Under the Bloom

                                                                                                                                                                            s. glidden photo        

For the past year I have been sitting under a large paper bloom and so far it hasn't wilted. It hangs silently above my office/studio desk except when breezes from the nearby open window rush in and blow at the petals making a soft crackling sound. This creation is one of many I fashioned from a heap of old print paper! Two years ago I created four of these for a garden party. They were attached to shed doors and patio walls and were mesmerizing alongside the white and gold balloons. Isn't it amazing how art can improve our surroundings...change the whole atmosphere from mundane to magical?

What Makes You Sparkle?

                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                              ©s. glidden

 I am usually not a happy morning person. Most mornings I shuffle my feet toward the kitchen for coffee and cardamom! A constant little ritual puts a smile on my face. Using a french press for the coffee I drop in a generous teaspoon of crushed cardamom pods or a half teaspoon of ground cardamom - depending on my finances for that month. Then I let it sit for a few minutes. Ah..the drink of calm. And the sun is streaming through the windows. Sleep is wearing off and I am finally beginning to sparkle again. What makes you sparkle?

Upcycled Jewellery

     
                                                                                                                       

                                                                                                                                ©s. glidden

     Autumn, my favorite time....crisp air and changing leaves. A brisk walk on the shorelines is more pleasant than slugging it out in the summer heat.  Presently I am working on several small projects including revamping some of my tin work, creating new pieces from old discarded and vintage jewellery and working with driftwood. If anyone is interested in purchasing a piece of one of a kind jewellery please message me. Looking forward to the fast approaching Christmas Craft sales. Hope everyone is doing well!

Flowered Clay Pots

                                                                                                                                  ©s. glidden      

   I have been experimenting very cheaply over the past few months with clay. These pretty tiny pots molded with Crayola Air Dry clay are quite easy to make. You can pick up Crayola clay at most department stores. The pots are quite strong and I use them to hold various things - jewellery, beads and tiny word clippings for my journals. I have also given some for gifts. If the blue paper looks familiar, it's because it is....you can find it at the local dollar store! I painted them afterwards with leftover latex paint...acrylic is also ideal and probably would be what I would have originally used.



Small Trinket Pots

Crayola Air Dry Clay

Tiny clay flower pot for a mould

White latex or acrylic paint

Dollar Store Gift Wrap

Modge Podge


*Work a small ball of clay in your hands to warm it and make it pliable. Place the clay ball directly into into your mould (flower pot) carefully and work the clay gently up to the edge. Make sure it appears fairly even on the inside of your mould. If you find the clay a bit dry add a little water. It took some practice for me to actually get the clay to fit evenly around the inside of the small flower pot. I got it finally on the third try. Tamp down the bottom carefully as well so your pot, when dry, will sit up evenly.


*Let the clay dry completely overnight. Eight to twelve hours seemed to work best for me depending on humidity.

*Once completely dry the clay should come out of your original mould easily. Gently tap the bottom of your mould if it still sticks.

*Once the paint is dry cut some wrapping paper to fit the outside of the pot and adhere it to the dry surface with modge podge. Many of you would do much better than me here. I cut the paper unevenly and the result was more textured than smooth. Then again, each pot you make will be a one of a kind creation! Enjoy!

Our Need To Create

                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                                             ©s. glidden

    For decades, wandering local thrift and vintage stores and yard sales has been one of my top 10 things to do. A comfortable sweater, an old book of poetry, a unique scarf, a chippy wooden gold frame for artwork...you can often come across such things fairly easily and cheaply if you "keep your eyes peeled" and persist.  Finding something different is always part of the fun. Often enough a found item whether from a yard sale or from the seashore has been an inspiration in my photography and other artwork.

   This is a blog about making art as an necessary part of your life and how the process opens up new ways of being. My philosophy has always been  to "create your own world". If you don't like what you see, change it - This does not mean going and spending a lot of cash on expensive art supplies. At least not yet. Check out the media (paint, brushes, clay, etc) you have already. Find out what comes naturally to you.... Just start....go forward and don't look back. Make mistakes and keep making them and keep at it when you have the time. 

   Making art for me is a needful thing. It is the ballast that keeps me grounded! Lately it has been assembling colorful jewellery cut from from old coffee, tea, biscuit and other tins.  Snipping, banging, and ouching through the process has been an eye opening experience. 

  What does creating mean to you and how does it make you feel? How are you inspired?