Defining Kelsey

Announcing New Blog

2011-10-24T10:33:00.000-07:00

I've done it again. I've started a new journey on a new blog. Please come and join me at Soul of 11.

It will be fun :)

Garden in a box

2011-06-07T14:37:00.000-07:00

I finally started a project that my whole family could be involved with. We are building a miniature garden inside a box with mixed materials. Here you can see Mr. Mole inside a magic circle of toadstools.
Mr. Mole and Cat next to the vegetable patch.

Top view of the garden.

Top view of the whole garden. This garden is still in progress. We are going to add rocks, trees and flowers later.

Work in progress

2011-02-04T15:19:00.001-08:00

A pronghorn's head for my little animal lover (What happened to his body? I'm sorry sweetheart, mommy hasn't figured out how to sculpt the rest of him).

I have been feeling romantic lately.

I'm thinking of adding necks and other things to these heads. And this time, I am going to work slow and steady, spend some time on planning. No more rushing in my work.

Illustrations for Kundalini Yoga

2011-01-28T10:04:00.001-08:00

I've finally finished working on my two illustrations for a kundalini yoga workshop. The first one here is a meditation for prosperity.

And this second illustration shows a meditation for relieving stress or sudden shock.

I worked really hard on these illustrations, and I'm quite proud of myself. Thank you very much to the wonderful people who entrusted this project to me. Thank you so much, for your faith in my ability. Sat nam!

The Universe works in mysterious ways

2011-01-21T14:52:00.000-08:00

It has been over four months since I last blogged, I almost forgot how things work around here. I am pleased to announce my come back. I have finally grown used to our new life. I think I am handling my new responsibilities quite well. The Universe (or God, if you prefer) has been really kind to me. I am grateful that I am still able to make art and continue to grow.

For some strange reason I am now working on some illustrations for a friend. You see, I have always see myself as a sculptor. This new experience is really good for me. A lot of growth, a lot of challenges for me. I love it!

I even cleared my desk to turn it into a tiny studio! The only thing that has not changed is that I am still as messy as ever.

I made this cut paper pattern yesterday, it is going to be integrated into the background of the illustration that I am currently working on. A lot of coffee was involved in the process. I'm amazed that I was able to keep my hands steady and not make a wrong cut!

It's good to be back. I am still me. Where I am right now in life, is exactly where I need to be. Thanks for the lessons, dear Universe. Here's to another new year. May there be a lot of fascinating discoveries, and magical art making experience.

Goodbye for now

2010-07-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

A lot of things have happened recently in my life, and they proved to be a lot of challenge.

First, my husband has been officially accepted by the law school. Honestly, I really feel happy for him. I know that means I'll be busier than ever, and I have to take over a lot of responsibility while he's in school...but I am prepared for that.

Second, I am busy at the moment, looking for a preschool for my daughter. It's time for her to go out into the world, learn some things, and most importantly, learn to make some friends...etc...all that kind of good stuff. Of course, she's kind of making things a little difficult by suddenly developing separation anxiety....again.

Sigh.

Life is a little chaotic right now...but I'm pretty confident that we will be able to work this out. So right now I have to put blogging aside. I can't decide at this point if I want to come back to blogging someday or not...but this is goodbye for now.

Take care everyone. And God bless.

Paper Art

2010-04-23T19:34:00.000-07:00

I'm in a rut lately, couldn't find any inspiration for a new sculpture. So it's time to do something different for a change: cut paper art.

I think I may have discovered a new hobby!

This little monster is the first one that I made. I know, it's like I'm forever living in Halloween town.

What's with all these demons and monsters?

When I'm having a bad time, those nasty voices in my head become really loud. There are times I can block them out completely. But there are times I just can't do a thing about them. These are the voices that tell me that my art is not good enough, I'm fat and useless...etc. You get the picture. A time like this gives me the urge to create demons and monsters in my art...it's kind of like a form of "exorcism" for me.

And there are times when I just feel like creating funky creatures for the fun of it (I suspect deep down inside, there's a part of me who is a video game designer wanna-be).

Lastly, I need to figure out a way to get some of these designs on a t-shirt!

Artist Trading Card

2010-04-09T10:13:00.001-07:00

I seem to be taking a lot of breaks from sculpting lately. Oh well, I just feel like doing something different. It's good for exercising creativity and stuff.

These three cards are my first ATC in ages. I used pictures that I drew and also picture of my sculpture.

Companion

2010-04-09T09:46:00.001-07:00

Made this sculpture a couple of weeks ago, as a companion piece to my Hyakki Yako. The inspiration for this work actually came from this particular post from one of my favorite blogs, More Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan.

Instead of demons, this piece has Jizo buddhas and children playing under the tree. It's the opposite of Hyakki Yako. I like the idea of Jizo buddha. He is the protector of women, children and travelers (in the physical realm and spiritual realm).

I put a fox here next to the Jizo. Again, playing with the idea of a spiritual guardian.

And here are the two sculptures, side by side, for comparison. I like to expand this idea, of making a group of sculptures that are related to each other, and they interact with each other when they are together.

Hyakki Yako

2010-03-15T12:34:00.000-07:00

I'm back to sculpting after taking 3 weeks off from it. This time I'm playing with the idea of Hyakki Yako (the Chinese call it bai gui ye xing: a hundred demons moving in the night), which means pandemonium.

I worked pretty much all day on Saturday. I love how the sculpture looked in the light of the setting sun.

I spent a few more hours on Sunday to finish the sculpture. I think this sculpture took me over 10 hours to complete.

I'm quite proud of my nose. I mean the nose on this sculpture, I think I have improved a lot :)

There are 7 demons hanging out under the tree.

My favorite demon is that happy little guy sitting on the bottom left.

I kind of like this triceratops-inspired demon too.

It was fun coming up with all those ideas for demons. I think I will have to make more demons to accompany this piece.

Work in proress: Memento mori

2010-02-08T07:09:00.000-08:00

Going for a memento mori-sort of theme (not quite the traditional notion of memento mori).

Dreams and Demons (the sculpture)

2010-01-25T13:05:00.001-08:00

Started building this sculpture over the weekend. I discovered that coil building is the technique that works the best for me.

This sculpture is about someone who isn't careful, and let his/her dreams and demons go out of control.

Here's a demon.

A ghost.

And this skeleton dude hangs out at the back of the head.

Dreams and Demons

2010-01-08T15:25:00.001-08:00

This week has been unbelievably good for me. I managed to make art everyday since Sunday! What an excellent way to start the new year.

So what do I wish for this new year? I wish to be more adventurous. Meaning, I would like my drawing and sculpting to interact with each other. I'd love it if they both could get together and produce some interesting off springs. Let's pray for lots of good things to happen between these two.

This week I did a lot of drawings. This one full drawing is actually an idea for a sculpture. I call it Dreams and Demons (see the dreams and demons crawling out of the person's head).

I bet these demons/creatures are fun to sculpt. I can hardly wait to start on them.

Besides drawing I also painted a couple of my sculptures. I love using oil paint.

I've had a productive week. It's awesome!

I'll come to thee by moonlight, though hell should bar the way

2009-12-09T13:27:00.000-08:00

Lately, I'm in the mood for The Highwayman. It makes me think back to high school, back to the time when I was sitting in class, learning about this poem. We were lucky to have a good English teacher. I must have like this poem since then. I love it even more as a song (even though it didn't cover the complete version of the poem).

I was listening to this song early this morning, and I did a rough sketch for The Highwayman. For some reason I just love the part where she let her hair down for her lover to kiss it.

And here's the finished drawing of the highwayman kissing the sweet black waves (I know, she is supposed to be at her window, not right next to him).

I guess deep down, I really am a romantic person.

My Happy Place part 2

2009-12-09T12:44:00.000-08:00

A lot of magic happens at the Desert Dragon/All The Hands Studio, especially on Saturdays when there's a raku firing.

When there's a raku firing, you get to see cool things like pottery and sculptures in flame! (LOL)

Ahem.

Raku firing is a technique originated in Japan. If I understand it correctly, the process goes like this: Once the temperature inside the kiln has reached a certain point, we pull the ceramic wares out of the kiln and set it on a bed of flammable material (like paper, saw dust...etc) and the heat from the ceramic wares will trigger the fire.

Next, we cover the ceramic wares (while still in flame) to deprive it of oxygen.

The fire will burn off all the oxygen inside the cover. The lack of oxygen will cause a chemical reaction in the glazes. After a while, we remove the covers and there you have it. Raku wares, emerging from bed of ashes like the Phoenix.

Here are some more pictures of raku firing, taken at the Desert Dragon/All The Hands Studio:

Raku is a wonderful and magical experience.

My Happy Place part 1

2009-12-09T12:28:00.001-08:00

This is the place where I usually spend my Saturdays, the Desert Dragon/All The Hands Studio. If you are in Phoenix and wish to do some pottery work, this is the place to be. It's a place where good people go to get creative :)

I love spending my weekends in this studio. There's definitely a lot of good energy here. This is the table where I usually do my work.

And this adorable fur ball is usually around when I work. I think we have become friends. He seems to like sleeping next to me while I work.

And this is what my work space looks like. Yes, it's a mess. I love making a mess! Check out my muddy tools and the pictures that I spread out on the table.

Yup, this is what a good weekend looks like.

Not your usual ornaments

2009-12-03T12:23:00.001-08:00

I like stop motion animation. Sometimes I wish I could be sitting in a studio, sculpting tiny little characters for a stop motion video.

Anyway, we recently watched Wallace and Gromit: Curse of the Were Rabbit. I immediately fell in love with Gromit (who doesn't like a dog who could take care of its owner?). I just have to make a Gromit for my tree.

Wrap a scarf around him and he's all ready for Christmas. I love having my Gromit on my tree!

This black creature here is a Mokona. I made him because husband and I are fans of xxxHolic. Mokona is surprisingly hard to make.

And this little guy in red is a Daruma...I know, you're probably wondering what is a Buddhist monk doing on a Christmas tree...I just love Daruma very much (and kappa, manekineko, kokeshi doll...etc)!

Roast penguins and other festive animals

2009-12-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

Last year we didn't decorate our Christmas tree. And it was also the very first time in my life that I have a Christmas tree. So this year I determined to decorate it with my own hand made ornaments. First, I started out with some roast penguins...

And a teddy bear.

My daughter likes tiger so I made her one.

She likes dinosaur too.

And I know my husband's family has a thing for pigs so we have to have a pig on the tree.

After putting these animals on the tree, I realized the tree is more about who we are and what we like. I am quite pleased with it.

Black and White Dream

2009-11-05T08:57:00.000-08:00

When it comes to finishing a sculpture, I am usually in favor of cold finishes (methods that do not involve firing in a kiln).

So here's Dream's Song, in black and white.

I do not intend to leave this piece as it is right now (though I am a little tempted to). I thought it looks quite interesting like this....but a black and white dream? That doesn't go quite well with the meaning of the work...does it?

Anyway, this piece is still in progress. It will have have colors, eventually.

Plant Woman

2009-11-05T08:52:00.000-08:00

Last night I sat down and doodle some more...I was thinking of a pair of sexy eyes and lips...And the next thing I know, it evolved into some sort of evil-looking plant woman...

It's like Jack Skellington trying to do Christmas but inevitably turned it into Halloween.

Drawing as a form of meditation

2009-11-03T11:10:00.000-08:00

I'm not very good a nurturing the artist child in me. I'm good at writing my artist pages, but I hardly allow myself to go on an "artist date" and just play freely with my art (see Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way). On top of that, a few issues in life have been stressing me out lately. So here I am, a little blocked; haven't been able to produce any sculptures that are to my satisfaction.

To remedy the situation, I started sketching since yesterday. Without any planning, I just sketched whatever that's in my mind.

Drawing is like a form of meditation. I managed to drag those demons and monsters that have been disturbing my inner peace out of my mind, and sealed them away in my drawings.

So there, I feel so much better now.

Stare all you want, bird creature. I feel really good right now. And you can't do anything about it.

Lessons learned

2009-10-31T20:06:00.000-07:00

Remember this little darling from a few weeks ago?

She blew up in the kiln, didn't survive the first firing. I am so sorry. I thought she was ready for the kiln, but apparently there was still moisture inside. It is clear that I still have lots to learn. Sigh.

I do feel a little crushed about losing this sculpture, but on the other hand, I think Buddha did say something about the impermanence of things and non-attachment etc...In other words, I'll live and move on...Also, is it weird that I find this pile of rubble fascinating and maybe even beautiful in its own way?

Monster drawings

2009-10-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

First of all, the serpent woman would like to wish everyone a very happy Halloween.

The one with horns is my first version of the serpent woman. I like to imagine this is how she looks when she's just a young monster.

And the second version is how the serpent looks when she matures. I wish I had done this in color, I'd like to see her as a crimson serpent.

Anyway, happy Halloween, and beware of monsters and ghouls.

The more I do it, the more I realize...

2009-10-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

I have come to a conclusion: the more I glaze, the more I hate it.

There, I have said it. Yes, sacrilegious. How can a ceramist not embrace the art of glazing? Well, it's not my cup of tea, but I'm not rejecting it totally.

For now, I'm exploring two alternatives to glazing/overglazing: 1. using color slip, and 2. using oil paint, acrylic paint...etc.

So today, I made Kappa-san here, and I put color slip (that I painstakingly made by myself. Seriously, it's a lot of work to prepare color slip) on him. I think I like what I see so far.

It seems that with this slip I can get a painting effect.

And yes, I may have a Kappa obsession. But we are getting closer to Halloween, so why not? It is a water sprite, after all.

Oh, and another thing, this is not how a traditional Kappa looks like. I stylized it, just for fun.

Not your usual Kokeshi doll

2009-10-10T20:54:00.000-07:00

Another new work in progress. This one is based on the traditional Japanese doll, the Kokeshi doll (well, loosely based on). I tried out a new method of sculpting, and I'm quite pleased with the result.

I think the nose has improved a lot.

This is probably the first time I put eye brows on my work! (pssssst...let me tell you a secret, I never put ears on my sculptures. Never! Weird huh? I wonder why is that...)

One, Two, Three, Four

2009-09-25T12:49:00.000-07:00

Who do we love more?
The darumas four.
Of course!
Of course!

I'm so ready for Halloween!

2009-09-25T12:48:00.000-07:00

A Dream's Song

2009-09-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

I have been wondering...What does a dream look like when it hatches? I seem to think that dreams remain dormant inside a shell. When it finally gain the freedom to sing its own song, it comes out of the shell, like chicks hatching from eggs.

A dream is singing its song. The song comes out and turns into plants.

Life and growth occur when a dream sings its song.

Can you feel it?

A dream is singing its song. I can hear it.

A Tiger God and His Priestess

2009-08-31T09:38:00.000-07:00

I had a great weekend. As long as I get to play with clay, I'm happy.

Yesterday I made this tiger god and his priestess. I worked 5-6 hours non-stop. At the end of the day I was pretty tired, sore, and hungry. But I felt great on the inside! Art making leaves a pretty long lasting feeling of happiness inside me.

Here's a closer look at the tiger god. This is actually a commission from my husband. He said he wants a tiger. And since he's such a wonderful husband, I threw in a priestess as a bonus.

And here she is, the priestess. I think this is the first time I put hair on my sculpture. The result isn't bad at all.

Once again, I'm quite pleased with the lips.

Where did I get the inspiration for the tiger god and the priestess? From the video game, Okami. Let me just say this, if I were a video game, I want to be Okami. It's a gorgeous game. How can you not love a game that looks like this (see picture above and below, taken from Okami art book)?

This is the tiger god from Okami. This game is absolutely beautiful! It's like a Japanese painting that moves and talks! And the music is just as wonderful as the game.

(This track is my favorite!)

That's all I have to share for now. Take care everyone, have a good Monday.

Another day in the studio

2009-08-29T19:36:00.001-07:00

Went to the studio yesterday morning. I was very glad to see that Olgar came out of the kiln looking as good as I had hoped.

Take a closer look at that horn. Didn't turn out as black as I wanted, but I like the interaction between Tennmoku (black) and cranberry red.

Then, I spent some time glazing another sculpture. After that I was pretty tired and uninspired. Still, I sat down and sculpted this new piece here. Like I said, I wasn't very inspired when I was working on this piece, but a couple of ladies came by and they seemed to be impressed. I had a nice little chat with them. One of them thought the face I sculpted looks like her nephew. After they left, I started thinking, what good is my art if it can't make people happy? So there it was, the motivation that I needed to continue working on this piece.

And we all love those curvy little lips on this sculpture.

Clay Fish

2009-08-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

I saw a good tutorial yesterday for making a clay light. I thought it would be something cool to make for my daughter, so I gave it a try.

Turned out pretty good. Of course, since this is made for a kid, I will not be using real candles.

My daughter had fun stuffing animals into the fish's mouth, had the fish "eat" up the poor victims.

Now I'm thinking of more sculpted candle holder for Halloween, like a skull, creepy pumpkin...etc. I can't wait for Halloween! (come on Phoenix, time to cool down already!)

Olgar's Continuing Journey

2009-08-17T13:57:00.000-07:00

Olgar the handsome, finally came out of the kiln last weekend. I'm glad he is in one piece. So far so good. Now he's glazed, waiting patiently to go back inside the kiln. Will he still be Olgar the handsome after this? I can only hope.

(Actually, I think he looks pretty good like this)

Best of luck to Olgar!

Little Fox and A Dancing Lion

2009-08-17T13:50:00.000-07:00

This is what I do when I stay home all day with my daughter. I draw cute little pictures for her. This is a draft for the little fox.

Here is the finished version.

And the goofy, dancing lion. Kids inspire adults in a very fascinating way, don't you think?

A demon taking a walk

2009-08-05T09:37:00.000-07:00

Another handsome demon. He hasn't got a name yet, but I love how he looks. I'm even considering putting him on a t-shirt or something.

Another sculpture in progress

2009-08-02T12:48:00.000-07:00

This is Olgar the handsome. Demon girls all want to be with him. And demon boys all want to look like him.

Tiger tiger burning bright, in the forest of the night

2009-07-31T12:30:00.001-07:00

Roar! A tiger hat!

Addiction

2009-07-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

I am so addicted to this game. Finally got the true ending of the game a few days ago. It makes me sad to see it end because I really love the story and the characters. It's rare to find a game that tells a good story. Sigh.

Love this funny video. It's so wild! I suspect that dancing to this song like these characters might turn out to be a good work out. LOL. Maybe I will give it a try sometime.

Work in progress

2009-07-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

Spent four hours in the ceramic studio creating this sculpture. I feel great!

I just hope my sculpture won't get too dry to work with when I go back there next weekend. Keep my fingers crossed.

Got Shadow?

2009-07-22T15:02:00.000-07:00

This is what happened this afternoon:
1. Had a strong cup of coffee (Dark as night, sweet as sin- Anansi Boys, Neil Gaiman).
2. Played some Persona 4 (great game, by the way).
3. Listened to some Larc-en-cial.

Maybe it was the coffee, or the game, or the music, I suddenly had this question in my head : What would my shadow be like in the world of Persona?

What do I mean by shadow? Well, in Persona 4, the characters enter a strange world where they encounter their own "shadows" which are born out of the characters' repressed emotion.

In the world of Persona, I think my shadow would be a very spoiled brat. I originally wanted my shadow to use a gigantic lollipop as weapon, but claws and spikes are easier to draw. *Giggles* but a gigantic lollipop would be so funny!

Zip Zip and Yip Yip

2009-07-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

This is Zip Zip.

And this is Yip Yip.

Are they demons? Are they some sort of spirit? I'm not sure. But I do believe they are harmless.

Demons

2009-07-13T12:09:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not a satanist. I just have a lot of darkness inside me. You know, those little voices inside my head, telling me: "You're fat", "you're useless", "you're a failure"...etc. I just need to feel them coming out of me, leaving me. That's why I sketch them, those silly little demons and monsters, who think they can live inside me forever.

Maybe one day, I can finally shut the door and keep them out of my head forever. Until then, I'll keep exorcising them in this way.

Fan Art

2009-07-07T12:34:00.000-07:00

I love Hellboy, especially Hellboy 2. Something about him just makes me want to draw tons of pictures of him.

Maybe it's because his face seems so...sculpted (lots of shadow and light areas...does that make sense?). He's a lot of fun to draw.

If I could throw a fancy dinner party and I could have anyone in this world as my guests, Guillermo del Toro would be one of them, along with Neil Gaiman, Yoshitaka Amano, Tim Burton, Kojima Ayami, and Garrison Keillor.

Painted Chair

2009-07-06T12:46:00.000-07:00

I used to avoid painting like it's a plague. That's why it's so strange that lately I feel like painting.
And my daughter was very happy to help me paint this chair.

I think she's my muse. She'll watch over me when I sit down to make art. Good company.