i am the sea

June 14, 2010 at 5:00 pm (found objects, Gratitude, Interesting Thingies, mixed media art, New Art)
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last year i was walking along the beach and found an intact light bulb with water trapped inside

i was sure the water would leak out but i wanted to believe that it wouldn’t

because it had captured the sea

and i always want to take it with me

when it is time to go

so it has sat it in my studio all this time

and as i watched it over time

it never leaked a drop

so somehow the water got inside

and then corrosion or mineral build up

sealed it from the inside

thereby granting my wish

reclaimed copper wire from an old motor winding

is woven around the sea bulb to protect from breakage

done very very carefully

after all that you wouldn’t want it to lose a drop right?

adorned with

peruvian opal and labradorite

and other colors that sink into the sea

with the setting sun

semi-precious and semi-ordinary beads

many strands of chains weaving in and out

dangling

and

swaying

as the sea water swirls in its

own matching dance

now available in our shop

15 Comments

ICE, ICE Baby!

February 15, 2010 at 12:04 am (Interesting Thingies, mixed media art, jewelry)
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Are you hearing that Vanilla Ice song in your head now?  Sorry about that!

I’m taking it easy since I’ve been finishing up a kazillion little details to get the rest of the projects sent in for my mixed media art book.  To say I’m crispy fried is an understatement.   Thankfully all that’s left for the book is flying to Cincinnati to do the photo shoot and finish writing the instructions.  More about *that* later.

So this isn’t about THAT ~ it’s about Susan Lenart Kazmer’s ICE Resin.  And specifically some pieces I’ve made using it.  By the way I am so gleefully happy to be taking my second class with Susan at Artfest next month.  It is using enamel so I’m even more excited since I’ve been wanting to learn this for so long.   Hooray!!

Even though I made these a while ago I’m sharing these with you now because – wait for it! – this week starts a blog hop party with art pieces using ICE Resin.  There is a full list on the Objects and Elements blog of all the artists you can hop to as well as at the end of this post.  It will be so fun to see what everyone came up with since it can be any kind of art – not just jewelry.

Mine are jewelry but I used what might be considered rather different techniques so for the first time I’ll share the details on how I made them.

Room 422

First a little background on what these are.  The front of Room 422 is has a little doll looking out a window of resin.  The metal piece is a meat grinder gear.   The doll head wouldn’t have fit (it would have been too wide) except when I found it at an antique store the back of her head was broken and there was only the head.  So sad.   The doll appeared to be from the same era as the Frozen Charlottes but wasn’t one.

The back  has part of a claim tag this one being #422 covered in domed resin.  Because the this reminded me of a little room with a doll looking out the window, that’s where the name Room 422 came from.

Room 422  used three different techniques with resin.  The front was made by burnishing  a piece of clear packing tape over the opening.  The metal gear was then laid face down and a small amount of resin was poured into the “window”.  When that had cured, I then placed the doll face down and poured more freshly mixed resin around it.  The second pour of resin filled in the spaces around the sides and in front of the doll face.  When that cured the tape was removed and a small coating of clear acrylic medium was brushed on over the resin to turn it from a matte finish to a gloss finish thereby making it translucent rather than opaque.

The final resin technique was pouring some of the already mixed resin into a domed mold.  When this was cured it was placed with the dome side out.  In the middle of this resin “sandwich” was a single earring that was held in place with epoxy resin clay (this is the clay that I’m using for all project in the mixed media art book).  The earring was used as a decorative element and also to attach the necklace to as well as the chain with charms on the bottom.

The second jewelry piece I used ICE resin on was this piece of driftwood.  I wish I had taken a “before” shot so you could see that there was hardly any wood left on the bottom.  It had mostly eroded away and some sea grass was entangled in the remaining wood.

Instead of a small patch of clear packing tape I used quite a bit of the clear tape with masking tape over that to really hold in the resin.  The shape you see is the shape the tape took on when I wrapped it around what was left of the wood on the bottom.  Once the tape was in place and burnished together and to the driftwood piece very well, I injected the resin into the cavities.  It was left upright in a plastic cup to cure.  When it was removed there were some seams and uneven areas showing from the tape.  I sanded those away with a series of  automotive grade (very fine) sandpaper until it was very smooth to the touch and then finished the surface as with Room 422 with a very thin coat of gloss acrylic medium to bring it from a matte to transparent finish.

The leaf bale is electroformed copper over (you guessed it!) epoxy resin clay.

In honor of the ICE Resin Blog Hop, I am offering this unique textured resin online workshop to the public for the first time ever!  The cost is $40 BUT if you mention ICE Resin  when you sign up by Friday, February 19 I will credit back $10 by Paypal so the class will only be $30.  This is a great workshop that has received awesome reviews at art retreats.  There are several techniques that Charley and I developed so you can find these nowhere else!  You can find this workshop on my Mixed Media Art site which is a great place to be with nearly 850 artists and well over 4000 gorgeous pieces of art plus creative challenges and lots of other things creative and inspire.  Oh and did I mention it is completely free to join?!?!?

One of the resin techniques is absolutely mesmerizing because it creates  an amazing play of light on image below.  As interesting as the photo looks, when people see this in person they are blown away!!!

Ready to hop?!?!?  Here are the other sites with ICE resin creations!

Ro Bhrun
http://robruhn.blogspot.com/

Karen Burns
http://web.me.com/vintagefindings/Vintage_Findings/Blog/Blog.html

Keecia Frazee Deveney
http://www.lemoncholys.blogspot.com/

Mary Jane Dodd — Mary Jane
http://mairedodd.blogspot.com/

Melanie Earthenwood
http://earthenwood-beads.blogspot.com/

Shea Fragoso
http://www.whathappensnext.typepad.com/

Vickie Hallmark
http://fiberartglass.blogspot.com/

Jill Liles
http://livngoodjewelry.blogspot.com/

Jess Italia Lincoln at Vintaj:
http://www.vintaj.com/wpblog/

Heather Powers
http://www.humblebeads.blogspot.com/
 and
http://www.artbeadscene.blogspot.com/

Amy Purdes
http://www.spritecreations.blogspot.com/

Jenny Barnett Rohrs
http://www.crafttestdummies.com/

Stephanie Rubiano
http://www.soigathered.typepad.com/

Lisa Sommerville 
http://www.lisasomerville.com/

Kim Taylor
http://sassycrafter.blogspot.com/

The Objects and Elements Design Team and Susan Lenart Kazmer:

Jen Cushman 
http://www.objectsandelements.typepad.com/jencushman/

Deryn Mentock
http://somethingsublime.typepad.com/

Kristen Robinson
http://kristenrobinson.typepad.com/

Barbe Saint John 
http://barbesaintjohn.blogspot.com/

Susan Lenart Kazmer
http://susan-lenart-kazmer.blogspot.com/

12 Comments

the sparrow king

January 12, 2010 at 1:16 am (found objects, Interesting Thingies, jewelry, mechanical art, mixed media art)

rex mortuus est, vivat rex

the king is dead long live the king

————————————————–

here is a sparrow

taxidermy bird sparrow king gothic reliquary crown art jewelry mixed media

of royal lineage

taxidermy bird sparrow king gothic reliquary crown art jewelry mixed media

dressed in royal robes

taxidermy bird sparrow king gothic reliquary crown art jewelry mixed media

behind a rippled window of olde glass warped with time

taxidermy bird sparrow king gothic reliquary crown art jewelry mixed media

in a weathered reliquary

taxtaxidermy bird sparrow king gothic reliquary crown art jewelry mixed media

securely locked for protection and safe passage

taxitaxidermy bird sparrow king gothic reliquary crown art jewelry mixed media

ornate details painstakingly made in a time long ago

taxitaxidermy bird sparrow king gothic reliquary crown art jewelry mixed media

but will open with the right knowledge

taxitaxidermy bird sparrow king gothic reliquary crown art jewelry mixed media

and a little patience and faith

taxitaxidermy bird sparrow king gothic reliquary crown art jewelry mixed media

and as your heart is true all will be revealed

taxitaxidermy bird sparrow king gothic reliquary crown art jewelry mixed media

—————————————————————-

gothic arch reliquary ~ of restoration glass, paper, ribbon, metal, beads, wire, antique key, casket hardware

sparrow king ~ of taxidermy sparrow head, resin clay, hand sewn robes of vintage velvet, beads, tatted lace, and the crowning glory a crown from Alicia (thank you dear friend!)

—————————————————————-

~ someday ~  you’ll see him again when the pendant portion is finished and he will be in our etsy shop.  until then how should he be finished?  a pendant of chain, more velvet, beads, wire, or all of the above?  perhaps with some found objects thrown in for good measure?  please help me decide!

9 Comments

skies of grey – vanilla clouds

January 9, 2010 at 1:19 am (found objects, Interesting Thingies, jewelry, mixed media art, New Art)

bird skull gothic found object vintage antique art jewelry tatted lace french netted lace

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sailing across skies of grey
vanilla clouds cradle noonday dreams
discarded remnants in my nest
oh what a sweet life I had

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

bird skull gothic found object vintage antique art jewelry tatted lace french netted lace

The grey silk looks lighter in these pics than in person.  Well maybe not this last one

bird skull gothic found object vintage antique art jewelry tatted lace french netted lace

Now offered in our shop.  And yes this is another creation made of apoxy resin clay.  ; )   A real skull may not survive long if worn as jewelry but this is very sturdy and strong.  And hopefully not too obvious it is made of clay.

3 Comments

Publication Call For Entries!!!

October 23, 2009 at 1:36 am (Interesting Thingies, mixed media art)
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A .pdf file with all the information you need to submit your art work is here –> Call For Entries -Resin Clay Art Book

In case you somehow missed what a huge fan I am of resin clay and/or that I’m writing a mixed media art book featuring resin clay (which will be published in November 2010 by North Light Books), here is an invitation for YOU to be published by submitting artwork for the gallery section of the book and/or writing a testimonial about what you think of resin clay.

For me personally it has been huge in my growth as an artist.  There are so many things I wouldn’t be able to make if not for resin clay and many of our workshops use resin clay as well.  : )  So by doing this book I will be able to share some of the cool things that can be done.  What you see on this page is just a small sample of the things we have made (and perhaps couldn’t have made without) resin clay.  So HOORAY for resin clay!!!

mermaid-theater-main

Mechanical Mermaid Theater


Clawdescope ~ Resin Clay Kaleidoscope

Clawdescope ~ Resin Clay Kaleidoscope

I’d really appreciate your help to get the word out about the book and this amazing art material!  So feel free to re-post this information and link on your blogs, Facebook, Twitter and anywhere else you can think of.  Here is a shorter link you may wish to use  http://tiny.cc/hP2pH

beyond-measure-main

Beyond Measure ~ Resin Clay Pendant

Please be aware all projects that make it into the book (including the ones I have done) are approved by the editors at North Light Books.   In other words I don’t have the final say on which of your projects will make it in.  But please do submit something if you can otherwise you definitely won’t be in there!

Under My Wing front

Under My Wing ~ Raven with removable Winged Journals

Thanks SO MUCH everyone and good luck!!!

7 Comments

Warrior Talisman

September 29, 2009 at 4:40 am (found objects, Interesting Thingies, jewelry, mixed media art)
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I had no idea this would turn out so powerful and have such a presence.  Or is it just me?  I’m pretty tired right now it’s hard to say.  This amulet started started with the piece in the middle of the rusty circle. When I found these I was so so SO jazzed because even though they are only about the size of a dime they look so menacing and I had never heard of them before. Have you ever seen one of these? Do you know what it is?!?!?!  I added glass marble inside before I popped it in the rusty circle that was laying around our studio.

Warrior Talisman

We’re taking this and some other new pieces to Art & Soul and will have it available at vendor night.   I’ll be adding a chain to this also.  Probably a really thick aged rolo chain to balance the size and presence this has.

We did get our water back by the way. Turns out it was a bad valve rather than a dry well. Shows how much we know about wells!!! Good thing we are artists and not well mechanics!  But today was still a much better day having been set on a good track first thing.  And actually I’ve been thinking about several things this could all mean which I don’t have the time to go into now.

As I was posting this I thought I *must* have been influenced by Robert Dancik‘s new book “Amulets and Talismans“.  I think that is a great book with a lot of different techniques to play around with.   I also took an online class of his which was also really good.  I kind of used my own techniques this time  but who knows what might come in handy on the next piece right!

8 Comments

runs dry

September 28, 2009 at 3:43 pm (Interesting Thingies, mixed media art, Observations and Musings, Workshops)
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There’s nothing quite like waking up to a living metaphor.  Around 3ish last night I heard the oddest sound and was able to mumble to Charley “sound”.  He found the source to be from the plumbing system and soon realized it was the last of our water bidding us farewell as it drained back down into the aquifer.

Not that this comes close in any way to things others are dealing with right now . . . but can you imagine waking up in the middle of the night and realizing that literally your well has run dry? As in no water at all?  And the day before leaving for an art retreat?  And having planned to wash all your clothes today as you leisurely packed?  And had planned to wash your hair as well?

well runs dry

Sometimes when things like this happen I freak.  If I am already frantically rushing around with that singular focus to get something done and then a thing like this happens ~ well it’s just not pretty let me put it that way.

But that is not today.  This is one of those times when I realize there is a either a lesson here ~OR~ there is some significant reason why this has happened.  Have you ever had something like this happen?  Where logically you could have been quite upset but actually thought it has happened for a reason?  Perhaps even to keep you safe?

Because our well has run dry things will go differently today.  So at this very moment I am experiencing a great peace and gratitude for this insight.  Not that I will ever necessarily learn what might have been had this not happened.  But it is more than enough to realize it is a gift.   There is likely both a lesson here and a very good reason why this has happened on this particular day.

Oh and the irony that we live in a rain forest climate is not lost on me.

Here is an interesting thought ~ just last evening I was reading a post by Alicia and she had the most welcoming image of an idyllic watering hole.  I *loved* this image so much I put it below for you to see.  In her post she had asked where I would want to be if it could be anywhere in the world and what I commented about was very much about the water.  Now they say you never miss the water until the well runs dry but I was so very grateful for water.  I went off to dreamland with visions of a water filled paradise.  But did I appreciate it enough?  Perhaps not.

Seriously how beautiful is this place that Alicia posted on her blog?!?!?

So what is the lesson here?  We live just yards away from a tidal river that runs through our backyard and not too many miles from the mighty Pacific yet we have not a drop coming out of our faucets.

All I can say is if you see us coming towards you at Art & Soul in Portland tomorrow I’d run the other way if I were you.  At least until we can get checked into our room and get a proper shower.  ; )

OK now I am really freakN but not in a bad way.  When I went to Alicia’s site to paste in the link above, at first I was going to link to her blog but I said to myself, “self, why not link to her web site and then link to the blog too where the pretty picture is”.

Once on Alicia’s web site I started clicking around (if you’ve been there you know it’s hard to just stay on one page) and happened on her links page for some reason.  That in itself is odd because I pretty much know what is on that page since we like the same artists.  So what did she say about our site (which I had forgotten all about since I hadn’t seen this in months)?!?!?!  Just look at this screen shot of that page.  OMG!!!

A day without water

A day without water huh?  Wow.

Oh by the way, this morning Alicia, Rachel and I were once again kicking around the idea of doing some sort of small intimate coastal art retreat here in Oregon.  If you are nearby why don’t you let one of us know and perhaps we’ll all be together soon doing some art with a lot of water nearby.  ; )

Before I go turn on my faucet to listen to the freakish sounds coming out (file me under E for Easily Amused) . . . there is a new creative challenge on the mixed media site that is going to be so fun and I don’t want you to miss out!  It is called Sideshow.  So think circus freak show, human oddities, the curious and unusual ~ in any/all mediums including digital (it is mixed media art after all!).  This is already causing quite a stir with nearly 30 artists doing this so far!  Oh and there will be prizes also for the finished piece(s) with the most votes including a $25 gift certificate for Blick Art Materials.  But seriously I think anyone who does this will win just to be a part of it.  My guess is a lot of your favorite artists have already signed up so come see right here!  And actually I think the end result will be so fantastic that this will evolve into something more (and that’s ALL I will say on that for now).  Except to tell  you that this all started from the very creative Jean Van Brederode to whom so many are grateful for suggesting this challenge!

But that’s not all there is yet another challenge just opening up called Let’s Eat CAKE to coincide with Stampington’s new Marie Antoinette special publication.  How inspiring is this!  And you can thank Rachel for conceiving of and hosting this brilliant challenge.  Why not do them both?!?!?

13 Comments

Online & Live Mechanical Art Workshops

September 20, 2009 at 7:37 pm (automata, mechanical art, mixed media art, Workshops)
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As you may have noticed we LOVE artful toys and most especially mechanical art.    My very favorite site along these lines is done by automata artist, Dug North.  We were so jazzed when he featured our mechanical Raven around Halloween last year and HOORAY we are on there again.

Dug’s Automata Blog really is the BEST as far as seeing all kinds of automata both new and old as well as cool tools, fun toys and much more!

Ravenwing

Ravenwing

He has kindly mentioned one of our two workshops (the one that still has some spaces left) at the upcoming Art & Soul retreat in Portland, Oregon.  We also have the one that sold out Portland still available in Las Vegas here!

3-bird-house-workshop-front

If you will be in the area and would like a beginning workshop on how to make these very fun pieces, this might be the ticket!  But if you find you can’t travel but would like to learn this please do let us know and we’ll notify you when our online automata workshop(s) are up.  Just write to remnants.art (at) gmail.com and we’ll let you know!

1 Comment

twins

September 20, 2009 at 12:08 am (Interesting Thingies, mixed media art)

As the mother of identical twin girls, I’ve definitely gotten used to seeing double.  But even with that, this piece by the amazingly talented Creagers immediately caught my eye . . .

Ghost Pin three

Here is why!  Pam Sanders and I did a moon child collab several years back (we were both born under the sign of Cancer).  She made the doll with the moon face and I fashioned the hooded shroud with embellishments.

beauty of the green earth

I added one wing to the back and the bone behind her head that says “Mystery”.  So what do you think???  Is it just me or are these remarkably similar?

beauty of the green earth back

2 Comments

sculptural journal workshop

September 6, 2009 at 8:42 pm (mixed media art)

It’s a raven.  It’s a journal.  Well actually two journals.

Under My Wing front

Under My Wing is a clay raven with detachable wings that are actually journals.

Winged journal inside

Find out more here.

5 Comments

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