For me, if you aren't familiar with my own feelings, summer is my least favorite season. I do think I have a reverse SADS and, when it is sunny for too many days in a row, I get pretty cranky.
Now, this year we had more than our fill of rain so I think I will be ok even if it is sunny for the next three months. So far, fingers crossed, no day has been hotter than 74 and that was just once a few weeks ago.
Last month I tried a little different approach for my shoppes. I focused almost exclusively on Shadow of the Sphinx and tried to fit as many custom pieces in as I could. This was, of course, at the expense of Bewilder and Pine. This month I will reverse that and spend the majority of my time on the Fairy world. I may experiment with working this way, alternating focus months going forward, as it seemed to be a really productive month for me. Now, after almost four weeks with very little "fairy activity" , I am reallllly quite excited to make new fairy houses and little scenes again!
In other projects/news, work continues on my book, "The Ledgerkeepers". As it's my first attempt at writing a full novel (yikes) a lot of it has been experimenting with ways around and thru the process. Discovery writing seems to be the ticket for me. I am very adept at coming up with what some writers refer to as the "WOW! moments" but filling in all the spaces in between seemed impossible to figure out ahead of time. So I just pick a spot in the story and go! It twists and turns and opens new doors that lead to new characters, plot twists, little pieces of the world emerging etc. What I love is it's almost like I am discovering it all myself for the first time too. When I look at how the story has gown in scope and how much of that comes from just that sort of free writing without an outline, I am shocked.
I still sit down first thing each morning for between one and two hours and write or research or plot and plan. I'm hoping to be able to share a bit of it here before the summer is done.
The Bewildering Pine website is also coming along. Once I realized the Ledgerkeepers book was going to be a novel (Or series) and not just a set of short stories and descriptions I knew I wanted a place for all of that to call home too. So the website will house little descriptions of each town, the points of interest and the dozen or so types of elven folk and outer-world traders that inhabit the Pine. There will be maps and charts as well as descriptions of shoppes and societal structures. The website is also on schedule for a late summer /early autumn launch. There will be a blog, a newsletter, a separate shop with perhaps a few exclusive offerings from the world of the Bewildering Pine and all the magic and whimsy I can manage to stuff into that tiny cyber-space!
And last, a Bewilder and Pine print newsletter that I likely will not kick off until the website is up and running but I have a template for it all ready to go. Printed once a quarter I think it will be crafted as if from a press within the world itself, articles and columns by regular elven writers with news from the world of the Bewildering Pine and other realms as well.
Whew!
OK, that's about it for now. . . Welcome June!
So, here are a few of the new items that I finished in May. It's heavy on the statuary and amulets this month since I spent so much of the month working in that world. The one thing I really was able to step back and appreciate this month was how I have developed a very distinct style working with ancient statues. They still resemble their ancient inspirations but I think there is a very distinct style I've forged thru the years with the creating of some 1000 statues and amulets now. That's the beauty of giving something time and effort to develop. Having faith in the processes and just following it along the path willingly. :)
Thank you, as always, for dropping by!
xo
nicolas
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| Custom Sekhmet Lioness Statue |
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| Mini Wadjet Cobra Statue just 2 1/2" ( 6.25cm) tall |
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| Esma, the second Mouse Market of Muridae Figurine |
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| A very Narrow Fairy Tower from an area of the Bewildering Pine called the Narrows! |
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| One of my Favorite Egyptian Deities to make, no-one is completely sure what animals inspired it but the Anteater is definitely one of the likely suspects! |
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| A very simple Rising Sun amulet |
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| Etsy featured these not too long ago and I have been unable to keep them in the shoppe!. I'll be making a handful in June! |
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| Anubis the jackal and Nekhbet the Vulture. They make a nice couple! :) |
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| Bes, a multifaceted, multicultural Protective Deity who was well represented by the ancient Egyptians. I LOVE the fancy headdress and the tongue sticking out! |
Oh how wonderful your statues are, I love them so! They definitely show your uniqueness. It can be difficult to balance projects, but it sounds like you're doing an amazing job of it. I love seeing your art and reading your words.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lisa. It is difficult to balance so many projects but I love them all so much I can't imagine putting any of them aside! :)
DeleteThank you so much for dropping by!
So excited that the book and website are moving along!!! They will both be so fun from the sounds of it! I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI felt that same discovery when I was actively working on my novel. It was fun to see what would happen because I honestly didn't know when I sat down to write. I have been thinking about working on it again because it is set in wild phlox season which is in full swing here. They are blooming everywhere. But I just can't seem to take time away from painting so the book will still have to wait.
Your may work is all wonderful!
Hi Andrea! That's the best part, the discovery and following the unknown and watching those characters and the world around them come to live and deepen and grow.. A part of my book is set around a bay and I use the bay we live beside as the inspiration so I found myself, in winter, writing all manner of scenes set on a choppy, stormy and gray landscape and now, with summer finally arriving, the mood is lighter and brighter. I'll be very excited to share it all as the months go on.
DeleteWild phlox season sounds like it would be so beautiful and inspiring but it sounds as if painting has wrapped it's arms around you tightly. I'm looking forward to seeing what you are creating too! Thank you for dropping in as always!
Nicolas, do you sleep? Seriously? LOL! I have to admit, if my living situation was different, I would be creating at all times of the day or night. Right now, I can't do that! I am so happy everything is going well!! Website and a book! Happy Dance! Loving all your new creations! Big Crow Hugs! Keep Being You!
ReplyDeleteOh I do sleep, just lucky to only need around 5-6 hours a night, I wake without an alarm by 5:30 every morning and get right to it. . . well, after coffee that is. But I adore the silence of the early morning when my head is clear and I can focus on the world of my stories. And, of course, I do without a lot of the things/distractions in my life that I might have once deemed necessary. It's a trade off but I am ok with that trade. I don't miss those things at all and I DO take time for myself when I really need it. : ) Big CROW Hugs! Thank you dropping by and for your kind words Stacy!
DeleteWonderful read Nicolas. I admit to have neglected this space a little and to find it again brings me back home in a sense. Your 5:30 start with coffee sounds VERY familiar. It truly is the right time to get things done, when the mind is newborn, and nothing else stirs. Your new pieces are just magical. I do look forward to visiting again. Congratulations on juggling so many projects at once. You are an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI wonder sometimes how so many people function in the cacophony of our world because I have purposely removed myself from so much of that static, visual inundation, on-line media, tv, etc and sometimes it STILL feels like my life is being invaded by noise except for that first few hours of the day! lol Thank you for stopping by Louise and for taking time to comment! I may actually have too many projects in the air sometimes but I just can't seem to find it in me to set any of them aside right now sooooooo. : )
DeleteSoooo... roll with it, you must be channeling! ^_^ I love being on a roll like that. Sometimes I get up and swing into the day on a trapeeze and I would like to do that every day. Enjoy your ride and lets hope it never stops. :)
DeleteNicolas, thank you for the visit and your thoughtful comments there. Jsut thought I;d check out your blog too. I have seen your stuff before for sure. You are a very talented imaginary sculptor. As it is, I love your woodland mouse and the fairy tower. Excellent work.
ReplyDeleteAnd, wow, it sounds like you have your fingers in a lot of creative pies! how do you have time to do all that and work or does the sculpting pay your way? Well done! I always have all these ideas but the reality is that it is enough to do a creative piece once a week for the art co-op, scribble picnic. (BTw, speaking of that, if you ever see a theme that mataches up with you, please submit a link to your piece for that. Sculpture is included as is pretty much everythind but straight photography that has not had something else done to it, beyond jsut photoshop. Even collages are allowed.)
I really had to nod in total agreement with this; "when it is sunny for too many days in a row, I get pretty cranky." I am the EXACT same way -- pretty much loathe the hot days of summer but love all the other seasons. I always say, you can only get so naked in public bu tI can always put on more layers if cold outside. And, you know, what? I love bundling up. It's wearing sloppy shorts and such that make me feel like I never woke up properly. lol.
Nice to meet you.
Welcome Michael! So nice to see you drop by and I am so appreciative of your comments. Thank you!
DeleteWell now, let's see, my wife Sofie and I both make our living with our current art/sculpture/miniature work. We've been at it full time for almost 7 years and now I cannot imagine doing anything else. Looking back to those days, I never could have planned where this path would lead but here we are.
I used to own a coffeeshop and a small cafe before turning to art full time. And I loved them both so much. Just a change of season (life-wise) came along and I no longer wanted the daily social interaction as much. I'm inherently a hermit-like fellow deep down. . . so long as it's creative hermit-ing. I guess I woke up one day time suddenly felt like time was slipping away and I wanted to really give my all in the pursuit of something creative.
And time. . . never enough is there? I suppose the truth is the art comes at the expense of almost everything else for us. We honestly never go out to eat or travel. Never spend any extra money on anything that isn't necessary or art-making related. When Sofie and I met 8 years ago, we were both at just the right place and on the same page in SO many ways. Most importantly we both wanted to try and make a go of making a living with our art skills. So we moved from the city to a little fishing village where things are much more affordable, cut all our expenses and fell in love with the slower pace here.
I'm so glad to know there are other summer SADS folks. lol I sometimes feel like I am the only one and agree with ALL that you said Michael. Especially the bit about sloppy shorts. Ugh! :)
I WILL link to my work when the Scribble Picnic subject fits and I actually looked ahead at your coming weeks subjects thinking they might just inspire a little sculpture or two as is. We shall see. . . Thank you for the invitation. It is very much appreciated.
You and Alexandra really are both such talented folks and I have loved taking a break from my own creative paracosm and looking at all the lovely work people create and post to both of your weekly events. It's inspiring.
Thank you again Michael! very nice to meet you as well. :)