Illustration Friday: “Grounded”

 

Illustration Friday: “Messenger”

 

Illustration Friday: “Separated”

 

Corel Painter Exercise #2

I did one more test image today. Now that I feel more confident with the controls in Painter, I’ll probably start on some illustrations for the book in the next couple of days. I’m excited!!

 

 

Corel Painter 11, Are You the One?

I have been trying to get motivated to finish some test illustrations for my book, and realized that the reason I am dragging my feet comes right down to studio organization:

 

First I have to clean off my work space (which rarely stays clean for more than a day or so), I then have to choose my medium (all the while wondering if the ills would be better represented by a different medium), prepare the medium accoutrements, choose my paper or canvas, research photo references online, print them out, do a sketch, refine the sketch and then transfer the refined sketch to my prepared surface before I can even put pencil to paper. And after completion, manipulation of the image is next to impossible. 

Yeah. Real inspiring.

 

So I pulled out Painter 11 (which I have never used) and our Wacom tablet. I played around with Painter 8 years ago, painted a simple flower, hated it, and have carried a grudge ever since. But I thought I may be able to really utilize this program to finish the damn book already. Much lower maintenance. Below is my first test image from Painter 11. It’s not an image from the storybook, just a quick sketch. But I am really impressed, I think it came out pretty damned good. I have new hope for my publishing future. (For those of you who don’t know, Painter is a computer program that allows you to “paint” on the screen freakishly similar to the way you would paint on paper or canvas. The image below is completely digital and therefore completely edit-ready-and-willing. Love.)

 

 

New Show Seasonnnnn!

So, as this show season approaches, I have been very hesitant about whether to go forward with jewelry or with the great ceramic/sculpture work I’ve been doing lately. The jewelry would be easy, because I already have my basic stock, but my heart is just not in it right now.

 

Mama needs a break. 

 

So, even though I am biting off a huge chunk of scary, I will be applying to the shows this season with….clay! I have little to no stock, and the shows quite literally start in a couple of months, but oh, what the hell!

 

Though the decision had been made, I still had quite a debacle to face! “Ceramics” or “Sculpture”?? Truly, I want to show both my little bowls as well as my sculptures, and I suppose there really is no bad decision, though, suffice it to say, I went with “Sculpture”.

 

Below are some new pieces I will be showing this season, get ‘em while they’re hot:

 

 

First Little Sculpture

Though this is the first of what is now a collection of about six smallish (under a foot) sculptures, I am just now getting around to posting the first shots. Here is girlie #1 in the leather-hard stage. She is now finished and looking fantastic. Finished pics to follow soon…

 

 

 

 

 

Damnitalltohell!

I have been working on some awesome (if I do say so myself) sculptures lately. But, alas, on my second firing I heard that dreaded crack and crumble. My second sculpture busted into a handful of pieces. After the appropriate tantrum, I assessed my options. Luckily it hadn’t even reached bisque yet, so I think it may be salvageable. I tried the “magic water” slip solution (which did not work). So, it is currently wrapped in wet towels and plastic wrap. I will report back soon. 

 

 

First Two High Fires – Pt 3

My first High Fire! (To Cone 5)

The load was good size of small objects – two kiln posts (which I laid on their side to act as a shelf), about 30 small thin swatch tiles and a large amount of various pebble-sized cabochons. 

  *I placed everything listed above (plus the 5 cone) inside and vented the top. Turned on LOW and let sit at low, vented, for one hour.

  *Closed lid and turned to MEDIUM for 2 solid hours.

  *Turned heat to #4.5 for 1 hour. 

  *Cone was in perfect slumped position.

I was most surprised by the small gap of time between a cone 05 and cone 5 firing. I had been avoiding high fire clay because I assumed the firing would be a furnace in my studio, and quite frankly, that level of heat scared me. But it was an almost unnoticeable difference.

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Second High Fire! (To Cone 4)

Just the night before – a beautiful sculpture ,which I had worked on forever, shattered. It was fairly thick and I don't think I was going slow enough with the heat. Now this load was very full to the top with thick goblets and small bowls, so I went especially slowly with this load, still haunted by the night before.

  *I placed everything (plus the 4 cone) inside and vented the top. Turned on LOW and let sit at low, vented, for 1.5 hours.

  *Kept on LOW with lid SHUT for 1 hour.

  *Turned heat to #2 for 1.5 hours.

  *Turned heat to #3.5 for 1 hour. 

  *Turned heat to #5 for 45 minutes. 

  *Cone was in perfect slumped position. Spot-Fucking-On! (with no breakage)

 

Out Dammed Liqueous Glazes!

I am so BUUUUMMED. I have spent the last four days carving all these intricate designs into glazed bisqueware. I was so proud of myself because they all looked amazing (and yes, I have tried this particular technique before with success). This morning I open my kiln to find that more than half of the 24 small pieces I had in there no longer have my beautiful designs! Some of the glazes I had were too "liqueous" and just sort of flooded my etchings. Others look lie they may have been a little too thick and just sort of closed over the etching. I wouldn't be quite so bummed if I had taken pics of the designs pre-kiln so they can be repeated, but alas, I did not. 

Not a very inspiring way to start my day. 

 

My Kiln is Listening Well – pt 2

So my second run went pretty well I would say. The load was bit more – four kiln posts (which I laid on their side to act as a shelf), about 16 small thin swatch tiles (six of them glazed) and two clay spoons.

  *I placed everything listed above (plus the 05 cone) inside and vented the top. Turned on LOW and let sit at low, vented, for one hour.

  *Closed lid and turned to MEDIUM for 2 solid hours.

  *Turned heat to #4.5 for 30 minutes. I realize this is not a huge difference from the original run, but with so much more inside to cook, it amounted to just the right amount of time.

  *Cone was in perfect slumped position.

I kinda feel like that was too easy. I look forward to doing some small bowls, and working with some cone 4 clay I picked up. I also need to pick up some self-supporting cones. These "I-don't-wanna-stand-up-on-my-own-so-wrap-me-in-wire" cones can eat my dust.

 

Sometimes Nothing Inspires Quite Like….

…dumping my yarn stash onto my couch, burying my face into it all and inhaling deeply…

 

 

The Trials and Tribulations of My New Kiln – pt 1

So, after spontaneously signing up for a ceramics class at Saint Petersburg's Arts Center, I found myself fantasizing about all the things I could make in ceramics – both to incorporate into my jewelry and to branch into new projects. 

My mother was a sculptor and potter, so ceramics was never a big mystery to me. However…I have always said that I am NOT blessed in clay. I never really got into it when I had the option of so many other mediums. But I find myself now with an itch to sculpt and throw, a gorgeous and brand new (once) potters wheel which has been in storage for three years, and the spontaneous purchase of a brand new small studio kiln, the Paragon Caldera (manual model).

Of course I had always heard of "cones", but I hadn't the slightest idea of how they worked, or what they even were really. I thought that the kiln would be a point-and-click type of equipment. I studied that instruction manual for a good hour before chucking it across the room. I lured my ceramics instructor to my house with the promise of free jewelry and grilled her for information. Though unsure of small kilns as she was, she gave me some idea – a jumping off point – really, for my own experimentation. 

I knew I had to just jump in and try something (and pray to the babbling clay gods that I don't ruin my brand new kiln). I googled one last time hoping for just a little more info and I stumbled upon one singular YouTube video of a guy using my kiln model. His instruction (though slightly vague) was quite different from my instructor's instruction, so I guesstimated between the two and finally jumped off into my first test run. Here are my settings and results (I'll post more as I learn more) as I am sure there are other people out there like myself wishing for some sort of starting point. These postings will simply be my own experiences. Do not take my work for sure-fire instruction. And use common sense.

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First kiln load was simple (didn't want to ruin anything with my ignorance): a shelf (usually used for torching – couldn't find a kiln shelf in my size) coated with kiln wash, and an 05 cone. Just trying to get an idea here.

  *With kiln on bricks on concrete floor, I placed the shelf and cone inside and vented the top. Turned on LOW and let sit at low, vented, for one hour.

  *Closed lid and turned to MEDIUM. While checking cone periodically, I left on MEDIUM for 2 solid hours. (At this point the cone was browning at the top but no sign of slumping.)

  *Turned heat to #5 (one setting before HIGH) and left for 20 minutes. When checked, the cone had melted completely, obviously over-fired, so somewhere between the end of MEDIUM and the #5, it reached it's peak. 

  *Next time I think I will turn it to #4 instead, for maybe 10-15 minutes. Will report.

And NO, for anyone interested, a fire brick used for torching is NOT the same thing as a fire brick for kiln use. It was a crumbled dusty charred mess when I was done. But at least it wasn't melted to the bottom.

 

Art vs Style

I really enjoy creating 2D art. Paintings, charcoal, illustrations. But I never thought of myself as an artist as much as a writer who drew better than she wrote. And by that I mean…I have visions of events that are best described as scenes from a novel that lives in my head. I tried to write it once, about 4 years ago, but found many things about the serious writing process difficult. I can write beautifully in short bursts, but a story that spans hundreds of pages? I just couldn't wrap my head around it. 

And so I painted. 

Each painting was my idea of a beautifully crafted snippet from a unique story. Just enough to let the viewer know that something very strange was either about to happen, or they just missed the show. I found my niche in creating images that were bizarre, sexually charged, very dark. Some people have used the word "scary". And I liked these descriptions. It was a way to let out the dark part of my soul (and yes, we all have it) in a creative and beautiful way. 

It was when the pressure to 'maintain that imagery' appeared that I started searching for something else. Every time I stared at a blank canvas or paper, I felt this mounting expectation to paint something…darker, sexier, even more unique. And of course, when you're a painter, you have to have a readily available answer to the question, "what was the inspiration for this piece?", or simply, "tell me more…". But sometimes there just isn't more. Sometimes there isn't grande inspiration. Sometimes it's just a painting of a girl. With a skull necklace. And a crashed fighter jet. Smoking a flower. Sometimes it's just about an image.

It starts to feel contrived.

     -vs-

When I create jewelry, I am crafting something with my actual fingers. I am hammering, torching, bending metals for god's sake!, bleeding, sweating, hands filthy. And when I'm done? Someone will buy a gleaming white silver ring with delicate carvings along the side and a shiny clean stone from the earth. Someone is buying my hard work, they are buying my style.

I hand pick every stone in person. I am there, at the industry trade shows, to dig through the hundreds of stones available to me to specifically choose only a few that fit the style I am seeking. Anyone can purchase sterling silver or bronze, but to sketch the original designs that adorn my pieces and then hand carve them? That is something only I can do. It is a part of my personal mythology. It is my carefully crafted image and my style. 

It is flattering when someone buys my jewelry. They are saying to me: "you have really great taste; I appreciate it". It is the highest personal compliment. 

 

MY FIRST TIME!! (recycling silver)

So I have this huge pile of silver scrap piling up in my studio, but I didn’t know what to do with it! I knew I could send it in to a refinery, but all the piece (ACK! the littlest pieces…) were covered in adhesive and paper bits. Do I send it in as is? Is it okay to mix sterling and fine silver (it should be, right?) At first I had all these visions of soaking all the bitty pieces in Goo-B-Gone, then washing (scraping) off the little paper scraps, then going through and pulling out all the bitty bits of fine silver bezel I could see. Ugh. 

 

But then it occurred to me to just torch it all! All the paper burned away! My house was filled with a good dose of healthy sinus-clearing smoke, but whatever…

 

I torched the dust into little balls (I sent it in through Rio and they did NOT want dust) so I could get every last bit. I soaked it in pickle so all the scraps were Gleaming! It was beautiful. 

 

In the end, I received nearly $160.00 in credit, which I promptly used for a bunch a fun stuff I didn’t really need or use a whole lot, like glass frit, enamels and resin. Why be practical when it feels like a gift?

 

 

 

Oh, The Perils of Art!

I have seen my share of art related injuries lately and it has inspired me to take some pictures.

 

Yah!

 

Below is a photo of my toes after wearing sneakers for the whole weekend of the Miami Beach Festival of the Arts. (I’m a sandal girl.) For a while I worried I might lose my toenails, but after nearly two months, they’re still hanging in there!

 

 

And now…last Friday, at a ceramics class I am taking, I spent 2 hours carving designs into dry clay. It didn’t occur to me that the dust might be harmful. Ha!

 

 

“Quick Sells” are “No Sells”?

So, a few weeks after my Miami show, I am finally getting around to unpacking the mess that is my collection and repackaging them all into their individual tarnish-free baggies for easy and beautiful storage. 

For each art show, I tend to spend the week before making a whole bunch of what I call "quick sells". The easy, affordable pieces (usually earrings) that I assume will sell…well…quickly. It is usually a very difficult thing for me to do as there is not time to get terribly creative on the "quick sells". A stone here, a small piece of silver there. I basically feel like I am not being true to myself as an artist and are trading creativity for a quick buck in the last moments of panic before a show. Especially in this economy! Showing up with an inventory priced in the $80-$500 range seems really risky. Isn't everyone looking for a pair of earrings for 15 bucks these days?

In the unpacking of my merchandise this week, the answer is, thankfully, a resounding "NO"! I actually sold very few "quick sells". And in thinking back to my last show, I didn't sell many there either! My buyers actually like the work that has my heart and soul in it, even though it surpasses the 15 buck range. Making a note of this is a huge weight off my chest. A sense of freedom. 

I can to ditch these "quick sell" pieces and focus my time and energy on the intensely creative pieces that make me proud to be an artist!

 

Fun with Leather

So, in my quest to see my work in print (for me, success = publication), I plan to submit some work for a book coming out in 2010 that focuses on jewelry made from leather, skins or fur. I’ve never worked in leather (aside from the occasional necklace cord) but took this opportunity to stretch some creative muscles. I can’t believe how amazing it is to work in leather! I am feeling this new sort of artistic freedom. I am posting here my first foray into the medium. I know, the design is from a previous piece, but this was an experiment; new designs for leather to come. I am so excited to play more!! I tried to take a photo that made it look as great as it does in person, but it is impossible. this scan will have to suffice.

 

Miami Beach Festival of the Arts, Feb 7&8, 2009

My review of the 34th annual Miami Beach Festival of the Arts.

So, I had never been to this particular show before, and was not sure what to expect. The work being shown was amazing (I had read some bad reviews on the show from the year before, but can't back those up at all. The artists there were fantastic). The location was beautiful, the tents lining the road adjacent to one of the beaches. It seemed like such a perfect setting for an art show. 

Saturday started off slow, but with the economy in the toilet and everyone clutching their money to their chests, it wasn't far from our expectations. My only criticism of the show was the Saturday crowd. My husband and I are naturally very friendly people. We don't exercise any sales techniques, but we do like to greet everyone with a "hi, good morning", or something of the sort, as they begin to browse. Normally we are greeting right back, frequently accompanied by a little small talk, at the very least a smile. But this Saturday Miami Beach crowd wanted nothing to do with it (for the most part; there are always exceptions). I was usually ignored completely, often scowled at. We felt like we were being viewed as used cars salesman! It was a different experience than I am used to in the art show community. 

Saturday night we crashed into bed and tried to get as much sleep as possible before dragging ourselves back the following day. Luckily…..the Sunday crowd was amazing! We can't quite figure out why the Saturday crowd differed so much from the Sunday crowd, but I'm sure glad it did. Everyone was so friendly, complimentary, smiling. We had some great sales and met some great people. If I could hit copy and paste this past Sunday into every art show weekend, I would. 

The powers-that-may-be must have had their eye on us, because we ("we" being myself, my husband and our three year old daughter) were neighbors with the only other artists at the show who also had their toddler daughter in tow. The children played all weekend and stayed out of trouble (for the most part). It was amazing serendipity. Our neighbor, David's, work is amazing, you can view it at: David Levy Creations

We were really blessed by good company. Our neighbor to our other side had some fantastic acrylic paintings. His website is: Arnoldo Diaz

 

New Inspiration

I am so inspired right now, and I won't be able to get back in my studio to work for at least five days so I just have to write about it! 

I have always been a fine artist first and foremost. Though I love working in jewelry and plan to continue doing so for a freakishly long time, I am just not content to sacrifice that fine art side. The pieces that hang on the wall. The pieces that garnish solo gallery exhibits. Those are the things that make my heart truly go pitter-patter. 

Through a happy accident of working on some illustrations for the children's book that I wrote, I discovered a great new way to utilize metal and wood in a way that reopens the "solo gallery exhibit" door again. I have been so incredibly un-inspired for the last couple weeks and this is such a great change. A reawakening of my artistic energies. 

I am off to Miami Beach this weekend, possibly the last art show until the fall here in hot sweaty nothing-goes-on-outdoors-in-the-summertime Florida, and I'm looking forward to it. I've never been to this show before, so hopefully it hits it out of the park. But as happy as I am to pack up the studio (and the fam) and head for the beaches, I just can't wait to back to work on Monday!!!