Kind of Strange

Just a very quick post to share the joy that is older texts available for free on Google Book Search.

The Goldsmith’s Handbook 

This is just one example.  Give it a go, sometimes you can find some great stuff up there.  While the knowledge on some topics is dated, others such as metalsmithing have remained relatively constant for hundreds or thousands of years (go go gadget leatherworkers!) and still provide valid, valuable information.

Some fun topics to get you started:

subject: “Mythology”

subject: “Leather”

subject: “Crafts & Hobbies”

subject: “Art”

subject: “Science”

Seattle area artist Kim Graham has created a set of very cool digigrade leg extensions.  She’s currently working on a set of ’steampunk satyr’ legs for the Seattle SteamCon.  I can’t wait to see the results.

Video of Kim walking in the leg extensions below:

Kim has a fantastic body of work on her gallery site that I recommend checking out.   If you live anywhere near Edmonds, WA, stop by the Semantic Gallery and you can see one of her sculptures (as well as the works of many other fine artists) in person. Kim also has a blog for one of her newer projects, the epic and fantastically fun Silk Mermaid. I can’t wait to see the finished piece!

Apologies for the lack of updates recently.  My lovely new laptop decided that working beyond 3 weeks from date of purchase was just too much strain for it to handle.  While I’m working on getting it sorted within the next few days, I’ve been tech deprived at home for a few weeks now save for my non-image-editing OLPC.

Some good updates coming shortly! (…I hope)

My slow moving endeavor, the bone mask.

The sun-dried pelvis of a cow, some varnish and a set of old goggles.

The bones of the cow came from a man who lived in Seattle a while back.  He told me that he was struggling with his life, trying to wrap his mind around who he was and what he wanted out of this world, so he sought to find himself in the desert.  He stayed with a friend in the south and spent most of his time hiking through the desert in introspection.  One day he came across the bones, three cows in all, laid down beside one another as if to sleep.  The man stood a while, then turned back to his friend’s.  He got a tarp and hiked back across the desert the next day, making several trips to bring back the bones.

Through they years they were parted out one by one.  Some went to a theatre, others to friends, until at last there was a single box left.  I found the ad online and after a bit went to pick it up. The story behind the box of bones I now own has always stuck with me for some reason.  Now when I find myself struggling to sort out who I am, I work on the bone mask.