Friendly Plastic Swan Song 39/1000

Over the coming year

 I am going to use up 

my stash of 

friendly plastic.

I am aiming  to make 1000 things unless the material runs out before that.

Birthdays, Sketchbooks, Prints: once a year, once a day, once in a blue moon coming up...

Exactly a month ago I had a birthday.

It happened to fall on the November full moon called the Beaver Moon.

Rice Lake in the Kawarthas

Beaver Moon over Rice Lake

I was away from home and was lucky enough to see the full moon rise over Rice Lake on an unusually warm November evening. It felt like the perfect end to an astonishing year of accomplishments for me and an auspicious beginning for my next trip round the sun.



Yesterday on another full moon night, this time called the Cold Moon, I committed to some art practices I'd like to keep up this year. The Cold Moon Super Moon (yes it was a super moon) will keep me honest and on track.

Ever Evolving Cover of New Daily Sketchbook

proofing my blocks - day 1

What I decided to do was keep a daily sketchbook. I hadn't planned on it but I have added a task for myself to carve one small eraser block everyday for a year.

 I started with an image for the Beaver Moon and another for the Cold Moon. That's what got me hooked. So much personal satisfaction in these dime-sized prints for me.





Ooo! Just found this! More moon mania ahead! It IS an auspicious start to the year.

Blue Moon ahead.

2017 Year of the Rooster - print exchange by mail

This is the Year of the Rooster, specifically, a Fire Rooster year. 

people, wake up. (2017)  Katie Argyle - linocut on canson card, edition of 45.

 For several years I participated in a Chinese New Year print exchange through 

Proof Gallery in Toronto. After many years, they cancelled their event.

Theresa Martin, Kansas City, USA - the print was mailed as a postcard

 I looked for another exchange and found a Year of the Rooster exchange through the mail. 

Stephanie Chao, Laguna Niguel, California, USA

This was on Baren Forum which is a great printmaking resource aimed 

toward woodblock printmakers but definitely open to other fine art printmakers. 

Take a look at their site! Wow.

Frank Trueba, Felton California, USA - super interesting information printed on the back

I signed on to exchange new year greetings. 

There are 30 of us and we made and edition of prints/cards for each other.

copper etching over linoblock with chine colle - not sure who the artist is...?

On the list are a few Canadians, one from the UK, one from Italy and 

one from Tasmania. The rest are located in the United States of America. 

Sonia Jensen - clever two sided rooster card

So far I have received 7 of 29. 

Monica Bright, Star, Idaho, USA

Many more to look forward to.

Calvin Carlisle, Shaker Heights, Ohio, USA

Friendly Plastic and Me: A Love Story: the foreward.

I've got 369 friendly plastic sticks, all non-snappers.
If you know what I am talking about, then you know what Friendly Plastic is.

Lets just say my plastic is of the highest quality. ;)

I have a good range of colours and patterns.

And now that it's obsolete*, well, I could sell them for a pretty penny!

My Artrepreneur cohort (hello fellow Vaughan artrepreneurs) would say this is the obvious move.

But I think no.
Use it.
Allow it to fulfill its purpose: shiny happy things at a moderate price for fun and a bit of profit. (I did learn something.)

For me, that is its highest calling.

Since I'm still a bit under the weather I will end this note here. I have a whole year to talk Friendly Plastic. Feel free to unfollow me now!


*Friendly plastic continues to exist in its original form: pellets. If you have a hankering for making your own crafting material, or using this product for other applications, I salute you. For me, it is the end.
Here's a link to the manufacturers site.

Ebay search for Friendly Plastic

Sick. Ugh.

bundling up

Not much to say except I am sick today. Full on sick. I have a bad cold that started last week with an irritating weird little cough that you would think was fake. It grew to a bigger cough but no other symptoms and now I am hacking away and freezing and sneezing heading back to bed. I'm checking in to maintain my goal of writing every day on my blog this year. Posts like this are next to useless, but I am writing them in 2017.

Until tomorrow.

My Quest to Try New Things: play that ukulele already - January 2nd, 2017

For my birthday in 2015 I got this sweet ukulele.

 

cat for size comparison

 I was so excited. I wanted one for a long long time and finally had a good one.

I tried to learn to play it from books.

I was highly motivated to play this song for instance. 

But learning from books is never easy for me. So I turned to youtube videos and just got frustrated. 

tuner!?

What I really wanted was a class.

so many songs

If I start in a class then I can follow up with the other methods. I learn better with others.

Yesterday I saw one advertised on kijiji* that's not too far from me. By the end of 2 hours on an otherwise ordinary Sunday in January, this class promises that I will be singing songs by the end of it. Yay! I am signed up.

I am hoping to attend some folk festivals this summer.

A folk festival is the right place to bring a ukulele. 

And so, this is one of my 2017 goals: to play ukulele at a folk festival. 

for an AMP!!! (lookout neighbours!!!)

 

 

 

 

Ukulele Orchestra of GB - Shaft

 *possibly goal #2 of 2017: sell some stuff on kijiji

January 1st, 2017

The new year is here.

I don't feel ready for the new year even though I was dying to see 2016 leave.
2016 was a grind.

Good things, bad things, busy busy busy.

My goal last year was to have more fun.

Sadly, I'm not sure I accomplished this,
seemingly,
easy to achieve goal.

I feel as though I am still trying to find my way here after our move.

It's already been 5 years.

I have met and made friends with lots of great people, still I can't help but feel this isn't my "place".

That's not always a bad thing.

A bit of discomfort keeps you on your toes.

What keeps me grounded is my desire to make things. No matter what, my drive to create and the challenge of bringing things into the world continues to be my greatest joy.

That and mulling things over a cup of coffee. I really really like to do that too.

2017.
Bring it on.