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.

Happy Halloween

HELLO EVERYONE!!!  It has been so long since I wrote.  I have been on vacation.  I went home to Maryland to visit everyone.  The photo above is of Me (on teh left) and Raven, my precious niece.  I had a wonderful time--went to Delaware and visited my son

This is a photo of him.  We went to the Eastern Penitentiary in Philly.  It was really something else-a really interesting stop.   We also went to the Edgar Allen Poe house.  I really enjoyed that.

The picture above is a Raven that is mounted in front of his house in Philly.  I have always adored Edgar Allen Poe so touring one of his old homes was a real treat.

I have been busy since we came back.  I did a show in Marshal Tx.  It was a good show but so windy that by the end of the day we were worn down from trying to keep everything intact.

 These are some of the pictures of Marshal downtown.   The guys in red are Fire Ants--it was the Fire Ant Festival.

And last but not least--Happy Halloween!!! This is a painting that I finished just before Halloween.  Hope you all have a great one!!  Oh, and before I forget, my friend Lynn is having a great giveaway on her blog--check it out @ Lynn's Homespun Country,  Enter and maybe you will will her beautiful prize.

F.

We had beautiful weather here today. Don't u love the fall?

I know I haven't checked In for a couple of days. Hope to post some pictures soon.
Xoxo

Chloe

 

I painted the picture above for my sons Girlfriend.  It was for  her birthday.  I have found out an amazing fact--when you paint a picture, take a photo of it.  The photo of the painting will show you things about the painting that the eye won't pick up--strange!  Anyway, Sunday we celebrated my son and his girlfriends birthday.  Below is a picture of Chloe and "Chloe".  Melodi was pleased with the painting which made me very pleased.  This was my first "portrait".  Usually I just paint from my head and whatever I get-I get.  I drew out the picture first, but wasn't happy with the results.Then I pulled out Lee Hammond's  book --She says to use a grid system and that helped tremendously.  I redrew it on a grid and was much happier with the results. I painted it Saturday--took a picture of it, didn't like it and proceeded to white out her hair, her body and half her face out and then started over!  It took two more times of whiting out one eye before I was happy with the painting.  But the camera trick really works.  For some reason it shows up the little details that the eye misses.

 Chloe and "Chloe"

I have been doing a little jewelry making this summer--a little but not alot.  Seems like it is hard to get anything done in the summer months.  We stay so busy just keeping up with the place.  I did manage to get some pendants done and I have about 20 more to pour with resin.  I still need to make the chains for them.  That I will start working on this week. A friend of mine brought me a gallon sized bag of old watches!  I was ecstatic!! I have been using the parts and pieces of them on some of my jewelry

And, of course, no blog post would be complete without at least one of Gods creatures.  These two spiders were on a job that we just finished.  I think that they are the most beautiful spiders.

Have a great day!! F.

Amazing Creatures

Over the past two years, we have lost over 50 trees, most of them large oak tree, due to the drought.  This is our third year in a row with very little rain fall.  This past weekend we were cutting yet another one of our beloved trees.  It was dead and too close to the fence.  We keep the dead trees off the fence because it it falls and takes out the fence the horses will get out.  Anyway, while Lewis was cutting the tree he spotted the stick bug in the tree trunk.  If you look at her closely you will see her baby attached to her back-end.  Animals (furry and other) are amazing creatures.  Who would have ever thought that a stick bug would take care of their young.  Who knew it?  Anyway--just a short post today.  I have saddles to clean and I am working on Nessy--I will post it later.  I haven't taken any pictures of her yet.

F.

Hurricane Isaac

I spent the day, hunkered down, expecting gale force winds and rain.  What I actually got was very little wind and a smidgen of rain.  Now, don't get me wrong--I did NOT want the strong winds, but I would have loved to have a full day of rain.  But, I made the best of the situation. I put in "Sleepy Hollow" with Johny Depp (What a beautiful man to spend a rainy day with...mmmmm, I mean, what a great movie to watch on a cloudy, mushy day :0).  I really enjoyed the day though--I sit in the rocking chair and drank a cup of Pomegranate tea and did some sewing and stuffing on some primitives that I have been making.  I added the grunge sauce to them and baked them.  The house smelled so good! Like cinnamon and vanilla.  When Lewis came in he thought that there had to be something delicious to eat--sorry.   No Cigar! The power surged in the middle of baking and it took out a phase of power, thus, no water.  The pumps require 3-phase and we were operating on 2.  Sounds like I know what I'm talkin' about, doesn't it?  Wrong-0.  I called the water plant and that's what they told me.  So, instead of having the pork roast and potatoes I was planning on making (no water to clean up the dishes), I made a left-over pizza from the night before. 


Here is a picture I painted a few days ago....... 

 

I still have some finishing touches to make on her but she is basically done.  Hope you all have a great Friday.

F.

My son and his girlfriend bought me this book and fish for my Birthday--They know what I like!!

Hubby bought me new rain boots and an awesome camera that I have been drooling over since forever.

It's almost official--four long weeks of vacation!!! Yes, yes, yes--you heard it right, 4 weeks--Yippee...............  Since I was on here the last time I have had a birthday.  Hmmm, I don't feel any older.  When does it hit.  Does it come out of the sky, strike you out of nowhere or does it creep up on you and get you little by little, until one day you say to yourself--this is what old feels like?  It's strange, but my definition of old has changed and is still ever-evolving.  When I was a teenager, I remember thinking my mom was old, I mean really old and she must have been in her mid thirties, early forties. now that I am in my forties, my definition of old is in the sixties and seventies.  And, I am sure, that that too will change.  My number one supporter and love of my life--Lewie, bought me an awesome camera for my birthday.  It is a Canon Rebel.  I can't tell you how it works yet, I haven't played with it, but when I do get to it, I will get back to you :).  My son and his girlfriend bought me some super nice gifts.  My BF bought me a really cool skeleton with a crow on top, but when I got out of the car he fell on his head on the pavement and broke :(.  I am going to try and fix it with apoxie scult. I will post the pictures.  She also bought me a beautiful set of chimes and gave me some spending caah.........hello Hobby Lobby.  I really am blessed to have the family and friends that I have.  They really make me feel special.  Thanks Guys.  Love you all.

This is a project that I just completed.  I call it "Garcia's Ghost".  It is a little weird but I like the way that it turned out.

I have been working on pendants for the last couple of days.  I have them ready to pour so that will be this mornings chore.

These are prints of my original angels.  I have printed them on card stock and mounted them in bezels.  I will pour them with ICE resin this morning.

And, I had to leave you with the following picture.  I have been living here for nine years and this is the first time that I have seen this.  It is SO adorable that I had to share with you guys.

It is a flying squirrel.  He was just the cutest thing.  Hope your lives are all full of wonder.

F.

Steampunk Suzy and Van Gogh

 I have been wondering--are the summers crazy for everyone or is it just me.  I have had so little time in my studio lately that I think that I am beginning to have withdrawals.  I usually spend at least one day of the weekend in my studio--sometimes two.  But, during the summer months, or especially this summer, I have had no time at all.  Sometimes I wonder if I should just pack away the artsy stuff for the summer and resume again in the fall months.  This summer, I have finished 4 projects and have one started.  The picture above is "Caretaker Pete".  I finished him last weekend.  It shouldn't have taken me so long to do, but I have been working on him for most of the summer.  Course, I had three other projects that I was working on at the same time.  I usually don't do that.  I usually concentrate on just one--maybe two projects at a time.  I have been working on too many and it throws my focus off.

 Caretaker Pete is made from an old tin, a croquet ball, forks, and some sort of handle.  I just used all kinds of odds and ends in him and had a good time putting him together.

 The piece below is called "Steampunk Suzy".  I found an old skull and attached it to a dowel and dress form.  Her dress is made from paper clay. I am relatively new to paper clay but find that I love the texture and simplicity of it.  No ovens--just texture and let dry.  Then you get to do the fun part--which is the painting. I used my Cuddlebug blanks to make the texture in the clay and just stuck them on the dress form. I find that Apoxie Sculpt from Aves is the best product for sticking the head to the dowel and to the base.  It dries very hard and durable.  It is also moldable, like clay but doesn't have to be baked.  I use it for alot of my assemblage projects.  The skull on this sculpture was broken just beneath the glasses.  I used some of the Apoxie to sculpt a new piece and you can't tell the difference between that and the bone.

 This piece I call "Tribute to Van Gogh".  I have a friend who brings me old stuff.  What ever oddities that he finds, he brings to me. He brought me this old wood root ball about 3 years ago and it has sit around since then. So, that is what the body is actually made out of. A  dried root ball.  It had the greatest swirls and valleys in it. It cried out "Starry Night", so that's what I did.  I painted a tribute to "Starry Night" on the wood, decoupaged the arms of an old doll and attached them to the wood with screws and E6000 and drilled a hole in the top of the wood to insert the dowel in the head and glued it also.  The base is made from a sardine can that I had hubby saw a wood wedge for so that it was a little more sturdy.

Tribute to Van Gogh

 I took an inkjet photo and placed it in a microscope slide and soldered the edges for his necklace.

Hope that you all have a great week.
F.