"What's a Desk Head ?"

You must be wondering what the "Desk Head" is? OK, let me tell you how they came to be........ I have been an artist since the late 70's. I know, that is a lonnnnnnnnnnnnnnng time! But I have only been a doll maker for the last 12 years. I have made over 600 dolls in these past many years and I have held onto the left over pieces from the materials I used for the dolls. Not being one to waste resources and loving to always have my hands busy in some creative project, I took the left overs and made a bag of heads...............just because the parts were there. I think at first it was a way to "fine tune" my face sculpting ability to make the best faces, the most expressive faces I could make. As I looked into my bag of heads I had an idea! Using the stands from the puppets I had made for play therapists while I had been actively making dolls for therapists, I took the sections of wood that were formerly the stands for what I then called "stick heads" [my version of a hand puppet] and glued the head right onto the stand. It was quite funny to me and as I laughed I grabbed my basket of left over yarns and my huge box of recycled buttons and began creating a face. It seemed that I couldn't stop that weekend and ended up with a huge collection of "Heads".

I brought a few of them into work with me and set them on my desk. Later that day I had a meeting with my supervisor and returned to my office somewhat disgruntled........I found that it was easy to share my point of view with the head on my desk instead of seeking out a comrade to 'debrief' this meeting. That is how they lovingly came to be called "Desk Heads". It occurred to me that there might be others who wanted a confidant and that this might just be one solution! Later that day, as I worked on my computer, the phone rang.........I took my glasses off and without even missing a beat............I placed them on the nose of one of my new office mate! It was great because I often spend loads of time searching for "my eyes"........those who know me have heard that expression frequently.........."I can't seem to find my eyes!" But when I am at my desk.........there they sit, on the nose of my "Desk Head".

So, there you have it! The beginning, the creation of what I have come to call "Desk Heads". Hope you find one you like or one you can give to someone you love!

Enjoy,
EC Hanson

Group Doodle coming home this week!

Here is the current stage of the "Group Doodle" which has been in California for a bit but is on it's way back to Colorado! It seems to be evolving in an interesting way...............if you are interested in participating in this project please let me know and you will be put on the list to contribute.

It is feeling very "Fallish" around here in the San Luis Valley. Nights are in the low 40's and high 30's! no kidding!! But we are very green this season due to all the rain we've had this summer. The flora and fauna [including the thirteen lined squirrel, horny toads, and humming birds] love it but weed-wacking is not my thing:(

Look for updates on the Doodle project and the ornaments next week.






Stay tuned,
EC

Hand-painted Ornaments on the way!

Just wanted to stir the pot................get you excited about the newest passion at "intentional beauty"!
I've been painting all night and will be taking pictures all weekend. Here is a teaser; let me know what you think just for fun!

Keep a fanciful thought,
EC

New Products!

Just a quick note,

Please check out my boxes of cards. I will be featuring some ideas on special ways to give them as gifts! That will be coming this week................stay tuned! I will also be listing new dolls and some 3D work. Sculpture had always been my passion.............it seems I paint more now than before but I still work in 3D and I PAINT THAT TOO!

Later,
EC Hanson

Finally Getting the Hang of It!

[Another new card design, that makes almost a dozen! Any thoughts?]


Hello,

Glad to be back. I have struggled and struggled to "get the hang" of working on the web.........and although it seems like an eternity it appears that I am making it happen. I am very grateful to my daughter and my friend who have both stood by me repeating directions time and time again, [without complaining].

I hope you will take some time to scroll through the site to see the new products and in the next few days I will be posting some information on how I create my cards...........people seem interested in the process and I am happy to talk about it.

I am sending another shot of this stormy place we live in here in southern Colorado. It has been wonderful and the desert hasn't looked this green in over a decade!

#6 Group Doodle/ bad scan......................

Hello,

Here is #6...............for some reason, I was unable to scan the entire picture in; so I am sending it off to my daughter who is very electronically savvy. She will scan first, then doodle and scan again! The next move will be for her to send it off to someone else. Let's see if we can get this thing going nationally!

Enjoy,
EC

On Writing...

“Why don’t she write?”is a line from the movie Dances with Wolves. It’s the scene where the guide and the Lieutenant come upon a wagon done-in ……… those of you who know the movie will remember the scene. It’s a great line. I awakened this morning thinking about that line.

I make cards, one-of-a-kind cards. They are beautiful, but a waste of time if no one uses them. As I try to figure out how to market my cards I came to this realization; people don’t write letters and cards anymore. E-mail has made it so quick and easy that in a matter of minutes…………..in seconds a person can get a message to anyone and it won’t cost a stamp or a trip to the mailbox. They do send e-cards and animated cards so easily that it makes what I do almost extinct. I don't dislike e-mail or receiving an e-card. It keeps people from real time, face to face stuff. I think the internet has changed the ‘intimacy level’ in a friendship ─ not good or bad ─ different. It eliminates that anticipation when one receives a letter........from a friend not the IRS! You know that feeling, nice paper, wonder, texture, noting the return address........Oh, it’s my friend in Colorado! The acts of opening the envelope and pulling out a hand-made card; looking at the image and feeling that your friend took the time to find an image with you in mind and sat down to think about you.............that's a good feeling, it’s about being present, in the moment.....on purpose.

Here’s the thing…………..when I choose a card, sit down, write a note, I am making choices. In those simple acts I move with intention. I chose to take that time to consider my friend; what might she like in a card? What will catch her eye? By sitting down, with pen in hand, I create a distant “face to face.” Are we too busy to take a moment……..or ten from our day? I know I had been. That MAY be the reason I left my job [didn't have any time] now I do and I make cards!

The act of putting pen to paper may seem foreign……it’s fun! I love writing notes. I use a #2 pencil or a pen that really allows the ink to flow. Anyone who has ever received a letter from me will confirm the fact, I write big and move through a word or a thought in a “full body” motion! It is very liberating.

The point is this; when I take the time to acknowledge someone ─ I stop, get my tools and put my thoughts to paper ─ it means something to me. It’s a way for me to show they are on my mind and they matter. It is one of the ways that I “live with intention”; it’s a way to slow down so I don’t miss the good stuff; it’s like giving someone a smile and a hug freely.

Think about it and give someone a smile and a hug………send a note......it matters!

Just a thought,

EC