50/52

N: washing animals at the sink, a favorite winter pastime.

A: wearing her new eyeglasses, very distinguished.

Series

I see photos like this and I think- 'oh man- she is growing up so fast!', and then I see the next photo:

...and I think not so much...


It seems almost impossible to photograph these kids with just one photo- they almost always make series that are so much more compelling.

I was puzzling over a vivid dream I had of running with two lions- I wasn't scared of them at all- they didn't seem to want to hurt me- they were ferocious, and powerful and magnificent, and just wanted me to play with them.

Then I saw these photos and it sort of makes sense-

And Baby A is no different: it's almost impossible to photograph her in one go- they're always stories. 

Of all the bad things about digital cameras- no solid pictures- literally thousands of inane photos online, and thousands of photos on the computer- but only one or two bad printouts in frames- the fact that everyone thinks they're a photographer, the way that you can video something and photograph something and not actually look at it while it's happening in person- I love this ability to capture whole sections of time, and keep it on your computer. You'd never waste actual film like that, you'd never take forty photographs in one five minute session, or encourage your kid to make silly faces for the camera- over and over again. We may not have photo albums anymore- but we do have series of photos, and that's really precious. 

49/52

N: dressing herself these days- usually with pants, and a skirt, and a dress- it doesn't seem to matter to her if one article of clothing is completely covered up.

A: still so hard to photograph, always moving, but mostly always smiling- so infectious, that smile.

48/52

N: smiling in the sunlight. Best quote this week: after jumping towards me on the couch, wearing a cape and crown, rubbing her knee which she bumped- then howled about, between sniffles "But did you see me fly through the air like a rainbow?"

A: itching to get her hands on those tiny, squishy, dinosaurs.

On my work table

This week: small animal sprig molds (flat backed thin molds for applique onto other pieces), pouring plaster with a new friend, freeing the tiny elephant from his background. Working with kids- nothing is sacred- toys are everywhere, paper is for drawing on- giant heads- simple bodies, large eyes, a smile, always a smile. Tiny hands reach out to 'help' and how can I refuse?

I tried to get N to make a mug with me today- letting her stamp away at the clay, and then rolling it up into a cylinder- I was disappointed because what has so far been really complex, lovely patterning, turned sort of simple- instead of filling in the whole field, she did some small stuff in the center only before proclaiming it 'done'. I worry that she's losing the abandon that she used to create with- and I fear with it her awesome sense of texture, and pattern.  I applauded her ability to colour within the lines but with that fine motor skill comes a self editing that I don't want her to do yet- I worry that she's learning to make things too 'precious', to limit herself, and I don't want that. *sigh* oh the worries of the artist mother...so privileged...

47/52

A: sitting up on the desk- she moved the calendar and two pots gently off the box so she could sit there quietly- so sneaky.

N: her colouring has greatly improved this week- lots of wild colour, but mostly within the lines now, even in the small spaces.

Sketchbook: tiles

Designs for the tiles for the kitchen- plus some extra designs just for fun. I'm having a bit of a hard time deciding what the final tile will be-  I think I'll end up making a few designs and molds and deciding after they get the glaze on. It's a tough thing to mentally translate these designs into the finished product- because the dark lines will, of course, end up just as raised relief, so it's won't look as busy. The sketches are a pretty basic diagram of the finished product, which will be all one colour (probably white- or some pale variation thereof), with the design carved in bas relief.

The larger tracing paper allows me to see the whole pattern together- to make sure that things line up etc. It's also useful for transferring the images- (and for making me reel back in horror when I see how 'seventies' the pattern appears in black and white- not to worry- it's much more classic looking when carved).

posting along with Jane.