Work-in-progress: St. Felicia needs a halo

Earlier this week I touched up a few edges for St. Felicia... here's roughly where we are now.

If you follow me on Instagram, you've seen my faux holy woman (faux-ly woman?) in two of her saintly aspects.

She bears a sword, plus a shield emblazoned with seven-league boots -- appropriate for the patron saint of farewells. Next step: I'm going to set (each of) her on a pedestal and connect her to her "halo."

Still working on the color, but I'm much closer to done... maybe even by next week. Send concentration and studio time vibes this way!

Winning an artist grant: stunned and grateful

This is how it feels to find out you've won grant money to support your art.

I was worried I must be hallucinating or something, when the Sustainable Arts Foundation emailed me:

Say what now? They said yes?

I'm still stunned. Even better, the award comes from an organization dedicated to helping artists keep making art while juggling parenthood. Honestly, I don't know of any other opportunity that recognizes the existence of artists raising children, let alone the particular challenges of this life. I'm also impressed with the diverse backgrounds of the visual artists and writers selected. This grant will go straight towards funding my Great Mystery Project! 

Taking the first steps into an art career with Artist Trust, at North Seattle College. ©Lisa Myers Bulmash

I got the news just before I delivered my final presentation about Artist Trust at North Seattle College. How poetic: I'm now a living example of how important it is to keep applying for funding opportunities, just like in the the ATAL talk. Wow. Just think: if it happened to me, it could happen to you!

Work-in-progress: St. Felicia

I've had to bring my work home with me several times this month, but I've also had enough studio time to make progress on the "St. Felicia" pieces.

You might remember the internet has proclaimed St. Felicia the patron saint of farewells...

Actually, the image is of St. Ifigenia, an African virgin saint and protector of women forced into marriage. (Bonus black feminist points!) So I'm aiming for an independent woman symbol: less agonized parting, more "don't bring that nonsense around here."

Just so happens these ballerina dolls were striking the right pose, so their arms have been repurposed into halos of dismissal.

Count on doll parts to add a touch of weird to any artwork. For the moment, the assemblages still look more like "the world's creepiest seder plate," according to The Husband.

Oh, it's gonna stay creepy and weird for a while. That's part of the fun. I hope these pieces will add many laughs of recognition to the Great Mystery Project. More to come...