February is a new month and the beginning of a new chapter of my life. In trying to figure out what I should do next I asked myself this question. “If you were told tomorrow that you only had two years left to live what would you want to do in the time you have left? ” Asking the question is the easy part. Being honest in the answers is the tough part.

I have always wanted to give a recital. I had to leave the Cello in Austin and decided that the move to Washington was a time for change so I never gave a recital but I started a company and after a few years decided to focus on art. I had a gallery for a few years. I created when it felt right. Hiking and gardening have been favorite ways to spend my time.

“What would I want to do with my time if I knew I just had two years left? ” Would I spend 18 months trying to figure it out? Would I take off on a cross country road trip by car, or bike or on foot? Would I want to learn something new?

I have a few people I would want to spend time with. I want to sit at there kitchen table and share a cup of coffee with them. I want to talk to there children and learn about there culture. I want to smile and laugh . I want to share myself and love. I want to chat with strangers , I want to enjoy the time I have alone and the time I have with others

February 2019 I am taking a journey , I am traveling deep into myself to explore the unknown and to try to decide what I would really do if I had just two years to live.

As spring approaches I have been back in the workshop. I am currently making some fun bird baths & bottle trees. Yesterday I was hoping to work on bottle trees but realized I was out of rebar so instead I got these two started.

I touched up the paint on the green tractor seat and the blue seat still needs to be welded to the base and touched up.

The paint on my wall was done byan 8 year old visitor.

“Trust your own instinct. Your mistakes might as well be your own instead of someone else’s.”
– Billy Wilder
About Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder, the Austrian-American film director who gave us classic films like the farcical Some Like It Hot and the sardonic Sunset Boulevard, was a true rags-to-riches success story. Born on June 22, 1906 in the Austria-Hungarian empire, he fled the Nazi regime in 1934, arriving in Los Angeles with $11 and speaking almost no English. By the 1950’s, he had become one of Hollywood’s greatest directors, directing more than 60 films. He won six Oscars and the National Medal of Honor. He died on March 27, 2002.

Discover the past was the Issaquah History Museums fundraiser. I had an idea to create a dress for the event. With the help of Brad Isley and shelly Vollstedt, my vision came to life. Created entirely out of trash this was a rewarding and fun piece to create.

Photos by Tracee J Fullum

I was invited to attend a historical fundraiser and I decided to make a piece of fun art to fit the theme. Lucky for me, the man I rent my shop from has lots of trash and scraps for me to use. Below are a few photos of the work in progress.

Today’s Quote
“Let me listen to me and not to them.”
– Gertrude Stein
About Gertrude Stein
Gertrude Stein, the expatriate American author known for her clever wordplay, was an ardent collector of Cubist art and tried in her stream-of-consciousness prose to capture that immediacy and sense of play. She was born on February 3, 1874 near Pittsburgh and moved to Paris in 1903. She and her partner, Alice B. Toklas, volunteered for hospitals during World War I. In the 1920’s, her salon attracted many great writers and painters; she coined the term Lost Generation for the post-World War I expatriates. She died on July 27, 1946.

The benefit of being laid off from my day job is that I have been spending more time in my shop. I have a half dozen or so unfinished projects that I am working my way back too. While working on large projects I often work on a small project so that I can enjoy the feeling of completing something!

Crosses range in price from $200-$80 depending on size and design. Small crosses are approximately 25 x 21 inches and larger crosses are approximately 30 x 21 these are fine for indoor or outdoor art.

Stay tuned for more of my fun with horseshoe series!

Trust your own instinct. Your mistakes might as well be your own instead of someone else’s.”
– Billy Wilder
About Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder, the Austrian-American film director who gave us classic films like the farcical Some Like It Hot and the sardonic Sunset Boulevard, was a true rags-to-riches success story. Born on June 22, 1906 in the Austria-Hungarian empire, he fled the Nazi regime in 1934, arriving in Los Angeles with $11 and speaking almost no English. By the 1950’s, he had become one of Hollywood’s greatest directors, directing more than 60 films. He won six Oscars and the National Medal of Honor. He died on March 27, 2002.

“Sometimes you have to play a long time to be able to play like yourself.”
– Miles Davis
About Miles Davis
Miles Davis, the innovative American jazz trumpeter famous for his languid, melodic style, was influential in the development of many forms of jazz. He was born in 1926 in Illinois. His mother wanted him to learn the violin, but he picked up the trumpet instead. He dropped out of Julliard to track down Charlie Parker and joined his quintet. He later nurtured many jazz greats in his own band. The album Kind of Blue is considered his masterpiece. He died in September 1991.

It was a cold wet and rainy Easter Sunday so instead of working in the yard I went to the shop and started a new bird. This will be Great Blue Heron and I am considering calling her Dignity. In this photo I was having a bit of trouble with my wire feed.