"ARROYO"

A dry channel through which water flows intermittently and irregularly. Kind of like this blog.

My art is an infectious need for me, sometimes a burden but most often a blessing.

This blog is about me and my obsessions, my loves, my need to create and my need of JUNK. I'm addicted to thrift stores, estate sales, flea markets and all roads leading off the beaten track to discover that perfect piece of junk. I recycle old license plates, old shovels, wheelbarrows, saw blades and anything else that's funky using my hand held plasma cutter. I love working with steel, sculpting, photography, watercolor painting, stained glass, and turning everyday utilitarian objects into art. Junked cars ~ I will always veer off the path to search out the beautiful wrecked Arroyo JunKers throughout Arizona, New Mexico and anywhere else the road may lead. When I'm not searching for those JunKers
I ~ RESURRECT ~ STEEL

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Women Can Weld – Get over it!

What is going on in the 21st Century folks!  1998 was the 150th Anniversary of the Women's Rights Movement and we've come a long way baby! Women have been voting, running Corporations, flying planes  and WELDING  for a very long  time,  so why is it that when I’m doing a show and my husband just happens to be sitting in my booth that he’s the one they think makes my ART.  What’s funny is my ART is delicate looking, whimsical; it’s got flowers and butterflies and could even be considered girlie, in a way.  My husband is 6’5 and looks like Tom Selleck and in no way portrays anything delicate.  He makes knives, hunts and shoots, he doesn’t make “whimsical, flowery art”, and so it makes it even wierder that they think he does my ART.
It never fails someone walks into my booth and we are both sitting there and every single person looks at my husband and says “how do you do this”?  He points to me and says “Ask her, she does it” and they gasp and reply “YOU DO THIS”!!   Like being a Woman Who Welds just doesn’t happen in this world.  Then for some strange reason they continue to ask my husband more questions while I’m just standing there.  At first, I thought it was really funny that this kept happening over and over, now I’m not laughing.   I even had a friend helping me set up at my last big show and she sat with me for a while and I’ll be damned if they didn’t look straight at her and think she did it. 
What is it about me that makes me look like I can’t do this?  Maybe I need to not wear makeup (can’t do that I’d scare them away), get a tattoo, or cut my hair short – I know I’ll wear a Rosie the Riveter T-Shirt and just for the heck of it I’ll get one of those temporary skull tattoos and an earring in my nose.  Then I'll look like a bad-ass that can weld!



Thursday, February 10, 2011

Valentine's Weekend Tradition

Every Valentine's Day it just so happens that the  
Tubac Art Festival
  always falls before or after V'Day and every year my "Love" and I always go to this beautiful place.  
Of course I make it easy on my "love" because I always find some special piece of art 

Like THIS

 and THIS

and THIS

to add to my very diminished wall space, garden area or patio and my "Love" always says "I'll get it for you for V'Day".  It always works out perfectly that I always get what I want!   Plus the annual Gem and Mineral Show also happens that same weekend, so it's a wonderful treasure hunting 2-3 days.

We are headed there tomorrow to stay the weekend I'm so excited. It's a little early, but


Happy Valentine's Day All!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Icicle Cactus & Ocotillo's

Ok folks it is flippin' freezing here in Sunny Arizona .... really!  
Look

We don't do ICE!  
only in our Ice Tea!



We have very thin blood here and this is just to cold for me.  Remember we fry eggs on the sidewalk here.  I'm trying to work outside and my hands have lost all feeling.  I know many of you are in really cold country, so don't laugh at me but, for me this is really cold.

 Desert Botanical Gardens Spring Plant Sale
I'm getting geared up for the annual BG Sale and creating some Steel Garden Art Ocotillo with lots of flying critters on them.  I've got another 5-7 to go.... As soon as I can feel my fingers! 
 




This dragonfly is made with a Railroad Spike.

  
and Here's a Butterfly


of course I have to throw in some
Licence Plate Art Dragonflies
 

Takin' the back road from Greer to Morenci was gorgeous. This was waiting at the end.

Takin' the back road from Greer to Morenci was gorgeous.  This was waiting at the end.
Alpine Cliff Jumper

Don't you just love bugs! My first car.... but RED.

Don't you just love bugs!  My first car.... but RED.
Lamy, NM

This was a great old Studebaker Truck in Lamy, NM . It has seen better days. I love Lamy,

This was a great old Studebaker Truck in Lamy, NM .  It has seen better days.  I love Lamy,
Studebaker in Lamy, NM