My latest mixed-media piece! It features two fabric prints of some of my original photography (altered specifically for this piece), lots of fabric strips, lots of hand stitching, some watercolor paint and an old brass locket.

You can read and see more about it on Etsy!

A new little mixed media piece called "Hanging On".

Overall it's 8x10 in size, and since it's pre-matted (and that's not going to change since the thread goes around the mat and through the piece) it'll fit easy peasy into an 8x10 frame.

This was another accidental piece, I was using a paper bag to protect my table from paint and had cut out the oval to use as a guide for something else, and I like the way it looked, so I started putting some little prints in there until made a mix that I liked. Both the portrait print and the heart/lungs are fabric, and besides the paper bag there's just the needle and thread. (Everything is either sewed and/or glued in place so no worries about it moving around.)

You can find it on Etsy!

I've FINALLY finished my second doll. This one way more hands on than the first, and since I hate hand sewing I dragged my feet when it came to getting her done. Right now it's still only available to Patreon patrons, however none of them have yet to express interest, so if any non-patrons might like it let me know.

Unlike my first doll, very little of Cada's original clothing was used; I chopped off the majority of her dress, with only the bust area and sleeves remaining, though they are now almost completely covered up. I made a "dress" (not the best) from two fabric prints of one of my cicada still life images, which was attached to the remaining collar area of the dress to keep it in place.

Each wing is double sided, so 16 fabric wings in total were used to make up the 8 that cover her arms and part of her back.  (22 if you include the lone little wing that's "fallen"  and the two making up the ear flaps on the hat.) These were made from closeup photos I took of the cicadas on a white background years ago which were printed out on fabric and sewn together, then sewn onto her.

The bonnet is also handmade, I used leftover bits of the fabric I print on that were blank and the same pink thread I used on the everything else. Two leftover wings were added as ear-flaps to give it an aviator cap feel. (They look more like one when the flaps flip outward, but I really loved how the wings looked flipped in and framing her face.)

Everything was hand stitched, and then I "crocheted" (to the best of my very limited abilities) chains using the same thread. I distressed the edges of many of the fabric pieces. And i've placed her on the stand in a way which has her feet hovering just above the base. Not pictured yet is the bell jar I plan to buy to display her in. I might also have to glue and/or sew some bits into place otherwise she stands the risk of getting pretty messed up in transit to her new owner.

Right now I'm thinking 135$ plus shipping without a display jar (She really should be displayed in something though, not left out in the open.) or 160$ plus shipping with the jar.

I've settled into North Carolina........ kinda. We found it hard to find a place when we were still in Florida, and this area doesn't ever have a whole lot rental wise at one time, so we made the decision to do a 3 month lease at a small apartment while we looked, leaving behind some non-essentials, as well as most of my photo/studio stuff.

After almost 6 months, a whole lot of ups, downs, and one serious house related heartbreak later, we're still going month to month at the apartment. And since we're entering winter we're not super hopeful we'll find something until next year.

AND I still don't have a dog either. =( That might be even worse. It has been more than a year since Rowan passed away and it's getting more and more difficult to live a dog free life.

That said, as frustrating and anxiety ridden as this whole thing has been, I love being here. The mountains! The weather! (Well, the summer was very Florida-esque, but given that there are 4 seasons and it left when it was pretty much supposed to, I'll live with it!) All the old houses and downtowns! Proper downtowns! Florida can suck it!

I mean, it's not perfect, but I feel more at home here. I couldn't ever really say that about Florida.

While I do have my camera with me at least, lets just say my general emotional state has left me lacking in the motivation department, especially when I don't have all my props and stuff. Plus I haven't figured out yet where outdoors I could shoot without getting shot, you know what i'm sayin'?

BUT! That doesn't mean I haven't done anything! I've been working on more mixed media pieces, including dolls! Here are pics of the few i'm completed so far:

This is Penny, and she's still available. If you click on the image you can go to her listing on Etsy and see more images. Or, you know, purchased, it feel compelled to. (Patreon patrons can get her at a lower price, fyi!)  She was time consuming, but I really loved doing it. And miraculously I managed to NOT bleed all over her! (Needles, man!)

I have 3 other dolls similar to her, I call them her sisters, and while I've started the second, Cada (can you guess where that is going?) she'll be even more time consuming. Definitely won't be available until sometime next year.

And this is Betty, who has already found her home:

You can see more pics of her (here)

I've already purchased a few more busts, so there will definitely be more like this as well. They don't take as much time so it's nice to work on them when I need a break from the full body dolls. I just keep facing the problem where the bits and pieces I want to use on them are with my props in Florida. That's not irritating at all.

Using test bits I've had sitting around for a while I've been creating a few new mixed media pieces on fabric and paper, but I haven't 100% completed them yet or taken proper pictures of them. But here's one decent shot from my phone of one of them:

I'd wanted to get this, and another, up in the shop in time for Christmas, but thanks to school (end of the semester fun times) that's not going to happen.

So yeah. That all pretty much sums up the last 6 months for me. Hopefully something gives soon. I've learned that I don't do well without stability!