now it's time to meet my friend kim from *numinosity* - she lives in arizona in the cold months and alaska when it's "warm," she makes amazing ATCs and even cooler jewelry.  since i lived in arizona myself once upon a time, i had to ask her about that.


1. so, alaska and arizona - do you just like places that start with "a" or is there deeper meaning (or is that actually the deeper meaning)?

No, I just like places that end with "a". Seriously though, I followed my older siblings to Alaska back in the 70's and have made it my home since. I'm not sure if I would have chosen it on my own. The Tuscon Gem and Mineral show initially brought me to Arizona which was a nice winter getaway in early February where I would get my supplies for my jewelry business.

2. how are alaska and arizona the same? and could they be any more opposite?

Winters in Arizona are the most like Alaskan summers with dry heat and big sky and expansive vistas. There's also a funkiness in the town we've chosen to live in (Bisbee) that reminds me of Alaskan funkiness and it's also an art community. Both places were built on mining dreams and have a bit of wild frontier feel to them. Both are land of extremes with climate and elements. Both places seem to attract more adventurous tourist types, not your typical resort seeking types.

Both Delta Jct. Alaska and the area around Cochise County in Arizona are some of the richest archaeological corridors in the US. Both border other countries.

As for opposites of course Alaska gets so damn cold and dark but it also seems to be a more prosperous place to live. The economy is better in most cases and I find it a much easier place to sell my art. The population base is so small for a state it's size with only a bit over 600,000 people with half of those people living in the city of Anchorage.

3. when you sit down to play with pretty paper, describe what happens. can you control where the inspiration comes from? can you make it come?

When I sit with paper I start arranging images that have a juxtaposition that might make me smile or are enigmatic as you commented in one of my posts about my ATC's Sometimes it takes me a very long time to get started when I'm piling through my stashes of snippets of images. Most times I'm not concentrating on making something pretty but I do focus on composition and color so that in the end it will be a pleasing combination along with either the whimsy or depth of my piece. My pieces that focus on beauty seem to be more when I'm working with the hot glass in my lampwork and jewelry designing and then it's all about color, texture and composition without trying to evoke meaning.

4. what's your favorite place in arizona?

My favorite place in Arizona is where I live, the town of Bisbee and surroundings. We have a view of a mountain in Mexico and I can walk around the small town for errands which I haven't been able to do since I left New England. There are always things going on but it's very low key and artsy. It's easy to drive or walk somewhere for amazing hikes. The thrift shops antique shops and estate sales are the best for a collector like me. Then we're near the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show that is the most amazing array of materials for my craft available in one place, part of what drew me to Arizona in the first place.

5. black tea or green tea?

Black tea for me, I just got some English Typhoo tea this week and am really fond of Oolong. When I'm in Arizona, Trader Joe's has a bottled ice tea called Tejava which I'm rather addicted to. I have to make my own sun tea in Alaska though.

6. if you could choose an era in which to live, when would it be?

I think I would have had a fine heyday in the Bohemian Era.

7. what's your guilty pleasure?

Spending too much time on the computer with facebook and blogger!

8. where do you do when you need an escape?

Walking is the best thing for me when I need an escape, It grounds me and slows me down in my mind and body. I have nice woods and trails and a field nearby our home in Alaska and in Arizona it's a short walk to an ocotillo filled desert walk.

9.  how about a whimsical random fact?

The piece of plexiglass that I use on my workbench to collage on is actually a piece that was from the construction of the Bee Gees stage used in their 1979 tour.  Remember the stage that would light up different colors when they stepped on them? My boyfriend back then worked on the stage construction crew and brought a piece back to me to use for a cutting board which is now relegated for a crafting surface.

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thank you kim! that seals it, i must visit bisbee next time i'm in arizona!