Wednesday, May 07, 2008
The Art Groove

Bitter Pills - ACEO
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com
I can't sleep so here I am making a hopefully quick blog post after dusting off the Wacom tablet and doing a little sketching. A sketch that I added to my sketch collection on Flickr.

Both blee and I are still a bit sick so I am going to try and get back to sleep and take it easy today. Getting back into the swing of things slowly.

Done this week:

1) Made this new ACEO/ ATC
2) Finished carving
3) Hung art at cafe
3) Cleaned studio
4) Sketched with Wacom tablet

Things to do:

1) List ACEO/ ATC
2) Print
3) Finish hanging art
4) Tear paper
5) Keep sketching
Posted By marissa At 1:22 AM • Trackbacks (0)
Monday, May 05, 2008
I'm such a loser

New Old Clothes!
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com
And I couldn't be happier about it. Looking for an extra curtain we should have that we need now I stumbled upon a bin filled with spring and summer clothes from three or more years ago. And for the first time in all those years they fit. This is the smallest I have been in ten years except for the summer that I biked into a job downtown five days a week.

I'm not done yet but I am feeling excited and ready to keep getting in better shape. For me it is not about weight loss but about losing inches and toning. I want to be healthy.

The first fifteen or twenty pounds of babyweight came off easily due to the baby herself combined with breastfeeding. But then I totally stalled and possibly even backtracked a bit. Then I started doing a lot of walking while wearing an increasingly heavy blee. Either around the house doing errands or outside when the weather was decent. Long walks when it is really nice are a must. I purchased a couple of pretty carriers and they helped me feel pretty even though I didn't feel pretty at all most days. And that got me out of the house.

Then Jon and I gave up soda and slowly started making major diet changes. Keeping junk food out of the house and rarely eating meat and only eating free range organic when we do eat it. It felt wonderful.

And then I got a horrible stomach bug and lost an additional few pounds! Oh wait, that part isn't so great is it?

-

Both blee and I are still sick, and I still haven't hung my art. But I will hopefully be doing that first thing in the morning. So after I finish typing this I am going to bed. I am filled with snot, have a nasty cough and am very dehydrated even though I seem to be drinking gallons of water. But I am getting better and I think she is too.

Art has been on the back burner but I did finally finish carving that block from the other week of the girls playing. I need to do a studio cleanup and tear some paper before I can do any printing. Hopefully this week! Look for new work in my shop, here and on Flickr soon.

ciao!
Posted By marissa At 7:25 PM • Trackbacks (0)
Friday, May 02, 2008
Last chance for some art!

Framed! Last Chance
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com
The Night Before
White Stripe
She Dances
Misty Beauty
Feminity
Dragon Fly!

Along with all of my stretched canvas collages these pieces are getting hung for a month long show here in Boston on Sunday, but I am not opposed to selling them and swapping them out for different pieces. Sunday morning they will be taken down from Etsy for a month and may not return. Mention show in the notes to seller and I will give you free shipping on any of these pieces. Frames are not included.

I was supposed to hang this show this afternoon but I decided to postpone it to Sunday that way I can have some help. I've got a cold and blee is teething and the weather is bad so the last thing I want is to drag a stroller full of art while wearing a baby around town and then hang pieces while hoping that she doesn't erupt. And she is sick herself on top of teething. Fun times!

In case you missed my earlier post I am going to mention the three of us walking in the Walk for Hunger on Sunday. Well, in reality Jon and I will be walking and blee will be hitching a ride. She may be teething but walking is one of the few things that makes her feel better.

Hope you have a better Friday than we are having and a kickin weekend filled with good weather.
Posted By marissa At 9:38 AM • Trackbacks (0)
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Walk For Hunger begging!

teething sucks
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com
Not really, but donations would be appreciated.

Time got away from us and suddenly Boston's Walk for Hunger is only two days away! The three of us will be walking. Well, blee won't be doing too much walking but she will be hitching a ride on my back, hip or front.

This is a very good cause and we would love it if you donated to Team Swinghammer. She may be teething but walking is one of the few things that makes her feel better.

Thank you.

Here is some cuteness for your viewing pleasure.



My artwork is nearly ready to be hung tomorrow afternoon. I just hope blee cooperates and lets me get over there and hang my work and that the cafe provides some sort of help to a mother juggling a teething baby while attaching artwork to wires. I'm nervous.

Jon and I enjoyed First Thursday here and JP, saw some art, drank a wee bit of wine and had a bit of good food. And I got some shinies for mother's day! I'd like to see her try and yank these out! On second thought maybe not.

mother's day earrings
Posted By marissa At 8:43 PM • Trackbacks (0)
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Printsy : Printmakers of Etsy
Something that I have been thinking about but never getting off my butt to do for about oh two years now has finally happened. Printmakers on Etsy finally have their own street team named Printsy. I came up with that one half as a joke and it took.

Are you a printmaker that sells your prints on Etsy? Would you like to get together with other printmakers to get the word out about original prints versus reproductions? Help show that there very much is a difference between the two and that they can co-exist. Then please consider joining our group.

You can contact me or sherisdesthelion via Etsy convo to find out more information about this growing group of artists.

Join up in the Flickr group Flickr Group and find out more about the intent of the group.

Get your own Etsy shop or blog linked on the Printsy Blog, as well as make your own posts.

This is a group that is about promotion printmaking beyond our own individual prints.

Ok it isn't 9pm even but I am exhausted and am going to head off to bed. I have a busy morning tomorrow and I need to be well rested. Jon is out visiting a friend until later tonight and I don't have the energy to do anymore carving, but I am getting close to finishing that block I started last week.
Posted By marissa At 5:52 PM • Trackbacks (0)
Monday, April 28, 2008
Welcome Back!

heavens!
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com
Good evening and good morning. The weather here is rainy and awful, blee is teething so bad we actually saw a touch of blood around her new tooth on Sunday night. We looked it up and it is perfectly normal, but still hard to take.

Despite this I am doing a lot better this week. It was a hard weekend and this week is looking to be no better, but I feel like I am ready for it. I have a lot of work to do for my show which I hang on Friday and my creativity is actually starting to come back to me. In fact after I finish this post I am going to get back to carving this new block I started on Friday. It is nearly complete.

I also realize that since having my darling highly photographed daughter I've pretty much stopped taking pictures of the animals. The cat is a bit more social than the dog so he is easier. Maeby doesn't like blee at all and only makes it into photographs with her by accident. But despite this lack of photographing we still love our animal buddies. Even if Maeby is stubborn and a bit on the slow side and Laguna likes to walk up and down the hallway screaming as soon as we put blee down. I'm pretty sure he does this just to piss Jon off. But he has been part of my life for nearly ten years now and I love the little punk.

My mom's group meets tomorrow at 10am and I should be able to make it, but I don't know about the lunch after the meeting. I had to skip that part last week because blee was too fussy and needed to come home to eat and nap. And I have a feeling that is going to happen again. She just can't stay out and sleep in the carrier like she used to. She needs to nap at home and while she is getting better at it she still often goes down fighting. Getting overly tired and flipping out. I've started writing down what times she tends to nap so I can pick up the pattern of when this kid needs to be home to sleep. It is not easy but in the long run it will be better because hopefully this means she is on her way to sleeping in her crib instead of just on me, the bouncy chair, the swing and now the Pack n Play.

new block!

before church
Posted By marissa At 6:31 PM • Trackbacks (0)
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
What Better Way?

Working in my jammies
Originally uploaded by mlee.etsy.com
To get over a major case of the blues than to pull out an old partially finished block and get to carving. Everything is already drawn I'm just clearing wood at this point before adding details here and there. It is a little boring, but just what I need right now. And yes, I am wearing a nightgown under my printmaking apron. That way I can hop right into bed as soon as I am ready.

I'm also getting back in the drawing groove. But what I am not going to do is to stress myself out about creating a finished product. After all, art is about more than making and pushing a product isn't it?

The weather here is gorgeous. I sit here typing this with the window open right next to me and a nice breeze coming in. The days are just beautiful and blee and I get in plenty of walks. But we need to find a new place to walk as I am getting a little bored with our scenery. Time to mix things up a bit just like with my art.

I'm looking forward to the weekend.

Hope everybody has a wonderful day filled with joy and beautiful weather.
Posted By marissa At 6:34 PM • Trackbacks (0)
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Waiting and Waiting

Waiting and Waiting
Originally uploaded by m.Lee
For something to happen. I think the title of this piece sums up my feelings pretty well. For the past month I have been waiting and waiting for inspiration to hit me. I was doing pretty well until around the time we found out about my friend's illness and the disagreement with family. Then I hit a wall and I have been banging against that wall trying to knock it down ever since.

Drawing pretty much stopped and so did everything else along with it. I tried so many things to get myself going again. From staring at pieces of paper to getting out a canvas and trying my best to make something beautiful all the way to pulling out Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain. And they have all failed. I still feel empty and it is hard to create out of emptiness. Of course I don't have a ton of time right now, but I have enough to do more than just spin my wheels. I can't take a break I'm afraid that I will lose everything that I have worked so hard for in the past three years. After art school I felt empty and ended up taking a three year break where I worked temp jobs and avoided art completely. It tortured me and I am terrified to go back to that space.

I've come dangerously close to burnout before but now I think I have hit total and complete burnout. Something has to change I need a break but at the same time it is so hard for me to take one, it is very hard for me to relax. Like the woman in the image I sit but not relaxed back in the chair but sitting up straight and anxious while trying to be calm.

I think I need really bad to take a class this summer. That is what got me out of my rut three years ago and it might help me now.
Posted By marissa At 7:58 PM • Trackbacks (0)
Shop Changes!

Duality
Originally uploaded by m.Lee
After being sick feeling well feels incredible. Things were pretty good yesterday, I had some time while blee napped in the Pack n Play (a big deal) to tinker with my shop so tinker I did. If you mosey on over and have a looksie you may notice two distinct changes. The first one is that the size categorizing has been replaced with categories based on subject. I think this will make searching easier, and to help even further I have added dimensions to all my titles. Other than ACEOs, I think the ACEO label is enough for now.

I also removed and added some items from my Studio Sale section. I'm going to be doing some further tweaking while I get ready for my show in May. I'm not sure if I will be directing people to my Etsy shop for purchase or if I will be taking the work hanging down from Etsy for the duration of the show. Since the venue is not taking a commission (yay!) I can probably keep everything on Etsy. I will probably make a section of the work featured so buyers have an easy time finding what they saw in person without having to go through all my listings. I want to make purchasing as easy as possible. These pieces will have an unframed and a framed price that will only be available to local buyers.
Posted By marissa At 5:02 AM • Trackbacks (0)
Sunday, April 20, 2008
I've Had Better Days

I've been sick
Originally uploaded by m.Lee
Hello. I hope everybody had a very nice weekend and end of the week while I have been MIA.

I came down with some horrible stomach flu on Wednesday night and didn't get better until Sunday. It started with the chills Wednesday night and didn't end until I woke up today. But once it was gone it was gone. It was bad enough that I had a hard time feeding blee because I didn't have the calories or the water to spare. Bad enough that I probably shed a few pounds the unhealthy way. And Jon had to work from home on Thursday or Friday so he could help out. I also had to cancel a dental appointment.

But today was good. It was good to be able to enjoy one of the awesome days we had this weekend. It was good to be able to take care of blee myself and let daddy get the nap he very much earned these past three days. (he cleaned up my puke not once but twice) And it was nice to not only eat food and keep it down but actually enjoy the act of eating again. And not feeling like I am going to die is a good thing.

I got to see my friend for the first time post-surgery today and there was a bit of good news about his cancer. Nothing miraculous, but good. I've had some people reach out to me in kindness and that has been wonderful. Apparently I have a spa treatment gift certificate heading my way. I've never even had a manicure so this will be quite an extravagance indeed.

I have a lot to do so I can't dawdle about getting back into the swing of things. I've seriously been neglecting everything art for awhile now and that has got to change. Starting with me getting worth together for my show in May. I need to figure out what needs to be framed and how I should frame it. And then how I am going to hang everything. I haven't had a show where I hung my own work since college. At least I don't have to paint the walls or anything like that.

I also need to get back into drawing and hope that beginnings of creativity will spur me on to do some larger canvases for my show. Because right now I have nothing. They obviously aren't necessary, but they would make for nice centerpieces.

But first I need to do some cleanup because me being sick kinda trashed the house and while I managed to pick up the living room and kitchen a bit the bedroom is a total disaster and a ton of clothes need to be put away. So I am thinking tomorrow will have to be mostly cleaning and taking walks peppered with some drawing to get the creative juices flowing.

Hope we all have an awesome week! I can't believe that April is already coming to a close.
Posted By marissa At 7:55 PM • Trackbacks (0)
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Not much

Peacock
Originally uploaded by m.Lee
Is new around here. Little blee is still pretty sick and needing to be held/ carried constantly. This is wear my baby carriers are coming in extra handy. Especially two shouldered. I wouldn't have anything done if it wasn't for them.

I'm feeling a total creative block at a very bad time. I really want to make some new pieces for my show but I am just not feeling it. I did manage to list this piece and this one
from last month in my Etsy shop
that I have been neglecting terribly. I've been neglecting most everything these days. I'm not really depressed I am just blah if that makes any sense. Okay maybe I am a little depressed because of life circumstances with my sick friend and family drama but it is different from my normal bouts of depression.

I should probably start getting ready for bed now. I'm starting to worry that whatever I gave blee is coming back to me. *Ugh* Either that or I am just plain tired after caring for a sick baby.

I need a better title please help
Posted By marissa At 6:01 PM • Trackbacks (0)
Sunday, April 13, 2008
I'm still here

first illness - seven months old
Originally uploaded by m.Lee
We're still here, getting by each day. Little blee is sick for the first time and it has been hard on all of us. Especially at night. Saturday night was rough and I am really hoping that today goes better. Since her big problem is congestion and a cough she needs to be upright as much as possible so that means an extra lot of me wearing her. I'm very glad that I got this carrier back from the friend I loaned it from because it is simply the best for long snuggly carries. It has structure combined with long soft wrap straps. Perfection.

My friend is getting out of the hospital tomorrow afternoon, a day later than scheduled but we are just happy he is coming home. He was able to eat fo