Thursday, February 26, 2009

Mary Within - Assemblage


Okay! This is my last post for this month! I have a very large container full of ceramic arms and legs, and I've been waiting patiently for the right project to come along. Well, it's finally here and those arms have been placed in just the right spot.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Angel Behold V - Assemblage





One last post for the month of Feb.! This month has flown by and tomorrow is Ash Wednesday already. Lent is upon us and much reflection and prayer to be done! Oh Yeah! Fish Fries every Friday until Easter!
This assemblage piece was a lot of fun in experimenting with aging metals. I did find out that if you leave some metals in a solution of ammonia too long, the metal becomes brittle. So beware of exposure time.
I was inspired by Deryn Mentock's wrapped links and became hooked making them, so I have used one in this assemblage piece. I also LOVE her use of religious charms, medals, rosaries and crosses in some of her work! She is quite a jewelry designer with a unique style!!

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

B-Day Art Dolls


My kids made these wonderful art dolls for my birthday. I was so thrilled when I saw them!!!
My husband took them out to my junk stash and let them select what they wanted. He then glued them together according to their designs. Aren't they awesome?!

Friday, January 30, 2009

Art Doll - Wired I

This is a mixed media art doll that stands about 8.25" high. Materials used are wire, wood, found objects, clay, fabric, paints




Sunday, January 11, 2009

Collage Boards




These collage boards were created from cardboard, gesso, prints, acrylics, cheese cloth and found objects. I glued a piece of cereal box to the back of the cardboard for added strength. Some areas had the top layer torn off and other areas were left alone. After tearing away from the surface, I randomly brushed gesso over the surface. Again some surface area was left untouched. After the gesso dried, I applied acrylic colors in layers using dry brush technique and washes. Depending on my mood, I would take a damp cloth and wipe away areas. You can also take a razor blade and scratch areas away. The first collage board was finished with cheese cloth around the edges. The cheese cloth had been dyed in a bath of coffee to achieve that antique color.
The theme was Winter and I think the first and last board convey that. The middle piece is more grunge or graffiti.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Today we celebrate 8 years together and everyday has been a blessing!

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Assemblage - Katsina I

Haven't posted in a while, so here is a peek at my current work in progress. My wire dolls are evolving little by little. My goal with this piece is to combine the wooden piece on the left with the wire sculpture, and I need to figure out the connection. The wooden piece on the left was a wooden dowel that my hubby shaped for me on a lathe. He is terrific at woodworking! It's very handy to have access to someone with that type of talent. He has also created some of my bases for my dolls and he refuses for me to name him as a collabrative artist in my work. Should I be taking that as insult or compliment! Sometimes he doesn't understand my work but is %100 supportive. He's a great guy with talent!!!!

I've been taking a peek at some mixed media jewerly artists work and it is amazing to see some of the techniques they use in their work. It's actually very inspiring and I try to figure ways to incorporate some of their techniques into my art dolls. I wish I had the time and money take a workshop with some of them. I will have to make do with reading and looking at magazines, books and blogs. One jewerly artist's website that I love to visit is Richard Salley. He does some amazing work and he has a really great tutorial you can view that takes you through step by step on creating one of his pieces. I love his use of cold connections in his work and I did try one in his tutorial. It was a challenge to keep your wire even and centered while you were bending and hammering away.