Swapping with Val

Val Foster (the texture Queen) and I did a private swap. This is my piece and I just LOVE it!
We did a background 8x10 in size. Then we sent it to the other and added on and sent it back.


I want to explore color more this year. So I blobbed and blew color around on my canvas and then stenciled FREEDOM around the edge. Then I sent it off and started to worry. Was it too simple, or too odd? But I should have known the Fabulous Val would do something fun and unusual with it.

There's fabric and glitter and a tiny lizard and all sorts of fun.

I had a ball doing this with Val. I think I really like one on one swaps better than the ones where you have to a lot of pieces.

I hope someone else will want to swap with me.

YAY, I own a Val Foster work of art!!!

Peace

A bit of a mess

Well, this isn't turning out as planned. After I painted the whole thing a very questionable yellow, I tried doing the glaze thing with the green. I don't like it. It's not as see thru as I thought it would be. So then I thought I would blob paint on and blod it around with a can of air.

Which I like the effect of but I ran out of air. So till I get another can or inspiration strikes, this one is on the back burner.

This is a deer skull I cleaned and painted as a thank you to the processor who gives me skulls. I wonder what it says about me that doing skulls is one of my favorite things to do? I am waiting with baited breath for the mail today. My friend Val, the Queen of Texture, and I did a private swap. We each did a background and sent it to the other. Then we added to each others work. I can't wait to see what she did, and to own a piece of her work.

Peace

Thank yous, snowmen and texture

Happy New Year everyone. I hope we all have a prosperous and peaceful 2009.
Thank you to everyone who has wished me well in my show. And to the wonderful women who have given me online awards.
I promise to be more punctual with my blog reading and my blogging now that the holidays are done and hunting season is almost over.

I love texture. So I decided to do a piece devoted to just that. But this time I am using all manmade things instead of the usual naturals I use so much .
So I took a bunch of odd little canvases and glued them together using Liquid Nails. Then I covered it all with tissue paper.



Then I just started putting whatever I had laying around on the piece. There is burlap and chains and bamboo skewers and garden wire and shingles and bricks for dollhouses and beads and textured paper and bubblewrap and stuff.

So I'm thinking that when I am done dressing it, I am going to coat the whole thing with gesso. Probably a couple of coats. Then I am going to paint using bright colors mixed with glaze. This is new for me. I don't use a lot of bright colors. And I have never used glaze before. I would like to be able to layer color over color. I'm thinking the glaze will let that happen. I hope. Anybody got any hints?

These are some more snowmen I made because...well...because you can never have enough right? And they are just so much fun to make.

So that's what I've been up to.

My show ends on the 14th. I hear people are enjoying it. I sold a couple of small pieces, and am hopeful that someone will buy one of the bigger ones.

I guess I will put everything in Etsy when I get it all back. But I am not sure that my kind of stuff sells online. We'll see.

Peace

My Show and Snowmen

So my show opened and everyone seemed to enjoy it. My pieces are all hanging. The work on the pedestals is the artist I shared the show with. I am going to take better pictures and will post them when I do.

The weather here is simply dreadful and nasty. We got a 1/4 inch of ice last night. had to thaw the satelites with a heat gun. Man I am NOT a winter person.

These are some snowmen I made from Cloth Paper Scissors. I have such fun making them. Just playing ya know? I am so behind in everything. An altered book RR, a personal swap with Val. Housework. you name it I am behind in it.

This is hunting season, so we have had a big hairy guy friend of Jimis staying with us a lot. So I have been doing the cooking and catering to men thing. Not fun.

But I am hoping to get back on track soon.

What is it about this time of year, no matter how often I say it will be stressfree and easy, it never is.

Peace

The Guardian

Awhile ago I posted the beginning of this piece. Then I kind of backburnered him. When I found out about the show I didn't think I would have time to finish, but YAY I did.
This shot shows his feet which I added claws to. They came from my really old cat who sheds them on a regular basis. I don't know why but he does. And being me, I save them His head is made from the Devils Claw my buddy Rose sent me from Arizona. Truly weird stuff. I gave him red garnet eyes.

All told he stands just short of a foot in height. I decorated his base with a bunch of stones I pried from old costume jewelry. I really love the skull bead. The crystals towards his tail are also from Rose. She collected them for me. Rose, you rock!!

Sprinkled around the jewels are micron beads from Fire Mountain. The base is a slab of agate I use for a weight when I'm working. But it seemed like it needed to be used for this. So I'll just have to go outside and find a rock to use for weight instead.

Hope you like him.

Peace

The winner and the Winter Queen

First, the winner of the give-away is Carol from Art-N-Quilt. Congratulations Carol. And thanks to everyone who took part in my very first give-away.
So awhile ago I started the Winter Queen and gave up on her.
I just couldn't figure out how to finish her up. Then my sister Kate suggested the fabric treatment and VOILA she was right.Itis just what I needed.
I pried up part of the fox fur and glued it inplace. Then I just twisted it till it looked right. Then I sewed a few seed beads to hold the twist in place. Then I used a tack on the back to secure it.

All in all I'm pretty happy with her. She will be going into the show.

Peace

Sculpting the wind

I forgot to say about the Dark Angel that she is beaded on both sides and meantto be hung from the ceiling.
So, awhile ago I posted about the wind arund here. It blows all the time seems like. And we live a couple of 15 feet from the edge of a pine forest, so it sounds sometimes like being in a tornado.
So it was bothering me one night and I started thinking of that song 'They Call The Wind Mariah'. And I decided to sculpt the wind.
I LOVE using window screen. You can get some very cool effects from it. So I cut a piece and turned the edges and then just folded it till I was happy. Then I started beading with colors that match the screen and tattered strips of chiffon just for more texture.
Then I made the face from sculpey and beaded around her.

Then I cut another peicec and turned the edges and mounted the piece with 26 g silver wire and Mariah was born.

I am VERY happy with how she turned out.

But man oh man what a lot of work. You could go blind doing that kind of beading.

Peace