10 New Years Resolutions for 2010

I saw an idea I liked on Poppytalk where they gave 10 New Year's resolutions for 2010. Here are mine...
1. Gear up - I have a whole 'lotta art promotion I want to do this year so I want to start the year by updating and organizing my art business life...
2. Crack down - My goal is to create a budget AND actually stick to it.
3. Breathe out - I'd love to relax and not let everylittletinything get to me, as they often tend to do.
4. Stack bills - Now that I am really and truly a full time artist with no side jobs unrelated to art, I need to motivate and make real live actual live on it almost comfortably money with my skills.
5. Un-plug - I spend far too much time on the internet and Blackberry. I'd like to spend more of that time with my family and in the studio.
6. Clean out - I have a whole house full of stuff and I'm sure I definitely can do without atleast 1/3 of it. I plan to tackle and sell a lot of it. (I supposed this is an addendum to 'Stack bills'.)
7. Get up - I want to spend more time walking in the woods and getting out of this city.
8. Show off - I want to show my daughter how to do everything. If Justin and I have our way, she'll be a beatboxin', step dancin', yoga-in' little artist who can cast bronze, fix a broken toilet or rewire an outlet if she has to, all while baking a pie and petting baby bunnies. (We don't expect all this by the end of next year though...)
9. Cut out - I want to stop eating food that comes from god knows where and has who knows what in it. I plan to buy, grow, make food that is organic, local and that contains ingrediants discernable by people who aren't crazy food scientists.
10. Grip tight - I plan on making more time for people I really love. I have some friends and family that are going away, some that are already far away and some that are right here in Philly. I just want them to know how important they are, whether they're here or there.

Wish me luck ;)

Happy and Healthy New Year to everyone! xoxo

PS go outside and look up at the moon as it turns to 2010...supposed to be a full moon, a blue moon and a lunar eclipse!

Darla Jackson Sculpture featured on Yesterdaydream

My sculpture What are you afraid of? was featured on yesterdaydream, a fabulous blog. Stop on over and check it out!
Thanks so much Christa for mentioning me!

Flock to NY

I sent a small Flock to Umi in New York and she posted this photo on her blog. I love the look of them on the brick wall!


Thanks Umi! Hope you enjoy them!!!

Daddy/Daughter Beatbox

Weekly Update

Trying to get back online with consistency in my life (as much as is possible) so back to the Weekly Update...mostly as a constant reminder for myself of the impending craziness that is coming up...!

CURRENT EXHIBITIONS

I curated this show in my acupuncturist's studio on Girard Ave and it is still up...until...???
If you're in the area stop by and see it, and while you're there make an appointment to get stuck with pins...Jenny is amazing!
To The Sea
Barefoot Doctor Community Acupuncture Clinic
618 E. Girard Avenue
Philadelphia, PA

Featuring fabulous artwork by Anne Canfield, Aubrie Costello, Margaux Kent, Katie Marlowe and Kaitlin Mosley.

UPCOMING EXHIBITIONS


While you were out...
Philadelphia Art Alliance
251 S. 18th Street
Philadelphia, PA

Opening reception: February 11th, 2009...Save the date yo!

UPCOMING CLASSES

Starting January 11th I'll be teaching both Animal Sculpture and Sculptural Forms classes at the Fleisher Art Memorial. The Sculptural Forms class has already filled but I believe there are some more spaces in the Animal Sculpture class. Find more info at www.fleisher.org

Melissa Dixson, Lady Taxidermist

After going to the Wagner and seeing all those fabulous animals and bones and such this week, it was a super treat to find out more about a New York taxidermist by the name of Melissa Dixson. She does beautiful work and its pretty awesome to see a lady doing what is so often thought of as a guy thing.


Also, check out her Etsy shop here: www.mbdixson.etsy.com

Baby-ness vs. Art-ness

Been super busy...trying to balance baby-ness with art-ness. Did so yesterday by taking Ms. Olivia (baby-ness) to the Art Alliance with me to take measurements (art-ness). Brooke, Justin, Olivia and I took it all in, we measured, we discussed...overall, despite the short amount of time and general life craziness at this given moment, I am feeling pretty good about the whole thing...That said, I need to find a decent amount of old, messed up fancy furniture; a long skinny table, a secretary (the desk kind, not the person kind...), a big mirror and a very large oval painting...thankfully I have a chair, a sette and an end table that are already messed up via the claws of my many cats...I never thought I'd be happy about the fact that they've ruined my stuff but lucky for them I come up with craziness that requires once-fancy-now-crappy furniture.
Anyway, another aspect of baby/artness is starting to teach again in January...what's awesome is that both of my classes are running at Fleisher (Animal Sculpture and Sculptural Forms)...what's crazy is that it will be the first time I'll be away from Ms. Olivia (ah!)...maybe she'll come be a model? ;) Anyway, the Animal Sculpture clas still has space in it but Sculptural Forms filled up the first day it was offered (which always makes me feel pretty cool :)
Another exciting development is that the Sudbury Valley Trustees, a non-profit open space preservation organization that I did a sculpture for as a commission, is making my sculpture the centerpiece (!) of their 2010 black tie (!) gala (!!). Woah! That was super-duper exciting to find out...and Justin, Olivia and I (babyness) are all invited to attend (artness!). Question is, what does a baby wear to a black tie event....hmmmmm...don't know, but I'm sure it will be amazingly cute. :)
Well the fam (babyness) is off to the Wagner (artness) to do some research for the Art Alliance show. Super old dead animals, here we come! (May I take this time to note that I hope my daughter grows up with a love for old creepy taxidermy, crazy bones and things of that nature...)

Hubs New Stuff

Justin has been working his ass off on new toys and put up these 3 new ones in his Etsy shop last week. I just have to once again reiterate how awesome he is...

4 Elements Mixed Tape Rattle

4 Elements Record Teether

4 Elements Spray Can Rattle

And he made this custom yin-yang teether as a gift for our acupuncturist's baby shower...

To the Sea (and the ER)

So on Friday I was all set to install To The Sea at Barefoot Doctor Community Acupuncture ...however life sometimes throws you things you don't see coming, which is exactly what happened... Story goes: We took Olivia to her 6 week midwife appointment to get her weighed and checked and all that fancy stuff. Turned out her heart rate was crazy higher than normal. We tried to get a pediatrician to look at her but they refused and said she needed to go to the ER. Now she seemed fine...before we got to the appointment, during the appointment and even when her heart rate was skyrocketed, so of course when I heard she needed to go to the ER I was FREAKING OUT. My perfect little baby had to go to the land of doctors and kids with swine flu...fuck. AND I also had to install a show whose opening was that night...double fuck. (Forgive the expletives...but it was very much an appropriate situation for them at the time.) I called the amazing Ms. Aubrie Costello and burst into tears when she answered the phone. I recapped the situation and she said she would handle the installation (!!). So while we sat for something like 7 hours in the ER (turns out Olivia is slightly anemic but fine otherwise) Aubrie installed the whole show. Anne Canfield helped her and they are my heroes. Justin and I stopped by the opening on our way home and it looked amazing. Thank you so much ladies for saving my ass and doing it so well! :)

I told Olivia I knew she was faking...how can you be this cute and sick?

To The Sea
Featuring work by Anne Canfield, Aubrie Costello, Margaux Kent, Katie Marlowe, and Kaitlin Mosley

This is how we felt after the day of craziness...

This Friday