Friday, April 8, 2016

I did it again - whoa!

Be prepared for a lot of pictures.

Yes, I did it again and I am happy and high.  That's the best part of work - besides actually creating something - you get lost in time and space and it is a high that buzzes for a long time.

Some really good stuff happened here - a huge accomplishment for my daughter - and so there has been a lot of joy and lightness in the air.  Suddenly I started working on my "stuff".  I hauled out every box of shells that was lanquishing on shelf after shelf in my studio and attacked a bust with gusto.

You might remember that this was my first one:

                                                                        





This is what I am almost finished with :

                                                                              





                                                                                




                                                                                




 This one is not as spiritual as the first. The baby and the Madonna really required a light touch to convey reverence.  This one represents the ocean and it's exuberance.  There are ceramic fish embedded. This one is about 2' high by 15"wide.  The first was about the same measurements.  They both are in the range of about 25#'s.  This one is not finished yet, she will have more shells on the lower half to even her out and maybe some other tweeks of similar colored flowers, but I wanted to show you what my busy has been lately because I haven't written for awhile.

I've also done this small QuanYin, about 18" high.  She is lightly decorated and her gown is decoupage paper napkins, I love the flowers on her underskirt. She carries a basket of sea flowers and she has the tiniest split nautilus on the top of her crown, I just love it. And her scepter, oh my gosh - it is a shell worn by the ocean for a long, long time.  There is a tiny little clipping from the NY times many years ago that say's "Let there be peace." It is pasted just above the prayer holder.  It's from a full page ad that Yoko took out on the anniversary of Johns death to commemorate him, printed in dozens of languages.      All these "things"?,  I don't know what to call them, have tiny little holders at the bottom for prayers, keepsakes, etc.  They're not just pretty, they are meant to be functional.

                                                                             


                                                                                 

The challenge, as always, is trying to figure out what to sell them for.  The top one sold for $350.00 about 8 years ago.  Even then it was a crazy low price, but I had no idea what I was doing and not much self esteem.  Now I know my work is pretty good and should sell accordingly.  But what is that?
These sort of things are selling for...hold on to your hat...$3,000 to $5,000 dollars (like the two big ones) in Florida and Palm Springs.  I'm not that crazy, but still pricing is difficult for me.

Many glue-burned fingers later, I am eagerly awaiting the next one.  It's a bit smaller, but has the most beautiful, delicate face.  Can't wait!

Hope you enjoyed.
Love, Liv

18 comments:

  1. Wow! These are great. I'm so jealous of your burst of creative energy. Nice job.

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  2. these are so lovely! I really like the Qwan Yin. and I know what you mean about the making. that's the favorite part for me. it's nice to have the finished work but it is the making that I enjoy the most.

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  3. Thanks Collette.
    My burst are few and far between so don't be too jealous!

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  4. Yeah, I love that too. Sometimes I forget to eat and I completely forget water - not so good. But yes, making is really good!

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  5. I was talking to you Ellen, in that last remark - sorry I missed your name.

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  6. Wow! Gorgeous, liv! I love the Quan Yin best --

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  7. E,
    Well I think I'll have to do more Quan Yins then.
    Thank you

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  8. Awesome!!!! You sound so light :) I love it.

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  9. Thanks SJ. Well, I'm working, so something must be going right :) !

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  10. I, too, love the Quan Yin the most. The lightness of it is perfect. What a beautiful manner of art you are doing! It's obvious that you are putting your whole heart into these as well as a great deal of skill and thoughtfulness.

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  11. oh Liv what amazing sculptures you are creating, such talent should be highly rewarded too...perhaps not quite as expensive as the last quoted, but its obvious that a huge amount of thought and design goes into these creations, and the result is truly inspirational... I hope you make more and more, and manage to get good price when you sell them... I read about leaving a friendship behind, which is the hardest thing in the world.. I am happy that you feel lightened by finishing the connection... I hope that your happiness continues and that you carry on creating these amazing pieces of Artwork... happy weekend, have a good one.. janzi

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  12. Mary, Mary, Mary - love you.
    Yes the Quan Yin is my favorite too. I'm tempted to keep her.
    But I'm so happy to be working again, that the other one is like a huge whoop! Ya' gota get crazy wild for just a minute - I might have had a martini while I was doing that. (?!) I could do a dozen more Quan Yin's but they are so dang hard to find. Keep an eye out for one x


    Janzi
    I hope it continues too, Janzi. Fingers crossed and you have a great weekend too!

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  13. Good on ya! They are fantastic. I would expect people to "shell" out a few bob for them, of course (pun intended :-D).

    Greetings from London.

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  14. Ha, good one!
    Thank you so much, you made my day :)

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  15. Hi Liv,

    First of all, thank you for the sweetest comment ever on my blog today! It meant a lot to me :)
    Secondly... May I say WOW, seriously WOW about your amazing shell encrusted creations. Really fantastic and right up my shell loving ally!!! I definitely understand your trepidation in regards to pricing. I used to make oyster shell encrusted lamps and sold the first few pretty low before I realized that people were willing to pay a lot more than I thought. It is difficult for fair minded people like ourselves to price aggressively even though a ton of creativity and work go into these treasures. I suggest though that you push yourself to a price that seems a little shocking to you and then wait to see what happens :) I think you will be very surprised!!!
    I have a lot of Quan Yins as I collect them and would be happy to send you one. I look for them and find them quite often. I've even made several pairs of lamp finials from very tiny versions :) I recently came across a very large one that I carried home on the plane from a visit in Colorado. I am happy to procure some for you as you must continue to make your unique creations :) Feel free to email me at long.therese@gmail.com and we can make arrangements to get some to you!!!
    So glad you left a comment today!!!!
    It's lovely to meet you :)
    XO
    Terri

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  16. Oh my gosh, Terri, thank you so much for commenting! I've been reading you for a couple of years and really did miss you. I've always loved what you do with "found" things and the way you make something special out of what other people would usually pass up. It's been a long time since we heard anything about your loving mother, she's a jewel*

    The Quan Yin's are hard for me to find so I appreciate so much your interest.
    It's lovely to meet you too, I'm glad I plucked up the courage and commented because I'm so glad to meet someone who loves the same things I do!!
    Liv

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  17. Thanks for your comment in my previous post. Really appreciate it. I find it hard to use the right language when I speak to people on the spectrum. I find it easier to just listen and go with the flow.

    All the best.

    Greetings from London.

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  18. I was a little afraid I had overstepped the boundaries by speaking about my own experiences. But thank you for your comment.

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