by taking a Sherlock Holmes quiz. It's been years since I've read him, but I love him so much that I got 100%.

No Monkeys

2010-05-20T14:45:00.002-05:00

Someone wanted me to make a flying monkey. I've made a couple before, but I don't have them so I made another and so far I hate it. It's annoying to have problems with something I've done before.
I set it aside and made a Pierrot.
I'm happy that the glass globe can make it through the baking.
Tonight is Watson's second obedience class. We did homework and he will lay down on command. Whether he'll obey with a lot of other dogs around remains to be seen.

W

2010-05-17T12:54:00.002-05:00

Jim bought this walrus picture for me at the same show done by Marc Johnson that I got the Hitchcock picture. It's an original and I think it's marvelous.
I'm having another go at big eyed girls. Pictures and dolls of them seem to be really popular. They were popular when I was young, too .When I was researching them on the computer I came across a copy of a picture of a big eyed ballerina that used to hang in my bedroom.
I experimented and found that I can bake these glass globes in the oven with clay. I'm thinking about what I can make with them.

Watson & Sushi

2010-05-16T09:04:00.002-05:00

Rather than remake this piece, I cut his little head off and replaced it with one I liked better. That's the advantage of polymer clay over organic clay.
Watson did OK at school. It was a rather large class and the teacher did a lot of talking so Watson got bored and sometimes barked but he wasn't the only one.
The robin is still beating on the downstairs window.
Weird.
The weather is beautiful and our yard needs attention so we will work on that today, although I'd rather sculpt.

The Grasshopper and the Ant

2010-05-12T14:38:00.000-05:00

Elephant skeleton & Ants

2010-05-11T16:17:00.003-05:00

Watson starts school on Thursday. I think he'll do well. He needs to channel his energy into something besides shoes.
The weather is chilly and drizzly. It makes the clay sticky even though I have the heat on. The ants are for a statue of the Grasshopper and the Ants.I'll have to finish it tomorrow because we are going to Bill's tonight.
That is all.

Sculpting vs. Sewing

2010-05-08T09:15:00.003-05:00

Why, yes, I have been working.I'll have to wait for the natural light to get better to put these online. I thought I'd make a nun because they were a big part of my life when i was in grade school.
I'm giving Alex eighty percent of my fabric for his yard sale. I love my fabric but I have waaay too much of it. Since I've become obsessed with sculpting I hardly sew. The fabric could be useful for someone else and Alex could make some money.
My new word for the day: ish.

Skeletons, Dogs n' Stuff

2010-05-06T21:15:00.003-05:00

I received this in the mail today. It's by Claylindo. I love it and that's the way to buy things. Her work is exquisite.
I've been busy with Real Life things and haven't added to my Etsy stuff, but I did subtract. Someone from Salt Lake came to dinner and she's a big fan of Harryhausen, so I gave her my "Hydra's Teeth".
Alex is moving back here and having a big yard sale with his roommates, so I'm going to delve into my fabric stash and make tidy little bundles of my interesting fabric for crafters. I suppose I'll have to put Watson somewhere else because he's always at my elbow, wanting to take anything I have. Next week he starts school. Goody

Just Business

2010-05-04T15:47:00.002-05:00

I made Carmen because I'll probably offer some things to a brick and mortar store. I dislike consignment, but what can you do?
This is my handy dandy postal scale. I can print my postal labels through Paypal and save myself a lot of trouble. Sometimes I can catch the mailman and I don't have to go to the Post Office. Am I a recluse or what?

Bird Dreams

2010-05-03T15:48:00.003-05:00

Today I saw a hawk swoop down on a small bunny. The bunny got away and the hawk went hungry.
Last night I dreamed about the Passenger Pigeons. One was stuck in my screened in porch. I wanted to protect him, but I decided that the only thing to do was to scoot him out, like I do with the other birds. I figured he had family somewhere.
This is a picture I bought yesterday from Marc Johnson. He's done a great job of creating Alfred Hitchcock, one of my favorite people. It's been a birdy weekend.

Stool Pigeon

2010-05-02T07:35:00.000-05:00

The hunters were quite inventive in their efforts to net large numbers of Passenger Pigeons. Some used a live decoy bird. They would sew its eyes shut, attach it to a circular stool at the end of a stick, raise it up in the air, and then drop it down. The "stool pigeon" would flutter its wings in an attempt to land. Gregarious by nature, the birds flying by try to land by the bird in distress only to get tangled in the hunter's nets. Rather than shoot the netted birds, the hunters would crush their head between their thumb and forefinger.

Passenger Pigeon

2010-05-01T18:22:00.003-05:00

The Passenger Pigeon was once the most common bird in America. In the eighteenth century their numbers were estimated at five billion. Deforestation and intense hunting made them extinct by the twentieth century. Their story makes for shocking reading. The last one seen in the wild was shot by a fourteen year old boy. It was stuffed and named Buttons because the taxidermist used buttons for it's eyes. The last one to die was in captivity at the Cincinnati zoo. Her name was Martha, and she died on September first, 1914.
So sad

Sherlock Holmes

2010-04-27T15:41:00.000-05:00

Owls & Chickens

2010-04-26T20:12:00.002-05:00

Tonight I am working on Bubo, the owl from
"Clash of the Titans". Because he's metallic, I'm working with more paint that I'm used to. I'm not sure if he'll work out or not.
A food writer in San Francisco put my Chicken Pot Pie in his blog. I don't know how to save and insert the screen here.I would if I could. He said that I was funny and that pleased me.
Thanks, Michelle, for prompting me to write here.It gets harder to write if I don't do it often.

Airplane

2010-04-14T23:11:00.001-05:00

I just saw this on AMC. Just the preview. This is one great preview. Lots of the funny lines from great actors.
Enjoy

Chicken Salad

2010-04-14T12:16:00.002-05:00

Birds are attacking my house.
There's a robin repeatedly flying against my bedroom window and another one ramming the TV room window. I feel like Tippi Hedren.
I'm making a statue containing birds.

Kavalier and Clay

2010-04-13T12:28:00.002-05:00

Duluth is a very pretty city.
I just finished reading "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay". It's a really good read. I'm making this magician because of it.
Tonight I'll be hearing sweet music and petting dogs and cats.
Sweet.

Duluth

2010-04-09T06:43:00.001-05:00

Today Molly and I will go to Duluth to register her for school. I've never been there. I'll think of a name for this on the way.

Faux Spring

2010-04-07T22:50:00.002-05:00

I haven't blogged lately. Am I running out if words? I don't know. I'm thinking that I might be the most obscure sculptor, ever. I love making these things, but I know that I'm supposed to promote them, too.
If I were to blame someone besides myself, I would pick Disney. They were my first buyers."don't do dirty and don't do Disney", they told me. I had a lovely time making gift shop things for the Pottery Chalet before they went into all Disney.
But I won't. I picked a medium that can't be molded and is not respected. Fine art shows won't touch it. I know this. Oh, well. I still get a kick out of doing it.

Holy Saturday

2010-04-03T17:24:00.002-05:00

I decided today to learn how to bake a good loaf of bread. I didn't know that artisan bread doesn't require kneading. We've been spending way too much money on bread that gets thrown away. When I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to get a baking stone I came across this "Mr. Bill" dog toy. It says, "Oh, no!" I've never had a dog who loves toys as much as Watson does.
This statue is for a band called "Hardcore Crayons". I'm not exactly sure about what they want to do with it, but here it is.

Sheep & Bunnies

2010-04-01T14:42:00.000-05:00

I'm making some pieces that are not attached to a base. I sent away for Kato clay, which is the strongest. Too bad there's not a Hobby Lobby in the Twin Cities. The jeep is for Sheep in a Jeep, an excellent children's book.
I saw The Night of the Lepus decades ago. The monsters were giant bunnies. It wasn't a comedy and the rabbits weren't scary. The whole concept was ludicrous. Every now and then I try to think of a way to make that into a statue, but so far no dice.

Out Like a Lamb

2010-03-30T11:34:00.003-05:00

Here is the bride and groom, almost finished. I can almost count on someone buying it. The same can't be said of a lot of my things(sigh) Oh, well, I have fun making them.
This is the first March since 1878 that Minnesota hasn't had snow. The weatherman said that it will probably snow in April. Not pessimists in Minnesota, realists.

Weedy Sea Dragons

2010-03-29T09:26:00.004-05:00

This is the BBC version of "Life". I wish the American version had David Attenborough's voice. I'm trying to think of a way to translate these beautiful creatures into clay. They are probably too thin and fragile.

Moon and Edward

2010-03-26T18:15:00.002-05:00

Well I worked on something close to my heart today, Christopher Robin and Pooh. I only like the Shepard illustrations. Disney owns them, too, and they would be mad if I got caught infringing. I'm safe because I'm such a small fish.
In his autobiography Christopher Robin said he called himself Moon because he couldn't pronounce Milne. I'll call the piece Moon and Edward( Edward was Pooh's formal name)There are things I don't like about the piece, but that happens all the time.
Time to make another cake topper.

Six Cats

2010-03-25T19:59:00.002-05:00

I've been having problems making things lately. I made the cats twice and made a couple of pieces that I'm not sure I want to list. Oh, well, it's happened before and I got through it. I finished The Little Prince and I'll probably put it on Etsy tomorrow.

Uh-oh

2010-03-21T21:57:00.003-05:00

There was a Dark Eyed Junco trapped in the screened porch. I put gloves on and was attempting to catch the bird or scoot him out of the porch. Watson noticed and in no time had him in his mouth. I pried his mouth open and removed the poor bird. I'm hoping that since the bird went in headfirst, with his tailfeathers stuck between Watson's front teeth that no real harm was done. The bird flew away. Watson now knows the thrill of hunting. Look out chipmunks and bunnies.

Animals

2010-03-20T15:01:00.002-05:00

I'm making six cats for Nancy. Someone wants "The Little Prince". I think it's still in copyright, but what the hell.
Watson managed to entangle himself in this garden border thingy. He was bucking like a bronco trying to get it off. It made me laugh, so I had to take a picture. He actually seemed grateful when I took it off.
Tomorrow night the series, "Life" starts on the Discovery channel. I feel fortunate to live in a time when we can see incredible images of animals that would have been unheard of a hundred years ago.

March 17

2010-03-17T09:07:00.000-05:00

My Irish Terrier, Watson, wishes you a happy St. Patrick's Day

Ides of March

2010-03-15T16:37:00.002-05:00

I made a platypus in boots fifteen years ago out of terra cotta. I gave it away when I left Orlando and just remembered it recently. Here is another one.
It's 60 degrees, the sky is blue and the birds are singing. The giant glacier in the middle of our cul-de-sac is almost melted. Every year this lulls me into thinking that we are in Spring. Every year we have more cold and snow. This year I won'tbe fooled.

Caturday

2010-03-14T13:17:00.003-05:00

I was at a house yesterday that had interesting looking cats living there. I'd like to have visiting cats, but not permanent cats.
Here is Scaredy Cat and Catatonic. Catastrophe coming someday.
This is a funny advertising video with my nephew Adam, in it. He's the guy with the white hat.

My Favorite Christopher Walken Scene

2010-03-12T10:36:00.001-06:00

I'm cleaning house. Here. Enjoy

Raining Cats and Dogs

2010-03-11T11:20:00.002-06:00

Here is my cannibal ice cream cone. We're having a thunderstorm, but I've been fooled into thinking it was spring in March before. The snowpack is melting nicely. Watson was shocked at the thunder. He'd never heard it before. He came in my workroom, looking worried. I patted him and talked to him. I didn't want to make too big a deal about it. Some dogs and people get neurotic about thunder. I enjoy it and I want him to like it, too.

Hell On Wheels

2010-03-08T21:37:00.003-06:00

I meant to see "Alice" today, but I got sidetracked.These are Hell on Wheels and a real Fungi. Tomorrow I will make an ice cream cone. I took a picture of this in Athens. I don't want to make it as creepy as this one, but I do like the cannibal aspect.
Rest in peace, Brad.

ok go

2010-03-07T19:07:00.000-06:00

I got a new computer today. Yay!

Tree of Life

2010-03-04T22:07:00.002-06:00

Today has been a red letter day. I got to talk to my four best friends. It's a sad fact that it usually takes a death to make this happen. We laughed, we cried.
Once again I've had computer problems. Sad to say, I'm no good at fixing things. I can barely manage to work the things I need. I can't work my photo whatever cropping etc. program. Jim said that I should just buy a new computer with my Paypal profits. I think he's probably right. Do they make a one touch computer for computer illiterates? That would be right up my alley.
I can't put Tweedledee and Tweedledum on Etsy because they need to be cropped and lighted better.
Here is a picture of the "Tree of Life" sculpture that I came upon in the Great Salt Lake Desert when we lived there. In the middle of nowhere, it popped up on the horizon while I was driving in the way to Wendover, Nevada. What a surprise! Before I saw that, I was amazed that we were traveling the same path as the Donner party over a hundred years before. They struggled for weeks, enduring incredible hardships, while we were whizzing through the desert in an air conditioned car drinking cokes.
Big statues, big deserts ,old friends, memories, mortality- whatta day

The First of March

2010-03-01T16:08:00.002-06:00

I started out this morning planning to make three pieces simultaneously but I became focused on this one, probably because it's the most fun.
I need to be more disciplined.
Metamorphosis is one of those stories you read in high school and never forget because it's so weird. Today I read that Kafka used the German word "vermin" for the main character, but you always think of him as a roach. He shows up in a lot of things, even the Simpsons.
It is above freezing today. I think I'll pretend that spring is here.

Sports & Me

2010-02-25T15:49:00.002-06:00

I'm still working on my hippo and Reddy Kilowatt. I wish I could work faster, but I can't. Reddy has sockets for ears so I'll plug the guitar into his ear.
Tonight I'll watch the only Olympic event that I can get into-the women's figure skate. I like the dance aspect and the costumes. Ha! Who says I don't enjoy sports?
A couple of years ago I went to a Timberwolves game with Molly and friends. I hadn't paid much attention to basketball since Shaq played for the Magic. I had vaguely heard of Lebron James of the Cavaliers but, boy howdy, that night he was unforgettable. He ran out and attacked the Timberwolves , racking up so many points right up front that the Timberwolves were unable to recover, so they were clobbered. I suppose I'm a Timberwolves fan because I live here, but watching James was thrilling.

I Can Light Up the Dark

2010-02-24T21:50:00.003-06:00

I've been busy lately making things people ask me to do-usually remakes of pieces I've sold on Etsy.Every now and then I'll do a custom order, but I pretty much limit that to people close to me.
This little guy is Reddy Kilowatt. He retired a long time ago. I want to make a statue of him. Tomorrow I'll make him alongside my hippo.
That will be fun.

Stuff

2010-02-23T14:59:00.002-06:00

I've been busy mostly remaking pieces. I'm close to done. Tweedledee and Tweedledum will be the hardest so of course I've put them off until last.
When I work, I start off with a nice tidy space. In no time, I have a tiny space with my tools laying all over. I can't seem to break myself of this.
I wonder how hard it would be to do Taylor Swift.

Sneakers & Sandals

2010-02-20T20:42:00.003-06:00

We picked up Jim's business associate, Mr. Yang at his hotel this morning and took him to the airport. He was flying back to Korea, he didn't speak English and he didn't want to navigate the airport alone. We went inside with him and waited in the lines. I've never seen the airport so crowded. I didn't bring a book, so I people watched. They all looked like vacationers except Mr. Yang. There were two types. One group was going to the mountains to ski. They had long skinny luggage. The other was heading south, some to Cancun. A lot of the women were wearing sandals. I can't imagine getting out of my car here in 20 degrees with naked feet.
This would be a good time to go south.
I'm remaking some of my pieces for a customer. This one has glitter. Glitter is a bitch to work with.

Cheshire Cat

2010-02-18T12:44:00.003-06:00

Once again I'm working on two pieces at once because it seems to go better that way. It's because it's always better for me to look away from a piece for a while . I get a better sense of what I'm doing when I forget about it and come back to it. Go figure.
Last night "Moonstruck" showed on Turner classics. I love that movie. The last scene with all the people sitting around the kitchen table is one of my favorite movie scenes of all time.
I'm looking through my Lewis Carroll book for more statues to make. The one on the right is the Cheshire cat. I've sold most of the Alice pieces I've done, all to the same person.

Scream

2010-02-16T13:36:00.002-06:00

This one's in the oven. There's a website called Regretsy that people submit the worst things they found on Etsy. I actually looked to see if any of my stuff was on it. Thank God, no.
I did once come across a couple of my pieces on someone's blog. They were listing odd or weird things on Etsy. My Hot Dog Man And my dog drinking out of a toilet were there. I suppose that's okay.
My fantasy is still to make things and have them just disappear, leaving a nice pile of money behind.
Am I unrealistic, or what?

I like This

2010-02-15T23:30:00.001-06:00

Presidents Day

2010-02-15T16:03:00.003-06:00

I've been alternating between a skeleton and Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee today. I took this picture a while ago. I'm actually further along, but not done.
Someone who wanted the bride and groom wanted their faces closer together so I took a chance, tied their necks together and put them in the oven on low. It worked. I have to put the retaken pictures on Etsy.
This isn't very interesting, but then, it's February.

Frog& Bug

2010-02-11T14:17:00.003-06:00

I'm in the middle of the frog now and thinking about the pieces I'm supposed to be making. It's almost easier to make a new piece rather than reproduce one I've done before. Maybe because it's more fun. When I remake one I want it to be better than the previous one and I often get frustrated because that doesn't always happen. Sometimes they're worse and I throw them away. If someone ever wants several of the same thing, I'm in trouble.

Yellow Kite

2010-02-10T18:28:00.002-06:00

It seems like the last few days I've done a lot of things, but not sculpting, and when I do, it's not what I'm supposed to be making. I like making Kokeshi dolls and since I've now sold three I feel I can make more. I want to make a frog next and then I will make that dog and those skeletons.
Really.

Dragons, Wizards and Dogs

2010-02-07T11:48:00.002-06:00

I completed the Jabberwock this morning. Someone wants me to try Tweedle and Tweedle Dum. I might. Here is a shot of Hogwarts that they're building at Universal in Orlando. It looks like it'll be fabulous. That'll give Disney a run for their money.
Here's a picture of Watson. He's saying goodbye to his nads, but he doesn't know it.

Caturday

2010-02-06T09:41:00.002-06:00

I'm going to complete my Alice set with a Jabberwock. Lewis Carroll's works are in public domain now, so you can read them online. I guess that one slipped past Disney.
It used to be fifty years after an author's death until the "Bono" law was passed. Winnie the Pooh would have lost it's copyright in 2006. Now it's 2026 thanks to Sonny Bono with some help from Disney.
I'm supposed to be making a dog, but I want to finish a few things first while I think about the dog.
Statues never come out right if I just start working in clay right off. I have to sketch them and think about them. I found this out the hard way.