Poof. Part two. take 27. the plaster

of course now that time has loosened and the rains are here- blogger has decided to not cooperate- in a very large way. only HTML allowed. nothing else will work, and frankly people- i am too tired to try to be that clever. the change of seasons has brought me the inevitable cold and delightful pair of tody goggles has left me a bit fuzzy. so. photo bombs it is. you are hereby relieved of reading rambling banter and trite commentary from the peanut gallery until further notice (either blogger gets its act together or the [purely medicinal, mind you] whiskey haze wears off enough for me to figure something else out) so there you are; interpret as you will, catch up, flip through, enjoy. life in pictures begins ...now

live well.
love each other.

poof. part one. the mud.

it wasn't a large POOF. small really, almost unnoticeable. I turned around and summer was gone. A blur of plantings and paintings, of plaster and mud. so now it is time for catching up and slowing down.

The harvests are finally in. A grand total of 47 acorn squash, 42 lbs of fresh dug potatoes, 37 ears of corn, a bushel each of peaches, onions and peppers and 11 bags of zucchini stuffing the freezer to capacity.

pies, muffins, sauces all tucked away.

having a garden is the gift that keeps on giving.

peach pie and fried zuchinni are the closest thing to bliss come february when the snow is 2 feet deep and the winds are harsh.  The hardest job you'll ever love.

it was a horrible (horrible!) year for tomatoes. Loads of rain and very little heat make very unhappy tomatoes. It is the first week of October and there are still about 2 bushels of tomatoes still on the plant and still very green. Since they are all sauce tomatoes you can't even fry them up properly- so it looks like there will be a very large batch of late season salsa in the kitchen this fall. I forced about 24 lbs into red to  get them into the pot for pizza and pasta sauces for freezing but not nearly enough to last through the winter.

for those of you not in the know- if you have tomatoes that are just on the brink of changing- that icky pale not quite pink but not quite green color- find yourself a brown paper sack (i say find because at least in these parts paper sacks are somewhat of a commodity- another downfall of the plastic generation!) anyway- toss your tomatoes in a paper sack and close it up tight. set them on the back of your counter and forget about them for a day or two and when you open the sack- voila! red ripe tomatoes.

So the big surprise of the summer was the melon. Cantalope and watermelon- by the dozen. Surprise because all of the cantalope vines (seemingly) died. first by sunstroke, then by drowing. frustrated, i ignored them. next thing i knew they were crawling all over the place, threatening the lettuce patch and trying to make a break for the gate. As for the watermelons- they are a tricky bunch- too much water and they don't get sweet. not enough water and they don't get red. With the driving rains we had i was sure i was going to wind up with big green balls of pale pink, well, water. In the end- I wound up delivering several to the library, and pawning them off on unsuspecting summer folks along the lake shore. They were in such high demand, they have made the final cut for the farm stand next year! i can grow melons. who knew? so there you have it. the mud. i went from an old barren field to a full freezer/pantry/fridge in four fleeting months. and some how, some where, in the middle of it all, i managed to attend a few art shows, make a few friends, have a few laughs and learn a few lessons. So i suppose, it is no wonder that the summer seems to have passed in the turn of a head.

next up, the plaster...

till then,

live well,

stay happy.

don't blink!

tracey jean

so, blogger is acting up again and i had to post this through html coding- you'll forgive the glitches and run togethers- i'm a bit rusty!

and sow it begins

Now that the weather has taken a respite and the earth is beginning to thaw, it is time to get all those plans out, dust them off and put them to work!

first up, the garden, since that is the one with an actual schedule that must be kept to.

ingredients:
One hay field, that used to be an animal paddock about 100 years ago.
a rototiler -deliciously supplied gratis by a local retired farmer- blessings in disguise. the motor just needed to be re-worked and voila!
an iron rake.
front end loader- for rock collecting. (did i mention that this is limestone country?)
a bucket for collecting the artifacts buried. (you would not believe some of the things that have been thrown/buried/left out in the field for years!)
3 days
5 blisters
and a set of very sore shoulders

Now it may not seem from the photo that much progress has been made, but it is all about the sod removal. and by sod, i don't mean that pretty green stuff you lovingly tend in your back yard. I am talking about north country grass.
Did I ever tell you about north country grass? It comes straight from the place that all things evil come from. you can cut it to dirt level and with one slight drizzle it will be three inches tall and green as anything. You mow it every three days in the summer and it doesn't stop growing until mid november. seriously. first snow better be over 4 inches, or the green stuff will poke itself through. stubborn as hell and its root system is unmatched. chainmail dreams of being this when it grows up. evil, i tell you. evil.

more progress on the garden later, though. the tractor has to come in and plow up the remaining grass root balls, more raking rocks then the fence.

Time to jump start some seedlings. a poor mans hot box.

while i am still in the process of building actual hot boxes and raised beds, there is no reason why these little guys can't start on their journey from the ground to the table.
everyone has atleast one of these plastic crates lying around. inevidably, they get cracked, cause that is what plastic does. Don't throw them out yet. they make perfect little homes to start your seedlings in. and they still hold water. (if you have one with an actual hole, just get some duct tape. it won't be overly abused.) put them out in the sun and they create nice little terrariums, soaking in sunlight, creating their own moisture and gaining a second purpose in life.

The peat pots are home made as well. no need to spend loads of money on premade, store bought pots. Take an old tin can and some news paper and make your own.
so simple. Cut the paper down to strips that are about 3 inches longer than the can. wrap the paper around the can, tucking the paper around the bottom of the can. burnish it a bit on a hard surface and slide the paper 'cup' off the can. carefully fold the top inwards about 1/2 inch and volia! fill with dirt and set into your crate. add about 2 inches of water and let the paper soak it up over night. the next morning~seed away!

meanwhile, deadlines are looming and I have plaster drying in the studio and am excited to get back in there. look for photos tomorrow. There are new works completed, a donation for a local art auction and more exciting things on the horizon!

Don't you just love how a few sunny days gets your motivation zooming!!

till then,
live well.
be happy.

Wrapping up the ghoulies -mini e-class-summerfest 2010

I'm Late! sorry bout that folks- one of the draw backs of being in the middle of no where- is that,

your in the middle of no where. and by no where i mean cable arrived some time in the

past two years- and there is no cell service. As a result i am at the whim of mother nature, who

has been, well let us just say- she has been a bit irritable the past few days- either that or

Thor is auditioning for a new band. This activity results in cable (Internet) intermittent for about

5 minutes every 6 to 8 hours.  But we are back up on line- so here is what i

finally wound up doing.

Once i sat back and looked at my ghoulies, i just wasn't happy with their....ghouliness. so i pulled

out my bucket of molding paste and some cheese cloth and decided to

beef up their ghoul level.

once all the icky stuff was dried up and set i mixed up a concoction of raw umber, quin gold,

gesso and flow release and slathered them up.

 **oh- BIG mention here- make sure you place your

work in a position you want it to stay in before you use the molding paste- it's like putting it in a body cast

and it's mobility drops to about 23% when its dry**

this particular ghoulie wound up carrying a ghost on its back- i happened to have

some dry pumpkin ghosts *the ghosts of pumpkins past* and some cotton fish net in

the same location- you never really know what is going to come together

when you start~

i still have to seal them- a good coat of varnish should do it- and some gloss on their eyes to make

them shine-

i may even give them bases in the form of rocks and gravestones-  possibilities are endless

when you start working with figures.

every one takes on it's own personality- and if you get stuck, have no fear.

sooner or later they will tell you what they want to ; look like, wear,

do or even say. all you have to do listen to them.

"Kootash dai na, aja nilo. "

[translation] "Take my hand and I will spare your friends."

                                                       ~The Mummy

Thank you Juliet! i am glad you enjoyed it!
Kristal-Hey Girl! no worries~gather your supplies! i am going to keep these up for a while- and after that, there will be a direct link on the side, so that you can refer back to them at any time!
Di~ you are the sweetest person on the planet! and i thank you for your kind words. i am speechless at the role model part- i've often been referred to as a bad influence :oP - as for a role model i am honored, and humbled. you are an inspiring work of art yourself- and i am blessed to call you friend.


Have a wonderful week all~ I am in the overwhelmed part of the process here- working to stock a new gallery **the studio is hitting the west coast! formal announcement to come- listen for the squeels of delight*  and trying to stay afloat in the mean time with the rest of you~sometimes the simplest thing we can do to be happy is just smile at the blessings we have~ and i have so many, of which you are included.

live well.
love each other.

SummerFest- Free E-Class Tutorial- Time to Make the Ghoulies Part Three

 I can't believe it's monday already and another week has past!

First thing we need to do is make a pair of boots for our ghoulie

so that he can stand on his own.

all we are going to need is the paperclay, a few tools and  a skewer. by the way- the skewers

come in handy for a multitude of reasons- but the coolest is that they are just a hair larger than the

15 gauge armature wire- which allows all your pieces to fit together just right.

work a piece of clay into a cylinder form.

place on your table and cut in half. one for each foot.

shape into a triangle form and then pull up one side to form a boot- and round

out the front.

take the flat end of the skewer and poke a hole for the leg wire

to go in- once that hole is in there- then you can gently place your ghoulie

into the boots- to make sure you have a good fit, and the wire sits in the boot properly.

i added little buttons for effect.  place them up on a piece of styrofoam to dry-

you can put them anywhere flat really, just not wood (the oils will seep into clay).

i just use a piece of styrofoam because it is clean and "seep free"- nothing in it to come out

and nothing you put on it will seep in.

while they are drying, it is time to rip up some fabric.

i used coffee stained muslin. you may use what ever fabric you choose- just rip

it up into strips that wil fit comfortably around your ghoulie.

and start wrapping.

leave some hangers- ghoulies can be so messy.

gently place in the boots again- to make sure the wrappings don't do down

to far, and the boots dont fit.  once the first wrapping sets, and the boots are dry

glue the boots in place and then give the ghoulie another wrap.

now is the time to start playing with your ghoulie. paint, embellish, give the final

touches.

the finished ghoulie is within sight!

Q&A:

thank you for all of the emails! i will get to everyone of you!

and thank you Elizabeth! that means my goal has been achieved! to take some of the intimidating out of art dolls. This is just a beginning. like i explained- these are your basic, basic steps. but once you start (and you will :O)  you will develop your own style and technique; your work will become more refined and intricate- never worry about watching someone else- that is where inspiration comes from- if one werent to teach another- the "art of" would fade away. 

Allison; The objective is to develope your own style, and not continue to copy someone elses. when your starting out you are mimicking actions- as an artist your talent will shine through and so will your own style. it takes loads of practice. some people think you can just wake up and be good at something- just because someone else is-  what they dont show you are the hours and hours of work it took to get there. it is fun. it is an amazing thing to be able to do, actually- but it is also a great deal of work to perfect.

Ger:  no, you did not miss the steps. i realise i did not go over hands and face painting. that is for a whole other day!:O)  this is for getting the basic armature and form down. just a look to take the scarey out of the whole process.  i had a number of people approach me not understanding or knowing how to begin- my answer to them is this basic step class to get them started on their way.

okay- see you all next week!!

live well.

love each other.

On a creative journey in the north east and Adventures in Oil sticks and water

It's February! And the buzz around the world (ie: twitter/FB/Bloglandia) is that February is the new January. I'm not so sure about that - but I will take it.  I think that any day is a chance to start anew- but after the stress,strain and expectations of the holidays- I think we should have a month of reprieve- ie: January- before plundering on into a brand new year. All that excitement in one month is just overwhelming! So- I concur- January should now be known as the month of relaxation and recuperation and we should all start fresh in February!

You will note the jar of gesso as the opening picture to this post. It comes with a lesson. Too much coffee, too much art clutter and dancing like a wild person comes with a price. It used to be full. it is now empty. 'Nough said. just know that the trick to extracting gesso from a vintage oriental carpet is 4 quarts of water to every one pint of gesso, loads of paper towels to pull the diluted gesso from the fiber all the while making sure to mutter various words not fit for children under your breath (this is crucial as it lets the gesso know that you are serious).

I went to check my PO box this past weekend- to recycle the junkmail that gathers there- when what did my wondering eyes find- but a copy of this quarters Art Doll Quarterly sitting there.  My first thought was "what in the world?" I haven't submitted anything to ADQ recently. I can't remember writing any articles lately sooo why is this here? ( I have to admit that the postage charges for ADQ scare me so i always pick my copy up at the local B&N.) Still befuddled- I rifle through the pages to find that my up-cycled sculpture"A Modern Day Medusa- on a woman's mind" has made an appearance! HOOT! Who knew?! I surely didn't! They did a lovely little story on her and her creation. How it wound up in the ADQ- I may never know- but I am not going to complain- no ma'am.! If you have your copy, keep flipping pages- she's in there! Though, this is what she really looks like:

So- that has just about made my month- and it has barely started!

 I have been playing around with oil sticks - alot- lately. I have found that they are wonderful for bringing out texture and color and depth. wonderful depth.

Layers and layers of modeling paste and  acrylic paints and oil sticks and WATER! (yes- i will prove that oil and water DOES mix!) and you wind up with this warm, deep coloring over fabulous texture! It is quite addictive, I assure you!

one step further though. add a heavy gel medium.

Without Gel medium

With gel medium.

It adds a whole other dimension to your work. yum.

It also helps with the depth of the entire work- as you can see with the "cliff" there- the gel medium adds enough dimension to highlight the "glow" and add that extra POW. good stuff.

This  gel medium/oil and water technique can also be applied to other forms. My two passions are mixed media and art dolls- so obviously (LOL) i would attempt to marry the two in a most perfect union.

Ok- so I would actually try anything if it meant that i didn't have to sew- but I really think this is cool. It is messy and color-filled and fills all of my requirements! Give it a try. there is no particular order that it needs to be applied in- i have tried all possible- just make sure the gel medium is last.

Which brings me to my QUESTION: to all of the photography hounds that visit my little blog here. I am more of a "point and shoot kind of gal". My camera is much smarter than i am. So- how do i get the glare to stop on the paintings? It seems that I have tried every direction possible with the lighting- however I know i must be missing something because BAM- there it is every time. The Gel medium refracts/reflects the light so intensely the only way i can get it to stop is to shoot at a hard angle- which- we all know throws the proportions off and will lead me to troubles when listing things for sale. Do any of you have any suggestions? A little hint to the secrets of your world?

And so the last lesson for the day is this. Know your pens. seriously. the writing kind- not the "GO PENS" kind. I have this habit of just picking up a pen when i go to sketch or draw something. I learned to draw using a regulation bic ballpoint- so, me and fussy- not so much. It's not really important. right? Until the day that you get lost in what your doing and can't remember which pen you used to do what with. This is an important thing with mixed media- a little insider secret- as everything reacts with everything else.


Remember this gal?




After I did the inital sketch- i even remember saying to myself- self- which pen did you use? Since I just pulled out of my pen can- I had no idea. and as a result- she now looks like this:











OOPS.
I had grabbed the Sharpie fine line instead of the PITT. The pastel and colored pencil I used for the shading, over the past three weeks, has pulled the ink out of the paper and absorbed it.
Fixable? I can probably salvage it with a few hours of color manipulation and highlighting- but more importantly- i have now segregated my pens. PITT on one side- everything else on the other side. Sometimes the smallest thing can have the greatest impact.

What new things have you learned on your creative journey? How many "Oops" can we come up with?

enjoy each other.
Live well.


addendum: had to "reboot" the tweeter twit there- got stuck on 5- I appreciate the retweets! Thank you!

Off the Starboard Side

This is my window. The view off the starboard side, as the sun begs off to retire from this day and this place.

I am sitting back, gazing at this wonder around me, feeling more and more relaxed; at home in my surroundings, inside my own skin; once again. Finally.

I think back, on all of those years, inside my dull, square, windowless office- and I remember the sign that I had hung over my computer. It said, "At any given moment, you have the power to say- This is not how my story will end". At this very moment, I am relieved that I took those words to heart; that I had the strength and the power to believe, that I took that leap- because this is how my story begins. I am in bliss.

In Search of the Rabbit Hole and the Mad Tea Party

It's Time once again for the Lovely Vanessa Valencia's Mad Tea Party! So let's see if we can find the fun!


Follow me down the path in search of the rabbit hole! Now I have been here before- but the rabbit hole is enchanted! It moves around to mask its location- so we have to keep alert and look out for the guards. They are tricky little buggers- fast on their feet- they will try to distract you, to get you to go in circles- But I think we can find it!



Let's go!



That fountain looks familiar!! I think we are going in the right direction. Stay alert! Those sneaky little guys could be anywhere!

My, what an interesting tree! I don't think that hole is what we are looking for- but it definitely deserves a second look- don't you think?












What was that? Didn't you see?
I definitely saw something move, there by the tree!

There he is! It is one of the Guards- Quick! Don't let him get away!

There he goes! I warned you! They are quick on their feet and dastardly clever- we'd better hurry before we lose him.


Uh ho! He spotted us! Now he knows we are following him for sure.


Watch out for traps and tricks! Once he is on to us- you never know where he will go!


Oh No, we lost him. Keep looking around!
Oh where did he go? Wait! He's not on the ground!
I knew he's play tricks and run circles- but geepers! He's up on the side of the tree!


Now I know we are getting close and that tree must be the key! Why else would he be so intent on guarding it?
I'm not giving up! I think we are close- So Mr. Fuzzy Britches -you might as well just show us where it is! We are going to be late late late! Maybe if we just sit for a moment- he'll think we lost interest, we could always just-what?- Oh! What on earth is he looking at. Shhh- don't let him see us.... let's sneak up on him..... You go that way. I'll go around the other side....






There it is!!! We made it! Wait...where did that guard go????
Finally! We found the rabbit hole!


You go first! Don't trip! I will follow you! When you get down there- watch out for that darn bunny!


Deep Breath!
Are you ready?

ONe...Two...Three!
WWWWWwwee eeeee
eeeeeee
eeeeeeeeeee

eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Welcome to the MAd Tea PArty!
Wadsworth-Noll chapter!


Grab a wish from the Wish Bowl on your way in!


It's Wonderland! At least for today! What you wish for while you are in Wonderland- Comes true in Wonderland! (like Vegas- only better!)

Make yourself comfortable~ Grab some refreshments.


I will be having a give-away! So make sure that you leave a comment and some way for me to get back to you! I will be drawing TWO names (at random) for TWO special creations on July 4, 2009. This will give everyone a chance to get through to all of the party goers! So relax, have some fun and get ready to win A Wonderprize! In the meantime...
There are plates on the counter and if you'd like, there are cups next to the....... ::Sigh::; would someone please give AggieMae a tartytart?
She has positioned herself in front of the plates and won't move until someone shares with her the tartytarts! That little Goblin girl is going to drive me crazy today! She is obsessed with the tarts!
Thank you!
As I was saying, there cups and tea on the sidebar.


Just check the pot BEFORE you pour!
The kids have been acting out- trying to stuff poor Ms. Dormouse in there all morning! Speaking of the kids... Peckerhead and Lulu are hanging out over by the buffet. Stop by and say "hi" on your way through. Lulu is still pouting because I scolder her for trying to trick Dormouse into jumping into the teapot on her own- Teenagers! She will get over it- don't worry! (Either that or I am sending them home to Sonia- maybe a week or two in Texas would do them some good!)


:::OH BFF! These kids are driving me wacko! I need a vacation!:::
That reminds me- if you are of age, and want something a bit more.. festive than tea- Gargs is playing bartender over on the porch- But I am warning you- You'd better be of age! He is checking IDs and I personally don't want to find out what he would do if he catches you youngsters at the hooch!


Everyone should be arriving soon~ and I still have to put up more decorations... Could someone give me a hand please?


Oh- very funny Crow-Mag! Now go put that back on the art table


and help me hang these decorations, please!

No wonder they call it a MAD tea party! I think I am going absolutely mAD- Crazy! Woo hoo ....... HOOT!




The "newbies" Sure are excited about seeing everyone! They wanted to join in the festivities- now I tried explaining to them that they had no arms and really could not do much- they insisted on participating- being festive, and saying hello. Somehow or another- they wrapped themselves up in some garland- convinced that no one would notice their lack of appendages. eh, yeah. sure. I'll go with that- how bout you?



Chelsea is at the door- Could you please let her in?
I am having a bit of a problem with
Sir OOdles- Seems he just got caught with his hands in the cookie jar.... Literally!






What a silly guy! Sir Oodles- There is plenty of smackerals out on the table- there is no need to go diving in the cookie jar!




My existence!






I love parties! It gives me an excuse to bring out the beaded baubles and the silver candle sticks!


I'm going to go grab them, and see who else is
hanging around the Noll... Must mingle!




Hey- Look who I found! I am so glad this guy decided to make an appearance! He has been packing all week! He is on his way to Oregon this week... So I guess he decided to make one more HURRAH before traveling cross country to his new home!


OMG! Guess who I found sacked in the Studio! Lenny! and he's smashed!


I guess he won't be painting any portraits today! I can't believe he did this! You know. You've seen his antics before- but I just can't believe he got smashed at the Mad Tea PArty! What a shame...


Good thing he is up in the studio! Maybe he can sleep it off
and create a few paintings for us later.... I hope!
:::shaking head::: I just can't believe you, Lenny!!


You had better not let Alice catch you in this condition! She has been waiting to see you!!!






Good thing the Spirit guide has gotten.... in the spirit... hardy har har har!



Dream boy here brought along his star. Something to wish upon.

I myself am wishing for a nap right now!

So I am taking a break to go party other places!
I'll be by to check out every one's blog this year- it is a goal- even if it takes me alllllll weekend! remember there is full week to post a comment for the give aways! I will be posting updates to the party as it progresses- so you can leave a comment on every blog post this weekend- and get a chance to win every time!
Good luck to everyone! Have an excellent time hopping around this weekend! I will be back in a while!