Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Kisses and Wine . . .



"Kisses and Wine"
Living in 'wine country', I love all things 'wine'.  
A couple of years ago, we were wine tasting at Smith-Madrone Winery, located on the border between Sonoma and Napa counties. 

In their cellar, this quote written on a chalk board that the owner told us came from a bar somewhere in the mid west, caught my eye, and I knew it had to be captured in an assemblage piece.

"We are all mortal, until the first kiss and the second glass of wine.
 ~ Eduardo Galeano

Burgandy Scrabble tiles with gold letters, a bamboo frame and bits of broken tempered glass create this piece of Sonoma County 'wine art'. A side wood panel from a wine crate, is covered in hand made papers and overlaid with sewing pattern tissue. An articulated wine bottle brooch, with a tiny corkscrew, wine glass and grapes, accent, while a beautiful green 'feather' butterfly, finish the piece.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Behind The 8 Ball




"Behind the 8 Ball"
When someone is in a bad situation, or in a losing position, this is the phrase that comes to mind.  The phrase comes from pool (or billiards). When the cue (white) ball is behind the eight (black) ball, a player usually has no shot.
That's all.  I thought this would make a good art piece.
Vintage Japanese porcelain jewelry display hand found at the flea market and a well used eight ball are the focus. A pair of black dice and 2 crystal stars finish the piece.
The box is a mid century gentleman's valet case with the original velvet lining intact.
The back is collaged in a poster found in Pt. Reyes Station CA, that reads: "Face to Face Laugh Now Laugh Later". The poster was over-covered in gold acrylic paint and sealed with a varnish finish.
I think it turned out very cool.

What do you think?

Thursday, August 8, 2013

First Kiss

"First Kiss"
"We are all mortal until the first kiss and the second glass of wine." - Eduardo Galeano 

Living in Wine Country, this has become a favorite quote.  
A nicely beveled piece of wood found at the flea market was used as the substrate for this piece. To snugly hold the scrabble tiles, I created a frame using wooden chop sticks. The entire frame is covered, front and back, in vintage text with a tissue overlay. A copper butterfly finishes the piece.