Creative Natives

03/04/2025

Resumed work on the sculpture. As I have said before, not sure that epoxy clay is my medium. First time using it and I have officially frustrated me self. ( I missed talk like a pirate day so I have to try to slip that in)
I built up rolled tubes of it to mimic some muscle bulk but I did not smooth it in as much as I should. Then I let it dry and harden to the point it is proving hard to sand down very nicely. I’m still excited about working with it but definitely won’t let it dry for several days. The cats also assisted in pointing out places they disliked by breaking it. The armature is still intact and the sculpture is still very rough with needing s bunch sanded off so it is fixable . The blocking in stage….so much to smooth out and refine !
I was reading another artist’s view on sculpting and appreciated her decision to leave her work rough. The texture, I think expressed her subjects struggle for survival as well as it enduring strength and raw beauty. I like that! It’s awesome to learn from others and be able to encourage their work as well as journey. We start out wanting things just so for our art to feel worthy and as we grow, we learn that a single line can say what we used to take 5. That confidence and conviction to our own expressionism becomes apart of our maturity and owning our talent. Very cool.
Alrighty ya’ll! That is where I leave you today! Learn, grow, and beeeee creative!

02/23/2025

Heya guys! Woo hoo warm weather! Hopefully the birds and the trees and the flowers and the bees are inspiring your artistic ventures! Never lose an opportunity to catch that spark of creativity! Keep a journal, your phone, your sketch pad with always for when that mist of muse tickles your noggin!
I took a break from sculpting and painting while working on a wedding the last few days. (Awesome awesomeness!) I have got the basic form completed, it really needs sanding and detailing. I did end up sculpting one rear hoof larger so I have to either sand it off or add more to the other. Right now, it won’t stand the way I want. I like the extension of the body and want to maintain the sense of motion; will get pictures up soon. I was checking in with some of the polymer clay sculptors and I really like how the clay handles. I think that is a medium I will try also. Remember to keep exploring until you find your natural element! That is most awesome thing about art, you can’t go wrong trying new things!
I also wanted the authors, writers, poets out there to know that there are alot of short story and poetry contests popping up! Go for it! Even if you don’t win, you win! Just getting your work out there is a wonderful opportunity.
Alrighty beautiful people! Have a great day and beeeee creative!

02/20/2025

There are some AMAZING photos of this area coming out online if you are interested! Even in the cold and snowy roads, very talented photographers are able to capture the essence of the land. Please check them out if you are interested. You will not be disappointed.

Working inside still here on a couple of paintings and a sculpture still.
I’m blocking in the muscle on the horse before smoothing out the final. Learning a new medium is pretty cool. Definitely not fabulous but push yourself everyday to learn something new. Art is not perfect, it is real.

Been working on some paintings that I have done. Sometimes I lose the muse and need to step away. The pony is going to be a series of farm animals so it’s a cutesy one. Landscape I’m working on made me chuckle this morning because I realized I painted a “haunted” painting! The barbed wire has no shadows (yet) so they must be ghost wire! Hence why I’m not a professional! Being able to step back and find little details that you left out or don’t work just means you are growing. That’s an awesome thing!

Then this is one of my favorites of the poppies. I did this one in gouache paints, the first time I used them. To me it represents being yourself in place everyone wants to outshine everyone else. Just doing your own thing and enjoying being you! Very happy with this one!

Alrighty everyone! There it tiz on this frigid frosty morning!! Be snuggly and beeeeeeee creative!

02/19/2025

Snowmagedon was not as bad here as we had been expecting but roads are still pretty rough. We had an interstate shut down, some multiple car pile up to the south, and emergency conditions activated in several small towns around the area. Locally the official count was 10.9 inches here but the windchill is well below zero. I got a few pictures mostly of the windswept snow but real honest, beauty doesn’t have to be staged; it just is. I’m not ready to get out onto the roads so I’ll share the glory of the winter.
Since we are buttoned down for a few days, I have a couple of paintings I’m working on but I decided to try sculpting with the epoxy clay. Now this comes in two containers and you mix equal amounts. This clay air dries, no firing necessary which is why I chose it.
As always, you start with your armature of wire, fill out some bulky areas with a material such as aluminum foil (what I use. This basically the “blocking in” process), and start with the clay. I never have used epoxy clay so I’m pretty excited to try it out. Remember, if it is in your heart to create, go for it! It doesn’t have to be perfect it just has to express what you need to get out there!
Alrighty folks, back to work here! Be safe out there and beeee creative!!!

02/16/2025

02/16/2025

Snowstorm headed into our area this week so enjoy the ability to create or capture the beauty in your yard, your area, in your heart, and in your beautiful artistic, creative mind! Just remember to be safe on the roads, dress for the cold, and pack cold weather necessities in your vehicle!

I’m adding some pictures from around our neck of the woods. My daughter and I love photography and really beautiful images. Some are last years snow, a local bridge, a creek nearby, and at a cabin down on the Buffalo River. The Ozarks has so many majestic views, you can never be disappointed by real natural beauty.

Be safe everyone and beeeeeee creative!!!

02/14/2025

For Valentine’s Day. A poem I wrote for my favorite engaged couple:

A blessing written from one heart to the other.

I love you
Everyone dreams of a soft squishy love like a pillow you can sink into .
Our love is hard, solid like concrete ;immovable forever because it is a foundation.
It can withstand every storm.
It can uphold every joy.
It can survive years of growth or drought.
Sometimes it will have to withstand you,
And sometimes me.
But it will
And you will
And I will
Because our love is a constant.
I don’t just feel that I love you
I see that I love you
I hear that I love you
I breathe that I love you
Even more so, I know this is only the beginning.
So… take my hand and walk with me.
We have such beautiful places to go.

Happy Valentines Day, creative ones and beeee in love!

02/12/2025

Good morning everyone! Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this page through sooooommme long intervals between posts. I wanted this to be a place that artists/craftsmen could post and display their work as well as be each other’s support. It’s a fickle world out there at times and everyone needs people to say “I see what you are doing! I get your art, written work, photography, whatever.” However you are creative and wherever you are native to, welcome! You have a voice and a visual, so shine!

Ok, we have had some medical issues in the family here for awhile so I’ve not had a real chance to be creative. I’m hoping we will be getting some definitive answers soon and we have a wedding coming up so you may have to deal with art related to that! lol. You know as artists, what inspires you inspires your art. Anyway, here’s work that I have been able to do:

Hand painted wedding invitations, sculpted moose antlers out of aluminum foil and cosplay clay, a monument for a statewide event and to honor veterans ,sculpted a longhorn out of barbed wire, sculpted deer and bear candle holders, and wrote a poem for the engaged couple.
Like i said, had some issues with hubby’s health but looking forward to some good news with that ; it’s been up and down for awhile so I can hopefully get back to creating. Just be encouraged that no matter what is going on in life or in the world , keep creating beauty everyday . Your creative spark needs to be fed and that in turn can inspire and encourage others! It’s your corner of the world so hoist your candle high and shine, baby, shine !
As always ,beeeeeee creative !

Monument was crafted out of insulation foam board, expanding foam, a ceiling medallion, acrylite piece and paint. The bell at the side is actually hubby’s father’s. He loved old bells and was a veteran. It was part of the monument to recognize his life/service as well as the liberty bell so many have chosen to defend.

We had a feral cat bring kittens to our house so we helped raise them and got them all homes when they were old enough . In the midst of that, we discovered they had hidden talents ! So i give you Meowco-angelo the wire sculptor!
Leonardo Da Scratchy critiquing my sketching ability!
They were all quite helpful on my creative journey this year.
Have a great day !

07/01/2023

Starting some work in stained glass now. I am carving a deer into a piece of driftwood I picked up at my son’s house. There are beavers in the ponds there so I had to incorporate the rustic charm of the downed trees into something! Lol.
I decided to do a carving and inlay stained glass around it to see how the effect is. I have never worked with glass so this is a big learning curve for me. I’m excited to try and see what happens!
We will inherited some old windows we are calling church windows but the glass is rather loose in them. I decided to sculpt some roses and epoxy them as if they were climbing these gorgeous antique panes. This is the first rose after drying so it is as of yet unpainted but can give you an idea of where I’m going with it.
Hope all you creative types are working away in your corner of the world. Be creative, and have a great Fourth of July everyone in the USA!

05/13/2023

I was reminded today of the mystery of life and the fragility of hope for some.

I was reminded today that some of the warmest hearts beat in strangers.

I was reminded today that no words carved on cold stone can truly convey the tapestry of one’s soul.

Nor can flowers decorate the empty space of whispers left unsaid.

I was reminded that a cold shoulder of a false friend is just as welcome as the warm smile of an aware stranger.

There are no awe-inspiring, lasting words that will cover over betrayal

Nor shimmery rose colored glasses that will make deceit beautiful.

I was reminded today of two things: We all need more love and the world needs more truth.

May every dark shadow you face fade in the rising sun.

May every whisper filled corner around you be silenced.

May justice hold her golden lantern above your head and your banner roll out pure before all.

May those who have gone on before have their silent plea be heard; you are good, you are strong, you are amazing.

On the heels of a most solemn day….remember; a silver coin sometimes has to be warmed and polished by loving hands to reveal its true value. Time can tarnish the surface but never the internal beauty of precious metal.

To all who are struggling with loss today, be strong, have good courage, and great faith.

04/02/2023

Trying a multiple personality garden this year. I had decided to do a renaissance style due to my love of Da Vinci’s work. They are definitely not old world masters quality and I am way out of practice in painting so they are what they are.
The first I call Days of Elijah; the second The King.Mom found an awesome little lamb statue that I put out by the King. A couple of baskets for flowers and this year’s privacy panels are go! Some doves on corbels hopefully dress up the tops until the flowers grow up the wire frames.
For fun, I used the fox I painted last year after sanding off the wisteria vines. I repainted him with some butterfly buddies and added a cedar window box I am building out of the scraps from the wood Trevor bought to line the closets with. My carpentry skills are lacking but I am enjoying the challenge. Happy Spring everyone and Happy Easter. No matter what, always be creative.

10/08/2022

Been working on some Fall decor. It’s my favorite season in temperature and color. Hope all the natives are being creative in this beautiful autumn time.

Some driftwood art fox, a shovel I broke and decorated for revenge, an old saw blade I pulled out of the shed and painted for the yard.