Friday, July 29, 2011

TREASURE HUNT...


COULDN'T RESIST
this embroidered jacket.
It's heavy perfect wool is lovingly constructed by hand
and then the gold work continues over the front....


up and around the sleeves and cuffs and back:....



swirling designs to inspire.



There's an addition vest with dozens of buttons
and strange-shaped (to me) trousers.
It won't be worn this Hallowe'en, though-
it would just fit a chimpanzee!

And then I found this:


A cast panel to honor Key West's many roosters.

I'll take down the color a little....



'GOTTA GO!'


THIS LITTLE ANGEL
is
watercolor pencil over
blocks of oil-based monoprint.

The watercolor sticks just to the pencil: cool!

A little gold and type correction film finish it up.
'Bout 3 X 5 inches....

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

'NEAR ATHENS' : an owl


'NEAR ATHENS' (Sold)
is composed of three pieces of rag board.
The central, broad part is mixed media:
I used Derwent pencil over a raked acrylic surface.
There's some oil pastel in there, too.


The two vertical borders
are the same rag board wrapped 
with copper foil on which I had drawn
freehand designs of stars and leaves.
To protect the copper from oxidation,
the surface is covered with 23 carat gold
or a mixture of acrylic, india ink
and flow medium.
It does that: flows down into the embossed designs.
I rubbed it down a bit to bring out 
the designs.


One night at my gallery,
I cut some stencils of 
abstracted letter forms.
Used it here under some of the 
frothed acrylic glazes.

That's more gold on copper on the right.
Artwork dimensions: 12 inches square.


Friday, July 15, 2011

'NIGHT LIGHTS'


'NIGHT LIGHTS'
shares the same colors as
the old carpet
outside my studio door.


Painted tissue collage
on rag board with gold.


Sleepy bird and star-doodles
are transferred type-correction film.


Monday, July 11, 2011

GODDESSES


STYLIZED
female statuettes
floating in museums'
looking glass
vitrines.

Acrylic on rag board.
I cannot resist adding
some gold
over the red pedestal.


A little closer.


Someone left a flower....


'STAY'


THIS WEEK'S WORD
on Illustration Friday
is "STAY."

I thought immediately of a dog
given a command
but lifted it emotionally
to a plea, not a command.

Mixed media on rag board.

Friday, July 8, 2011

Crab....


This guy surprised me this morning.
He was on top of the wall by the gate 
and 
there was a beautiful corn snake nearby on the lawn.
Heavy rains brought them out, I suspect.


'PICNIC'



'PICNIC' before and after: 
just tweeked and
lacquered.


Little things added?
A white line on the wing.
A dark line on the bill.

By the way, this piece is painted on cheesecloth
adhered to rag board with acrylic gesso.



MOON DOGGIE


'MOON DOGGIE'
doesn't look anything like Frankie Avalon.

He's listening to the night sounds.

Acrylic on collage
with 23 carat gold.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

TAPESTRY


I bid on and won this tapestry.
I wanted to share
some of the designs
from its surface.





Now I need to find a looong wall. OR cover some windows.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

A NEAR PAIR....


AND...


THESE TWO
paintings are oil and acrylic on paper.

Thats 'GRATIS' up top
and
'THE LITTLE GUEST'
surrounded by red.

Each measures about 6 X 14 inches. 

COLLAGE TECHNIQUES


'NEW DAY SONG'
got its start from some block-printed cotton
I picked up here in Key West.
Quite varied patterns on one yard:
the sun/flower, geometric cross forms and
the little stylized bird profiles all
jumbled into a loose grid.

I scanned and printed the designs in different sizes
and tints. Then I assembled the collage with other
small paintings, embossings and drawings.

Have a look at this detail:


Left to right:

Type-correction film transfer on acrylic.

Scanned multiple birdies.

Type correction film on purple acrylic.

Embossed copper (line drawing flipped over)
with 23 carat gold.
Below that a tiny acrylic on oil pastel
with leaf and wing details scratched out.

The red, dotted crosses are 
the original fabric.