R. Dortzbach

2011-10-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

Just got to use my new photo booth to shoot this gorgeous commission I just finished. Love the weight of this one, definitely making a statement wearing this beauty. Check out my flickr for more shots of it. Somehow I am going to make a ton of new work for the show in.... 4 weeks. Already have a few pieces ready that I am very excited about, will post images after show though:-)

Facets 2011

2011-09-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

If you are able I would love to see you there! It is quite the line up of talented artists that I have no doubt will leave everyone wanting more:-)

2011-07-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

After removing the bent over hedges this spring, we planted these:-) some are around 10 ft tall and all are beautiful...its so hard to leave this sometimes...

the garden is surviving the heat, corn coming in, tomatoes, carrots, beets, peppers, brussel sprouts?! lots of squash and weeds... and really killer mosquito's

Etsy Shop

2011-07-07T17:17:00.001-07:00

2 years of nursing school ahead of me and I decide to open an Etsy Shop.

guess I'm in for quite the ride.

One studio mate that has pushed this new work along is my new 120lb Hay Budden. Resurfacing an anvil wasn't quite as daunting as I imagined, and hopefully I didn't mess anything up too terribly. Its got great ring and rebound, and a serious amount of space for me to work on.

new year/last year

2011-01-04T05:08:00.000-08:00

Since my last post I have: applied to move overseas as a "traveling spouse" (obviously that didn't work out), bought, slightly renovated and moved into our unbelievably perfect new home on Greenmount, developed new biology, chemistry, and statistics skills, and set up a beautiful new studio. I am currently in the Nursing track at CCBC. What a surprise. I love Biology, Chemistry, and really enjoyed Statistics. I am a full time student and will be applying to programs in the next few months.

I am overwhelmed by my circumstances. The gift of learning, the gift of existing in a beautiful space, loving and amazing friends, an extraordinary husband. This past year has been a year of immense growth of which I am so thankful for.

Here are a few pics of my life and work that have been squeezed out along the way.

my lush backyard... more house pics to come. looking forward to some serious gardening.. beekeeping? and who know! p.s. we have Great new neighbors!

New Developments!

2009-09-02T13:23:00.000-07:00

Well, the start of a new school year is here and I have to admit I am excited. I love my job as a full time sub at the oh so special Rosedale Center, the staff and kids bring me to tears they make me so happy sometimes.

This will be a very busy year for me and I am looking forward to growing and learning so much! I happened to google myself this afternoon and was blown away. I was written up in this gorgeous online magazine The Artery There are some really great artists written up, and the article about me is very encouraging and beautifully written.

We also finished and rented out the huge house we bought 2 years ago this summer! We are moved in and loving it. Here are a couple of pictures to show our apt and some of the work we did. I hope everyone is having an exciting and encouraging Fall. I am definitely welcoming the cooler weather.

I also wanted to share that I am planning on enrolling in school to get my RN- become a nurse. After much thought and heartache I hope this is the best choice. While I will miss the high schoolers, who woulda thought, I hope to eventually serve on the clinical side. I am thinking about places like Kennedy Krieger, or possibly institutions like Sheppard Pratt.

M.I.A. excuses

2009-03-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

I bought a house almost 2 years ago. the roof and everything in between needed to be taken out and redone. this has eaten up my evenings and weekends for the most part, happy hours and the like still observed when possible. This last weekend we worked on getting the railing all finished up. We reused a bunch of old ornate cast steel parts and built a new railing out of them. A huge amount of work, but worth every second, it looks great. Heres a shot of me doing the final touches, welding the two rails together at the corner.

day of firsts

2008-06-07T06:45:00.000-07:00

I presented my first commissioned piece yesterday. It is such a special gift to be able to create something that has meaning for the people giving it, as well as to the person receiving it. To play a part in facilitating this gift-giving is an honor. I enjoyed the challenge to create/design something with and for people, and think the final product fit the desired outcome.

I am also please to say that I have found employment!!! I will be working at the Rosedale Center (yes... where Jesse works) as a permanent sub. I think this is going to be a perfect job, great hours-done by 1pm!, and jesse and I can commute together. The people at the school are amazing, they are dedicated enjoyable people. I look forward to all the trials and growth of this next coming fall! at that I will now put on the grubby clothes and meander next door to work on the house... which I will be doing all summer:-)

I will leave you with this-Bella eating a toy hand our 10 yr old niece gave her!

and us eating watermelon!!

DCCA Opening

2008-06-07T06:28:00.001-07:00

the opening for the DCCA was last night, it was a great time and so wonderful to see everyone there. I am thrilled to say two very special people bought bone necklaces, what an honor. I was in a front case with amazing people-Janet Huddie, and Doug Bucci, and yes, even two Jan Baum pieces. wow. The work in the show was beautiful, I am so proud to be a part of Towsons Metals and Jewelry alum and for the opportunity.

Taking shots of work in display cases is something I haven't figured out how to do without it looking horrendous, but here is some god awful images

DCCA Show!

2008-05-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

what a privilege to be a part of!

Work for DCCA

2008-05-29T08:02:00.000-07:00

Heres the new pieces for the DCCA show, that i cannot believe I am privileged to be a part of. I am so excited and feel so honored. If anyone out there knows of a resource to buy bone that doesn't have meat on it still( i buy mine from the butcher and go through the whooole cleaning process myself) Please let me know!
here are some very unprofessional shots-

Thesis Show!

2008-04-25T17:28:00.000-07:00

Here are my postcards, im so excited and can't wait for final show. I would love to see everyone there!

Weight

2008-03-04T05:10:00.000-08:00

Here are some shots taken of my weight piece for the honors project.

Artists Statement

2008-01-14T06:53:00.000-08:00

This piece is a representation of the sacredness of faith as well as the sometimes intangible nature of it. I was inspired by the recent publication of Mother Theresa’s letters which showed a darker side of faith that many people experience but sometimes hide. The struggle with doubt and feelings of distance or separation from God are common to many. In making a paper pressing of the religious icon, I seek to convey a faith that is distant or removed. The natural desire and curiosity to touch and examine the paper is counterbalanced by the knowledge that the paper is simply a record of something else that was once encased in it. The act of stitching it together relays a meticulous care for the contents and materials. The interior of the locket is created separately from the exterior casing and can be suspended independently. This action represents my belief that God exists with of without my belief. The exterior casing is my human attempt at holding onto something that is intangible and distant. The casing has been pierced with words that I pulled from one of Mother Theresa’s letters that describe her longing. The act of hand writing these words and piercing them so that they may only be read without the paper interior makes tangible the distance between my grasp of faith and faith itself. The front covering has been pierced to reference confessional booths and allows us to see bits of what is inside. The cover protects the contents as well as heightens the curiosity as to what is inside. The process of making this object was lovingly and carefully attended to as a representation of my spiritual path.

2008-01-05T06:30:00.001-08:00

Here are some of the photographs I took. any suggestions would be appreciated:-). have a great new year everyone!