What a time this was – so many people celebrating all of Rich’s artistic gifts. People who didn’t know him “back when” had no idea that he was a talented, prolific artist. His work filled two rooms and several halls. Great art, great food, great friends – a great night.
Somewhere between Yankee ingenuity strikes again and necessity is the mother of invention, self-preservation kicked in and I put cork on my work surface. No more worries about my cards being haz-mat. My fingers are happy and healing.
My heart notes have been selling very well, and I wanted to make a variation on the theme. I liked the idea of layering hearts and attaching them to the card with a button. The idea seemed simple enough. But I needed contrast, so I had to make a background paper in a different color. Sewing a button onto card stock is a lot trickier than it sounds, and that nylon thread wants to disappear. But here are my first four attempts. Can’t wait to see where I go from here.
I pressed nails into clay to make a mould for this cast paper cross medallion. After it dried, I painted it with water colors. I hope this symbol of sacrifice inspires thoughts of faith and hope.
2009 began with thoughts on labyrinths, so it seems fitting to end the year with my creations. I wanted to make a sculptural piece to hold in the palm of the hand and trace with the finger. I had to go to the ancient labyrinth form and work with 3 layers to fit the size I wanted. I made a clay mould to cast my recycled pulp on and made a color sheet to cover the cork backing. Everything is painted with a clear acrylic varnish.
Saturday morning I set up the second of my four holiday shows this winter. A friend recently asked if I would make a card that could be given as a gift- to drop a piece of original art into a standard frame. So I chose this bamboo design. By trimming the card, I was able to drop it into a 4x6 frame from a discount store. I could also have drop mounted the card onto mat board in a 5x7 frame or mat opening. So here it is – an original art card suitable for framing.
The design of this piece is based on a drawing I made of a bamboo fountain my daughter gave me for Mother’s Day one year. In order to make a clay mould, I had to change the design to bamboo in a bowl, but I like the simplicity. I painted this cast paper with watercolors and acrylics and drop mounted it on a piece of wall paper.
I can hardly believe we need the furnace to take the chill off the early fall weather. My Black-eyed Susans are nearly spent – time to pull them out of the garden. And I’ll pick the last of the rhubarb to make a few more batches of cobbler and jam (then home-made bread to spread it on). A few leaves on the local maple trees are already turning color.
Time for the holiday arts and crafts fairs to begin.
