Anatomical Heart Shadowbox #4

found wood, paper, paint, vinyl
8 x 10 3/4 inches

Inside the heart here is a reproduction of found fabric from the farm.  I think it's got a certain sophistication.

Mini Collage Number Nineteen

Spin Cycle
vinyl, fabric paper, 1960's magazine image
4 x 5 inches

This was an 'O' from my failed letter series.  I had a really hard time naming this one.  Alternate titles: Whirlpool, Next, Pink Paradise.

Mini Collage Number Thirteen

Dialog
fabric paper, matboard, cutouts, vinyl
4 x 5 inches

Open for interpretation. 

What I'm Making Today

Well, I've passed the transition from 2014 to 2015 without even a peep here on the blog.  I was working almost literally up until Christmas and then was too burnt out/lazy to try to write something worth reading.  So I'm going to try to just put up some pictures to get the ball rolling again.

TODAY I'M WORKING ON: DESK CLOCKS!

3.5 x 3.5 inches/MDF/paper from old hymnals, Mary Poppins book, and "fabric paper"

When they're done I'll have them up on my Etsy site or they'll go live in Lawrence, Kansas, at Essential Goods!

Happy Belated New Year/Ground Hog Day!

Made It: More Experiments

I've been on a tear playing with new materials and throwing caution to the wind!

Let's start with the skeletons (all sizes are 5 x 7 inches unless otherwise noted):

matboard, tea-stained old book page, acrylic paint, vinyl

matboard, found sheet music, acrylic paint, vinyl

I painted over the vinyl and tried to scrape it off...works better on the thick black vinyl.

matboard, painted found sheet music, vinyl

squiggle time

matboard, painted found book page, vinyl

matboard, found seed catalog page, paint, vinyl

8 x 10--salvaged wood, acrylic paint, vinyl
I actually have a tentative title for this one:
"Fill My Hollow Bones"

9 x 11.5--salvaged wood, acrylic paint, fabric paper, vinyl, gel medium

Gotta finish those edges!

Hearts!

matboard, found book page, vinyl, acrylic paint

matboard, painted found book page, vinyl, acrylic paint

 I painted over the top of this and then scraped it off, sgraffito style

matboard, layers of found, painted, and/or made papers, vinyl, paint

 throwback:

matboard, found painted hymnal page, vinyl

matboard, found and painted collaged paper, vinyl, acrylic paint

domestic goddesses:
matboard, music pages, paint, vinyl

 I have so many ideas, and I'm just not going to settle for one image style.  I love the weird, macabre skeleton and heart images, because everyone brings something different to those, depending on their history and feelings about health, guts, death, life, color, whathaveyou.  And the retro images just make me happy.  More of a Pop Art feel comes from those, and having some levity in a line of work isn't a bad thing.

I have a one day show this weekend in Lee's Summit, MO, during a bike race--Tour of Kansas City-- so I'm pumping out lots of stickers and other fun cycling-related paraphernalia.  Plus, it's the first day of summer, and I love spending the solstice outside all day.

Here's to the makers out there.  Keep plugging away!

February Happened!

This little month has flown by!  Between working on new clocks, creating work with new materials and techniques, fighting through the winter doldrums, and taking a few days out to work my old post at a flower shop over Valentine's week, well, it's almost March already.  So I'm just going to do a  little updating and dump February right in your lap.

My main focus  has been playing with texture, color, and graphics.  I'd like to get more involved designs going, but...baby steps.

5 x 8 fabric paper on matboard

6 x 12 fabric paper on painted MDF with vinyl

6 x 12 fabric paper on painted MDF with vinyl

Four 3.5 x 5 fabric paper and vinyl on painted wood

3.5 x 5 fabric paper and vinyl on painted wood

2.5 x 12 fabric paper, found letter, and vinyl on MDF

12 x 15 fabric paper and vinyl on painted MDF

10 x 10 fabric paper and vinyl on MDF

4 x 10 found and fabric paper with vinyl on MDF

3.5 x 5 fabric paper and vinyl on painted wood

4 x 5 fabric paper and vinyl on matboard

 And now the clocks!  There are more, which you can see on my Etsy site, but here's a peek:

5 x 5 vinyl orzo burst on sanded aluminum

5 x 5 black and white vinyl on aluminum

5 x 5 black chains on blue

5 x 5 yellow and brown Dachshund clock

5 x 5 black and grey orzos on reflective silver vinyl background

5 x 5 Earth tone elephant clock

5 x 5 muted burst clock on aluminum

8 x 8 yellow and white orzo pattern clock on aluminum

I've had a few orders during the cold months online, even one from Australia (which is super hot right now, but I'll take it)!  I'm working on scheduling shows and building inventory.  I'm excited about the new work I'm tinkering with and haven't even scratched the surface of possibilities!  Not enough hours in the day!

In the Middle of the Night III

Sometimes my occasional insomnia-riddled nights can be productive.  Last night was one such occasion.

I have lots of found fabric scanned, and love the old-timey patterns and color combos.  Since I can't sew, and really don't have time to learn, I decided to keep digital images to be used later and put the fabric up for sale so it can fulfill its destiny of usefulness (as seen in my posts on frameables and fabric).  This has worked pretty well, with many pieces of my kins' scraps scattered throughout the country, and even across the pond!  I have kept a few pieces that are just too beautiful to let go, and perhaps someday will be able to use them in their actual capacity.  But until then, it's digital and handmade collages for these guys!

I just came across a new box of scraps, and there are signs that these were saved to become a crazy quilt.  It was like Christmas when I opened it up!

Smells just like I knew it would.  Old and musty!

Retro kitchen goodness!

The blue gingham background and yellow with white flower hair fabrics
have been sold off to Portland and Kalamazoo, respectively.

 I already had the black images saved and have used them in vinyl form, but, as I mentioned before, I'd like to do some prints/reproductions of some work this year, and this is a step in that process.  I've also been using A LOT of scraps and fabric-papers (I don't know what to call it...reproductions of fabric on paper, anyway), so I had some leftovers to play around with making collages the old fashioned way.

Papers from the early 1900s to the 1970s and fabric papers from this year.

I just have to keep telling myself that there are no rules and it's a process.  Being a little out of it in the middle of the night doesn't hurt to loosen up a person, that's for sure.

I'm really excited about this new stuff and lament that there just aren't enough hours in the day to make art and live a life that includes running errands and not being a hermit constantly.  It's a good problem to have, and I feel very lucky.

Happy Groundhog Day!