Chinese Year

2021 Year of the Ox

The Chinese New Year will start on February 12th, and it will last until January 31st of 2022.

This year is going to be lucky and also perfect to focus on relationships, whether we are talking about friendships or love.

In the Chinese Zodiac, the Ox is very hardworking and methodical. 2021 is going to be a year when work will get rewarded.

The Yin energy, specific to the Chinese zodiac sign of Ox, will be quite poignant. This is going to be a year when we will fully feel the weight of our responsibilities, a year when it is necessary to double our efforts to accomplish anything at all.

This year, no explosive or catastrophic events will occur, so it is a favorable year for economic recovery or consolidation, a year of long-term investments (especially for creating a reserve stock for the coming unproductive years).

source: https://www.thechinesezodiac.org/chinese-horoscope-2021-year-of-the-metal-ox/

How to I personally view this??

As 2020 closed out, and we stepped into 2021, money was heavy on my mind. So much so I went out and found a position in the health field. Well, it was not a fit and after a week, I returned home exhausted, more emotionally than physically.

I quickly realized, that I am an artist and that is why I am here. So I set forth and realized that not only am I responsible for my family but also for my own welfare. 

We are in September of 2021 and I know that I can do this...we moved and covid hit, so this means I most more than double my efforts, which I have.

I am an artist. This is my life I have chosen. It is where my soul feels nourished.

My hope for you is that you also have something, someone, somewhere, where you also feel nourished. 

2016 Year of the Monkey

This cheeky animal bursts with exuberance, bringing a lightening fast pace and fantastical motivation. The Monkey increases communication, humor and wit, helping us get through stressful times with grace and ease. Business flourishes and risks tend to pan out. The Monkey’s gift is the ability to find unconventional solutions to old problems. Daring to be different can lead to success.

 

Talk is fast and cheep though, so be on the alert for deceptions. With so much mental energy zapping around, everyone needs to re-think their fitness program, diet and health plan. If you don’t have one, you definitely need to instigate some form of regular physical activity this year. The body was designed to move! Honor it! Stress needs to be burned off by going to the gym, swimming, yoga, water aerobics, dance, martial arts, team sports, tennis or long walks.

Although a lively, optimistic and progressive year where finances, politics, and real estate should see an upturn, there will be a decided undercurrent of insecurity. Everyone wants to work the shrewdest angle, get the best deal, and win big. However, business decisions made this year should be based on fact, not emotion. Problems and chicanery abound, so nothing this year should be taken for granted, whether politically, financially, professionally, domestically or emotionally.

A particularly auspicious time for new inventions, the Year of the Monkey is for taking risks and being rebellious, a year where agile, inventive minds, sheer guts and bravado will win out. Now is the time of courage, action, anarchy, and true devotion to even the wildest of schemes, a time to start new endeavors, for they are destined to succeed under Monkey’s influence. But a word to the wise: those who can hang on for the wild ride, outsmart the confidence-trickster, and bluff their way through will come out unscathed. Those who are dull or slow witted, and can’t handle the stress will come unglued.

On the individual level, do go ahead with your life. Move forward, make strides, and stretch out for what may lay ahead. The Year Of The Monkey 2016 is a time for business considered as risky, and here the seeds of unplanned success lays. Run with ideas, embrace the inventive, and don’t look back.

Remember that this year will reward the individual effort and those who place their trust in the group collective will face disappointment.

The Seahorse (and the Hare) #3

Last week, I discussed expression with the Hare...carrying that theme along into the Seahorse with its expression and positioning.

Harry & Seahorse-Wind in my Hare©: Leslie Molen

Photography©: Mark Mortensen

Working photos by Leslie

Consistency

The Hare was created with a stone-clay head covered with stretch velvet and sewn body. I like to keep the consistency of both pieces the same- congruent.

Color and Design

My initial concept was to have the seahorse in blue- as in the sea...ocean. I pulled out my dupioni silk in my blues and it just was not quite there...put the fabric to the side on hold.

I looked up a seahorse and found this image in beautiful shades of greens and yellows...

These colors just spoke to me, I kept pulling out the blues...but the greens and yellows was were my heart was telling me to go. Gotta listen to your gut.

Now to understand the anatomy. I believe that it is very important to have a good foundation of knowledge of the anatomy of whatever you are making and then you can jump off into your own personal style.

Next was to continue with the consistency and so I sculpted the seahorse head and trunk from stone-clay. I know! Looks a little rustic right now!

My sculpt needed to dry and then a light sanding prepping it for an overlay of silk dupioni.

When sculpting for an overlay of fabric, you need to make some of the features a bit more exaggerated to make up for the fabric thickness.

I next sewed the tail in the green dupioni which is stuffed and armatured with the extra fabric at the top of the tail that I ran that up the back and into the horizontal and vertical grooves that I made in the clay.

Then rolling the fabric up over the head and around the "snout" then I applied another overlay of the yellow in the tummy area.

Expression

Next, came the painting of the eyes, which mimicked the surprised look of the Hare. Darkened the interior of the mouth for more depth. OOoh!!

I needlesculpted the tail area to create the ridges. Then, added chalk coloring around the snout and defining the ridges of the body areas. 

The trunk ridge was made from a ribbon that I trimmed off the picot edging and colored it green and tipped it with black.

The delicate fins were made from vintage netting and tipped, again, with black.

 

The tail shape was important to give this seahorse a little bit of spunk..

Finally, nestled into the Hare's hands and position for the complete connection between the two!

The Seahorse and the Hare #2

Expression!

Harry-Wind in my Hare©: Leslie Molen

Photography©: Mark Mortensen

Working photos by Leslie

Part of creating a piece is what I want to say..the story...without any words. 

When I teach my wonderful students, I find this one of the hardest concepts to capture.

My best advice is to make it clear and simple- be direct...very direct.

I conceptualize my story. I am not one to draw out what I am going to create in my 3-dimensional piece. IF I do it is a quick stick drawing. For me, it clutters my thought process with that 2-dimensional story.

So, I start out with my concept...a rabbit, scuba diver, and what is his focus?? Something from the ocean...something special.

Garnered from my own experience of diving, finding a seahorse is a BIG deal! They are champions of blending into their environment. Everyone is so excited and surprised when we finally find one...perfect- a seahorse.

So out my supplies come. 

For the head:

DAS clay and a styrofoam egg.

 

I also may need a surprised expression...so my hunt on the internet pursues...

isn't this image wonderful!?!?

So I translate this darling into a rabbit...add some fabric, paint, wired ears...I'm not going to delve in too much about the techniques. I want to get across about being direct and clear in your message- your story.

and come to this...

Now, we need to have him positioned to a focal point so your eye is looking to where he is looking...

It is about the relationship between him and the seahorse...he is looking at the seahorse and the seahorse it looking back at him...

And since we are working 3-dimensionally...let's look at it from all angles...

side

 side

 back

and even from the top

They are connected- each in their own delight and surprise!

That is the direct simple story- the connection of surprise.

Close up of the Hare.

I will share that the head is sculpted from DAS and overlaid with panne velvet. I cut away each eye, nose and mouth areas to expose the clay and then paint directly into the clay for each. 

Chalk shading is delicate around the painted nose area. I make little holes while the clay is wet so I can come back later and insert the (horsehair whiskers) thought the velvet.

Side note: Isn't Mark's photography fabulous in its detail? wow-ser!

And so, as I stated in last weeks #1 posting link here, no need for more that just the wetsuit and a seahorse...direct and simple.

The Seahorse & the Hare #1

Ha! I just thought of this while I was writing this post...it is usually The Tortoise and the Hare...

I love doing rabbits...and yes, I need to show you more of these someday...I love a play on words.

I have done these Hares for years with Series #1 Wind in Hare- (get it) Rabbits in motion- which I will include this one is that series. I have made them on roller skates, on planes, on skis, on bicycles...anything in motion or with movement of hair (hare that is).

Series #2 Moon Rabbits- Japanese hares, and Fare Hares- sweet rabbits.

The Hare

For this commission piece I was ask to do a scuba diver in a whimsical manner. Love that! I like my hares to be just fun and with plenty of character.

I knew this rabbit needed to be in wetsuit...which I will cover in this posting...

Here is Harry...in all his fullness.

Harry-Wind in my Hare©: Leslie Molen

Photography©: Mark Mortensen

Working photos by Leslie

While designing this piece, I originally thought about the whole shebang... the tank, bc vest, mask...etc etc...

But would all that extra stuff add to my story or diminish it? 

I decided in this case less is more...just the wetsuit. I would lose the connection between the Seahorse and the Hare with all the other stuff in competition around it! 

It is more important that your eye zero in on the story..the "human" element of the relationship of the Seahorse with the Hare than how proficient could I make a scuba tank!

I will cover more of expression and relationship in next week's posting.

The Wetsuit

This may be more info than you "signed up" for on wetsuits. I feel that when you are creating a piece from a reality, you want to capture the essence and clarity of  your story. You can take the highlights from a chosen garment and bring them into the piece your are creating. I find that if you try to replicate everything exactly it is very easy for your piece to become overworked. Of course, if you are doing exact replications- that is a different story.

I went online to find a nice photo of a wetsuit. The wonderful thing is that my husband, Mark, and I dive, so I know what a wetsuit looks like and how it feels.

I purchased a nice weight black poly with a bit of wool in it. I found that it still was not stiff enough. I didn't want to add thickness but needed stiffness, so I lined it with a heavy weight iron-on stabilizer. Which worked for me in two ways, to add stiffness and also to keep the edges of the wool from fraying.

I decided that I wanted also to have that overlock effect and actually pieced this together as a "real" wetsuit would have been made. I choose to simplify the amount of pieces for scale.

Next, was is where I can bring in a play on words- how perfect is this! ha!

 BARE wetsuit brand became...

Most people who dive use a 3mm or if you are like me and do not want to chance being cold a 5mm (mostly women use these!)

Of course, I would have to add this to the sleeve area, as would be a standard.

Next was creating the back zipper. Most wetsuits have a long nylon webbing strap to pull up your wetsuit yourself...

I found that while the wetsuit was on Harry, I had to hand-sew the zipper in place to get a nice streamlined fit.

Final touch would be the booties.

I did use a fun foam "rubber" sole and with artistic license made the zip up in the back!

Next week- The Hare's Expression & Connection-Relationship
Following Week- The Seahorse up close and personal!