smokeychimney

ho, ho, ho and a bottle of rum...

2011-12-26T21:34:00.003+01:00

well, it´s not like making new year´s resolutions is going to make things better but i will most definitely try to make this something i update more frequently next year.

a load of cheers and buckets of beer.
to 2012!

juro, juro, juro que intentaré publicar mas posts el año que viene!
feliz 2012!!!

chocolate and cherries...

2011-07-08T18:18:00.002+02:00

it's not always strange to find treasures when hunting. for whence they've been found, they are not soon forgotten.

lady's night...

2011-06-21T11:41:00.004+02:00

some great and talented folk are having a night of cultural indulgence in toronto. here's the poster i made in light of the occasion. if you are in and around toronto this upcoming weekend, get in there and support. there is plenty of eye candy for all!

este fin de hay una noche de cultura en toronto, canada. diseñe el poster para ellos y cuanto me gustaría estar allí para verlo. si estáis por toronto, ir a verlo!

in the making...

2011-06-13T23:38:00.003+02:00

here's the initial backdrop for a poster design that my good pal vic asked me to do as part of the very special, nuit blanche devereaux II. as much as it stinks not to be able to be there to participate in the flesh, it's been a great honour to be asked to collaborate from this side of the pond. the poster is almost ready, so keep them eyes open!

nothing but numbers...

2011-06-02T15:44:00.004+02:00

tomorrow´s my bday. but the day after is the party. be there or be square.

info:
cuitadella park
in and around 3
hopefully by the little island wifi area.

bring your best sarnie, drink and blankie to sit on.

hope to see you there!
let me know if you have any questions...

spring fever...

2011-05-16T17:05:00.002+02:00

i just won something and lost it. go figure... spring has officially sprung.

acabo de ganar algo y ya lo he perdido. que se va hacer? oficialmente, estamos de primavera.

indian winter...

2011-02-05T13:38:00.004+01:00

holy smokes! with weather like this, one might simply mistake the coming of spring! here's a collage with birthday barbeques and lovely winter sunshine on my mind.

hecho en un día invernal sin tener la pinta de ello, esto va para la primavera y los calcots apunto de caer!

now or never....

2010-12-31T12:06:00.004+01:00

a slight delay in posting this, but as the folks back at home say, it's better late than never. hope the various xmas festivities were grand and i wish you all the best fo' twenty eleven. let it be grand!

perdón por el retraso, pero como dicen mis compadres, es mejor tarde que nunca y con eso os deseo unas felices fiestas y una gran entrada al 2011. os deseo todo lo mejor!!!

cutting craze...

2010-12-21T15:23:00.003+01:00

the onslaught of a cutting craze this month has had me blade happy and with it, collage crazy! here's another of this month's recents.
i wouldn't be surprised to see a recurring leisure health theme appear in my rabbit glued ditties as i have an astonishing amount of said themed periodicals. geez, i can't even remember the last time i did something sporty. maybe it's a sign?

últimamente estoy cuchilla crazy! y no con el vello de mis piernas(aunque también, hombre!) si no con viejas revistas de ocio y deporte. no soy partidaria de semejantes actividades o por lo menos no practicante, pero quizás es una señal para el nuevo año?

closer to the finish line...

2010-12-09T14:25:00.003+01:00

events and weekends always coincide. here's a warm one to all those who toasted years and beers this last long weekend! there were many!

los eventos y fines de semana coinciden a menudo (de hecho casi siempre!). este post va a aquellos que celebraron su vejez una otra vez. hubieron muchos!

the last long weekend...

2010-12-03T11:49:00.004+01:00

i know it's been a while and there have been reasons.
but, as the last long weekend is nearly upon us, i say forget about it and let's enjoy!
there's hope out there yet!

more posts before the years out!

heading to town...

2010-09-04T14:59:00.002+02:00

september and new beginnings. i'm getting around to some long overdue documentation...
goodbye lazy summer days!

woah...

2010-08-05T16:46:00.002+02:00

the internet. what a place...
now we all know that i love you in sign language = rock on for all things metal related. woah...

dye-job

2010-08-03T16:38:00.007+02:00

yesterday i had my first ever d.i.y. dyeing experience. i've had some exposure to the dyeing process before(haven't we all wrapped a t-shirt around a stick and randomly placed elastic bands around it for that quintessential 80's flashback tye-dye experience?). this time round i had to remedy a situation of white and yellow, colours which seldom make it to my wardrobe. the dress was formerly an alarming shade of yellow and some of the stripes on the shirt were white. so, i soaked them both in blue and here is the outcome! happy with the results, i thought i'd share these pictures with y'all.

i highly recommend trying dyeing as it's a swell way to liven up an otherwise dormant garment.

if my body turns blue, i'll let you know!!

ayer fue mi primera experiencia tiñendo ropa en casa. que grande! había hecho el palo más camiseta con gomitas de elástico en casos por excelencia de mi infancia tye-dye pero bueno, esta vez fue por culpa de los colores amarillo y blanco; dos colores que rara vez se encuentran en mi armario. el vestido antes era amarillo y la camisa tenía rayas azules y blancas. los deje en un remojo de tinte azul y voila! aquí los tienes. estoy contenta con los resultados y por eso he puesto estas fotos.

es una experiencia que aconsejo con vigor ya que es una forma muy fácil de sacar una prenda desde la oscuridad de tu cajón.

pero eso si, si se me pone el cuerpo azul por causa del tinte te lo haré saber!!

2010-07-29T14:16:00.003+02:00

well now i'm at this phase where even more fun begins, clothes making! it should be good fun crafting their wares, however, sometimes i can set the anty quite high leaving a lot of room for disappointment. here's to trying to stay positive and uniting with the doll clothes making gods!

ahora, solo falta la ropa! puede ser difícil porque nunca sale como quieres. pero, voy a ser positiva y unirme a los dioses de la ropa para muñecos!

remember me?

2010-07-29T14:13:00.002+02:00

it seems like an eternity ago where i posted these pics of a new series of dolls that i've been working on.

at the sea...

2010-03-01T11:21:00.002+01:00

all i can say about 2010 so far is... busy.

por ahora, lo único que puedo decir del 2010 es que no deja en paz... a ver si me deja hacer más! pronto, quitaré el polvo acumulado y empezaré a terminar temas pendientes.

como lo llevas tu?
how´s your year?

wynton and the band...

2010-01-22T20:31:00.001+01:00

a collage i've been meaning to add for some time now...

joyce...

2010-01-09T11:11:00.006+01:00

january 8th is the day that one of the most important people in my life blows candles out and changes a digit to her age count. yes, it is none other than miss.joyce lau's b-day!!
here is an image from her webpage where you can find LOTS more to look at. her work is amazing and only getting better. check it out fo' mo'!

www.joycelauart.com

i miss joyce more than words can say.
joyce, happy birthday and i hope you get to turn oh so many more!

happy new year...

2010-01-01T23:35:00.004+01:00

well....
HAPPY NEW YEAR! here's hoping 2010 kicks 9 in the rear.

for those of you out and about in barcelona, i'll be at the FIRA DE REIS in sant cugat from the 2nd to the 5th of january. it's an all day event where savvy shoppers can get a variety of all things hand-made. i'll be the blue canadian with frozen hands(it's outdoors!!!!). anyway, it'd be nice to see you if you can make it.

FELIZ AÑO NUEVO!!!

espero que este año sea 40 veces mejor que el pasado, nos lo merecemos!

AVISO: si estais por barcelona estos días, estaré en LA FIRA DE REIS de sant cugat desde el 2 hasta el 5 de enero. la feria dura todo el día entonces si teneis un momentito y os ape un paseo por sant cugat, estaría encantada de veros y tambien podreis aprovechar y comprar articulos hechos a mano para toda la familia! bueno, estare en el puesto 39 y lo mas probable es que estare CONGELADA.

x-mas studio sale...

2009-12-16T10:45:00.003+01:00

yep folks, it that time of year again! i bet that this year, more than ever, you've decided to procrasinate on that last-minute holiday shopping. well, then here's a slice of good news!
OPEN STUDIO this weekend!!!

Joining us this time around is:

Yoshi Sislay --- http://blog.sislay.co.uk/ -- a japanese artist/illustrator
Sandrín --- jewellery
Chisato Kuroki --- www.chisato-ceramica.blogspot.com --- ceramic artist
and me!!

Here are the details:

Saturday December 19, 2009
7:00pm - 10:00pm
MILA I FONTANALS 52 bajos

and for the early birds,
SUNDAY DECEMEBER 20, 2009
11:00am - 2:30pm

As per usual, there will be wine and chow for the nighthawks. This will be my last open studio at this studio, so it would be great if you could come by and say goodbye together with me!

Gente! este fin de hacemos unas puertas abiertas-edición: cagatío! también os puedo contar que habrá gente nueva que significa nuevas cosas para ver! los detalles están arriba y estaría encantada que vinierais porque será mi ultima expo en este taller, snif! snif!
bueno os espero el sabado con copa en mano...

coming soon to a mailbox near you...

2009-12-12T17:11:00.002+01:00

well, here are those cards i've been making...

ho! ho! ho!

presentando las tarjetas navideñas del 2009!

jo! jo! jo!

santa's workshop on mars...

2009-12-08T20:01:00.003+01:00

after what feels like a decade... i'm back! in all actuality i was being exploited at my "real" job and it takes and drains my life away. i dig it sometimes but in terms of creative output... i have been dead.
anywho... with all these catalan resin pasta shapes promoting holiday spirit round town, i couldn't help but create today, on the last shred of a quasi-long weekend. here's a slice of what those who i love and miss will receive(very soon!) in their mail boxes. if anyone here knows someone at hallmark or any other card design company... hook a woman up! i love making cards!

uff... recién salida de un día de descanso, una se da cuenta de que la explotación laboral agota la creatividad a cualquiera. pero, por suerte, unes galetes me han salvado! esas creaciones de resina ambientando el espíritu navideño condal me han inspirado para mover el esqueleto y crear! aquí, una mínima parte de lo que mis mas queridos amigos y familia recibirán pronto(muy pronto!) en sus buzones.

si alguien sabe de una empresa adonde podría crear postales cada día, sis plau! dimelo!! me encanta hacer postales!!!!

thanks everyone...

2009-10-18T22:55:00.003+02:00

2009-10-18T22:45:00.004+02:00

just wanted to thank everyone that popped by the studio last night. it was a great turnout and i really appreciated the positive feedback.
thanks everyone!!

i've posted some pics of what was on display for those of you far away or who simply were unable to attend. drop a line if you feel like it.

gracias a todos que vinieron ayer. lo pasamos muy bien y estoy agradecida por los bonitos comentarios. gracias everybody!

aqui unas fotitos para los que no pudieron venir...

open studio

2009-10-15T11:14:00.003+02:00

hello!
just wanted to announce that my studiomates and i will be hosting an open studio this SATURDAY OCTOBER 17, 2009.
there will be lots of new stuff to see and WINE!

i'll send a refresher tomorrow as i'm just heading out the door. but, it'd be great to see you so leave an open gap between afternoon and dinner.

here's the details:
OPEN STUDIO
MILA I FONTANALS 52-54 (in gracia, close to the market)
7:30 - 10:00
and if you're an early riser, we'll also have the studio open on sunday morning from 10:00am to 2:00pm.

if you've got any questions, send me a line!
hope to see you there!!

talleres abiertos este sabado!! para ver la info exacta mirar a la dirección de arriba.
habrán bastantes cosas nuevas... experimentos y procesos. vuestras opiniones ayudaran mucho!
y como siempre, habrá vino y buen ambiente.

venir si tenéis un hueco entre la tarde y cena, estaría super veros!!
pues na! hasta el sabado!

la meva casa es la teva casa...

2009-10-05T23:53:00.004+02:00

okay...
so i got them out of the kiln and proceeded to take numerous blurry photos. this one isn't but it doesn't matter because i ain't just finished with these houses yet.
more to come once i get my hands on a saw and some wood stain...

cuando saque estas casas del horno saque fotos borrosas y terribles. pero, como no están terminadas no me importa tanto. solo es un sneak-peek hasta que tenga la oportunidad de obtener una sierra y tinte de madera... hasta entonces, nos vemos!

fearful tragedies of the sea...

2009-09-25T19:01:00.010+02:00

call it living by the sea but lately i've had the hankering to get some sailor stories into the 3rd dimension. have you read, "the road," by james hanley? "poor sailor," by s.a. harkham which is inspired by the fantastic, "at sea," by guy maupassant?
well, you should.
once i got my fancy on to make some sailor dolls with accompanying gear and tale i looked into sailor stories and came across those.
do you know any others?

yesterday i went into the studio with these sketches under my arm. it's funny how sometimes when you start doing something the only thing you really want to do is go home, make cookies, cake or lord knows whatever other laborious baked good. but then, if you stick with it(and i mean stick with it) you get to this point where you become utterly engrossed. this can happen a lot with me and head building. at the beginning they're just SO ugly and sans a shred of personality. but then, the little mo' fo's starting getting grit and you can't stop until you're done.
i guess that's what the folks back home would call inspiration.
well... i left that studio one happy lass last night. quite happy with the sketch/object translation. these kids got spunk!
now.. only the appendages follow.

empecer algo aveces me cuesta más que ir a misa. últimamente me veo muy interesada en hacer muñecos inspirados en los cuentos de marineros. esas antiguas fabulas de tragedia que te llenan tanto de tristeza. si os interesa, haz referencia a las referencias de arriba.
ayer fui al taller con estos dibujos en mano y me senté para hacer los personajes. cuando empiezas algo así, lo único que realmente quieres hacer es volver a casa y hacer de pastelero(thanks dad!). pero si te pones, y repito, te pones, pues surge algo muy entretenido. yo me pierdo, en serio. y na, pues que estoy contenta con la forma que salieron mis personajes en respeto a los bocetos.
ahora solo faltan los brazos y las piernas....

vomit rocker pins!!!!!!!!!

2009-09-24T15:16:00.004+02:00

last night me and my vomit rocker pin went out for a stroll. there are a bunch of free concerts in and about barcelona this weekend and i thought it would be the ideal occasion to launch my newest felt action.
the original vomit rocker pin was inspired by my good pal, blanco. he's an original rocker although not in the vomit sense. i made one for him on his birthday... but i added the "rock on!" hand for added rockerness.
gonna make a limited edition run of these bad boys. let me know if you want one and if you want it to be a joey or a ramona.

ayer estrene mis vomit rocker pins!!! estamos en la merce y como hay conciertos a tot arreu pensé que seria la ocasión ideal.
estos pins vienen inspirados por mi amigo blanco, un rocker autentico. hice una para su cumple pero sin la mano. ese saludo le da un extra umf... lo que buscaba!
voy hacer una edición limitada entonces si queréis, dime lo! ah! dime si quieres un joey o una ramona ya que los penados cambian un poco.

been building...

2009-09-15T21:08:00.004+02:00

hey there,
here is some of the stuff i've been getting up to at the studio. bird brain remembered to bring the camera today, so here is the stuff i shot to give a sneak peak, pre-glazing.

aqui hay unas cositas que estoy haciendo en el taller, de barro. las casitas son cajitas y serán sitios discretos adonde podrán guardar una variedad de cosas. aun no están esmaltadas. esta semana tengo la intención de acabarlas y cocerlas... cruzar los dedos para mi!

some of the houses(can't decide if all) are going to have little smokies coming out of their chimneys. fun!!
algunas de las casas tendrán humo saliendo de su chimenea(no se si ponerlo en todas!!)

and finally, the factory i had to make. in my mind, it'll be part of a situation which will involve some dolls. maybe cards... and maybe even some picnic accessories. we'll have to wait and see.
y finalmente una fabrica que deseaba hacer. sera parte de una cosa mas grande adonde habrá muñecos y cartas(para jugar!)... y quizás accesorios de picnic también. aún esta en fase creación. haber lo que sale.

molly (before)...

2009-09-13T11:51:00.004+02:00

it's easy to get distracted when you've got so many things on the back burner. I go from dolls to houses back to dolls then to boats. all these things that i'm itching to finish... plus, then there's those pins i wrote about. i still haven't taken a photo yet!! tsk.. tsk.. yes, i also agree.
give a girl a break. they will make it here... soon!

the pic featured here is molly. she's one of the dolls i've been working on. her arm fell off in mid doll creating madness leading to a pause and heavier application of epoxy. post this post, i'm back to the needle with her and hopefully by mid afternoon, she will be finished!
i'll post the after when the girl tells me she's ready.
hope you're well out there!

conga...

2009-08-31T17:30:00.004+02:00

just got back from a two-week hiatus with the ma and pa. the month of august in spain leaves you with basically no other choice than to holiday. this year's venture was not too far away. my itinerary? eat, sleep, sew and go for the occasional swim with two of spain's finest hosts, my very own parents. it was great fun and i can proudly say that i had the fortunate opportunity to get the scoop on what's troubling the minds of the borderlining elderly in these, our modern times.

anyway. fronted a conga-line with the magical tunes of the handsome fellow pictured above. rocked white pants just before the upcoming labour day(whoo hoo!), and shook hands with a jellyfish that seemed a little hungry and scared. vacationing with your folks can taint even the sanest of minds especially when all you do is sleep, eat, sew and go for an occasional swim.

i'll post some pics of the upcoming sellable ditties asap! they are cute and ready for fall(which is just around the bend!) sweater weather, here we come!

he estado de vacaciones con mis padres estas ultimas semanas. como podáis imaginar, españa y trabajo en agosto, como que no van. en fin... ejercí mi derecho de hacer poco en ese tiempo pero conseguí trabajar y terminar algunas de mis inquietudes fieltresticas(es decir, cosas hechas con fieltro).
haber si mañana hago unas fotitos y podéis ver lo que pronto, pero muy pronto puede llegar a tu casa y en tu jersey! otoño, te doy la bienvenida!!

see you soon.

david...

2009-08-07T19:21:00.002+02:00

here's another part of a series that i worked on. a further study of portraiture while reminiscing the heavily decorated walls of yesteryear.

they were sisters...

2009-07-29T20:43:00.003+02:00

testing, testing...
here's a double panel drawing i'm working on at leisure. the idea is to do the original in watercolour and this fancy schmansy scan in digital colour.
i will then compare and contrast. the hope is that then you will too.

will post a triple whammy when ready.
hope you are all well out there.

salut!

different strokes...

2009-07-27T17:58:00.002+02:00

there's different strokes for different folks as the old saying goes.

under the devastating wrath of photoshop, i beg for patience as every waking second has me doubting how much more of it's b.s. i can stand.

choco cinco con los principiantes de fotoshop! maldita sea!!!!

back to work...

2009-07-09T20:51:00.002+02:00

there have been things:
end of year madness. moving. re-moving. more madness. summer intensives...
en fin...
we've finally got the internet up and running and very shortly (as in very, very shortly) i'll have more time on my hands than any unemployed roamer!
so... i declare to make a list of to do's and to (at the very least) attempt to do them(i know you've heard that one before!)

this means: my postings will be more than what recent records have shown.

brevemente...
estaré dando mas vidilla a este blog (espero!)
no se fía hoy, pero mañana si!

aqui: un viejo dibujo de la cual me gustaría hacer grabados. sabe alguien de un sitio en barcelona adonde puedo hacerlo?

open studio

2009-06-05T13:16:00.007+02:00

after almost a month with no word, i'm here to announce that we're having an open studio shin-dig on SATURDAY JUNE 6, 2009. There will be tunes, vino and lots of ceramic goodies to look at! please come if you can!
Here's the official details:

OPEN STUDIO
Saturday June 6, 2009.
c/Mila y Fontanals 52-54 (big mutha-ass brown doors @ street level)
7:00 - 10:00
Bring one, or two, or three or four!

despues de casi un mes sin escribir anuncio: PUERTAS ABIERTAS en el taller!! Será este SABADO 6 de JUNIO. Habra música, vino y tesoros de barro! venir!!
Los detailles estan en la parte de arriba. Trae a quien quieras!

let the good times roll...

p.s. check out chisato (my studio mate´s) work
http://www.chisato-ceramica.blogspot.com/

happy mama's day...

2009-05-11T01:34:00.004+02:00

for all the moms who have waited for their children to just come home, this one's for you.
we (heart) you.

plants and animals

2009-04-28T12:51:00.007+02:00

spread the word.... plants and animals are coming to town!!
it sure feels like christmas this spring... not only are they playing once, but twice! check out the primavera sound site for more details... a little freebie there will be on the sunday!

here's the myspacio for further deets: http://www.myspace.com/plantsandanimals

vienen plants and animals a primavera sound este año!!!!! y no solo una vez... dos! si no tienes entrada para primavera, no hace falta, una de las dos actuaciones son GRATIS!!!
ah... que bueno tener un poco de canadá cerca de casa!

in flight

2009-04-22T22:58:00.002+02:00

for every reason there is a season...

gettin´ old

2009-04-19T21:23:00.003+02:00

keeping with the theme of detached heads, this is margaret. she's travelled quite a bit. her last trip was about 750km. (all the way to madrid!!). nestled in the warmth of my parents house she received love for a couple of months until one afternoon (just before siesta) my mom tried to move the table which tipped her over. needless to say, that head popped right off! luckily i was there to witness the whole thing and shortly after the devastating event i ran over to the hardware store and bought some epoxy putty. i'm not sure if you know about epoxy putty but let me tell you... it is great! way better than that pesky regular epoxy, especially, when mending a broken neck.

by the way, in this pic she is seamless!

ayer me comentaron que no había forma de entender mi inglés! voy a intentar hacer esto en ambas lenguas... así también practico y dejo a mis lectores castellano parlantes a salvo de demasiados ¨phrasal verbs o collocations." os parece?

el mi anterior post vimos el tema de decapitaciones. siguiendo con este tema os presento a margaret (o mejor... margarita/marga-- como quieras). margarita ha viajado mucho. su ultimo viaje fue a madrid unos 750m desde aquí. traslada a un ambiente familiar y cálido (como es la casa de mis padres) recibió mucho amor y cariño hasta que un buen día en un intento fallido de mover la mesa se cayó. y como una palomita saltando en una cazuela, pop! allá fue su cabeza! estuve de testigo de la escena completa! después del choque inicial salí pitando a una ferretería adonde compre masilla epoxi. no se si lo conocéis pero déjame deciros que es la hostia!! no tiene nada que ver con un epoxi normal especialmente cuando arreglando cuellos partidos!

p.d. en esta foto podemos ver a una margarita antes del accidente. un minuto de silencio por favor...

the guests have arrived/los invitados han llegado

2009-04-17T14:08:00.003+02:00

there are times when ideas should rest safely in my sketchbook or in my mind. i really thought this was a hoot one dark rainy day in my studio. what do you think?

tomás in the sky with diamonds

2009-04-16T12:24:00.003+02:00

this is tomás. he´s a navel-gazer and he loves his mom. born in the hills of catalunya, he has a deep appreciation for green spaces and all pork fare! yum!
he can be reached at 555-5555 (area code: 55)

things to look forward to...

2009-04-15T12:49:00.002+02:00

there comes a point in every woman's life where office casual and accompanying parrot on shoulder are simply not an option. i near this junction.

redecorating

2009-04-09T13:26:00.002+02:00

taking things apart only to put them back together again.
it's spring!

at the crossroads...

2009-04-06T12:22:00.002+02:00

decisions, deciding, decided.

vladmir told us he was expecting family

2009-03-30T23:03:00.002+02:00

vladmir did indeed tell us he was expecting family. it's nice to see that other countries also appreciate sports socks...

sam and dave and other black and whites

2009-03-23T12:12:00.004+01:00

i´ve always been a huge fan of cross-hatching. maurice sendak, robert crumb... they sure knew how to work a nib. while in buenos aires, i encountered the work of photographer, félix nadar.

his photographs got me thinking about the potential of portraiture and so, it´s something that´s been on my mind. here are some portraits drawn and cross-hatched from a little while back.

A long time coming...

2009-03-22T20:23:00.004+01:00

geez... i'm a little nervous with what to write here. it's been a while that i've thought this a good idea, so here goes! welcome to my blog, smokeychimney. it'll be photos and anecdotes here on in of what i like and what i hope you'll like. enjoy, and keep reading!

first up, a nifty collage made for a saint. the battles of heaven and hell collide!