Both sides now…
Snow Mask
Do you remember being a kid (or a college student) and learning in school about how January is named after the two-faced god Janus who looks forward and backward in time? It seems very fitting to me that while working towards the future, I’m also having a wonderful wintertime reunion right now with my own past. (I think Einstein was right, about time!)
With the use of a new scanner that is equipped to convert film negatives and slides, I am going through boxes and boxes of prints and slides and getting reacquainted both with my own childhood and my early work. Seen here is a polymer clay mask representing “Winter”. I’ve got a new web page up on how to make snowflakes, click the link to visit and see more! This mask and the snowflakes shown below by Dawn Naylor were both first seen in the book “Celebrations With Polymer Clay”.
My husband and collaborator Bryan has been doing the same review and reformat thing in an auditory way with his pod-cast series “My Life In Sound” which archives the first quarter century of his musical output. He’s been playing guitar, keyboards, drums and synthesizers in musical loops all the while that I’ve been working on polymer clay projects. And we all use the computer in turns, including the children that we somehow managed to beget and raise at the same time everything else was getting done. They are creative too…just imagine!
I’m finishing up or reformatting projects that were started a long time ago too, working in the warmest room of the house and having fun. I’ve gotten family slide shows put together, and added some new pages to the Polyclay Gallery website. I’m also updating existing pages there at the site and getting ready to start school at my local community college to learn more about the programs and tools that will important in web page design and all my upcoming publishing and Internet projects.
Snowflakes by Dawn Naylor
Like polymer clay, using my other PC requires me to pay attention to what’s been done in the past as well as keep a close eye on the new. New clay formulations, new ways of manipulating the clay, new software and hardware, and ways to improve on using it all are the challenges for the upcoming year. Along with survival and all that too!
Snow Mask digitally altered
And along the way, I’m enjoying the ways I can use one with the other, polymer clay and personal computer, old work and new work. Sometimes I just let myself play with them, rather than having a fixed idea that I try to achieve.
Here’s an image of the same polymer clay mask, when I play a bit with the file in Adobe Photoshop. Using the filters and experimenting gives me a little experience with what the tools can do. I’m looking forward to my classes in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator because being self-taught means that there are many areas of the programs I haven’t had anything to do with…yet. Stay tuned to see what sort of effect it all has when I learn more! Learning is always important–no matter where you are on the time line, no matter what the season.
Bryan Helm makes audible and visual mosaic art. Some of his instuments can be used for music. The ones that can not keep a tone are recycled into beautifully encrusted works of art that Senor Gaudy might well have liked.
