A Retrospective Of A Portion Of This Years Art

I have to do this sometimes. I get busy and forget what I have done during the year. Naturally, I assume it was *nothing*........then I start looking through images of items I have completed and posted at different times on the blog, and wonder why I can't remember past whatever the current project is in front of me. Maybe that's how it is supposed to be......to keep me pushing forward.
But I'm also posting this so later on in the year, when I can't get to the wet studio, I can reminisce about the lovely box canvas pieces that I made.
Follow along and just enjoy the images! No text about them......just some nice eye candy!

Pax.

(all photos copryright Anne M. Huskey-Lockard 2009)

Pieces of Fortune

I promised I wouldn't tease too much with the current box canvas, so above you will see what I started with. A transparency (which I had never used before) the toned and somewhat collaged canvas and some pieces of Paperclay, stamped and painted. My original intent was the girl on the front, the large clay piece in front of her --like she was emerging from it, and the two small pieces on the side.
That did not work, so off I went to the back.

I had built up layer after layer of color, laying in, rubbing off, to get the depth and patina shown here. This is not an exact science in any way. The back was originally painted 50's aqua with the inner band of the wood being bubblegum pink. Why? They make good colors as bases to add a different tone to the colors that follow. I also had, in the process of rooting about, found a page of butterflies that were the right color and size for the piece, so out came the scissors and away we went.

I rubber stamp with Golden fluid acrylics; they dry almost immediately, do quirky things I cannot control and love how they mix (or don't, as the case may be) with the other paints. They will fade away or provide good contrast depending on the amount of paint applied.

BE WARNED! Those stamps must be cleaned IMMEDIATELY and with a soft brush and paint soap, or the acrylic in on there forever.

The side gives an idea of how many colors were used, some over and over, building the appearance of age and wear. There is no simple recipe for this; it is just practise and patience and experimentation. Yes, after a while you know that this paint will do *this* or you want a particular dark for the edges, but most of it is trust and time to let it happen.

Some German glass glitter ended up in the bottom of the recess; I am not sure why, I just knew it needed to be there to complete the feel. There are also fragments of gold leaf on the inner edges of the wood, not visible in this photo but in the one from the previous post.

And here is how the front changed from my original thoughts! The transparency was sprayed with workable fixative on both sides, then the back was loosely painted with a mix of collage medium and light gold fluid acrylic. It made a shimmering but transparent layer that literally brought the image to life! I found the edges too dark and harsh, so took a nail file (the soft paper ones from the dollar stores) and sanded away some of the ink in the upper portion of the figure, and selectively sanded a bit inside the figure as well. The resulting image was what I wanted. Then it was a matter of tinkering, again, with layers of paint and applying butterflies, which were originally coated with Nickel Azo Gold but then toned down once on the canvas. Everything was pulling together in a most amazing way!

I had decided that *something* of significance needed to be above the butterfly, and then knew the back called for the clay panel. The wishbone is one I have had for years, cleaned, whitened and laying in the bowl of pearls, awaiting the right piece to go in. And it definitely was this one. Although it may not show, it is suspended from a twisted piece of dark copper wire, and the copper ties in with the other warm, orangey colors used. It balances the heaviness of the clay panel at the bottom. The side pieces of clay were not used---in this incarnation, they had no place.

I have not titled the piece yet, though I am favoring something along the lines of "The Ghost of Fortune's Souls" or anything reasonably close. Suggestions are welcome---I may pick and choose words.

I hate to brag, but this is one of the most delightful pieces to hold in your hands and turn over and over, enjoying all the detail, much of which cannot be seen here. But I hope I have provided enough for you to see, enjoy, move along with the process and maybe let your next project guide you as opposed to you trying to guide it.
May fortune guide you! Make art!

Things To Come

Yes, this is a tidbit of a piece I posted the front of last week--Thursday's "Artsy Activities", and you'll get to see the steps tomorrow (at least as many as I photographed!) and how much it changed. I believe in letting a piece set it's own path, and this turned out completely different than what I thought it would. Which shows what I know....... ;) .......at least I have learned enough to listen to what the materials are telling me and let them take their own course. Sometimes we need to push the work and sometimes we need to step back and follow. I chose to follow, and have been greatly rewarded!
I'm working on more accurate photos to post. For whatever reason, was getting a lot of burn out, and it was too hot to shoot outside, plus some of the paint was wet.
So maybe later today or this evening, I'll get the camera out again and go for round two.
In the meantime, may you always end up with the lucky side of the wishbone, and may your wishes come true!
Happy Monday!

I kind of think.....

(I hate admitting that anything that can make me so miserable can make such a lovely photo....)

....that the allergy season has hit full force this morning! Woke with eyes scratchy, head plugged, throat tight and sore......so it's either the culprit pictured above, or I have a cold. And I seldom get those. I guess I'll *med up* and head for the wet studio today.
Yesterday evening after dinner I headed downstairs and worked on the canvas I had pictured yesterday. Things sort of took on a life of their own in the work process, and I was excited! It is now not at all what I had planned, but it is better than my original idea. Which is one of those serendipitous results that happen when you just let the creativity flow, stay out of the way and allow the piece develop. Maybe I can get a photo later and post it; on the other hand, it would be nice to wait and post when it is done.
Seriously, I am excited about the piece as the parts (which were quite simple) have melded into a fantastic, greater whole!
Now, where's that bottle of allergy medicine......and I hope you have a pollen-free day!

P.S. The fiber piece is still sitting, though other strips were pinned on, getting that part done. I went to quilt on it and again, couldn't find the readers, so when I stitched totally off the strips a couple of times, I figured it could wait another day.
And maybe I'll find the glasses. ;)

Artsy Activities (or how I spent yesterday other than laundry....)

Above you find another box canvas I am working on, and some of the pieces I intend to add. I took the plunge and printed out a transparency to try and incorporate into the design---I can see it so firmly in my head and want sooooo bad to just jump in (or waddle, as the case may be) and finish it! But it is stewing while the fiber piece from yesterday is still stewing.
We stew a lot here. ;-)
At any rate, all these diverse pieces speak to me, and there will be more added no doubt, but this is a preview of what is going on in the studio at Casa Lockard.
And, another fun thing that happened yesterday was my friend Val came over (have posted her art here before) and I walked her through doing a blog, so if all y'all would be kind enough, go to the link in the sidebar for Community Artists Co-Op and take a peek. I think between the two of us, we did a nice job! Yes, the background is the same as my blog, but for the moment, it stays because I tried finding some free and EASY TO INSTALL backgrounds, and we about crashed everything........don't ask....... The one I use is a simple copy the code and stuff it into an HTML box in the *add a gadget* section and that's all I can handle. Period. Geek, I am not and I wish I was.
So anyway, at the end of the day, we had pretty much artted ourselves out, between discussing and sharing fiber, critiquing the above piece and of course our large venture, the blog.
Val will pick it up fast----it's just taking time to tinker with all the stuff and learn.
And it's fun to share what you know with someone so they can create on their own.
It's pretty cool being an artist, no matter what your medium, isn't it?
Have a good one and go make art!