Yesterday I went to the Art in the Square art show up at our town center. I love walking around art shows, browsing the art, dreaming. When I was a little girl my father exhibited at art shows in Austin and I'd sit in his booth in a chair and watch all the people. Every now and then I'd go get us something to drink - an ice cold coke or a snow cone. When my father did his first art show in about thirty five years in Houston recently, I flew down to attend it. One of the artists I admired was sculpter Seth Vandable's work. When I attended the art show yesterday, he was there. I bought one of his pieces, pictured above. Isn't she grand? So majestic and etherial. She looks different from every angle.

It made me think about some of my hopes and dreams. Things I want to do someday. Someday, I'd like to do bigger sculpture - bigger than the miniatures I've been doing for years (and have put to the wayside as I work on my writing career). I'd like to take a class someday in sculpting and learn more about the human form. I was sitting on a bench one time outside a Park City art gallery and met a sculpter whose other career is a sugeon. Strange you think? No, I'm sure his study of anatomy comes in quite handy. Other dreams - jewelry making, learning to make beautiful cakes, cooking lessons, learning another language, and going on a Jane Austen tour in England. And I always wished I could sing. Just some of my dreams.

About ten years ago I had three very large goals. I wanted to have another child. He came along, but it took several years (and some fertility treatments). I wanted my miniature work to be on the cover of one of the miniature magazines. It eventually happened - I can now boast being on the cover of six - including one in Spain and one in England. This was not an overnight success. I've been working on miniatures for thirty years. My third goal was to have a novel published. That of course happened in August of 2007. I'd been writing since I was four. My dreams happend, but not overnight.

Looking at Seth's beautiful sculpture made me pull out some of my little sculptures.



Replica in bronze of Mythological Ewer made for Rudolph II (late 1500's). Notice the man riding the hippocamp on top.
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Replica of antique turned urn with tiny, tiny crane on top. I get asked often what my tools are - they are simply a dentist tool, straight pin, and a toothpick.





An assemblage of bronze pieces - mainly copies of majolica, painted to resemble porcelain. Notice the tiny salamander on the right side of the plate. I also made the table which is topped with real marble - cut to under an 1/8 inch thick.


I'm at work sculpting a bust of Queen Elizabeth in honor of The Stolen One. No sneak peeks. Sorry. I have grave doubts that she will turn out well. I worked on her ears today. It's hard to get a matched pair. Hairdo tonight perhaps. Maybe while I watch "The Tudors."

Another project in the works. Bejewelled book marks for The Stolen One. I already have requests from six libraries and I hope to hand these out at booksignings too. I was inspired by a book mark I bought at Anthropologie. I tracked down the brass piece online and was able to buy hundreds of them. Finding the odd size cabechon was not easy though. Finally found a wholesaler in Canada. Have different top pieces and unusual beads still coming. I'm going to experiment with different looks. I've suddenly developed a bead fascination.



Assembly of bookmarks




Finished bookmarks




Assemblage of my bronzes. Madonna is a copy of an old polychrome piece. She's my favorite piece I've ever done. Elizabethan man and cupid are antiques. I made the french chair; it's covered in antique petit point. The grape centerpiece is copied from a piece sitting on my kitchen counter. As is the rooster. The tiny finials on the blackamoor table (also sculpted by me) have tiny swans on top, and rams head swags.


I have hopes and dreams for that wished for son. His artwork was at the art show I attended yesterday shown in the courthouse with other selected kid's work from our schook district. He's very artistic and creative. He will probably be an engineer like his daddy because he has that in him too. But I hope his artistic side stays with him.



Little one's artwork. Artist in the making




Painting by Acree Carlisle


Above is one of my father's recent paintings. He's realized one of his dreams after thirty five years. It's never too late. What are your dreams?