Bold Things

FANG - on sale now at HMJ

2010-06-29T06:23:00.000-07:00

Fang
[(făng)]
–adjective

1. A long pointed tooth, especially of a fierce animal or Nosferatu.

2. [Middle English] Booty, spoils, something seized.

3. A wicked jewelry pendant characterized by a repurposed chandelier crystal, decoupaged with a vintage dictionary definition, encrusted with blood red Swarovski crystal chatons and a fang-shaped crystal in deep red. The chains attach to custom made wire-wrapped rings, and is finished off by more luscious gunmetal chain, with a gunmetal lobster clasp.

Wearing this piece, your neck will be irresistible to all manner of dark creatures….so be careful…

http://www.etsy.com/listing/50441031/fang

Happy Memorial Day!

2010-05-31T10:27:00.001-07:00

Please take a moment to remember all the brave souls who have fought and died to protect us and our freedoms.

New Etsy Listings

2010-05-26T21:30:00.001-07:00

At long last, fresh Etsy sales! This is a new friend of mine, Julia Flansburg, who is the lead singer for a local metal band. She and the band Angelical Tears are both HOT and lucky for me she agreed to model HMJ jewelry!

Teeny Tiny Tornado!

2010-05-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

Our first major severe storm hit this afternoon during the drive home. We even got a teeny bitty cute little twister!

This pic is one I took just about 5 minutes before the tornado formed.

This photo my friend Ben took. Can you see the little tornado just above the horizon, almost parallel to the ground?

My friend Chris took this one. You can barely see the tornado just above the tree line.

In this picture, from my friend Eric, the little twister is right in the middle of the screen.

Huge, destructive tornadoes are really very rare. These little ones are much more common, and even those are pretty rare as well. And although this one looks close, it was pretty far away, and landed between two towns, thankfully, and I don't think it caused any major damage. Be that as it may, I prefer them to be waaaay out in the country.

Crystal Contest Entry

2010-04-22T22:12:00.001-07:00

A few days ago I posted about the contest over at Junque Revival. Well, I finally had a minute to send them over to Jessica, and now I can post them here as well. I hope you like them, because I sure do!

Since I recently purchased an old chandelier with gorgeous teardrop shaped crystals, I was instantly inspired by Jessica’s article in the most recent Belle Armoire Jewelry. I loved the idea of using dark, descriptive words from a vintage dictionary as the feeling for each piece, then embellishing with filigree, crystal, wire, and even solder! All of the pieces I made seem to have the feeling of dark, mysterious echoing pasts…

Gothic

I had something else in mind when I started this piece. I had a large filigree sandwiching the crystal. But, I ended up trying to force it to work, and the filigree broke in half. I thought that would be the end of that, but using half the filigree actually worked wonderfully! After adhering and sealing the dictionary definition of “Gothic” with gel medium, I detailed the edge with a gold leaf pen. I wire-wrapped the filigree with some lovely gray Czech glass beads and made a bail using 24-gauge twisted gunmetal wire. I think it turned out very organic with a lot of texture.

Gypsy

I wanted to “house” each crystal in something different each time, so this time I chose to wrap the crystal in decorative copper tape and soldered it! I then hand-patinated the solder to make it look very oxidated and antiqued. The butterfly filigree just worked so beautifully for this piece. I wire-wrapped tiny freshwater pearls and Czech glass beads to the wings and as the body. After a horrible attempt to make antennae (cheesy!) I ended up with a little bit of wire left over from making the bail and it ended up as a spiral at the top which balanced out nicely. Beaded gunmetal chain finishes this necklace.

Graven

A little bit different look for this one. The crystal for this pendant is cradled in an ornate brass filigree. Then I attached eye-catching red Swarovski crystals dangles to another brass filigree and used it to create a unique bail . I think it turned out really dark and creepy. And the red and black Czech glass beads I used for the necklace were just perfect.

Digital Divas - an Etsy Treasury

2010-04-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

I have two Etsy shops, one for my jewelry: Heavy Metal Jewelry(empty at the moment), and another shop that has all of three things posted, and is kind of a hobby project. It's called Courtly Love Collage and it is where I was thinking of dabbling in some digital downloads, like collage sheets, Photoshop brush sets, and other digital collage and scrapbooking stuff.

I was notified yesterday that one of my collage elements was featured in an Etsy Treasury - a new feature that allows people to show collections of their favorite Etsy products. I thought that was really cool! It's here if you want to check it out!

Digital Divas

May the Best Crystal Win

2010-04-13T14:47:00.000-07:00

If you haven't picked up the latest issue of Belle Armoire Jewelry, you are missing out. Jessica Moreau Berry's chandelier crystal pendants are to die for. And so many people, including myself, have been so inspired to give them a try that Jessica is having a very nice contest on her blog Junque Revival.
Check this link for details: CONTEST

I'm going to enter hopefully this weekend. I've got three gorgeous pendants made, but I am waiting for my pal Diana to come photograph them for me. Stay tuned!

Getting Arboreal Tree Photo Challenge (Part 3)

2010-04-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

Time for the final installment of Getting Arboreal, a photo challenge from Julie at The Land of Lost Luggage. Yippeeee!!! I've been waiting for this one. For my tree I chose the beautiful Oklahoma Redbud in my backyard. During most of the year, it is just a normal looking tree with a brown trunk and green leaves. BUT, for just a few weeks each spring it explodes with pinky-purple blossoms. It always makes me so happy to see this because it means spring is here and it's time for planting! I'm glad I can share my tree in all her glory this week.

Julie, thanks for letting me take part in your challenge. It was a lot of fun. I'll look forward to checking out everybody else's trees in spring.

ArtFest Recap

2010-04-04T17:01:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if it's possible to describe my ArtFest experience coherently, but I'll try. Basically, actual ArtFest was pretty wonderful. Fun workshops, new friends, and beautiful Port Townsend, WA. Traveling to Port Townsend and back....pretty lame. Let's just say American Airlines is on my list.
My first workshop was Cave of Pages with Michael deMeng. I really like his artwork, so I was feeling a little intimidated for my first workshop, and I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I found him to be a very cool guy, very inspiring and positive, and just really fun all around. I would say that this ended up being my favorite of all the workshops. I think everybody in the workshop ended up pretty happy with their finished product. I know mine still needs some work, but I loved the process. I will do some more of these shadow box projects soon.

My second workshop was Metal Clay Earrings with Catherine Witherell. I love Catherine. She is such a wonderful artist and a very sweet person. While I wasn't disappointed in the workshop, per se, I will say I think it could have been 2 days. I guess I just don't feel like I came out of the class feeling totally confident in my metal clay knowledge and I could have used more time with her. That being said, the one pair of earrings I finished in class turned out bad ass.

My last workshop was Heavy Metal with Ty and Marcia Schultz. I really had no idea what to expect for this class, but it ended up being a super fun day with great instructors and fun classmates.

The first half of the day was spent learning about and making our own moulds. After lunch we poured (rather, Ty poured) molten metal into the moulds to create our own custom castings. I was hoping they would be fun for some mixed media jewelry, but I think they will be best for collages and things like that. I met some awesome chicks in that class, and it was a great way to wind up ArtFest.

Being a homebody at heart, I was both sad to end Artfest (cause it really took me until that last day to get into the groove) and insanely happy to be getting back home. We knew it was going to be a long day of travel, we just didn't know how long.

Port Townsend is about an hour and a half drive (plus a 45 minute ferry ride) from Seattle and the airport. About halfway to the airport, we got a phone call from our airline. Our flight was delayed so badly that we would now be missing our connection in Dallas. There was nothing to be done (and oh, how I tried). So, we stayed the night in Dallas (it was nice to be in Texas at least). But, my traveling companions and I got home about 12 hours later than we anticipated. Which sucked.

But, all is well now. Back home, safe and sound. Back in my beautiful state of Oklahoma!!! That was another thing. When I told people that I'm from OK, I was mostly met with pity. That kind of ticked me off a little. I'm proud to be from Oklahoma! I love this place, it's my home.

I am so full of ideas from this trip, I hope I can manage some time in my studio in the next few weeks!

Bring on ArtFest!

2010-03-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

The countdown to ArtFest has finally begun!

I finished everything I could think of at work yesterday. You know I'm totally indispensable, right? The whole company's going to fall apart while I'm gone next week. (Yeah...riiiight.) But, that means I get to focus on being an artist for the next 10 whole days! It's going to be so wonderful!

I've got my trades mostly finished, tomorrow should see the end of that madness. Then, the laundry and packing ensues. I'm really going to pack light this time. Hey, stop laughing. I'm serious. Well, I'm going to try anyway. I hate that the airlines are charging so much for bags! I'm going to try to stick it to them and only check one bag. We'll see if I can manage it. Cross your fingers!

Today was all about getting my hair colored and cut for the big event (in a blizzard of all things, totally ridiculous), and I got some awesome red chunky highlights. And I don't mean like just regular red hair....I"m talking neon red...candy-apple red....red light special red!!!! Everything else got a heavy coating of dark brown with purple tones. I think it looks good, and is very fitting for a Bold Amy... what do you think?

Excuses, Excuses!

2010-03-09T14:07:00.001-08:00

I don't know why it's been almost 2 months since I posted anything here. I stare at it everyday. Maybe it's because the weather's been so crappy, I've been more interested in hibernating than creating. Maybe it's because ArtFest is only 2 weeks away (OMG!) and most of my free time has been spent stressing out over flights, cars, trades, supplies, etc. Bah. It's all excuses anyway. I promised myself when I started this that I would try not to post unless I had something to say. So, I'm just being quiet for now, but I'll be back.

Inspiration is coming!
*ArtFest will kick me in the butt. I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to Catherine Witherell's metal clay workshop.
*Just made a friend at work who has a full silversmithing shop in her basement, and she's going to teach me some new stuff, so HMJ will have seriously fresh ideas coming soon.

*Spring is just around the corner! It's been a long cold winter here, and I'm ready to see everything come back to life, myself included!

My crocus are blooming all at the same time. I think that's a first!

More Journal Pages

2010-01-13T19:14:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure if I'm totally finished with these, definitely a couple need some detail work done on the lettering, at the very least. But, I wanted to share this new technique that I picked up from Kim Mailhot's blog, this post in particular.

Cut out a face or figure from a magazine, trimming closely.
Glue down to your page, I used a glue stick.
Wash over the image with watered-down gesso. The more watered-down, the more of the image with show through. Be sure you can still see details through the wash.
After the gesso is good and dry (and yes, liquid on paper does tend to buckle it a little, but you don't see it after it's painted), you can start filling in the hair, clothes, or face with pens, markers, and acrylic paints. I started out kind of outlining everything. Then I filled in with paint and sharpies. After the acrylics were dry, I went back over the details where they had been painted over, and added more little bits of shadow.

I just couldn't believe that you could paint over a magazine image like that. But, it works like a charm and is really a lot of fun. It's really like doing your own illustration, but with everything already in proportion. Drawing/sketching has never been my strong suit, so this was just a blast.

I used a "Glamour" magazine, which is chock full of models striking poses. The chick above didn't have much hair, so I cut off what she did have and painted in some new. Fun!

All of the wording in this journal are Nightwish lyrics, written by the amazing Tuomas Holopainen.

GPP Street Team : Crusade No. 36 - Braving the Elements

2010-01-08T21:10:00.000-08:00

My very first GPP Street Team Crusade! Woo-Hoo!

I won't lie to you...I already had the snowflakes cut out. I made them at work and I had just taken them down and was wondering where I was going to keep them. So, it was very cool that I was able to use them in another project!

I will say that I feel like I've done a Street Team gauntlet for this project. I went through Crusade 29 to learn monoprinting (which is awesome and I can't wait to try this some more) and Crusade 25 to get hip to some painting techniques. I've done the credit card scraping technique and I'm always amazed at how cool that turns out. I had some really nice monoprinting going on, but I'm thinking my snowflake stencils got a little out of hand.

As a side note, I have found that acrylic paint isn't harmful to cats! During the painting stage of this, one of my cats decided to jump up onto my desk, right into the middle of the paper plate that was serving as my paint palette. That brought things to a screeching halt while I tried to clean that up. So, just in case you ever wondered...she licked off a bit from between her toes, with no apparent harmful side effects.

That was lots of fun, and I'm looking forward to actually taking part in future challenges, rather than being a lurker.

"When he spoke, what tender words he used! So softly, that like flakes of feathered snow, they melted as they fell." --John Dryden

Photoshop Fun: Learning some more basics

2010-01-06T06:26:00.000-08:00

I'm going to hopefully do a series of posts on my new Photoshop skillz since I'm taking a nice online workshop with DJ Pettitt. Then, I can put a sidebar link to all the photos...or something. Blogging is still a new adventure, too.

So, since technical difficulties are getting the workshop off to a rocky start, so I decided to just be patient and just start messing around. DJ's first example introduced me to the wonder of layer masks, and I found a totally rad site called Lost and Taken. This guy gives away really awesome Photoshop textures and brushes. I was like a kid in a candy store!

So, below are a few of my first attempts at working with layer masks and textures. Please let me know what you think. I took a trip to Italy a few years ago and I've never done anything with the photos. So, I'm kind of inspired to use those to test my new skills.

First off, probably my favorite photo of the whole trip. The lighting was awesome, the composition still makes me smile, and of course, I was at the Coliseum in Rome!

After using a texture for the background, adjusting the layer mask and adding some brushes, it's still a great shot, now it just has a little more rock n roll.

Notice this photo of the Porziuncola in Assisi is taken at an angle, and the perspective was ALL off, making the photo quite crooked:

Now, after finding a tutorial on how to correct the perspective, it looks almost straight. I used the vignette lens filter, along with a layer mask and a background texture. I also removed the people from the front using the Clone Tool. I can't believe it's the same photo!

I thought this one turned out the best. My original photo of Laocoön at the Vatican Museum was nice:

But after adding a texture to the background, adding a vignette lens again, and a layer mask, as well as a custom brush with some Latin text describing his death, well I just think that turned out way stinkin' cool:

Sometimes people surprise me...

2010-01-05T14:04:00.000-08:00

Look at this awesome stuff a co-worker brought back from San Antonio! I mentioned several months ago that I was looking for some Mexican loteria cards and he remembered! That's so cool! I can't wait to use some in my artwork!

On the Other Hand...

2010-01-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

I did not have to sell my soul to sign up for this online Photoshop class with DJ Pettitt.

Strangely enough, I went to the book store today looking for a book on how to do this digital art. I came home empty-handed. My jaw hit the floor when I saw this on Deryn Metock's blog.

I just signed up! I'm very excited!

I would sell my soul...

2010-01-03T16:45:00.000-08:00

...to take this class. Book of Reliquaries by Judy Wilkenfeld

LOVE LOVE LOVE it.

Reduce Clutter - Create Space

2010-01-02T18:59:00.000-08:00

I really like this idea. I've already started, really. Over the last few months, I've been cleaning out closets. I've donated dozens of bags of clothes, boxes of de-stashed craft supplies, and loads of household items that are not used or duplicates. I had no idea I had so much "crap" in my house.

So, for the moment, I'm focused on the physical clutter around me, but I like the idea that clearing out the clutter in your room creates space in your mind.

Check this out: http://freespiritknits.blogspot.com/2009/12/creating-life-we-love-together.html

Holiday Wishes

2009-12-20T19:26:00.001-08:00

Fresh Heavy Metal Jewelry

2009-12-18T18:15:00.000-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeavyMetalJewelry

Now that holiday shows are finally over, I can post some of my newest creations on my Etsy store. I always think the photographs are going to be the hardest part, but really, it's the descriptions. I really have to be in the mood to come up with witty copy.

Please stop by and have a look. If you need a last minute lovely for Christmas, I'll get it there by Wednesday. Anything ordered over the weekend get upgraded shipping to arrive by Wednesday via 2-day air.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/HeavyMetalJewelry

Inspiration Strikes!

2009-12-01T16:52:00.000-08:00

For the last year or so, I have greatly admired journal art. Other people's journal art actually, because I never quite could get it to work for me. Over the weekend, however, I found that Teesha Moore has posted several nice videos about how she creates her journal pages. http://teeshascircus.blogspot.com/

Using some of Teesha's techniques, and inspired by my favorite band, Nightwish, I decided I'd try one more time to make a decent journal page. And it worked! I'm so proud of these. A lot of the details mirror Teesha's, and I readily admit that, but I think the overall feel is more my own. All of the wording are lyrics by the dark maestro, Tuomas Holopainen.

I'm really thrilled to share these few pages I did yesterday. I'm really excited about journaling now!

Resolutions Strike Early This Year

2009-11-29T19:36:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great and restful Thanksgiving this week. My MOL made the best cranberry fluff/ambrosia stuff I've ever had.

I'm trying to forget that Christmas is less than 4 weeks away (plenty of time to get EVERYTHING done!!!!!!). I'm more excited by the turn of a new year. It just feels like a fresh start. I love new resolutions and new goals, not that I ever really accomplish them, but I like the opportunity.

I'm about to go to my 10 year "Service Awards" for the company I work for. They recently asked me what the Service Awards means to me... well, I hardly had the heart to tell them honestly that it means that I've spent 10 years not doing the things that are important and life-affirming, 10 years commuting, 10 years waking up to an alarm clock, 10 years allowing my soul to be sucked out day after day....

So, that's what 2010's resolutions are going to be about: Putting a plan in motion to start taking my life back and allowing myself to "work" at ART. So, I need to start taking myself seriously as an artist (how can I demand that others do so if I don't myself???) and finding my style (cause I love so many types of crafting, I have a hard time narrowing that down). I guess I'll add get better at blogging, and work on my studio to the list.

So there are a few early resolutions for 2010, what are you thinking about?

Getting Arboreal Tree Photo Challenge (Part 2)

2009-11-19T15:35:00.000-08:00

My Redbud as of November 19. Very bare nowadays, ready to hibernate until spring. Kinda like we humans, no?

From August 26:

Bonus shot:
What's up with all the tumbleweeds this year? Yuck!

Class with Sharilyn Miller

2009-09-21T19:43:00.000-07:00

Oh boy oh boy oh boy!!! I get to go take a class with Sharilyn Miller next month. Kim and I are driving out to Grapevine, Texas to take a cool mixed-metal bracelet class with Sharilyn, then spend the afternoon tearing up Dallas. I can't wait to learn something new.

http://www.wiredupbeads.com/catalog.php?item=764

Better Late Than Never, Right?

2009-09-09T21:23:00.001-07:00

I got a nice package in the mail today from Stampington. Apparently, some cards I sent in TWO YEARS AGO are being published soon in The Stamper's Sampler. Very nice! I just can't believe it's been that long! Some other artsy ladies and I did a Different Point of View challenge and we all sent in several cards. I hope they all got published. I'll post pics when I get the new mag.

BTW, the two main stamps used in these cards are from my favorite stamp company, DP Artworks! Check it out: www.dpartworks.net

SWEET!

2009-09-02T20:48:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness, these turned out so awesome! Now, if I could just find nice big copper washers in bulk...

Credit goes to Sharilyn Miller for the design.

Ode to Harbor Freight

2009-09-02T16:23:00.000-07:00

Oh Harbor Freight Tools, how I love thee
Tools and supplies so cheap, almost free
Shopping for copper and butane is a ball
To make pretty jewelry for one and all

Ok, that was seriously lame, but dang, I love Harbor Freight. I also especially love Sharilyn Miller's new book Contemporary Copper Jewelry and the lovely things she's made with these copper washers. I'll be trying some of these designs out over the long weekend. Yay!!!

For True Blood Fans

2009-08-30T20:45:00.000-07:00

With all due respect to Twilight fans, (I've read the first two books), I'm really enjoying True Blood on HBO better. I've read the entire series of the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris. So, yeah, I'm a big fan. However, my friend Kathleen....is seriously in need of a True Blood intervention. But, that's not what this post is about. It's about fueling her fire. I've made her a necklace for the True Blood season finale. (She's actually ordered the True Blood soda and everything LOL). I hope she doesn't see it here before then, but it tickled me so much today, I wanted to share.

I'll probably re-make it and put it up on Heavy Metal Jewelry's Etsy before long, in case anyone is interested in purchasing one. It's actually more of a choker than this photo makes it look like. And the stones are a faceted glass bead, and are very sparkly in better light. My camera and I don't get along very well sometimes.

Butterflies!

2009-08-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

I'm teaching a class tomorrow with my friend and business partner, Kim. We're going to teach Soldered Glass Pendants at Beads, Etc. in Newcastle, Oklahoma.

I've taught rubber stamping and card-making classes before, but never this class, so I'm nervous. Nervous that I will forget a supply, or my students won't like the technique, or some other unforeseen calamity. Hopefully nobody will get burned. Maybe I should take a first aid kit.

I guess the best thing will be to just be as prepared as possible and handle whatever comes our way. I'll have my girl Kimmah with me, so everything should be fine. Time to get some sleep!!!

Getting Arboreal Tree Photo Challenge

2009-08-26T15:52:00.000-07:00

Taking part in a photo challenge of sorts. Find a favorite tree, and follow it through the seasons, by taking and posting photos of it on August 23-ish, November 8-ish, and April 4-ish. See Julie's blog here http://lostluggage.typepad.com/the_land_of_lost_luggage/2009/08/getting-arboreal-a-nature-collection.html#comments for inspiration.

This is the most beautiful tree in my backyard for about 3 weeks a year. It is the official tree of my lovely state: an Oklahoma Redbud. I really hope the April photo will show it in all of its purple glory. If not, I'll have to post a follow up a few weeks later.

ArtFest registration is on the way!

2009-08-23T08:50:00.000-07:00

I'm mailing my ArtFest registration tomorrow. My first choices for workshops are Metal Clay Beads and Rings with Catherine Witherell, Porthole Pendants with Melissa Manley, and Altered Surface Charms with Susan Lenart-Kazmer. Looking forward to learning lots more about working with metal and metal clay. So much to learn, so little time!

Comments Fixed

2009-08-22T15:13:00.000-07:00

I had a setting wrong, and comments weren't working. I apologize if anybody has been trying to leave comments here. It's fixed now. :)

Art on the Dark Side Challenge - Halloween Pennant

2009-08-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

I'm very excited, as this is the first challenge I have ever taken part in. I like dark, goth-y art, so this challenge site really appeals to me.

The scrolly embellishments are Grungeboard, and I did some quick stenciling with a dry brush and white paint (used the reverse of the grungeboard with black stippling as well, for the shadowy swirls).

The little spirit girl is actually my great-great-Aunt Peg, and this photo was taken about 1903 or so. As I understand it, she was kind of a creepy lady anyway, so I think this fits her just perfectly. She'd probably be completely mortified to find her photo on a piece of Halloween art, but that's just too bad. (The spirit word is a rub-on from The Paper Studio.)

Paper flowers with a little dot of Stickles glitter finishes the piece. I layered it onto some torn black cardstock just to give it a little more stability.

Art Journal Page

2009-08-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

Until today, my ART JOURNAL was probably the only art journal with no art in it. LOL. It's true.

This is one of the first pages I've ever actually completed without freaking out wondering who I think I am. It's definitely my most layered page ever (which really isn't that much). I'm sorry to see that the coppery paint I used has come off a little bit hot pink in the photos.

Anyway, I love Julie Prichard's blog http://lostluggage.typepad.com/the_land_of_lost_luggage / and I read her basic tutorials and did this quick and dirty page. I like it, and I think I'm going to sign up for her upcoming online class Art Journal Super Nova. I have a lot to learn, but it was fun and I want to keep going!

I hated to copy her writing style, but I guess you could say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery?

ArtFest 2010

2009-08-16T13:47:00.001-07:00

One of the things I'm most excited about is that I am planning to go to ArtFest next year. It will be my first time to go, after hearing about it for years from my friend, Deena. I am really really excited, and I can't wait to see what new things I can learn!

Howdy!

2009-08-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

I started this blog back in January and managed to post twice before completely ignoring it for 8 months. I'm trying to get into the blogging thing since I love what I call "blog surfing" and just linking from blog to blog to blog. So! Time for a new start and a new background. I thought this was pretty and well...bold.

I am a successful jewelry designer, a published stamping artist, and a wannabe mixed media artist. I am an owner and designer of Heavy Metal Jewelry (heavymetaljewelry.etsy.com or heavymetaljewelry.blogspot.com) where I make what I call "Power Jewelry."

I love all arts and crafts and I wanted my own personal space to talk about my artistic pursuits, take part in some online challenges, and blather about other weird stuff I like, so here goes.