stick mystic

here's a little peek into my working process today: it all begins with the sticks

each mobile starts with a stick selection and i'm picky about choosing sticks!
i usually enlist my joyful little helper to sort the bad sticks from the mystic. the energy a stick gives will predict which mobile to create. for instance, a desert themed mobile will have a bleached or light color stick, a whimsical mobile may have an arched or double branch stick, each stick helps me to bring out/envision the mobile's character.
this is for a large order so the sticks you see here are somewhat uniform in size

then the sticks are bundled, labled and stored. before i use them, they'll be washed and sealed with a matte waterbase primer to bring out their beauty and natural faults.

here's a twig mobile in progress. with these mobiles, the  stick collection is a little different as the sticks need to be similar in size, color and straightness.
happy cinco de mayo week-end! we're celebrating early with tostadas for dinner...