What happened to using up all the stuff I already have?

I spent this last weekend in Twin Falls Idaho while my husband attended a National Ski Patrol meeting. I was going to stay home and work on some art projects but when he asked if I wanted to come along, that one of his buddies wives was going and was looking for someone to go to garage sales and thrift shops, I couldn't pass that one up!

This pile of "stuff" is from my friend Marsha who had an art business that is no more. She had a sale where you could fill a bag for $10. I stuffed mine with so much stuff, I gave her $15! Now my husband is threatening to call hoarders, so I better use it up.  Which I will since I have a lot of shows coming up, so no more shopping for now...just playing with it all and creating some new objects 'd art!

Small Oval Treasure Boxes

2 1/2" oval "treasure" boxes $20 each

We had great fun at studio em last night. There were 6 of us. Jennifer, Lynn, Marianne, Katherine, Nancy and myself. Thanks Marianne for a much needed "girls night" after all the backpacking and camping and hiking I have been doing lately.

Before heading over to the studio, I embedded keys, and antique buttons and beads to the top of each box, this gave the modeling paste a chance to dry. I also added a touch of e6000 glue to each key were the button overlapped to make it extra secure.

Inside each little box, I added a word...live...believe...hope...mom...harmony...hope.

 The fun part was adding collage tissues around the sides of the boxes and then using various very thin layers of acrylic paint to the sides of the boxes as well as the modeling paste. I used at least two colors on each box to bring out the texture of the modeling paste as well as add a richness to the finish.

Little jewels of boxes, I will hate to see these go...

Aspen First Thursday...Not so much....

First Thursday in Boise is a big deal. Lots of shops and galleries and restaurants and all manner of businesses downtown are open late, have special deals or special events, offer wine tastings, snacks and live music. Not to mention all the familiar faces and friends to be seen on every corner and in every venue.

So when I happened to be in Aspen this last week and saw a banner across the main street in town, touting First Thursday,  I was like " WOW," this is gonna be great!

Now we weren't actually staying in Aspen, so this required a special trip back into town for the festivities. I first went to the tourist "information booth" and this should have been my first clue that something was up, when I asked her about information for First Thursday she looked puzzled and disappeared into the back for a minute and then handed me the generic map pictured above. Stating "Tonight and every First Thursday beginning at 3pm."

So I set off for the first gallery. I walked in amidst, piles of wrappings and hammers and saws and packages and I said "are you open?" and they said oh, yes, excuse the mess, we are getting ready for an opening on Saturday. and I said, Oh, I saw you on the First Thursday map and they said " oh, is that today? Well we are busy getting ready for this big show coming up...."

On to the next gallery...we walked in- nice art, saw one show coming down and another going up... asked the gallery owner about First Thursday. Her response, "Oh, is that today? We really don't pay any attention to it as we have customers all the time and don't really need to do anything special to draw them in."

Next gallery, "oh I don't think that starts until 5..." Strange but we were the only ones visiting most of the galleries that afternoon.

Well, my husband and I went on and saw lot's of nice art ... but nary a glass of wine, nor cheese, nor cracker, nor live music was to be found.  I'll take First Thursday in Boise any day.

Traveling Art Kit when weight is not an issue...

So I am off on another trip but unlike the last adventure where I had to carry all on my back, this time weight doesn't matter as we are taking the truck and staying in a condo. I brought the same art kit I usually take to Marianne's on Studio Night.

I brought supplies to make my one of a kind collage cards. I will be showing three more times at  Capitol City Market and in Art in the Park, so I want to make sure I have enough items to show and sell.

Top of the kit has a zippered section with 2 pockets for ephemera.

The inside of my kit is not so well organized but I usually pull everything out anyway...

...as you can see here.

cards...

...and more cards.

A button I picked up at Anderson Ranch Art Center, a really cool place I just stumbled upon while out and about. 

 

 

Ultra light Backpacking Art Kit

I just returned from a 5 night 40.5 mile backpack trip that included three mountain passes, one over 11,000 feet. We traversed snowfields and boulder fields all while wearing a backpack.  It was a physically challenging trip but even more mentally challenging...as punching through snow that is covering boulders can be quite scary. But there were way more positives such as the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen and the great group of friends that we went with.

Elk jaw and Mountain Goat wool found on hike for future assemblage project

I have a travel art kit that I have shown here in a previous post that weights 1 pound but I was trying to cut even more weight and got it down to 5 ounces.

 

It includes a very mini sketch pad which is 1 1/4" x 2 1/2" This was one of the items I bought at the Japanese store in Berkley, CA. On the back of each sketch I have included the date and location.

mini sketch pad which still needs a clever cover, but this is so you can see what it is ...

I have also included in the kit a set of mini colored pencils, mini crayons and mini markers.

One of my Treasure Valley Artist Alliance Friends, Leslie came along on the trip, it was her idea to bring art supplies and we sketched together in the evenings after setting up camp. She even had the idea of putting our hiking poles together to spell out TVAA at a scenic 10,000 ft. alpine lake. The pictures are on Leslie's camera, so I will show those later. It was really quite fun.

mini sketch of Baptie Lake, ID still with snow on July 22, 2011

Our Black Diamond 2 person tent set among the rocks and pine trees at 10,000 ft.

Scene from Upper Box Lake, ID

Pine tree growing among the rocks. Pioneer Mountains, ID.

Ex Libris

 This last week has been fun but busy for me with family visiting. I didn't get to studio night at MK's but I did clean my studio for company and created a new piece.

Ex Libris is a 8" x 11" 3D collage on a chalkboard. The miniature table is from my dollhouse furniture collection from 40 years ago. On it I glued a miniature bible and miniature pair of glasses. The Geography book is actually a wooden book and I collaged a cover for it, the other bits are cut from old books that were given to me without covers.

 On the Fourth of July Nancy and I rode our bikes down to the chalk festival and voted on our favorites and visited with one of the Featured Artists, Geoff. He had been working on his large chalk mural since 8 am and it was a hot day! Sorry for the small picture, it was taken with my phone.

Last night was First Thursday. After the storm passed over and cooled things off, it was a perfect night for strolling the town. An added benefit was my daughter was in town and I got to show her around. She and her boyfriend Cody are looking for a place to settle down. Boise had not been on their list but after last night, they decided they could definitely live here! They heard a live concert for free at Liquid and met a bunch of cool people. They said the people here in Boise are the friendliest they have met anywhere. They got a slice of macaroni and cheese pizza at the Pie Hole.

We stopped at many galleries and venues showing art including the AIR artists in BODO, The Art Source Gallery for the Juried Show Opening where  I found out I sold a piece to the Juror, (shown above) so that was pretty exciting,  and had an all around excellent evening.

Mi Recuerdo de San Francisco

My newest collage with 3D objects. The paper bits are all from my recent trip to San Francisco. The collage was glued onto an oval wooden plaque 9" x 18" that hangs by a rope. The plaque was purchased at the "bins." Where reject items from the thrift store are only 50 cents a pound.

Be sure to check out The Altered Page blog.

Where Seth has started the 5th edition of The Pulse -- The State of the Art -- "a survey in words and pictures of the online artist community. The Pulse is a collaborative project that aims to introduce you to new artists, help you get to know familiar faces even more, and allow you access into the creative hearts and minds of a very talented crew of individuals. More than 130 artists have answered a series of questions which make up The Pulse. Their responses will be presented in a series of online posts."

I am happy to be a part of this collaboration.

Wide World of Wine

8" x 10" Collage on Canvas Board.

A year or so ago I learned the trick of pouring boiling water in a wine bottle to let the glue release from the glass and pull off easily. Well sometimes it is easy and other times not so much, a few burnt fingers, a few torn labels later... I did manage to collect a few.


When I was visiting my daughter in France last winter her host family had me over for dinner and what a dinner it was. More like a 6 hour, 4 course feast! Well, I mentioned to the host mom that I would like to have the wine label and she graciously excused herself. Later I felt so guilty as she came back to the table with an ironed! label in perfect condition in a plastic sleeve!  Well as you may well have guessed I have used it in this collage. I also glued on a bunch of grapes in the upper right hand corner and added wine corks to the frame.


I added a quote that I was saving but unfortunately I can't give credit to as I have no idea where it came from... as I have shared many a glass of wine with good friends, and wine is always better when shared... "You and your friends share wonderful memories that need to be celebrated and shared. Whatever you do, don't fold them up, put them away, and let them gather dust. Break them out often. Let those memories shower your heart with assurance, release your soul with laughter, and bring tears to your eyes." 

Here's to all my good girlfriends!! Have a safe and Happy Fourth of July!

Like a Fish Out of Water

This  Found Object Assemblage stands just six inches tall. "Like a Fish Out of Water" is made from an old metal candle holder with a piece of polished wood that fit right on the top, creating the perfect table for the miniature birdcage which contains a small golden fish.

The door is open...swim away little fishy....swim away!

"I Knew the Bride, When She Used to Rock and Roll"

Found Object Assemblage

6"x18"

detail from "I Knew the Bride When She Used to Rock and Roll"

This piece is comprised of an unknown skull found on a hike in the Boise Foothills, antique screw back earring given to me by a friend, a piece of netting taken from something I had, tassel given to me by a friend, mirror purchased at a thrift shop and misc. beads that I had.

Some of the inspiration for this piece came from visits to NYC and San Francisco, this past year.  Paxton Gate , Loved To Death, and Evolution.

After showing the start of this piece to a friend he asked me if I had seen the series Oddities on The Discovery Channel. I had not even heard of this show and I don't have cable or dish tv, maybe I can catch an episode or so on the computer.

The name comes from a song (Dave Edmonds) on my husbands ipod that he was just listening to and I thought was the perfect title for this piece. 

The letter N, as in MarianNe

The Booty I returned home with last night.

Last night I got the creative boost I have been lacking in these past couple weeks. I went over to my friend Marianne's for a girls get together.  I haven't been able to do studio night in awhile, so this was great. It wasn't an art night per se, but I did get some inspiration and a small project to do that I completed today.

 Marianne's dad made her these cut out letters that spell her name to put in her new studio. She wanted each one to be decorated by a friend. She received the first one back from an out of town friend, which she posted on FB.  I had told her 6 months ago I would do one but kept forgetting, so last night I took one before they were all spoken for. The beautiful pattern under the wooden N is my used cocktail napkin that I saved for the project. :) I know I'm going to hear..."if I had known you wanted one,  I would have given you a clean one." but then it wouldn't really be my kind of art would it?

This wonderful treasure box was given to me by Carolyn, one of Marianne's friends that came over last night!

Here is my finished letter "N" which I will give to Marianne on Tuesday. I included parts of the napkin,  a piece from the old jewelry collection, as well as letter N things from my alphabet file.

San Francisco

Just got back from a long weekend in San Francisco. Saw lots and lots and did a ton of walking. 

Great Vista from Russian Hill

 General Bead was so cool, and the funny thing is a friend of ours lives 2 blocks from there and she thought I was crazy that there was a bead store on her street as she walks past there everyday and never saw it before. I was so glad to be able to show a local something new!

As you can see the door is pretty non descript with no sign on it and unless you look up you have no idea there is a store inside.

When I asked if I could take a photo, she said of course and then proceeded to show me how to get the best shot!

More fabulous beads, I need to take my daughter here some day and my friend Nancy.

FLAX is a great locally owned art store, 3 generations strong.

 

A great thrift store on Valencia. I scored big when I saw the sign in the window that said all was 50% off on Monday!! The only downside was that I was flying standby and had to be able to cram all into my one carry on!

Some of my miniature and thrift store finds in the Mission District.

My favorite browsing, shopping and eating area was the Mission District. 

Not touristy but not scary either. I saw 2 art exhibits that utilized real dead animals (taxidermy) mice, birds and squirrels, had them dressed up doing funny things or even made jewelry out of the squirrel claws. This reminded me of going to Mexico as a kid and seeing stuffed frogs playing pool. this gives me some new ideas....:)

And then it was onto the Golden Gate Park. I had no idea how big and gorgeous it was....

 ...saw some tranquil sculptures at the Japanese Gardens...

 Celeste, a local friend took us to the SFMOMA and we saw the exhibit "The Steins Collect" They had amassed a huge amount of French Impressionist paintings over the years. In 1908 Picasso wrote to Leo and Gertrude and said "Studio tidied up and only waiting for your visit. " I liked that quote as it reminds me of myself. My studio is the guest room.

I  found that  Barnes of the famed  "Barnes Collection" bought paintings right off the walls of the Steins. I tagged onto the end of a docent tour and she left us with the quote that after Matisse had passed away Gertude said, " Everybody came and nobody made a difference anymore."

I also made a point of visiting Berkley as I had never been there before and I really wanted to go eat at Chez Panisse, which I did get a reservation and it was great!

In Berkley I bought a bunch of stuff at the Japanese store. It was all so small and tiny and cute I just had to.

It's nice having online art friends

Collage print by Diane Lou

It's nice having on line art friends. Once you start your own art blog you naturally find other artists that are doing the same, sharing their newest work... a special find at a thrift store... sharing a technique or process. It's fun finding a new blog and then seeing who they are connected to and making some more new friends.  The other day I got an email from Rebeca (http://rebecatrevino.blogspot.com/) telling me that Diane was looking for me. So I clicked on over to Diane's Blog (http://dianelou-mixedmedia.blogspot.com/) and lo and behold I saw that I won a print of Diane's, which is featured above. Thanks Rebeca for contacting me and thanks Diane for your wonderful giveaway!

B, of the A, B, C's

B IS FOR THE BIRDS

Found Object Assemblage 9 1/2" tall

from top down- rusty metal bird, encaustic "B", wooden top from a "Cholula" hot sauce bottle, 3 wooden beads on a dowel, a flower pot collaged with ephemera and twirled around the sculpture is a twine of "crystal" grapes, berries and leaves. $50

A, of the ABC's...again

Found Object Assemblage 12" tall $50

 From top down- a large letter A on top of a drawer with 3 apples in it and 2 beads and 2 embellished game piece a's on top. next is an encaustic painting of an apple on top of a wood base with 2 more embellished game piece a's.  

This is showing one of the previous incarnations of this project, I usually have a few pieces sitting around unfinished for quite some time until the exact way I want to put them together comes to me. Other times I get an idea and finish it that night. This is one that was 6 months in the waiting.

The title of this post is because as some of you know I have done a piece for every letter of the alphabet and now I am starting over again, just for the fun of it. My complete name is:

The ABC's of Every Little Thing

One of my long term goals is to make a book of my projects with this title. The problem is I have sold quite of few of the pieces and some of the photos I have of them are less than stellar. :(