365/2013 - Day 64

taking stock

Well...now that the four pieces have been delivered to Woods Gallery for the "Spirits" show I was able to release all the tension I was holding and I had an amazing night's sleep.  It feels like a totally fresh start today.  Time to take stock of what is in process, what needs repair or reworking, and have a look at some other pieces I would like to make into new guys.

mostly needs a bit more papering and painting

needs a major paint job

needs painting/direction/personality/theme

needs to have painting completed

needs more construction

needs more construction and a theme

needs an overhaul -- head and tail need to be sawed off and put back on

gah -- THIS guy -- my very first stab at paper mache...a couple of different methods from different sources were used at first then I found plaster cloth -- obviously the main problem is balancing that long mouth area...the container inside of the tomato cage is full of cat litter to hold down the cage so he doesn't tip over...and he HAS tipped over a LOT...several broken teeth but no damage to the plaster cloth...many things I like about him but many things I don't like...mostly I want to FINISH him but I am just not sure where to go with the body...cut him off of the tomato cage?  dunno.  I also want to cut that cat apart and change it a bit (like I am doing with the black sheep/camel-like guy)

another old project on a tomato cage base

he still needs lots of work

this guy creeps me out a little -- I am sure he will be fine when he gets farther along

I love this one -- I need to figure her out

and I STILL don't know what these six guys are for yet -- the silent, waiting army

I like this guy's face and paint job -- but I think now that he needs a body

she needs to have her skirt redone and maybe a few more embellishments

this guy needs to be finished -- I adore this guy -- he is staying with me

this one needs a few repairs and could probably benefit from a base (now that I have made a few and am more confident with doing it)

 

 

 

these guys WANT to be something

And then there are all of the repurposed canvases/collages that are in various stages.

Yep -- I have PLENTY to do and LOTS to choose from.  Everything needs a good "think" and I believe I will work in a sketchbook with all of these guys.

365/2013 - Day 63

whew -- stuff delivered to the gallery for the upcoming show

Today Juana and I had lunch, changed the art in the Art-o-mat machine at LIFT in Royal Oak, stopped by Utrecht Art Supplies AND got to see Anita, then dropped our stuff off for the Spirits show and hung out while Lisa started to put it all together.

I am totally worn out so here are some photos from the gallery part of our day.  

all packed up and ready to go!

Juana making her title/price list

Lisa pulling nails and bringing in pedestals

two of my pieces

Lisa putting "Cirque du Quillz" on a taller pedestal -- yep, he needs a piece of glass underneath him so he'll fit on the pedestal

Lisa with my "Keeper of Secrets"

LOL -- he looks cool spread over three short pedestals

looks so cool

my "Woodland Bop" and Juana's lion guy having a little chat

yay!  Renee arrived!

Renee checking out one of Juana's great pieces

say "hi" to the blog, ladies!

it is starting to take shape -- this is going to be a really good looking show!

And here is the front of the postcard for the show -- the Artists Reception is next Friday.

another great postcard, Lisa!

365/2013 - Day 62

final touches ...and titling/pricing items for show

I mixed up a two-part epoxy to secure the blue wooden balls to the top of the tomato cage.  Then it was on to what I find to be two of the more challenging tasks of getting pieces ready for an upcoming show -- the titles and prices.

Names are not hard for me, titles are.  I feel like people can always change a creature's name to suit them -- in fact, I pretty much expect them to -- names are important.  Titles, on the other hand, are different.  And that is why I oftentimes worry that when I add a title to a piece it could totally throw off a person's perception (or at least alter) what they first felt about it.  I also understand that sometimes a title can give a person an "oooooooooh...now I get it" moment...for better or worse.  And of course the ideal situation is that someone sees your work, doesn't give a fig about the title, and just likes it no matter what.  And then there is pricing your work.  Gah.


And now for something completely different -- look what I "found" in my cabinet.  Four heads I made in a ceramics session a long time ago...what can they become now I wonder?

365/2013 - Day 61

whew -- finished the tomato cage in record time!

I still have to permanently affix the balls to the pokey wires at the top of the tomato cage display thing, but I did it -- I finished it today!!!  It feels like my right arm is going to fall off at the shoulder -- that is a lot of wrapping and winding balls of yarn and wrapping more and then wrapping wire over the wrapped wires.

the day started with fine sanding the painted balls and putting on a final coat of paint

then I coated them with Liquitex matte varnish (still wet in this photo)

I made the decision to do the legs in ribbon that I had in my ribbon stash...I had enough of this blue to do two legs

and enough of this olive ribbon to do one leg

I could've done two legs with this ribbon but I wanted to save some -- it is so soft -- it feels like a man's tie.  The blue legs got olive wire and the olive legs got blue wire -- it was really cool that I had all of this stuff already!

yay -- the legs are done -- now to get back to wrapping the tiers

I decided to just go with all of the tiers matching each other -- I have quite a bit of this flat yarn that I use for Tookies finger puppets and frankly, quite a bit of it is unusable for the puppet "hair" because it is creased.  I was able to flatten it out over the wire tiers and then anchor it with more of the olive wire...I had just enough!

Bootsy approves

Now the tough part -- figuring out how to suspend the spikey creature within the tomato cage.  I have a few ideas but I don't want to cover up too much of the creature.  It will come to me...I'm taking the night off!

365/2013 - Day 60

ai-eeeeeeeeeeee -- shark!

Well, snow shark that is.  And a snow dog (which is starting to look like a possible snow cat to me).  They are both at the Northville Art House.

And while I was at the Art House putting new art into Greeny, Karen came by to purchase some early xmas presents -- 10 Tookies finger puppets from the Art-o-mat machine!  Thank YOU, Karen! 

Also -- as if that wasn't enough -- Carla presented me with the companion piece to the woodburned giraffe I purchased from her a while back.  We traded some art -- I gave her a dog girl collage and she gave me this woodburned wader -- thanks, Carla!  (I don't know if it is a crane, egret, ibis...)

Tonight I resumed work on the first tier of the tomato cage display thing for the spikey creature.  The larger balls need another coat of paint and some varnish...they also need to be glued onto the wire pokey parts.

I am not sure if I will continue the wrapping with more of the yarn or if I will make each tier slightly different.  I have plenty of the wooden beads and wire left.

But I also have a small bin of beautiful ribbons that I have never used yet.  I am thinking I may try to incorporate some of them and still do the wire/beads part.

I don't know yet.