First....look!

I would have thought I'd come home from vacation permanently hunched over from all the time we spent looking closely at the stones, shells, sea glass, sand dollars and seaweed strewn across the beaches of Matinicus last month. I looked at pebbles closely, as I had been taught to do in Tracy Holmes class "A Day at the Beach, developing a criticial eye in regard to my own polymer clay versions. (This echoed my Dad's drawing instruction when I was little "always look at the thing you are drawing MORE than at your piece of paper".)

Here's my fiddling around. The more realistic looking ones have been sanded; the others are rough.


This might be what happens next.


And I am definitely headed in this direction but with custom sterling rings.

Where has the time gone?

We tend to choose "off the beaten track" as a travel destination. Thing is, I find it incredibly difficult to get back on the track again at least in the area of technology. (Is that such a bad thing?) At any rate, sorry to those of you who noticed the month long gap here.


Our interest in remote islands continues. At the beginning of July we went to Matinicus Island, Maine. Twenty-two miles out to sea it is quite simply a lobstering village on a 2 x 1 mile island. Just fifty people call it their year round home. No paved streets, no street lights and a one room school. No commercial anything (although they do have a one room store and a one room bakery). We got there by water taxi and came home by ferry although most people and supplies travel via single engine plane.

Our days were quiet and slow. Time was measured by sun and tide. We left our car on the mainland and explored the island on foot. Most days we had South Sandy Beach to ourselves.


My miniature cairns - the tallest being about 3 inches. (oh my yes, you'll be seeing some polymer stones soon!)


Ben's cairn - he is a master of balance.


We ordered zero carbon lobster by standing on the rocky shore and holding up a finger for every lobster. They were $5/lb. and were delivered to our house later in the day.


Locals apologized for the fog. "Its Maine," we said, "we CAME for the fog!"

New Posting

Just a quick note...

This artifact necklace was mentioned here a while back when one went to the Radius Gallery. I finally have one posted in my Etsy shop.

A necklace born of my love for the ocean, interest in archeology and fascination with repetition and asymmetry as design elements.

Ode to my summer vacation

Plans are finally in place for our summer adventure!
Can you guess where I'm going - here is a clue?

(The beginnings of my foray in polymer clay beach stones. Another clue.)

Bead purge

Descriptive title, huh?


The wooden box I use for spare beads and beads made while trying out a new techniques is overflowing. Sure, eventually I might use them but I have SO many projects in the works and so many beads and I'm trying to get things under control and cleaned up. I've organized the beads into collections based on color and started posting them in the shop.

Magnum Opus and Free Shipping

For the past several weeks I've been focused heavily on my kids. We are winding down our school year finishing research papers, web design projects and that very last unit in the math book. I have observed that math becomes increasingly difficult as the weather outside improves.

I can end up feeling creatively foggy during this process. There isn't time or energy left at the end of the day for my artwork. Work begets work apparently and I only have new ideas when I am also actively creating. You can see where I go from here..."I will never have a good idea EVER again! Waaaaah!"


(Driving on a Friday Evening by my daughter, Ema)

I checked out my daughter's new blog the other day. Have I foolishly been stumbling over my own magnum opus? The raising of children is such a large creative endeavor that its hard to see the beginning and the end all at once.

Nothing changed - except my attitude. But that's made all the difference.


(All photos above are my daughter's. She just shot her second wedding. When I was seventeen I babysat to make money!)

To everything there is a season. I'm looking forward to getting into the studio again soon with the energy of the accomplishments of our school year at my back and a long summer ahead.

In celebration - FREE shipping through May 31.

Happy Saint Helena Day!

The island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean is considered to be the most remote community in the world. And today is her day!



Although there are islands that are geographically farther from a continent Saint Helena gets this title of most remote because it is 1200 miles from Africa AND has no airport. The only regular access is by Royal Mail Ship about 8 times per year.



Found in 1502 by a Portuguese ship that had blown off course, brought to fame as a possession of the East India Company, it is today a British Overseas Territory.


Two years ago on this day I was scrambling to pack for a 3 month adventure for a family of five to this much forgotten island that has captured our hearts and minds. I don't think a day goes by that I don't think about returning.


I could go on and on. If you're interested here is the blog that I kept during our adventure.


All photos were taken by my husband Kyle and are part of the documentary work he did for the island's museum.

http://kylewilliamson.com/
http://my-daily-art.blogspot.com/