Thursday, August 31, 2017

Three Women Dancing with Poppy - Cold Wax 3

I am very comfortable working with a 5 x 7 inch substrate. It is always so manageable. I am not limited to this size but it is always my go to dimension. At first I had to decide if I was bothered by the flower not extending all the way to the bottom of the substrate, but I decide it is as if the women are dancing with it and it does not matter.

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Logan & Allison's Hip-Hop Performance | Season 14 Ep. 11 | SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngMrrRu2FSA

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Woman Longing - Cold Wax 2

I love how the tracing paper adhered with cold wax allows the background to show through. I did not think I would like cold wax but I love the effect and that overcomes my somewhat dislike for wax on my fingers. This process is soooooooooooooooo much easier than encaustic. I love the look of encaustic though. It is just the process for me that was not my cup of tea. So this is good that I found a wax process that I actually enjoyed.

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The Theatricality of Chiharu Shiota's Art | Brilliant Ideas Ep. 52

Even if you only have time to watch the first five minutes of the video, I highly recommend it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULpxdHy0eZc

Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Woman with Poppy - Cold Wax 1

Today is a two-fer again as I was totally busy yesterday and exhausted last night....too much going on I guess for this old man! :-)

Several visitors to this blog wanted more information on cold wax. The supplies you need are oil paints and cold wax. I used Dorland's cold wax but there are other sources. Crystal Neubauer uses Gamblin. Speaking of Crystal, she has an artist lesson available on Cloth, Paper, Scissors where she explains the cold wax process. It is a good introduction for $3.99.

One creates a background with the wax and paint applying the mixture with a palette knife. In my case, I then added rusted papers collaging the paper with cold wax top and bottom. Finally I applied the other image elements which were printed on tracing paper. Cold wax goes on the underside and topside once again. I then added some design elements with Portfolio pastels.

I took a class from Judy Wise on the cold wax process. Judy is a master at the process. At the end of the class it was suggested that we create something and send to each class participant. So what you are seeing over the next few days are the postcards I created to send off as soon as they are dry. It takes a bit of time for the finished products to dry.

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30 Amazing Street Art

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTJxQnTX4LU

Telegraph, Darling - Secrets No. 24

Telegraph, Darling - Secrets 24

I have not quite finished filling my second Secrets journal from this summer. I really like how this turned out. I am particularly excited about the textured background. My personal shopper, Sally, found it at the Binds (Goodwill last stop). I also like that there is a silhouette. Can you find it?

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23 Amazing Street Art Magic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATZFjJA2izc

Sunday, August 27, 2017

Postcard 18080817

This is the last of this postcard series. I am sure glad that I post all my work here on this blog because many of the pieces here are the only record I have of what I have created. The art that is sold and the art that is mailed is gone and the memory can be jogged by looking on this blog. I sure like the balance and the color in this piece.

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What A Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong cover) Esperanza Spalding Jimmy Heath live 2012 Lyrics

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgnDE_5Wxiw

Saturday, August 26, 2017

Postcard 17080817

I like how this one came together. There is a lot going on in the background, busy even. The focal points seem to calm it down.

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The Greatest Improv Mandolin Solo Ever: Chris Thile w. Mark O'Connor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KiLPSs8sD4

Friday, August 25, 2017

Postcard 16080817

I lucked out big time earlier this month. My friend Irene gave me a bunch of already cut out figures. These young guys are two of them. Thanks Irene. :-)

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19th International Collage Exhibition & Exchange

I sent thirteen pieces to NZ for a gallery show and an exchange many months ago. The online portion of the show is now up and can be viewed via the link below. One of the pieces is offered for sale and one will be given to a collage museum somewhere in the world. So a total of two pieces can be viewed online, just check both first pages in the show and sale portions online. The other pieces will go to other participants. So I will get eleven original collages in the mail sometime in October. Too fun!

http://virtual.tart.co.nz/default.htm

Thursday, August 24, 2017

Postcard 15080817

There is an up/down balance with this piece. I like how the clown's leg goes up as does the cat's back. My eye wants to go from the clown to the cat as if I am climbing stairs. Maybe the color choices have something to do with the movement of this piece as well.

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OK....Tim and I made spaghetti pomodoro last week for dinner and again last night. I could have it again tonight it was that good. So here is the recipe I got online (see link). We used a bit of red pepper flakes to zip it up and did not use the red pepper as per the recipe.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/23847/pasta-pomodoro/

Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Postcard 14080817

I dislike flies and I love flies. How can one have a love/hate relationship with an insect? I really get "bugged" when there is a fly in the house. They are so pesky flying around making a nuisance of themselves. When they are 2D I really like their design quality. I was walking with a friend in Seattle one afternoon when I stopped suddenly. On a power pole was a sticker of a fly. Of course I had to have that image. Thank goodness for Michele's smartphone. I would imagine that Queen Elizabeth does not think much of flies. Perhaps she does not think of them at all!

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John Legend: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onQLAEEeta8

Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Postcard 13080817

I have this thing about monkeys. Years ago when I was living in Japan I wanted to go see the primates that love to inhabit warm springs during the winter. I never got to see them but instead I visited a monkey forest in Indonesia. Our guide did not warn us about purchasing a bag of peanuts to feed them. No sooner had I opened my bag when a monkey jumped on my chest scaring me and running off with the whole bag. No one got a photo but I have a vivid recollection of this experience imprinted on my brain.

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New York -- before the City | Eric Sanderson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3z1cCT2NP4k

Monday, August 21, 2017

Postcard 12080817

I usually put up a whole series on my blog at once and then each day bring up one of the posts to write about. I think have about 33 posts lined up and I have nine more to scan and prepare for publication. Having a month's worth of work is way too organized for me but I did it and am glad that it is done even though it did take a bit of time.

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Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrEJmvuKSwo

Sunday, August 20, 2017

Postcard 11080817

I do not know what happened to most of the day yesterday other than I worked on four cold wax projects and took a three hour nap. Somewhere through those activities I forgot to post on the blog. So here is another two-fer for you. Several of you have asked for more information on cold wax and I will share more when I present the work I have been doing in cold wax.

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Even though this is a Christmas stage the message is totally appropriate for right now. Rise Up.

Alicia Keys sings Rise Up w/ Andra Day - 2017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quK85PK6uaQ

Postcard 10080817

Not sure why I am so interested in x-rays but I am. I am presently looking for such images and I am finding many pretty expensive. It seems that since technology has changed how doctors view the maladies of the body x-rays have become valuable.

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BADBADNOTGOOD: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ap4DtvUu7Bk

Friday, August 18, 2017

Postcard 09080817

Not thinking too much about placement, just get collage materials down and working really fast has been the name of this postcard series game. I guess one has to when one is creating over twenty postcards in one setting.
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A couple of weekends ago we went to Vancouver, B.C. Tim use to live there and I have visited Vancouver more times than any other city. It is amazing to have the mountains and the water right there, together. We have a favorite Greek restaurant, Stephos. The food never disappoints. We have even talked about going to Stephos just for dinner and then drive home again. It is about a three hour drive usually including the border wait. This time we also went to Cin Cin on Robson. OMG! It was one of the best meals I have ever eaten.

Last night for dinner we decided to try and recreate the salad that I had ordered. Our re-creation had a bed of arugula, burrata mozzarella (a must because it is very soft), fresh peaches, fresh figs, beets and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. I should have taken a photo. I found one online but it has a few different ingredients. YUM!

https://pamelasalzman.com/roasted-beet-burrata-salad/

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Postcard 08080817

Sometimes I have a specific person in mind when I create a postcard. In this case I did, Brian Kasstle who had a blog called the Paper Bear. Now has both a blog and a web page http://www.briankasstle.com/. So anytime I find a bear image I think of Brian.

I have several Boy Scout manuals. The black and white images come in handy from time to time.

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You owe it to yourself to experience a total solar eclipse | David Baron

This really worth listening to if you are at all interested in the upcoming eclipse.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgxZ4H3gJ8c

Wednesday, August 16, 2017

Postcard 07080817

Freedom and playfulness is what it is all about. That is what I feel with this series of postcards.

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Sade - Is It A Crime

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NYz8xs163YU

Tuesday, August 15, 2017

Postcard 06080817

Holy Cat or is that Cow? I always mix up my idioms and metaphors! I love the matchbox images that I have been finding. The gentleman in the postcard came from one of my students who attended the Coupeville workshop. Thanks Jeannette. I love using ephemera that either is new to me or something that I have forgotten for awhile.

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Booker T. Jones: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rh9KDzNkpSI

Monday, August 14, 2017

Postcard 05080817

Nothing in this one was planned. Since I work in series frequently I might do twenty backgrounds. Then I go onto the middle ground and finally the foreground. I never know where I am going and am frequently quite surprised with the results. For instance, in this piece there are lots of stripes. That was not planned but is a happy accident. I love when that happens. The stripes of the tiger; the stripes of the swim suits; and the stripes in the upper left of the background are a total accident or is it? Is it intuitive? Is my mind totally unconscious of the decisions I make and do not notice until I step back and look at the finished piece? In case you did not guess it, I really like how this one turned out.

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Do What You Like, Like What You Do: Bert Jacobs at TEDxBeaconStreet

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZB2vVHmiug

Sunday, August 13, 2017

Postcard 04080817

I absolutely love the Lyra water soluable graphite pencil. I have used it a lot since my friend, Wendy, turned me on to it several years ago. Thanks Wendy! I never spent much time reading the label on the graphite pencil until about a week ago. Another friend, Irene, asked me if I knew about the water droplet on the side of the pencil. No, I did not know about it. Voila! It is there and, of course, that means it is water soluable. Not all Lyra pencils are. I always just looked to see if it said "water soluable". Now I just need to look for the droplets.

You might wonder why I am even mentioning Lyra graphite pencils. I used them twice in this postcard. Once for mark making and once for outlining around the photograph and the matchbox image. It softens hard lines.

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What creativity is trying to tell you: Jonathan Tilley at TEDxStuttgart

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMOqIJ9V_K4

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Postcard 03080817

When one likes something but can not quite say why, what is that all about? I like vintage. The term is very broad but practically everything vintage is OK by me. I like mixing vintage and contemporary or vintage and abstract. It just works for me. It is pleasing and yet why do I think that? What is it that pleases? Maybe it is just OK that it is pleasing. That is enough.

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The art of asking | Amanda Palmer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMj_P_6H69g

"In My Mind" Music Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9WZtxRWieM&list=RDEMWsqWb0QG0ACb4YhYHp0Orw

Friday, August 11, 2017

Postcard 02080817

I smile every time I look at this postcard. When I was in my twenties I wanted a pig. It is fortunate that it did not work out as my professional life took a turn which would not have allowed for farm animals. I do have a special place in my heart for pigs though ever since I read Charlotte's Web. Who could not feel warmth from Some Pig? For those of you who have not read Charlotte's Web, Charlotte, a spider, wrote in her web "Some Pig" when referring to Wilbur and to save his life.

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Penguin Cafe: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILrIEKaC450

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Postcard 01080817

Sometimes I get possessed with an idea and I just have to carry it out to completion. This new postcard series is one such possession. I am using vintage photographs, postage stamps and vintage matchbox cover images in the series. You might wonder about the numbering system for the postcard. The 01 represents the first in the series. The 080817 represents the date that I completed it. Sometimes I come up with individual titles that aren't numbers.

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Lin-Manuel Miranda Reveals How He Sneak Tested Hamilton at the Obama White House

I am totally obsessed with Lin-Manuel Miranda. He is just the sweetest man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo5Tq7e0reo

Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Secrets 23

This was the first spread that the Coupeville workshop did with me last week. Many of the aspects of this collage include recycled materials like the inside of a teabag envelope or magazine snippets. There is a secret buried beneath the image of the rowers. I took the photo of Irene Rafael when I was in California last October.

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Maren Morris: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

a bit of explicit language....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zM1o4OQaIEc

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Secrets 22

I completed most of this spread last week while teaching at the Pacific NW Art School in Coupeville, WA. I worked on it this morning and I am calling it done. The label that I found that says Cowboy Cavier came from Trader Joe's. It took some time to soak it off the jar but I just had to have it for this piece.

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Albin Lee Meldau: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert ....some explicit language warning.....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc2i9pwSSqE

Monday, August 7, 2017

Secrets 21

Today is another two-fer as yesterday I was in Vancouver, B. C. and when I returned from our trip I took a nap and forgot to post here.

OK. I can now divulge the idea behind the Secrets series. Last week Brian Kasstle and I taught a workshop at the Pacific NW Art School in Coupeville, Washington. We created stack journals bound with wrap around bindings and sealed with bizi sticks. I will share the covers and bizi sticks tomorrow or so. My portion of the stack journal instruction included a variety of ways to hide secrets within a spread. In this case the secret is hidden within the teabag "envelope".

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The Shins: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tid0nlwfvAI

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