Day 24 - 365/2014

Day Twenty-Four

Today I put magnets on the backs of the my collection of "Penciled In" -- a series I have done for Art-o-mat.  I did the first two editions on my own but I am not very skilled at choosing and applying colors...I have trouble with shading, highlighting, etc.  For the rest of the editions I have had collaborators...Juana Moore, and William Hessian.  In addition, my friend Annabella did one really cool giraffe.  Terri is considering working on the next edition with me, but that is still in the works. 

Anyway...here are the photos from earlier today.

Back at it...affixing magnets to AOM artwork.

Several editions of "Penciled In"...the first ones were from 2008.

Top row:  Took / Middle row:  Juana Moore / Bottom row:  William Hessian (left) and Annabella (right).

 

The newest section of what is turning into a collaborative wall.

It amazes me how different my basic drawings can look depending on who is coloring them.

Eventually I would like to get another decorative powdered metal magnet board, but for now I am happy with this solution.

Tonight I have been occupied with reworking an old collaborative collage that I was never really happy with.  I just couldn't make my part of it work.  I like the dog guy, though and I am sanding the plaque down as close to the wood as I can.  I worked on it with the electric sander tonight but I really can't get any closer to the image with it...I have already had one small accident but I think it is salvageable.

How the piece is looking after the electric sander (and the minor mishap).

I finally came up with another image I think works much better than the collage images I used the first time around.

But this is as far as I have gotten...I think I am done for tonight. 

Day 23 - 365/2014

Day Twenty-Three

I sure hope this entry shows up for January 23 because I squeaked it in at just before midnight and now I am editing it.

Today I was feeling quite a bit under the weather but I was determined to get the last three shelves up on that difficult wall in Studio B.  I did that part earlier in the day and then took it easy for most of the afternoon and part of the evening.  Then I moved the toys to the shelves -- I will probably rearrange them at some point, but for now I have accomplished what I set out to do -- yay!

I did it -- I won -- all nine shelves are up on that difficult wall in Studio B...including the one that is very close to the light switches.

These toys will be going into Studio A near my desk so that I can play with them once in a while...plus, they are made of a harder (but more brittle) material and I worry about them falling off the shelves and cracking.

I will most likely rearrange things later on, but I did it!

This spot gives me easy access to these musical guys.

An overview of where they are, next to my desk.

My flaming hair artwork by Arthur Brown looks really good here...and I can see it from my desk.

I couldn't justify putting a lot of money into another one of the wonderful powdered metal magnet boards right now, so I came up with this solution...a baking sheet that already has two holes in each end.  I got a package of three sizes for under ten dollars...I may eventually invest in another  magnet board, but not right now.

I have collaborated with several artists on my "Penciled In" series for Art-o-mat...as well as doing a couple of early editions by myself.  I am going to put magnets on these tonight (or tomorrow) and arrange them on the baking sheet magnet board.

I (inexpensively) mattted/framed the two original "practice" colorings that William Hessian did and they are positioned over the magnet board.

Day 22 - 365/2014

Day Twenty-Two

Yes, wall in Studio B...I concede that you have totally exhausted me for the rest of tonight.  I also admit that I am posting to the blog early tonight because I will probably fall asleep in front of the tv (I am that worn out).  BUT -- I. am. not. done!

Actually, seven of these shelves got their hardware tonight (that was the easy part).

Four shelves were anchored to this stupid wall tonight.  (I am a bit worried about the next shelf to go close to the light switch.)

Aha -- the shelves "work"!

And now it must be time for kitteh dinner!

Day 21 - 365/2014

Day Twenty-One

Wow -- what a great day to get the mail!

My all-time favorite musical hero -- Arthur Brown -- had a PledgeMusic project to fund his latest album -- "Zim Zam Zim" -- and when you pledged an amount you could choose an incredible item.  A while back those five of us who pledged to have our names in a song received the MP3 of the tune...it is so wonderful.

Today the rest of my items arrived!!!  The other items I pledged for:  my name in the liner notes/thank you mentions in the album booklet, and autographed copy of the CD, a piece of original art made by Arthur Brown, handwritten lyrics to the song of my choice ("Child of My Kingdom"), and a "disposable camera/a day in the life of Arthur Brown". 

I can't even begin to describe how thrilled I am with these items.  And I can't wait to get the camera's photos developed...man!

Squeeeeeeeee!  Two packages from the UK!

The accompanying note.

The autographed CD.

The album booklet...can you see my name in the thank you's?

Here it is!

The "Day in the Life of Arthur Brown" disposable camera.

The original artwork by Arthur Brown!

Signed on the back, of course!

A shot of the handwritten lyrics for the song "Child of My Kingdom" -- it continues on the other side.

AND...a total surprise...I made it into Artists in Cellophane's "1099 Club".  If you, as an Art-o-mat artist, receive yearly payments totaling or exceeding the sum of $600 you have to file a 1099 Miscellaneous Income form with the IRS.

This is the second time I have qualified -- very cool indeed!  I was so not expecting this.

My 1099 Club letter (with "official seal") and iron-on patch.

Day 20 - 365/2014

Day Twenty

More cutting, more presorting.  All day.  All night.  It might not look like it, but this bin of cut out magazine images is deep...many, many images.

For whatever reason(s) I was finding a whole lot of black numbers and letters, as well as a whole bunch of orange/yellow citrus-y things.

Day 19 - 365/2014

Day Nineteen

Today I was trying to think of how I could hang the metal message/magnet board on the wall.  A while ago I found a photo of some spoons that were bent into hook shapes and used as hangers in a kitchen.  I never got around to giving that a go, but today I was thinking of a couple of decorative spoons I have that I could probably bend into that shape and then drill a hole into and attach to the wall...but then I thought better of it.  This is the same wall that has massive chunks missing from me simply trying to put up those magnetic strips with wall dogs and/or wall anchors.  Then, while I was looking at the board I realized I could cut off the wired string of beads and turn the board sideways and use the shapes that are already there to hang onto angled nails...I don't know how long it will hold up but it seems pretty secure.

I also gathered up all of the KT Goodlove, Kettle, and my own Animal People blocks that still needed magnets and got to work.

There is still plenty of room on the wall to add a second and even third message/magnet board if I decide to do it.  I like how this one looks.  I have more Art-o-mat collaborations to display...so this just might be the way to go.

And tonight I am cutting images for the Animal People collage series I am working on...both for Art-o-mat and for the larger ones.

Day 18 - 365/2014

Day Eighteen

Today/this evening was for thinking about (non-Arto) Animal People, Juana started on a new felting project, we went through a bunch of my Arto-collection, Juana gave me some faint outlines for the striding bear guy's head, and then when Juana left I "erased" old lines from the canvas, then went back to thinking about non-Arto Animal People on/in boxes.  Whew!

I was thinking (before Juana arrived) that I want to try to use some of the nice frames I have already and fit the art into the frames rather that fit the frame around a piece of art.  These are some of the Animal People I put together recently that are too large for the Art-o-mat blocks.

Juana arrived -- and she brought the incredible Krampus doll that she felted over the holiday.  She says he still needs a few accessories -- but wow -- isn't he fabulous?!!!

"Hold him like a baby, Juana."

"No...all the way scooped up like a baby."

yikes!

Juana set up in my basement to work on a new felting project.

I "helped" by transporting the hot water downstairs as she needed more.

This is the project she is working on -- a New England boot tray...and yes, the recipients do live in New England...I asked.

Covering the middle layer now.

Using a swimming pool floaty tube thing to help with the rolling process.

And now in the other direction.

Checking on the felting progress.

Later...back upstairs...time to go through my Arto-collection.  Juana and I first discovered Art-o-mat together...it is only fitting she should get first crack at some of my older collection.

Yay -- Juana is taking home quite a few pieces of my Arto-collection!

And now...to give me some pointers on reshaping the striding bear guy's head.  Juana made a faint white outline for me to follow...she also suggested making his whole head area larger...I agree.

I need to "erase" some of the other/older upside images from the canvas...but you know I didn't want to paint it out.  We talked about probably using layers of the same papers that are already in the collage to cover up the tell tale marks.

I started with some yellow mulberry paper...but it didn't cover the marks up too well...although I did want to get some more yellow into the picture.

A little bit of pinkish mulberry paper helped blend in the yellow.

Then I used some of the less transparent papers and kept layering...it is still pretty wet in this shot, but it looks a lot better...the lines are pretty much gone.

And I took out the lines underneath his arm...as well as lightened his arm up a bit...another wet shot, the camera really didn't understand what I was trying to show it.

Ta-daaaa...there is still much more to do, but I am very happy with the amount of lines I was able to get rid of.

Hard to see it, but his head looks a whole lot better -- thanks for the outline, Juana!

And I brought a wooden box up from the basement -- I am thinking I'd like to make dimensional collages on the inside, maybe collage/decoupage the outside.  Maybe with the little cat girl in the pink dress on the outside and the cutie pie in overalls inside.

Or maybe this little cowboy puppy guy inside and one of those toy metal sheriff's badges outside... western theme.

Or maybe it is the rabbit kid's secret hideout.

I still have quite a few boxes downstairs...I would like to make a bunch of these "houses"...but then again, that means painting...yuck!