01/20/2006: "Art 'n things"

Classes are beginning to fall into place again. I started a new sculpture in wood on Wednesday as the current one needs a bit of a rest..

The tutor is the same one that Sarah started with (we joked about how cute he was) and when I go to my class I do think about her and how sorry I felt for her when she gave up her class because she wasn't feeling strong enough to do it. Somehow the piece I was working on seems tied to her memory and I've come to a bit of a halt with it. I'll pick it up again soon but it seemed time to let it have a rest and work on something different for a while. So I went in with a little log of Ash which was from a tree my father-in-law had chopped down outside the house.

It's a small piece of wood but has a beautiful bark which I'd like to keep. The idea is that I'll carve trees into it and hopefully try to inlay a few pieces of glass at the ends of drilled holes which will go all the way through it, in an attempt to give the idea of a forest with shafts of light shining through. It might be too complicated but I know what I'd like to end up with - which usually means it will go through several transformations before I get there and be nothing like the original idea! But hey, ya gotta start somewhere.

I had to swap the jewellery class from the Friday afternoon to Thursday evenings because of the new job (only a week to go in the old one!!!) and three hours of intensive working is pretty tiring after a days work but I have now finished the neck piece I was working on (or cuirass - according to Holly). Although it's not sooooooooo big, it is more of a costume piece. I can't imagine wearing it out much.

I did go to classes this week which probably wasn't a good idea as I seem to have caught some flu type thing and keep breaking out into sweats and generally feel pretty achy and crap. I spent all day in bed yesterday but as I can't make Jewellery next week (my leaving 'do') I felt I had to go last night. Holding a blow torch when considering whether you're about to pass out isn't really a good idea (but I kept my mask on so I wouldn't infect anyone else!). Today is my last Friday off and I feel I really should make the most of it and go to a few gallerys or go for a walk or just do something for 'me' but I'm still feeling ill and had to get up to let electricians in to fix some new lights we're putting in. So I fear my last day of Friday freedom will pass without event. At least I can sit and put my feet up - and maybe catch up on a couple of Christmas DVD's. Mmmmm.......but then there are the non-existant sketch books I should really get sorted before Easter hand-in comes around....

Here are a couple of wee pics; the beginnings of the wood sculpture and the finished (I think!) jewellery - again not great quality as taken with the phone.