Day 103 - 365/2014

Day One Hundred Three

This is the guy I wanted to work on and Andy was ready to help me in his workshop with the drill press, etc...but I realized I should get more work done on the parts that will be hardest to reach once the screws and hardware are on.  So I postponed the workshop visit until maybe next week -- hopefully not too much later.

In the meantime...here are today's photos and the slight progress.

The rabbit-guy and his parts (minus arms/hands)

Sometimes I do need to sketch out a plan...like if I am going to enlist assembly help.

I think I will get some more of these things and hammer them flat...nuts/bolts the top holes in the hollow part of the torso and screw the bottom holes up into the wooden plaque underneath.  (This is the croco-creature-guy.)

Much to my dismay when I was looking for the rabbit-guy's base I realized I had already appropriated it for the really long horns guy.  I am hoping I still have one more part of that floor lamp base that Joan spotted in a house-emptying trash heap that I went back and grabbed.

Wa-hooey -- I DID still have one more section left.  I thought it was going to be one solid piece of lathed wood but I lucked out -- I knocked it a couple of times with my rubber mallet and it separated, revealing a giant screw...it just screwed right off.

I think this will work out just fine...I may need to hide some weight inside of the shoe forms.  I originally was trying to use some really cute shoes, but Lynn offered me a couple of pairs of these and I like them better for this guy.

Okay...so the legs are what need to be worked on so that I can have as much pre-made on them as possible...they will be tight and close together when they are assembled...hard to plaster cloth around.  I think there is actually enough plaster cloth on them right now -- they are solid wood after all -- and I will just paper them...a lot.

I am starting with two layers of toilet paper overwrap paper on each side...easy to see..."free", since I buy this tissue anyway.

Now moving to two layers on each side of the thin/regular burgundy tissue paper.  I can see where I have papered already.

After an hour's work on each leg...now they are drying.  I will check them in a day or two for dryness and see what else I am going to do with them for prep work (because they will not stay this color).

That's actually enough for today -- I am feeling very sore and congested, so it is Benadryl/painkillers time...and I will most likely doze off in a bit in front of tv.  I didn't realize it...it has been slightly raining today off and on and it was 79 damn degrees when I went to the grocery store -- but I just saw on a local friend's Facebook feed that we are getting around 2 inches of SNOW tomorrow.  Ha -- figures!

Day 102 - 365/2014 (updated)

Day One Hundred Two

Today was the deadline day for the call for entries for West of Center.  

Wheeeeeeeee -- twenty-seven submissions to log in from just today! 

jackpot!

I will be working on these for a good part of the evening and doing the paperwork.  Man, I absolutely love doing this! 

UPDATE:  Whoa -- a total of 168 pieces were entered by 61 artists!  That is going to be a LOT of jurying for our juror!

Day 101 - 365/2014

Day One Hundred One

Tonight I am having a lot of physical distress and I am limiting myself to doing intake work for West of Center...I can't really show any of it, the submissions, etc.  This is the kind of work I really love to do...the logging in, making lists, downloading images, etc.  Tomorrow is the final day for the Call for Entries and I know we will get a lot more submissions right up to the end of the day...so I need to be sure the major work is done in order to not be overwhelmed with tomorrow's intake load.

Working on the show means I don't get to submit my own art, but I have to say I am very grateful to Joanne Bandoni -- the producer of West of Center -- for giving me the opportunity to be her assistant and get more experience in the production of a large, juried open call for art.  I will be able to take this experience and apply it to the juried open call I am producing in September.

All of this reminds me of my old days in video production -- putting out a couple of community access television shows (and working in various crew positions for other people's shows)...man, I miss those days.  And some of the record keeping and organizing is similar to the events committee work I did with Detroit Derby Girls...I also miss that.  I feel really lucky to have been able to become so involved with the Northville Art House and the exhibit committee and Northville Arts Commission.  I love it here so much!

Day 100 - 365/2014

Day One Hundred

Today is Second Thursday, but I needed to cancel our regular meeting at my house because I needed to attend the opening reception of Working Artists at Woods Gallery.  I needed to meet up with artist Catherine Peet and curator, Ani Garabedian, to deliver some paper work.  And while Juana and I were there we also met up with Second Thursday members Terri, Janice, and Lisa.  I also got to meet artist Gail Borowski, but I had stashed my camera away in my purse at that point.  It is so great actually meeting people in person who you previously only "knew" on Facebook.

About Working Artists:  

About a year ago artist Catherine Peet and Woods Gallery Coordinator Lisa Grix began discussing the idea of a group show.  One of Catherine Peet's coworkers, Ani Garabedian, jumped in and offered to help curate, and Catherine passed the torch to Ani.

Working Artists is a mixed media exhibition, and includes submissions by artists who work together in the studio at the Detroit Institute of Arts. The artists included in the exhibition are Kia I Arriaga, Angelica Baker, Gail Borowski, Betty Brownlee, Jessy Butts, Kim Ensch, Zak Frieling, Ricardo Javier Garcia-Diaz, Charles Thomas Garling, Jenifer Garrison, Karianne Hollowell, Megan Elizabeth Homanick, Molly Diana Murphy, Catherine Peet, Brian Ritson, Stephanie Sucaet-Felczak and Patrick Wise.

The Working Artists exhibition provides an opportunity for this group of individual and unique artists who work together on a regular basis to showcase their artwork together in one space. As Ani Garabedian, curator of the exhibition explains, “We are all artists who work in a variety of media. The Woods Gallery is providing us with a space to share our work for the first time with not only each other, but also with the general public.”

It was such a thrill for me to meet Catherine Peet in person.  I am a really big fan of her artwork.  I have to admit that I became a bit overwhelmed and started to gush after a little while.  Catherine had some small works available for sale and I was able to snatch one really delightful piece...I am so thrilled.

The gallery was very crowded and it is a bit difficult to take photos without glare, but I managed to catch a few.

Catherine Peet and Lisa Grix

Ani Garabedian and Catherine Peet

"Quintaessencia/Significant Others Series" by Kia I. Arriaga

Juana admiring "The House and Two Trees" by Gail Borowski

"Implosion" by Catherine Peet

"Implosion" detail

"Do You See What I See"" by Kim Ensch

"Orange Security" by Jessy Butts

"Open #9" by Charles Thomas Garling

"La Adelita" by Angelica Morelia Perez

Catherine Peet and her piece I purchased, "Last Life"

"Last Life" by Catherine Peet -- back at my house

I need to do some rearranging, but this is where "Last Life" will be displayed.

Working Artists  runs through May 16, 2014
Woods Gallery  (located in the lower level of the Huntington Woods Public Library)
26415  Scotia
Huntington Woods, MI  48070
(248) 581-2696

Day 99 - 365/2014

Day Ninety-Nine

Why on earth do I insist on making things that need to be painted (at least in part) -- why do I do it to myself -- why don't I just get collaborators to do the painting?  Gah.  I struggle with it so much.

Today I tried to add color to the really long horns guy.  The painting is just a mess...I will need to start over I think.  Then I used paper for the base layer on the horns, thinking I may touch them up with paint or a wash of some sort and painted details.  What is wrong with me?

Before -- how he looked when I was started out today.

unpainted mouth

first color on mouth

two colors on hand

two colors on other hand

trying to do something around his eyes

and then it spread out all over his face

I don't know...I just don't know.

I like this color of mulberry paper for a base layer on the horns...now to tear the paper into tiny pieces.

Really long horns guy sitting on a box on the floor so I can sit to work on his horns.

Ready!

first few pieces of yellow

a little piece of paper

covered!

each horn took one hour

What am I going to do with you, buddy?

Day 98 - 365/2014

Day Ninety-Eight

Detritus: The Work of Tom Thewes opened at the Northville Art House on Friday, April 4.  I didn't get a very good chance to actually look at the show that night.  I went back on Saturday and was able to take a few more photos to share...and belive me, there is much, much more to see.  (click the links below the last photo for more information.)

I encourage you to come and see this powerful show for yourself -- and do plan to spend a little bit of time -- there is a lot to take in.

dBaser (the Artist)

derScrap41

GRRRLpower! (the Bitch)

TRUEBLgrrl (the Babysitter)

MOMMAhadAbaby ANDitsHEADpoppedOFF  (the Sibling)

 

DETROPOLIS (DIRTY) (6/10) (the City)

Detritus:  The Work of Tom Thewes
April 4 - April 26, 2014
Northville Art House
215 W Cady St
Northville, MI  48167

Hours:  Wednesday through Saturday 1-5 p.m.

phone:  248-344-0497

Day 97 - 365/2014

Day Ninety-Seven

Wow -- heavy allergens/histamine reactions day.  I've been all the way under the weather today.

But I did manage to get a layer of contrasting tissue paper onto the former robot-y guy.  I was surprised by how much the color deepened after the matte medium.  

This tissue paper is very thin and when it gets wet with the matte medium it tears incredibly easily.  I am only using it so I can see when I've covered everything.

A very, very time-consuming process with this type of paper.

Very wet paper in this photo.

Picture from tonight...dry and smoothing out nicely.

You can almost see the texture...smooth and soft to the touch...I almost hate to add more layers later.