Athene's Heart, 34" tall wall sculpture of ceramic with glaze, acrylic, wire and glass bead finishes by Tammy Vitale.  To show at ArtOMatic 2009.

I am starting to gather the pieces I have planned for ArtOMatic.  Mostly new, with a few old.  Heather Bartlett and I are showing Body Politics again this year and some of that needs to wrap from that space into my area to fit everything and have enough room for folks to leave comments.  Heather is putting a book together with comments from last year, and has sketched out the area.  Last year we were allowed 10 feet out from the main wall so that we could put up our clothes line with "skinny jeans."  This year we got 4 feet from the wall so it took some ingenuity to visualize that.  Lucky for me Heather's very VERY good at planning things out.  It's going to look great.  

Here's a post from 08 – folk talking about their work (photos).  If you scroll backwards from there to May 8 in my blogs, you will see many of the artists that showed at ArtOMatic 08.

For all you locals, we're on the 2nd floor, area 2, Type P Space 5 and 6.  Close to the lounge.

For non-locals information, the response to call for visual art for AOM 09 was phenomenal.  I think we've got 600 visual artists.  Take my word that it will need 5 or 6 visits to get to really see everything.  I plan to roam some with my camera and will post as I have in previous years.

On the home front, I killed my ring saw this morning.  Derailed the blade (and bent it too I think).  Blah.  I couldn't follow the pictures/instructions in the handbook but may have another try at it tomorrow.  If not, will wait for Husband to help.  He's much better at all things mechanical.  I did have another piece of glass to slump at least one more torso.  I discovered that the ones I recently did (and flattened out again) weren't as expected because I was using the wrong side.  The back sides of the pieces are very nice.  One is finished (see below – the back is lovely) and the other I flipped and am reslumping as I type.  I have no idea how that is going to turn out.  It's all a lovely experiment until I get the hang of it.  Flattened my original torso too.  Cutting it was what killed the saw, but eventually I'll get 2 torsos out of it.

Here is the one torso.  She doesn't have a name yet.  My theme for ArtOMatic 2009 is mythology (when is that ever not my theme now that I think of it)…anyone have any suggestions for a name?  I haven't figured out how to hang her yet, either.  Maybe just d-rings or maybe something a bit fancier. 

Her underneath side has lovely shimmers and a formed spiral. That's real gold on her front side.  At least something shimmers on that side!

Had lots planned for the day but kind of got derailed when the saw broke.  Hopefully that won't happen too much as I don't have that much free time between now and my planned load in day (a ballgame free day – did I mention the building is at 55 M Street SE which happens to be right across from the Nationals' stadium?  Who pays attention to game days?  Not me.  Alas, they're playing almost every day of the show which I am sure will create lovely adventures in getting there and out.  Not to mention parking costs $30 on game days in the building.  Sigh.  No one mentioned that and I may just have to cough it up rather than run around and try to find street parking.  Oh well.  One suffers for one's art, yes?)

thought for the day:  When the deepest part of you becomes engaged in what you are doing, when your activities and actions become gratifying and purposeful, when what you do serves both yourself and others, when you do not tire within but seek the sweet satisfaction of your life and your work,you are doing what you were meant to be doing.  Gary Zukav The Seat of the Soul