WIP: Blue Day

Worked on some blues on the left side tonight while listening to Pandora radio… it is slowly coming together. I did not plan on tears dropping into her lap. As always, emotion twirls into the art.

Someone asked, “What is it?”

I don’t know… it doesn’t have a title yet.

Officially, it will a mixed media piece done in layers of watercolors and colored pencil on two large pieces of art paper that will be laced together like a corset, embellished with beads and handmade lace, and mounted on a gouache painted board before framing.

Size is 35 x 29 inches, bit odd… but I’m recycling a frame.

The basic ideas going into this are: woman, bound, fire, pain, grief, heartache, endurance, and strength. When it is done, it will just be what it is.

 

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Slow Start

Off to a slow start, considering that this was to be my Thanksgiving project. Back in November, I only got as far as dismantling a large, odd sized frame (a thrift shop find) and painting the foam core backing with black gouache to up-cycle it as the ground for a mixed media piece. The two large sheets of watercolor paper were untouched until last night, when an alternative plan came together. I cut them to meet ye halfway, then used watercolor pencils to lay down the first layer of color.

As for the original plan, it can wait. I have two of these frames… couldn’t pass them up at 8.50 USD each, as I know this type of metal frame would cost at least a hundred new. Just the glass would rack a pretty penny. If I had spare cash at the time, I would have bought the dozen or so of these frames. All had identical mass produced prints, so it is not like destroying art to reuse the frames.

The next few layers will be done in colored pencils… I will take it downstairs tomorrow, work on it in the community room, as it is a “Draw on Sunday” day for the new Arts & Crafts Society.

I need to hop a bus, go buy a couple pads of art paper for the ACS, so I best get going.

Thanks for reading!

Mosaic Guitar

After posting “June Bug” today, I looked at my last post and noticed that I promised to share the photos of the mosaic guitar now that it is done.  I had posted photos on BeesATC and neglected to post here, so my apologies!

Mosaic Guitar

Mosaic Guitar BACK

If you want to see it in person, it will be in the  32nd Annual YWCA “Women Artists: A Celebration!” show June 21 to July 19, 2014 at the YWCA of Youngstown building located at 25 Rayen Avenue in Youngstown, Ohio.  Tickets are required for the opening night preview party, otherwise the hours are Monday – Saturday, 12 to 4 PM (closed on July 4-5 and all Sundays except July 13th).

The mosaic guitar is priced at $300 because it is my first mosaic guitar and it is not perfect so I would not feel right asking top dollar.   It is grouted and sealed for indoor display.  The back of the neck is painted (not tiled) so it could be hung on the wall with a standard U hook bracket used for hanging guitars.

NOTE:  click on photos if you want to see it bigger.

A treble clef made of copper wire dangles in the sound hole as a tribute to American artist Lily Harmon (1912-1998) because I got hit by a Deja vu when I walked into the Butler Museum of American Art to see her life retrospective show (Trumbull County Branch, 1997?) and saw her guitar assemblage with the strawberry hanging in the sound hole.   I recognized it.  I  knew I had seen that same strawberry dangling inside an old guitar repurposed as art years ago (before 1970?) as it had captured my full attention when I was a child absorbing the colors and textures of art up like a little sponge.   Our guitars may look nothing alike (hers was assemblage art, mine is mosaic, different designs and everything) but my thoughts often turned to her while I was working on this guitar.  I knew that I had to hang a dangle in the sound hole as my way of saying thank you to an artist who influenced future generations.

There are no strings because when some old guitars die, they donate their organs (reusable parts: tuners, nut, bridge, etc.) to cigar box guitar makers so the music can live on.