Many people have asked me how Small Dog is coming along. I was a bit nervous trying out my new stop-motion armature and the Epoxy-Clay. Now I can gladly report that I think the little guy is going to work out nicely. I ordered a "Dog" set from the Armaverse people. Yes, it was expensive, but well worth every penny. Each joint moves and stays in position perfectly. Take a look at the "skeleton" of Small Dog.

I said that I had 2 thoughts this morning. Here is the second one. My purpose is to send Hope, Peace, Love and Joy out into the world. I do this through art.

That is my simple mission statement for Emerging Joy Creations.
Now I must change my web site :-)

This morning I woke up with 2 thoughts. First, I have been puzzled lately about the words and actions associated with "yes" and "no". I get into a lot of over demanding obligations because I say "yes" too often. I always thought that we are supposed to say "yes" to open up the universe for greater good. "Yes" is a positive response right? Well today it hit me that maybe "yes" is not always positive. Which lead me to thinking that "no" may not be automatically negative. When I say "yes" to anything that is not in alignment with my purpose or higher good, then I am actually saying "no" to my purpose or higher good. So when something comes along that is in conflict with my purpose or higher good, and I want to continue to say "yes" to my purpose or higher good, then I must say "no" to what ever is in conflict. Here is an example: I have set time aside in few weeks to work on Small Dog (his story is part of my purpose). A distant relative invites my spouse and I to come celebrate a milestone birthday which would cut into Small Dog time a lot. Do I say "yes" to the invite (it gives me a negative gut feeling to say yes) or do I say "no" to the invite (knowing that I will have honored the time I have set aside for Small Dog development)? With the wisdom I received this morning, I am empowered to say "No" to the invite and "Yes" to Small Dog. It doesn't matter that others in the family do not understand (wish they did). What matters is that my words, actions, and purpose are in alignment. That is what opens up the universe!

After having completed the armature for Small Dog, a friend of mine mentioned that stop motion animation uses armatures with complete articulation. So I did what I always do, I hopped on to Google and searched. I found an amazing site that sells pre-made fully articulating armatures, http://www.armaverse.com/. And, they just came out with dog armatures. So, I placed an order and now I am waiting impatiently for my new Small Dog armature to arrive. I will have to build it. I think this will be sort of like an amazing erector set!

On another stop motion site I learned about Apoxie Clay instead of using sculpey. I'll order some of that too, so that I can build up the muscles without having to bake my critter, like we must with polymer clay. I don't know if it will work or not, but I am very excited to experiment. I plan to felt the wool and "fur" on top of the Apoxie Clay. Cross your fingers.

I know it has been a really long time since I last posted. Here is my excuse. I started teaching for both The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale and The Art Institute of Pittsburgh/Online Division in January, 2010. Each quarter I have new preps and lots of new things to attend to. Now that there is some sort of normalcy to my life again, I plan on posting more often. I sure missed Dianeville.

Triscuit was a great beginning to a model, but with his armature wire he could bend too much. Triscuit could bend in ways no normal dog could. I set out in search of way to build an armature for Small Dog that allowed movement but also stopped certain impossible gestures. I know it looks sort of weird, but I decided to use simple materials that were easy to find. Small balsa wood pieces glued together with good old Elmer's glue, and the smallest hinges I could find made the basic structure. Then for his spine I took small plastic beads and threaded the armature wire through them. The beads sort of give the spine more stability and yet lots of supple movement. For Small Dog I wanted his mouth to move, so I sculpted the skull and jaw bone out of Sculpey. The whole thing is held together with a combination of Liquid Nails, Auto/Plumbing Epoxy and framer's tape. As odd as this little skeleton looks, it really works. I have a fully articulating armature for Small Dog.

Triscuit is nearly done and ready for a new friend. Soon a new armature will start growing on my drafting table and soon after that Small Dog himself will be born. Triscuit has taught me a lot about making felted poseable critters. More importantly he sits quietly from his cracker box and reminds me that no matter the complexity of life, Dianeville is merely a choice away.

Yesterday Small Dog and Chimp (the puppets) took a road trip over to Unity in Fort Lauderdale. There they came to life with the help of my partner Catherine and me. They told the youth services minister their story and now they have their first gig! The humans have some details to figure out, but soon Small Dog and Chimp will be delighting the children with their story What Small Dog Did.

When Small Dog and Chimp came out of the back seat of the car, the children and adults responded so positively to them. It was really cool to see everyone focusing in on the puppets, talking to them as if they were real (oh, that sounded so awful, of course they are real, they just need some encourgement from Catherine and I to get them talking).

About a million years ago (but actually 20) a group of avid handknitters sat around winter's fire and knitted and knitted and knitted. Of course I was one of them, my mother-in-law and her sister were there too. A lot can change in 20 years, families morph and the earth gets hotter, especially when you move to Florida from Maryland. I gave up knitting when we moved south. No amount of "you can knit for all your northern friends" could entice me. Wool just hurts when the temp is 95 outside for months and months and months. Cotton yarn is okay, but that's like going from oil painting to crayons. I sold my yarn collection (which was extensive for sure) and prayed my fingers wouldn't miss fondling fibers.

Triscuit and needle felting have resurrected my addiction to fiber. I must be born again. AND, on my birthday last week, my ex-mother-in-law sent me one of my last Fair Isle pattern swatches (think very large swatch). I must have knitted it back in the early 1990's. She held onto it, which means more to me than the swatch itself. Her son and I are no longer married, but some connections outlast even divorce. I guess all those cold winter days and nights spent knitting together created an enduring fabric of love.

I gave Triscuit custody of the swatch. It's just the right size to pad his cracker box. Thank you Nana.

S-L-O-W-L-Y Triscuit is getting his handsome bushiness. One joy of critter design is watching the unfolding that happens as each small step is made. Who knew that Triscuit would have big bushy white eyebrows? Not I, until his character (and the need for visual contrast) emerged. I was told that bushy white eyebrows are a symbol of kindly, wisdom, look at Santa Claus. Seems that it usually takes a long time to develop that sort of outlook on life, but Triscuit is a young pup. Maybe he is an old soul. I'm liking him more and more. The tactile pleasure of tufting yarn and felting wool to sculpt a model is glorious. I will probably never go back to polymer clay again. Soft, warm and receptive, Triscuit patiently waits to be finished.

Triscuit seems to be changing breeds, guess that's a benefit of being made from wool. As I add the wool yarn to his coat, he seems more Schnauzer like. Tufting the yarn, trimming it and felting it alittle makes the dog more stable too. Triscuit is my first experiment into needle felting, so even if the added yarn turns him into a character I don't need right now that is okay. We have no deadlines or impending engagements for Triscuit. He patiently sits on my drafting table while I learn about the Blob brush in Illustrator CS4. Boy do I wish I had had THAT tool when doing my MFA work!!! Oh well, at least I have it now, as I complete the book dummy.

There is nothing better than having this time to experiment and play with media and tools, digital and traditional (when will today's digital become the traditional?). For my inner child, this is creative recess.

Triscuit is rather proud of his little home and asked to have a photo taken with him in it.

This will be the last time you see this little pup in his clean coat. When you see the next post you'll understand.

Beige dog now has a name, Triscuit, because when he leaves Dianeville to see other people and places, he travels inside a Triscuit box. Last Friday, he journeyed to the library to meet my friends and then spent the day on my desk watching me work. He is a miniature therapy dog, just like his real dog twin. All day people smiled, touched and felt a little better when near Triscuit.

On Sunday, he jumped back into his box and rode over to the yarn store. There he picked out two yarns that will become his fur. Again he did his magic as people smiled, touched and held him.

A few more photos documenting his progress:

I had the pleasure of working on beige dog all weekend. I even stabbed myself for the first time and drew blood. I was in a hurry like always. I am working hard at slowing down and enjoying the journey. My artwork turns out better that way. Ironic that I feel impatient, when the guys in my life watch me and marvel at my patience. How can that be so different? They observe and judge the outside, while I know the truth that is happening on the inside. BUT no matter how much I want to see the finished project, my priority is the glory of a job well done. I don't want to rush to the end because the process is uncomfortable or because I want to be doing something else. I anxiously look to the completion because I want to see how this all turns out. I want to see the beauty of it, the fun, the miracle of creation. AND I want to share it. So on with the photos...

I am so excited about my felted dog's neck. I added armature wire and felted (some tight, some loose) around the wire. If you felt the neck while the dog is posed in his most outstretched pose, then the felt sort of works like a real skin and wrinkles up when he stops stretching. Very cool. I guess this little guy will be the first inhabitant of Dianeville.

Co-workers of mine gave me a new slogan for my world "Dianeville, where all the glasses are half full."

Kay Petal's DVD came in and it is wonderful. Even the background sounds of scrutch, scrutch, scrutch (that is the sound of the needle as it felts the wool) are soothing and zen like. Her techniques are something I will be able to use, once I get the right supplies. In the mean time, I continue to practice on this little beige dog that is looking more and more like my real dog. He has his ears now, but looks a little angry at the moment. Guess I would be too if someone was sticking me with a shart pointed object all morning. He never complains though. I think he knows he is coming to life. He must be a wise little dog. He already knows that to get to emerging joy, one must feel the pain along with the good.

Working with wool and felt is a lovely change from Adobe Illustrator. I feel more balanced now, using my hands on something tangible and textural. Then when I go back to to the computer after felting for awhile my head and heart are fresher.

Here's a weird analogy. When I started my MFA program, I thought that by the time I graduated, that I'd be mixed, formed and baked...ready for the world like a homemade rye. Instead I found that the graduate program was the time when the ingredients were mixed and the yeast rose. Commencement was sort of the time when the baker "punches" the dough down and now I am being formed into a new shape (cloverleaf rolls are nice). The dough shapes are now covered in a nice warm place (Florida will do) and rising again for a second time. How long this second rising will take is a guess. But diligently I rise. There's lots of homemade bread in Dianeville.

Needle felting a Small Dog toy is going to work (I am 90% sure of it). I found this amazine needle felting artist from Alaska. Her name is Kay Petal and if you hop over to her website http://www.feltalive.com/

you will be delighted at her whimsical creations. After seeing her work I started practicing needle felting again and did some experiments using a variety of foams (all from the Dollar Store) as padding into which I punched the wool. Kay has a DVD out on her techniques and of course I bought it. I am very curious how she develops such large pieces. Until it gets here, I continue to work on a dog that looks more like my real four legged companion "Kennedy" than Small Dog from my story. Working with wool is such a delight, I have missed it ever since I moved down here to Florida. Take a look at my developing pup and don't be too alarmed that he doesn't have ears yet. He will.

I get an extra good start to my day by reading two wonderful inspirational messages. It blows me away how many times the messages seem to be just for me, although I know that they reach thousands of others. Over to the right are current inspirations and I hope that you take the time to love yourself enough to click on them. I don't get any money or better search ranking if you click. I just want to share with you something that helps me stay positive.

After the last entry, which had just a tad of frustration within it, I needed my Daily Word and TUT to get me back on track. How blessed we all are to live in this technological age where a few keystrokes can wisk us away to soul nourishment. Thank you World.

So, over the past weekend I needle felted and now my hopes are rising again. The process of needle felting is a little zen like, what with the repetition of punching the fiber. Live is peaceful in Dianeville again.

The Akira Blount DVD arrived and I am learning once again. I am learning that making beautiful one of a kind cloth dolls is DIFFICULT. Maybe I have headed down the wrong path. That familiar bubble of frustration is building in my stomach. Blount's figures are so touching and lovely. I see them and can imagine Small Dog and Chimp created in a similar way, but unlike her figures, my little guys have fur, lots of fuffy, curly fur all over their faces.

I really want to make these dolls, there is some unexplanable need that I must obey. Cloth dolls are not quite right, polymer clay dolls are not quite right either. I pulled out an old idea of mine from a studio drawer this morning--needle felted animals. They are not quite right either, BUT I think I can take elements from all three doll making methods and make my own way. A way that takes the bits and pieces from each technique. Now my frustration has given way to hope. I am eager once again to build a wire dog armature and use fleece and felting to body sculpt. This experimentation is a blast. The only ones who see my mistakes are soft, fluffy and silent. The permanent residents of Dianeville are plush and they never judge.

Finally clearing the clutter from my studio and my mind, I settled in my meditation chair with coffee in hand and sunrise peaking in the window. Kennedy (my dog) took his spot on his strategically placed bed across the room. From there he snoozed and "protected" me from one of our stealthy felines.

It is during these peacefully quiet moments in Dianeville that my heart is heard most clearly. My brain shuts up long enough for an idea to surface. Small Dog and Chimp (the lead characters of my story) are anxious to be drawn again. I am anxious for that too. I find myself wanting to play with these guys, like a child plays with dolls. "like...a...child...plays...with...dolls" Lightbulb.

Art dolls are amazing soft sculptures and I could make posable cloth bodied versions of Small Dog and Chimp.They could interact and model and most likely reveal more expression and personality by playing. This would be fun.

I watched Wendy Froud's DVDs on making fairy figures http://www.thegnomonworkshop.com/gallery/froud.html

and learned so much about working with polymer clay. BUT when I went to Akira Blount's website I was sold on cloth dolls. There is a simplicity to Blounts dolls that appeals to me. I am now impatiently waiting for Akira Blount's DVDs on making art cloth dolls to arrive. I have no idea what I am doing, but Blount inspires me and my fingers are itching to sculpt in cloth and yarn the faces and gestures of Small Dog and Chimp. 

http://www.akirastudios.com/

It has been two weeks since graduation night. It took me that long to float back down to reality, and start this blog (which symbolically launches the next phase of my artistic career). It seemed fitting to start this phase with graduation photos. Completions and beginnings, sort of a theme here that is helping to ease me off the MFA rollercoaster. I just spent two years of complete devotion to finding my own artistic voice, one that I would be passionate to share. Was I successful? Sort of. What Small Dog Did was born. Small Dog and Chimp emerged out of the confluence and alchemy that the Hartford program provided. BUT, this project is still in its infancy. This blog will document the growth that occurs after the MFA degree is conferred.

Back to the photos...July 24th, 2009 was a magical night (my hair behaved) and rather than think of it as the end of something, I would rather call it a Commencement. Cheers to the Lucky 13.