Hi! Sitting at the GSP airport waiting to go to Hawaii. Whew! Made it! Worked like a dog getting ready: fixing waxes, making jewelry, and loads of finishing (my fingers are black!) Look at my girl! I miss her already!

Azalea Belle in her new dress! She was good today, she let me work on my outline and notes, happy in some independent play. Just finished a couple books 'The Stolen Child' by John? Donohue? (I seem to have misplaced it already) it was pretty good. The fairies of the story were like grubby kids wandering in the woods for all time. I've been reading whenever I get the chance, mostly kids books, dissecting style and plot. I really liked 'FableHaven' by Brandon Mull, lots of magic and funny dialogue. I wouldv'e been all over it as a kid. Greg has been reading 'The Witches Boy' to Azalea and I right before we go to sleep, we are really enjoying it.

Hello! This is my entry for the annual Saul Bell Jewelry Contest. I hope they give me the go-ahead to create my design. I actually started the pmc chain, and its nearly done. What a pain! It would be far easier in wax, but the challenge is for precious metal clay. The cage is the hardest part, I'm building it on a cork clay armature. I like the cage concept, even if it does't get picked I'm still going to produce it.

I make lists continuously in my sketchbook, here are a few:

favorite shows:
Project Runway
Avatar:The Last Air Bender
Extreme Makeover
The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy
Top Chef

things to do:
laundry
dishes
carve new waxes
work on story
prepare for Hawaii show

food eaten today:
cocoa puffs/cheerios mix
hot dog
fried chicken
dried strawberries
coffee w/ kahlua
chocolate
beef jerky
peanut butter oreos

goals:
write book
create new line of mini charms
learn to use my serger
make Azalea new dolls

Hi! Spent the day with our good friend Jeremiah and his son Arata at the Lincoln Park Zoo. Today was perfect, great weather, minimal traffic,good food (Wishbone Cafe). We always think 'Why don't we move here? Then we'd be neighbors!' but I always remember the time I came here in November for a doll show and froze my butt off. The BSGC Bead and Book sale is tommorow, and we are very prepared (just spent a week making finished jewelry in cincinnati),plenty of shibuichi castings and lots of new silver. I have a feeling its going to be good. We are getting delivery from Penny's Thai Food, I can't wait! Just enjoying good food and playing with the kids tonight.

Hello! Finally recovering from a scary week. I was feeling really tired and had trouble breathing, but didn't really think anything of it. We had three shows in one weekend that we were preparing for, so I wasn't focused on how I felt. It hurt to breathe and I couldn't sleep because of the pain, I thought it would go away, but after two days Greg took me to the ER to find out what was wrong. After loads of morphine and vicodine and a dozen tests (x-rays, cat scan, ultrasound,ekg...)they thought I might have a blood clot in my left lung. After more tests, they did away with that theory and sent me home with painkillers and no answers. So I went home,sick as a dog and worried how I was going to take care of Azalea (everyones at a show or on vacation). I went to my family doctor to get his advice and he thinks I have a disease in my esophogus and stomach (acids building up in stomach causing the area to expand and push against my lung, restricting air). He doesn't know what's in my lung, so that's an interesting mystery, but I'm feeling much better. My in-laws drove from cincinnati to pick up Azalea and I to look after us while I get better. Which is nice. Being messed up certainly made watching Project Runway a challenge to watch! Even though I was doubled over in agony I still cheered when Vincent got sent home. Anyway, I'm still in Cincinnati, waiting for Greg to come pick us up on the way to Chicago for a show and a visit to our good friends Jeremiah and Hitomi (and their sweetie pie son Arata!). I am looking forward to that trip!

Hello! We have been really busy here at HQ. I finished the dragon lady painting and started a couple others a few days ago. I will post the newest ones shortly. The dragon lady is painted with ground pigments and egg yolk on poplar boards. Egg tempera is one of the earliest forms of paint, I think the paint before that was rocks scraped on cave walls and charcoal mixed with spit. Thank goodness we don't have to do that. Tempera is one of the most satisfying paints to work with, the colors are intense (pure pigment, no filler) dries really fast, and you can scrape layers, revealing colors underneath (or whatever color you tinted your board). Now, it has some drawbacks, you have to mix fresh paint every other day if you have any left over,and it must be refridgerated! The stench that comes off of spoiled tempera is profoundly rank. I feel like an alchemist when I paint with it because of all the little accoutrements that i've made; little spoons for dipping yolk and fancy glass bottles for the pigment-quite magical. Anyway, I encourage everyone to try it. A version can be made with watercolor (tube is best) and egg yolk (break open the egg, seperate the white into another container, rinse the yolk in water careful not to burst it, then pop the yolk sac into a cup and add a little water to thin out just a little. The yolk sac is goopy and should be removed because it clumps up your paint. A paint called 'glaire' can be made with the whites mixed with watercolors, which was used to paint illuminated manuscripts. It is transparent and glossy and fun to experiment with if you want to feel like a medieval monk. The effect is like acrylic gloss medium thats thinned down but rewettable. Enough shop talk! Life is good in Asheville, the weather is nice, and theres no traffic to speak of.

I have decided that collage is not my thing. For the past few days I have struggled with a 2'x3' canvas, thinking that this time I could get it. I am totally enamoured with the idea of collage, the concept of using bits and pieces of old artwork to build new images is wonderful to me(look at Claudines beautiful work www.collageartist.com). My brother Andrew gave me two collages before he left and i look at them every day, amazed at the depth and layers of drawing. I don't think he has a website yet, but his blog is andrew-thornton.blogspot.com and he has a couple of images.

I put the big canvas away and took out my pigments and painting accoutrements. I haven't painted with egg tempera in long time, I thought I would have to learn it all over again, but it came back as if I had never stopped. The pigments are so rich and beautiful, such a pleasure to paint with! I used a new kind today from Guerra Pigments and I have to say, I am smitten with love! These pigments are archival, super smooth and ready to mix into any medium. I use egg yolks for tempera, but gel medium or linseed oil would be great. I was surprised at the tinting strength and how far a small squeeze could go (that means more paint for less money!) okay, enough about how I adore Guerra pigments (the staff are nice and incredibly knowledgeable) the store is in N.Y. but the website will do www.guerrapaint.com . All painters should check them out.

Painting is the best cure for anything that ails you! I was in such a funk all week, really crabby and easy to aggravate, but unbelieveably, I am cured of my bad mood. Azalea was really good, playing next to me with her baby dolls (really realistic ones from Berengner toys) trying to feed them and checking their diapers. She was so good today, she used her potty seat! I was ecstatic, of course, dreaming of a day when diapers are a thing of the past. Although recently I keep fiddling around with Azaleas dolls. I think the primitive part of my subconcious is trying to get me to breed. Not yet! Maybe later.

The days pass so quickly. It shocks me when I see how many pass between blog entries! We get so busy making stuff that several days will go by and I haven't left the house once. A touch depressing, since we live in such a beautiful place, but work comes first in this house. Its almost midnight and Greg and I have a date to sprue up more waxes. I painted all day, and I feel giddy with having spent the day so luxuriously. Tomorrow I will make more pieces to cast (our last batch was an amazing sucess, not a single loss! Greg is a magician!) and hopefully they will cast clean. Well, to work I go!

Spent the weekend cleaning and doing laundry. Its been pretty quiet with everyone gone except me and Azalea. Sheila and Andrew made it safely to N.Y. sunday morning and are busy unpacking and settling in to their new apartment. Sheila has a great view of the Empire State building through her bedroom window. I hope to visit them some time this fall. I want to visit this studio called Ten Thousand Things, i love the jewelry and want to see and examine it up close (look too www.ylang23.com) . I find the shapes they use really inspiring....i just wish they were less pricey! I love Heather Wynn's beautiful work so much! I get in the mood to make jewelry the instant i see it! (feel the inspiration www.heatherwynn.com) Well, back to cleaning house and studio!

Worked on stone beads today, lots of organic shaped labradorites. My favorite stones ever. Our good friends Laura Belkin and Steve Gornick have been staying with us this past week. Laura is from D.C. and is preparing for grad school at an art school in Maryland. Steve is a fabulous musician and we have so been enjoying his stay! I've gotten a little too used to hearing African drums (a djembe) and acoustic guitar played live in my living room. We have been making art in the dining room like crazy! The table is full of paints and jewelry equipment, not to mention cookies,candy, biscuits...coffee. Good stuff. Well, i do not want to see these fine people leave.

Greg is leaving again for another show, this one will be in Madison, Wisconsin. Last week he was in Raleigh, NC. ,which was pretty good, saw lots of friends and favorite customers (all favorite!) . I am staying here helping Andrew and Sheila move to NY. I hoped they would stay longer, but school is starting soon. I really want to go away for a while, somewhere near the sea and work on some projects. GGS will be producing a manual of artful living , a nice book with all sorts of useful stuff to learn: casting resins, mold making and painting techniques, also collage and carving. Plus lots of other fancy things! Well the dishes need washed, and "Peter and the ShadowTheives" await!