Class Review: Bottled Spirits

On Saturday, Sept. 25, I took a class called "Bottled Spirits" with Connie Andrews at C.Andrews Studio in Half Moon Bay.  We started with clean bottles and then altered them to appear as if they were bottles washed ashore, encrusted by time with amazing texture.  Inside each bottle, we placed a spirit that we imagined had been captured in the bottle.  Can you guess which of the bottles above is mine?  How about which one was made by my amazing 12 year old daughter Clara?  Before I tell you, here's my class review. And don't forget that you can always click on any picture to enlarge it and better see the details.
The class was wonderful!  I left the class not only with a wonderful bottled muse but also a newfound confidence in painting altered objects and assemblage.  This has always been the hardest part of altered art for me, and Connie's technique really helped me to "get" it.  The secret was starting with a single base color and then the introduction of a metallic layer before adding a variety of colors.  Another challenge in assemblage and altered art classes can be the question of the proper adhesive.  Connie has solved that problem through her brilliant, innovative use of diamond glaze.  This class was really fun - the process of decorating/embedding things into the bottle and painting both made me really happy.  In addition, the members of the class were all wonderful artists and the chance to spend an enjoyable, stress-free day with my adolescent daughter made it all the better! I know Connie is offering this class a few more times, and I highly recommend it if you are in the San Francisco bay area.  You can find her class schedule at her blog, Connie's Dream.
Now for the reveal.  This is a close up of my bottle:

And this is the one made by Clara:

It really looks like a moody pre-teen spirit to me! LOL! Here's close ups of the other class participants' bottles.  In order of appearance, Maureen, Connie and Cindy (who is apparently a member ot Team Edward, but I like her anyway).

So, do tell, did you guess correctly?

Treasures of Childhood (Mixed Media)

This piece took a long time to complete, but I am very happy with the finished product! It started as the central 6x6 canvas, which I made in a class on glass bead gel and blogged about in this post. I knew I wanted to incorporate the canvas into a larger piece and searched for a long time for a house-shaped frame.  When I couldn't find one, I considered making one! Sanity prevailed, and I settled on using this picture frame and adding a drawer pull on top to at least suggest the house shape.  Matted and layered the canvas and then added five treasures from my stash. Took forever to select and arrange the treasures; project then stalled because my favorite adhesive (E6000) was dried out.  Quick trip to the hardware store; no E600 available.  Settled on super glue. So what do you think? If you like 3D art, you should check out the Gingersnap Creations 3D challenge this month, where I'm submitting this piece. By the way, three of the treasures are quite old (fifty years or so) and two are quite new.  Can you guess which are which?

The Butterfly Seller at the Mercado (Dias de los Muertos Nicho)

In addition to Halloween, I also really enjoy creating art for Dias de los Muertos, a celebration in the Latino community which has its roots in All Souls Day and is a way of honoring our ancestors and those who have recently passed away.  "Nichos" are scenes featuring skeletons, as a way of poking fun at Death and thinking affectionately of those who have passed away.  I've starting making nicho frames out of plaster wrap, and this is my first finished nicho.  It's a market scene. And who do we find in the market?  The Butterfly Seller, a recurring figure in my art.  She began her life in this post, and I really enjoy it anytime she makes a return visit.  I've found that some people have a strong negative reaction to Dias de los Muertos, so I apologize if you find this disturbing.  For me it really is a positive cultural celebration.  Your thoughts welcome as always!

The Assemblage Menagerie

Thanks for the nice reception you game to my vintage dog assemblage piece last week.  I created it quite a while ago when I was teaching classes on assemblage.  The one I featured last week, I call Vintage Dog:

He was inspired by my childhood dog, a border collie named Happy, and his embellishments are all about nostalgia for a happy childhood.  

This dog, Lucky, channels the 1910's era; I feel like he could be one of those dogs that you see in pictures playing poker and smoking cigarettes.
The cats were created to feature different ways to use texture mediums in assemblage and also to  incorporate the ideas of the mysterious:

They were all very fun to make.  The base were these manikins from Dick Blick.  Tim Holtz has done some altered birds which are a little similar, but I couldn't find them easily on his site - anyone have a link? I don't see myself teaching the animal assemblage classes again, but I do have a class outlined that uses a human manikin as the base.  Have you ever done a similar altered project or assemblage?  The animals are curious . . .

Vintage Assem-dog (Photography Lesson)

It's aperture priority week in the Get Out of Auto Mode photography class I'm taking.  For my model, I'm using my Vintage Assem-dog.  He's an altered dog model (originally purchased on Dick Blick), which I created as part of an assemblage class I taught.  All photos are pretty much straight out of the camera (no brightening, sharpening, color enhancing, etc.), although I did crop them a bit.  The picture above was my favorite of the session, and I took it with my 50mm prime lens with the aperture set to 2.8.  This gave me enough blur in both the background and the dog to make an interesting shot.
I took two good photos at a higher f-stop and got crisper images, which I might use if I was trying to use the photo on an etsy page or as a clear illustration of the project.  The first one is at f5.6 and the second one is at f10:

The lowest fstop I can get with my 50 mm lens is 1.8, and I got this nice fade-away:

When I tried to get closer and still use a low fstop, the lowest I could get my f-stop down to was f5; I got this shot I liked:

One of the biggest things I learned was that, if I want to do this type of photography (not sure I do), the lens makes a huge difference!  My regular kit lens only goes down to f4.2 (focal length was 75), and here's the best shot I got with it:

I also played with the aperture setting using my telephoto lens. While I was able to get closer to the model, the lowest I could get my fstop and still focus was 5.3. The focal length was 160 (my telephoto goes to 200).  Here's my best shot:

I do like how the background went all dark!


Do you have any favorites of the photos above?  Are you a fan of fade-away, blurred art photos or do you prefer crisp all over?  I hope to do this exercise again taking photos of people  instead of my trusty assem-dog.  And I will probably use what I learned to photograph my other assemblage animals (one more dog and two cats).

What's Next?

A couple of years ago, I found this terrific glass washboard at my local antique store.  Early on, I decided that I wanted to add these shells and seaglass pairs.  The pairs speak to me of the "organic" principles which motivated Frank Lloyd Wright. I love how the manmade and natural reflect each other.  Yesterday, I finally attached them.  But now I'm stuck on what to do next.  I'm working on the idea of making it into a sign that says Gallo Organico for my studio (no  matter that I don't have a studio currently - I know I will someday!).

One idea I have is to go with Chipboard letters, "G" and "O" for Gallo Organico.  I could paint them someway.  I think I might add a wooden scroll cut rooster.

I have also thought about using smaller chipboard letters to spell out Gallo Organico, although I would have to hyphenate Organico.

I could also put the scroll cut rooster up top. I also considered painting directly on the glass, but since it's a washboard, it's rippled.  I think it would be too difficult to paint well.  Definitely interested in any and all suggestions.

A Bit of Awesomeness from Ammi

I am blessed to be part of a mixed media artist group that gets together about once a month.  In December, we did  a Secret Santa art doll exchange.  I gave my friend Anne a version of this doll.  I was receiving from my friend Ammi, who was unable to attend in December.  I was sick and missed January and February.  I missed March because I was being a Proud Mom, as I blogged about yesterday.
So, my friend Sally delivered Ammi's present for me yesterday.  Imagine my delight when I opened up the wrapping and found this!!! Isn't he amazing?!? I call him the Urban Nature Man and had good fun photographing him yesterday in my lemon tree.  Some of the fabulous details are his joints, the painting, the way he's attached into his box, and his, umm, man parts. You really should click on the picture at left to see these details.  I love him!
Thanks Ammi!

Altered Slide Mailers

I'm in a swap where we are altering "slide mailers."  They are small cardboard holders originally developed to mail microscope slides without breakage.  I used Tim Holtz's alcohol ink agate technique to create the background for the cover and created this slide mailer called "moon garden."  I thought it was pretty cool and was all set to mail it off, until I received mine from my swap partner.  It was so amazing that it blew me away!  Here's a picture of the outside and the inside:

So, I went back to the drawing board and created a double mailer called "captured muse."  The idea is that I have captured the muse for my swap partner so that she will know where to find it anytime she seems to have lost her creative mojo.  Here's the front and inside.  I used Tim's shabby chic technique for the background on the inside:

But I cracked the glass on the captured muse when putting on the finishing touches.  And I'm beginning to think my original one might be better.  Please help me!  Should I send my swap partner "Moon Garden" or "Captured Muse"? Which would you prefer to receive?  Have you ever altered a slide mailer?  It's fun!

Happy Monday!!!

Guardian Angels (mixed media shrine)

What a wonderful time I had during the Creative Circle Blog Party!  Thank you to everyone who stopped by.  The winner of the weekend giveaway is . .  . Margi of The Maverick Crafter blog.  Congratulations Margi!  Email me at rinda1961 at yahoo dot com with your address, and I'll get your prize in the mail to you.

Don't you love this shrine?  I made it in a class taught by Julee Herman.  It features a heritage photo from my collection.  My mom is the awesome woman on the left, and she's with her girlfriends from nursing school.  It makes me so happy to see them - young and powerful around 1950.  It sits on my bed stand, and I sleep peacefully as they watch over me.

Something else that makes me happy?  I got my first blog award.  The wonderful Mel sent it to me.  Thanks Mel!  I need to list five random facts about myself.  So, here they are:
1. I live by the beach and can't imagine living far from the ocean.
2. Growing up, I lived in the same house from the time I was one year old until I moved out to go to college, and I have now lived in my current house for as many years.
3. In real life, I am a law professor who specializes in labor and employment law.
4. I shoot with a Nikon D50.
5. We're a Manchester United family.

I'd like to pass this award along to Paula at It's All Apart of Life's Rich Pattern because I love her "Monday Matters" feature. It always brings a smile to my face because it's all about making the world a better place.  Check it out!

One of my favorite places to make a difference is Operation Write Home.  If you're a cardmaker with extra cards, they will put them to good use.  Please stop by their site and consider sending them some of your extras.

Stencil Mania

I am taking a fabulous art journaling class from Dina Wakley at Get It Scrapped called Graffiti of My Life. Dina uses lots of paint and spray ink and stencils. I am pretty familiar with stencils because Club Scrap, the monthly scrapbooking club I've been a member of since 2001, always has a stencil in their monthly kit. It's been so much fun to see how Dina uses them in her art journals. On her blog, she recently posted about one of her inspirations in the stenciling world - Ed Roth. When I checked out his blog, I realized that the Paris Street Art I fell in love in Summer, 2008, was actually stencil art. I took lots of pictures of the street art, did a scrapbook page with the pictures, turned the pictures into a collage sheet and have incorporated the images into all kinds of art including the card, fisheye collage, and textured collage seen here. It's amazing the things you learn when you take a new class!

I also think my photography has definitely gotten better, as a result of the suggestions that have been posted so far in response to my weekend give-away. You still have until 9:00 pm. California time tonight to comment on this post to get a chance to win. Thanks for visiting!

Finding Inspiration in the Mundane

Wednesday was a day when I needed to pick up the house. . . . take down the Halloween decorations, gather the dishes and dirty clothes the kids had left strewn about the house, clear off all those horizontal surfaces that had gathered mail and books and junk. You know that kind of day. I also had to clean up my craft desk, which was impassable. Not a very inspiring kind of day, until I found my Michael DeMeng Demented Toy creation (which, truth be told, I wasn't that happy with) sitting on top of the Frida Kahlo painted panel (which you can see down in the lower left-hand corner of my blog, in the "about me" section). I realized that what I didn't like about the piece was the face (it's a Jon Miller bobblehead, by the way) and the fact that the entire creation did not have any kind of a "shrine-like" quality to it, which is what normally draws me to Michael DeMeng's work. I was inspired to use Frida's face on a cloth mask to turn the creation into something in which I am now really happy. Who would have thought clean-up time could lead to such inspiration?

Dias de Los Muertos Art, Part 2

Here's a variety of art that I have created to pay tribute to and remember my loved ones who have passed away. The first collage is dedicated to my mom, who loved roses and let me have cats. The second collage is for my father - he was the "patron" who loved to tell stories. The house features photos of both my mom and dad. The last photo is my newest tribute - it's for our family dog, Buster, who passed away over Labor Day.

Dias de Los Muertos Art, Part 1

I really enjoy making art for Dias de los Muertos. Here's a few things I have made. The first is a faux sugar skull (made in a class taught by Connie Andrews). The second is a shrine that includes an altered domino (made the shrine in a class taught by my friend Sally). The third picture includes a slide shrine that I made in a class I taught last year and a metal tin shrine.

This post is Part 1 because tomorrow I will post some of the art I have made to pay tribute to particular people who have passed away.

Also don't forget that today is the last day to post a comment in response to "Is it Finished" from Friday. Entries close at 6:00 Sunday night California time.

October Class Review

October was a great month for taking classes! In reverse order,

1. Michael DeMeng's Demented Toys Class - in this class, we disassembled and then reassembled toys to create something new and meaningful. The picture of my creation is in a previous post. I enjoyed pushing myself to use power tools to disassemble things and the training on how to adhere things to each other. Michael focused on both traditional adhesives (E6000), mechanical connections (screws, nails) and apoxy clay. I learned a lot. Michael also gave some wonderful painting demonstrations. He's a wonderful teacher - accessible, funny, and a great problem solver. I've heard that he's become a better teacher over time and that this class contained more demonstration than prior classes. I had to leave early, so didn't get as much out of it as I could have (but that was my own fault).

2. Michael DeMeng's Holy Rolling Wheels - in this class, we altered hot wheels cars to create works of art. I loved this class!!! I appreciated how giving Michael was of his time and knowledge. It was a small class, and we all had lunch together. I feel like I really got a chance to get to know him as an artist and human being. it was wonderful to get some insight into how a real, living artist thinks & works. The hot wheels (first picture above) really worked for me because I was able to conceive of how to turn it into a shrine. At the end of the class, Michael gave a critique which really helped me improve my vehicle.

3. Nancy Young's Gesso Class - learned some nice techniques for making card fronts using gesso. Loved how we made a little sample book.

4. KJ's Card Class - Made cards using flower soft and glitter on acetate. Both are outside my regular box, but I had fun.

5. Connie Lutz's - Hot Water Bottle journal class. Yes, you read that right. The little red book is a journal made out of a hot water bottle. I love book binding, and I really enjoyed this class.

6. Connie Andrews Pumice Gel Class - okay, so technically this class was in September, but it was right at the end. Connie Andrews is a gifted teacher who has been offering a series of classes that focus on the use of texture mediums in collage. I created the abstract piece shown here, which is very different for me, but I really enjoyed it. Connie's blog is linked at the left. Check her out and definitely consider taking a class from her if you're in the San Francisco Bay Area. You won't be disappointed.

I'm taking two classes in November, and I'll review those at the end of next month.