Ever Wonder?

About your art, you know you have those days you think what you came up with is really cool, then there are days you think that everything everyone else does is so much better. I fluctuate between this all the time. I was given a chance recently to advertise in a well known, art magazine. At first I turned it down, knowing my old camera couldn't take a decent picture good enough for magazine work, and secondly because I didn't feel my art could hold it's own with all the names I could imagine would be there. Ones I've long admired in the Polymer clay world as I have courted and left and come back to this medium even more enamored after time away.

So after much encouragement I decided I would give it a try. I didn't realize how hard on the nerves something like this would be. I went and purchased a new camera, after not having a new one since like 10 years ago. Wishing my old Canon SLR could function with instant success but knowing not to go there, I can just imagine the film developing costs. As it was I took over 60 pictures of what at first I thought I should feature, and it was suggested to me, then I decided to go with something else, so more pictures, probably over 100 this time.

Do you have any idea what it's like to go through 100+ pictures ( and being a perfectionist) to find the perfect one? I can't tell you how many hours it took me to decide on one, just one, and to finally submit it. Then when It came time to approve I had changes, I didn't like how my background looked, so asked to use another picture with a gradient background I quickly photo-shopped in. They were so very nice and very accommodating. But I really wasn't so nervous for myself, it was about being amongst all these top artists and I didn't want to bring their art down by having 'me' there.

But all in all I think I blended in quite well. It is simple but it is also as complex as you can get , since my pieces come directly from the source. I just try to make sure I don't make them look bad. :)

Oh, here is the winning picture, it is of one of my favorite to immortalize in clay, even though I don't much care to eat them, the beautiful aubergine, the Eggplant and its companion, one of the Eggplants fuzzy leaves, that leave such a wonderful texture.

Oh, and if you are interested in which magazine, check it out here, but to see my ad, you will have to visit your local Borders or Barnes and Noble and flip through it in the Polymer clay article section.