Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Walking back to the studio

More to do but oh so nice! I can't wait to do some tile or mosaic and some art lights, cool molding.......
About 7 months ago with help from our daughter Norm and I tore apart our kitchen. Walls, sheet rock, all the electric, ceiling, beams under the floor, floor all had to be replaced. I have been doing the dishes in the tub on my knees for that entire time, not so bad I became very handy with paper plates. But now a few days before Christmas my boys Nick and Gil put it back together. So very nice to do the dishes standing up!

Before it started snowing today I cracked some old walnuts for the Jays and put them on the frozen bird bath. Winifred the Loyal (Winnie) knows a good walnut when she smells one and couldn’t figure why I would place them just out of her reach.


I just couldn’t stay in as the first snow feel, it is so beautiful, quite and clean.

And I needed that after a week of house guests.
House guests Duke and Reo 2 and 3 years old.
Now I start the walk back to the studio holiday break is over the guest have gone home and I have a powerful need to get paint and glue on my hands.

Monday, December 7, 2009

New Art For My Walls

In the past few weeks I have been involved in several art shows, as a participant it was successful and a wonderful adventure. I met many artist old and new, fell in love with so many beautiful pieces but could come home with only a fraction of what I wanted. I was not surprised at the colors and subjects I picked but was amazed at how well they all go together once they were all on the same wall. We are still in the middle of a remodel and they will find new space after it is all done but for now they will hang at the side of my bed where I can see them every night and dream of art and color.
Remember if you want to see the art work up close just click on the picture.
This piece is by Barton DeGgraaf click on this if you would like to see more of his work. I love all his work, the one above is titled "Gone Fishin" and is a watercolor.

This one is by Robin Olsen from her pod series, an acrylic on canvas. The title is "Alone Time". I love the values and textures in her work,check out her blog and see some amazing art.

This one is so alive and my photograph does not do it justice because the depth, color and different textures captures the viewer. It is titled "Sunrise, Sunset" a mixed media collage by Lorraine Jones.
Here they are next to the bed.
So sweet this little Jack Sparrow Hawk (American Kestrel) is acrylic on wood by Susan G. Jensen

And isn't this one fabulous it is a African Guinea Hen. Acrylic on canvas by R. Goldys.

A bird of a different sort a "Urban Folk Art Bird" by Stephanie Brockway.

The pillow is by Suzanne Reynolds a wonderful seamstress and artist.
The card is a photo of a couple sock monsters by Darlene Veltman.
How lucky am I, I sold enough art to buy some amazing pieces from artists I admire.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

More Lights

I have been working away on lights for my art groups show and sale Dec. 4th and 5th. I hope you can come see what we have been working on all year. Please click here for the details.
They are all lit with a 3 watt or 7 watt night light. Each one is unique.....

from the tip top to the funny little things inside...





This one I'm fond of.
"She thought the little nuts would never be quiet"

Have a very Happy Thanksgiving.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Lighting glass assemblages

I have been having fun in the studio playing with glass and little bits of things...
This one is unfinished but fun to look at...

she rides her rhino in a forest of type writer keys.


as I was taking photos the sun came in creating great shadows....

a wood base holds a night light...

she looks out at us...

hand made papers diffuse the light...

the Russian dancer comes from the 50's


The old man in the moon takes a rhino ride.

More to come very soon I'm getting ready for the Portland Art Collective annual art show and sale.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

New artist in town

Dad, Mom and baby just minutes after being born.

Every little thing checks out....


healthy 8.5 lbs....

after wetting on mom she gets her first diaper...
what kind of art would you like to try first.

first bath and combing of her hair... she loves it....

after all that its time for a nap.... we have plenty of time to do art...

She (Nessie ?) was born about 2:30 pm Nov. 2, 8.8lbs, 20" long with good healthy lungs.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Nautilus Shell


The nautilus shell spiral is a logarithmic spiral similar to other spirals such as the Golden Mean or phi spiral, but with slightly different proportions. A close approximation of a Golden Mean spiral, based on the Fibonacci whole number sequence.The spiral of the chambered nautilus as well as other logarithmic spirals can be found throughout the human body and nature. The drawing of the inner ear and a image of a star cluster nebula are just two examples which can be seen with a microscope or a telescope.
I started this lamp with a wire base that is soldered together.
Nautilus – Living fossil
The Nautilus (in Greek 'sailor') has survived relatively unchanged for 450 million years and is one of the only shells to survive from the Dinosaurs era. This is why the Nautilus is sometimes referred to as a "living fossil". The Nautilus is a nocturnal creature and spends most of its time in the great depths of the ocean. The Nautilus shell, lined with mother-of-pearl, grows into increasingly larger chambers throughout its life and so has become a symbol for expansion and renewal.
I looked at the shell for reference but did not measure.
Nautilus shell and Phi Dating back to Hindu myth, the Nautilus Shell was mentioned as a symbol of many things in the creation. It is also a symbol for the inner beauty of nature. The Nautilus shell is one of the known shapes that represent the golden mean number. The golden mean number is also known as PHI - 1.6180339... The PHI is a number without an arithmetic solution, the digits simply continue for eternity without repeating themselves. The uniqueness of the golden mean is that it can be found in all living forms such as the human skeleton, the shell and the sunflowers seeds order. Plato called this value - "The key for the universe physics".
The Golden Mean number is widely used in art, architecture and religious symbols. Artists like Da Vinci and Kandinsky have used the golden mean in their paintings. The Guggenheim museum, planned by Frank Lloyd Wright, is shaped like the shell.
The light is 12" x 12" x 6" and uses a 7 watt night light bulb
Researchers found that humans will consider art work, architecture and even a face beautiful that have the golden mean proportions.




Saturday, October 31, 2009

Happy Halloween

Vincent Van Gogh
Vincent Van Gogh – Skull with Cigarette (1886)

This image was made just prior to the beginning of the 19th century; however it demonstrates a starting point for the shifting trend in skulls and skeletons in art. Van Gogh painted this work while studying figures from life models at the Academy of Art in Antwerp. The students were at the time learning in the academic tradition, which relied heavily on the classical examples and practices of ancient Rome and Greece. Because Van Gogh did not agree with this form of painting, this image was most likely meant as a joking mockery of the academic practice.



Wednesday, October 28, 2009

The bust and felting soap

I saw this bust in a downtown shop in Salem about a year ago and wanted it sooooo much but thought I should not spend the money. Every time I went in I looked for it and was relieved to see it still there. Then one day I'm on the street walking by and there it is in the display window with a very very appealing display ("Oh no someone will buy it now for sure."). Well you can figure it out the display worked.

Last weekend at the art retreat I made this hat but had the chore of making soap, not bad but takes some time. My face didn't look that sad......

however it was nice to have a pile of soap made.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Artist Retreat

What a weekend, we all enjoy a spot in Creevy Commons to visit, laugh and make art at the Portland Art Collectives fall retreat... painters,knitters,jewelers, sculptors, artisan's of all sorts work together and share knowledge....



we had a small table of show and tell, next time I want a big one its so nice to see the work others are doing....

the demos went well.... new addictions....

Jan concentrates....I can't wait to see that one done...

or this book....that Dayna works on...
Linda helps me get the panty hose on the wool covered balloon ? what ?

it became a hat.. my sis Becky models...


Diane's faces come out for some air...
little mushrooms pop in the leaf litter...

and Jan captures them.....

thank you to the group for a very nice card and gift, you touch me in so many ways.....
as I said in the first line "What a Weekend"