One More Fish to Fry

After having completed a monumental commission, I finally had a chance to do something just because.  I love making fish as they can be whatever I want.  This two sided fish is about eight inches in length, so not quite a keeper under normal fish regulations, but still probably heavy enough to be one. I am still going to be adding a few more details to it, backfilling and perhaps adding a few more decorations to the green side, but the initial "lure" has been cast. 

One of my relatives once recommended that I make fishing lures, but for the life of me, couldn't bear to make them, knowing that most of them (if they were actually used) would end up in the bottom of some lake somewhere.  I do know there was some popularity of polymer made fishing lures some years ago, but that was not one of my  exercises.

Today, I'll be watching the Oscars...wondering if one of the few movies I saw in the last 12 months will have any representatives in the winner category.  I did see Meryl Streep in the Julie and Julia flick...enjoyed that last summer.  Although hubby (who has seen nearly every movie put out in the last three years) thinks that she'll be ousted by Mo'nique.  We shall see in a bit.

On the movie note, the other day, I celebrated the completion of my monumentous task and went out on a Frabjous day (?) to see Alice in Wonderland.  When we entered the theatre, the 'senior' ticket usher asked if we were going to "Cialis" and I wondered if that should be a buzzline for the movie.  Then when I asked him if that was a pun, I realized he was hearing impaired.  So the joke was just for one.  Perhaps the makers of Cialis can use Johnny Depp for some publicity?

Ivory Boot Book

Well, being in the wild wild west does make an impact and now that the Olympics are over, I am back to claying, trying to incorporate some of the surroundings into my work. The scenery here  is a real potpourri.  It's not uncommon to be driving in the city, go over an overpass on the freeway and you see a herd of cattle or a couple of riders on horseback, and then a half mile on, you're back in the midst of strip malls, schools and other urban sites, and minutes later you're awestruck by a pastoral scene of mountains, saguaros and other cacti. 
Because the terrain is usually not grass but rocks and bumpy things, wearing boots like this is not uncommon, even if I don't ride horses.  The boots being sturdier, prevent the rocks underfoot from digging into my soles.  However, with the days warming up, they do get a little warm and so unless I am out on a hike, it's usually sandal time.
The book is filled with watercolor paper and has five signatures.  The watercolor paper, thicker than the usual paper I use, makes for a bit of a challenge in folding and cutting, but my edger is working well, and that takes care of that issue.  I antiqued it with a mixture of burnt umber and black, making for a little deeper shading than what I normally do.  I also incorporated just a hint of coppery-dust in the boot section...hey they may be closing down the Lost Dutchman Park, but there may be some useful metals in them thar hills!