Meet Valentine

Meet Valentine, my newest mascot. He was begun in an online class by Alison Marano in 2003, and completed just this morning. Actually, it isn't quite accurate to call him a Un-Finished Object, as the only original piece of him I was able to find was a single ear... Once I tracked down the origins of the ear however, I had to make the rest of him.

And hey! the ear is no longer under my cutting table. One more UFO completed!

It isn't often that a project comes together without a hitch, but this one came close. OK, well I *wanted* him to be blue, but no, the blues I picked out for him just didn't suit him. So, red/orange/fuschia it is.

This is also the first time I am completely satisified with a needle-sculpted head. My bio-rhythms (remember them?) must be in a good alignment or something.

Thanks, Alison, for a wonderful pattern.

Out From Under

Jake is in Seattle today, appearing at a meeting of the Board of Directors of our farm's Co-Op to speak on a matter of vital importance to the future of our business. I wish it hadn't come to this -- farming is hard enough without having to engage in political battles as well -- but I am so proud of him for being willing to stand up and fight for us.

In the meantime, I am home alone and not good for very much. In a fit of pure nervous energy, I sat down at my beading table, threaded up a new needle and got to work. I was determined to finish this doll TODAY, come heck or high water! No matter what happens in Seattle, something good was going to happen here today, LOL!

I started at 8:00 this morning and finished about 5:30 p.m. I am TIRED and my eyes are crossing, but she is finished at last. And isn't she just something else! She has emerged from under the cutting table and blossomed into full-blown reality. I am satisfied with this doll as I seldom ever am upon completing a project. I new I could do it; it's just that the end result is so far beyond my expectations that I am almost dizzy. So much for my sneering at sequins. I never will again!

Unfortunately, she is too big to fit in my little light tent, so I had to make do with a flash photo on the kitchen table. Sigh... she really deserves better! Anyway, here's a close up that give a little better view of some of the detail.

For my next trick, I will attempt something easier, like maybe brain surgery. On myself!

Dogged Determination

I shouldn't be surprised by how long this doll is taking to make-- I never have the least clue as to how much time ANY of my projects are going to take. But this one is off even my scale. Oh my!

I thought I could dedicate Sunday afternoon to the creation of her wings. Wrong! Here it is Tuesday and I have just finished them. I estimate that there are 14 hours of effort pictured here.

Her headpiece is all that is left now.

I WILL finish this doll!

Wrestling with Issues

A long time ago, I began this doll in a class on Doll Street called "Asphidistra Flying" by Pearl Red Moon.

I got exactly this far before completely freaking out over the level of detail required to finish her, and quit. Had you asked me at the time, I would have told you that I had grown bored with her and it was time to move on to something else "for a little while..."

That "little while" has now been nearly 5 years. Meanwhile, she has sat patiently under my cutting table waiting for me to get un-bored (or braver!) and get back to work on her.

Both of my girls are now back in school after their little weather-induced mini-vacation, the daylight bulbs continue to work their magic on my energy levels -- if only we had had them years ago! -- and I have no money left to play with since we came home from Hawaii and can't afford to start anything new. I AM going to attack that pile of UFO's under the cutting table!

I paid all my bills and cleaned house Friday morning to give me NO excuses to shirk this work. The level of fear I experienced going back to revisit this doll really surprised me. On the other hand, the level of detailed information in this pattern is HUGE. I shouldn't be surprised that, being unprepared for it, I found it a little overwhelming.

It took me all afternoon -- over 4 1/2 hours -- but I did it. I created the textile for her dress and got it on her. Triumph!

Amazingly, I found the process to be almost hypnotic. I think I may have discovered another technique that I really really like DOING. The process itself that is, not just the end result.

This morning I finished the butterfly embellishment for the front of her dress and the beaded dangle that hangs from it. The camera flash has pretty much washed out the color of the beads, which is too bad because they gleam beautifully in and through the "petals" of her skirt.

I freely confess that I am blogging right now in order to stall for just a little longer before going back to work on her. The next step will be her wings, which involve lots more beading, and still more new techniques. Same for her headdress, but I am not even going to begin to think about that part yet...

I tell you, if I survive the challenge of making this doll, I will believe I can do anything. As a rule I enjoy learning new techniques, but all at once is becoming exhausting.

Instant (sort of...) Gratification

I had planned on working on 3 more half finished dolls this week -- 2 from Li Hertzi patterns that just need to have the embroidery finished, and one big one by Pearl Moon tht I finally feel brave enough to tackle. (Anyone who has made her "Asphidistra Flying" pattern will know what I am referring to!)

However...

We have had a spell of spectacularly nasty weather here in the Northwest this week. Both of my DD's have been home from school since last Thursday, and I just haven't been able to achieve that state of UNINTERRUPTED concentration I need to work on something new and fairly complicated. I decided to dig out some my sunniest scraps and "whip up" something simple and pretty and cheerful.








This is elinor peace bailey's "Keeper of Memories" reduced to 75% of original size. She is about 6 inches tall. Her flesh and the lining of her skirt are kool-aid dyed silk charmeuse, her body is silk duipioni, and her hair is the last of some spectacular "mermaid" colored mohair. (I must find some more of that stuff!) I had intended to finish her in an afternoon, but as usual, I got a little carried away.

It was so much fun and SO satisfying to make a doll of this kind again. It passed what might otherwise have been a long afternoon, and really revved my creative engines. I think I am really FINALLY ready to attempt to tackle "Asphidistra's" costume!

More finished objects!

Now that the holidays are over I am out of excuses for putting off my Round Robin committments, so I have devoted myself to getting them done this week.

This lovely by Jan Demetralis is constructed on a jigsaw puzzle piece. She posed quite a "puzzling" challenge for me. (Sorry, that's a dreadful pun, I know, but I couldn't resist!) WHAT was I going to do with her??!! I confess that I was a little unsure if any kind of pattern had been laid down for her -- her face is so beautifully realistic, her lower body somewhat less so, and her torso is like something out of a surrealist painting...

This IS an "anything goes" project however, so I decided to just let it percolate in the back of my mind for a while...

An idea broke through while we were on vacation. I decided that the little extensions that I had originally seen as sort of proto-arms would now become the shoulder pieces of a fabulous coutour gown (though someone else is going to have to create said gown...) and I would give her arms from the area where I visualized her shoulders "should" be.

Really though, are there any real "shoulds" on a doll like this??!!

The arm construction I used was designed by Pearl Red Moon for her "Ancient Icons" series of dolls. The upper arm, lower arm, and hand are each sewn and stuffed seperately of kool-aid dyed silk charmeuse, then joined together with bead joints. The fingers on each hand are made of bugle beads tipped with seed beads.

Speaking of the "Ancient Icons", I was motivated by working on Jan's doll to finish my own little objects. They've been sitting under my work table for... well, the lessons are dated March of 2002, so let's just call it a long time!

All the green one needed was her yarn hairpiece. The first one I made was way too bulky for her. This one is still a bit bulky, but I like the look.

The red one... now that I look at the photo I don't think I'm quite finished with her yet. I think she needs something more around her face. Perhaps some draping after the same manner as the green one. I'll think about it...

I am particularly proud of her pants. The first pair I made for her were simply dreadful. I didn't know anything about machine embroidery back then and didn't use a stabilizer under the fabric and ended up with a mess. This time I created a base "fabric" of fusible Angelina fibers, backed it with some water soluble stabilizer, and embroidered it with some simple machine stitching over silk ribbons. They look fantastic in real life, though you can't see much in the photo. Sorry for the focus issues -- no idea what went wrong there and I'm too lazy to go back downstairs and take another one. I'll post another better pic after I do some more beading on her.

Getting There...

In between getting my end-of-the-year tax prep paperwork done, hanging out in the repair shop while some recall work was done on my Jeep, and running ordinary errands, I haven't found much time to work on projects yet this week. Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! It is all good and necessary stuff that I do, but alas, not very much fun at all. Fortunately, this little wall project is highly portable, especially now that I have finished the machine work.


I added a border of freely cut turquoise squares, some machine stitching to hold them down, and then added some funky yarn in spirals on the leftover yellow bits. I especially like the true red binding -- it holds it all together nicely.

NOW the fun begins... beads! I found these big red glass squares at Michael's last week. They have a sort of dichroic effect that makes them shimmer on the inside with a touch of gold. I don't know if they really are dichro or not, but they are pretty cool. A little heavy, but the canvas backing on this piece seems to be supporting the weight pretty well. Another evening of handwork and it should be finished and ready to mail.

I am cutting my computer time short this morning and I am going to go PAINT, before yet another interruption rears its ugly head. In the meantime, take a look at this photo. This little hawk (not a red-tail) has been hanging around the yard for a while now. Yesterday he was sitting on the fence holding his wings out like a young lady in a full curtsy to the queen... He flew away just fine after about 5 minutes or so, so I don't think he is injured. Anyone have any idea what the heck he's doing??

A burst of energy

I have been on an absolute rampage of activity in my studio since we got home. It is most unusual for me to be so productive so deep into winter. Perhaps a few days of tropical sun has been good for me, LOL!

I spent a few hours this morning doing the free-motion stitching on the wall hanging. (It measures
12 1/2" square, by the way.) While the stitching went well, I had problems with the pieces of background fabric lifting while I was working. I am NOT happy with this particular brand of fusible... it didn't fuse worth a hoot. Fortunately the stitching will hold everything in place by the time it's all done. Still... GRRRRRRR!



The next step will be to add borders, and THEN I can begin adding the embellishments (rubbing hands and giggling maniacally...!) I had to go to Michael's today, so while I was there I picked up the beads you see scattered around the flowers, and some yarn that I'm not sure what I am going to do with, but it just blends so perfectly. I didn't really want to spend any more money on this piece, but the beads were *too perfect* and I couldn't pass them by. Sigh... This is why I will never be rich...

Hmmm... I also see that the detail stitching in the stems needs to be much more visible. How did I ever design anything before I could check my work with a camera??

My dear friend Kai asked about my painting...

Here you go Kai. This is what I have so far. (I did this much just before we left to go on vacation.) I wanted good dark outlines in the underpainting so that, as I add layers of color, I don't lose my drawing. This is where I stopped to let it dry.

My next step will be to correct the shape of her shoulder and ribs on the right side, and to begin to add a foundation color. Mid-range flesh tones for the skin, and local color for her shirt and pants.

I have NO clue as to what I'm going to do about the kitten. I think I need to read up on how to paint fur...

Aiming for "Country French"

This is the first stage of a wall piece I am working on using the instructions from the latest issue of Quilting Arts magazine. My color scheme is based on a piece of "Country French" style fabric. I think I need a little more red, but I'm happy with the design so far. So far, so good!

The image is abstracted from a photo of a vase of gerbera daisies -- cutting out each individual blossom took me all afternoon! Thankfully, I had the whole house to myself today, and all the housework and bills caught up, so I had freedom to really play.

The next step will be to add free-motion machine stitching. That's going to be fun, but will have to wait until tomorrow. My back and eyes aren't up for any more close work today.

Aloha... and so glad to be HOME!

Our family's Christmas gift this year was a biggie -- 8 days in Hawaii! We last took a "real" vacation in 1996. It's not easy to make all the arrangements to get away from the farm, but this year is Lydia's senior year in high school, so a family vacation has become a sort of "now or never" thing. I'm so glad we decided on Now!

These photos are all from my digital camera. I also shot 7 rolls of film with my 35mm too, which I am now waiting to get back from the developer. Talk about anticipation! I'll post some of those another time if any of them turn out.


Christmas in Hawaii is a long step away from our traditions! We spent Christmas Eve in Waikiki beach and simply basked in the warm tropical breezes when we weren't body surfing in the waves. I took along a big fat book and actually found some time to read it!



This fellow was selling surfing lessons on our beach. He seemed to be doing good business too. I HAD to have a photo of him, because I will probably never see anybody like him on Christmas Eve ever again, LOL. The pigeon was just a lucky bit of good timing.

Our hotel room was nice, though small for 4 people. We all spent a lot of time on our little balcony just looking and looking. We could see a little slice of the ocean to the left, a big swath of *very* upscale shopping directly in front, and to the right was a residential area that swept up the side of a mountain. It was particularly impressive at night, when everything was lit up for the evening.


I still say the Christmas lights felt weird. I know they celebrate Christmas in Hawaii too, but it should be cold when the lights go up. I guess my world is a little small...


My favorite day was when we took a guided kayak tour. It was BIG fun, even though Jake and I capsized our kayak 3 times. We got the hang of it in the end though.


It took a little over an hour to paddle out to our first stop, the little island in the photo below. It has been set aside as a bird sanctuary, but all the birds are away this time of year. Our guide explained the geological history of the islands, and pointed out some of the things in the tide pools one wouldn't ordinarily notice, this little sea urchin for one...

Our next stop was back to another beach on Oahu for some snorkling. OH! How I WISH I had a camera capable of going in the water! I saw puffer fish, angel fish, parrot fish, clown fish, and TURTLES. I loved the turtles. No eels or sharks though. It would have been so cool to see some of those, but I didn't dare swim out too far. Isn't that water beautiful? So very different from the grey and choppy surface of the Pacific here on the coast of Oregon.

I'm throwing in one last photo for Lydia's sake. We had lunch at Planet Hollywood one day, and she was thrilled to death to see this sign on the wall and so of course I had to take her picture in front of it. My dear daughter is a HUGE fan of dinosaurs in general and the "Jurassic Park" movies in particular. (Her nickname at school is "Dino Girl", if that tells you anything, LOL!)



It's not the best photo I have ever taken, but she is very happy with it and wants a big printout for her scrapbook. Sigh... On the other hand, it's not often this easy to thrill a teenager, so I guess I should be happy!

A finished Doll

Yeah! I can call myself a doll maker again. It has been so long since I actually finished a doll that I was starting to feel guilty for hanging out on the Dollmakers lists...

I began this topsy-turvy doll ages ago... I made myself finish her this week, in order to get her in the mail to my sister on time for a Christmas gift. DS and her husband adopted 2 children from Russia and brought them home last spring. I thought this doll illustrating the Russian folk tale of Baba Yaga and Vasalisa would be an appropriate gift to welcome my new neice and nephew into the family. I hope they like it.

These photos are absolutely dreadful, I know, but they are the best I could get under the circumstances. I need a bigger light tent for dolls of this size!






Anyway, this is Vasalisa carrying her torch as she goes about her adventures fulfilling tasks set by Baba Yaga. I love her costume, but I wish her face had turned out a little more realistic... my tastes have passed beyond this type of character face, I guess.

The Baba Yaga half of the doll was just a blast to make! HER face pleases me in every way, though I wish I could get sharper details around her eyes. I used colored pencils and perhaps acrylic paints would have been a better choice there...

This is such an unfortunate angle from which to view her face as you can only see the tip of her nose. It would be better to get her in profile where you would be able to tell that her nose extends 3 inches from her face!

This photo gives you a better view of how this doll is put together. (Boy, I really do need a bigger light tent, don't I...)

The pattern is by Melinda Small Patterson of Smallworks. She also has several dragon patterns available, as well as a really cool hand pattern available free at her site. While her patterns are very detailed and time-consuming, they are also extremely well designed, and the instructions are well written and detailed. Anyone who is willing to devote the time and effort to creating one of her designs will be able to make a project to be proud of.

The end of a very long journey

The Doll Street round robin swap based on the character of Flat Stanley is almost over. Unless she got mailed out of order, my "Spirit of the Dance" should be coming home soon! This has been a loooooooooong process -- over a year and a half. I am looking forward to having her home and reading the journal of her adventures.

"Flat Fiona" is a lovely mermaid by Linda Danielson of Sooke, British Columbia. My original plan was to give her a complexion -- she is still wearing only her original coat of gesso -- but I couldn't paint over her tattoos because the tattoo ink isn't waterproof. You can see where I smeared the ink on her wrist just a little... oops!

I could have sealed her and tried again, but by the time of thought of it, I had already had another idea... this travelling mermaid is going to go home with her own portable body of water in which to swim, complete with swimming buddies.

The plaque is made in the style of Christi Freisen, from her new book, Under the Sea. I used 2 layers of polymer clay sandwiched around a sheet of wire mesh for strength. The "stones" on the sandy floor are lampwork beads along with some shells I picked up on the Oregon coast of the Pacific Ocean this summer. The waves are accented with pearls and beads as well.

I may have gone a little overboard, but it was so much fun that I couldn't stop once I got started...

I am already planning another one, this time a little larger and for ME.

Working through Trials

I haven't had much time to create lately. My grandmother suffered a stroke recently, and my sister's husband was diagnosed with a stage 4 cancer in his brain. Needless to say, it has been a worrisome time. DBIL came through surgery for the removal of the tumor successfully, and is now working with therapists to retrain his brain to control the left side of his body. I don't quite understand all the ins and outs of what he's going through, but my sister and my mom are keeping me posted and we are just praying as hard as we can for grace and strength to face all that is yet to come.

Thank you to ALL who have been aware of this for your continued prayers for his complete recovery.

In my usual way, I turned to my handwork to keep myself busy and my mind occupied with something other than worry...

I had planned to weave a blanket months ago and have had the warp measured, cut, and waiting to be put on the loom for ages. I hit a snag when I simply couldn't decide what yarn to use as weft, and then it got too hot to be working with wool, and the whole project got set aside. I decided last week to weave it up into a prayer blanket for my DBIL and started hunting through my stash to find a suitable color for a more masculine blanket.

In an effort to reduce my stash, I have been spinning up odd lots of old fibers and I just happened to be spinning the last bumps of this blend from Spinderellas . Hmmmm... I noticed how nicely it went with the warp. I threw in a few lines of the singles just to see what the effect would be, and WOW! BRAINSTORM! I could weave with these singles straight from the wheel! Talk about fast!

It is working up into a really cool sort of faux plaid design. If I can spin fast enough to keep up with the weaving, I hope to have it finished by next week and get it in the mail before Christmas. I have some reservations about sending an object that will require special care to my sister and her family, but Jake says it is too beautiful not to send and they will love it later. I hope so. I don't want to be the cause of more stress, when my only intention is to send a tangible piece of care and hugs, with prayers woven into every thread...

And lastly, I have to share my Christmas Moth. Because I am an idiot who loves to overextend herself, I signed up for a Christmas ornament swap on my sculpting list. I received the idea for this piece in a dream and HAD to make it. As usual, I overdid the whole thing. But I guess I can get away with it at Christmas where glitter AND pearl AND metallic all in one piece just sort of goes with the season, LOL.

The body is made of 2 layers of polymer clay with a piece of wire mesh sandwiched in between for strength. The embellishments are balls of clay accented with stones, pearls and crystals applied in the style of Christi Freisen. Let's see... this guy has carnelian, 3 different kinds of pearls, jade, gold beads, and Swarovski crystals. Oh yeah, and 3 colors of Pearl-Ex AND glitter!

I'd like to keep him, but then I'd have to start all over again for the swap!

A Good Day

We had a lovely holiday... a good day with MUCH to be thankful for. I set out the food and let everybody have at it. With plates in hand, they settled down to watch football. Jake doesn't often get an entire afternoon to just sit down and indulge himself like that, so it was my pleasure to make everything as laid back and relaxing for him as possible.

Now, I like football as much as anyone, but my hands *need* to be busy, so I picked up some clay and began to play.

This lovely thing is the round robin doll that is staying with me this month. Doesn't she have a gorgeous face? She is a world traveller, touring the world with her treasure box. I have been agonizing over what to do to her for a few weeks now, so I was quite relieved to finally have An Idea! Yesterday was the perfect opportunity to just sit and play and keep everybody company as well.

I was inspired by the work of Jean Bernard to give her some roots to keep her centered while she wanders...

I began with the top of the box. She had been simply glued to her base, and while the connection seemed pretty secure, it utilitarian rather than attractive. I thought I could do something about that.

Here is a closeup of the front of the box. I forgot to take a photo of the back, but it's pretty much more of the same, so you get the idea...

I would have liked to spread the sculpt out a little farther along the top of the box, but I didn't want to obscure what previous artists had done. The "Emperor's Gold" paint that I used stood out against the pink a little too strong; this morning I added a light wash of Lumiere's "Halo Pink/Gold", which connects the elements nicely.

I continued the "Roots" theme down into the inside cover of the box. I really got to go to town here. I just kept going and going until I finally ran out of what apoxie clay I had mixed up... it took me two whole football games to complete, but it was so much fun that it seemed to take no time at all.

For once in my life, I have a travelling project complete BEFORE the 11th hour before it is due to be mailed!

I have absolutely no business blogging today. I should be cleaning. My son and his wife are coming for a visit for Thanksgiving and their room isn't ready yet and the bathroom is not fit to be shown to outsiders. We haven't seen them since July, so I want everything to be nice.

On the other hand, I have been working all morning, and these hats are going in the mail today so I NEEDED to get a photo of them. LOL!

These are for a "parts swap" on Fabric Doll Art. The finished dolls will be in the form of Holiday tea pots! I especially like the green and pink one with the angel button. I wish I could find another one of those buttons...

It is good to be in the sewing room after so much time spent painting.

The painting bug has bit me hard however, and I have begun another canvas. I won't work on it until after our company leaves, as not everybody is as crazy about the smell of oil paint as I am.

This is the reference for my next portrait attempt. It is a snapshot of my mother taken when she was a young girl. I have *always* loved this photo. Wasn't she the cutest thing??

I have a couple other old snaps of family members... I think I will begin a series.

This is what I have so far. I think I caught the likeness pretty well, but I need to keep working on the placement of her hands. The details in the photo just aren't as clear as I'd like. Hmmm... this might be a good spot to experiment with "lost edges"!

Anybody have any ideas as to what color her shirt might be??

OK, back to cleaning. It really will be nice to have the house completely clean again. It makes it so much more comfortable to be creative.

I hope that everyone who reads this has the most Blessed Thanksgiving. May you have as much to be thankful for as I do!

Sincerely,

Judi

For Judi W...

Because she asked, I am posting this photo of my domino magnets for Judi W. (Hi Judi!) I sold about 2/3 of what I had, and thank goodness I had them! Between these and what I called "Hanglie-Danglies" (little bead combinations hanging from a small parachute clip) I made a LOT of kids happy... which lured in their parents, who bought other stuff. (happy grins!) Even 2 of my canvasses!

Lots of "ooh"s and "ahhh"s and some good sales too. I actually sold more than I anticipated, which is good, but oh! I am tired tonight.

The reactions to my canvasses was both amazing and disappointing, though now that I think about it... not surprising. A few people simply walked right past my table as if they didn't even see it, which is a *little* weird as I was spilling out into the path way with my easles... MANY people were interested in them, and even very complimentary, remarking how unique they were. The ones who seemed most fascinated by them -- and some seemed to be completely mesmerized! -- wanted to know all about how I made them... now that I think about it, I wonder if they weren't hunting for ideas...

(Not to worry -- I gave Sherry Goshon FULL credit and gave away NO secrets!)

I have nothing but the deepest respect for those brave and HARDY souls who do this for a living. How do they DO it??? I would SO much rather make stuff than sell it!

Did I mention I was tired...??

Ready or Not...

It's just a little church craft bazaar. No big deal... right? Sigh...

As much as I love sharing my work, I still dread the "I can find it cheaper at Wal-Mart" comments that I KNOW will be forthcoming. I KNOW in my head that not everyone will like everything I do, but I don't have to like knowing that! I especially don't like it when they tell me so to my face...

OK, I'm taking a breath and getting over it!

TA DA! This is my little corner of the world where I will be spending the next 3 days. Most of it is my jewelry, but I dyed some silk and silk velvet scarves too -- they look SO pretty all lined up on that old drying rack. I also threw in my canvasses from my online class, just to see if there is a market here for my very different art. No fruit still lifes here!

If they DO sell, I can afford to buy some more canvasses and make some more, LOL!

I finished 2 more canvasses. I'm not that crazy about the dancer one, but I really really like the Angels canvas. I think it's my favorite. I seriously think they are too weird to sell, but we shall see. I am often wrong. I hope this is one of those times!

Now that I know the basic process, I look forward to refining the technique and making it my own. I like the way the whole process flows, with each step taking its cue from what has gone before. It is an intuitive way of working that I find very comfortable and energizing.

A Frenzy of Art

Maybe instead of Leaping Calf, My studio name should be ADD Art. I've been jumping from one project like a manic grasshopper all this week, LOL.

This is the first piece I have completed from Sherry Goshon's "Inner Child Wall Art" class at Joggles.com. I am reasonably pleased with it, though I learned a lot about what I DON'T need to be doing for this kind of art. For example, I wish I had sealed with paper with the words on it on the back as well as the front. The paint under the paper seeped through and the words aren't as clear and easy to read as I would have liked. On the other hand, they blend well with the rest of the piece and don't stand out too much. Oh well.... it's done now.

It has been a wildly entertaining class with lots of give and take between the students and the teacher. Those are my favorite kind. It has also been a s-t-r-e--t---c----h for me to branch out into this kind of art. Flat AND 3D just felt sort of "wrong" at first... I think I got the hang of it though.



This one is the second of the 2 canvasses I have completed so far. This one is just for me and will be my signature piece. Again, I wish I had protected the paper...

I have 6 more in progess, but only one more is as large as these. 3 of them are pretty little...





This last one is from Jean Bernard's "OOAK Journal" class at Class Heaven.com. Another fun class with some interesting and innovative journals coming out of it. The face is from one of my own sculpts, but other than that, I pretty much followed the teacher's instructions. I have some good ideas for another one that will be a little more my own design.

AFTER the bazaar next week! Until then, I am in a frantic finishing mode. Time to be creative later, LOL.

A Finished Object, at last!

I finished Lydia's portrait yesterday in painting class. I am so pleased with it -- I honestly had no idea that I could paint like this. It is SO satisfying to complete a project of this magnitude, especially one with so many potentials for disaster, not the least of which is my beloved daughter never speaking to me again!

I have already begun the undersketch for another portrait. This one will be taken from a very old black and white photo of my mother taken when she was a very young girl. I am looking forward to the increased freedom of *not* having to follow an already-decided-upon color scheme, as well as not having the model looking over my shoulder every week...

Here is where I am on the first of my mixed media collages...

I think it actually looks pretty cool as is. The teacher called for spray paint as the "cover everything" medium, but I am too cheap and also too in love with my new-found ability to throw paint at canvas. Lots of paint! Lots of color!!

This is the only one of its size I have to this point, but I have 2 more big canvasses, 3 medium size canvasses and 4 little bitty ones at various stages of completion. I just wish I knew what was coming next. I am dying to take the next step!

And finally, as if I had all the time in the world to get stuff ready for next week's bazaar, I went and began a new Eni Oken style piece. She posted a similar piece to her blog a week or so ago, and I just *had* to start one similar to it. Strike while the iron is hot and all that...

This is a dreadful picture, but I was too lazy to set up the light tent. These colors aren't quite true, but you get the idea. Beginning at the center, the stones are ametrine, aquamarine, amethyse, rose quartz, another aquamarine, and another amythest. Can you see the tiny green stones that cover the space between the stones? Those are the last of my peridots. I'm so glad that I found such an exciting piece to spend them on.

The wrapping is going much easier this time -- I must be getting the hang of it. There will be another wrapped ametrine and maybe a few other little things dangling from the central silver piece, but I can't start that part until I finish the wrapping, which gives me some time to ponder ideas for the dangle too... I can't wait to finish it. After all... I still have 9 days before everything ELSE has to be finished for the bazaar...

All the time in the world, right?

I am in 2 minds about sharing these photos of my works in progress -- I am so pleased with what I have accomplished so far, but I just can't give a viewer an idea of how much is left to do to these pieces. There is still a long way to go.

For one thing, the whole surface will be getting several more coats of paint and then more embellishments, but these photos will give you an idea of where I am going. I have already adjusted the folds of the stockinette draping based on what I see here in 2D, so taking them wasn't a total waste of time.

The piece to the left "Freedom - Leaping Calf." It is going to be my signature piece. It will hang in my studio, and accompany me when I do anything like a craft show or demonstration. Unfortunately, everything is still wet and shiny, so you can't really get a good idea of the wealth of texture on the surface of this canvas. Ignore what is left of the black writing as well as the colors of the draping -- it will all be painted over in the end. (I find that my calligraphy skills aren't up to the challenge of the design of this piece, so I cheated and used a fancy font on the computer. Sigh...)

Look hard -- you can see the capital "B" which begins the quote. I cut it out of cardboard and coated it with modeling paste, so it is quite dimensional. There is also a stylized sun in a celtic knot design stenciled in modeling paste in the upper right.

The second piece is more experimental in nature. I am using it to practice on. The "hills" are finger painted in using a modeling paste that has had little glass beads mixed in. It is softer and a little less dimensional than the other paste, so I may add another layer to make those hills stand out from the surface a bit more. This particular angel is my favorite body shape. I couldn't use one of my own original sculpts for the face though, because they are all too big. I had to resort to one of my Sculpey mold faces. I wish it had a little more "life" in its expression, but oh well. I can see I am going to have to sculpt some smaller faces if I want these pieces to remain entirely original.

I am dying to get started on my "Inner Gypsy" themed piece, but I already have requests for works revolving around other people's signature verses, so that one may have to sit on the back burner for a bit. Who knows... I may get some commissions out of this. That would be nice...