2012/365 - Day 152

another road trip to Muskegon

My incredibly wonderful sister Sue drove me back to Muskegon to pick up Chime Cat and R. Rebel (both pieces were not accepted for the 84th Regional Exhibition.)

Here are some overall views from our visit...I wasn't really supposed to take any/many photos of single pieces of art.  I tried to just show how wonderful this museum is!  This is the 100th anniversary of the Muskegon Museum of Art -- do yourself a favor and take a trip to see the fabulous-ness!

This is Greg, one of the really friendly and helpful guards at the museum.  He really loves his job and he LOVES this museum!

This is an approach to the show my pieces didn't make it into...the 84th Regional Exhibition.

They had over 600 submissions and approximately 210 pieces made the show.

It really is a fantastic show -- so many incredible pieces and so many different types of art.  Go see it!

And now...a little self indulgence -- the return of Chime Cat and R. Rebel (the two pieces I submitted that were not accepted) to their permanent home in my collection!  The house has been VERY empty without them -- I am SO glad to have them back!

2012/365 - Day 151

another Wednesday Morning at Joan's

It was another wonderful Wednesday Morning at Joan's this morning!

Leann worked on an art quilt, I worked on my art quilt, and Joan worked on a mustang sign thing for Ben and also broke up a bunch of pottery for upcoming mosaic work.

Joan and Leann and Scout.

I started adding a border of beads to my quilt.

This evening I've been playing around with some wooden shapes that may end up as legs for some plaster cloth guys.

I am not going to get started on anything bigger tonight because Sue and I have to make the road trip back to Muskegon to pick up my art that didn't make it into the 84th Regional Exhibition.  I need to go to bed at a reasonable time.

2012/365 - Day 150

layers and layers of paper

Today I am adding even more layers of torn paper to this guy to change his color and look.

I love this guy...I kind of hope no one ever wants to purchase him.

This is the little bear-like guy who reminds me of the Universal Remonster from Aqua Teen Hunger Force.  I've talked about him a lot in the past as I've worked on him and honestly, I just don't feel like looking back through the blog for links.

These first three photos are the "before" shots from today.

Here we are with the beginnings of the torn paper pile.

Applying about the ten millionth piece of torn paper.

These are the "after" shots from this session...I can only work on so much paper before it really starts to wrinkle and tear.

I love his dangerous (no kidding) little claws...they are SO sharp!  I think I might paint them sparkly blue with nail polish.

I like how the spots of color are fading farther into his surface.  I want to be able to see them in places.

I may keep one line of color dots by his face...just to show what they looked like...and for texture.

I really love his face -- even without eyes and distinct features.

AND BONUS -- can you beee-leeeve this...

My desk is STILL clean!  Six days running -- this is a new record for me!

2012/365 - Day 149

flowers and starting to paint a guy

My friends Andi and Punkin came over this morning to finish up the foxglove plantings that they (and Jackbrown) started on Saturday (with all the intermittent rain).  In the meantime, another friend -- Peggy -- brought me some plants that she was thinning out from her garden...especially some columbines (and "we" moved some columbines in my yard, too).

This was the beginning of the day...you can see all of the photos at my Facebook album here.

The plantings are so lovely -- it looks like the areas have always been like that!

Today I also starting painting a plaster cloth guy.  This is a creature I made for myself and haven't painted yet because I didn't know what I wanted him to look like.  I gave him a few layers of spray paint today in four colors of Montana Gold paint.  

This is the first two coats -- a yellow and a bright green.

Next came orange and olive.

It was hard to get shots of the color because the sun that was able to filter through the trees whited everything out.

Back in the studio on my desk you can see the orange and olive much better.  I intend to use that as a bottom layer of color and paint him with acrylics and brushes.

I really like the way the antlers look, though...

I like how they change color as you walk around them.

It is almost like they are lit up from inside.

I sprayed the painted antlers with a thick coat of Golden spray matte varnish and it clouded up a little in places.  Geez...if it isn't too cold to spray outside (to try to avoid fumes) then it is too hot or humid.  I think that was the problem with the clouding of the varnish...although I kind of sort of like how it looks.

A little while ago I decided I was going to lay on a couple of colors of green around his eyes.  Gah...I had this same sort of problem with earlier pieces I tried to spray paint...the paint tends to brush off.  It acts like colored dust on the plaster cloth.

This happened previously with pieces I gesso'd first and also with this guy who wasn't gesso'd first.  It probably has more to do with my spray painting "techniques"/lack of skill and my spritzing versus spraying on an actual coat.

I like how the colors come up through the layers of spray paint, though...this is just the first layer around his eyes...lots more to do.

I am glad this is a piece I am keeping for myself.  I am considering submitting it to that upcoming show but I am not positive I am ready for it.  (The show or the finish-painting.)

I may end up not submitting anything at all to that show either.  We will see as the deadline approaches.  Baby steps to ME being happy with my completed pieces.

OOOH -- that IS thunder in the distance (that is quickly becoming not-so-distant)...I am turning my computer off now.