January Second Saturday State Of Your Studio...

So I'm a bit late on the state of your studio post for the monthly Beads-of-Clay Blog post…

My creative studio space has been all over the place.

I have been photographing again out in the garden.

I am taking a Drawing class this year (Drawing Lab 2011).

I was not "allowed" to take "art" classes in High School, and was not allowed to take any "foundations" art classes during college because they were "reserved for the art concentration students". Bummer...

So this is something for me. And so far I really like it and it has inspired me to draw on a regular basis as well as to put images into the computer and fiddle with my wacom tablet that I've had for almost 2 years now…

Really I haven't been in my clay studio since sometime in November…

And I want to, but not so bad that I "have" to get in there right now. Soon, but just not right now…

And this area of new shelving and a place to photograph work - well,  after all that crazy jewelry making for the home shows in Dec - all that stuff got packed up and brought back down here and shoved into anywhere there was space. Yes - I NEED that jewelry making area in the back of the studio done ASAP so I can avoid this piling and stacking thing I keep doing - Ugh!

And I've been on the computer a lot. Fiddling with my photographs, Zentangles, and drawings trying to see how to layer them on my clay pieces. It's fun actually having my computer and printer right there next to the studio so I can go back and forth with my notes and resize things and reprint, then go into the studio and use the decals. What gratification!!! Doesn't happen enough, but potential is there!

And here are some of the decal pieces in progress on some glazed pieces that I had sitting around. One of my tangle drawings (I did that on the computer today using the Wacom tablet - yay me!) is to the left and my drawing lab cat is on the tube beads and to the right. I have more on pendants as well…

Thanks for stopping by to see the state of my studio.

Hope to have some new work done soon, and a more organized space next time… 

Make sure to swing by the Beads-of-Clay Blog to see the state of other artists creative spaces (you can add your own link too! Doesn't have to be a clay studio…)

And if you do, grab that BOC button and add it to your blog with a link back to the BOC blog…

Hope you are finding your creative self (even amongst total mess and chaos)!

Sketchbook Tangle...

I was working on some smaller 4" square Zentangles (paper from my Christmas Zentangle kit gift) and broke out my sketchbook and worked on a larger scale "sketch tangle"...

I was in the mood to scratch draw, scribble in the details... Not a time for me to break out the obsessive shader in me (although I do want to go back in and pencil shade this one a bit).

Then I went in and filled in a bit more detail & darker areas over the last 2 days. Then tonight added a bit around the edges along with the swirls in the margins...

Here is the before string:

I feel excited to be drawing again!
Now to work it into my clay... Yippee!!!

-- Pictures Taken With & Posted From My iPhone

New Addictions...

One thing I often discovered through meeting a lot of people at bead shows is that a huge percentage of "us beaders" are also somewhat easily addicted to new and exciting things. We don't finish or follow through with things until the end, because something new has our attention…

So as I haven't even touched my "studio reorganization" since October, and I am really hoping that in the next two weeks I will just get back to it…

So here are my new addictions and distractions from getting the studio into order where I can be at my prime super easily workable flowiness… (you know - where I can find everything I need, when I need it and just float around the place making wonderful art all the time). A girl can daydream right?

Ok - here they are in today's order in the hopes to also get you addicted or at least interested for a moment while you are blog cruising...

1. Instagram App for the iPhone (Thanks for the introduction Heather!)

See more of my garden pics on my garden blog: MarshasGardenBlog.Blogspot.com

2. Zentangle for direction for getting me drawing doodle designs again.

3. BTW (Bead Table Wednesday) from Heather Powers (Humble Beads).

Bead Table Wednesday - Add your photos of your bead table mess (or non-mess) to the flickr group...

4. Drawing Lab 2011

These things may seem at a glance a bit of a distraction from what I am "supposed" to be doing, but I think that as I sit and figure out what it is that I want to be doing, then these will all play a big role.

Fingers crossed that I get into thes DE Master Gardeners program for this spring… If so, I'll be heading back down to the University of DE again for classes 2x a week from March - May. It will feel a little like being back in the 1990's again being at the UD College of Agriculture - but this time with some experience and a desire for want of knowledge instead of just the thing you do after High School… I find out if I get in around early February…

Oh, and over at the Beads-of-Clay blog, we're throwing the idea around of a "Zentangle Inspired" challenges…

I love how drawings can be put into another medium and enhanced upon…

Specials Blog Is Live

I just wanted to let you know that my Marsha Neal Studio Specials Blog is up and running with giveaways listed…

This is the giveaway for January for a random person picked from the "inlinkz" where you put a link to something you have made with one of my pieces (*see guidelines & rules on the specials blog).

Marsha Neal Studio Specials Blog Jan 2011 What Did You Make? Giveaway.

And this is the giveaway for anyone that has my Specials Blog Button on their website or blog, linked back to my specials blog for January. When you have the button up, come back to the blog and post a link to that site via the "inlinkz" at the end of that month's post (*see guidelines & rules on the specials blog) and you will be in the monthly drawing. Also, the site that brings in the most traffic from all year will get a special year end bonus prize (which I have yet to gather). 

Marsha Neal Studio Specials Blog Jan 2011 Blog Button Giveaway.

I'm attempting to de-clutter my jewelry making stash and want to share with those that help support my business…

This Specials Blog will only be for 2011 - so join in on the fun!

Zentangle "Eyes Wide Shut" Challenge

I have taken upon myself to seriously consider keeping my hands busy drawing this year…

This Zentangle was just completed. I happened across a blog, through this flickr group, then blog challenge…

I really like the way the drawings look through my Hipstamatic app on my iPhone.

Here is the beginning of the drawing...

I started to fill it in before remembering to take a pic (oops!).

And completed…

I think I will free up some new inspirations with all these drawing classes (Drawing Lab 2011) and picking up Zentangle...

-- Pictures Taken With & Posted From My iPhone

Kitchen Done...

Until the day when we can afford to remodel our kitchen, we needed to do something with our backsplash.


Tiles would be one of my first choices because I immediately think: I can make them... But I know that will be a more permanent install.


So for now - a heavy vinyl wallpaper (from Shinns paints here in Wilmington, DE) that I have since this last summer, that looks like stone...


And below, all the clutter moved back in...


I can't believe how much more I actually like our kitchen now. I mean, I almost love it...


Stuff just looks good up against it! I can't wait to see what it looks like in the morning...


And below - my dad's first dog, in front of the fireplace in my Grandma Neal's old farmhouse that inspired my Random Boxes texture for my porcelain pendants...


I guess I've been raised by masons... Can't get enough of that stone!

-- Pictures Taken With & Posted From My iPhone