Although I've not been blogging...creating has been hopping!

"Saturday Shopping"

15.5"x6"x6"

Paperclay Sculpture

This month has proven to be challenging with both Jack and I ping-ponging nasty colds and flu back and forth.  Add into the mix of my mother recovering from a bad fall injuring her knee requiring several various doctor visits, as well as being her advocate at the assisted living facility where she currently resides. 

And so...my art has once again become my refuge!

The paperclay sculpture entitled "Saturday Shopping" is heavily influenced by my childhood and growing up under the watchful eye of my Russian grandmother, Mary.  She and my grandfather had a chicken farm in southern New Jersey where I spent a vast amount of time while my parents were off playing.  Every Saturday morning she would put on her "good clothes" and off to town we would go to pick up the supplies needed for the upcoming week.  It was always a treat to climb in the back of her big black Buick and visit with her brother, Uncle Pete, whom we would meet in front of the Jewish deli where more delights awaited!  Ah, memories...so sweet and full of love.

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It was during my childhood that the cartoon "Bullwinkle" was a huge hit on black and white TV...again the joy of watching cartoons was an early Saturday morning ritual that would spark my imagination with happy fantasies. 

And so, while I have been trying to "escape" from the demands of adulthood while creating... "Bullwinkle" came to mind and developed from a mound of clay into this really charming, whimsical paperclay sculpture.

"Bullwinkle"

13.5"x14"x7.5"

Paperclay Sculpture

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A dear friend of mind had mentioned how much she like my original "Love Bowl".  She recently had a major milestone marked in her life and I felt she could use some extra love surrounding her.  I packed up my prize- winning (February Contemporary Fine Art International) sculpture, and it is happily residing with her on the east coast. 

This development lead to the creation/birth of "Love Bowl II" which is a larger version, but equally overflowing with love, light and joy.

"Love Bowl II"

4.5"x4.5"

Paperclay Sculpture

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Living in Fountain Hills, Arizona I am surrounded with desert beauty!  The following 2 oil paintings, "Butterfly Cactus" and "3's Company" are from my imagination mixed with some realism. 

Color, lots of colors, mixed, mingled, complimenting, juxtaposing create these 2 beauties.  Viewing them in person is really an experience, as the camera just can't seem to capture all of the variants in each stroke.

If you would like to view any of my pieces under magnification, just click on the highlighted titles which will take you to their pages on my website where you can play with various sizes of magnifying.

"Butterfly Cactus"

36"x18"x1.5"

Oil

"3's Company"

36"x18"x1.5"

Oil

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And so you can see, even though I haven't been blogging...my studio is bustling along and allowing me a gentle refuge for this thing we call life.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by here and my website. Wishing you good health, peace, light and love for you and your loved ones.........Amy

Jack and Amy Tuso~AT Studio Greening of Downtown Leaf Plaque

"Jack and Amy Tuso~AT Studio Plaque"

This sculpture in Fountain Hills Park is quickly filling up with donation plaques for the "Greening Of Downtown" project.  Our leaf was added a few weeks ago...top right corner spot.

The day that I stopped to read the plaques, specifically looking if ours had been added, the wind chime enclosed in the center of the sculpture started to lightly chime...almost as if telling me "I'm here!".

Normally at this time of the morning I would be walking around the park...but BRRRRRRR!  Our current temperature is 29 degrees with wind chills of 16 degrees.

Just before Jack was getting ready to leave the house, our power went out...not something that normally happens here in sunny, warm, power lines buried under ground Fountain Hills!  The house was suddenly pitch black and weird.

I have to laugh at Jack and myself...we lived on the southern coast of NJ most of our lives and were used to bad weather, howling winds, pounding rains...days of rains, ice, snow and yes, extended power outages.

We definitely have become desert lizards....skittish ones at that! 

The cold temperature, mixed with the high winds has me wishing I wasn't going out today...jeez!  I mean good grief...the skies are blue, the sun is shining, the power is back on and the temperature for the day will reach mid 40's. Get a grip!  And so, I'm off to pull up my big girl pants and head out for a day of painting with two of my best girlfriends...I'll just be wearing several, maybe 3-4 layers of clothes to keep my lizard thermostat moderated..............

I will be posting the oil painting that I'm presently creating on my website within the week. If you would like to automatically be notified with a link to view it, please go to my website and click on the link at the bottom of any of the pages to be "Notify Me Of New Art By This Artist" and enter your information.

Have a great day, stay warm and feel the inner heat of love...Blessings...Amy