Hummingbirds, Blueberries and Faery Gardens

"Alula the Hummingbird Rider" Alula sits at just over one tiny inch tall

Aside the wings and chain, it's 100% clay

I've been so busy with the studio, teaching classes and getting ready for my first show of 2013 (The New Hampshire Renaissance Faire, May 11th, 12th, 18th & 19th in Kingston NH - be there!) that I came back to a new blogger format. Serves me right for being MIA. Anyway! That annoying chest pain problem is steadily declining and I've been all out busy sculpting to get all these faeries, mermaids, dragons, gnomes and goblins out of my head (it's growing loud in here) and to get stocked up for the faire.

"Alethea the Blueberry Faery" - 52 hand sculpted and powder dusted blueberries! Trust me... 52.

One of the most exciting aspects of my studio is the potential for the garden I've always wanted to plant! I've been eying sun loving herbs and flowers I could never before plant on the balcony of my east facing apartment. Bliss! But I can't do any of this until after the faire, so I've been daydreaming with little indoor gardens.
Check out my teacup garden, containing a weeping fig, baby's tears, and of course I had to add a couple of my sculptures. :)

All planted in a 10" round teacup planter. :D

Thaddeus - quiet and a great gardener.

I love sculpting goblins. They're pretty nasty in Faery, I'm told, but goblins in The Silver Branch studio tend to be quite endearing little tykes. To the left you see Thaddeus, my resident garden goblin. He waters the baby's tears when I'm not there at night. Why do I love sculpting goblins in particular? Unlike faeries and mermaids, dragons and gnomes, there really isn't even a remotely wrong way to make a goblin. One could argue there's not wrong way to make a faery, but you try telling people that 3 eyed moss creature you made in 4th grade is a faery and watch their eyes. Whereas, you can sculpt anything and it'll work for a goblin.