playing catch up.

remember me?

i'm back in this space.

i've missed writing it all, narrating my day to day.

with everything going on, this place has been neglected.

& i felt a sense if pressure about it all.

before i get back into the current,

i thought i'd play a little game of catch up.

photos of my preceeding life.

winter came and went.

and came and went.

overstayed her welcome, really.

she's a temperamental beauty:

valentine's day showed up

in a handmade kind of way.

my heart well is continuously overflowing:

(necklace by HouseThatCrowBuilt)

  

 my little one learned to sleep like this:

(i love that tushy!)

i moved my smithing studio into my dad's glass space

(& i sold my first piece).

i've been practicing and expanding horizons.

the future is full of possibility.

but more on that later: 

as of a month or so ago,

i now not only photograph with my husband,

but i have started working with him in the office as well.

it's good for me:

we've been getting acclimated to our new home

on the family farm.

or should i say, reacclimated since it was

my childhood home.

doesn't that sound romantic?

practically speaking, it's been fantastic for our finances,

as well as a great excuse

 to purge & consolidate.

it's an unbeatable walk to my momma's house.

it smells earthy and is downright iridescent.

plus, you can't beat the nightsong:

there's been some change,

some growth,

expansion.

family.

friends.

art.

life.

projects:

                                   

and then there's this little man.

my heart beat.

he's approaching six months.

time flies, they say.

sai.

sigh.

he's getting so big: 

 and then spring came like a festival.

sunshine for my marrow:

what have you been up to?

fly,

patience.

i've been gone for awhile.

i wouldn't be surprised if this doesn't reach anyone at all.

if this blog were a garden, i suppose it'd look something

like the bamboo that has choked out my grandmother's circle of roses beside the driveway of our soon-to-be new old home.

i'm feeling restored now.

these days, i have more and more energy and less and less blah.

these early months of baby making has left me drained.

the onset of all the tremendous change coming our way has had me feeling raw

and chopped off at the roots.

but i am grounded again...

and the grass is lovely and plush,

spongy and green,

like an inviting bed.

i feel, deep down, i was made to artistically create.

lately, there hasn't been a whole lot of that going on.

no silver, no stones, no illustrating...

or quilting or sewing or painting

or ANY of the things i figured i would have mastered by now.

a few sketches every now and then, a few words

when something won't let me rest.

and that's it.

typically, when it comes to "getting it out" -

putting my heart down that is -

i like to do things quickly.

see results instantly.

very childlike, i know.

patience has eluded me

and creative motivation fallen flat.

of course, it doesn't hurt that all my supplies are packed neatly away in storage as we await the completion of renovations on our house.

humph.

but i still feel the pulse.

saturday, paul and i stopped by a fabulous handmade market 

in north carolina on our way to the beach.

there were so many talented artists there doing their thing.

and in my depths, a twinge.

THIS IS FOR ME...still.

though i don't know what it looks like yet.

the beautiful jj was there with her table of jewels.

it was such an inspiration to finally meet her...

such a captivating person

(with talent out the wazoo)!

i'm not in school anymore - breathe.

i think i can do this - still.

right now though, 

i am taking the time i need, my body needs,

to create thee absolute best thing that could 

possibly ever come from my life.

our baby.

and there is no shame in that.

and while it feels like i'm standing still at the moment,

everything is actually happening incredibly fast.

life is unfolding while i type this...

and that, my friends, is some kind of divine art.

my new tats.

a portrait of paul and i...

from our 7 yr old friend MC.

lovely, eh?

:)

fly,

sb

ps. want a free piece of breath taking jewelry?

 check out the lovely jj's amazing giveaway on her blog:

click HERE to check her out...

{{it is unreal how talented she is!}}

first trade!

my first trade arrived in the mail the other day...

YAY!

it's nice for someone to be interested in my work!

"there - fine art print"

i traded with the lovely Isaac

from pictureitstudio

i traded for ...

well... you should look at his site:

"Filter Test-Yellow"

ok, it's not a "sale"
but it's a start!

ANYONE ELSE WANT TO TRADE?
:)

almost Heaven.

perhaps you've heard of john denver?

i thought so.

have you heard of tamarack?

it's in beckley, wv.

here's a shot:

(courtesy of wvtourism.com)

it's such a grand place.
i've wanted to go for a long time...
it's only about an hour or so from my home.
a dear friend took me on wednesday

because she knew i would love it.
and i did.
and do.
it's a place filled with spectacular arts and crafts,
all from wv artists.
some mind blowing work.
i mean, wow.
it's an honor to have your work for sale there...
and on display there.
maybe some day.
if you haven't gone,
go.

let me brag on my home.

here's a poem from wv writer lewellyn mckernan
i found in a book i picked up while i was there entitled

And Now the Magpie

:

The Unicorn on the Picture Postcard

is about to take off.
He looks back once, erasing
the footprints that took him.

to this beach, where the sand
turns dark just before it's
lifted up into the white flower

of a wave. He reduces the sun,
stuck in the upper left corner,
to a lollypop licked to its edges,

his diamond-hard eyes glancing
off the rainbow the rims
the china-plate sky: gold, ruby,

sapphire burst into a thousand
champagne pieces. The unicorn
blinks, pawing the pink sand

with his woven black hoof, shaking
the pale dream of a mane that
whips the circuituous wind to

whipped cream as it sends the tide
on its hummingbird rounds
all glittering gutter and green.

His ears perk as if suddenly he
hears a voice just outside the
vision of the artist that made him

that makes him so excited his black
tails curls up and his orange lashes
sing. He neighs, a sound not unlike

goodbye in every language. He leaps
to the edge of the card, kicking up
his heels hard, and with a dazzling

softshoe that rivals the best Broadway
tapdancer, he exists: leaving behind
the most beautiful landscape, ringing

with absence. Somehow, somewhere
a bigger better landscape called
to him. And he answered.

-by Lewellyn Mckernan (1985)

...GO

you found me

My name is Sarah, but I guess maybe you already gathered that. I live in the hills of wild West by God Virginia. The pace is slow, the people are kind, the seasons change. I, in fact, actually live upon a hill in a brick home with my husband (Paul!!!) and our two little dogs (Armi and Jewels...photos of them soon!) that we love tremendously and practice our parenting skills on.

They fit us.

We are both artists. Commercial photography (boekell photography) is our bread and butter. I recently earned my BFA with a concentration in graphic design. Oooo. I have yet to decide what this is going to mean for me, except that I will freelance from time to time. In the meantime, or possibly forever, I love illustrating and fine art photography (especially alternative processes, plastic cameras and macro shots). This is what you can expect to find in my Etsy shop first.

But not yet, because the Mac is down.

But soon…real soon.

{{here's a sneak}}

First - because there will be more. Next month I am attending a workshop with a silversmith. I may burst! So, after a few months, expect to see some wonderful additions. I already have pages of designs sketched out and ready to be transformed into metal.

Hopefully anyway.

What else? I love to write…poetry, short stories, maybe one day a childrens’ book or two. I find great inspiration and comfort browsing through antique stores and flea markets. It’s like connect the dots with the past. I want to sew like my mamaw, play guitar like my mom, and travel like my dad. I also plan to try my hand at pottery, printmaking, and painting.

So, we’ll see where this goes. Where I go from here.

I’m learning to garden. My trial cactus has survived. My orchid, Lovechild, is going strong {yes, I named my plant, and I’d be amiss not to mention Legs as well}. So, now I’m progressing outdoors to test my green thumb...or lack there of.

Today: sunflowers and wildflowers (and a sunburn).

Tomorrow: herbs, tomatoes, and strawberries.

I have developed a strange affinity with buds, seeds, pods, eggs…shells. Lately, I’m mesmerized by growth; it’s shining out my fingertips in the form of art and in the spirit of life around me.

There has also been a lasting cling to all notions of flight...

feathers, flight, wings, moths, a brush stroked sky.
But you’ll learn this all, if you want, as it emerges in my art and my words and my life.

I think this is good for now.

This is good for me.

This is a journal, a documentary, an outreach…
Feel free to stop by anytime if you fancy.

FLY,

SB