Layer It On Thick ...

... then take it away.

  

My new weapon of choice is rubbing alcohol.

Reduction is the technique.  Layers of acrylic paint are applied with knives, then ----after scraping, drying and contact letters are peeled away ---I attack with alcohol.  

I am addicted to THIS kind.

Not quite a triptych, Give and Take. (acrylic on board)

Four-Give

Double-Take

A Little Give
A serious lovely 3-D affect ... a horizon in the distance, whipping turquoise bits in the air.

Garage Finds

 This is what happens when I help clean out my dad's garage.
Cool little finds make their way across the US to my studio.

 6" copper leaf trophy head

)

 title: Divergent Thinking

Wheels, reels,dials, gears, rims, springs ... circular findings call out to me.













The 10', century old farming implement's original paint now glows
---only because I spent time gently cleaning off  years of grime and thick dust.
Its rounded edges were created (I'm supposing) from horses rubbing up against it.
Love that stuff.

Vintage Farm Timber Meets Fused Plastic Bags

Past Meets Present. (15"x 34"x11")

Pieced and fused plastic bags meet free-motion stitching for another mod transformation. 

Wheres the wiring?  Vintage grater gets magically illuminated.

I'm visualizing the original implement attached to a farming wagon.
Considering this piece has been weathering for a century,
perseverance was necessary to get the hardware loosened and off. A sibling lamp is in the works.
My vision came to fruition with the kind assistance of
acquaintances managing tall drill presses. (BIG sigh)

The Journey

I've said it once and I'll say it again, using power tools is empowering.  To cut thru the slats of an old shutter ... to drill holes in dense hardwood ... to slice chunks ... to sand flat rough-cut ends ... to make a curve from a straight edge ---physicality and risk are required.
To have an idea is good.  To make it happen is better.

Repurposed Leather ... So Soft

 After two years of scribbling designs for my scrap leather collection, I finally took the time to make these pillow slipcovers.  Think I'm going to attack a single cafe curtain soon with a similar touch.
 Note to self: clean-out and oil sewing machine ... leather "puncture pits" abound.

Standing at Attention: Found Objects Assembled

I think we are each entitled to a great fall once in our life.

Parents or masked crusaders might
come a-running.

A little "mental mending" is in order.

The Cabinet

      and

The Eagle Has Landed

---from the Noyes Farm series

Medical advice is at our keyboard fingertips.
---------------------------------------

In grammar school, science and I were miles apart, but an interesting textbook cover
could catch my attention for awhile.
These polkadots and tiny numbers were actually from the inside of a nuclear reactor.

Apollo, in the flesh.

Do you remember where your
 feet were planted as our Apollo spacecraft's
astronauts planted the US flag on the moon?

 The vintage painted timbers I used for the bodies of the assemblages were originally farming implements.  The farmer probably did not have this kind of repurposing in mind for them
---as they were stored up and away in barn rafters for decades.  Last winter's heavy snowfall collapsed that barn's roof and they landed in my creative hands.

Pockets Of Heat

Started as one large painting, I soon realized this single view of distinct pockets
should be standing individually.  Each breathing, pulsing, murmuring life hidden within
and radiating outward could truly survive on its own.
In a collection or solitary, each holds strength and a feeling of hope.

detail of One, 8"x6"

detail from Two, 8"x7"

detail from Three, 10"x10"

detail from Four, 5"x10"

detail from Five, 8"x14"

... at the Sudbury Art Association Holiday Market

salvaged samples repurposed as soft "leather-wear': cuffs, pedants, lapel pins

fused plastic bag belts

Farming implements repurposed in my Noyes Farm Series

a fruitful trio made from pieced and fused plastic bags 

Snowgnomes ... mischievous winter folk

                                                               ode to Noyes farm                                                                                                                                                                                                               

Coveralls

- two sold from the countertop
before tags could even be place

Meeting interesting people,
making connections with the potential of prosperity,
feeling community, sharing about repurposing,
exchanging creative ideas ... all good.

2011 Fall Art Classes

            Fall art sessions inspired students to look at discarded objects with new eyes.
                            These rockin' Walldolls will shake-up plain walls with new life.

She gathered the clues for a different type of Nancy Drew mystery.

Food Fight!

Hand-drills, pliers, glue guns, wire, heavy-duty scissors ... tools of the trade.

Playtime

graceful dancer

Fishing for memories at the shore

leather, glass, cellulose clay

winter forest

a gift for dad

Four Fun Fridays of Fusing ...
Everybody loved the "magic" in repurposing and fusing plastic bags.

Students made fused plastic bag wall hangings, wrap-mounted on repurposed timber.
* I add the free-motion sewing.

These beautiful student-produced table lanterns glow from within using tea-lights.

Imagine the possibilities!