Don't Make the Bees Angry.

Drawing from my Bee class notes. Don't hit the hive with a hammer.

My Beekeeping class has ended, and today I went out to my teacher's farm for a second time to have some more interaction with real, live bees. It was nice, and a BEAUTIFUL day to be a bee. I dug around in my garden a bit too....I'm mostly waiting on seedlings to get bigger, and for it to be done snowing. It's supposed to be warm this week, but I'm not sure I can trust the weather.

Some great drawings have happened in my beekeeping notebook, as well as some classically absurd conversations with my brother, my best friend Jenni, and 'best fwend' Susie, who is three years old. I'm pretty sure a children's book, or picture book of sorts is taking shape in my mind.

My Kickstarter project is creeping along...I added little journals into the mix as a reward. Take a look and tell your friends!

As always, thank you for reading!

Overthinking Every Thing

Note to Self.

In January I got an iphone. I feel like I was one of the last people on earth with a flip-phone, (a little red one that was literally falling apart) and although I made the switch with some reservations, I've mostly been happy with my new gadget. Particularly for the camera feature, which is the whole reason I am rambling on about my cell phone in this blog post. These pictures were all taken in February up at Penland, when I was working in the Printmaking studio. And there were wonderful walks on cold days that looked like this....

Craft Tracks

Rectangles are so over.

 I've been doing tons of printing of old and new etching plates, several layers in translucent colors, almost all on kitakata paper. Then I've been cutting them into shapes.

My relationship with printmaking has matured and changed so much since I was a student (a full-time student, I mean) and I feel good about what I'm doing. I'm printing material, "stuff," that will become something else...components of installations, elements of a book....I'm excited by the potential of layering the fragments, and making work that is "bookish" and feels more like an object than a picture. I'm exploring ways of making wall-based work that does not feel like it needs to be in a frame.

A bunch.

That was a bit of a ramble. Anyway, that's what I've been working on and thinking about in brief. I'll take some better, non-iphone pictures soon.

My Kickstarter project, Paper Trail, is almost 50% funded, and I want to say THANK YOU again to my supporters! Funding is creeping along, though, and it has occurred to me that this may be a challenging time of year to do a project like this. I'd appreciate your help in spreading the word about it; every little bit counts!

Thank you for reading!

Paper Trail!

California Poppies, etchings printed on kitakata paper.

I'm so excited to be heading to the Paper & Book Intensive in May, at Ox-Bow in Michigan. I received a scholarship, but to help me pay my remaining tuition and to help me get there, I have put together a little Kickstarter campaign which you can find here. Please take a look, and tell your friends!

At PBI I will finally (FINALLY!) learn about papermaking! I love paper, and have been a fan (and hoarder) of handmade paper for a long time. I am interested to see how this will work into my work, and you know....if I will even like making paper. But it doesn't matter; I'm going to be learning new things and meeting lots of people in the book-arts world, and making things in a whole new environment. Yeah!

I love sending mail.

Heaps and heaps of mail.

Postage confusion sorted, and kickstarter rewards are really going out into the world now. This has been a huge undertaking, and I'll be sending out more prints every day I'm here!

Kickin' Starter

Sourdough.

Hey, look! I'm back in the bread-making business! It took a while to revive my sourdough starter, and there was one unsuccessful, hard-as-stone loaf, but two beautiful loaves have been made and consumed, (not just by me, mind you!) and my house smells good and bread-y.

Last week of classes at ASU, and we start closing for the season at the Penland Gallery this week. Busy times.

I've made a few books. Alfred is unimpressed.

Not a helpful studio-mate.

About 16 more days to go on my Kickstarter project. Thanks again for all the support I've found, and if you haven't already, take a peek!

Thanks!

Thanks-giving!

Some sort of a fuzzy, elegant drawing about moths, I think.

I booked my flight to Wyoming last night! Yay! It is a bit of a weight off my mind, and it is a great relief to know that the big dent in my bank account is only temporary, thanks to the support I have found through my Kickstarter project, Books & Postcards from Wyoming. 

Very thankful indeed.

I'm not packing my bags yet, though. I've had a very welcome couple of days off, in which I have spent getting organized at my new place, reading a Nancy Drew book, (mostly while soaking in the bathtub) and trying to make the leap and book the other adventure that's sneaking up... my ever-complicated holiday travel plans. I can't wait to see family in Texas and California, but it is making me anxious and neck-tense nonetheless.

What else is new? Oh yeah, my Bakersfield friends Liz and Laura passed through Spruce Pine on Sunday/Monday. They've driven cross-country, and have kept a blog of their adventures. It was a good, short visit, and I got to play tour guide to friends at Penland's currently deserted campus. Although it was a ghost town up there on Monday morning, I don't think Liz and Laura were disappointed!

Final weeks of classes at App State, final weeks of the season at the Penland Gallery.....it's all winding down. I'm mostly glad, but it is making me a little anxious. But for today I'll take it easy, roast some beets and radishes, and head over to my friends John and Courtney's for Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanks, y'all!

Ain't that a kick in the head?

Remember that Kickstarter project I mentioned a minute ago? Or rather, about twenty-four hours ago? My goal of $600 has been met! and exceeded! In twenty-four hours! What!? I'm really excited and a bit in shock about this.

I'm so very grateful to have found such enthusiastic support. I want to thank everyone who has contributed so far, and all my friends who have told their friends. 

And STRANGERS! Thank you, Strangers, for finding and supporting this project!

So what now?! There are twenty-eight whole days left in which folks might contribute to the project. Funds raised beyond the cost of travel will be used to help with shipping costs and art materials, (and Wyoming-winter appropriate clothes, suggests my Mom) I may detail what specific materials in a separate blog post.... I'm a little too dizzy with gratitude at the moment!

Instead, here's a snippet of the video I was working on for the project. I had fun working on it, but it took a long time to figure out what the hell I was doing, and at the rate I was going, I probably wouldn't have been able to launch my project 'til February!

But it does include a shot of my pressed penny collection, so you should probably take a look.

Wow, that looks terrible! It looks so nice on my computer...I really don't know what I'm doing.

But don't worry; I do know how to make books.

Thank you again, and stay tuned!

Books & Postcards from Wyoming!

Hooray! I am pleased to announce my Kickstarter project, which is an effort to fund my travel to Wyoming this winter for an art residency at Jentel.

You can read all about it at the link to the right, or click HERE!

I hope you will consider pledging what you can, and spreading the word to your friends and anyone who may be interested!

Thank you, dear blog-visitors, for your continued interest in the little things I do.

Best, Michelle.