Everything But . . . (again)

"Everything But . . . . again"
I originally posted about this piece a few months ago. But it wasn't quite right . . . while it hung in the gallery, I would notice that customers 'liked' it, and commented positively about it, but 'something' was not right. . . you can see the original post here.

So I brought it back to the studio and 're-worked it a bit.  I incorporated all the bits and bling it originally held, except I removed the metal grate over the mirror - it was too much.
I think the improvement is good.  What do you think?

Germs and Jesus

"Germs and Jesus"

Wash your hands and say your prayers, because germs and Jesus are everywhere"

I had to do it . . .  I read this sweet quote somewhere, and it made me laugh.  It seemed appropriate to memorialize it within a child's pull toy, using well-used children's wooden blocks.

A tiny green frog, with a bobble-head sits on top, adds to the humor.

The pull toy, a flea market find, was first collaged with purple tissue, then layered on top with gift wrap tissue with images of flying insects.  A red shoe lace replaces the missing pull string.

Mirror Of Myth

"These are little scraps of magic and when you paste them together 

you get a memory of something fine and strong she said.  

Sometimes it takes til you are 40 to see it though." Story People, Brian Andreas

"Mirror of Myth"
There are many superstitions and beliefs surrounding mirrors. We all know what happens if you break a mirror, right?  But there are other beliefs about the mystical powers that mirrors possess. The 2 most common are:
     1. Mirrors bring luck, usually bad
     2. They help tell the future
To these two, I would like to add a third belief:
     3.  They help tell the past . . .
This new piece titled 'Mirror of Myth' is filled with stories to be told, of times past, of small things, and charming moments, of laughter and life.  As in life, there is a lot to see. Do take a closer look. 

 ***

A 4" wide wooden picture frame became the base for this wall-hung mirror assemblage. The frame is first covered, front and back, in vintage encyclopedia pages and sealed with varnish. Attached to the wooden frame are various found objects of any person's life, from keys, to crosses to cowboys. There are buttons, bells and "bling".  Glass beaded fringe from a vintage piano scarf runs along the bottom.

Click on the image to take a closer look. 

Around the World Alone

(back view)

"Around The World Alone"

An art exhibit in San Francisco a few years ago featured the work of an amazing collage artist. The works were on 20 x 20" canvases, each piece in the series contained anywhere from 10 to 20 small collages created directly on the canvas, creating many small vignettes within each canvas.  The artist used layers of papers and medium and color to create depth and dimension.

Much to my chagrin, and my biggest regret, is that I did not note the name of the artist, for reference or credit. The work was exquisite.

When I got back into the studio from that trip, I wanted to try my hand at making something in this 'vignette' style of work.  However, because I work primarily in 3-D, I also wanted to add 3 dimensional objects.

The first piece I made in this style, was in 2011, and you can see it here.  Last week, I finished this one, my second.

I started with a 'box sign' exactly like this one, found at the flea market. Although I rather liked the "You are the cheese to my macaroni" quote on the back, I was pretty sure  this was not how this piece was going to end up.

The wooden box is 15" x 6". I covered it on the back side and on the inside with bits of tissues, magazine images, maps, and text. Each 2"x2" square block is individually covered with magazine images, vintage sheet music, maps, etc., then embellished with a treasured memento, or a special keepsake. Each one creates a tiny vignette, telling a story of a time spent with friends, a trip to far away places, or a long lost love.

The inspiration behind this piece is the memories and meanings held by the things often thrown away.

Parts of Me Are Everywhere . . .

"Parts of Me Are Everywhere"
Last year, I participated in the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)  Book Show.
Although I often use book text in my art work, I don't often work in 'book arts', per se.
The piece submitted last year to the MOCA Book Show titled "Altered Alice,  started out as a vintage, tattered copy of the children's classic  "Alice In Wonderland".  I was pleased with the finished piece, that was sold off at auction, along with the works of other artists who created art pieces specifically for this annual event.

* * *

This piece is my latest attempt at creating an assemblage using a book focus. Along with the folded pages of a book, I incorporated the arms and legs of a porcelain doll onto a wooden box that formally held a bottle of whiskey. The face, albeit, a bit broken, seems strong, expressive.

BACK STORY:
When I started the piece, all I was thinking about was that I needed a smallish book with lots of text and no images.  So I selected a book with a green cover from my 'stash'.

After the piece was finished I googled the title of the book I had selected "Ascended Master Saint Germain" just to see what was what . . . and OH MY! . . . an interesting juxtapose . . . don't you think?

Home - A Soft Place to Land

 

"Home - A Soft Place To Land"

I came a cross this sweet, bird house at an estate sale a few months ago during our winter months. I remember, it was rainy and gloomy outside, and there was not much going on in terms of garage sales.

When I saw the plain white bird house, I thought of Spring, and birds and things that are green . . .  and I longed for the rainy season to pass. I thought, as soon as Spring time came, I would want to work on something Spring'ish.

To start this piece, I covered the outside of the bird house with bird images from a 'bird' encyclopedia. To embellish, I added a door plate, a vintage skeleton key, a brass plaque from Meadowood, Napa Valley, and bicycle chain.  A silvery seagull at the very top is mobile. Oh, yes, I almost forgot to mention the copper flashing I used on the roof.

The piece is ready to be wall hung or placed on a shelf.

Sign of The Cross . . .

My original intention was to finish 10 crucifixes for this series, but time got away from me, I finished 7.
The first 3 are posted here and here.
     Here are the final 4. Enjoy!

"Patron Saint"

A Patron Saint  is regarded as the advocate in heaven of a person, place or family.  
Patron Spirits is the company that makes the 'ultra-premium tequila'.
   To some, these are one in the same.
   A cross form is embellished with a sun face, arms and legs are made of dinner knife blades and the body is made of 3 wooden blocks covered in papers and the label off a Patron Tequila bottle. (6"x10") 
Tongue in check

***

"The Life of the Mysterious Mr. B"

"The Life of the Mysterious Mr. B"   A carpenter's level is cut and fashioned into a cross form and embellished with various objects to aid in balancing daily activities.

Carpenter's level, miscellaneous found objects include a vintage bottle opener, a metal "bib and brace" buckle, as well as a clock gear and some bling. (6"x8") Fun and whimsical.

***

"A Monumental Task"

"A Monumental Task" Some days, the realities of what is good and what is bad seem overwhelming, don't they? Climate change/global warming, global financial crisis, world hunger, human rights abuses, nuclear weapons, unrest in the middle-East, natural disasters . . . the list goes on and on.
   So much of it is about one's own perspective and attitude.  But so much more of it is beyond anyone's control.  A monumental task, indeed.
   An over-sized hand-made wooden cross, made from the wood from a broken vintage clock box, covered in text from a vintage volume of the old testament, a flea market find. The text is in both Spanish and English, side by side. A smallish-Christ figure appears to be up for the task. (8'x16")

***

"The Lord of the Skies"

I just read this online:
     Amado Carrillo (1956-1997) became known as "El Señor de Los Cielos" (Lord of the Skies) because of the large fleet of jets he used to transport drugs. He was also known for laundering over $20 million via Columbia to finance his huge fleet of planes. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration described Carrillo as the most powerful drug trafficker of his era.  
   This is not the reason I chose this as the title for this piece. . . In this case: first I found the small metal airplane (a flea market find), then the 2 wooden crosses (from my stash), one slightly smaller than the other, and the title was automatic.         Coincidence?    Perhaps.
   Two small wooden crosses, the slightly larger one is painted burnt orange, smaller one is painted black and covered on the front with yellow reflective safety tape. A toy metal airplane is mounted on top. A tiny "one-way" sign, pointing the other way, is attached at the foot of the cross.  (5"x7")

Repetition Is Truth

"Repetition Is Truth"

This is the third in my Rustic Cross series.  You can see the first two here.

I originally titled this piece: "A Message From The President", because of the words collaged on the back side of the piece,  but I ended up calling it "Repetition Is Truth", because of the words found on the front side, just under the face. Both of these are words from titles of magazine articles I came across when I was clipping images and words for my collage work.

For this cross I used wood from a broken chair, that had been thrown out, found at the back entrance of the local little theater. The cross is collaged in interesting magazine images and words and tissues. A doll's eye that opens and closes, peers out from the center of the cross.  A delicate amber rosary hangs in the front.

Here is an interesting side-story, and one totally unrelated to the creation of this piece: This morning when I GOOGLED the words "Repetition Is Truth" (a bit of research I do for titles of every piece I make), I found a definition from Wikipedia, where they reference these words to "Proof by Assertion"and give examples of usage, as in political slogans, advertising, and brainwashing.  
They even quote Lenin who said:  "A Lie told often enough becomes the truth" . . . . a thought provoking interpretation, wouldn't you say?

The Most Beautiful World In The World

Far away, there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations.              
I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty,         

believe in them, and try to follow where they lead.        Louisa May Alcott         

"The Most Beautiful World In The World"
Some days one has to look harder than others, but there is beauty all around us. It’s so much is about perspective and attitude. Some days it is difficult to see the wonder of it all, because it's difficult to not focus on the hardship and sadness that also exists.

Good and bad are both realities. This piece is a lovely reminder to return to the present moment, something so simple yet so hard to remember to do at times. As Louisa May Alcott says, we must keep looking up.

A single-bottle wine box, topped with a vintage wooden drawer pull is covered in green tissue and collaged with images of birds taken from a bird encyclopedia rescued from a local thrift store. The inside is collaged with text from a vintage dictionary.

Inside, and glass enclosed, are children's alphabet blocks spelling the word "AMAZING', and a porcelain doll's head with piercing hazel eyes that add emphasis to the statement found along the left front side of the box: "The Most Beautiful World In The World".

Keep looking up!

LAS CRUCES - "Master Composer" & "Three"

LAS CRUCES: "Master Composer"  and  "Three"

It all started about 2 years ago. I went to visit my friend Marie, and I noticed a wall of crosses in the entry to her home. I took these crummy pictures with a cell phone, but it's enough for you to see what I mean.

I found the rustic nature of these images of faith compelling.  I loved their easy nature and relaxed sense. I knew I wanted to start working on a series of "crucifixes". So a few months later, I began work on 3 very rustic pieces made from scrap wood, rusty bottle caps and various other found objects.

Soon, other more pressing 'life' things got in the way, and the 'series' was set aside. 

This past January, we were in Seattle visiting friends. One day, while driving around looking for thrift stores, we came a cross an electric organ, tossed on the side of the street . . . well, needless to say, my adorable husband and I snapped to attention, and began 'dismantling' it.  I took the keys, and a few other parts, (that I cannot identify by name - below is a photo of the parts)

Anyway, this motivated me to return to the idea to make a series of assemblage crosses.

Here are the first two. 

"Master Composer" contains keys taken from the found electronic organ, set inside the lid of a wooden cigar box. The silver "Master" on top oversees the music. 2 sets of chop sticks frame the piece.

Piece number 2 is titled simply "Three".  The legs and arms are from the same found electric organ. (these are the parts I cannot ID - but they seem to work) The tiger beads on the hands are a bit of added whimsey. The number 3 is from a found Washington state license plate. A spoon face and silver wing hat mounted on a wooden cross form collaged in artist's tissues.

 These are the first 2. 

3 others are in process at the studio, the original 3 rustic ones are also in line to be finished . . . 

My plan is to make 10.

It's Not The End

"It's Not The End"
Those of you who follow my blog will know this is one of my favorite quotes:

"Everything will be OK in the end.

If it's not OK, it's not the end."

Although it's been done before, I had to go for it again.

My initial research credited this quote to John Lennon, however, further research credits a variety of origins, from a recent movie, to a Brazilian fiction writer, as well as a British song writer. In fact, it has even been credited to no one (anonymous).
 
Bottom line: many people say this quote, (myself included).  And although there is no one person we can pin this quote to, I still like it. I like it a lot!

I like it because it is memorable  I like it because it can be used as a simple general statement of curiosity and how truly free from complication life and the world around us can be.

It is the KISS Principle approach to life.

Have a great week everyone.

Wooden picture frame, burgundy under paint, and covered in sewing pattern tissue. Children's wooden alphabet blocks spell out the quote, and a gold tone leaf embellishment, and black tassel finish the piece. Ready to hang.
 

Eye to Eye

"The ear tends to be lazy, craves the familiar and is shocked by the unexpected;

the eye, on the other hand, tends to be impatient, craves the novel and is bored by repetition."

- W. H. Auden 

"Eye To Eye"
There is certainly no boredom here.
This small 'memory mirror' came together effortlessly, with bits and bling from my studio seeming to position themselves exactly where they wanted to be on the wooden frame. It all started with the green eye in the center, fitting perfectly inside the vintage car emblem.
In the end, when I set the small mirror inside the frame, the surprise was the number of eyes looking back at me. There are 23 eyes on the front, (plus my own 2 eyes lin the mirror, for a total of 25). 
The back is collaged with the inside pages of a book on "cocktail party conversations". I tried to count the eyes on this illustration, but I stopped counting at 60 . . .
Later when it came time to give this piece a title, I considered: "Eye Level", "The Eyes Have It", "Cat Eye", "Here's Looking At You", "I See You", "Eye, Eye, Eye", and so on.
But then I came across the quote by W.H Auden, and I chose to title it "Eye to Eye" because the piece seems to come to life only when the viewer looks into the mirror and realizes that all those eyes are looking back.
A 12"x12" wall mirror embellished with bits and bling from here and there.

The Places You Will Go . . .

"The Places You Will Go . . . "
 I love Dr. Seuss.
There is something about the way he puts thoughts into words that make sense to my "child-like' brain cells. It seems like I've been reading Dr. Seuss most of my life, and today, still I enjoy re-reading his books. As I get older, the original meanings I attached to the readings, are changed slightly, but the words still apply, and the advice is still valid.
Dr.Seuss was a sly genius.

The very last of his books published before his death in 1990 is titled "Oh, The Places You'll Go!
Take a few minutes to read the words, or better yet, watch this short YouTube video I came across as I was doing my research, and you will see what I mean.

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. 

You can steer yourself any direction you choose. 

You're on your own. And you know what you know. 

And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...”

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!  

This assemblage started off with finding the three small ceramic birds. The interesting thing about these birds is that they all didn't show up in my studio at the same time, nor did they come from the same place. One day, I realized there were 3 and they were exactly the same:  Ceramic, copper/patina in color, all were looking up . . .

A wooden wine box covered in vintage encyclopedia pages on the outside, and a vintage map of Europe line the inside. A bamboo stick, beautifully hand carved and shaped, fit's perfectly in the slot that formally held the box lid.

The birds stand on small wooden dowels to give them "feet' for their shoes. and a wooden abacus along the back, speaks to the 'brains in their heads' that Dr. Seuss wrote about.

It is true what they say:   

Seuss' message is simple but never sappy:                                                        

life may be a 'Great Balancing Act,' but through it all 'There's fun to be done.' 

Big Red - Not Just A Horse

 "Big Red" Not Just a Horse . . . "●
Secretariat also known as "Big Red" was not 'just a horse' but he was the fastest horse of his time.  He was an American Thoroughbred racehorse and in 1973 became a U.S. Triple Crown champion.  He is considered to be one of the greatest thoroughbreds of all time.

This assemblage came together after I watched a youTUBE video about Little Red with my little grand baby. The cartoon video has a catchy tune, that stuck in my head for days. . . . (I dare you to watch the video  . . .  and see what happens)

I had this wooden carousel horse in my studio for over a year. The wooden form was beautiful, but it was a bit too big, and he had a few too many curves, so it just sat there.  Eventually, and with the help of the 'catchy' tune, he found his way to the front of the line, and I started working on him.

The carousel horse came on the round platform you see in the images above. I added a lazy-susan  under the base to give the horse the ability to move and rotate. And in my usual style, I embellished the wooden form with bits and bling, until it couldn't take any more.

But the 'pièce de résistance' (the best part) is his eye. If you look closely you will see that I was able to drill a hole straight through and insert a brass 'peep hole' normally used on a front door of a house, allowing the person inside the security of seeing outside without opening the door.

Oh yes, check out his horse shoes, foils from my favorite Sonoma County wines.
He is fabulous!

 UPDATE: Today 3/27/12 while gallery sitting at the Sebastopol Gallery, where I show my work . . .  the lovely Ms. JustineToms came in telling me she had been in a couple of days before and had to come back and take "Big Red" home with her.  Yey!  He has a new home.
I happened to have my camera with me and I insisted on taking a final photo!  Thank you Justine!  What fun we had today. I hope Big Red puts a Big smile one your face everyday!