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By doriluthy, August 17, 2009 12:13 am

Remember that song from childhood? It goes a little something like this: “Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes…”  Well, if I could tell exactly what part of the baby is jabbing me, in which particular place… Cause the kid inside me is tap-dancing that song onto my intestines right now.

Yes, it’s almost midnight, and I’m wide awake. Rather, I seem to have a 2.5 lb Peanut flavoured chuck roast on a continual rotisserie in my belly, keeping me awake. (I was going to link to a photo of a 2.5 lb chuck roast, but I realize that might terribly offend my vegetarian readers. And it’s kinda gross.)

I swear the kid is going through some kind of radical growth stage right now, cause it seems to have been non-stop action for about 3 days now. I’m bulging. I’m popping. My belly is lurching, rolling and extending… How else to describe this?? If you have never been pregnant, or spent any significant time with a pregnant woman, I don’t imagine any of this makes too much sense.

Suffice to say: THIS IS THE WEIRDEST EXPERIENCE OF MY LIFE. And Dustin seems a little freaked by it, too.

So. Is this blog turning into some pregnancy/mommy blog? I’m afraid to tell you, dear readers, that if the thought of this sends chills down your spine, you may need to take me off your RSS feed. I honestly don’t think I can help it. A friend recently advised (warned?) me that there is little that can be done about the fact that when you give birth to a child (and for the time leading up to that moment) very little else consumes your thoughts quite as much…eat, sleep, talk: baby.

Let’s just say that this a fair warning to you all.

In the mean time, what else is going on with me? Oh, I miss Erin. She left on Wed for Toronto for another of life’s big adventures. It’s awesome. And it sucks. I miss her. sigh…

And my show opens in the gallery in Salmon Arm in less than 3 weeks!! Egads! So exciting! Anyway, here’s the official postcard for the show (click on image for a bigger version):

There is more going on, but I’ll leave it at that for tonight. I’m gonna go try that sleep thing again.

Ciao.

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By doriluthy, August 16, 2009 7:21 pm

Hi all, finally got my Etsy shop setup with my jewelry!

Click on the button below- and I would love any feedback!

Just a reminder, here’s my jewelry website: www.daldesigns.ca

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By doriluthy, March 25, 2008 7:22 pm

It was great fun! Success and lovely feedback! Amazing women artists- such talent, such sass! It’s over now, but here’s the recap:

SIX was held from March 4-16th, 2008 at the Ferry Building Gallery in West Vancouver, featuring the works of six Eastside Vancouver women artists. Arleigh Wood, Valerie Arntzen, Sharon Petty, Stefany Hemming, Eri Ishii, and Dori Luthy-Harrison.

The exhibition was held in conjunction and celebration of International Women’s Day, and opening night featured a nice welcome from West Van mayor Pamela Goldsmith-Jones, and a fabulous reading from poetess Elizabeth Bachinsky.

Here’s some links to photos of the event:
Jason’s flickr of SIX has good pics of the artwork during opening night.
Arleigh’s blog has some great photos from opening night, too!

(Painting by Stefany Hemming and 3 of my sculptures.)

And here are 5 of the SIX artists, spreading the love.
(Fun photos from Jason V. Thanks!)

And a BIG thanks to all my dear friends who came out to support me!! You know who you are, and you are awesome.

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By doriluthy, September 21, 2007 11:54 pm

I just got back from a talk at Emily Carr Institute, my old stomping grounds. The Northwest Ceramics Foundation hosted Patti Warashina, a ceramic artist/professor from University of Washington, to give a slide show and discussion of her work. She’s been going at it for 40+ years, and oh man, am I inspired. The talk itself was a bit rushed, with perhaps overgeneralized explanations of her work- but understandably though, since she covered so much ground, literally showing us work from the past 40 years. She does figurative pieces, generally dealing with feminine/political subject matters. The large dream-like figures are engaging with meaning-laden objects, and she applies her under-glazing with such a painterly quality it makes the realist in me sigh. They are really lovely, really complex.

I am most intrigued by her very large scale pieces, as I see my current work evolving in that direction (both size/subject). The large pieces are made in sections, and the seam lines where she matches pieces show- in fact they often seem to be overemphasized with glazes or at least there is no attempt to hide them. Very smart, really. As that is one of the questions when making work in sections, to show or to attempt to hide the seams. There are so many things I would like to pick her brain about, or to spend time with her work and try to absorb some of the efforts she has put into making the hundreds of sculptures over the years.

I came away feeling inspired- did I say that already? For a number of reasons, though. She raised 2 kids(!) through full time work and teaching. She seems limitless in her quest to create; her work has flowed from one subject to another over the years, styles have changed, methods have changed, she has even done painting and printing in that time. She has just kept going over the years. To me, she is a true example of a dedicated artist.

And yet even in my inspired state, I can’t seem to get a question out of my head, a thought that has been lingering for weeks (months?), and tonight’s talk amplified it even more in the murky waters of my brain… Is it enough? Is it enough to be making art for one’s whole life? Is this contribution to the planet enough, especially considering the current state of affairs? Does it matter?

Oh dear.

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By doriluthy, May 3, 2007 7:37 pm

(Warning: Dori didn’t write her morning pages again. She is spewing here instead.)

It’s 6pm on a Thursday night. I’m happily sitting in my studio after a few hours of carving away on the small figure I’ve been working on for 3 weeks now. I am finished with the shaping, but now to figure out what next. I have several ideas but I’m not entirely sure which way to go… And here we come to my current creative challenge in the studio. For the past few years I have made pieces that were small, forgiving, and minimal. I did quick sketches in advance and then got to work and they were made. And there was a reason for that kind of work- I had more control, and less loss. It was “safe”. I got good feedback, but I can say that I never really felt challenged by that work. So now I am trying to challenge myself more by working on larger, more involved, more decorative, more realistic pieces, oh just more RISK! They require planning, studies, and some serious thought.

So I have basically put all of the work that I have done for the last 4-5 years to the side to pursue a completely new direction in my ceramics that I think will take me to a place that will be more challenging, more exciting, and ultimately more fulfilling to me. But because of the slow development of this new work, I feel like I am in a bit of a holding pattern right now, I am producing very little, although I am learning daily. And I am doing a lot of thinking: about WHAT I am making, HOW I am making, and of course WHY I am making.

I’m confronted daily with the risk I take that brings me to this very moment, now 6:32pm, sitting in my studio assessing this newly sculpted face. Besides the creative challenge, the biggest risk is that I am not making any money right now. I have not made money in several months. Other than teaching classes and the odd job, I don’t anticipate seeing any money in at least the next 3-4 months. I am overwhelmed by this feeling of no-money on a near-daily basis. *Now before I go any further, I want to make it perfectly clear that I am aware how absolutely privileged I am that I can continue to do what I do and not make money. I am so acutely aware that millions of people on this planet can’t even conceive of the possibility that they might go to work all day long and do what brings them pleasure, and ALSO they have the option to not generate money for months and months… So before anyone begins to call me inpolite names, I’ll just let you all know that I acknowledge this and count my blessings DAILY!

Actually it is this very notion that finds me at the end of many days feeling like I should just go get a “real job” and make money like everyone else. What gives me the right to claim such a privilege? It’s a complete risk, because I don’t actually know if anything very profitable will ever come of what I do. But I am here to take a risk. Dustin is also willing to take this risk on me. We both believe in my abilities and my business sense. And yes I’m really scared! But I only get one shot at this life- do I want to do what I love? What I dream of? This is where risk-taking is not an option. The answer is yes. And this is how I can turn scared into productive. It is just energy, and I get to choose what to do with it, and how it manifests itself in my world. It’s the risk I’m choosing right now. And productive says: What I need to do is re-write my business plan. I need to find other sources of money. I need to get support from a mentor, a therapist, or maybe a dog (joking!). But above all I need to keep coming to work every day.

Ironically my horoscope for the week: (courtesy of the Westender)

” Here’s what George Sheehan wrote in Running and Being, his book about running: “If you want to win anything – a race, your self, your life- you have to go a little berserk.” For a limitied time only, I’m endorsing that strategy for your personal use, Cancerian. While I do love your sensitivity and subtlety, right now I’d like to see you get a little half-crazy in a ferocious devotion to the noble dream you love best.”

Good, eh? It’s the ferocious devotion to the noble dream part that really gets me. Oh, and he sure has the half-crazy part right.

That’s all for now. I warned you.