Day 7 - 365/2014

Day Seven

If you thought you heard a triumphant "ta-daaaaaaa!!!" off in the distance somewhere, it was me!  (I know...that should be "I" but it doesn't sound right).  I have conquered that wall space in my main studio -- ha ha!

Now to fill it up!  I want this space to be for collected series and a few pieces from a collaboration from my personal Art-o-mat collection.

I needed to put magnets on the back of some blocks before I could hang them.

Here are the Woodie Anderson "Wood | Play" series 1 & 2 -- the pieces I was able to collect, that is.  I love, love, LOVE Woodie's work -- in addition to this series, I have a number of her "Spam" (collapsible fine art prints -- that I need to think of a way to display) a bunch of her "Hankie Pankie" (limited edition fine art prints on cloth), and one of her full-size (as in non-Art-o-mat) pillows.

Kettle is another artist I found through Art-o-mat.  I love his work, too.  It turned out that he liked my Animal People.  We did a collaboration of his painting with my collage elements and called it "KT Goodlove" (K+T for Kettle and Took, and the last name is a favorite teacher of his...I think that's how it went).  Kettle would paint the blocks first and leave me some room and then send them to me to add my stuff to and then I would send the completed series to Artists in Cellophane...headquarters of Art-o-mat.

Many times Kettle used to do a multi-block set within the series he sent in to AIC.   As a collector of Art-o-mat art, this is really cool...but also really frustrating...how could you possibly be able to know that you were getting a part of a multi-block set when you pull the machine handle...and how could you know if you'd gotten the whole set.  I mean, most of the parts can stand alone but when you look at them (if they are not together in their set) a character can have half a face, or a cloud will be cut off, etc.   But that is where being a machine host comes in really handy -- Carol used to let me know when there were multi-block sets and I could sometimes grab them.  But if Carol wasn't the person packing an art order for me I wouldn't know about it.  In any case -- I adore Kettle's artwork and I have really enjoyed the collaborations with him.  I was lucky enough to be able to meet Kettle and Woodie at a couple of Art-o-mat anniversary swap meets.

So here are some examples of Kettle multi-block sets...  I also put a few of the KT Goodlove blocks in this display...I have a few more to add magnets to.

Here is an example of a complete multi-block set by Kettle (I know this one is complete because they are numbered on the back).  I will have to display these on a different surface so they can stack like this.

I think this one and the next one might be complete but I'm not sure.

Here are some examples of the KT Goodlove collaboration...Kettle's painting and my collage elements.  It was a great series and we did several editions.  It was quite a challenge for me at first to try and work around his characters because I didn't want to cover them up...then I got the hang of making tracing paper masks and cutting my guys to fit so they'd look like they were either in front of or in back of a Kettle guy.

I also loved the blocks that had conversation elements where you weren't sure exactly which guy was saying what.

Sometimes I masked in the background (if Kettle had left it unpainted)...this is pink tissue paper cut to fit around his robot.

There were even a couple of two-block sets that Kettle and I did for KT Goodlove...but I snatched them up.  This is another example of a masked in paper background...it was butcher paper that caught the overspray from alcohol inks and water that I was using on another project...I couldn't throw it away.

Man -- it feels SO good to have these pieces from my collection on display.  AND it is really satisfying that I was able to conquer that stupid wall!!!  I still have a whole lot of Art-o-mat art from my collection to unpack and display.

Day 6 - 365/2014

Day Six

Tackling the walls and assembling cat guys...that's what I've been up to today/tonight.

Gah -- these drywall-over-plaster walls!!!  They just don't want to take wall anchors, wall dogs, screws, picture hangers...and I am really making a mess of things...but much of it is getting covered up so I guess I am winning slightly.

I worked on these last night after I blogged/before I finally went to bed.  I added the L-brackets and I thought I was going to pop them up onto the wall with the wall dogs.  Yeah, right.

I got exactly ONE shelf up...and tore up the wall in here, too.

What these shelves might turn out to look like.

But NOT this part...this needs fixing (and probably not by me).

Today/tonight I've been working on forcing the walls to take the magnetic strips...and I have two more available to me...I just cannot get them up there tonight...too fatigued and my arms are too shaky.  That, and I will need to use a ladder for the upper strip -- I think I will put one underneath the others.

Uh, yeah...this is where I left off a few days ago.

It may be a mess underneath, but the magnetic strips look okay.

Can you bee-leeeve the drill must have just missed where I was aiming it -- the bottom wall anchor is too far over -- aaaaarrrrrgggghhhh - so frustrating!

Enough for tonight...back at it tomorrow.

And tonight I have been assembling cat guys...I made fifteen.  I need to go back and try out every character that I've done so far and see how many more I need to make...I should be close by now.

Assembled cat guys drying.

Now I need to see how many of them I can use with the Art-o-mat blocks.  The guy on the horse might be a smidge too tall.

Day 5 - 365/2014 (today's real post)

Day Five

Today I put together some kid versions of Animal People...kittens and puppies rather than cat and dogs.  

The first assembled animal kid for this batch of Animal People.

All of the animal kids from today.

And when I sorted out the cat girls, dog guys, and animal kids I was hoping I was going to have enough Animal People to get to work on the actual collages.  But no...it turned out some of the animal kids are just too big for the blocks -- which reminded me that I hadn't tested the dog guys either and some of those are too big, too.  

I can usually make a larger piece work on the block, but once in a while too much of the character will be lost if I crop it.  I like this cat kid and the dog cowboy really doesn't look as good if the ends of his legs are cut off...the chaps and boots are too cute.

Some of the dog guys were too large as well.

So now I will begin to make some more Animal People and probably mix it up a little...some cat guys and a few dog girls...although I generally don't do many dog girls....

Current count was 44 cat girls, 44 dog guys, and 16 animal kids -- but some were too large for the blocks...back to work!

Day 4 - 365/2014 (a few minutes past the midnight deadline)

Day Four

What the...already???  Geez -- I dozed off in front of tv and now I am just minutes late on posting Day Four to the blog.  Oh well.

Today I stopped in to see my friend Peggy Kerwan's latest art exhibit.  Her "Eye of the Beholder" is on display in  the front wall gallery area of the Plymouth Community Arts Council.

I also made a stop by Hunt's Ace Hardware to pick up the wall dog kit that they ordered for me.  This wall is trying its best to thwart my efforts to hand more magnetic strips for displaying some of my Art-o-mat collection.  Not only that, but these wall dog anchors (all 4 of the sizes in the kit) are too large for the holes in the strips...so I went back to using the small plastic wall anchors and smaller screws (which I also picked up today).  Gah.  I admit defeat for tonight -- but tomorrow I will get these strips hung! 

It happened AGAIN -- these stupid, stupid drywall-over-plaster walls are so hard to work with!

I am doing everything correctly -- AND -- I might add, in the same manner that the other strips went up with very little effort in the other area of my studio.  This is driving me absolutely nuts but I WILL emerge the victor!

Day 3 - 365/2014

Day Three

Tonight was First Friday already -- the first exhibit of the New Year at the Northville Art House.  "Altered Perceptions: The Work of Jan Brown" is a gorgeous show.  I snapped a few quick photos before people started arriving.  My friend photographer Terri Light came by to take the real photos for the show.  I took up my usual station at the front door -- greeter/guest counter.  The show got a lot of great press and despite the frigid temperatures we had a very respectable (and enthusiastic) turn out...most everyone commented on how much they enjoyed the artwork on their way out.

Here is the description from the postcard:  "A life-long artist, Jan Brown began her journey into abstract expressionism three years ago.  Her paintings force viewers to alter their perceptions on how a painting can move them, how pre-conceived ideas can change, and how color, line and shapes can cause reactions that sometimes force people out of their comfort zones.  Through her nonrepresentational work, the audience is forced to confront memories, hidden images and emotions, and find their own message withing the art."

This is fellow exhibit committee member Bob Wesley who coordinated this exhibit.  (I coaxed him into the "ta-daaa" pose.)

Bob and Jan Brown.

Altered Perceptions:  The Work of Jan Brown runs through February 1, 2014
Northville Art House  
215 W Cady Street
Northville, MI  48167    (248) 344-0497
Regular Hours:  1-5 p.m. Wednesday - Saturday
Always free and open to the public

Day 2 - 365/2014

Day Two

It is becoming a riot of color in here -- I am so happy!

The wall area "before" -- I will do something else with my prints.

Today I added more of my Art-o-mat collection to the walls in my studio.  I put little velcro dots on my "Strange Birds" by Elin Waterston.  I scattered the tiny bird quilts around the (insert correct name here: walkway/frame/whatever).  It is wonderful being an Art-o-mat machine host because you can order specific art for your machine -- you can request the art of current artists.  (This will come up again in future posts.)  Elin's "Strange Birds" series came out in several versions over a couple of years.  They were really popular in my machine and I sold out of them quickly every time I ordered them -- hence, I grabbed one or two at a time for my own collection when I could.  There was also a special one that we traded in person at an Art-o-mat anniversary swap meet.  Elin also made a version for an art exhibition that featured one of my machines.  (I am down to one machine again.)

And, by the way, Elin was the person who most influenced me to start a thing-a-day/365 blog.  Here is a link to Elin's blog.  I absolutely love Elin's artwork and I find Elin very inspirational on all kinds of levels.  

Getting ready to place the velcro dots on the backs.

Can you stand it ?!?  These birds are just so wonderful -- I love each one -- they make me smile, big time!

I started out putting two velcro dots on the little quilts, then switched to one dot in the very middle -- can you even tell which one has two dots?

Eeee -- I am giddy -- I am so happy!

Art-o-mat art on display!!!

The new view from my desk!

And you may have noticed that the top of the chest has more items than before.  I also put out more of my collection there.  Quite a bit of these items are no longer available...I have been collecting for a long time.

Some of the 3D items from my collection.

I am so excited to finally start displaying some of my Art-o-mat collection -- I haven't looked at some of this stuff in quite a while -- it's like opening birthday presents!  More to come.

Day 1 - 365/2014

Day One

Last  night before I went to bed (which was actually early this morning) I put together a bunch of dog guys for my Animal People series for Art-o-mat.

Like the cat girls, some of these dog guys will probably be too large for Arto-use...but they will find their way into other projects, no doubt.  (And the banjo player is already spoken for.)

Today and tonight I put together another twenty-four dog guys.

Today's dog guys drying

Today's dog guys.

I thought about taking this year off from blogging...but, no.  I need to be accountable to something and this works for me.