You can fool the fans - but not the players.... John Cage

Ongoing and new art projects

It was a pretty good weekend for art - despite being absolutely gorgeous outside I still managed to hole up in the art room for some creative time. I wanted to post a photo of the almost-completed Our Lady of the Inner Cowgirl shrine - which we now have in the living room (!):

 

I have a few things left to glue or otherwise anchor down and have to figure out the best way to "title" her (right now she has a stamped label that I might just attach with matte medium and protect with matte medium - not too intrusive but easily seen at her feet). I mean, at some point you just have to call it done and move on to the next one. The boots are not part of the shrine - they were already on the bookcase and I just arranged them on either side of the shrine. I think they make it too symmetrical so I'll probably move them at some point. All in all I'm happy with how this turned out and eager to make some other versions.

Then I turned my attention to a very cute little train case I picked up last week at the thrift store.

 

Kinda beat up but all of the edges were intact as well as the handle, and the fastener still works (no key for the lock, alas).

 

The inside had lost its lining but a mirror was still intact and has the cutest little heart-shaped means of keeping the mirror on (I took it out for the remodel but will put it back in when the interior is finished).

I have several other train cases - one that I use for art supplies when traveling and one that I use for my toiletries... but this one I thought I'd do up as a cowgirl tote.

So I pulled out some old leather pants from the fabric bin:

The leather has the coolest print on it:

 

It was hard to cut these up but they are size 4 (did I ever think I would fit into these?) and besides, where and when would I wear leather pants? Its better to have the leather used in a project.

 

So I lined the train case with the leather.

 

And added some cowgirl fringe.

I think it is off to a good start although I have no idea what I'm going to do on the outside. I don't want to attach a bunch of stuff because I want it to be functional without worrying about knocking bits and pieces loose. Paint? How scary - I'd have to draw again. Not decoupage.... although I'd like to cop out and use torn cowgirl art I can't bring myself to decoupage. Hmmmm - it'll come although look how long OLOTIC was in progress - at least a year. No wonder I can't ever get into production mode. I'm a slow artist.

To be continued....

Miscellaneous Weekend Stuff

I'm taking the weekend off - completely - from work as I've been feeling run down and tired lately. Either I'm fighting off a bug or the healing of my hip, etc is taking more out of me than I thought. Anyway, it has been fun to wander around from project to project and I have a few random pictures to share from yesterday.

 

I downloaded a new app for my phone, Ransom Letters, and had a good time trying out different captions for this pic of Mel. Last weekend JC put his bed on top of the cabinets at the end of the kitchen since Mel was spending a lot of time up there seeking refuge from the puppy. Now it is his favorite place and he watches us from above with his arrogant cat eyes...

Periodically you can see a foot sticking up or he'll hang his head over the edge in order to get a closer look at what is going on below. Sooooo funny to me.

He actually moved Feather off the sofa the other evening, too. I was watching a movie with my legs stretched out and a fluffy throw over me, Feather was curled up at my feet, and Mel jumped down from his aerie, up onto his usual perch on the back of the sofa looking out the window, then surprisingly came down to stretch out on my legs. He was facing Feather, purring, and it obviously made her nervous. First of all it woke her from a dead sleep and then I could see her eyes darting back and forth - she didn't want to make eye contact with the cat but really wanted to keep an eye on him. Mel kept staring and purring and before long Feather got up and vacated her spot. Mel promptly moved over into the still warm corner, curled up and went to sleep. 

Another app I got is called TiltShiftGen and it makes toy camera images somewhat like the Camera Bag app. I had the shrine on the dryer so that I could work on it and evaluate it at eye level. I'm trying out the beads around the top and what to put inside.... and I've got some other elements to track down (a toy saddle is on the list). I'm so happy to be working on it, though, and I have some other ideas for friends - an "Our Lady of the Inner Cyclist" for KA, and shush! Secrets for Christmas gifts!

 

Today I've got to do some painting on the aves clay pieces I've made and these additional doll heads. At first I thought they might stay as is, but now I'm going to alter them. They don't need to look "real" - they need to be "ushed" (thanks, Michael de Meng).

Gotta go - got lots of art to take care of today!

Art and Soul, Portland

Just back from another wonderful Art and Soul Retreat in Portland, Oregon. I depend on this event more and more each year as a way to spend quality time with my BFF, Shari, and several uninterrupted days doing art. This is our third year meeting there and it hasn't yet failed to teach, challenge, inspire, and addict.

This year I took a two-day workshop with Michael deMeng and Stephanie Lee. I knew the minute I saw the class description that I would be taking Our Lady of the Inner Cowgirl and creating a shrine for her.

 

Stephanie showed us how to take styrofoam, cut it and shape it into a niche for our objects. We hot-glued them and skewered them for strength, and then covered them with plaster (this is not a tutorial - you have to go to Stephanie and Michael for that!). Here is the fitting of my basic shrine to my shiny gold-leafed "OLOTIC".

My shrine was rather basic in shape but large (which should rate some brownie points). Others were beautifully crafted with curves and steps:

This woman sat behind me, was from Texas, and incorporated her son's used drumsticks in a very creative way.

This one was tall and narrow and very well-balanced and graceful (I thought). Plus, I think she was the only one to use Kwik Set rather than plaster. She's my hero.

 

Once dry, we had to start painting our shrines and elements.

I'm certain there was more than one raised eyebrow as I began painting this very yellow large boxy thing.

Michael gave us all kinds of cool painting demos and recipes - and I decided to try as many of them as I could.

OLOTIC got "ushed" (spelling is left up the the writer - it is Michael's own word) so that she wouldn't be quite so shiny.

 

Blurry, but it is the only pic I have at this stage. There  is still much to be done. But she has come a long way.

And here are all our shrines in their unfinished glory.
We did well.

More on Art and Soul to come....

more journal pages

It has been too ugly outside to take photos so I've been roaming around the house looking for stuff to post. Here are some journal pages I've been collaging:

The ugly weather has one silver lining and that is staying indoors and making things. I've been down in the art room the last couple of evenings putting together some journal collages. Soon it will be too nice to work inside but then in a couple of months it will be too hot to work outside - so it is just a big cycle. For me the key is to recognize the moment and seize it!

Love these whites - even years after first reading and seeing Shabby Chic I am still drawn to the chipped white paint, the distressed wood, the clean look of whites.

This is my favorite recent collage - it just worked out. Some collages I don't mind writing over but I skipped this one and just left it as is - maybe some day I'll go back and write over it but for now it is going to just say what it says right now.

We got one weather gift today and that was this sunrise. JC is off to the west side, I'm still trudging away towards spring break, and this was the start of our day.

A lovely mess

Sometimes I just take a quick walk through my studio and think quick, fleeting thoughts about what I might do if I were to stay in it all day.

It might be worthwhile to figure out a way to enter and leave the house through the studio.

Or maybe I should journal down there instead of curled up in my chair in the living room (course I might never get out of the house in the mornings).

It is a comfort knowing all this waits patiently for me.

cowgirl update & doll hands

I have a bit of a design challenge that anyone is welcome to help me solve - I'm to the point with the first "Our Lady of the Inner Cowgirl where I need to add her title and the question is how. Here's how she looks right now.

She's going to have some barb wire incorporated somehow, and I'm not sure she needs any other embellishments but she needs her title. I created some text, warped it and printed it out. Here's what that looks like:

But now.... how to work with those letters? I thought about soldering curved glass with jump rings so that it can hang - but I'm not sure I know to to cut curved glass - and two pieces that match. Paint it on metal? Rusty metal? Print it out on some sort of transparent medium and mount it on wood? This is my current challenge with this assemblage.

And then there are the hands. I only got four and I put them in this little display case for the time being. They are pretty cool, though.

All these doll parts have been showing up weeks and months apart at the thrift store. Either someone is dismantling her studio or dolls are "out" in the arts and crafts world. I thought they might be creepy to work with but they are really sort of graceful and wistful.

Off to work.

art doldrums

I don't know why; I was on such a creative high right after the holidays, but now I'm not rushing home and into the art room to work on things - I'm in a bit of a funk. Is it just that I ran through the things that I started while on break and now need another break to get going again? The whole goal is to stay "in the art groove". I know other people do it - how do you juggle? The weekends are so short.

Dad and J gave me this pink Buddha after a visit to their place a couple of years ago. It is so great - it is a lamp and I saw it in a funky antique store up there - had to have it. I'm sure my dad was perplexed but they both so accepting of my weirdness... and they drove it down to California in their motorhome later that year. It sits on the old vanity we bought and now it wears a synthetic opal "necklace" I bought at the Mountain Light Gallery. I wish I could think of the artist's name (and I'll go get it from the gallery) because her jewelry is absolutely wonderful. Completely unusual, beautifully packaged (this came in a little handmade felted envelope with a synthetic opal button). In fact, I am coveting earrings and a necklace from this artist right now.

Lately I've been experimenting with some photo overlays generously uploaded to flickr by Jaiel. Last night I ordered a bunch of film - 120 color and B&W for the Holga, and "polaroid" film packs (actually fuji) for making transfers - thinking that I'll make more images via that medium. Most of the time you just have to work through these doldrums and it'll be ok, still it is no fun to not be making any art at all. Even the journal work is less than exciting.

But there are flowers! Vons has had a decent array of spring cut flowers available and for less than an arm and a leg. These tulips are on their way out now but they lasted over a week and even a little past their prime they are still lush with color.

I shouldn't worry. As long as hyacinths and tulips make me stop and look there is still a creative streak in me. Who knows, maybe tomorrow that next idea will appear.

Ta-ta for now. Who reads this, anyhow?

the inner cowgirl

Although I don't know that she's finished I have been working on one of the smaller inner cowgirl assemblages and despite my history with 3D (it keeps kicking me back to 2D art) I'm enjoying working on these. I'm afraid to start in on the full size one, though - just haven't had the flash of inspiration necessary. And then there's the issue of the missing lamp base. Missing since the move so I'm pretty sure it isn't going to show up anywhere. I have to move on past that. Anyhow,
I was lookin' around for a base or pedestal for the inner cowgirl and hit upon the idea of recovering one half of one of these heavy cardboard boxes to use as a stage.

Here were the girls just wearing their hats. I liked their expressions and pale skin so much I didn't even want to gold-leaf them like the big girl.

I chose the brunette and then wrapped and glued the box top with some of my favorite embossed "pleather".

I wanted the stage to sit up on legs so I looked around for something roundish and after considering stones, marbles, wood I found these exposed gocco bulbs. I think they are perfect - love the color of the bulbs already and they are just the right height.

The inside needed to be finished and there was that fabric I bought so many years ago in San Francisco.... white silk with little pearls sewn on it.

She's moved a little past this stage and I'll try to finish up this weekend. It is supposed to rain and be cloudy all weekend. I'm hoping so only because it is so much easier to stay inside and work when the weather cooperates like that.

More pics to come.

vintage kitchen 2

The art process is a funny thing. Nothing seems to happen, you're just puttering around trying out things in your sketchbook, you wonder if you are wasting time, if all the creativity has come down to just this: collage, collage and more collage. You don't sketch as much as you used to so you aren't confident about your drawings, you keep messing around with different media, different ideas... la, la, la.

Then, something clicks. For me it was this page in one of my journals.

And then this one:

Something was starting to appear again and again. I liked this stamped image, I liked the layering of the paint, I liked using the palette knife.

Then I took the photos of the vintage kitchen appliances with the Holgaroid.

And this weekend I combined the various elements and ended up with these:

I think these are going somewhere.

Vintage kitchen

I've been wanting to post these for a few days now but had to scan them in, get them home and resized for the blog - in my current cold-fogged state that just took forever. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with these but I have an idea for a series and I like the way one journal page turned out some time ago with the blender image. Anyone who reads this blog is welcome to offer up feedback and suggestions. I personally love the soft focus of the Holga and all the imperfections of the polaroid but some of you out there might not be so fond of those qualities. But, hey, on the other hand, this is MY art, right? Should I ask for comments? Will it dissuade me from an idea? How influential is the networking on th artistic process?

I'll be back soon.