Hot Fun In The Summertime?

The summer heat has been brutal... power outages, torrential rains, and the endurance

of my own “personal summer” keeps me feeling like I’m melting like butter.  In spite of

the discomfort of the summer heat I’ve been truly inspired, I just can’t work fast enough.

I’m behind on posting my new work and events this month, but better late than never.

Work that is on display at the Torpedo Factory this month are "Jumping Through Hoops" and 

"The Future Belongs To Those Who Have Survived Their Past".

"Jumping Through Hoops"

"The Future Belongs To Those Who Have Survived Their Past"

A dear friend of mine, Sushmita Mazumdar also had one of her paintings accepted in July's
show.  Sush is a fantastic writer and bookmaker.  Before I retired, we wrote a grant and taught
a writing and bookmaking unit to my third grade classes.  You can check out her website at
HandmadeStoryBooks.com

Sush and Kat standing in front of Sush's painting.

There are two shows coming up in August that I'm auditioning for at the Torpedo Factory, 

"Scapes" (Landscapes) and "Shapes" (Sculpture). These are the entries I submitted.

"Root Fairy"

"Centered"

"Lilly Love"

I've really had fun working on these whimsical figures which are my newbies for this month.

"A Bird In The Hand"

"Ooo-Wee"

"Moon Walking"

"My Sister's House"

These girls are waiting to be painted and named.

Happy Birthday To Me!

June is my birthday month and I usually try to make it point to celebrate in some special way all month.  As I get older, my celebrations have become more private, tranquil, and probably to most, quite boring.... but since it’s all about me, who cares about the “most”.  As I settled more into my art, the passion continues to grow and grow.  The excitement of my next creation leaves me as bubbly as a child at Christmas.

I have learned the lesson that I need to take photos of my work throughout
the process of what I’m making.  I had worked hours on a garden sculpture,
detailing her with flowers, vines, and what nots that any garden flower fairy would be ecstatic about.  It was because of my excitement and lack of patience I put her into the kiln too soon.  Her head exploded like a pumpkin and her body with gaping holes.  I believe she wasn’t totally dry.  Lesson learned....patience...patience... patience.

Most birthdays leave us looking back on our lives and where we are now.
During this reflection, I decided to put a short video together of the twists, turns and detours my life has taken.  We all make choices about the professions and interests we pursue, but the direction of our lives doesn’t always necessarily follow those routes.

This past semester I was teaching beginning ceramics through the Art League.  Although I taught art for twenty years and special education for  ten, I was still a bit nervous coming into this new environment.  In spite of my apprehension, I really enjoyed it and hope the students did as well.

.

So many ideas, my hands just can’t move fast enough.  Here are photos of

this month’s work.

"Come Live In My Heart"

"Jumping Through Hoops"  (Wall Hanging)

"The Future Belongs To Those Who Have Survived Their Past"

Works in the making....

This month in the Bin Gallery I have one piece on exhibit.

"Bathing Beauty"

Rainbows Always Make Us Happy

 

All Things Seem Possible In May

I LOVE the month of May, it's such a beautiful time of year.  The flowers are beginning to bloom, the smell of the air is so sweet, and you can sit outside comfortably without blood sucking mosquitoes attacking you from every direction.  I find carpenter bees very curious, even though I don't like the the destruction they do to my flower boxes and the sides of my 
deck.  I can't help wonder what they are thinking in their tiny little minds when they fly right next to me and hover like a helicopter examining me as I'm doing with them.  We look at each other eye to eye for several seconds before they jet off to some other curiosity.  


Flowers are in abundance everywhere, take in their beauty and marvelous fragrances.

After three years of leg pain, lethargy, and various other grumbles, it has finally been confirmed I do have fibromyalgia.  I have started going to an acupuncturist and  feeling a difference already.  I still need to take pain medicine on occasion, but to feel semi-human again is a miracle.

The theme at the "Art League Gallery" this month is entitled "Bedtime Stories".  Noah, my son, and I both had pieces accepted to be in the show.  Noah's sculpture sold the day after the show went up.  I don't have a photo of his work to post.  My piece is called "Onilee's Last Dance ".  It was inspired by my memories of my dancing days.  My photo isn't the greatest, but if you look hard you might see her dancing shoes she keeps in her soul.

One other piece I experimented with was making these pillow like figures.... it didn't excite me, but it just playing with a new idea.

I have several new works that are in the drying process so I'll have quite a few new pieces

to share with you next month.  One of the sculptures is to honor the strength and courage women have when fighting cancer and knowing that a woman's beauty and femininity is

a state of mind, not a state of body.

May's Marvelous Beauty

We all have strengths, know them and share them as often as you can.


Love to all our beautiful mother's, sisters, aunts and female friends that embrace us in friendship, support and strength.  This bouquet is for you all!!!


http://vimeo.com/vorobyoff/flowers

"Dance First, Think Later"

March is usually a long month for me, but this time it seemed to fly by, I think warm weather
has a tendency to do that with time.  I hope with the warmer weather, my legs and feet will
stay a little more flexible and not so painful to get around.  Anyway, even though I'm moving at
a snell's pace, I'm still moving.  In my head, I'm dancing my heart out!  


Enjoy this video I found on YouTube,  music by Harry Belafonte, my "hubba hubba" back in the day.

I was asked to teach a beginners ceramic class at the Art League this semester.  At first I
answered with an emphatic "NO", but  after giving it some thought, I decided it is time to get
my feet wet again.  My main concern is how I will hold up physically, but, I will hold a positive 
thought and see how it goes.  

The Art League School

Ceramics

(ages 10 to adult)

Participants with all levels of experience will explore clay in 

supportive atmosphere, guided by a skilled instructor.  

Handbuilding skills will be taught, with an emphasis on 

creativity and having fun.  Students are encouraged to explore

their own ideas and projects.  All work is fired for permanence.

The fee includes clay, tools, and firing.

Monday   4:00  -  6:00, begins April 9th  (9 weeks)

I love researching ideas and lessons to teach, so I've spent a lot time this month experimenting

with some new and old lessons.

With the warmer weather, I enjoyed getting out and working on my kiln shed again.

My goal is to try to get it finished before the heat sets in, but we'll see what happens.

Some other ideas I've been playing with are rattles and how I can add beads and

fiber to my figures. 

Two of my figures, "Shiloh" and "Buttercup" sold last month.  I hope "Buttercup"

went to a good home, she was one of my favorites.

The art piece that was accepted at the Art League Gallery this month is called "Xiomara".

"Xiomara" is strung with strings of glass beads around her chest, beads and fiber adorn

her head and dangle from her torso.

In the Bin Gallery, "Pippen" is on exhibit.  She is more of a whimsical piece with glass 

beads adorning her hat.

"Luna Rosa"  - A fun wall sculpture

Dance With Raindrops

March Gladness

March is Woman’s History Month, a time to reflect and honor the contributions 

and accomplishments of women.  I wanted to highlight and focus on the unique beauty of women around the world in their simplicity as well as their art of cultural adornment.  I love looking at and collecting vintage photos, so I’ve put together  

this photo video of some of my favorite images.

Last month was the "Student - Faculty Show" at the Art League and I'm happy to 

mention I was one of the recipients of a merit award for my figure "Shiloh".  

It sold several days later.  

Shiloh

This month, the theme of the show at the Art League is "Play".  Noah and I both

were accepted.  My work is entitled, "Where Did The Time Go?"  It was inspired

by my childhood memories of climbing in trees, hide and go seek, and miniature 

toys.  My cousin, Judy and I used to take naps together at our Aunt Plunksy"s 

house.  Our aunt kept a metal wishbone with cellulose toys that hung from it. 

During the time Judy and I were supposed to be napping we decided to take a 

toy off the wishbone, one for each of us.  There were so many little bubblegum machine toys suspended from the wishbone, the two we took would never be noticed.  This became an everyday ritual, until there were no toys left.  On my art

work, I have vintage toys from the fifties suspended the clock, no napping kids

will be allowed to sleep in the same room with this piece.

The photo below is a  picture of my cousin Judy and myself in kindergarden.

One of my cousins just happened to find this picture on Arlington Co. Public Library's site.  

The photo was part of their Black History Slideshow,  "The Eve of Integration In Arlington".

Noah has sculpted a bike out of an assortment of scrap metal and junk.  If you go to the Torpedo Factory, his piece is called "On The Move".

Another figure that I have on exhibit in the Bin Gallery is "Buttercup".

New Greeting Cards