The Junk Windchime

The other day I got inspiration from an unlikely source. 

A crushed Budweiser beer can circa 1970.

My dad just randomly walked up to me and handed me this old, dirty, crushed up beer can. At first I was (naturally) confused, but then he explained the significance of this strange artifact- it's a classic Budweiser can from the 1970's.  You can tell how old it is by its use of a pull tab mechanism which haven't been used on beer cans in over 30 years. The idea that the can had endured for so long was incredible to me... It's almost twice my age and there's no telling how much it had already been through in its lifetime. For a piece of junk, that's pretty impressive.

 In a weird way, I have respect for this can.  I just had to do an artwork that implemented this gnarly artifact in one way or another.

My found objects
wind chime.

 That's where the wind chime idea came to mind. The crushed can wasn't the only strange piece of metal to accumulate in my area. I went out and searched for more "debris" and found many more fascinating trinkets and pieces. My dad also helped by donating some more metal pieces he found while at work. I raided my bead collection and found even more tiny embellishments to add. With my wind chime, I wanted to take these average, bits of industrial trash and transform them into a functional work of art. I think there is something especially inspiring about giving purpose to things that are normally considered useless junk.

This project was kind of different for me because I don't have much experience with building sculptures out found object. I usually just stick to two dimensions, so there was definitely a learning curve. It was kind of crazy to be so "hands on" with my work.. I had to thoroughly handle each piece, including all the rust, dirt and grime that came along with it. I also implemented a large amount of aluminum wiring, which is another material that is still somewhat foreign to me. Because of this, I had to be a little bit more resourceful with my tools. This time, I actually had to use pliers, crimps and wire cutters to get the effects I wanted in my artwork!

The finished result reminds me of a nest that an overzealous bird would build- Scavenging from bits and pieces of every shiny or colorful fragment it could find.

To string my objects on, I used old junk chains from broken jewelry I have accumulated over the years. They were perfect for the "industrial" theme I was trying to go for, and was great for attaching the charms too.

Some of my favorite components of the wind chime include these two "evil eyes" made from some more 1970's pop tabs.

 I like to think that they ward off evil whenever the wind blows.

Charms that I used in my wind chime include various bottle caps, metal cogs, buckles and broken glass bottles. It was an interesting challenge having to"beautify" each scrap, each thing required something a little different. Some things, like the glass shards for example, didn't need much decoration at all. They already look like shiny shards of crystal.

I even used charms on my charms!

. It started with a cruddy old beer can, but ended with a new found respect for discarded objects. Just about anything can be beautiful if shown in the right light.

My new found objects wind chime hanging out  on the trellis.

The Phoenix

The mythical firebird Phoenix lives in cycles of 1,000 years at a time. Nearing the end of this cycle, the phoenix ignites in a blaze of flames and completely burns itself to ashes. From those very ashes a young, refreshed phoenix emerges, reborn again to live for another 1,000 years.

Just making an update about a very personal artwork I've been working on recently. It's a phoenix done in a rather "traditional" medium for me, colored pencil. I wasn't sure how crazy I could get with my materials this time because it's a gift to my cousin who is currently incarcerated.  

I guess I should explain the situation a little further.  I usually don't share bummer stories like this, but it's so astonishingly sad that I feel like it should be put out there just so that people know it happens. My cousin (and my family in general) has had a very rocky couple of years. It began with the death of our grandparents, who both passed within 5 years of each other. They were the "glue" that really kept my family together. My cousin was especially close to my grandparents as they were major influential figures in his life.  Then, to make matters worse, his mom gets diagnosed with breast cancer. As she was going through chemo, my cos got "mixed up in the wrong crowd" so to speak and was influenced to make mistakes that will now cost him years of freedom. His mom passed away while he was in jail. Can you imagine what this must feel like?

My cousin is only 17.  He still has an entire lifetime ahead of him...

As an artist, I regularly give people artwork as gifts all the time, but for obvious reasons I tried to make this piece especially meaningful. The phoenix mythology has always been attached to the symbolism of rebirth and renewal, which is the only positive thing that can come out of tragic situations like these. I hope that this can at least encourage my cousin to move forward with his life and have the strength to start anew. We are all given the chance to move beyond our past if we put fourth the effort to do so.

My hideous paint palette!

On a random note, I fondly nicknamed
my set of fav. paintbrushes my "A-Team"

Today I figured I'd make a little post about my "traveling" painting kit. It's basically all my favorite paintbrushes and tools packed into one box that I can take with me anywhere. No biggie... most artists have a version of this. However, I have a very special ongoing project involving my paint supplies that I couldn't help but share with you guys... It's a masterpiece in the making!

BEHOLD! My super gnarly paint palette, proudly never washed.

I always get a lot of comments on this thing. Most people find it gross.. I can't imagine why!

It all started a few years ago while surfing the net. I discovered illustrator Will Terry's blog post about a paint palette he's been using for the last 20 years. This thing is truly inspiring, see for yourself:

Will named his palette Benjamin. And about the mountain-like shape it's taking, he says, "That arch you see was at the request of my children constantly nagging me to sculpt some form into him - that took about 9 months."

After seeing this post, I decided that I would start "growing" my own paint palette. By comparison, I still have a lot more layers still to build up before I'm anywhere near Terry's level. But it's definitely something to work towards. For the record, my palette is probably about three years old now.

You can see the layers slowly emerging. Also, in its defense, it looks a lot grimier than it actually is. I use india ink often, so there's this lovely blotchy black glaze all over everything..

Here's the palette from the bottom. As you can see, I've completely filled up the original "wells" to the top, but evidence of their existence still remains underneath.

GEROSS!! And by gross I mean.. AWESOME.

I am often questioned about how I am able to use this thing without "mixing up my colors." I actually don't have this problem with my palette at all. Since I use mostly acrylic based paints, they don't run after drying. I just keep building layers upon layers on top of the older paint, like some sort of crazed mad scientist of paints. 


Not all artists can have a paint palette as monstrous as this one, it certainly isn't for the "Faint of heART" (get it?)

 It requires you to never clean your paint palette, and serves as a valuable lesson in wastefulness. It's incredible to see how much left over paint will accumulate in time- seemingly wasted and unused. But a benefit of creating a crazy palette like this is that you have a chance to sort of build something completely new and unusual out of something that would otherwise be washed down the drain. Plus, it's a testament to your journey as an artist.

Like Will Terry mentioned in his blog post- "[My Palette has] been to Maryland, California, technically Nevada and idaho, but mostly he's lived here in Utah. Like I said before of the thousands of paintings I've done he's got parts of all of them in him."

Wreck this Journal!

I admit it folks, I've hopped on the bandwagon. I am officially a Wreck This Journal junkie.

Wreck this bible!

If you didn't know yet, there is this book out there by Keri Smith that demands that you completely (yet artistically) trash it. Each page contains a series of directions on what to do with the book next in order to "wreck" it... all sorts of zany things from coloring outside the lines to making a drawing with pieces of hair. The book is slowly gaining a cult following. If you search the net, there are thousands of pictures and examples of very cool ways to complete the different pages.

Soon after acquiring this book I was hooked. The concept is very freeing, and it's got me doing art more often and keeping my skills sharp, which is always good. Also, the idea that you create the art naturally and by chance is very exciting to me. The more you work with the book, the more it develops in an often unexpected direction.

Cover page of my Wreck This Journal. I love its mantra... To create is to destroy!

The instructions page, not yet in its final stage of development.

 Speaking of incomplete metamorphosis, my journal is slowly shedding its cover like some sort of reptilian skin.  I can't decide if I want to salvage the cover or make a whole new one! Hmm... better work against my better judgement.

The "materials" list has become a scavenger hunt. CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

Achoo! My take on the classic "rip up strips" page.

I had a lot of materials to use for this one, I work in an office.

The daunting "bring this book in the shower" page. I actually brought the book in the shower with me on two different occasions, I didn't think it got wrecked enough the first time!

I didn't realize this at first, but there sure  are a lot of four letter words.

I really like these two pages, but they aren't going to stay "perfect" for long.
The conjoining page requires me to sew through the paper, thus significantly changing them in the process.

WTJ Zombies of mass destruction. Oh yeah, and for the record, I have made many sudden destructive movements with the journal. My favorite one so far is when I got my to boyfriend run it through with a pocket knife. On many of the pages (like this one) there is a stab mark directly in the center now.

Escape the nets of oppression!

"Glue random items on this page." One of my favorite ones I've worked on so far.. there are just so many random things in this world to be glued!

I checked out a lot of other Wreck This Journal stuff for inspiration and I came across the official WTJ blog written by the author. She has a lot to say about the philosophy behind this book. One thing she said particularly stuck in my mind. It was something along the lines of- "While working in your journal, you will naturally come across pages that are harder to complete than others. This is normal, it all depends on your personal concept of destruction. However, the pages you avoid represent aspects of your creative process that you probably need to work on the most."

I really took this idea to heart and have challenged myself to complete those certain pages that I struggle with. I haven't got to all the difficult ones yet, but I'm working on it. For example, I tackled this page:

Creating a drawing out of hair. Firstly, I think hair is gross, so messing with it long enough to make a drawing disturbed me. It was extra gross that I decided to use dog hair, but my dogs are very hairy and have a lot of this fluff stuff lying around...

Another thing that's fun about the journal is that it encourages other people to participate in your "wrecking." One page instructs you to leave the journal in a public place and let others deface it. My first location was the kitchen table. My mom, who isn't usually the "artsy fartsy" type, decided to add a few little stickers. Something about her addition is very charming to me. Like I said, the genius of this book is the unpredictable nature of its finished product.

A tiny Jack Skellington sticker.

Some of my friends have also caught the "Wreck Bug." I love seeing how others interpret the directions in this book. It gives anyone a chance to be creative without the fear of making mistakes. My pal Tiffany recently got a WTJ and has especially been inspired:

Check out all the supplies she got to work with! WTJ should always be worked on with this kind of childhood exuberance.

She's using this book to "break" the habits of the common OCD idea that things must always be perfect. I think this is the most important aspect of  Wreck This Journal- learning to loosen up and appreciate things for the way they are.

  I look forward to updating about the progress of my (and Tiffany's!) journal. There is still so much to do. Until then, does anyone else have a Wreck This Journal they would like to share? If you don't have one yet, go out and get one at the book store, you wont regret it. You can also get it online for pretty cheap, just make sure to get it used!

".SDRAWKCAB ETIRW"

My Journey With Keri Smith's Wreck This Journal 

1) The Beginning.....
2) WTJ Part Two
3) WTJ Part Three - Vengeance 
4) WTJ Part Four - The Reckoning
5) WTJ Part Five - Return of the Journal (Final)

Artsies on a budget- How to make a recycled canvas

 As you've probably already guessed, I'm a huge advocate of using recycled materials in artwork. I've tackled the subject before- you can save a lot of money if you gather up the right (free) materials. One thing I'm especially enthused about is preparing my own canvases for artwork. Why buy an overpriced piece of primed cardboard when you can create a unique canvas for a fraction of the price? In this tutorial, I'll explain how I "wrap" scraps of wood (or even cardboard) with fabric to create a wonderful surface for almost any medium or style.

For my project I decided to create a cute little mutant deer painting out of india ink, acrylics and gesso. It's just one example out of an endless variety of possibilities. Try your own combinations. You didn't have to pay for this canvas, so why not experiment a little?

Things you'll need:

First of all, you'll need to find some scrap pieces of wood to use as canvases. There's tons of places you can go to accomplish this.  Be a scavenger. Keep an eye out for any people throwing out wooden furniture like desks or wardrobes that you could disassemble. Check behind major businesses (like Wal-Mart) for discarded wooden crates and slats. You can also visit your local lumber warehouse or home improvement store and ask them for any unwanted left over scraps. I'm sure they'd be happy to at least let you have them for a discounted price, if not for free.

After you have a good piece of scrap wood, get some mod podge and a really cool piece of fabric. You may also need gesso to prime your fabric (not pictured here.) Optional: Get your iron out, too.

For my canvas surface I chose an unusual emerald green printed fabric I found at a thrift store. However, you can literally use any textile you want. If you want a clean white surface to work on, simply use some basic white cotton fabric or muslin.

Preparing your surfaces:

Lay your fabric and board out flat and cut the fabric out in the shape of your canvas. Leave a 2 to 3 inch border on your fabric. After this, you may want to consider ironing out your fabric so that there aren't any wrinkles or folds. They're very likely to show up on your canvas if you leave them there.

Building up layers will make
the bleeding effect look cool.

Admittedly, while originally writing this tutorial I forgot to include an important step that can greatly effect the outcome of your project: My canvas was not primed with gesso before I glued it down. Oops! In result, any very wet paint I applied began to bleed outside the lines. Luckily for me, it was a "happy accident" that actually gave my project some interesting variety. You can notice the bleeding effect especially in the background, where I used heavily watered down india inks. It took many layers of drying and re applying to get a look that I was finally happy with, but it still turned out okay in my case. Once again, I encourage you to experiment with the different effects you can achieve. You can definitely use this to your advantage depending on your style and subject. However,  if you don't want paints to somewhat bleed/run on your recycled canvas, you will have to use gesso on the back of your fabric as a primer:

Squirt some gesso into your favorite paint palette. I wouldn't suggest trying to directly apply it to your fabric because it will not spread on evenly and will likely bleed through the front (something you want to avoid!)  

Instead, get your paintbrush fairly wet, scoop up some gesso and begin to paint it on the back of your fabric. The idea is to put on enough to make the fabric stiff, but not saturated with gesso. If done correctly, not a spot of white will show up on the front of your canvas. 
 
(BTW, I explain gesso more thoroughly in a previous post if you're curious.)

Putting it together:

Immediately (but carefully) place the fabric
over the freshly mod podged board. Try to keep the
board as close to the exact center as possible so
that there is an even border around it.
Press the fabric completely flat against the
board and smooth it down with your hands.

Apply a thin layer of mod podge to the board.
You need a smooth, even coat.
If you apply it too thick, it will seep
into your fabric and show through the front.

Wrapping the edges:

There are many ways to wrap a canvas' corners, but this is the way I do it: Cut parallel slits on the fabric at every corner. Your cut should line up very closely to the edge of the board, with every cut going in the same direction (either vertical or horizontal.) Be careful with this step.. it's better to cut less than to cut more.

With your board turned over, add mod podge to one of
the sides. You can add as much as you want here
since this part won't be showing. Don't forget
to get the edge, it will also need to be glued!

This picture is showing two
of the flaps glued down.

Fold the border flap over and press it firmly onto the back of the board. You can further stabilize it by adding even more mod podge over top of the flap.

.

Continue gluing down the edges. Make sure the

fabric is pulled crisply over the edge.

Folding the corners over:

The border's excess material will become your canvas' corner.
First, apply mod podge to where the corner will be.

With a little bit of manipulation, the corner will naturally fold into a triangular shape.

Pull the corner tight and press the fold down onto your canvas.

Add more mod podge over top and underneath the fold to keep it stuck down.
The tighter the fold is adhered, the crisper your canvas corners will be.

The Finishing Touches:

Pretty legit canvas ready for some art work!

TADAH! After all the corner are glued down, this is the outcome..

Here are my final results... That's one horny deer!