Journal

Yesterday, I went to Globe Studios to select my studio. They will be turning one of the large units (900+ sq ft) into two smaller units, and I submitted my application in time to get first pick between the two units. Mine will be a roomy 520 sq ft, which is considerably larger than the tiny space I have now (which is barely 90 sq ft). I'm thrilled by the space and the fact that I'll have double-doors and a window! It really doesn't take much to make a studio more desirable. And, unlike the unit I had on Duke St several years ago, this will be well-heated and well-maintained.

I have been looking at Twitter for a while as a way for me to send short updates when things become busy. The next few weeks will be a bit hectic for me, so I thought it would be a good time for me to test it. A small block with recent updates have been added to most pages on my website. You can see all updates here (feeds also available from that page).

Today, I parted ways with Untitled Alabaster #11. Its new owner has been asking about it for a while, so I'm glad she was able to finally take it home with her. I now find myself in a somewhat strange situation, where I've sold four of the six sculptures I completed last year. It's strange because, although I love that my sculptures are finding their way to people, I am now without much new work for a portfolio to send to galleries and calls for artists. This recent burst of sales has given me the encouragement and finances to create more work, but time is increasingly a problem.

I have created a new Work In Progress album for my sculptures and added the photos I took for Untitled Alabaster #14 as I was working. The quality of the work-in-progress photos isn't the same as the initial photos and the photos of the completed sculpture because I used my camera phone for the shots. It was much more convenient, and I was less concerned about getting dust in my cell phone than in my camera.

After some persistence, I have re-shot and uploaded photos of Untitled Alabaster #14. I feel like a proud parent taking pictures of their first child, even though this is far from my first sculpture. Not only are there, coincidentally, 14 pictures of this sculpture (2 of which I haven't even put onto my website because they are very similar to two other pictures), but I also have dozens of in-progress pictures (to be uploaded in the next few days).

I've been working feverishly the past few days to complete my newest sculpture. I finished it tonight and absolutely adore it. After taking several pictures of it and watermarking them for the website, I realized that I forgot to keep a copy of the originals for slides/CDs to send to galleries, competitions, etc. I'm now completely exhausted after a very long day (although it's merely 3 minutes to 9pm), so I'll have to re-shoot the photos tomorrow.

My latest sculpture has firmly planted itself into my consciousness. I'm increasingly eager to complete it, and the past few days I've needed to force myself to stop sculpting so that I can eat. Even now, as I give my muscles a much-needed rest, I'm restless and itching to get back into my studio.

On the topic of studios, I met with the Chair of Globe Studios yesterday. I've been thinking complaining for a long time that I need a bigger studio so that I can expand into outdoor-friendly stones like marble and limestone. Soapstone and alabaster are not weather-resistant, and the small space I currently have can not handle the equipment I would need to work harder stones.

Today, I parted ways with Alabaster #7. Completing sales are always a bittersweet event, and my recent sales have been particularly bittersweet because they are of my newest work. Before last year, my sales were inconsistent and slow, and I had more time to spend with my sculptures before they found new homes. Now it seems I spend much more time with them as they develop, and not much once they have come to fruition. I wonder whether it would be more difficult to part with my older work, now that I've spent years with them in my office.

I have finally gotten to the stage with my current sculpture in which I can't stop thinking about it. It has moved into the stage where it is so close to being complete, but still weeks away from being finished. I'm going a little mad right now because I can't work on it as much as I want. Not merely do I have other priorities keeping me out of my studio, but my muscles are aching from the work I have done.

I have spent the past few weeks refining the shape of my latest sculpture, and it has been an exceptionally slow process. This sculpture has edges which are more delicate and concave shapes which are more dramatic than previous sculptures, so the balance between working quickly and working carefully has been a precarious one.