Thrift Score

As an artist, I see potential projects and ideas everywhere I look.  Everyday things can be transformed into art.  It's a sort of double vision I think most artists possess.  I think it has to do with how we associate shapes, textures, and colors in different contexts and subconsciously identify like qualities in different things.  ANYway, the point, lowly though it may be, is that one of the places I go for ideas and for wierd and wonderous things is my local thrift store.  I can go there and find things that can be taken apart to become parts of sculptures, rescue old books for new paper goods, find amazing furniture for refurbishing projects.  One of my most visited spots there is the "metals" aisle (for lack of a better term - I think it's got a big number 4 hanging over it, but that doesn't help you, does it?).

There I find all kinds of misfit things missing parts or just needing some love and a new purpose.  Wire baskets, brass cups, metal tripods that once held vases or bowls.  These can all become part of new pieces for me.  Today I stopped in between other errands, and while I found what I went in for, I didn't make it out with that alone, cuz walking up to the register, a few other items called out "Renée!!!  Wait!  Take me too!  Fix me and find me a new home!!!"  So here's my score:

 1. a metal tripod  2. a mini glass apothecary jar  3. an embellished

metal tripod with a cup  4. a letter or file sorter  5. a really cute top- perfect with short shorts!

I often pick up metal tripods to include as stands for sculptures I make.  They create a great finished look.  I couldn't resist the apothecary- I have a thing for pretty glass jars.  The sorter will feed my obsession with organizing and being efficient so I can get more done, and the top, well, why not?  Yeah, I'd call this a successful trip, since on top of the things I carried out in my bag, I came away with a little fresh inspiration, which is always on my list.

One Down...

Okay, so you'll act like you didn't see me slink in and start tapping on the keyboard like I haven't been otherwise occupied for weeks.  But I have a good excuse.  I've been otherwise occupied.  Meanwhile, blog posts and rants have been pressing and straining to get outta my head (or that could be my seasonal allergies taking another crack at me), dripping into lists of topics onto sticky notes laying around, waiting for me to get around to getting my two cents off my chest so I can move onto other things.  Writing is becoming like my other forms of creating- an idea or a thing just haunts the mess outta me for weeks, months, sometimes years (don't judge me), and the only way for me to get peace is to sketch, paint, sculpt, write, whatever to get it out of me. 

And lately, it seems like somebody somewhere has turned the faucet on full blast, cuz projects are just pouring outta me faster than I can jot down notes on what they will be.  No figuring out how this piece is going to be painted, or that piece is going to be assembled-- just me running back and forth, from one thing to the next, finishing things as fast as I can so I can go on to the next.  And on top of my own ideas, the blessing of commissioned projects for customers.  Things that I'm enjoying creating for them, because I know I can make what they envision a reality.

Anyway, everyday I've been saying, okay TODAY I will find 5-10 minutes while something is drying or I'm waiting on something to upload to write some of these blog entries.  Well, here I finally am, and I feel like if I had the luxury of time, I could write five, but since I got some deadlines and I need a few minutes sleep this is gonna have to hold my place for a couple of days.  Alright, whew-- till, uh... let's say Thursday ;o).

Wordless Wednesday