Places and Spaces Out There

Featuring
Pathways
"Slits" StoneWomynArt

-Pathways-

It's been a while since my last post.  I prefer quality over quantity,when exploring my world in art. Granted there are a lot of events I can blog about, but balance in life is important and there are other things that sometimes takes precedence over what I want to do. There aren't enough hours in the day to do everything and bring quality to it all.  Somethings suffer, so with that said, lets take a walk along a path. The joy is in the journey, the journey through places and spaces out there.

Another art filled day and the fresh air is calling me.  I must step outside to get some air, sun and a little exercise.  My computer will survive for an hour or two without me, my artwork can breathe for a minute. As I leave my home, it occurs to me that I take this journey, walking the pathways & roadways that most people drive on, drive by or don't pay attention to in their day to day rush. Late afternoon, most people are on their way home from work, as I walk up the driveway, I notice there are trails, and pathways of all kinds everywhere.

How intriguing these paths are, some are the paths less traveled. Most are roadways, that quiet and cool in the evening air as more vehicles find their rest in parking spaces for the night. My favorite path is the sidewalk past the business park.  The trees on each side of the sidewalk create an arch above the path. Some trees have areas where limbs were cut off, exposing their insides which now look like petrified wood. There are images in these trees, however, the camera doesn't capture the gestural images my eyes catch, same with clouds.  This journey begins when the sidewalk ends. Strolling through the business park, there are many little roadways that are short and just end, but the path straight through is one long continuous parking lot. Empty office buildings and parking spaces compete for the quiet they've been seeking all day. Even the main road is quieting down as the evening comes over the horizon. Walking in the  middle of the road is awesome, especially on the yellow line, its so wrong, but feels so right. Since traffic can be unpredictable, I don't do it much.

Walking down this road, brings back memories of when I first moved to this area.  I was 12 years old, this road was one lane each way, and there was no sidewalk, no pathways. Just the white line that separated the emergency stopping zones from the street. There were no lights and metro buses didn't run at all down this street. When they expanded the street, they changed the curvature of the road, added lights, sidewalks and metro now runs on this street on a regular basis. Now the old roadway is overgrown and forgotten. But I remember walking down the dark road many times. What else did kids have to do in the summer.

Hard to believe there was a road here. Now its just overgrown and has become a pathway for walkers to take en route to the main road. This road change does make it easier to access the main road. Before it was a challenge to turn onto the main road from here. It was hit and run, literally due to the old roads close proximity to traffic coming off the the beltway.

Now there is a pathway that goes past a church, it used to be just gravel and it wasn't long and curvy. grave stones sprinkle the property surrounding it. Its serenity is peaceful and beautiful to look at. The church can be seen from the main road, but this path is leads to the side street. Their roadway, curves and sways like fluid hips in motion. This path is used by walkers to get to and cross a major three lane road in both directions. The median in the middle breaks up the pedestrians trek. My walk spans about a mile, maybe a little more, depending on where I'm walking. Either direction, its a good mile or more before you see a store of any kind. One of the downsides to living in the suburbs. 

As I make my way home, I realize there are many pathways, that I do not walk down. They are not paths that I need to take for whatever reason but I do so just for the hell of it. The sky is blue, the air is warm, with a nice breeze.  The joy is in the journey, get up, get out and do something! 

Your computer will not disown you, social networks will not crash if you take a breath of fresh air. Your body with thank you for the exercise, and your fingers definitely want to do something other than type. Keep your phone in your pocket and take a friend with you to chat with for your time out.  Promise, interacting with an actual person is good for you. If you are a great multitasker and can do it all, more power to you! Find your places, and spaces out there! 

STONEWOMYNART

Now that the Mi Godessa's en clay are done, the stone has begun to call me again.  Often times I am asked if I make jewelery, and my answer is generally No.  I find making jewelery to be the most tedious thing to do. While I can work small, making pieces that are wearable is too small for me most times.

Without getting technical or overly explanatory, if the design is simple and the stone flat enough, I may be able to pull off a necklace.  There are no fancy details and the image is organic not figurative. Drill a hole in it! Done! Not interested in investing in jewelery making tools, don't have the space or money. With clay, it would be easier to do, but I do not have my own kiln and I am at the mercy of someone else to fire my work and keep all the pieces together. So mass production with clay may present a problem.

pink slit

I decided to revisit this idea and came up with female body parts that fit the shapes of the stone(not in clay at this time).  My need for change in imagery can hinder mass production of one image. My intent is to have breast(s), bellies, and "Slits"! Yes, it is what it sounds like. I've done one boob and one slit so far!  I have other stone chunks that I have prepped for more slits. Each slit, breast or belly will be different, depending on shape of the stone and color. Mass production can be streamlined if the pieces are only sanded once or twice then polished, instead of the normal 13 or 14 sandings for my larger works.

Why would anyone want to walk around with a breast, belly or Slit around their neck?  I think its cool. what do you think? You can provide feedback! lol. 

Well, its a short post this time. I promise it wont be so long in between posts next time.

thank you for reading. Till you read again, see you....

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