J. Arthur Loose

12/18/07

-Jera-

Jera yields Summer, with Gods willing;
high heaven's kin send from the earth
fulfilling fruits- fare for all.

My goal is to finish the outline completely by Midsummer. I have three full-day design sessions scheduled; today was meant to be another, but Juli had to cut some hours from today's appointment due to travel travails and Winter's weather. I haven't finalized some details on the legs, so I took the near-Solstice, Saturnalian opportunity to finish the work started a year and a half ago, during the height of Sunna's circle.

It would be most entertaining to post a picture, as I am somewhat swollen, and my natural gifts have been absurdly increased. I have a new marketing scheme, if only I can convince those unblessed by Frey to get the tattoo. I have always wondered what the color work would be like here, and oddly, the worst of it happens where haft meets bone; indeed worse on the bone than on the boner.

Autumn's echo resounds and Winter is full and encompassing.

2/8/08

-Forging Onward-

I've been very busy catching up on a backlog of work caused by switching over to stainless steel for my damascus rings. It's been quite a fiasco, and I'm still waiting to get the right material... everything else, in terms of production, is ready to go; so c'mon, guys, just send me the fucking round billet so I can get the pattern development right!

I'm working on a great sword; one that really marks my arrival in terms of my own visons. Now... to get Juli's ring cast in gold and finish Troy's necklace! I almost cancelled because of this check that took forever to clear, delaying the ordering of materials, but decided that cancelling was likely more annoying than not having completed work for exchange.

At Vevring, while taking a rather crass sauna, the obvious subject of my tattoo came up. It was amusing to be the garish Viking barbarian in the company of Norwegians and I became at least one man's God for certain aspects of the tattoo. While framing it in the spiritual and artistic context in which I wear it, I recalled the work of Colin Dale, who does traditional work in traditional methods, often in a ritual context, so I recommended him to the Vevring committee. They seemed excited about the possibility of having a ritual tattoo occur in an artistic setting, and I think it would be great. I almost got a tattoo by Colin this past Fall, but in fact, missed the Tattoo Expo in Montreal due to attending Vevring, so it will be a nice turn of phrase if he can attend. I just sent him my impressions of the event, so I am thinking that perhaps it is time to put together that essay about the Vevring experience.

Troy really got a lot of secondary lines filled in, and it was one of those painful sessions, especially on the ribs. I let him work until he wanted to quit, even though the last hour was searing... It's healing up great, due in part to one of my new discoveries- Caroline's Dream Super Skin Salve. No website, but here's a number: 802 388-5458. Seriously, this stuff heals me really well, especially on that ubiquitous blue that my body used to hate.

3/28/08

-Ostara-

Alas, I never updated this last session. Juli did some color work on me belly.

Then the economy, my business and many things simply went to Hel.

I wouldn't have pulled through without you, Miss Sherry.

4/15/09

-Ostara-

Might as well keep the title- it's been a whole damn year since my last session. I really began to notice a decline in sales about this time last year. By Summer I was dead in the water, and the forest mushrooms became a real boon. Giving up on the business was one of the hardest defeats I've ever faced. I'd literally put blood, sweat and tears into it. I'd broken my heart over it.

Needless to say, regular J-O-B's in Vermont are few and far between. It's a blessing in disguise, as it's one of the filters keeping what we like to call "Jersey," at bay. It was going to mean, however, a serious revision of values. I don't mind hard work, as the blisters can attest, but what I don't like, with a passion bordering on Berserker, is meaningless work. With the local art-jewelry gallery folding, I realized it was going to be something else entirely.

Yeah, the ever-burgeoning field of mental health. At least it was a school, and the side dedicated to troubled youth in a classroom setting did engage my own youthful transformation, and a desire to enable others to achieve the same... but I was one on one with someone they had no business trying to mainstream. I won't get into the details, but let's just say I was grateful for the manifestation that came.

I received notice of a local high school looking for an emergency position teaching jewelry. I'd heard about the program, and thought it would be a great opportunity, but also thought it entirely pointless to go through the license hoops in the vain hope I'd be able to apply for the job one day. I've never actually produced tears of joy before, but I sure did when they told me I had the J-O-B. As it was an emergency position, we were able to jump through temporary license hoops. It's been a really great experience, despite having to get up at six in the morning, and from what I hear, the students and the faculty really enjoy having me there. I've never seen such a holistic high school. Its roots lie in Goddard College, and the charter establishes that the arts, music, drama and sports are co-curricular rather than extra-curricular. The food is mostly local and organic, and I mean the lunch lady takes the compost home to feed the chickens making the eggs. It's really pretty unbelievable and gives me hope for Vermont.

Anyway, as I'm filling in the old teacher's contract, I do have to apply again, and it is possible that they'll have to give the position to someone with better qualifications. I find out in a couple weeks.

In the meantime, with regular cash-flow and afternoons and vacation time, I've scheduled as many appointments as possible. This tattoo needs to be at least completely outlined by the end of Summer. It's pretty entertaining, by the way, being this tattooed and being in a high school. One of the art teachers noticed a bit peeking out of a collar one day and informed me that every single art faculty is tattooed and I need not worry, aside from cropping this post's picture.

Troy, William, Pat and Juli were happy to see me, and I as well. Next week's vacation is lined up in the studio. There's catching up to do on many fronts, but for now, it all seems to be falling into place.

5/3/09

-Extravaganza-

Image coming.

I had scheduled several Saturday appointments with Troy due to the J-O-B and the attendant 'normal' work week. Last appointment ate my allotted 1.2 personal days, though I suppose I can figure out a way to yet take .2 of a day off. Miss Sherry came down with me, and I was able to surprise her with some work. She'd had a tattoo covered up locally, against my advice, of course. The tattooer, (I'll hesistate to call her an artist,) didn't blow it, but didn't understand the visual concept very well either. Troy, ever the consumate artist, was able to rework it into quite a successful piece.

I was able to bring down a twisted silver chain for Troy. I had miscalculated the amount of silver it would take on the first one. It's for a necklace that will have some quartz finials and a silver padlock. There's a couple other pieces in the works and it's nice to finally be able to get work done on my end. I also bought a print by Troy I'd had my eye on for over a year. Juli's gold skull ring gift will be ready in time for her anniversary... it'll be nice as the wedding party had a pirate theme. What's cooler than a big ol' gold skull ring for a pirate anniversary?

While Miss Sherry's blue bird of happiness was getting re-worked, I was getting my nipple re-pierced. Troy's man William had just returned from a piercing intensive with none other than Fakir. I've had this nipple re-pierced three times now. The original, pierced by Keith, never healed up after an unfortunate yank. The second re-piercing was done at 10 ga. with a ring, just before the industry-wide move to barbells for initial nipple piercings. The most recent, documented here, was done again, with a ring and against my instincts. I like Thom, and I was willing to take a chance on the re-piercing, but that shop and its lineage leave much to be desired.

So I'd been looking for someone with a long history of piercing, someone who'd been around long enough to have been through some of the industry developments, or for fuck's sake, at least pay lip-service to the A.P.P. You'd think this was easy to find, but alas. Mr. William, however, freshly returned from his class with The Penultimate Piercer himself, filled me with confidence. It's a nice connection, as Keith and Fakir corresponded much and had mutual respect for one another. The top of a big pile is still quite small indeed.

There was even still enough time left in the day to ink some secondary boundary lines on my back.

I interview tomorrow for to keep my job. I'll have to watch the beer at my session today. ;)