Music In My Heart

 

"Music In My Heart" ●
This is a sweet new piece I finished mid-November and hung it in the Sebastopol Gallery where I am the featured artist this month.

When I first came across this piece, I thought I had found a child's xylophone.  It was pretty well used, nicked scratched but I knew it could tell a great story, and that it would make a great wall assemblage.

Today, while researching the history of 'xylophones' I discovered that this is not a xylophone at all, but rather this is a glockenspiel (glocken:bells and spiel:play)

A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned metal bars arranged like the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates. The glockenspiel, is usually smaller and higher in pitch. A pair of hard, unwrapped mallets, generally with heads made of plastic or metal, are used to strike the bars, mallet heads can also be made of rubber. 

The next image was taken when I started working on the piece.  The wooden base was painted red, and the bars were white and black.  I decided to cover the wooden base in vintage sheet music, and to freshen up the overall look of the metal bars, I spray painted them.  

To add interest, I added embellishments consisting of a clock face, a tiny wheel, a level and a red heart hangs on the side. On the top side are 2 vintage brass drawer pulls. The piece is ready to hang.
 

For Emily . . .

"For Emily"●
A year so so ago, a friend asked me to make a memory mirror for her. She loved it!

A couple of months ago, she asked me to make a second memory mirror for her niece 'Emily', who is 10 years old.  She collected a few bits and baubles to include on the mirror, little mementos that are meaningful to little Emily.  There were sea shells, origami figures, a valentine note from her 'papa', and of course a little picture of Emily, herself. . . to these I added other fun treasures for Emily to enjoy, fishes, buttons, butterflies, a tiny Snoopy, keys, stars, hearts and even a frog.

Emily will see her new mirror on Christmas morning.  I hope she loves it. I hope, too, that it brings her joy for many, many years to come.

The Book of Awesome

“The Book of Awesome"

This piece begins with a vintage 'Black Mission California Fig’ box found at a barn sale last year. The box, more recently served a long and useful second life as an organizer for nuts and bolts or nails and screws.   

Today the box has again been altered slightly to hold disparate found objects. Things seemingly dissimilar, with little basis for comparison, that have come together to tell a story in this assemblage. 

Elegant in it's simplicity, the nicked wood, the rusty nails and the patina earned after years of service, combined with the shiny reflectiveness of stainless steel, remind us of the importance of balance in life.

A plumb bob is suspended within the box, a porcelain doll’s hand holds the string, and the hard cover of ‘The Book of Awesome’ by Neil Pasricha, are the parts to begin the story.  You, the viewer, are prompted to fill in the details.

Chair People and the Trees

"Chair People and the Trees"

This is the 3rd batch of these sweet little dolls made from re-purposed chair parts and in this case, tree limbs.  Some are fancy, some are silly, but they are all full of personality and expression.   

Are you ready to meet them?

* * * 

First up is   “Grace”●  Gracie has it all. Part party-girl, part sensible. Never a hot-head and always glam. She wears a meat thermometer hat, a beaded shawl, and a Copenhagen tin lid for her dress. Her arms and legs are tiny keys to finish and embellish this woodsy girl.

 

“Lola”                                    “Her name was Lola, she was a showgirl

With yellow feathers in her hair and a dress cut down to there

She would meringue and do the cha-cha

And while she tried to be a star, Tony always tended bar

Across a crowded floor, they worked from 8 till 4

They were young and they had each other

Who could ask for more?”

Flowers, bead, keys and scissor legs to die for. Lola remembers.

* * *

“Barry” ●  A barrel themed
wine cork head, box wrenches for arms and legs and a blue marble heart.  Straight from the cellar, Barry’s head is full of ‘barrel talk’.  He works hard all day, and party’s hard all night.

* * * 

“Suzie” ●

Suzie because she is ‘slinky’ and fun.  A tree limb is embellished with a flattened spoon, keys for arms, bits for legs and a whisk head.  She is lovely.

“Wolfgang”●

A music man from head to toe.  A wooden leather softening tool of some sort, some washers, and jiggly springs. A music themed wine cork expresses what’s on his mind.