Back to Work (Its almost Mardi Gras time!)

Greetings from the absentee blogger! I have unfortunately neglected this blog while focusing my energies on my alternate blog page, Zen Photographer- as the focus of my freelance work these past several months has been strictly photography.  But now that we are rapidly approaching that time of the year when mask work takes a front seat, I'm signing on again to keep our readers posted on our progress.  

The above shot is a work in progress- our first white wedding mask.  Its nearing the final  stages- trim will be added, and then we will line the inside with felt material for comfort.  At that point, it will be ready to sell.  I'll post shots on here once we are finished.

As far as Mardi Gras masks go, we have about 8 that are still awaiting design and completion.  One will be a jigsaw puzzle mask, and there will be Carnival-themed ones in the mix, as well as many others.  Whimsical is the name of the game, and each and every mask will be painstakingly designed, painted, lacquered and fine-tuned until the end result.  Lucas and I trouble shoot each and every one, and a lot of work goes into our mask line, but its a labor of love.  You won't find another company that puts this level of effort and love into their mask line.  Wearable art at its finest!  

 

Precariously close to the holidays...

After an even longer absence than the previous one, I'm back to catch up on this blog.  Many changes in the works- I have a separate blog called Zen Photographer, which is different from this artsy/daily one in the sense that it focuses almost completely on the happy and positive moments.  I'm doing a lot of freelance photography- shot my first wedding this past October- 350 photos later I settled in to do edits.  Lots of great moments captured on film.  It was a beautiful day, and the perfect location wedding- New Orleans- ceremony in the middle of Jackson Square (closed off for the wedding), followed by a reception on the Natchez steamship.  My first steamboat experience!

Despite the fact that my reliable long-lens-less camera is getting "up there" in years, its continuing to do a good job and its my workhorse.  My thoughtful hubby is treating me to a new photo quality printer for my birthday (late present to avoid conflicts with those crazy Black Friday shoppers! not worth the savings to get crushed to bits by an angry crowd) so I'll be able to start giving gorgeous portraits to family and friends as gifts for the holidays.  Not to mention this adds another important facet to my freelance shutterbugg business- offering potential clients a physical print of their photos will only help things out. 

What else? Lots apparently- too many to list here, even in a checklist.  Let's give it a whirl anyway:

We are once again gearing up for the holiday time.  I have all three plastic storage bins dragged into the house, awaiting some free time so we can decorate the house.  Will probably do it this Friday after the work week is finished, and I'll bake cookies and make cocoa to get us in the mood (decorating! minds outta the gutter, lol).

My volunteer work with Sula is still going strong- they made me the Volunteer Coordinator a few months ago.  Nonstop busy, but its good to help the animals, and the people involved are stand-up awesome folks.  Beau is still spoiled rotten, but momma is not putting up with it anymore.  Discipline is in the works and one day it will pay off (I hope, I hope!)

I am getting back to my writing roots and helped out a friend- Chuck- formerly of Agents of Oblivion (Google it, great local Louisiana band that is now defunct- Dax Riggs is still going strong as Deadboy and the Elephantmen, and we might see a reunion in the future).  I wrote Chuck's song lyrics to a melody he calls "She cries in her sleep".  He's working on recording it in his new studio in CA as we write/blog.  I'll post a link to it/Chuck's site once its up and running.

The weather finally feels like the holidays, and pretty soon the house and the neighborhood will reflect it as well.  In the spirit of the season, wishing you all Happy Holidays! Stay tuned to hear the rest of my crazy life brought into blog focus....

Checking In, Checklist

Its been a very long time since my last blog, and my last art session.  Working 40 hour weeks, volunteering for SPCA and Sula Foundation in my (extremely limited) spare time, and caring for my "special needs" (read: spoiled) dog, Beau, have drained my calendar.  While some of it has been rewarding, most of it has been hard and thankless work. But this is not my sounding board for complaints.  I just need to take a spare minute for myself, to write a checklist of things I would like to accomplish once the frenzy of activity winds down, and to put everything in perspective.  Here goes:  

THE LIST

1. Revamp the mask page on Weebly.  It has a good solid foundation but things need to be tweaked, rearranged, edited- not unlike decorating a house.  I want this House of Masks to rock and it needs a little TLC before I can put it "on the market."
2. Update my photography page on Weebly (http://nolaphotos007.weebly.com/)- since this link is now listed on my professional resume I have hidden some pages (necklaces, blog), and need to make the photo section really stand out and shine. 
3. Check in to my Linkedin account on a weekly basis.  Upload a basic professional profile. Stay in touch with contacts.
4. Currently I am working on a new photo/blog/online journal.  I have a couple of interesting and unusual ideas bouncing around in my head, and will have to sketch them out and keep them under wraps until I have a structured website.  (Note: may need to consider condensing everything under one big heading/blog).  This website will be in addition to my Flickr- I find the 200 photo limit constraining and need something that I can add to on a daily basis, without limits.  I will supplement it with creative writing and see where the journey takes me.  It will definitely be a more spontaneous endeavor than my original photo site.  
5. Schedule more photo sessions/shoots.   I have done quite a few over these recent months for the animal foundations, but need to branch off into other areas- portrait, landscapes, abstract, action shots, special (non-animal) events.  Hoping to add a wedding or two to my repertoire-would love to be unleashed to capture someone's Big Day, and document all the joy and romance. 
6. Commence working on the mask line with Lucas again.  Lucas's 14 hr day/7 day a week schedule makes mine look like child's play, however we are both working on balance, and anticipating some free time in the upcoming months. 
7. Organize my jewelry supplies and begin making necklaces again.  This is yet another special project that has been put to the backburner due to work, work and more work.  I plan on checking out online craft sites like Etsy to see if that would help propel the jewelry line out there. 
8. Set a specific date to do the Art Market- Palmer Park.  I will do a "test run" with the necklaces- get the layout of the market, learn how to set up/break down our tent area, and practice the "art of the sell"- before debuting our mask line. Note: October might be the ideal month to introduce our masks due to Halloween and great fall weather=more people.

That's all for now.  Will get back on track with documenting our corner of the art world on this blog.  In the meantime, wishing everyone balance, art and creative moments in your daily lives.

Ring in the New....

It is 3:33 on December 27th, a quiet evening at work, and this blogger is contemplating the end of the holiday season/end of the year.  2010 is currently in its dying stages, and a New Year awaits impatiently on the near horizon- you can see its shadow looming ahead, tapping an impatient foot and watching for signs of welcome.  Some hopes and happy moments were realized in 2010, while others faded away or were put on hold indefinitely  One of the latter includes our mask work, which was relegated to the sidelines by necessity in these final months, due to what I like to term "Holiday Madness".   We are slowly picking up the loose threads of work and weaving them into the finished products that will debut in a very near future.  My self-imposed deadline has been extended by a few months- too many crises and projects and holiday rush were in the works simultaneously.  So, we are looking at February-March art markets to participate in with the mask work.  Trying our best to coordinate it with Mardi Gras, which would be the ideal time to showcase them- all those lovely tourists, and locals with masquerades and costumes in mind.  Rest assured, even if it happens after M.G., our mask line is appropriate and magical for any time of the year, so please keep the masks in mind as we approach the new year and future holidays. 

More updates to come...so stay tuned! And in the meantime, wishing everyone a New Year filled with happy moments, quiet joy, and serenity. 

xoxo,
Jamie P.

Out of the Gate....

Hello Friends, Old & New,

October presented us with an opportunity to take a break from our art work, due to all the happenings of the month and the subsequent lack of time to devote to our craft.  Fast forward to early November...currently we are gathering forces and breaking out of the gate, ready to enter full-speed ahead the artistic world once more.  The timing will present yet another challenge, due to the arrival (onslaught?) of the holidays.  Yet it can and will be done.  I am going to take the optimistic road and acknowledge that the mask work will provide a great creative outlet and a place to channel all the stressed/nervous energy of trying to pull together everything for the upcoming holiday season.  We all know that the holidays can be a beautiful and magical time, when our toes aren't being stepped upon by real world issues such as balancing time and energy, dealing with pesky family members/friends, trying to play Santa to those same loved ones and feel the drain on our pocketbooks, and dealing with conflicts of personalities as we all gather to celebrate the season.  The thing to keep in mind is that the holidays always seem to fly past on wings blurred with Christmas lights, carols and laughter, not to mention all the family times and parties, and all too soon will be a memory.  This too will pass, whether that is good or bad.  Let us strive to embrace the good and overlook the bad.

Holidays aside, for Lucas and I Mardi Gras is the Grail, and the Quest for the mask work will lead us to Palmer Park in January, where we will participate in our very first art market in 2011.  Please feel free to stop by, visit and check out our latest & greatest artwork.  Feedback is welcome.  In the meantime, there will be art markets in Palmer Park on the last Saturday of November and December, a bevy of festivals and fairs throughout the New Orleans and surrounding region, along with the much-lauded 3 Rivers Festival in Covington, Louisiana on the weekend of the 13th and 14th.  Don't forget to come out and show your support for local artisans, and pass a good time while out & about.

Realistically, we have about 2 months with which to put the finishing touches on the completed masks, and to add a few new characters to the family.  The next one is destined to be a wedding mask- to balance out all the macabre Halloween ones we finished from October.  Still designing and sketching out new additions, which you can catch glimpses of between now and January.  Expect to see many different styles, from the whimsical to the terrifying, the naughty and the nice, along with everything in-between.  p.s. We do commission work as well, email any questions our way and we'll let you know if it can be done, along with price quotes and time alloted for completion.   

Wish us luck, friends, and here's a wish to every one of you for happy holiday moments as the year reaches its inevitable conclusion.  May you all enjoy a spirit of optimism and serenity during these fleeting seasonal weeks, and the glow of happy memories.   

"Seasons of Mist and Mellow Fruitfulness..."

Ah, October....you are my favorite time of year! For so many reasons, let me count the ways...

(1) My hubby and I just celebrated our 2nd Wedding Anniversary on the 25th.  Since it fell on a Monday this year we designated the entire weekend before as "anniversary weekend", and picnicked in our backyard, strolled through "our" park, and my hubby grilled an incredible steak dinner to finish the weekend off perfectly. Ahh...married life is bliss!

(2) Halloween is this weekend!! It crept upon us somehow, but now it is here, and we are ready with costumes and spirits of adventure.  Beginning tonight...

(3) Anne Rice Costume Ball 2010- Memnoch the Devil @ the Republic- I've been wanting to attend this function for several years now but was never given the opportunity.  We will be going with friends and seeing other friends/acquaintances there.  Our costumes will dazzle everyone! And hopefully three hours will be enough time to transform this legal secretary into a wicked sorceress with eyes of fire! lol

(4) The weather is finally taking a cold turn, as it is prone to do this time of year.  The weather changes in late October, finally descending into cool, shedding its cloak of humidity and affording us room to breathe here in the Deep South.

For this, and so many other reasons, I am loving the month of October.  Hope that this finds all my gentle readers enjoying crisp autumn temps, candy, costumery, pumpkins and spiders, and, as always..."all treats and no tricks!"

Listening to the Muse...

Update time...I'm trying to get back to the "less is more" mentality- interestingly, right after that blog about "cutting back", my writings became even more lengthy and descriptive than before.  Its perverse how the human mind works- make up your mind to do things one way, and bam! another way takes precedence.  Ah well.  What good is a blog if you can't be long-winded? So, for now the "less is more" will be incorporated in a strictly everyday life setting (organizing stuff, etc.).  The blog can evolve as it will, whether prolific or short & sweet. 

Right now I am up to my eyeballs in mask work that is in various stages of completion.  Designs are sketched to completion and ready to go, and 5 of the masks are "blank canvases" ready for painting.  The necklace line is coming along very well also- 3 away from an even 30.  We are cranking out the art and it is finally starting to feel like something is getting accomplished! Still, there are deadlines looming, and I won't rest until there are more masks in the final stages.  Work-work-work! And then....drumroll.....more work.

Another update has to do with my writing.  I am in the process of beginning research into the realm of self-publishing.  I have a poetry manuscript that has been gathering dust for several years now, out of fear and being "too busy" (read: not making the time).  Two lame excuses to not do something with it! So, after having brushed the dust off, the publishing process is now officially in the works and hopefully something will happen in the near future.  While waiting on the self-publishing realm, I am currently working on submitting some of my newer material to an online magazine (Blue Unicorn) and hoping for some positive feedback in the meantime.  *keeping fingers crossed* 



A moment in retrospect- I am so grateful and blessed to have the life I am living now.  Not that its easy or worry-free, but the good far outweighs the bad.  The difference between then and now (the past) is like a war zone compared to a paradise. My husband, my short-tempered puppy, my little house with the out of control ongoing organizing and lack of closet space- I wouldn't trade them for all the money and power in the world.  A great quote popped in my head, in retrospect: "God bless the broken road that led me to you."- hands down the best country song ever, and I'm no fan of country.  But it fits, and its good.  Life is good.  And I plan on life getting better and better as we go farther down that road.   Now, enough of the mush fest, its time to get back to work...