Kneading Therapy

I have been kneading either clay or dough since I was a young girl. Mostly clay, but coming from an Italian family, my Mom and Grandmother kept a kitchen humming. A friend of mine ( Thank you Tracy!) was nice enough to share her Pita bread recipe. While it is going to take some practice to get them to puff as nice as hers, I can tell you that they were yummy good. The kneading is particularly soothing and as I enjoyed this quiet task, I looked back upon this past year of mine.

As most of you know, many pattern designers had a tough go with it last year. As tough as it was, it gave the opportunity to open conversation and explain things that others had not truly thought of, such as Piracy. Social media was ablaze and it is in such times, that you see how people treat each other. I saw that after the initial shock and rants, there were people that I truly did not want to have connections with. Unkind words and actions were perplexing. Over time came distance, with the people and with Social Media. I had to learn how to balance it, to be a fruitful part of my life. It has been a time of healing inside and out. A time of family and a time of discovery for me. I am happy for the outcome. 

Back are my sculpts, with a renewed sense of direction. I have learned better pattern making and technique for my mice and birds. I am thankful for a couple of friends that encouraged me this Winter to keep up with the armatures and take them further. I have so loved this journey and the birds that have come as I have grown.They truly are matching the look of what I set out for a year ago.

Chapters close in your life and it is not a bad thing....

I am healthier, inside and out (and it's wonderful to see inches disappear). I walk the walk, not talk the talk.....

I have goode friends that are goode people inside and out. They are not mean to others. Their actions match their heart.

I have goode family beside and two daughters that are both on their next journey. Through sunshine or storm, we all have each other.

I am grateful for the opportunities given me....for the lessons learned along the way. Also, for the friends and family that keep the better path.

Comfortable In My Skin

It's hard to put your work out there, especially at first. The internet can seem very daunting as an Artist. There have been many times that I have felt like a young girl again...unsure of myself. What if no one likes it? What if they don't get it??? Or...after many hours of seeing the project..."it bites". 

I love that I don't keep myself confined to one media...one style. I love the ability to grow, to get my hands and heart into each medium that I enjoy. Each medium is unique and I can do lots of growing and exploring, especially of technique. It can be a challenge and a risk.....

not for the faint of heart~ smiles!

Like Antoinette, here. A blue pumpkin?? What the heck is a Jarrahdale? I could just hear it....but I LOVED them. So why not? Last year I was timid with a a Jarrahdale offering and the response was tremendous.  Now I search for fabric that would make the perfect complimentary dress for them. 

I do have a traditional part that calls me also. I was doing some reading on "Frozen Charlottes" and well, I was inspired to say the least with these pin keeps. 

Primitives never leave me though...like a well worn pair of jeans, they feel the most comfortable after so many years.

In it all, there is a certain simplicity... It has taken me a long time, but I am truly comfortable in who I am as an Artist. 

I don't have to shout out in color for attention. I know how to use it.

It's not about how many pieces of work that you put out, as long as you put out your best.

It's not about who is making what, it is about what tugs at your heart.

It is not about how many sales you make compared to someone else....art is not a competition with anyone but yourself.

it is all simply.....you

Goode News!

I'm taking a leap of FAITH, once again. I get emails every week asking for finished pieces. I like my selling sites, don't get me wrong~ they have been wonderful and they have given me so much on my Artful journey. Every once in awhile, I think...what if I just set up a selling page and have a web show here or there too???

Well, I'm ready to try it.I have the page all set and I am happy to announce that on  June 13th~ Thursday Evening at 7pm EST, I will be opening my little Album, specifically for finished pieces and placing a couple things up for sale.If you would like an email reminder, just send your request to:

thegoodewife@yahoo.com

A click on my little Pumpkin Ladye (above)  or on my "tab" (Wee Folk For Sale) under my Goode Wife picture, will bring you there. Stop by and mosey around a bit.

Goode Works Ahead

The older I get, the more ideas pop into my head. In some ways, I'm more patient, more willing to take subject matter and pursue a study...let things evolve. 

On the other hand, I am impatient. My head is off to another project, before I complete the one at hand. I'm always feeling the heat of a deadline. If it it's not monthly offerings, it is licensed work or publications.  Mix with it, the love and mastery of a couple media and add a splash of "don't put me in a mold" and you have my world.

My wonky life...somehow it does balance with work and family. Perhaps though, I wonder if it would be easier to put out offerings in an occasional web show? I'll never know unless I try ~ another leap of faith. I will be announcing the date and time for my first, (small but quaint) webshow.

          This is gonna be good, I just know it.

If you would like to be put on my email list, please send your request to me at : thegoodewife.yahoo.com

There's No Place Like Home

To say that it has been quite a week, may be an understatement. I have been quite busy still with orders and squeezing in some sculpting after a few weeks moving things from my Mom's home to ours. Memorial weekend was nice and quiet for us. Spent in solitude and remembrance...with a sprinkling of shamrock confetti on the gravesites of loved ones.

I have been working away on several sculpted pieces for offerings and enjoying myself.....until Wednesday night. This is thunderboomer season, which I admit that I enjoy. In Upstate NY, you don't think about tornados....but one decided to pay a visit Wednesday night. We had 15 minutes, to let our kids know and have Tim's kids get home. We took care of a few items in the back yard, grabbed the fur kids and went to the cellar. 

In true Jessie form, I get a text as the storm starts to really hit.
"I need to get Prom Shoes"

to which, I reply:

"Can we wait til after the tornado"

Tim's kids were a few streets before ours and heading to their house as they saw a funnel cloud.....

we were lucky, it lifted before it got to our house. It was an EF2. There was quite a bit of damage, and only 1 injury in the course of its 17 mile journey. Aside from debris, we lost power until the next day. 

 Today, we spent up north, enjoying the last Prom for this Mom. Jess wasn't too upset about not having new shoes. Together, with Matt, they make a stunning couple. Her dress is a wink and a nod to her Grampa in Heaven~ for our artful family; it is Vincent Van Gogh's, "Starry Night". A favorite  of  ours and especially Grampa's.

Jess and Matt; friends since the 7th grade. It took a lot for them to figure out that they were more than just friends. I knew... their friends knew.They made a great team before they realized it. They have the right stuff. They are both very grounded and ambitious. They have plenty of support between both families. Jess just needs to listen to her Mom. Mom is always right...even about tornado's.