How to Survive Winter.....or not?

I may have selective memory, but I don't recall this many days below freezing without a break.  We're into the zero and subzero realm again here, and the very basic tasks such as taking out recycling and garbage, or bringing in groceries, are a challenge, especially when the wind is blowing.  I'm impressed by how high the snow bank has gotten next to our walkway here-our little path to the garage and the dumpster.  I try to remind myself that February may be the longest month of all, because it follows the two before that were more of the same weather--we're talking about a full quarter of the year here!  No wonder it seems so long...

My spirits could be higher if I weren't facing these piles of accounting work, tax prep and other paperwork that's important, but oh so boring.  I need to knuckle down to be free of it (AKA get it finished already) so at least I can have a free mind and spirit to carry on with my new adventures in the studio.

I'm still experimenting with different shapes, colors and materials for my formed and forged metal pins and pendants.  I've just begun a new batch of earrings, rendered in this style, which should inspire me to clear the decks of all the "have to finish......" stuff so I can focus and keep this new thing going!!

Meanwhile, a peek at local coping mechanisms to survive the long winter:

Red Kitty believes he's a jungle cat!

Mariah loves to attack paper and shred it to bits

Purrmeister proves he's NOT afraid of that old vacuum cleaner, even if it is too loud

And Karen just keeps messing around with silver and copper and pretty beads.....we will all find a way to survive winter for a few more weeks.....

Thanks for dropping by and stay warm!

Taking the Wire a Little Further.....

As a working artist, I would explain my process as some mystical (tortured?!) fusion between a basic concept (idea or direction) and using the chosen materials.  Both sides of this equation tend to pull apart as often as they pull together.  So my current work with wire and mixed materials is a good example of this process.

On one hand, I started with the wire and a specific "need" in mind for a finished form...but this original impetus was abandoned as the wire itself, as a material, took its' own lead. 

As I began to see what might be possible, I began to see how I could gain more control and get the metal to conform more to what I'd like.  So while it's still give and take, there are two possibilities that are worth examining.  One is where the materials gain the upper hand and really do dictate the outcomes, sometimes pieces emerge that are nicely surprising.  The other is when I insist on getting to a certain outcome--sometimes it takes a few tries, but this is where persistence pays.

On another topic, the weather is a major current issue up here in the Midwest this winter, and in particular this week where we are below zero, again.  In my new place, I have a strange phenomena where what SHOULD be one of the warmest areas of this place....has skylights overhead!  So when temperatures are so far below freezing, all that heated air that floats up to the second floor is negated by the interior air that is cooled up in the skylights, is heavier, so floats downward, and so right now, it's kind of chilly up there.  Which explains the cats, all tangled together on their cat chair (which is under the skylight) doing what they must to keep warm. 

Thanks for stopping in and wherever you are, do keep warm!