Encaustic on wood..

Well I'll tell you that Stephanie Lee has opened up all sorts of possibilities for me with her Plaster and Encaustic book. The technique has provided me with endless hours of entertainment! I've even crossed the line and made a few "utilitarian" pieces, pencil holders, picture frames etc..

Assorted Bottle Thingies...

So suddenly I love these pale green glass bottles and have managed to stockpile somewhat of an arsenal of them. This is the beginning of my exploration of color possibilities. Old standby burnt umber keeps jumping in there but silvers and metallic champagne are feeling rather nice. We'll see where this goes.

This upper right piece has translucent polymer clay wings (as does the lower example), painted and glazed. The center is a casting of a very old crusty broach I dug out of gramma's trinket box. If you've got a gramma, she probably has a trinket box. These are good things to raid if given the opportunity. Just sneak in some two part epoxy mold making goo and you should have plenty of time to pull off a couple of good molds. I suggest doing this under the cloak of darkness or after gramma has had her evening sherry.

Little Stick People..

Plaster and paper clay heads, polymer clay wings, wax, burnt umber wash.. I think they need tinkly bells on wires. I know I've got some around here somewhere.

Are we there yet?

We've all been there, right? That piece you just can't leave alone. On the wall, off the wall, on the wall.... This is the most recent iteration of this bad boy. Who knows what it will turn into next. The worrisome part is there are two more of them in the queue waiting to be transformed. Once again. This is a mixed media piece (you probably figured that out already, right?). You name it, it's in here; plaster, wax, gold leaf, old map pieces, polymer clay, paper clay, cold tar... I started by sculpting the heart shape in modeling clay then made a latex mold so I could cast as many plaster versions as I wanted. It was going to be a serial imagery piece but so far they are all different. That is subject to change. The piece is roughly 8" square.

Eggs Florentine....

Apparently I am going through a polymer clay phase. I tend to do this,.. find a technique or material that captivates me and run it into the ground. I've been busy covering switch plates, old Coleman's Mustard tins, and anything else that can stand up to a 250 degree oven for 40 minutes. Back to soldering next week,.. maybe. And then there's that growing pile of rusty stuff that beckons.

A small herd of hearts...

Little Valentine hearts I did a few weeks ago. They are made of polymer clay; painted, stained, wiped, stained some'more, a little schmear of twinkly..

Cycles....

Left brain, right brain, left brain right brain. The lobotomy has apparently taken effect and I am starting to feel a resurgence of creativity. Through with analyzing stock charts and reading Blacks Law Dictionary just for the fun of it. Time to take inventory here in the LaBoratory and get back to what really matters.

December Classes at "The Shop"

I will be teaching Christmas theme soldering classes through December. We have the finial bottles and 3" x 4" beveled "danglies". Check the My Favorite Things link at the right for schedule and additional information for goings on in Nevada City for the holidays.

Mum Night Light

Beveled glass with a sepia photo printed on transparency, doo-dads, Gram's rosary, wood base and 4 watt night light. 5 1/2" x 8". I applied the usual soldered edges and then a patina.

Siena Nuovo

8" x 8" Acrylic, gold leaf, ink, two margaritas. Okay, just kidding about the margaritas. I only mention it because I'm thinking about one now.

New Workshops

Tina and I will be putting together a schedule for classes that are being offered at her Glitter Girl Studios in August. I will be doing a two part altered book workshop and the "Heart in a Box" class (see below). The soldering classes are ongoing; bottles, charms and such. Follow the link on the right to be directed to My Favorite Things for details. I also do "Workshops on Demand". Email me for details.

Altered Book

This is the newest model. The heart is made of paper mache. I first made the shape in clay then a latex mold over that so I can recreate the shape. The floral design was stamped onto sculpey, baked, painted and tinted. The edges are gold leaf. See earlier post for another "specimen".

Rome Heart

Heart in a Box

Thinking inside the box...

Watch this space for better photo.... Currently working on "innerds" for the piece.

Altered States

Picture framgs gone mad....

The Birthday Girl

Someone turned a certain age which will not be mentioned... but in honor of the occasion I made her a crown for all her friends in attendance to sign.

Little People

Books

This is my first altered book. Several more are in the works.