There's just something about little houses

Little Shanty, 5 x 5" ©2012 Kim Hambric

Yes, I'm still working with house shapes and maps.  I guess you could say I'm obsessed with both.

There's something so comforting about a simple house shape.

While I'm frequently heard to say that I would just loooooove to have more room, if granted that wish, I'm sure it wouldn't take long for me to regret asking for that extra space.

My small home is somewhat restricting.  Yet it is also freeing.  No pesky servants to get underfoot.  No 20-foot-long dining table to polish.

I would much rather have my home than trade in for Downton Abbey.

This piece is available in my Etsy shop.

Way Excited!!!

I've been walking like an injured dog.  Circling.  Circling.  Trying to get away from whatever it is that is hurting me.  A dog will just keep circling.  A human, such as I, will finally throw up her hands and scream at the sky.

That's when the hubby comes in and says:  "Why don't you find one of those art retreats or courses and go somewhere to try something different?"

"Huh?  I don't have any money, that's why."

And then he says, "We'll take some of the money from the last course I taught and send you somewhere."

I'm thinking he actually wants to help me and not just rid of me and my black clouds.

So, I do some searching . . .

Surface Design in Columbus, Ohio.  Maybe.  I could drive there.  That would be the reasonable thing to do.

"Didn't you once mention something in Portland, Oregon?"

"Uh.  Yeah," I stammered.

"So check into that."

And I did.  And I whined that it was too far from downtown Portland.  And I said it would be too expensive.  And then hubby got on the computer and looked up flights and costs.  And then I got on the Art and Soul Portland website and then I found it . . .

. . . a class with Jessie Reno! This is something I have DREAMED about, but never had the guts to do. So now, I'm registered for the class. Now I need to figure out the logistics of travel, child care, moving money and what not. I also need to figure out how to extend the trip to take Donna Watson's course also.

I'M SO EXCITED!!!

Me Also (am I becoming my mother?)

Me Also, 6 x 6" ©2012 Kim Hambric

In some way, this piece is about my concern(?) over slowly becoming my mother.  Am I trying to avoid this?  Am I giving in to this?  How fast can I run away from this?

The big "CH?"  My mother's initials.  The two similar houses?  My house is very little like my mother's house, yet are (were) they both traps?  And the meaning of everything else in this piece?  The shapes and colors are just a small selection of what was littered around my table on the day this piece was created.

This piece is available in my Etsy shop.

A Line a Day

My mother's diary.

She was not happy that I took it.  However, it was necessary.

After her mother died, I found my grandmother's diary in my mother's basement along with a few other belongings.  I decided to have a bit of a read.  In those 5 minutes, I discovered more about my grandmother's life than I had known over the course of 30+ years.  I won't divulge the family secrets or set the skeletons out by the curb, but my grandmother's trials of overcoming a not-so-perfect past touched me.  I wanted to know more.

I should have shut my mouth.  Alas . . .

I mentioned to my mother that I found her mother's diary and I was quite interested in it.  I should have taken it with me that very day.  I did not.

Upon my next visit home, I searched for the diary again.  After a weekend of no luck, I asked my mother what happened to the diary.  She told me she had thrown it in the trash.

My mother is quite well known for throwing things in the trash.  Every few years, we had to purchase another set of cutlery, as with every few meals, she would toss a fork, knife or spoon into the trash.  Accidentally, of course.  If I did not clean my room as a child, she would head in with a trash bag while I was in school and eliminate what she thought I no longer needed.

So, when her diary presented itself, it went into my luggage immediately.

I informed her what I had done.

Then I proceeded to make a few pieces of art with some of the entries.

Mother:  Venus and Mars, 10.5 x 10.5 SOLD

She never did see the few pieces I made from her entries.  I did tell her no family secrets were revealed.

My mother was a prolific knitter and seamstress.  She made most of her clothing as a young married woman.  I recall Easter was not Easter without a new dress sewn by her.  As my mother was not much interested in cooking, the household appliance I most associate her is the iron.    A symbol of the seamstress and a symbol of the life of a housewife.

My mother passed away December 22, 2010.  I miss her every day.

However, I still have the urge to take something when I see it and not take the risk of it being thrown away.

(sorry for the repeat if you have already read this on My Little House).

Highest Standards

Highest Standards, 6 x 6" ©2012 Kim Hambric

Strange Title?  Sure is.  It comes from the little blue circles cut from the packaging for the gesso board which is the base for this piece.  Ampersand states that its product is produced to the highest standards.  I love the little house.  It is cut from a piece of drywall tape and painted black.  I hope no one is getting tired of circle outlines.  I still love them, so I'm still going to paint them.  Seems to complete the piece.

This piece is available in my Etsy shop.

And Another Thing

And Another Thing, 6 x 6" ©2012 Kim Hambric

There is always something else to be done.  Something else to be said.

I'm having fun with those little Lego circles!

This piece can be found in my Etsy shop.

Anybody out there use strange objects as art and craft tools?

. . . .

I can't believe it's been a week since I've even thought of blogging.  No. I'm not gone forever.  Just taking a little break.

My father-in-law died last Tuesday after a long illness.  We've been out of town and busy with family.

I'm wondering what my studio looks like.  Perhaps squatters have moved in.  I'll take a look today or tomorrow and hopefully I'll have something to report soon.