Art at the front door

It’s a bit before 4 AM as I begin to write. You’re now in on one of my ‘tricks’ for fitting it all in to a very full life as an artist entrepreneur with young children. The night shift can be an important time for some tasks. It’s quiet with no interruptions – something that’s hard to come by when your business is on the same property that you live on.

But what a treat tonight – the full moon reflecting off the Yellowstone River outside is absolutely gorgeous. Wish I could add a photo of what I see out my window, but a photo could never do it justice. Some things are meant to experience in person.

 

Tonight, it's the smallest full moon of the year - "the mini moon"....12.2% smaller than the largest of the year that will occur on August 10.

And with it's name derived from Native American tradition - "Full Wolf Moon" - it's the perfect night to preview John's latest piece....

A wolf sconce - a commissioned piece by a client to be installed beside their front entry. There’s something I will always appreciate about functional art – so nice to incorporate art into our lives. To see beauty at your front door everyday. I really like that concept.

 

 

 

 


John’s working in clay here, but the final piece will be bronze. He's still working out some of the final details, but here the piece is getting close to completion.

At this stage, you do have to have ‘the vision’. Some areas at the top will be cut out later and he’ll make translucent panels – probably out of mica –  giving the piece a lighter feeling than you see here in clay. There will be some other slight adjustments and details added yet too. (Luckily, we’ve done this before…a few times!... that experience helps with ‘the vision’.)

Our Yellowstone Zoo    

- photos from our windows -

The beaver have become regular visitors to our property this year.  So I’ve had lots of opportunities for photos….

 

 

 

 

And our first sighting of the year of bison out our windows - that's always exciting!

 

 

Now, off to my next task on my list - web update - while it’s still quiet around here…..

Living the Dream in 2014

As I sit here at my desk going through a stack of bills and mail that have accumulated for a week or so, I opened an advertisement for an art magazine subscription...

The title was “Living the Dream of an Artist’s Life” with a bucolic scene depicted on the cover.

I guess I don’t need that subscription, because I already am – in all it’s glory. But the reminder that it truly is a dream, I certainly appreciate.

You see the stack of mail accumulated because I and both my kids have been ‘under the weather’ – FAR under the weather. The Holiday germs hit hard here and we are still trying to recover. At times, especially with the pace over the Holidays, the life of an entrepreneur  artist mother with 2 young children can be dizzying. I have a schedule - and sickness can really get in the way.

Oh, and did I mention that the kids have been out of school since mid-December? Yes, family time is good, but working at home with kids is particularly challenging.  And my ‘vacation time’ (what is that, right?) does not coincide with the school schedule. So I have to be VERY creative and a bit of an insomniac to get all my work done. (Probably how these germs took hold in the first place!)

Anyway, as a thinker and a planner, I like to take time out at the start of the year and re-group. Reflect on what worked over the past year and plan for new ventures in the new year. Take a temperature check on the kids to be sure we’re all headed in the right direction, let out a big sigh and move forward. But the beginning of this year has been moving a lot slower, since I’m REALLY taking temperature checks!

But my recovery time has given me a good while to stew about the upcoming year. No, we don’t count how many paychecks are headed our way in 2014 and plan our budget accordingly. Self – employed means you look to the horizon of a new year,  determine a route, make your best plan, cross your fingers… and jump!

So this time of year has an added air of anticipation, hope and of course that quiet underlying sense of panic that we have grown to love after so many years of free fall artistic self-employment.

Somehow, we do manage to be part of a very small percentage of self-employed artist couples - with kids yet! even a smaller percentage – who are doing okay. Phew.

Good to be reminded I am “living the dream".

With gratitude….Happy 2014…Shirl

 When I’m old and dying, I plan to look back on my life and say

“Wow, that was an adventure,” not “Wow, I sure felt safe.”        

- Tom Preston-Werner

 

Our Yellowstone Zoo

- photos from our windows -

Luckily, while I was “livin’ the dream on the couch” I had my camera close by for shots out the window – barely even had to lift my head off the pillow…. I know, it REALLY IS like living the dream here….

Our first visitors of the New Year were beaver!

 New Year's morning as the sun came up we watched 3 beaver munching away at the edge of the Yellowstone River. I'm taking that as a sign and getting ready - it's going to be a busy year!

 

 

 

Eagles have been frequent visitors lately, but these are some of my best shots of late....

 

 

 

 

 

Wax wing flocks - always a beautiful sighting to behold.

This is a very small section of a large flock,

but I liked the composition with the one bird in flight.

 

 Once I get this stack of mail conquered, I’ll post the photos of John’s new sculpture. After all, with the rest of the family down and out, he had some time to sculpt in peace over the Holidays. I’ll post his latest soon.

Park City and back...

We created 3 chandeliers for a client in Park City Utah – and we are just back from the delivery.

In an earlier post, I had mentioned 'lighting photos will follow, and here they are. Those pieces that were on our work tables lately - now done and hung!...

 

 

Beautiful time of year to visit Park City. This barn is one of our favorite "landmarks" -

 

AND - While we were in the area, we stopped by a past client’s home and took some photos of our lighting installed. This was a project we delivered a couple years ago.

It's always great to have photos with our lighting when the home is 'complete and lived in'. It's important to us that our lighting has a warm welcoming glow that sets the mood for the space. I think it's most evident with the interiors completed and furnished....

Such a privilege to add beauty to peoples lives... we strive for that through both our art and our lighting. It's a wonderful feeling to see our work being enjoyed! 

Work Hard, Play Hard

We’ve been working hard lately…

On my work table (and in John’s workshop, too) are 3 large chandeliers that are just about completed - no idle hands here! (Photos will be taken very soon - stay tuned.)

On my easel are wildlife sketches and painting studies that I’ve been creating as references for my larger more complex studio paintings. Those larger paintings I have roughly blocked in and strewn throughout my studio at the moment - to be completed over this winter. But now I’m taking the time to work out references and study possible animal positions and anatomy for those paintings - An important step that is all too easy to blast right through…and regret later. Slow and steady, do the necessary work, put in the effort and the results will shine. At least that’s what I’m hoping J

Today, I did a graphite sketch of a raven at the Yellowstone Heritage and Research Center.

Raven sketch in graphite 
 by Shirl Ireland

 

I've also sketched a green winged towhee, painted a elk calf study and a great grey owl study at the Yellowstone Heritage and Research Center lately. Like I said, no idle hands here!...

 

Green winged towhee sketch in graphite
by Shirl Ireland

Elk calf study in oil
by Shirl Ireland

Great grey owl study in oil
by Shirl Ireland

 

 Now, it’s time to play hard….

Thursday December 5th is the Gardiner Christmas Stroll from 5 to 8 pm. We’ll have the Gallery opened with wine and chocolate AND offer great prices on our table lamps to ‘brighten up’ your Holidays.

Friday December 6^th is the reception for the “Small Gems” Show at the Livingston Art Center from 5pm  to 8 pm on Main Street in Livingston Montana. I have paintings in the Show, John has sculpture and together we have table lamps too. (See the preview of our work in my last post.) The reception coincides with the Livingston Art Walk, so it should be a fun night.

Hope you can make the fun to see some of our hard work.

Let the Show begin...

Both John and I have 'small works' in the Holiday Art Show at the Livingston Center for Art and Culture in Livingston Montana. The reception is December 6th during the Livingston Art Walk - hope you can make it!

Bronze Bunny
by John Stacy

Winter Patterns
Oil - plein air - by Shirl Ireland

Autumn Bouquet
Oil - plein air - by Shirl Ireland

Winter Bales
Oil by Shirl Ireland

Morning On The River
Oil by Shirl Ireland

Geyserland
Oil by Shirl Ireland

AND, we have a variety of table lamps at the Show that we have both helped to create - below are some examples...



 

 

 

What Yellowstone waterfall was that in my last post?

Osprey Falls

(It's also a great hike to the bottom of Osprey Falls - a spectacular angle to view the falls from. You can start off from the Bunsen Peak trailhead. We like to mountain bike the 'first leg' and then hike - mixes it up and makes for a fun 'day hike'.)

 

Our Yellowstone Zoo

- photos from our windows -

A sharp shinned hawk stopped by the property - the smallest hawk in North America... (similar to a Cooper's Hawk.) Their diet consists of mostly songbirds and mice.

With such acrobatic flying moves, it was hard to catch him in action...

 

 

 

Hear a sharp shinned hawk call, click here. 

(You'll also be able to learn more about them with that link.)

Name that Yellowstone waterfall...

So we went for a hike in Yellowstone a few days ago.

Here are photos of the waterfall we saw.....

 

 

Do you know what Yellowstone waterfall it is?

 

HINT: There is also a trail to the bottom of the falls.

(We've hiked that one too... it's spectacular!)

Our Yellowstone Zoo

- photos from our windows -

 

A couple Northern Flickers were 'flickering' around the property.

As you may have seen in my past posts, I love to try to 'catch birds'

(i.e. get a good photo of them flying)

 

I think I caught this one!

We also had some 'feisty' pronghorn...

 

I just dropped off pieces at the Livingston Art Center for their Christmas Show...paintings, sculpture and lighting. Next up, I'll preview our works to be in the show AND answer the waterfall question.