Sam the Cat

Sam the Cat was made for a friend's daughter, so he's already off to a good home!

Oh Hai!

Yes, I am going to make this.

You don't miss the beginning until you get to the end.

Lily was 4 years old when she came into my life. I can't fathom taking my pet of 4 years to the pound, but that's where she came from. My sister gave her to me for what was supposed to only be a one week stay; one week turned into 9 years. All of those years, I had wondered what she was like as a kitten, what were the things that shaped her into this little creature who grew bolder and braver with age? She aged into a brazen food thief, stealing bacon and pancakes when your head was turned. She was scared of a cockroach but not a chipmunk. I never understood why you needed to be at least 13 years old to touch her. Sorry kids, she really was a nice cat.

In the final weeks of her life, I was desperately trying to make her healthy again and dreading the decision that was facing me. I was beginning to accept that 13 years was what her life was going to be. All the same, I wanted more time with her, I wanted those 4 years that someone else got. I hope I gave her a good life. Lily really was a very good cat.

Goodbye sweet Lily.

The Patron Saint of NYC..

I'm now 2/3rd's of the way through my triptych of Urban Critters Which Will Never Die project. Guess who comes up next? Heh! Not telling yet. I got this pigeon idea from this quite clever blog and her pet photography project. She took a quite charming picture of a pigeon and he became a natural fit for this icky idea of mine. It's the critters you don't like that will outlive us all on this planet...

Grizzly Bear. Can't Stop Watching This Video...

I am a fan of fan art!

Two Weeks - Grizzly Bear from Gabe Askew on Vimeo.

My favorite video of the day

This video is the perfect combination of excellent editing, perfect song combo (song/band that I love) and nothing gory happening! Usually bike videos like this have cracking faces and

bones, terrible things happen! But this one is just about

being awesome at what you love to do and making it

look good. It's a good thing!

Oh yes I did...

I went and made a cockroach mosaic. And a life size one at that. I purposely chose a background color that is a common shade for bathroom tiles. This was all done to give you the heebie jeebies, so I hope it worked. Know anyone who's left the big city and you'd like the perfect "you know you're going to miss it here!" gift? I think you've just found it. Shiver....

(also, this is part one of my Urban Critters Which Will Never Die triptych)

Summer bugs

These critters have been floating around my computer for a while now and it's about time they got out in the public. The beetle found a home before the paint even dried so the snail is still looking for a cozy spot to settle into.

Sailboat!

There are pluses and minuses to getting commissions. The plus is $$$! The minus can be that you're asked to make something probably outside your own interests and that you'd never make on your own. This isn't a terrible burden because chances are you're going to learn something new and refine techniques that will make the next project of your choosing even more awesome. I probably never would have done a sailboat on my own but I had fun with this one. I chose a pretty precise design which forced me to be very precise my glass cutting. Not to say that I didn't still make a huge mess with lots of wasted glass bits, but they were bigger bits and almost just the right size! So I like this one, it was a challenge, I'm a better artist for having done it and it's going to a good home. All my mosaics should be so lucky.

Dragonfly

Dragonflies are supposed to bring good luck. In lieu of making an ox mosaic, I hope this little critter brings a year of good luck and fortune to anyone who owns it.