Dreaming instead of sleeping...

We moved back to Virginia after living three years in France. I had merged the grammar of two languages and entered school saying "I love my house white" and, as much as I love ice cream , I could not understand why anyone would want to put it between two slices of bread and make a sandwich out of it. 

One day in school my thoughts were drifiting and the teacher said "Are you day dreaming?" I replied,  "What is that?"   She said something about looking out of windows and being in another place and I still think "I want to do that."

So,last night when I couldn't sleep I dreamed of this.

From here to eterni-tea

Our friends Barry and Jill came for a visit a few weeks ago. It ended up being more of a rescue mission since John and I are both having slow recoveries from surgery. When I offered Jill a cup of tea, we discovered we both have a penchant for black licorice, so I brewed us each a cup of Yogi Licorice Mint tea. Yogi is a little pricey, especially since I am a baby and require two tea bags to get enough oomph in my cup.

Jill asked, "Have you ever had that Aveda spa tea that they serve in their salons?" That was all it took. I must have massive amounts of this tea, even though I have never tasted it. "Our tea shop makes a knock off and it's $50 a pound!" Why does this make me want it more?

I figured if the tea shop can make something similar, than surely I could as well, even though I have yet to put my lips to a hot steaming cup of the mystery tea.

I went to my favorite resources: the internet, and amazon. While I won't pay $50 a pound, I will spend $62 on massive quantities of peppermint leaves, licorice root, and fennel. I am frugal, so I used the Basil I have in the pantry. Today I set to making spa tea!

Here are my supplies. Don't packets look like  astronaut food?  I figure I have enough to prepare for tea-Armageddon. All the Brits will be lining up to my fallout shelter.

My inclination is to use it all and make a gigantic batch.  "Why, I'll start a tea company, " says I , but my 'inner grown-up' (bless her, she doesn't show up often) advised making one batch to see how it tasted first.

Here's how it went down: 1/8 C Basil, 1/8 C Fennel (I have 2 pounds), 1 C Peppermint (2 pounds), 1 1/4 C Licorice Root (ditto). Mixed them all together and stashed the tea into a jar painted with trees: a Teatree jar! It must be worth at least a million bucks! I'm so rich, who needs to start a tea company!

Now for the brew. My friend Gena gave me this beautiful orange tea infuser. I poured more than two tea bags worth (I'm rich!) into the stainless steel insert and counted the seconds until it was ready to taste.

Delish!  Jill sent me a sample of her spa tea. I think this version has a bit more licorice flavor to it, so I might reduce the licorice on my next batch, or add Lavender! I'm off to brew some more.  Stop by and have a cup. I have plenty.

My DIY Christmas under the sea...

I received some very special gifts this Christmas. James remastered my sixteen year old self singing songs I wrote, including one I wrote for my first boyfriend. It is handy that John has blue eyes, enabling me to sing it to him when we were in college. You can listen to it here if you like. Heather created a beautiful bound book telling the story of her wedding in January of last year, Danielle gave me a print of my favorite photograph in her graduate portfolio, and Natalie made me an assortment of edible delights as well as felt ornaments she created. It was a very special DIY kind of Christmas with all the children home.

For his part, my blue-eyed beau gave me a snorkelling/scuba trip to the keys. It is out of our comfort zones, a scary adventure to anticipate together. I was thinking about coral reefs when I made this tile using my new passion, alcohol inks, and imagining what it will be like to paint after seeing the real thing.

More play with alcohol inks...

                                                                                             I love how the inks create mini-landscapes. Was excited to discover layering today. The jar below isn't finished yet but I am liking the look it is taking on. Don't you think the ornament resembles batik?

Busch Gardens tree unveiled & alcohol ink addiction...

I forgot to post a photo of the completed tree at Busch Gardens where we celebrated an unveiling. Many of the teachers involved attended and were excited to see the name of their schools listed on the tree's base, along with a little write up about the project.  It is so gratifying to hear how much the students enjoyed working with the plastic. Many of the schools are using the techniques for other projects.  Below is a tree topper I mailed as a final touch. I was tickled to think of adding clear unpainted bottles for some sparkle. I built it on an old lampshade topped with a light-up acrylic ball. I love using stuff up that I have around the house!

My latest obsession, another adventure in  color :alcohol inks! They behave very much like liquid watercolor, but  can be applied to all different kinds of surfaces. Here are some ornaments I made along with a ceramic jar I found on clearance at the craft store.  I think the colors will be  enhanced once I apply the sealant. It's like getting to make my own granite! I wish I could have a counter top in these colors

New gift for bead lovers...

I created notecards from prints of drawings I made at a class at Laguna College of Art and Design a couple of years ago. Loving how they turned out. Set of 4 notecards and 3 postcards with envelopes are $14.50 on my Esty site. Any jewelry/bead/art loving mother's in need of a gift?

My artistic process: Dizzy decaf delirium...

I used to tell my kids that boredom is a gift because it drives you to find something interesting to do. I've been holed up not feeling well all week and coming down with an acute case of cabin fever, so I delved into some ideas for my recycled work that I've had percolating for quite some time.

I want to do a landscape using the recycled plastic bottles and  to experiment with texture, so, taking the paints and leftover bottles I had on hand, I started 'quilting' a landscape. I am  loosely following a Van Gogh study I painted years ago that hangs over our fireplace. I probably wouldn't have chosen this particular painting, but was too tired, lazy, and/or caffeine deprived to hunt down something else. I know it is going to evolve into something completely different . (That is really a disclaimer since the panel of bottles doesn't look even remotely similar to my painting. )

Above is a photo of bottles done in different cuts that I am hoping will yield interesting texture. I'm envisioning something along the lines of a weaving done with different types of yarns and materials. (Note: I don't like Lipton tea but I've been dizzy so don't want to drive to the store to get my P&G Tips. We are also out of coffee which could explain the dizziness and my use of the word 'percolate' in my first paragraph.)

Here's my painting on the mantel I was too lazy to clear off before snapping this photo, so you get a glimpse of my daughter and son-in-law at their wedding and Danielle's screen print bebop of color she gave me for Christmas. 

This is the beginning of my plastic interpretation which I will manipulate further with a heat gun. I am contemplating making a large branch across the view using bottles wrapped in newspaper before they are cut.

Also on the back burner: cloudy white gallon jugs and texture made by soldering iron holes, but it's all over if I run out of Lipton.

Good morning whimsy!

I meant to post these birds on Dr. Seuss's birthday. I gave my dad a gift of colored porcelain clays and he was trying out all of the colors. My mother was a bit worried he had 'lost it.' We fell in love with his flock and fought over who got what.

My latest obsession is vintage Crackerjack toys. Now THAT's a party around your neck! They have a similar silliness, though with a little bit of feistiness. They remind me of my dad's Halloween pumpkin. His versions always looked mischievous.

Sometimes I wonder about these Crackerjack charms.  Isn't this bird hysterical? It's kind of creepy and has a a whole lot of attitude.

Paints, paper, pens, and purses... grab color wherever you can!

Sargent Art sent me a big box full of paints to play with before I present a workshop for them at the National Art Educators Association conference in San Diego next week. When I started doing my bottle installations I dreamed, even prayed (which is probably the same thing), that I could go around the country creating collaborative projects. I forgot about that prayer until recently, after having done installations here in Florida, in Michigan, Maryland, and now in California.

I'm obsessed with Sargent's liquid water colors called Watercolor Magic. I realized that playing with color cheers me up so I played on paper:I love taking a fine point permanent marker and outlining all the little archipelagos the salt blooms create. (far right) Watercolor with salt on good paper can be torn into what ends up looking like little landscapes, then attached to create mini landscapes on note cards. I want to do a workshop on this! By the way, I love Arches paper because it is gorgeous, French, and it has a long tradition ;the company was established in 1492.

I played on the computer:

Made this postcard to take with me to NAEA with my artist statement and bio on the back. Maybe I'll pick up more gigs!

I played with painting tissue paper and newspaper to create a new technique:

 Last but not least, I played with purses! I'm so excited and thankful for my 15 member team and am proud to display this killer collection.

Putting it on paper...

I've been cleaning out my studio. So far I have a colosal mess! I got rid of bookcases, but not the stuff on the bookcases. Then, I get distracted by projects, like using up all my sterling silver. These drawings were in the rubble, so I took them to a printer to look into making postcards on a nice heavy paper with a tooth to it that resembles watercolor paper. I've been thinking about having these printed for years, so I think I'll bite the bullet. There are 4 drawings and I'm thought it would be fun to print the black and white ones and include a  little watercolor sets so you can paint them yourself. Ultimately, I think it would be fun to do a gallery show with drawings and the pieces that inspired them.

Be still my hot pink little heart...

I got so much done today! That's what having a car in the shop will do for you. On days like this I think the stars align and all of the socks find their mates. Here are some beauties that came out of the kiln. They are sort of hot pink, almost fluorescent. Makes my heart go pitter patter.

Hidden pictures, mirror glass, and MD Anderson...

I  read a book of tutorials on silver glass as we travelled to and from Houston to MD Anderson to meet with John's doctor. I am so thankful and numb with relief over the good lab results, that I took the day to listen to music (Pandora set to "Beach House") and unwind in my studio.

I am  hooked on playing silver glass, so named because it contains silver. It is pricey and if you don't treat it just right you end up with a muddy mess that looks like sludge. I could hardly wait to try out some new techniques and am pretty happy with some of the results. Now the trick is to photograph them without my reflection in the mirror effects. Actually, I like the image where you can see my hands and camera. It reminds me of Highlight's Magazine hidden pictures.

Charley Meyrick World Tour with a side of rice...

Today, Natalie and her boyfriend Johnny came down to see my celebrity chef god-brother Jesse Wong who is visiting to do some cooking with my mom and take her mind off of losing my dad. We had a lovely lunch of hot and sour soup, steamed pork filled buns, and spicy tofu. I suggested to Natalie and Johnny that they might want to follow my map and go see the four outdoor sculptures my dad did in Sarasota and Natalie invited me to come along. We stopped and picked up flowers along the way and left tulips at each one. I call it our "Charley Meyrick Sarasota World Tour." What an unexpected whirlwind of sweetness, only to be completed by a

delicious meal Jesse prepared while we were out: Ox Tail stew, pork short ribs, squid in lemon garlic sauce, and a vegetable that sounds like "good choice, Mom." When I was taking seconds, I asked for the lovely greens. Natalie said something that sounded like "good choice mom" naming the vegetable.  I thought 'Gee, she must be complimenting me because I took greens instead of rice." I am so thankful for Johnny and Natalie embracing my spur of the moment idea and Jesse is here to refuel our bodies and souls. I will treasure this day for a long, long, time. 

Birds have their nests and streets of golden glass...

My dad passed away on the evening of January 22nd. A couple of days before his passing I showed him this platter I had started. Only the chickadee was drawn. He weakly lifted his arm and pointed the empty space and whispered "nest."  Turns out chickadees nest in hollows of trees, so this is what I have so far. My dear friend Susan Meyer, porcelain artist extraordinaire, likes the look of my line when I loosen my grip. Sometimes, like students I have taught, my goal leans toward graphic design/ bold delineated images. I tried to let go of 'perfect' which is partly driven in our culture by advertising design. It's getting there, but it still needs something in the foreground under the bird.

Last night I had the weirdest experience. I was suddenly wide  awake in the middle of the night and stongly felt a presence, though I am not given to sensing things like that. In fact, this is the only time I have had an experience like this.  I've always been afraid of the dark, so I had left the  closet light on as a nightlight, opening the louvered doors just enough to make them fold accordion style, like a Japanese screen. The light coming through the cracks looked incandescent, radiating parallel beams of white gold, casting a wide golden beam onto the dresser mirror to the left of the closet. It was beautiful. 

As my dad was dying I reminded him several times to check out why gold is like glass in heaven (Rev. 21:21) and get back with me about it. I looked at the glowing stripes glowing through the closet doors and the remarkable light column on the glass mirror. The column was a range of color..yellow to gold to brown in an ombre scale that almost made it look rounded. I understood and said : "Thanks Dad. The gold is like glass because of the Light."

Miscellany...

If I ever get to street paint again I think I will this yellow purse. Good way to promote my purse passion, don't you think? The image (sorry re. no source for image.)

                     My friend Susan Meyer is the best source for personalized baby gifts. Not only did she put the baby's name on this porcelain glazed plate, she drew a turtle to match the theme of his nursery. Visit her Esty Shop for lots more! Her work will give you the kind of leap in the heart that comes from talking with children, guaranteed to make you smile.

I do custom work as well. Right now I am incorporating a friend's heirloom pearls into necklaces for her nieces. She lives by the ocean and loves my silver shells made from molds of shells I collected. Sterling chain, freshwater pearl, and a pure silver shells makes a nice dainty for $35. Be sure to visit Dutch Door Antiques and Etoile Boutique. They have both replenish their Dale Wayne Design/ Glass Half-Vintage collections.

Men in ships...

There is a wonderful passage from the Psalms that is inscribed on the Fisherman's Memorial Statue in Gloucester Massachusetts.  Susan Meyer did this gorgeous hand-painted version on her penworked porcelain.

"They that go down to the sea in ships,
That do business in great waters;
These see the works of the Lord,
And his wonders in the deep."

                                                                                     

Party at Dale's all day Thursday, May 9th 10am-9pm

My friend artist Susan Meyer is bringing her whimsical wares to show at my Mother's Day jewelry party. Trinket dishes, bowls, platters, trays and cakes stands will be available for purchase or to special order. She personalizes!

As for me, oooo-la-la! Lots of new summery designs! Watery crystal clear colors combined with my oh-so-fun seahorse pendants. (Too-many-hyphens.)

Hope-you-can-come!

Here is a link to the invite.

(Lavender martinis happy hour)

How do you say 'ahoy' en francais?

I'm was working on some samples for a seaside gift shop in Massachusetts when my friend Susan Meyer stopped by with these delightful penwork drawings she glazed onto little china pendants. She found her inspiration from antique pieces of scrimshaw. We were so excited to combine them with my glass and this chunky new rope link chain that mirrors the nautical feel of drawings.  Pretty sweet, right? Or should I say, n'est-ce pas?

Ash Wednesday: snakes, crucifixes, and the eyes of Love...

My friend, artist Susan Meyer, came by yesterday with some lovely porcelain crosses she hand-paints. In brainstorming how to hang them, we came up with this chain. We love the look of the descending dove hanging over Jesus' shoulder. I kept the one pictured to the right since it accidentally blurred a bit in the process, lending a kind of mystical shroud element to the design. Susan gets her inspiration for the penwork drawings from ancient icons.

I've been thinking a lot about Jesus on the cross lately. Up until recently, I recoiled at the sight, maybe a harkening back to my Lutheran upbringing. Lutherans don't have Jesus on the cross since He is risen. As for me, it hurts my heart to see anyone that exposed and vulnerable, which I suppose is the point.

This week a dead snake on our sidewalk both repulsed and attracted me.  It was grotesque yet beautiful, not unlike a crucifix. In the book of John, just before the famous 3:16 verse there is an odd reference that used to give me the creeps. "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life."  The story John is referring to comes from the Old Testament. After being rescued from Egypt, God's people sin against Him and Moses by complaining that they had no bread or water in the wilderness. I guess they forgot God was their bread and water. God sends fiery serpents and His people were dying from the bites. Moses confesses their sin and God tells him to sculpt a serpent, put it on a pole, and raise it up. To be healed, the poisoned people had only to look at the bronze serpent. What a strange story and not the tactic I would use to win back friends. Not that I know the mind of God, but I wonder if He was making the choice they had already made more clear, to choose His way or to choose sin.

Jesus, a serpent? May it never be! (As previously blogged, Peter and I are of like mind. He said similar words  when Jesus predicted the crucifiction.) I used to avoid the serpent story obsessively for fear of the snakes in it, which to my mind have everything to do with evil and nothing to do with Jesus. But one day I forced myself to read it, not unlike those folks in the wilderness turning their eyes toward the bronze likeness on a pole, and I realized that it is fitting for the image to repulse.  In Paul's letter to the Corinthians he writes: "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." So if Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin, as far as symbols go, a serpent fits the bill pretty perfectly.

Bear with me as I ramble.  I have been musing on this for days. What astounds me is that when I have the nerve to fully face my shame, to turn my head and gaze into all my failures, meanness, faithlessness, anger, greed, lack of compassion, (the list goes on), turning fully, not stopping short to focus on my guilty feelings, when I am really brave and am ready to see my sin in all it's ugliness,  what I am met with is the face of Love.

This is what Christians all over the world remember today, some of them bearing a smudge of ashes on their foreheads. As for me, I'm going to find the perfect spot to hang my cross.

Longevity painting and difficult decisions...

Our friend from Beijing who is now editor for The Art Newspaper in China brought our family this painting when she came to be a bridesmaid in Danielle's wedding. She handed it to us rolled like a scroll and tied with a red ribbon. The crane represents longevity. I took it to my favorite framer Bill, at Art Systems and he helped me choose the perfect frame to accentuate the beautiful silk bordered paper.  We came back from a dismal day of two oncologist appointments left with the choice of chemo before or after radiation for John's cancer.  It was an unexpected to comfort to hear that our painting was ready to be picked up. I found the perfect spot for it this morning where I will pass by it often and be reminded of our Chinese friend's kindness, and hope for longevity.