365/2013 - Day 181

more gallery sitting

Today I kept Joanne company for the very very last day of West of Center and the beginning of artist art pick up.  I also got to spend a little time with Kurt.  We talked with more friendly people who dropped by the Northville Art House to see the show and to see what the Art House is about.

Joanne Bandoni is the person who has been the coordinator of West of Center for the last 4 years -- another fabulous show under her belt!

During slow times I worked on Tookies.

this is what I started with today

this is what I finished up with -- they just need the soft bottom edges...I can probably do those tonight

365/2013 - Day 180

what a great day!

Today was day two of my volunteer shifts for The Northville Art House during their biggest fundraiser of the year -- Arts & Acts.  Again today, I did some gallery sitting and talked to a whole bunch of lovely people who came to see "West of Center".  

Again today, I was very pleased to be be able to hang out at the Art House with the new Art House Store Mangager Patti Witte.  I am really enjoying getting to spend time with Patti and getting to know her.

But the best thing that happened today -- my piece from West of Center sold!  I won't go into details because I don't have the new owners' permission(s) but I just want to express how thrilled I am -- this is so out of the blue and SO appreciated!  First -- I am ecstatic that someone liked Quillz enough to want to purchase him.  Second -- I worked very very hard on Quillz and I am very happy that someone who can appreciate that is taking him home.  Third -- although I have sold artwork in the past, I don't recall ever selling a piece of my art directly from the show that it was in.  Fourth -- I am very pleased that the Northville Art House is getting a percentage of my sale...I love the Art House and I really believe in it and everything the Art House is about.  Fifth -- I am just SO happy!!!

early in the day -- Patti on the other side of the counter, taking on a last-minute task

later on -- Patti does a good "Vanna White" impression while putting the red SOLD dot on my label

Quillz -- now you behave in your new home, you!

ta-daaaaaaaaaah!

Oh man... I just thought of how tickled my sister Sue is going to be about this sale.  Sue sees me enter shows and is always very supportive...but she actually got to come to the opening reception and hear juror Matt Eaton talk about the jurying process.  Even though Sue might not always connect with my art she is always my biggest cheerleader.  This is going to make her really happy, too.

365/2013 - Day 179

gallery sitting day one

This is the weekend of Arts & Acts in Northville!  There is so much to do at the festival -- fine art, live music, children's activities, theater, poetry & short stories event, film festival, beer tent, food, and...and... 

A Summer Carnival is going on at Northville Downs at the same time as Arts and Acts.

It is also the final weekend to view the 2013 West of Center All-Media Contemporary Art Exhibit at the Northville Art House.  As an Art House volunteer (and Exhibit Committee member) I signed up to take a couple of shifts at the festival and I chose to do the gallery sitting on Friday and Saturday. 

I brought my sewing case with me and worked on Tookies finger puppets.  I had the privilege of talking with some folks who came to see the show.  One group was a couple of adults and two kids.  They were all very into the artwork but the kids really enjoyed looking at my Tookies.  And the littlest girl stayed in front of my table watching me...I mean right at the table.  I ended up offering the two kids a finger puppet each -- they seemed to really enjoy them.

This is my view of the gallery from my spot in the far corner...working on Tookies.

I completed the ears/horns on 5 camouflage print finger puppets -- and these are the 2 completed colorful Tookies I have left (of the 4 I had ready).

But I saved the best part for last...

Today I met the new manager of the Art House Store.  Her name is Patti Witte (pronounced "witty") and she is just great!  I was semi-concerned about who could fill Carla's shoes...Carla is such a major part of the Northville Art House and the Art House Store.  Patti is totally different from Carla -- and no one can replace Carla -- but I think Patti is the perfect choice to take on this multi-tasking/combination jobs position.

Introducing our new Art House Store Manager -- Patti Witte!

365/2013 - Day 178

I wanted to work on something big

First -- LOOK -- one of the smoke bushes that Andi put in for me a couple of years ago is actually smoking!!!  First time!

So I wanted to work on an in-progress project that is of a larger scale.  I will get back to the Tookies tomorrow and Saturday while I am at the Northville Art House...but today I wanted to work bigger.

I selected the repurposed canvas that has the horse-guy on it.  And that new young-panda-ish-sort-of-guy in the background.  My problem is that I can see a guy fully developed when I look at the collage but I don't know how to get him from my head to the canvas.  Yeah, I want to leave him/them pretty much up to the viewer to see in their own way, but I need to get at least the main idea down.

So I took a deep breath and darkened in the new guy.   I know it isn't much...but it is a big step for me.  I worked on him more and gave his outfit more shape...and he also has a leg with a shoe now. 

But the more I looked at the canvas the more the horse-guy was really beginning to creep me out.  I think it was just too much of a difference between the sweetness of the little guy and the uncertain what the horse-guy guy was about-ness.  So I decided that the main problem with the horse-guy collage was the horse-guy.  He's gotta go.  I did it with the llama/giraffe-girl before (and the little guy emerged in that area) so maybe I can cover up the horse-guy with various papers and new guys will come to the surface.  

I took the collage out to the dining room table so I could see with the better lighting and spread out a bit.  I told myself I was going to limit this to the torn up papers bag -- no new ripping of big sheets for this tonight!

ready to start -- limiting myself to the "torn up papers bag"

I want to try to save that kind of fox-with-extremely-long-features-guy behind the horse-guy's ear

I am also being very careful not to cover up the new shoe

not too bad -- this is the first layer (and I managed to avoid covering up the fox and the shoe!)

a second layer over the more colorful areas and the areas that I can really see

I was trying not to use any polka dots this time but I had to -- they were there -- plus they may turn into something later -- I tried to just hold a piece of torn paper above the wet canvas and let go of it so it could drift down onto the surface

ooh -- some of the other papers with inclusions fell into/onto the polka dots and I really like it where they overlap and blend -- this is the "done with this for tonight"/very wet stage -- still laying flat on the table

upright photo of the very wet collage -- I wonder how it will look when it dries

For me, this is the nerve wracking part of re-doing a collage -- but it is also kind of exciting.  The collage will look quite different when all of that matte medium and those layers of paper dry.

365/2013 - Day 177

more base layers on the mannequin torso

I got a lot farther tonight on covering the mannequin torso with the base layer(s) of plaster cloth than I imagined I would.  I decided to try to use the long, wide sections as they accordion-fold out of the box rather than cut the plaster cloth into my usual triangles.  I was hoping I could use hot water and soak the strips pretty well and just lay them on and smooth them with as little movement of the cloth underneath them as possible.  For the most part it went pretty well.  I needed the triangles around the breast forms to fill in the curves more easily.  And I used a couple of large triangles on the shoulder area.  

The fabric on the mannequin was tighter to the form in places and slippier in others.  This made me find a new smoothing method which turned out to be more like laying on bandages and letting them sit for a second or two and then re-wetting my gloved hand and applying a little bit of pressure and making a gliding motion -- rather than the back and forth or circular motions I normally use.  After the initial strip was in place and secured to the mannequin's fabric I could go back to my normal smoothing methods...so it was a combination of both.

I think because I was using hotter water than I usually do -- and because I was using the larger pieces -- the work went more quickly.  The plaster cloth was creamier than I usually work with it.  I have used it with water this hot in the past -- but only with larger surfaces like tonight...but with small triangle pieces.  I like how the plaster cloth process is adaptable for different projects.

Anyway -- here are the photos from tonight.  I was only going to work with one tub of water until it cooled off, but because things were going smoothly and fairly quickly I wanted to keep going.  LOL -- as I was taking the water out to dump it outside I knock the rabbitish guy over (I set him on the floor near my chair) and he hit the wood floor with a very loud THUD but I couldn't stop to check him at that moment.  When I came back in and set the fresh water down I stood him up and looked him over.  He looks fine...no harm done at all.

I would sort of like to go another round with the plaster cloth tonight but I am going to listen to my body and not push it.  Without getting too whiney or detailed...my knees, legs, ankles, and feet are in really bad shape today (and yesterday)...I think the horrible humidity and thick air has a lot to do with it.  So it is back to my chair and the routine for the rest of the night.  

look at the difference between the front and the back of the mannequin -- this is where the fabric was looser (front) and tighter (back) to the form

365/2013 - Day 176

t-shirts and a mannequin torso

My sister Sue brought over a huge box and a good-sized bag of t-shirts that she can't sell (for whatever reason or another) and also the mannequin torso she used to display them on.  I am very excited to get these art supplies!  The t-shirts are the color-changing ones -- with the heat from your body they go from like orange to yellow...or blue to pink.  I will cut them up and sew the strips together (or use whole sections maybe) and they will become new soft sculpture guys.  

The usually inviso-Sue with the loot/art supplies she brought me!

That is a LOT of shirts!

The last soft sculpture guy I made -- Quillz -- had a body made from strips of an old plain shirt of mine and color changing shirts.  His ears were also made from the color changing material.

So tonight I decided I wanted to get started on covering the mannequin torso.  I knew it was going to be a big project.  The torso is covered with a fabric that is similar to a men's underwear tank tap.  This thing has been around for quite a while and has been to many selling venues and has been in Sue's basement for a while.  It is a dusty and slightly beat up thing.  At first I planned to just cover the whole thing with plaster cloth so that I wouldn't have to look at it anymore or deal with the dust.  Ha.  I was thinking that the plaster cloth would take to the white fabric and make a stronger new skin.  Ha.  

What. a. mess.  

The fabric is not fully glued to the torso.  It slips and moves...making it difficult to smooth the plaster cloth onto it without a whole section of fabric/plaster cloth moving, and therefore not adhering.  I thought the plaster cloth would become one with it -- yeah, right.  PLUS, underneath the fabric, the torso is just made of cardboard layers -- it feels pretty strong -- but the bottom edge is really icky and there are splits in the seams (I am finding out as I work on it).  I will need to put many, many layers of plaster cloth onto this torso to make it hold up.  BUT it will work!!!  It is just going to take some time and a lot of plaster cloth.  I have both.

I drag so odd things into the wet plaster cloth studio.

Inside of the torso before I got started -- when I still thought it would be best to cover the fabric with plaster cloth.

After I decided I better pull off as much of the fabric as I could.  Also not that great of an idea. 

The inside of the torso after on sitting's worth of plaster cloth and smoothing.

What. a. mess.  I will make this work (eventually).

365/2013 - Day 175

all black finger puppets or an assortment?

I think I will go with an assortment for the second 50 Tookies.

These are the ones I liked best after experimenting with the assorted gloves that I have left.  I have enough to do 10 blue/blue stripe guys, 10 black/white stripe guys, 20 solid blue guys, and 10 camouflage/variegated guys.

365/2013 - Day 174

decisions...decisions...

Today I finished finger puppets 41-50 (of 100) for my Art-o-mat series called "Tookies".  Now I need to decide if I want to make another 50 black ones (like the first 50) or make an assorted 50.  Hmmm... I guess I will experiment tonight and see how the more colorful gloves look in this style.  Also -- this afternoon I discovered I need to order 100 pre-glued boxes/cellophane from Artists in Cellophane...I don't have enough for this series.  Oh well, I am not totally ready to do the boxes and inserts yet anyway.

Holding these ten finger puppets upside down to see the soft edges -- it's like a bouquet of them.

Tookies 41-50 (of 100).

The first 50 are done!

NOW...to do some experimenting tonight and see how the more colorful gloves look in this style.  At least I have enough black fingers to complete the set of 100.

365/2013 - Day 173

wow -- that is cutting it close

Man -- that was way too close!  One minute I was putting a button eye on a finger puppet, the next minute I was sewing the same button eye onto the same finger puppet for the third time...I kept nodding off to sleep and messing up.  Geez --- Bendaryl...can't live with you, can't live without you.  But I made it before my midnight deadline.

I am very grateful to not have to be anywhere in particular most of the time!

I FINALLY finished up the horns/ears on this batch of 10 Tookies -- these are 41-50 (out of 100),

And NOW they all have eyes!

365/2013 - Day 172

brutally long day outside

Today I helped my sister Sue at her garage sale.  It was Day Two for her and it was just a long, long, l-o-n-g day outside in the rising heat and humidity and allergens.  Both of us were done by the end of the day and then there was the quick clean up and stash stuff in the garage thing.  I do not do well outside for long stretches of time...I am just not built for it anymore.  I'm not going into whining details but I will say that every damn inch of my body hurts -- even my face and my hands hurt.

BUT I wanted to post to the blog before I totally crash and fall asleep in front of tv...LOL.

On the way home I stopped at Joann Fabrics and grabbed some embroidery floss in luscious colors and they had a bazillion (okay, about six) different color palettes of teensy packaged buttons that I use for the finger puppet eyes.  I hit the jackpot!  I will be back to production mode tomorrow for sure -- maybe much later tonight if I start recovering... yeah...that'll happen.

LOOK at these colors -- I did nothing to edit the colors -- this was taken on the kitchen counter under the skylight at around 8:15 at night -- everything looks good in that light.

365/2013 - Day 171

not much for today

I was pretty distracted with other stuff today, so I didn't get much done as far as making something or working on the Tookies goes.

This is 8 total partially done with the ears/horns in this batch of ten finger puppets.

365/2013 - Day 170

Wednesday Morning with Joan and Leann

It seems like it has been a very long time since the three of us met for a Wednesday Morning.   It was so good to be with my friends again!

Joan (left) and Leann (right)

I started work on the next batch of ten Tookies finger puppets -- I didn't get very far.

I wanted to show Joan and Leann the felted flower I made in our Second Thursday group -- both Joan and Leann had other things going on and couldn't join us that evening.  Look -- my flower is holding its shape enough to stand on its edge.

This evening I attended a rousing meeting of the Northville Art House's Exhibit Committee.  We talked about a lot of things, focusing on the remainder of this year's upcoming events and talking more about next year's calendar.  It was a very lively meeting and I am so looking forward to working on several really swell shows!  

I also took one more step towards the semi-secret thing I am really excited about but that I am not going to talk about until it comes true...but the final step will happen on July 1st at 6:30 p.m.  It's only a semi-secret because I don't want to jinx it by telling any details before it happens...but I am really thrilled about it!

And now I am pretty well done for the evening...I am going to sleep soundly tonight!