So it’s October. The days are getting shorter and the nights have a certain chill in the breeze that wasn’t noticeable a month ago.
For me this time of year means it’s almost show season…the season of crazy and high gear! 15 hour days. 7 days a week. All the way through December.
I thought you might like a peek into how I get show ready and how crazy it can be. Let’s start with the state of my studio…
So. I feel the need to explain. When one tries to be show ready several things seem to explode. The most common occurrence happens all over the flat surfaces. Things seem to multiply. Procreate. This area is actually 2 feet wide and 8 feet long. Guess how much of it I can work on right now? Um. Yeah. None of it. Moving on…
This is my main work area. Yes. I still have a 12″ square to work in. Really! I do. A square foot. Yeah.
My resin area. You get the idea. Show ready means every surface is covered in something that needs to be beaded, wired, coated, sanded, tagged, cured, colored, painted, glued, left alone, cast, patinaed, ground, sawed, polished, sealed…and or finished in some way. Otherwise show ready would just be a myth.
More to come…
Last week’s Ice Resin Play was with rings and some other things.
This week I can show you how Ice Resin changes everything you saw in that post. Beautiful changes!
Here is the before of what you are about to see. The two top circles of color are the beginnings of the druzzy. Coarse glitter glued down before resin.
After seeing a few Ice resin samples of faux druzzy (naturally forming crystal) techniques I had to try it out. Using the chunky turquoise glitter I glued it thickly to the bottom of the bezel. Over that poured the Ice resin to make a smooth top and placed a previously cast heart on top of that. Yum! I love it. Also made on in purple.
You can see where the cast heart caught two air bubbles underneath it…but I don’t care. It’s really pretty anyway.
And here is another you’ve only seen before the resin was poured..now afterwards!
This is inspired by a Klimt painting and I embellished it with gold glitter throughout her tears. Everyone should cry in gold glitter…don’t you think?
One more…here’s the before…
The bezel on the top that is just color went into the piece below.
The background here was from a mixed media painting which was then enameled around the edges. The cast face was placed after a thin coat of resin was applied in the bezel.
I love that it’s raised and this piece is quite large. Oval in shape probably about 2 inches from chin to forehead.
Okay…one more! Here is the skull from the top picture after pouring the resin.
He’s just good old fashioned fun!
Until next time!
A couple of weeks ago Seth Apter’s blog was recommended by a friend as a “don’t miss out” blog to read. Upon arriving the first post I read was one about allowing the world to see us, we as artists, in our true habitat. (you can read the post here: Seth’s Call for The Studio Table)
Also known as the cluttered studio and messy worktable!
This is my main work table area. Normally this is 4′ X 3′ but, as you can see, I’m working in about 1′ X 1′.
Why are we always worried about cleaning everything up? What’s the deal? Isn’t it true to form if you’re a working artist then you have a messy work area?
I know for me that this is completely, without a doubt, true almost everyday.
So here goes…here’s your MESSY tour. And believe me it is. I’m in the midst of working at the stocking of several shops and three shows plus two classes in about 6 weeks time. Oy!
This is the opposite side of my main work area, also the same size, but now covered in resin supplies plus some other things.
I know where everything is…it appears normal to me.
And this is another work area usually 8′ X 3′. Not sure there’s even an inch there if I wanted it to be.
I have two more full lengths of counter space that I’m not showing off. They look pretty much the same just serve different purposes.
So…what does your space look like? Are you productive? I may be have a messy space but I can crank out some artsy stuff!!
Lots of good things happen over on Seth’s blog!
Until next time!
Susan
On the ever present train ride that is the artistic journey one tries to do things that are different…intriquing…maybe with a twist…?
Forgetting that the universe includes something called the K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) principle i seem to forge ahead most days achieving close intimacy with the complicated. Seems i needed to come up with a class proposal. A new idea, a fun idea. To say i labored over this would be a gross understatement. I pulled out all the supplies, drew a bunch of templates, created a couple dozen pieces of God knows what, resin’d, shrunk, journaled, sculpted, painted, trimmed, and cut. For about three weeks. Everyday. The pictures are the result of my efforts.
Lets see if i can explain what these would be in a class situation. First, what i hope would be, a group would learn how to do some doodling to come up with a template which would then be cut out of shrink plastic. One side we color the other we journal on…random words. While these are in the oven we pull out the pictures or, my original idea, was to have the group take selfies (the black and white photos are me, i was about six), which we would cut to fit the shrink frames. Then we glue, then we resin…then we play with polymer clay for bases, bake again, paint them in funky patterns, insert bunny eared and crowned semi sculptures of shrink with selfies…and admire. Maybe not quite that fast but….
So…once finished i submitted the class proposal and thought, “ah, good work done!” About two days later i got a “thanks but no thanks” note. (Not really that abrupt but they let me know it wasn’t an idea their clients would enjoy) At first i was upset…all that work and an end product i thought was quite fun. Ahhhh….back to the drawing board.
And another 24 hours, i re-arranged the class practicing the K.I.S.S. principle and the second one they liked. All was not lost.
The moral of the story…stop overthinking, obsessing, hyper-focusing about your artwork. Let it flow…go with it…allow it to run freely from you. Stop doubting your ability and over doing your work. Everything you do is worthy and wonderful.
And always apply the K.I.S.S. Principle…
(Anybody want to take a crazy class? I have some ideas…)
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