helicopter crash in the Sierras

Three Fish & Game employees from Fresno were killed in this helicopter crash near Madera yesterday:

http://www.fresnobee.com/1100/story/1770017.html

This really struck home with me because I'm going to school for biology and my dream has been to work with DFG. The saddest part is that the 31 year old was a seasonal aide, a job I interviewed for last year and hoped to get.

I have long been interested in wildlife biology and returned to night school in 2005 to get a masters in it. I've read about doing aerial surveys of animals, how they involve small aircraft and helicopters, both of which make me nervous.

I recently finished a book about the Florida Game and Fish Department and how they conducted their surveys on the endangered Florida panther. They often used a small Cessna. Growing up with my father as a Navy pilot, he always warned against flying in small planes like those.

Anyway, I just felt the need to publicize this, even in some small way. I was very saddened to hear this, especially since it shouldn't have happened at all. It wasn't a foggy day, and like the Bee says, they were well above the fog line. It was sunny and warm in the mountains.

These men were all doing what they loved, at least, so I hope some can receive comfort in that thought.

Signing off for now,

Jenny

Finally able to paint!

The unfortunate thing about having to work and be an adult is that it gets in the way of the fun stuff you want to do instead! I would much rather travel, play outside, paint, draw, sculpt, play piano and read but unfortuntely work is a necessary evil so I can actually afford to do all those things. I can't complain, really, though, because I am so thankful to actually be working, AND I love my day job, too.

At any rate, this weekend I was finally able to devote some much-needed time to painting and drawing. It is very soothing and I think necessary to the artist. I have so many ideas that I always want to put on paper. I sometimes go months without drawing, then stay up till all hours when I feel a rush of inspiration and creativity.

That's what happened last night! Please enjoy my latest work. I have the privilege of being able to display some of my work at a trendy salon in Fresno, and I'm hoping to get giclée prints done of some of these so I can show them there.

My work with exotic cats has obviously inspired much of my work!

This is one of my most favorite pieces I've ever done. I love the simplicity of it, and feel that black and white really works well for a tiger portrait.





Graceful yet powerful.





Snow leopard.





And finally, the other creature that inspires the majority of my work. Fancy goldfish are themselves spectacular pieces of art.



Enjoy! Signing off for now, but I'll be back soon to share more artwork and photos.

<3 Jenny

Daylight Savings, Exotic Cats and More!

Was everyone else thrilled to get an extra hour of sleep? My cell phone still hasn't updated the new time, but then I realize it's an hour earlier and I have more hours in the day to get things done! Yay!

Sea Star Studios is still in business, and I'm continuing to make new items all the time. I find that I enjoy sculpting and creating infinitely more than photographing and listing items, but unfortunately that's an essential part of online selling, now isn't it?

I have recently begun to feature a new line of animals charms that will help to benefit the zoo where I volunteer! Since August, I have been working as a volunteer zookeeper at a non-profit wild cat breeding facility. EFBC-FCC: http://www.cathouse-fcc.org/

They are world-reknown for their excellent breeding efforts with exotic and critically endangered cats, such as the Amur leopards. Only about 25-40 individuals remain in the wild, and our zoo has one of the largest captive populations of these exquisite creatures.

I began making small wild cat charms and selling at the zoo, all of the proceeds being donated to AAZK: http://aazk.org/. They were a hit! So I decided to also start selling these little charms in my Etsy store. I will be donating 10% of the sales to AAZK and EFBC's Feline Conservation Center.

Here are pictures and links to the first ones I have listed. Eventually I hope to be able to take custom orders; however, for now, stock is limited to only the ones I have already made.

Tigers:





http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=33459790

Serval:




Leopard:




And finally the cougar, my favorite of all the cats!




And the inspiration for much of my work, EFBC's cougar, Teddy:


Until next time,

<3 Jenny

Magnets, Marbles and More!

Hi to all my followers. Sorry I've been out of commission here for awhile. I've been on vacation, job hunting, sick, and started a new volunteer position! Needless to say, I haven't been at the computer.

I felt creative yesterday and got a lot of new pieces done! Check out my newest line of marble magnets. I feel that a naked, bare fridge is a sad, lonely fridge. In my world, the fridge should be so covered with stuff that you barely can see its original color!

Like this (and keep in mind this is only some of my magnets; most are packed away till I move!).



All of these magnets are made from acid-free, archival paper, clear glass marbles and heavy magnets.

Friendly Forest:







Turquoise and brown always seem to be a hit!



And black and white is fun, too.



And I'm never afraid to glue magnets to interesting new stuff. This little rubber ducky was left unattended on my floor, so in my book, that makes him fair game!



These and more new art will be for sale soon in my Etsy shop! Thanks again to all of my readers. Stay tuned for more great new stuff!

Yours,

Jenny Swartzbaugh

Vaction of the Year, Cruise to Mexico!

I will be putting my shop on vacation mode starting tomorrow as I am preparing for a long weekend cruise to Mexico!

We will be celebrating my sister's 25th birthday and are taking a Carnival cruise to Ensenada, Mexico. We've all been looking forward to this for quite a while now! Tomorrow I'm taking the day to pack and get everything organized and put together, and then we leave early Friday morning for LA. (Let me add a plug here for Lewis Travel in Fresno, especially Dana Huckestein, who coordinated everything for us!)

We get to board the ship at 1 pm, so we're going to try to be there right about then so we can make the most of the cruise (ie, hit the bars while we're waiting for our room to get ready!)

Actually, at this time a year ago, I was on a cruise with my best friends Billy, Ericka, Kristin and Greg in Hawaii. We took a seven-day cruise around the islands on Norwegian Cruise Line. We had an awesome time, the islands and ports were beautiful, and we had a great time. I wouldn't sail NCL again, though. The food was not good (to say the least) and some of the staff wasn't the greatest. We did meet some really excellent crewmembers, though, waiter Jay Woodward being one of the best!

This cruise to Mexico will mark my 4th cruise that I've taken, and the third I've been on with JD (my significant other). My first cruise was through the Caribbean, and the second was March 2007 when my friends Billy and Ericka got married on the ship, and then we sailed to the Mexican Riviera. Last summer we went to Hawaii.

Our group of friends is addicted to cruising! I joked that we're getting spoiled, and used to taking a cruise every year. But the weekend cruises, which sail on Fridays and get back on Mondays, are a great compromise AND they're affordable.

I'm not sure yet what we'll be doing there, but we always have fun together and I'm sure we'll figure out something. One tour takes you through some wineries and gives you a bottle of wine (!) and another we considered involved ATV rides on the beach.

Good times. So I'll be back next week to update you on everything, and get back to work on new art pieces. Be well, my friends.

Yours,

Jenny Swartzbaugh

All Creatures Cute and Tiny!

I live in a miniature fantasy world. In my ideal world, all things would be tiny enough to fit on a quarter! Even though I was never really into playing dolls and things growing up, I was always fascinated by tiny things, especially miniature animals.

When I was really young, my dad used to buy me these tiny rubber animals. I called them "Rubber Guys," and at the time they probably only cost 25 cents. They were my reward after behaving during a shopping trip or doing various other good deeds, and I truly treasured my tiny collection. I still have them all somewhere, but haven't seen them sold in a really long time.

They must have been the basis for all my tiny creations I make today. Like I always say, if only I'd had polymer clay and access to an oven as a child, I could have done great things! I could have started selling tiny toys to all my friends, since I always had an interest in being an entrepreneur and making money.

All of my figurines are completely handmade by myself, and are puresculpt, meaning no molds are ever used. If you've ever seen "OOAK" to describe artwork, that stands for One of a Kind, and is 100% original and will never be duplicated. The beauty of handmade art is that each piece is different and unique.

I love making little turtles, and in fact, they are probably my favorite things to make. I've sold several this year, and all different colors and sizes. My favorite one measures only a quarter of an inch long, and sits in a tiny jar by my computer.

Here is one of my latest ones. I made a similar one for a tiny succulent garden I made my mom as a gift. I know this one isn't real, but I just adore the expression on his face!







And another feat of polymer clay engineering, a tiny detailed dragon sculpture who can fit on a quarter! I love this little guy, too.







And in light of the G-Force movie coming out (those who know me know I'm a sucker for rodents), I made this teeny little guinea pig miniature.





If you're interested in purchasing these, they're available in my Etsy store. I also take custom orders regularly, if you want a specific color or size. I recently sold a pair of guinea pig earrings that were a custom order, and they came out great!

What I've Been Working on Lately

Yes, I've been working, even though I've been bad about updating this! I find that I enjoy actually making the pieces infinitely more than I do uploading, editing and posting photos. Those darn photos are a lot of work!

Speaking of work, this is still my sole job and income! I'm constantly on a job hunt, applying for jobs all the time. I would be depressed and down about how hard it is for a 30 year old graphic designer to find work... but at least I have Sea Star Studios to keep me going. (On a side note, did you know that having a college degree can actually HURT your job hunt? Retail stores won't consider me because they think I'll want too much money!)

Anyway, back to the fun work that I do. I love stuffed animals and have collected them my whole life. My bed is currently overrun with sea turtles, seals, mountain lions and puppies and kitties. I refuse to grow up, and I want to encourage others that it's okay to like stuffed animals in your adulthood!

I started a new line of tiny plush animals. They are made from felt and I hand stitch around them. I love the way they've turned out!

Here is a picture of some of the tiny ones I've completed:



Small plush owl I just listed on Etsy:



Small plush barn owl:



Tiny plush kitty, measuring about an inch square!



Tiny stuffed owl.



Here's a picture for size reference. He really is tiny!



I've also made some with loops that can be hung as charms from your purse or phone!







And of course, I've been busy with polymer clay again, too. I sold another little turtle recently which prompted me to try some more, with new colors.



And a teeny tiny dragon I made, measuring only an inch. Love this little guy!

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=28437709

In the last picture, with him on the quarter, you really get just how tiny he is!

Enjoy, and feel free to check out my shop and my Facebook fan page to stay updated on what I've been up to, and what I'll be making and listing soon!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6775954
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Sea-Star-Studios/93187975468