If The Table Is Covered.....

.....it must mean art is happening!
After all the to-do about getting the studio cleaned, I discovered the very sad truth:
I cannot work when it is sterile and spotless. My creativity is shut off and since I lassoed that blasted muse and brought it back kicking and screaming, it was time to get going.
And I think by the photos above, it is obvious something is happening!
I have had, for a long time, a desire to work with some old drug store pharmacy labels and Rx's that were written when the dosage was scribed by the doctor. It really was a *recipe* for the medication being prescribed. So after purchasing a bunch (read that way too many!) I scanned them and printed them out onto tracing paper, along with some other anatomical things, then pulled some pieces from an old PDR and a medical dictionary.

This was the direction I was going, but decided the center of the canvas really needed a focal point and thus began a computer search for either a caduceus or staff of Asclepius.

(a short aside: the U.S. Army of 1902 is partially to blame for the current use of the caduceus as a medical emblem, when in reality, it is the staff of Asclepius that should be portrayed. The caduceus was the staff of Hermes, god of trade, money, trickster, and known to deliver death upon occasion. Asclepius was the half son of Apollo and was known for healing with his staff with the single serpent. Someone in the Army didn't do their homework........)

Obviously Anne spent a little too much time doing research, but you know....I do get a bit, ummmm, anal about these things!

Moving on......I finally find what I want for the center, and all the paper pieces I had laid on for consideration go off and the staff is carefully cut out and placed over a base of heavy gel medium. I applied it with a disposable icing bag, which was perfect to keep the gel within the guidelines and not have too much going everywhere.

This is how the over all piece looked after cleaning the edges of the gel......

And a close up to show the texture from the background gesso and the depth of the staff.

And yes, all good serpents of the healing variety have their encounters with the beauty salon...

.....or in other words, when I am in a hurry, I have no hesitation about shoving things under the hair dryer on low heat. It speeds along the drying without affecting the gel's stability. (never do this with a crackling medium, it only works for gels.)
So now, I have a central focus, lot of pieces and spent the day figuring things out.
And that is where I sign off this post.
More photos tomorrow, be they good or bad! Occasionally I get in too much of a hurry, things get glued on that don't really work and then I have to sit and look, or go mow grass and let my grey matter wander.
While this is not everyone's cup of tea, y'all that know me know my love of all things anatomical and medical, thus, my creation......
Stay tuned; more body parts to come!  ;-)

Pax.