support a living artist

, originally uploaded by nirbhao.

For the giftmas season, I am offering wine bottle chillers for $25 each.

there are a bunch of pictures of other things that I know you would love to own here.

huzzah!

don't be duped.

I got a message on etsy today that read

I am interested in the immediate purchase of your item and will be make payment via cashier check/money order, my private shipping company will handle the shipping, but before payment will be made i need to be sure of who i am dealing with if you are going to be honest and sincere throughout the transaction. A certified cashiers check is cash-able the same day,there is going to be an excess fund on the check ,the excess fund is meant for the private shipping company who will come to your place for pick up of the item, so shipping is not a problem,will you be able to transfer the excess fund to the shipping company the same day you receive the check?. check would be sent to you so when you get payment you can easily cash it at any cashing point near you or deposit in your bank. You'll be sending excess fund to my shipper , which would be meant for shipping arrangement.if you agree, signify your interest by forwarding to me your Final Asking Price, Full Name & Contact Address a
nd Tel # also i will want you to email to my private email address white.carl@rocketmail.com because i had some bad network with my acct in Etsy.com,So plz kindly email me to my email address I await your response soonest.

Best and kind regards,

nope. didn't even sign it. anyway, I've encountered this type of fraud before. a banker I knew fell for it. it's a mess. Etsy made a post about this type of scam on the storque.

please be safe.

IRL

I graduated from the University of Iowa, and my brother graduated from the University of Michigan. Each year, we go to the football. That isn't exactly true, because the teams didn't play the past two years. We went this past weekend, though.

I pretty much do not care about football at all, except that I think it is neat when the Hawkeyes do well. Driving to Iowa, though, I was pushing on the inside of my ribcage trying so hard to make them win.

Iowa City is a bit of a magical place. It's not as magical as Mackinac, but things happened in that place in that time. I moved to Iowa City 17 years-old and quite confident that I was the most capable and intelligent being in the universe. I was part of the National Academy of Arts, Science, and Engineering program and my parents drove me out there and bought my books for me.

I got my first B in a Latin poetry class. We were reading Ovid. Frustrated, I approached my instructor. She said, "You did a good job. You earned a B."

so I think I had to learn a lot faster than some of my colleagues that learning was more than grades.

the University of Iowa has (had?) an exceptionally well-thought-of ceramics program. I had taken non-credit ceramics classes through Kendall College since I was 8 years old, and I missed it. so I took classes. at the time I took the LSAT, I was 15 credits shy of a BFA. I had even had my show. people were crying in front of Philips hall, but I thought the logic games were fun. I had two good options.

I did well on the LSAT. better than my brother by two points. haha

I went to the University of Detroit Mercy. I died. during rehab, I started rebuilding a studio. my parents gave me a thomas stuart kick wheel, and a widower sold his cress electric to me for $200 because his wife would have wanted it to be used and loved. I went back to law school, and it was fun. I made it three terms before my organs started failing again and stuck it out until the fifth.

then I moved my studio into my best friend's house, and he asked me to marry him.

he came with my brother and I this past weekend, and I took him to see the ceramics department. You may remember the devastating flood that hit Iowa City in 2007. certain buildings were as much as 7 feet under water. we subverted the fence. I pulled on every door that wasn't boarded shut. we wondered at the smoke damage where the kilns had been.

getting caught up on life in general

the routine is starting to fall into place. slowly. I'll be upsetting it again soon.

I found a good temple. I have a set day to change the sheets and another to clean the bathroom. I have dinners planned for the next week. 13 wine chillers, some of which are already sold (YEA!), are ready to fire. the garden is ready for winter.

the sock yarn blanket is coming along beautifully. I have taken a bit of a break from buying yarn and am getting caught up on using what I currently have. I have a lot of yarn. keeping up with the politics of the business is fascinating, though. and how can you not buy malabrigo sock when it first hits the market?

I've had a number of flops otherwise. I started the Q sock pattern. I like the socks a lot, but the yarns I used were too close together in color and I took about an inch of work out. I haven't had the energy to start with a new color yet.

I'm also trying to make my own menstrual pads. I have some nice undyed hemp that will be perfect, but patterns I've found are either ridiculously incomplete or unnecessarily complicated. I'll make my own-- it shouldn't be too hard.

by the by, I prefer reusable feminine hygiene products for a number of reasons. first, they create less waste and are less expensive. more importantly, they are far better for a woman's body. placing a wad of non-sterile mystery-material that contains a known carcinogen against the most sensitive mucous membrane of the body is not the healthiest thing a woman can do. boiling a silicone cup or running a cotton or hemp liner through the wash makes a lot more sense to me.

anyway, that was just in case homemade sanitary products strike you as gross.

being a domestic artist-- a homemaker who does so using power tools-- has tested my beliefs in terms of feminisms and disability. I don't know why I have to justify to myself or anyone else that it's okay to spend my days elbow deep in clay, making all of my food from scratch, or retro-renovating this beautiful first-era ranch. I don't know who I owe an explanation to that going grocery shopping tires me to a degree that I can hardly function afterwards. who is it I implore for understanding that, since I've left the rat race, organs that were starting to fail have started functioning again?

plus my enabler is about the most awesome partner anyone could ask for. this is what a friend said to me, just yesterday, "[H]is alliance with you demonstrates a depth that made us all take notice. Bravo. I just had such a positive, electric feeling that you compliment, understand and support each other. There isn't anything better than that."

and so my life continues to be a wonderful dream.

retrovation

the good, originally uploaded by nirbhao.

a lot has changed recently. I'm no longer in school. law school is bad for a person's health. also, I like my organs working. I moved. I'm getting married.

a bit over a month ago, I moved into a lovely little brick, first-era ranch near Detroit. my studio is set up to the point of being functional. I threw earlier this week, and I plan to fire for the first time here on Saturday. there is a lovely gigantic cast-iron sink sitting in the middle of the room on a dolly waiting to be installed.

unfortunately, I haven't had a lot of time for art because the house requires a lot of attention. last week, mopping the floor turned into removing the stick-on vinyl squares from the linoleum floor (that's the picture-- it's really neat). last night, in a moment of idiocy, I clogged the laundry sink / tub. clearing the pipes revealed--- well-- rust. a lot of it. my guy is currently sorting out what to do with a pipe in the concrete that has no threads.

I'm getting more into my routine, now, and figuring out that it will include six to eight hours of "house" work every day. it's my new full-time job. and I like it.

gearing up for gift giving

, originally uploaded by nirbhao.

keep your white wine cold while entertaining. thank your host and hostess with the gift of useful décor. booze it up tastefully with a ceramic wine bottle chiller. all you need to do is freeze the chiller. then, when you want to serve your white wine, place a bottle in the chiller outside of the freezer. the stoneware holds its temperature and can handle a great deal of stress. it is freezer, refrigerator, microwave, oven, and dishwasher safe. you could probably throw it against a wall, although I wouldn't recommend it. it is also food safe.

I accept commissions starting at $25. you can either make a request by price or request a specific design. prices are determined by complexity, specificity, and glaze composition.

see some of the pieces I have sold here.

TADA!
(curtsy, breathing heavily)

/ soul selling

noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

I kept the computer around for one reason: it had my student edition photoshop 7 installed. I no longer had the disk. I no longer had the codes.

now I have a folder icon, alternating between the smile and a question mark. nothing else.

it appears the machine has gone senile.

*sniff*

I'm actually getting moved in!

the wheel, the shelves, and the cabinet I keep around for the stickers, originally uploaded by nirbhao.

this is my new studio. it's in my beau's house. we are getting married on ninja day. my goal, if possible, is to be his domestic artist.

law school is done. it's terrible for a person's health.

blurb

I made a book. see?

Without Fear

shine chisholm's c...

By

Book Preview

you can even buy it if you want. aren't you lucky?

it struck me as a good idea to make a portfolio

booksmart, originally uploaded by nirbhao.

for all of my prospective clients

(sigh)

because I have an unending source of wealth to support my endeavors

I mean! things are great!

three ologists and an msw in the next 36 hours. woo.

one year and counting

, originally uploaded by nirbhao.

last year, on the fourth of july, I started a project that has become somewhat definitive in my life: the sock yarn blanket.

I started with some scraps I had leftover from socks I had made.

*

people started giving me yarn. supersupersuper amazingly nice.


and I joined a swap... or two.... or...


after about six weeks and a good amount of progress, I realized that I was doing it wrong.
•

so I frogged it.


and I started over.


this time, I had more colors and so I was able to be a bit more random. I also was figuring out that I prefer solid to variegated and that there is a wide world of fibers and textures beyond superwash wool. the blanket grew and grew and grew.
• •

I learned about dyeing

• •

and the blanket grew and grew and grew.

• •

and the entire time I treated it as my pygmalion in my photography.

• •

the swaps were a bit disappointing, because I was throwing in stuff like interlacements and getting stuff like lion brand back. being the snob that I am, I decided to give myself one nice skein of sock yarn per month.

• •

I started a bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb (bouncing blanket ball box with extra b's because that is the fun way to do it) for the types of yarn that I use. it is successful.

and again with the overly dramatic photography

• •

now it is big. yesterday, people who sat next to me would use it as a blanket while I was working on it. on the bottom, I'm two squares shy of my 72" goal.

my stash is best described as intimidating.

it's likely I'll be knitting this for another two years.

banquet of my life

, originally uploaded by nirbhao.

this week has been pretty hard, largely because I'm starting to realize just how ridiculous it is to think that anything should be the way I want it to be. we Americans are so entitled!

I listed more things in my etsy shop. I want to actually sell some of my work. or at least have people enjoy it. or for it to collect dust on someone else's shelves instead of mine.

people are being awesome about the chickens.

click = ♥

I am looking for someone who can promote my work. I'm offering a sliding-scale commission based on net income. let me know if you are interested.

I've been making a lot of phone calls lately

while on hold, originally uploaded by nirbhao.

when something is wrong, a person tends to think that a fix will make everything perfect.

instead, a fix makes us human.

what about knitting now?

, originally uploaded by nirbhao.

I do knit a lot, but my time is mostly spent on the blanket. I'm currently carrying it in a briefcase.

Little Sister's baby on the way means I get to knit CUTE baby stuff. oh my god cute. my uterus is weeping so openly it's not even wiping its nose.

my barter system* has been working out very well. I'm getting some wonderful glazes. it's great.

bad news, though! water has gotten under a plate on my wheel! I've gotten in touch with the lovely people at Thomas Stuart, and hopefully they will be able to help me not destroy my favorite piece of furniture.


* give • receive

wonderfulness

, originally uploaded by nirbhao.

I've sold enough bobbin bowls to make a few more.

(swinging pocket watch)

you have an irresistible urge to buy my art and join the party of chickens.

things I like

on mornings like these, when colors become deeper and the brightness is a soft, diffused glowing, I am grateful. as they sigh, grumpy; as they impatiently fire barbed words at one another; as they mutter and swear over uncooperative buttons I am glad that I make it look easy. I do not have to heft the weight of my own self-importance over my shoulder, indifferent to anyone who might find eirself in my path.

I got to smile and laugh. I'm prepping yarn to dye and formatting the memo due today. I'm thinking about how I will make a ceramic piece for my personal code of conduct, due week five. (I'll probably go with the God's Tooth theme)

amaco came out with thirteen new potter's choice glazes. that is my favorite series, too. look!

here are some more wonderful things:

• my friends
• President Coolidge
• (two good articles at Heritage.org and Vermont Division for Historic Preservation)
• Jaydiohead
• pretty much all music
• when people buy my stuff on etsy
• being in love
• smiling
• the glowing right before it rains
• mirapex and provigil
• Palmer
• yarn. jeez. obvious!
• Perky's
• that my mom, who is 53, is PADI certified, and did so in the past year
  
• when my brother plays guitar and sings
• art
• my 0/5 brush
• my hardwood comb
  
• Marie Catrib's
• juice
• clean laundry
• the party of chickens
• my family
• clay. clay. clay.
• chocolate soy milk
• that the beau reads to me
• "magic" bandages
• clean sheets
• getting the sheets dirty
• making functional items from scratch
• the ridiculous amount of opportunity available to me
• playfulness

happy tuesday. be sure to smile a lot.

unearned exhaustion

, originally uploaded by nirbhao.

seven hours into firing yesterday, the power went out. it was down for 45 minutes. afterwards, I restarted the kiln.

it continued to run for the next 16 hours.

I'm afraid to open it. how badly do you think my work was destroyed? I had some pretty nice pieces in there, too. (deep breath) loss is a part of life.

however, sometimes I pretend this is not true. for example, I tore a hole in the bottom of this bowl while trimming the foot.

wouldn't a dramatic foot look nice on that bowl? how about this?


I have yet to succeed with a separately-attached foot, so send good energy. haha I think I might send it to Catholic school crush... back in the day, I tried to make him a ridiculous ashtray.


remember what I said about feet?

anyway, for some reason I want to send him one of my best pieces. I'm still angry that he was so willing to give up on me. AND that now I can't listen to Elvis Perkins because they sound pretty much exactly the same.

IN OTHER NEWS!
what would a post from me be without chickens?


we are on
• facebook • flickr • twitter •

why yes, I am familiar with the concept of elegant variation!

unloved, originally uploaded by nirbhao.

Good morning!

My art needs love. I need love, too, but I don’t have the misfortune of being stacked and lonely on a basement shelf. Or under folding tables.

See the art. Desire the art. Hold the art as your own. Make an offer, either barter or monetary. We’ll work something out.

Just to be clear:
• Art that needs some lovin’
• Barter suggestions (i.e.: stuff I want)

And, of course, you can always reach me via email at shine@thedelicion.com.

and another thing

bad news first, just to get it out of the way:
none of my works were selected for the festival.

okay. done with that.

Cooley is in week two of the 2009 Trinity term, which means that I'm in my second week back at school after having withdrawn last term. I did not want to withdraw last term. Doing so made me feel lazy, weak, and histrionic. However, I am glad I withdrew, because I actually do want to do well in school and I wouldn't have had I not withdrawn.

One of my hesitations was losing touch with the Chipman class. You are a wonderful class, both in and out of the classroom. I worried that, because we are in different classes now, we would drift apart.

We haven't.

Everyone (students, professors, and staff) I encounter is unspeakably kind. Those of you with whom I have had the fortune of continued interaction have sympathized with my struggles and cheered my successes. When I go to school, I enter a community of people who care deeply for one another.

I'm flattered to be one who is so cared for and grateful for the fortunate opportunity to participate in such a community. Thank you.

A Very Special Happy Tuesday

100!, originally uploaded by nirbhao.

Chicken number 100 joins the party today. actually, it's a handful of chickens. most of them are groupies. or something.

people have been amazing. here are some of my favorites:

• • • • • •

If you would like to play along, either design a paper template (digital is okay, too, as I'm realizing is significantly easier) or request a ready-for-your-attention tile. to do the latter, send me a private message through any of the four social networking websites I belong to. *

The Party of Chickens now also has its own facebook page AND Twitter . . . . tweeter! you have no excuse to not play along. seriously.


unrelatedly, some things that are going on in my life:
1. I'm back in school. thank god. I was getting bored.
2 I'm volunteering with DA Blodgett's Sisters in Support program.
3. Today, I will find out if any of the four pieces I submitted to the Festival of the Arts Regional Arts Competition have been accepted.
4. certain words, like submit, should not have the -'ed' enclitic for the past tense.
5. I sold a ceramic bowl via the barter system. Thank you, Jess. You, too, can own original artwork in exchange for tools and materials. this stuff deserves to be appreciated!
6. the beau, as always, is amazing. I'm not entirely at all sure how I got so lucky.
7. the health drama continues. it will probably never end. isn't nearly five years in a little late to realize that it's not going away?

smile a lot!


* facebook, flickr, ravelry, and suicide girls. I'm also available via a boatload of email addresses, so you can also send any of these things to shine@thedelicion.com.

I also have an etsy shop, but I have decided that no one actually sells things on etsy.