Mer-mask

The colors of this recently finished mask reminds me of a merman. I just added two masks to my online Etsy shop. If you are interested in purchasing this or any of the other masks you've seen on my blog, you can contact me directly. This mask is $80 and $7.00 in shipping.

Masks - the new hotcake

Today I finished painting this leather mask but it was sold before I left the studio.

Productive Day in the Studio

Last week I spent a full day cleaning out my studio. Things got a little crazy during the wheel banner project and so I had to take a breath and carve out some space for other work. A clean studio space does soooo much for my productivity level. I really got a lot done yesterday and enjoyed being inside while the rain poured outside. I lit some incense, brewed a fresh pot of coffee, and listened to "A Painted House" while I worked.
The first thing I did was to screenprint some more totes to take over to the Edge of Urge, a cool shop on Market Street that sells my wares. This time I printed on two different sizes of organic cotton totes I ordered online. I can't wait to drop these off, especially since I have my new hang tags in.



I was also able to finish painting another mask. I really like the way this one turned out. I had to work fast because I was trying to blend so many colors to get a metal look. This time I worked a bit harder on the underneath side.



This is the way it looked before I painted it.

Another painted mask

I achieved this look by blending several acrylic paints in multiple layers. I also painted the underneath area all black, just to give it a more finished look. Next time I will spray paint it all black (or some neutral color) first, to save time. This first coat also allows the paint to absorb into the leather which makes the additional layers go on smoother.

This is how it looked before I started painting:

Shipping

Building shipping crates can be a whole day event. But it's worth it to ensure a safe passage for sold artwork. I am saying goodbye to two pieces, one of which is Spiraling #1, a piece that was hanging at a local coffee shop. I announced the exhibition on my blog and the painting sold the next day to a friend of mine, JB. JB is becoming quite the art collector.

Leather Mask #3: Painted

Wheel Banners

I have been working on a three-color wheel banner screenprinting project for the last couple of weeks and I'm finally finished. For anyone interested, I'm selling them for $250 each and I can customize the colors. Check out the time lapse video to see how I did them. Adjust your volume level as needed.

Leather Mask: Shaping

After cutting out the mask pattern, I soaked it in hot water (not quite boiling) for a few minutes, took it out and patted it dry on a towel and then started forming it over the mannequin head I sculpted into a bird face earlier. I worked steadily, curling the edges to get a more finished look. I scored the feathers on the backside so they would bend a little. Once it was shaped, I let it dry overnight and it held its form nicely. I did talk to someone who explained to me that I used the wrong kind of leather (has too much texture and an unevenness in thickness throughout. I did some more research and now have the right (or more commonly used) leather. I will probably have two or three more masks before it's out of my system.

Emerging Surfaces #2

Here's a cool time lapse video of me making "Emerging Surfaces #2". I don't have a professional photo of the finished piece yet but I'll post it later. For this sculptural painting, I cut up some faux wood blinds (the kind for windows) using a miter saw, and then sanded all the edges. Then I built the panel surface and stretched canvas over that...and then a series of applying gesso...then sanding...then more gesso. Next I played with various compositions to get an idea of how I wanted to build up the layers and finally started adhering the squares to the panel using get medium. In between some of the layers I sewed in thin pieces of metal. By doing it this way they kind of "float" between the squares. I think this was the hardest part. I had to use clamps and try to keep the thread the same length all around so the metal would be evenly placed in the middle of the squares. When everything was glued in place, I used a sand textured paint to cover everything...twice. Then I used a needle to loosen the sand around the threaded areas. Then I sprayed the piece with black spray paint. This sealed in the sand texture and prepared the surface for the acrylic paint. I used several colors of acrylic paint to achieve the look of old tiles and finally, I sprayed the whole thing with a clear varnish to really set it and seal it.

Mask: Stage 2

Mask form in development stage. Layering plaster infused gauze strips over the styrofoam head and wires.

Seagrove

Today I'm at Seagrove, a unique coastal community, beautifully nestled in Carolina Beach. There's an open house tour of the new homes and condominiums today, and the sales agency invited about 25 artists to exhibit our work during the event.
That's one of the great things about Wilmington...artwork is a part of every community event and there are creative people everywhere.

Revisiting an old image

One of my favorite paintings, "Katie with Wings", (above) was sold in an art gallery earlier this year. I kept the original drawing and recently decided to do a silkscreen design and reuse the image. Obviously, I wasn't trying in any way to recreate the feel of the original oil painting, but using it in a new way appealed to me.

I used the drawing fluid/screen filler method and "drew" on the screen using a paint bottle with a tiny opening. This allowed me to have a bit more control with my lines. Once the process was complete, I printed the image onto flour sacks. The first is the off-white organic cotton sack and the second is a white sack that I distressed with two colors of ink. The ink adds an interesting effect but I'm not totally sold on it.

Time Lapse

Here's a cool little time lapse video of me creating "Emerging Surfaces #1"....

Apostle Islands

I'm about to set off on a three day kayaking excursion. Wisconsin's northernmost landscape juts out into Lake Superior as the scenic archipelago known as the Apostle Islands. The national lakeshore includes 21 islands and 12 miles of mainland Lake Superior shoreline, featuring pristine stretches of sand beach, spectacular sea caves, remnant old-growth forests, resident bald eagles and black bears, and the largest collection of lighthouses anywhere in the National Park System. Let's just hope my arms hold out...I've never actually done any kayaking before!!

Indonesian delights

We're visiting some friends in Indiana this sunny 4th of July. Most of their time is spent living on a beautiful island in Indonesia.
They operate a wood floor business and import all kinds of wood that eventually makes its way into the homes of millions of Americans.
Yesterday we toured the warehouse and saw some amazing hand carved imports. If I only had more room in my apartment...

Feminine Perspective Exhibition

My painting, "Out of the Box" is in a group exhibition at the Black Door Gallery in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Gallery owners Craig and Elizabeth Thomas invited several established and emerging women artists to participate in "Feminine Perspective", which will open to the public on July 4th with a reception on July 11th.

Installation in Charleston

Tuesday I installed 7 paintings in Charleston, SC at the North Charleston Meeting Place. The huge windows make a great display opportunity in the up and coming downtown area of North Charleston. The paintings are from "Sowing and Reaping", a series of allegorical fruit and vegetable still lifes. The two month long exhibition was organized by the City of North Charleston Cultural Arts Department.

Having lunch at EVO, an organic pizzeria just down the block, was a real treat.

Edge of Urge

I am really pleased that some of my screenprinted tote bags, tee-shirts, and cards are now selling at Edge of Urge, an awesome shop at a primo location right downtown in Wilmington (18 Market Street). The store was recently featured in Coastal Living Magazine.


Here's one of the tote bags that's in the shop...


and here are the cards...

Emerging Surfaces

This is the finished piece! I love to work with found objects and recycled materials when I work on my more sculptural pieces. In this case, I used munitions packaging that was made to protect mortar shells.

My husband brought these to me from the trash at Fort Bragg. I cut them at an angle using a hacksaw then mounted them with layers of
caulk and gel medium. I followed that with several coats of a rubberizing spray, textured spray paint, more gel medium, and metallic acrylic paint. I'm happy with the end result.

This sculptural wall hanging is a wooden panel covered in canvas that's 20" x 22" x 7".

McDance !!

Last night Justin and I ventured out from our comfort zone...we went Salsa dancing. Despite our swollen toes and shrunken egos, we actually had a great time. It seems like we make a new friend every day because the people in Wilmington are so nice. We met up with a group of people but got acquainted with everyone as we rotated partners and learned our new steps. We went to a place called Bab's McDance. There was a cookout, wine, a dance lesson, and then dancing that went on until 2 in the morning...of course, we headed home at 10:30, which was an hour past our regular bedtime. :)