Hunter, gatherer...

I am hunting and gathering. Inspiration is my prey! Okay maybe this is an excuse to spend far to much time on Pinterest. Being at home during the winter months can get a a bit monotonous you know.... So While I am here hibernating in my usual fashion, I am at least trying to learn some new things. You know me.... lovin the learnin.

I had resigned from Gallery 4 to focus on some new goals and see where my art would lead me ( i may return soon though... i miss my peeps). I basically was open to everything and loving to learn.... as you know. So I had these big aspirations to start writing again. But then I became stumped. Going back and forth in my mind. Asking myself what is the story. But I was fighting myself too much. So I just went back to the drawing board and immersed myself in everything I love.... I am creating myself from moment to moment and it feels right to have things develop organically instead of forcing things.

I realized a few things in the last few months.... I love to sculpt... and am experimenting as we speak! I just made some cold porcelain.... i love it... the kids love it... you can make a bunch for cheap!!!! Here you go.... my first video tutorial.... no judging! I am no pro... that I am sure, is obvious. lol

 I love sharing, I love stories, and feelings.... I love making people happy and hopeful. So I am exited to work on some dioramas and such.... I am not sure how these stories... or works will develop but I will just let it happen.... here is what has been inspiring me lately.....

Paper Theatres = LOVE

You can find out everything about them here : 

http://www.kannikskorner.com/toytheater/photos.htm

I really, really, REALLY want to make one... and start making more dioramas... 3D art seems to have my heart doesn't it? I can't wait to see what I can create.. my own worlds!!!! Ahhhhhh ... I can't stand it... so much to do... so many ideas.... I better rein myself in... whoa girl!

Then there is the art of art of Sandra Arteaga... 

she is so inspiring.... Wish I could step into her dreams and see what happens there. 

I think we could be kindred spirits.

The Last Chapter by Sandra Arteaga

Then there is also the work of Paola Zakimi from Argentina. 

I found her through an article in the Art Doll Quarterly.

 She also doesn't limit herself to just sculpture... showing me that you can do it all!!! Wonderful. xxoo

Art doll by Paola Zakimi 

I have been spending a lot of time learning and experimenting with how to make moveable dolls.... The best and hardest option being learning how to make a ball jointed doll.... Im not going to lie.... it takes some practice, I have yet to be happy with my own results so far. I am very impatient and a little OCD! lol

But here is a good tutorial on how to make ball jointed dolls in the Asian style. 

 So go ahead and give it a go... let me know how it works for you!

 Noah gives a really nicely detailed explanation.

And if that isn't enough well.... don't even get me stated on Etsy!!!! 

I love Etsy. It is my favorite way to shop for friends and family!!!! It is also my favorite way to be inspired. The talent and creativity out there is amazing... and so easily available!!!! I find the most fun way to shop on Etsy is to peruse  the Favorites of sellers and buyers on Etsy! Here are some of my favorites above.... I just love that you can start at one place then fall in love with another and another.... checking out other peoples favorites can lead you all over the world to the most inspiring places!!!! Give it a try... start looking through my favorites... then look at another... and another. You will be surprised at what you find. It is so much fun!

Then there is Pinterest.

MY CURRENT OBSESSION!

Same principle idea... hunting and gathering inspiration from every corner of the web... from all over this ever shrinking world of ours.....

So go Hunt and Gather and see what you find... then go create... use your imagination and see where it takes you. Whole new worlds await you. 

xxoo

Carrie Lee

The Company of Wolves

We closed our show last night and then went out on the town... Ate pizza... Watched the crazy people staggering around downtown.... It was an experience, and it was fun. I also sent another piece I did to a group show in Minneapolis at the CSG for a group show. Here is the poster....






I was supposed to go, however, my mister came down with the nasty stomach flu and needed a little TLC. So here I am sitting next to my bed ridden boy and catching up on the latest news... Thinking about what I should tell you... Hmmmmm, well most of you already know that I shish kabobed my fingers on my left hand a week and a half ago.... It is finally getting better now, still has a long way to go and no feeling in my left index finger yet. So I think I will be taking a break for a week or two then go back to work. But hey.... No worries!
Oh and...
Here is the piece I did for the group show at a CSG.....






It may surprise some of you to know that I don't actually celebrate Halloween... I belong to a somewhat orthodox religious background and have never been a part of most mainstream Holidays... So when I do my art I am not swayed by holiday themes... Nor do I want to be. I look for morals, or moments of truth, understanding, storytelling....
We were supposed to pick a scary movie as a theme and I picked a very B class movie,(i am a bit of a chicken when it come to seriously scary movies... What can i say... I am a wuss) it is dark and strange and has a very very good point in the end..... Little Red says....

'Little Girls this seems to say, never stop along the way, never trust a stranger friend, no one knows where it will end, as your pretty so be wise, danger lurks in every guise, now as then tis simple truth, sweetest tongue hides sharpest tooth.'

Here is to taking the right path....just be careful of all the wolves along the way.

Xxoo
Carrie Lee

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October Show ~ Rock, Paper, Scissors

I almost forgot to post this here! Ug...

Well here you go:
'Rock, Paper, Scissors'
At Atomic Coffee
Downtown Fargo
All October!

Drop by if you can... I think it really turned out great! I am so lucky to work with talented ladies like Amber Noel Parsons and Tanna Lee Hill.



I will post pics from the show later.
Xo
Carrie Lee
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Light and Shadow

'Where there is light... There is always a little shadow'
Mixed media sculptures
By Carrie Lee Wendt














I am really having fun working three dimensionally. I never really wanted to work with clay.... I am afraid I have always been leery of the medium. But guess what? I love it.... I am obsessed! I can't believe I have been missing out. But this is old news to you guys.... What can I say.... I am so EXCITED!!
Lol, What a dork I am. Oh well, live and learn. So now, alas, you can see the progress I have made.

Anyways, you knew I was experimenting with it....

No more worrying about wether or not my sculpting would end up looking like Abe Lincoln or the elephant man.... Not that they wouldn't be someone else's idea of a good project... Just that those gentlemen were not what I was going for and luckily am happy to report that my ideas came to life the way I had hoped. (wiping sweat from brow)


And yes... you can still see my work is always reflecting my feelings toward balance... Towards past and present.... Towards happy and sad... Good and evil.... Yin and yang. I think my work will always have a story.
I never really go into a project knowing exactly what I am doing. Things usually come as an idea, a quote or short story I've come up with..... then I develop it as I go on. I basically go on a wing and a prayer. (procrastination is also key to getting inspiration revved up...Lol)

I hope you are in your life... Learning, living.... loving. Doing what you're destined to do.
Xxoo,
Carrie Lee
BlogPress from my iPhone

Working Girl.....

So I thought I would just let you 

see the progress on this piece I am working on....

It is evolving into something that 

I am pleasantly surprised with. 

for some odd reason 

I was always under the impression that 

I could not or rather should not work with clay....

 I have always loved sculptures.. 

well, maybe envy is a better word.

Well, the ladies and I had recently 
talked about doing a more 3D show.

While that scared me in all honesty,
 I really did want to challenge myself.

(or rather prove to myself that i could do this)

I mean after all, 
I love love love Asian ball jointed dolls.

Have  for a looonnng time. 
Don't have one because they are so very expensive.

So why not give sculpture a go?

So, you can see here 

I am having lots of fun! 

It just goes to show that you 

shouldn't be afraid of trying new mediums!

Now, this is actually turning out the way I want....
 but Tanna and Amber will tell you 
that the first face I made 
looked a bit like Abe Lincoln... 

the second was better but a 
little more 'Beetlejuice' than I was hoping for.

And here she is getting all 
primed up and ready to play with...

I have to tell you.... this is the most fun.... 
almost like giving a friend a makeover! 

She is almost done.... 

she is not going to be a doll but 

rather look like she is growing into or out of something.....

I will post more when she is done.

I cant wait to see her come together!

wish me luck...

xo

Carrie Lee

Let the autumn days begin....

Enjoying the relaxing sound of my kids NOT arguing.... They started back at school.... Ahhhhhhhh



Picked some pretty flowers....







Working on my first ball jointed doll... Been wanting to do this for awhile!!! Hopefully it will turn out..

Just me sayin hi... How are you?




Xxoo
Carrie Lee

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

And I'm back....

SO FINALLY.... 

I thought I would share some of the work I have been up to recently.... We just had Passover, the flood is done and they are taking down the mud dike on our road, I finished 7 new pieces for the group art show and the house is clean (!!!!)... finally, I feel like I can breath again. 

Why is it, as I get older, everything my mom said about time flying as you age now suddenly makes sense? I really could use an 8 day week just to get done all the things I want to do! Thankfully spring is here and even though we just made a snow man Saturday morning (after 4 fresh inches of sticky snow last Friday night)... it has melted and the birds are singing again (although, I am sure they are a bit pessimistic like myself right now).

 And a special shout out to my 2 lovely blogging buddies, Felicia and Theresa, for not giving up on me.... you are the best... thank goodness for Facebook!! xxoo

So here we go... A sneak peek at the show....

Inner Workings

In My Bones

If You Love Me Let Me Go

Evolving

I will be doing another post here shortly...

 to show you a more detailed look at my process.... so keep an eye open!!

Thank you for the support, your the best!!

Peace!

xo

Carrie Lee

Sabbatical....

'She is the Forest.

She is the Tree.

And,

 when the Season's change,

so does she.'

by Carrie Lee Wendt

Oh snow... you are so magical. I am going o go finish building a snow fort with the mountain that is our front yard. The kids and I started on it the other day, so much fun!!!  I just wanted you to know... I am going to take a breather for a couple weeks, okay maybe just one. I don't think I can stay away that long. My brother is coming to visit and I need to refocus my energy on my family. You can keep in touch with  me through Facebook if you like.  Also, thank you. Your ongoing support of my show is humbling. I always dreamed of my life as it is, but never actually thinking it would become a reality.  I am grateful. And here is another peak at this girl from the show......

All my Love,

xo

Carrie Lee

Finding what is not lost....

'Wallfower'

sold

(print available soon)

What is your identity? Are you the type of person who says I am ( fill in description here), with the kind of confidence that escapes the rest of us? I heard a man once say, "I am just a simple man." Is there such a thing?  Can a man or woman be simple? I have to admit, I have neither the confidence or wisdom to say, matter of fact, that I know who I am.  Am I an Artist? Am I a mother? Serious or sarcastic? Shy or vain? Idiot or an inventor? A friend, lover, explorer? What or who am I? Does what I do make up who I am? And if that is the case, I am anything but simple. I am a sack of flesh with more than one identity. I am all these identities and more. Because, who I am is constantly  changing. Sometimes I even moonlight as a writer with aspirations beyond my own abilities, in all honesty. Sometimes I am a self conscience schoolgirl who must put lipstick on in order for others to not think she is not too homely. Stupid? Yes. But my identities come and go, they take hold of my flesh and live inside me until another identity moves in, some cohabitate, but not often, in my case. I admit to being complicated, but one at a time please.

I have convinced myself into thinking I am one identity. Check. I have also spewed confidence only to crumble under the weight of it. Check, check. "Find yourself" so the saying goes. Bitter, shallow words. A ridiculous concept. How does one find something that is not lost? And why can a person only relate to you if they know who you are? Are you a man, woman, mother, single, banker, waiter... (Fill in another blank here)? Oh yes, I can relate to you now, because we have the same identity. Sure. Right. Whatever. Can't a person have the compassion to recognize that every human being has differences, multiple identities, what have you, right at the get go and not have to relate to a certain one? Or hey, I don't know, how about relate to them all. Because in the end, we are all sacks of flesh putting on interchangeable identities.

I am connected to everything before me and after me. I am something and will be nothing. I am more than mass and matter but I am mass and matter.  I am not alone yet I am alone, as it is, every thought in my head has only me to hear it.

Kurt Vonnegut said it best:

'Be careful what you pretend to be because you are what you pretend to be.'

I read this quote in 7th grade and it will forever be a part of my identity. 

I am not a 'simple (wo)man'.

I simply am.

'Bearly Different'

sold

(print available soon)

Q & A

Why are your "girls" mostly the same?

Yes, they all are alike and all different. I almost always draw a girl, for one, because I am one and because honestly, men remain a mystery to me. The girls have a doll-like quality about them. I love porcelain dolls  because their beauty is fantastic and unrealistic. It is obvious they have a big influence on my work. I can not help but be mesmerized by them.  I feel sad that their existence is purely superficial. I can relate to that idea, that our bodies are a superficial existence. The girls are just like you and I. We are all the same and different. I have compassion for the human condition. I want to emphasize the fact that we all have humanity in common yet are individuals.

Why do you work with silhouettes?

They are the perfect medium on which to explain my feelings about identities. I think they are more easily related to without the influence of our own reality.

What are your influences?

People? Ultimately I have been influenced by my mother and father. They are people who struggled with their own 'roles' and 'identities' with humility. And also by their creativity, both artists in their own right. I have a complex history and can say that my life has been both bitter and sweet. Mostly, sweet I think. My perspective is to look at life as a chance to learn and grow. I love people. I think they are beautifully complicated.

And as for art?  Low brow, manga, fantasy artists ( I can credit my dad for the sci-fi geek in me - when I was young my dad and mom called me 'Carifairy', everyone would give me fairy books and art. I went through a major fairy phase. Embarrassing? A little. But it was magical and I loved it), poster art, pop art, surrealism.... and of course vintage illustrators and fairy art. One of my favorite artists right now is Jin Young Yu.

What is your process or medium?

This one is complicated. Jeremy (my mister) will tell you that I draw, sketch, doodle all the time. I also have a habit of waking up the middle of the night to put a note/idea in my cell phone.  I guess, I usually start out with an idea or a feeling, then just go to work. I may use photography, digital painting, or pastels etc. Lately, I have been using many mediums together in very untraditional ways. I also love reworking the same materials. It is like listening to a song you love and playing it over and over again until you have had enough. But as far as using the mediums, for an example, in one of my pieces (a small bubble glass cameo girl), I started by pencil drawing the character then put her into my pc via scan or photo ( I shrink her down digitally because I am lazy and hate drawing faces smaller than a quarter, but want her to have the right shading and depth of a larger piece- It is harder but I love small pieces, go figure) I make a background for her with digital painting, photo textures, my own traditional paintings, patterns etc. Then, I will finish her up with some graphite, charcoal or pastels. I love to ad paper cutting here and there also. I always have to have a mix. It wouldn't make sense to me to not pull from everything I have learned, or else why learn it? Who says you have to do it 'this way'? Not me. I think art is very much about exploring and learning. I don't know if I will ever teach, but I will absolutely be a student for eternity.

XO
Carrie Lee

The photo bug..

I have been in a photography mood since the snow came.... 

Something magical about snow.... especially at the beginning of the season.

These are taken TTV style....

if you are interested in learning more about the process, go HERE.

i ♥ snow

snow cherries

snowy. sunny. happy.

waiting for spring

Closeup of them on my wall....

My sitting room... 

were i cozy up to my fire with a good read.

Would you like them for yourself....

they are in my Etsy Shop!

have a terrific weekend!!

xo

Carrie Lee

Calliope and Jack

Protectors of the Forest

Here she is! Calliope and her friend Jack the Jackalope.






She is the jointed paper doll I have been working on! (oooof.... Wiping sweat from brow)
She was a challenge, her being the first. But worth it! I went to the antique store to find vintage sewing patterns to get ideas for her clothing. Then made a prototype of a working jointed doll.





Getting the proportions and joints just right was what took me the longest. Of course... She took her sweet time letting me know her story and who her animal friend would be. And finally she is here!

Meet Calliope and Jack at my Etsy store! Yes, I have reopened my Etsy (go ahead press the button!). It is about time. I know. I will be adding more to my shop steadily as I make new pieces, instead of everything at once. It will be easier for me and give you something to look forward to.





She comes with three sheets and a packet of small brads. Two sheets to cut out and one sheet that tells you her story and gives you instructions.

The cutout pages look like this.....




I am offering 15 % this week on Calliope and Jack, just use the coupon code Calliope2010. (use the code when you check out!) I am doing this partly because it is cyber Monday and partly because I will still be out of town this week and won't be able to mail anything until this weekend. So I want to thank you for your patience.

Hope you like her! And yes... I will be doing more. I loved it!

Xo
Carrie

Sneak Peek....

Psssttt.....
One of the peices I am working on. My studio is a mess, as always. Funny thing, I just cleaned it! Pahahaha.
xo
Carrie Lee

Behind the scenes.... Jointed Paper Doll!

Yes... she is headless. Poor thing. 

I am working on finishing up a jointed paper doll! I have wanted to make one for a while. It is a much bigger undertaking than I had originally thought. But I know it will be worth it. Lining up the joints just right.... was probably the most time consuming. I keep having daydreams that her little body skips over to me and taps me on my shoulder then puts her hands on her hips as if to say... "Will you finish me already!?"

I am, I am. 

I beg her to be patient.. as I want her to be just right.

Did anyone else love paper-dolls growing up? I have always loved them. They are charming. Glad to see some popping up here and there. I hope to see more. Then I thought.... why not make my own? Perfect gifts, I think. I remember years ago giving my flower girls (my nieces) beautiful paper-doll sets! Not too long ago my niece reminded me.... she told me it was one of her favorite memories... one of her favorite gifts. I couldn't believe she remembered. So that was it... settled.... adding to my list of adventures... making a paper-doll!

So.... Here is my blank prototype. 

She will be so glad to have a head soon.

;]

xo 

Carrie

American Girl....

Liberty of my imagination.

Exempt within your boundaries.

I am not dependent upon you.

But you are dependent on me.

Peeling away the russet skins and immersing the nourishing root into the boiling water. Reading Proust. Hanging the damp linen over the long steady twine. Wrapping the weeping wounds, mending shattered bones. Nursing the infant on my breast. Curating harmony with the stroke of my pen or poetic speech. Pricking my finger with the same tormenting needle. Reinforcing his character and surrendering to his needs. Remembering the sacred words I must teach.

I will learn more than I dare take to task. I will become more than I can imagine. I am the leader of tomorrow or the mother of today. I am soft and strong. I am wise and willful. I am my choices until my journey is done.

And then, I will blow away into a million tiny fragments. Into the spacious skies, over the cascading golden fields. I am the wind that billows your stripes and stars.

I am free.

Carrie Lee Wendt

Another piece I did recently. At Gallery4. She is on a Linen Canvas that I fell in love with. 

Enjoy!

xo

Carrie