Friday, August 29, 2014

The Magic Within


“The Magic Within”
“Everyone has magic inside them, 
but very few discover it
and learn to spend it wisely.” 
                                                           from the movie, "Mirror, Mirror"

First I must apologize for the photos.  'Mirrors' and 'bling on mirrors' are very difficult to photograph. So I have included a couple of 'close-ups' for you to see some of the detail. 

This piece is one of my favorite 'memory' pieces.  I think mostly because it reminds me of the 2012 Snow White movie starring Julia Roberts, titled "Mirror, Mirror".  The quote above is spoken by the Mirror, in a conversation with the Evil Queen (Julia Roberts)

Wood framed mirror, embellished with bits and bling, creating a finished piece that is indeed magical.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Sweet Virgina



"Sweet Virginia"
Thank you for your wine, California
  Thank you for your sweet and bitter fruits

"Sweet Virginia" is the title of a song written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, recorded by the Rolling Stones sometime between 1971 and 1972.  It's an old favorite of mine.

I was reminded of the song when I saw the above quote at a local eatery, written in chalk, on a sign next to the front door . . . I looked up, I saw it, I liked it and I wanted to create a 'scrabble' art piece with it.

I will tell you this: there is an intentional 'mistake' in the quote.  Can you see it?  (HINT: it is not a misspelling). Actually I made 2 adjustments to the quote, I call it "artistic license".

This assemblage was made using 'travel scrabble' tiles. You can see from the image below, they are much smaller than regular scrabble tiles.  A metal piece from a 1950's erector set, crowns the top of the vintage wooden frame I found at a barn sale.  The grape cluster embellishment was formally a napkin holder . . .
 

this image shows the wooden frame before the papers were applied . . . . 



Thank you for stopping by.  See you next week.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Rocky Jr.






"Rocky, Jr."
I have a fascination with chickens. When I was a kid, we raised chickens, and one of my daily chores was to go into the chicken coop and collect the eggs. I would go into the coop, always fearful of the rooster.
I remember, we had many 'hens' but only one rooster . . . The roosters were bigger than the hens, more aggressive and often more beautiful.

A few years ago, I embellished a rooster with bling and even gave him a pair of shoes. His name was "Rocky" as well, but because he was much larger, so I have to assume he was "Jr's" dad . . . Anyway, "Rocky" was spectacular. You can read about him and see pictures of him here.

'Rocky, Jr' is a solid wood rooster form, hand carved and painted in bright rooster colors, found at the flea market. 
He stands approximately 12" tall. His wing feathers are 'spinner' lures, and he is embellished with many other bits and bling. Note the small Christ on the cross (minus the cross), the vintage gym locker #33, and the Wells Fargo 'agents' badge . . . .

have a great weekend all!


Thursday, August 7, 2014

Dance Little Dice Man



 
"Dance Little Dice Man"
A few months ago, I put together an art piece titled "Snake Eyes" using 165 dice, contained under glass between 2 wooden frames. What I really loved about the piece was how the dice moved "freely" within the glass, reminding me of snakes.

"Snake Eyes" sold shortly after it arrived in the gallery, so I wanted to make a second piece using the same concept.

This is "Dance Little Dice Man", titled that because of its diminutive size: only 88 dice.

In this piece, the dice are enclosed inside a wooden box lid with a glass front. The holder is made out of scrap wood pieces and covered in magazine images of people who might be dancing. The dice box is meant to be picked up and played with, for hours of fun.

This piece is also sold.  I think it's time to make a third one . . . what do you think?