365 Day 130

one last look

Come Play With Me (my first-ever big time juried show) closes at the end of the week out at Paint Creek Center for the Arts in Rochester, MI.




















When Sue (my sister) and I met up today for coffee and stuff we found -- much to our mutual delight -- that we both had the time to take a run out to Rochester. Sue and I rarely get to do simply F*U*N things anymore...there is usually some sort of trust fund business attached or some sort of errand or something. We were so excited to grab a coffee at Solid Grounds and jump in the car and go.

Sue was with Juana and me when we took our pieces out for the installation because Chime Cat wouldn't fit in my car -- he had to ride in the back seat of Sue's truck. She will also be the driver when we pick the stuff up next week. But today was pure pleasure.

And bless her heart...Sue knows how enamored I am of Mike Sivak's giant marble game. She actually stood and studied the piece and was trying to figure out how I might be able to keep Twink from turning it into a grand cat hotel if we purchased it. She was honestly going to write a check for it...we were ~ that ~ close to doing it! Gawd, I love my sister!



Sue taking a cell phone shot of Mike Sivak's incredible marble game















In the end we both decided we wouldn't want Twink to destroy such a magnificent piece of art and if I brought it home with that rambunctious kitten, we'd have to get some sort of plexiglass case built for it and that would defeat the whole play/purpose of it. Instead, I get to make a few purchases at his one-night-only show tomorrow at Motor City Brewing Works in Detroit...yay!









Chime Cat Visits Cloud City









Sue taking a photo of Juana's 3 dolls



















4 Tookies (finger puppets) with red dots!


















detail of Mike Sivak's marble game -- I see something new everytime I look at it











more of Mike's piece









those birds have such personality!


















more details









Aunt Sue and her plaster cloth nephew














We also took a spin around Andy Krieger's solo show in the first floor gallery. Sue bought herself a Pewabic tile from the gift area and we headed back home.

What a great day!







a last look at Come Play With Me

365 Day 120

woah...what a day!

Wow...what an incredible day of art and fun and more art and more fun.

We went to Laurie Eisenhardt's Studio Spring Sale -- what an incredibly magical experience.

Then we went out to Paint Creek Center for the Arts to go to the Come Play With Me play date.











reunited with Chime Cat for a little while...he needed a belt put back on a wheel





We had a bit of time to kill after that, so we went and had coffee and I put my new glow in the dark shoelaces in my shoes then -- duh -- was mildly disappointed to realize that my pants cover my shoelaces most of the time and you can't see them glowing (even when they are fully charged up). Then we went and got the carbon paper that I nearly forgot (so I can finish transferring my images on to the blocks for Juana to color for our Art-o-mat series "Penciled In").

THEN we came back and went to the opening reception for Meth & Hot Dogs 2 curated by Kill Taupe at LIFT in Royal Oak...man was it packed!





sign for Meth & Hot Dogs by Kill Taupe








Frankly, I am totally worn out. I left Northville this morning at 10 and just got home shortly before 11. I will post the photos of the play date and M&HD2 tomorrow.

Right now I need to sit in front of tv with my purr therapist -- Dr. Twink. That's what I need in order to wind down enough to go to sleep at a reasonable hour tonight. Ahhhhhhhhhh.

365 Day 105

It's finally here! (updated at the end of the post with a link to photos)
Tonight is the Opening Reception for Come Play With Me -- a juried exhibit of dolls, toys and games by Michigan artists -- at Paint Creek Center for the Arts in Rochester, MI.

I am so excited I can hardly stand it -- the waiting/anticipation is excruciatingly fun.

I swiped the info below directly from PCCA, because they say it best:
"Works in this show include a variety of hand sewn dolls and soft toys; a selection of toys made from old books; ceramic dolls and robots; a set of bottle cap figures; a beautifully crafted hand-cranked flip book toy; the King Kong Panic Playset; a refrigerator magnet set complete with refrigerator door; a collection of marble games and puzzles; wooden animal pull toys; paper doll sets; an elaborate marble game construction that may be played alone or with multiple players; masks and a headdress made from found objects and small toys; a visual game based on fictional Tall Tales about the origins of Detroit landmarks; a Grey Gardens board game; a pair of simple but challenging flash video games; surrealist games made up of objects and small parts that hold their own absurd logic; and the lovely Chime Cat Visits Cloud City, a musical pull toy featuring an oversized cat on a wheeled cart. Participating artists range from veteran artists familiar to many in the Detroit area, to newcomers exhibiting their work for the first time. We’re excited to see the sheer variety of approaches to the theme, and the excellent craftsmanship that went into all these beautiful toys."

Here is the list of participating artists -- I cannot be-lieve I am in such extraordinary company!
(I have included a link to the artist's website/Etsy shop where available)

• Madeleine Barkey -- Ferndale, MI
• Jeanne Bieri -- Grosse Pointe Farms, MI
• Loralei Byatt -- Detroit, MI
• Sandra Cardew -- Royal Oak, MI
• Renee Dooley -- Detroit, MI
• Took Gallagher -- Northville, MI
• Marcia Hovland -- Royal Oak, MI
• Amy Kelly -- Hamtramck, MI
• Andrew Krieger -- Grosse Pointe Farms, MI
• Andy Malone -- Royal Oak, MI
• Michael McGillis -- Royal Oak, MI
• Joey Merchant -- Ferndale, MI
• Ryan Molloy -- Ann Arbor, MI
• Juana Moore -- Ferndale, MI
• Scott Northrup -- Dearborn, MI
• Jaclyn Novak -- Canton, MI
• Catherine Peet -- Royal Oak, MI
• Teresa Petersen -- Detroit, MI
• Gina Scolellaro -- Amherstberg, Ontario
• Mike Sivak -- Ann Arbor, MI
• Doug Spalding -- Royal Oak, MI
• Starr Williams -- Berkley, MI

And...as if that wasn't enough:
"As part of this exhibit, we’ve scheduled a Saturday afternoon Play Date for Saturday, April 30th from 1:00 – 4:00 pm. Come on in and play with the toys the artists have created. Children accompanied by their parents are welcome to participate. We’ll also have some materials and ideas on hand for kids to make their own toys and games."

I will do my best to take as many photos as possible tonight!

Update: here is a LINK to the photos I took.

365 Day 89

my last "Come Play With Me" teaser


Chime Cat Visits Cloud City is my piece that was accepted for the "Come Play With Me" show at Paint Creek Center for the Arts in Rochester, MI.

This show is a juried exhibit of dolls, toys and games by Michigan artists. I feel so privileged to be in such glorious company.

Scroll down the Exhibitions page to see more about this show.

Chime Cat is a pull toy and today I am working on completing the leash/strap/pull. I am using one half of a lovely old pair of braided English reins that I got from my niece...and I am cleaning and polishing the leather. I love the look and feel of the rein section and I really like the way it will attach to the cloud cart. I am adding a painted wooden handle to the pull -- probably securing it with a rivet.

I also have a few more touch ups to the paint of Chime Cat's face to do. He will be delivered to Paint Creek next week.

The Opening Reception for the show is April 15.

365 Day 83

the last look at these guys for a while







'nip dealer -- rear view before gesso and 2nd coat of blue paint









Now that I have completed the Tookies that I will be taking to the 1st-Ever Tiny Market at Tiny Studio in Kalamazoo for the April Art Hop there, I am turning my attention to:

1. finishing my Chime Cat Visits Cloud City for "Come Play With Me" (Paint Creek Center for the Arts, Rochester)
   
2. my entries for "Meth & Hot Dogs 2" (LIFT, Royal Oak)

From this point on I will only show teasers. Photos of the final complete versions will only be shown at the blog after the run of a show.

The first three photos tonight are of the two main pieces I am making for "Meth & Hot Dogs 2". Click on the poster for more info.

Around these parts (my house, that is) my cats like to partake in a bit of catnip (aka 'nip) on occasion. My characters will be 'Nipped -- a hopelessly insatiable catnip addict and his 'nip dealer (untitled as of now). The dealer is a snake that I originally made as a tail for another creature (last year) but that I thought looked better on its own as a snake. Up until now I have been using this guy as a test surface for color combinations and palettes for other plaster cloth (and/or papier mache) items I have been working on. The stripes in the first photo were the basic pattern for Chime Cat's socks.

Both characters are shot from the back view tonight...that is the teaser part.

The snake has loads of layers of papier mache and plaster cloth already (because I was teaching myself how to use the materials) and I don't even remember how many coats of colors he has altogether (so far)...but tonight he got another coat of light blue and another coat of gesso....oh I have plans for this guy, all right.






'nip dealer -- paint and gesso -- rear view












'Nipped still needs quite a few more layers of plaster cloth. He was originally made for a figurative show I ended up not entering. I was basically not happy with the human-ish thing I made and it was mostly because I had forced it -- it wasn't really "me".

[That little exercise in futility helped me to learn that I can't really work like that. I need to make things that I want to make, that I have had in my head for a while...or that I feel some sort of connection with. I need to just make things because I need to make them. Then if they happen to fit an upcoming call for entries, cool. Or perhaps a basic shape can be tweaked for a show...that sort of thing. I think that was a really big part of the turning point for me this year.]

I have added a lot of roundness to his head (especially on the back) and added the ears. I also gave him more shape and substance with the addition of the shoulders and upper torso. I am reeeeeally happy with the ears so far.









'Nipped, rear view








Thankfully the delivery date for the art for "Come Play With Me" was extended a week. This will give me plenty of time to do the final painting of Chime Cat and to finish off his cloud cart, the pull strap and the handle for the strap. He will also need several layers of sealer.




unfinished Chime Cat, rear view


It has really been amusing to me that several people have thought that Chime Cat was in a sort of traveling litter box. He is actually in a cloud cart for getting around in Cloud City. I think it will be easier to see when it is finished. Plus, if you go see him in person, when that cart rolls and you hear the chimes you will know that there is no way that's a litter box....LOL.

365 Day 74

This is HUGE for me on my personal artistic path this year -- and for my 365 Project, my Creative Progress Report.

I am so happy to be a part of this amazing show and to be in such wonderful company with this line up of artists.

Wow.

365 Day 73

I made it!!!

My first-ever big time juried art show submission - Chime Cat Visits Cloud City - was accepted for "Come Play With Me" at Paint Creek Center for the Arts in Rochester, MI.

I will have more links as I get them, but for today's blog entry this is plenty!

WOW.






I still have a little bit of finishing up to do

365 Day 66

I did it!

Today my friend Juana and I hand delivered our submission CDs for "Come Play With Me" out to Paint Creek Center for the Arts in Rochester, MI. This is the toy-themed show I have been referring to and it is another "first" for me. PCCA invited Michigan artists to submit original dolls, toys and games for a playful exhibit. Submissions will be juried by PCCA's Exhibition Committee.

Here are my photos -- this is "Chime Cat Visits Cloud City"


















and the accompanying detail shot.


















Chime Cat is 3 feet tall, 14 inches wide and 19 inches deep. It weighs about 30 pounds.

I still need to tweak some of the painting of the cat. Also I want to add clouds to the cart and I have a wooden piece that will serve as a handle for the pull strap. Then I need to seal the whole thing really well.

I am nervous and excited about it. Artist notification takes place between March 14-19. Keep your fingers crossed for Chime Cat!

For the remainder of the evening I will be working on Tookies, adding the flat ribbony yarn to the tops of their heads. I have about 30 to go, then I need to trim up the "hair" on all 100 finger puppets and put them into the boxes and add the acetate/cellophane...then they will be ready to ship to Art-o-mat HQ. I think probably Thursday at the latest...most likely before then. Yay!

365 Day 42

LOTS of progress today!














The day started off with picking up 55 magazines from my wonderful dentist's office -- wow! Denise was glad to weed out their magazines and I was thrilled to bring them home. I promise to recycle whatever I don't use.














When Juana and I were at Green's Art Supplies yesterday, we looked at a lot of their art paper. They had some of the same papers I have at home including two of my favorites.

Today I decided to use the paper I have instead of just looking at it.












I had another canvas that was set aside "for later". This one was once a sort of birthday card I received a long time ago and it had lots of beads and glitter and puff paints on a black background. It was an appreciated and thoughtful gift at the time, but it had outlived the greeting many times over so I decided to repurpose it.













I also got out one of the jars of matte medium that I have never used before. Ever. Had it forever, never tried it. I originally bought it for use in collage because I read you can use it in place of glue.













I think it is turning out pretty cool already. The canvas is textured with the paper itself and the remaining beads and puff paint under the paper. The orange stripes are not as visible anymore because of the black paint underneath, but it looks pretty darn cool. I have no idea where I am going to go with this yet, I am just happy to have finally tried the matte medium. I think I will let the paper tell me what to do.

The other paper -- my absolute favorite -- the green with black rectangles pattern -- is now a part of the ghost on the right. And it is also part of the mouth of the ghost on the left, the ghost who is made up of a bit of everything on the canvas.














I really enjoyed tearing the paper. I would normally have cut it with scissors in the shape of the ghost, but I am fighting my comfort zone(s) with this canvas.


















I really love all the layers of color that are developing.














I love how the paper is almost like a mask around his eyes.














And here is the mouth of the ghost on the left.



















AND -- I am very excited about this...my friend and I were able to coordinate some time for him to come by this evening and look at my plans for my submissions for the Come Play With Me show. He thinks that it will be a quick thing for him to put the wood parts together for me. He took some of the parts home and will get started on them and I will go and get some of the other parts tomorrow morning and we will meet up again tomorrow and get rolling! Now I have to get to work on the toy parts!!!

365 Day 40

me...making a sketch book of actual plans???

Who would've thought this would happen? Certainly not me! I am not a maker of drawn out plans and details or a sketcher in sketch books...but look -- I'm doing it!

I am hoping to submit a couple of pieces to the "Come Play With Me" show at Paint Creek Center for the Arts in Rochester.

The ideas that are flying around in my head are there in abundance. MAKING them happen on the mechanical end is not. I got up my nerve and asked a friend of mine for some help in doing the construction part of the workings of the piece(s) and *gasp* he agreed (although he hasn't seen anything in person yet...LOL) so I figured I had better at least try and make sketches in order to get my ideas from my head to something he could see too.

So far the two days we had planned on meeting didn't work out. He was not in town on Monday and I had a power outage yesterday. On Thursday I have a commitment (that I will blog about). Hopefully we can get together tonight or later in the week. The deadline for the submissions is going to come up really fast.

So far I have made three sketches for three projects. I will most likely only be able to do one for the submission...maybe two...maybe another different one...I will blog about the progress of most of them because if they end up not working out in time for submitting them for consideration for the show -- or they don't get accepted -- I will just complete them anyway and keep them for myself or put them on Etsy or something.




The "plaster-cloth-mostly-built-already" guy and the rolling musical toy are elements of the main piece I want to do for the Come Play With Me show.



















I have been thinking about a lot of these things for a long, long time and I really need to make them. Perhaps if I just make them anyway a few will fit other shows at some point. Who knows. All I know I just need to do this.