Day 164 - 365/2014

Day One Hundred Sixty-Four

This morning started off with Bootsy modelling my Keeper of Secrets plaster cloth snake guy.

Then I made a run to Detroit -- Detroit Artists Market is having an open call for art called "If You Build It, They Will Come" -- you get to choose five pieces of wood and then decide what you'd like to do with it...2D, 3D, incorporate it into a painting, collage, etc...make a sculpture...as long as it is no larger than 24" x 24" it is up to you how you use the wood.

Arriving at the back entrance to DAM.

The area where you choose your five pieces of wood.

I brought a bag for my five pieces of wood...I had no idea what sizes would be available.

Here are the five pieces I brought home.

I feel very lucky to have found two matching sections (although they are not the same length) of wood that have a deep split in them...all I need to do is pull them apart -- instant arms/legs for a creature -- no sawing needed!

Then I checked my email late today and was absolutely thrilled and delighted to get the jury selected results for the 2014 Members Biennial Exhibition at Paint Creek Center for the Arts.  I am so excited -- I submitted 5 pieces for consideration --  one 3D piece (Djubi) and two 2D pieces (Time for a Nap, Creatura Lupus Ursus) were accepted!   

Now I need to figure out how to finish the frame for Creatura Lupus Ursus.  It is fairly chewed up so I am planning on covering it in nice paper(s) and then sealing it with matte varnish.

Creatura Lupus Ursus -- and the frame that came with the canvas.

The frame is pretty chewed up all the way around.

I was thinking one of these papers might work...

...but then they seemed a little too stark...this paper is used in the collage...maybe I can continue it onto the frame and darken it a bit with ink or paint or chalks or something.

This will take a day or so to think about...or maybe I will just "have" to make a trip to Ann Arbor to Hollanders in Ann Arbor for some new papers -- hmmm...

Day 108 - 365/2014

Day One Hundred Eight

Today I worked on my first postcard for the "Wish You Were Here" postcard show/sale/fundraiser for Paint Creek Center for the Arts.  I have a bunch of ideas and I may make one or two of each idea.  Maybe.

Getting started today...

I knew I had something to poke holes with -- I'm not sure if this is what I had in mind, but it sure pokes holes.

I laid out a design I liked, glued down the stamped and cut-out images of carvings I made a wile ago and then thought about how I wanted to proceed.

I knew I wanted to sew on the card but I wasn't sure how much.  I started with the thought of a line of stitches just inside the heavy line of the carving.

Yep...they went all the way through!

Again, I wasn't sure if I wanted it stitchy...but I felt like the lines weren't rounded enough on the curves of the cloud so...

...I doubled back and made a solid line of stitches.

I liked the cloud so I did the first couple of trees, too.

...then the other group of trees.

I decided that the rabbits had lines that were a little too busy to do the same sort of stitching and I couldn't decide how to adjust it so I am leaving them w/o stitching.

But I felt like the card needed a little more of "something" so I used two colors of pencil to do the edge and put in some hills.

This is what the back of the postcard looks like right now...I will probably add the "poscard" and "place stamp here" designations on with rubber stamps.

Here is the front of the card.  I am pretty happy with it for my first try.

And speaking of Paint Creek -- Juana and I met up with Franciney and had a really nice dinner and then we went to see Donita Simpson's show of photographic portraits of area artists.  Juana is one of the portraits and Donita really captured the essence of Juana in her studio.  It is just great.  All of the portraits are fabulous.

Juana and Donita in front of the portrait of Juana.

Donita Simpson - Portraiture:  Detroit Area Artists    April 18 - May 16

Paint Creek Center for the Arts / First Floor Gallery
407 Pine Street
Rochester, MI  48307
(248) 651-4110
Gallery Hours:  Monday-Thursday 9am-7pm, Friday 9am-5pm, Saturday 9am-4pm

Day 107 - 365/2014

Day One Hundred Seven

Today I ran a lot of errands and I am feeling like someone pulled the cork out of me and all my energy is slowly dripping out...kind of a maybe-I'm-seriously-anemic-again feeling.  BUT I have been thinking a lot about what I want to make postcards of for the Paint Creek Center for the Arts fundraiser "Wish You Were Here".  It will be a show and sale of original artist made postcards that are 4"x6" and you can choose whether to go 50/50 with PCCA or donate all of the proceeds from the sale of your cards.

I've had this really cool theme swirling around in my head.  I just wish I had the chops to draw what I am seeing.  It would be a series of horse-themed mythical creatures...I'm not sure why exactly, it is just what is in my head.  Creatures like kirin, hippocampus, pegasus, (obligatory) unicorn (maybe)...or maybe even slightly more obscure ones.  I made some really really crude/preliminary/what-the-heck-IS-that sketches tonight just to get them on paper.  They are cracking me up, they are so badly drawn.  I truly have what I'd like them to look like in my head -- I am not going to totally give up on this, but they won't be the first cards I actually make...I'm fairly sure of that.

super bad drawings -- just to start to get them out of my head

What I most likely will do for sure:  a series of postcards assembled from carvings I have already on hand.  I made most of them for projects in the artist trading cards group I used to belong to...and some are really old.  It is good pulling them out and working with them.  I think I'd like to stamp the images on card stock (or something a little heavier than paper) and attach them to the postcard and then maybe sew them in place.  I've been thinking about this a lot, too.  But the sewing machine is not something I will be using just yet...these would be hand stitched.  Anyway...here is a look at what I'm working with before I get too inky.

The Marc Bolan carving is old, old, old...the larger bears are from a couple of years ago and the other things are fairly recent carvings.

Thinking of some designs/story lines...

365/2013 - Day 340

quick stop at Paint Creek, then lunch

Juana and I made a quick stop at Paint Creek Center for the Arts to drop off a couple of dolls for the Holly Dolly Fundraiser.  While we were there, we looked around in the Holiday Gift Gallery -- there are some really delightful items!

Juana spotted a couple of Tookies in one of the glass cases.

Waaay cool mugs!

Tiny robot army!

Beautifully made!

Wonderful ceramic rattles!

Juana's favorite.

After Paint Creek we went to Franciney's house (I have never been there before) and visited with Franciney and Jed (the parrot) and then Juana, Franciney and I went out to a really great lunch.  Good day!

I am taking tonight off.  My fingertips are very tender from needle pokes (from all of the sewing lately) and those super sneaky extremely dry hands cracks on the tips of your thumbs/fingers that you don't notice until they turn into exaggerated (and deep) paper cut-like owwwwwwy spots. Wah.  Poor Took.  It is also a major time-for-the-Benadryl night.

365/2013 - Day 339 (late again, darn it)

sheesh -- another late blog entry

But I really needed to finish this guy tonight...I am going with Juana and Franciney tomorrow to drop him off at Paint Creek Center for the Arts.  I am glad I completed him.  I don't know what he is, but I like him a lot.

Here are the progress pictures from today.  From this morning and this afternoon, then after I got home from First Friday at the Northville Art House.  I needed to keep working once I got home or I probably wouldn't have finished in time for tomorrow (which is now today...and time to do a load of laundry before bed).

365/2013 - Day 327

finishing up and continuing

Today I finished up all the little unfinished bits on the lion-creature-guy and I believe I will be donating him to Paint Creek Center for the Arts (Rochester, MI) for their "Holly Dolly Fundraiser".  It will be held on Friday, December 13 from 6-9.  Featuring a silent auction of artist made dolls and soft toys, this fundraising event benefits PCCA’s Exhibition program. This event is free and open to the public.

Tonight I have also been working on putting the other glass taxidermy eye into the felted mask.  This time I wanted to try to not cut all the way through and make a solid ledge or pocket for the eye to sit into.  I am working it into place slowly but surely.  At this point it still looks "unfocused" and a bit off center, but I think I can keep working it in and get it more right than it is.

still a long way to go with the working it into place...but it is coming along...

I was thinking also of moving the folding table and chairs downstairs to the basement on my own but I thought better of it and I will wait until I can get some help...that also delays the plaster cloth application to the hands and feet I put together yesterday.