Christmas and Shows

I know that I have done an extremely poor job of keeping up with the blogging world this fall--the festivals and Christmas have taken over!!  I have had a few GREAT shows--better than any that I've ever had.  Building up inventory for the fall festivals is a full time job.  I have one more to go and then I am done until spring.  I love doing them but am always ready for a break.  Here are some of the things that I have done in the past few months...............

 

 

 

These are freon canisters that I painted for Halloween ( I need to get them off my porch)!!!  Time to decorate for Christmas.

The bone in the assemblage above was given to me by my brother-in-law, the other items are found components.

My Edgar Allen Poe shadow box.

This piece is made of cut up belts.

Hope to be on here again.....soon!!

F.

A Day at the Beach

I had forgotten what the sea smelled like, and how the salt water breeze felt against my face but as  I got near the water, I recognized the smells and the moment I emerged from the car I remembered the feel of the  salt-touched wind  kissing my face.  How odd  it is that I ended up living out most of my adult life ( thus far)  away from  some of the things that I hold dearest to my heart.  I am a mountain girl.  I grew up in the mountains in Northern Md.  a stones throw from the Appalachian trail and only a few short hours from the coast.   I never really paid my surroundings much attention. I didn’t notice how clean the air felt, how beautiful the sunrise was  , or  the patch-work like fields that I would see from the ridge as I rode  on the bus to school every day.  But I can say that I miss them now.  I miss the mountains and the beaches.  I miss the seclusion and knowing that family is a hop, skip and jump  away.  I live in Louisiana, and have for the  last 22 years.  Yes, there is a rugged beauty here.  When you get off of the beaten path and wander through the woods there is much beauty to be had , but it is a different kind of beauty.  The hills down here don’t  reach nearly as high as the hills at home did and the air isn’t nearly as clean. I call it the “Low Lands”.   A million years ago-before I came here, I had a different “vision “  of Louisiana. It was of  Cyprus Trees with live moss blowing in the wind, growing over and in  the swamps, with little cabins sitting way back into the woods.  Cyprus knees in their yards for ornaments.  That isn’t what its like.   Well, at least where I am anyway.  So—why do I stay.  I guess that there are a million reasons why………………..

There are people that I love here, so I stay because of Lewis……….

and because of my babies……..



because of my friends……


I guess  the main reason that I stay is because I  have built my life here.  A life that I love and feel blessed to have.  A husband who loves me and accepts me for who I am and supports what I  do.   I have planted my feet and grew a world that I am happy to live in
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I will always miss home……

The rolling hills and patch-work fields.  The peaks that reach high into the sky, but I will probably live my life now as a low-lander, content with the life and loves that I have built.

Weekend At Canton

My Hubby, Lewis and I and my sister and brother-in-law spent the weekend in Canton Tx. last week.  We had a good time.  I always love going there.  I had a list of items that I needed to get, including small animal skulls and old silverware.  There were a few other odds and ends that I wanted to get.  You can find items there that you just can't find anywhere else. I use the small skulls and silverware for my art and my stock has been nearly depleted. 

 

 

The picture above is my hubby, Lewis pulling our buggy back to the truck to unload it.  I found a nice large wood panel to paint on and an old furnitiure store sign that I am gong to leave "as is" and hang up.

It is getting near festival time again and during the last show I took an inventory of the prints that I had run out of.  I spent last week trying to get caught up on the print making.  All I have to do now is to varnish them, add the saw tooth hanger and pop into a cello bag. I printed 20 canvas prints last week and also printed about 30 paper prints.  My show is next weekend.  It is the Highland Jazz Festival, and then it begins. I have a show the weekend after that and the weekend after that............, so now is the time to play "catch up". 

 

Assorted Art and Little Time

I have been playing around with photography for the last couple of days and find that I really have fun with it.  This picture is of my baby,  Ringo’s eye.  I started with and ordinary photo and edited it in Googles free program, Picasso.  I have been working in my Etsy store trying to get some of my newest pieces posted.  There just doesn’t seem to be enough time—even when I have the day off.  There are so many thing that I want to do, and I always think that “if I didn’t have to work”, I could get it all done—but, I can’t.  Granted, I can get a lot more done but my mind is always racing and there is always something else to try…………..
I have tried a new technique with paint and shaving cream.  You put shaving cream on a glass pane or clear plastic sheet and add dribbles of different color paint—swirl with a palette knife.  Then you place it face down on your canvas and wiggle it around.  Scrape it off with a palette knife, let sit for a few minutes to set the paint and them wipe clean.  It makes beautiful paint effects.

                                                             
These are some of the pictures I created using that technique.   After I finished painting them I used a thick coat of Golden Tar Gel to give them depth.  I am happy with the results.
Have a great day.
F.

Latest Goings Ons

 

These are some of the latest pieces I have been creating.  A friend of mine brought me a huge lot of rusty barbed wire so I decided to make some rusty crosses out of them.  It is a little difficult to work with but it does make a beautiful cross.  I made 5 different one and am pretty happy with the results.

The skull below are some that I painted for my upcoming show.  I managed to get four of  them done.  I have pictures of two of them.  I put gesso on them first to give them some “tooth” and then painted on them.

The photo below is a piece that I made with a bone that my brother-in-law gave me and a paper clay santa I made.  He was my first  try at paper clay sculpture and it was surprisingly easy to work with.  I just built an armature out of wire, tin foil and masking tape and built the clay up onto it.  I really enjoy working with that medium.

Hope y’all have a great day.

F.