Soul Inspiration...

There are so many different ways I love to go about making a new piece of art... but serendipity is one of my favorite creative "tools". In life, there seem to be so many unexpected things that pop up... needing more effort, requiring more resources, and expending more energy to complete... just to accomplish your original goal. But with art, I don't mind working with what I have and seeing where it takes me. It's an escape of sorts. And this escape took me to the circus!

My freeform background started with some collage elements, covering up with white paint... but letting a few of my favorite ephemera peek through. Top it off with an obnoxiously bright neon palette of yellow, pink and orange... and we're on our way. I had no idea where it would go, but the CIRCUS — a remnant of an old ticket — was begging to be turned into a striped tent. And so it began.

The little pierrot was actually from an alphabet book, and was in a garden of tomatoes. But I turned them into juggling and balancing balls to stick with the theme. In my dreams I actually thought of creating a balloon around SOUL InSPiraTioN text...

And a circus girl dressed like a bear was the perfect compliment to the entire piece. I gave her orange hair to pull the nice, bright orange through the scene visually... and then added some clouds as an afterthought. I loved how the neon colors peeked through the sky like an early evening sunset just beginning. I just chalk it all up to my soul's inspiration.

Did. You. Ever.

Did you ever have an art piece you made that you ended up keeping? Well, my conjoined sideshow twins Willie and Tillie are now part of my very own personal collection. I had them for sale at $350, and while everyone enjoyed them and told me that was a great price... no one took them home.

I mean... come on! Look at their sweet little... ummm... freakishly scary faces... and crazy hair! They're simply adorable.

And all the tiny little details. This piece probably took over 20 hours to make. Getting the embellishments to look old was very zen-like for me. I love making new and vintage items look really aged, distressed and time-worn. In a perfectly imperfect kind of way! And people thought this was an antique piece! The highest of compliments.

I created this assemblage in my spare time over a span of several weeks. It was definitely a labor of Love. I found great joy in each step and even surprised myself along the way. It had been a while since I'd gotten to enjoy the actual journey a creative inspiration takes me on. And in the end, I decided that...

Not only did I love the journey, but I loved the finished piece as well. It was worth way more to my soul than my pocketbook and it's now hanging on my office wall. I get to look at the twins that I birthed every day. And they'll never grow old.

Lollipop Circus...

Whew! It's been a long time since I've been able to paint. I've been kind of busy with things lately, but it's funny how my brain doesn't stop "painting" throughout the day (and night)! I imagined this stick-like figure of a girl before I had begun, but after that... the rest was up to my imagination.

I painted and thought and played... and painted and thought and played some more. It was hard. I didn't know where to go with it and those old "being afraid to commit" ghosts kept showing up. With encouragement from my Facebook friends... I decided to be brave, go with my gut, and whatever happened... happened.

I was loving the brightly neon, obnoxious color combinations and so I tied them into a few favorite themes of mine... the circus and candy. I added a tent in the clouds and a pinwheel lollipop garden... and this dreamy canvas was born. You can't really go wrong when you paint what you love.

Thoughtful Thursdays: What a Difference A Year Makes!

I was looking for blog fodder and I checked to see what I was doing this time last year. I made my own self jealous when I realized that I was in Portland, Oregon attending Art & Soul! One thing that stood out was a class I took with Tory Brokenshire called... Yes I Want That Drill Press & More!

It was there that I got the chance to man-up and learn how to use all kinds of power tools including a drill press, belt sander, jig saw, chop saw and nail gun. Can I just tell you that I want all of them! In the workshop we got to build our very own shadowbox from raw lumber. Our manly helper, Gil, was very encouraging!

Tory liked my finished assemblage so much, she encouraged me to want to make more! At the time I thought to myself, "I think I see one in every color scheme, hmmmmm.... maybe starting with pink?" And that's just what I've been doing!

To date, I think I've made 33 carnival-inspired assemblages along the same lines as the original, and using the same basic structure I learned how to make in class. Each time I create a set, I build on what I have learned from the previous versions, and try new things!

I really do like exhausting the possibilities using the same structure. It's really fun to think inside the box! What types of projects do you like to create that have a little something in common?

Thinking Outside The Box...

Is this figurative and literal eye candy or what? These carnival-inspired assemblages of mine have become so popular, I'm working on making another 15 of them this week! But as I create the same items over and over, my natural tendency is to evolve a bit... and think outside the box! My mind is always saying, "well what if you did this, here?" or "what if you made that a little different, there?" And so this time I listened. Let's see what's new...

I'm using a bunch of transparent light bulbs I recently acquired at a rummage sale!

In that same stash, I found two funky Christmas lights, so I paired them up for a monochromatic red version.

I also found these awesomely round lights and really thought "outside the box"!

I decided to leave the wood bare on a couple of boxes, and color them with stain instead. Loving these!

I'm also trying some different color combinations.

And capitalizing on some interesting vintage illustrations that add to the assemblages!

And I have even more surprises... but we'll save that for later. Until then...

Carnival Fun Time!

Well... I'm up to my old tricks again! It's time to make more carnival assemblages... yay! One of the (many) fun things about making these, is that they all start out the same...

...as nice little wooden boxes (can you smell the fresh wood? Mmmmmmmm).

Then they get pretty vintage light bulbs, matching stripes and fun antique book pages.

And everybody gets distressed... only it's the fun kind!

Clown molds are made and painted....

Bunnies too! (and an elephant as well, this time!)

Oh and don't forget the stars!

But after that, they all develop their own personalities.

Now that's what I call Big Top Fun!

Hold On To Your Cherries... I'm Doing A Burlesque Show!

Oh, wait... what? Oh my goodness... no! Let me be a little clearer about that. I'm not performing in a Burlesque Show... I'll be vending at one! You see, the lovely ladies from The Corsettes contacted me because they thought my kitschy jewelry and circus-themed merchandise would be perfect for their Bazaar Marketplace — a shopping extravaganza taking place alongside their Carnival-esqe Evening of Burlesque & Magic! Here's the info...

The Corsettes Carnival: An Evening of Burlesque and Magic

Saturday, June 11th - 7:30pm until!
Starring The Corsettes in Appetite for Seduction
Illusionist, Preston Digitation
Shop The Burlesque Bazaar, a Marketplace of Sensual Delights

www.thecorsettes.com • (732) 952-2805

Seats are limited, so if ya wanna go, fork over the dough! Maybe I'll see you there! Chica-boom!

Sideshow Banner: Crustacea... Comes Alive!

Last week, I was able to borrow a projector and trace my sideshow banner drawing onto heavyweight outdoor canvas. Since then... I have been obsessed with finishing it! Sometimes I get so excited that I jump right into a project (and continue)... even though there might be "issues". When I started painting, the outdoor cotton duck fabric I was using started to shrink! Oh no! So I painted on a scrap piece... let it dry... and threw it in the bathtub. The fabric flattened out, so I continued painting... thinking I'd just paint a few spots and gently place the entire banner in the tub. Well...

I couldn't stop! Every spare moment I had was consumed with painting, painting, and more painting. And since I was using acrylics, with a drying time of only minutes... I kept going and going. I painted for hours at a time (I think 6 was my record!)...

I was having fun getting lost in all the finite details. My favorite television shows—on in the background—drifted in one ear and out the other. I didn't even lift my head to see what was going on! And then...

It was nearly finished... wrinkled and all. I was ecstatic! But I really wanted the fabric to be nice and flat for when I added the finishing touches — outlines around the edges of the main "advertising" elements. So I gave Crustacea a bath...

And then I let her drip dry...

And so... now I know! Make sure your fabric is washed (or at least wetted and dried) before you start. My sideshow banner does still have some wrinkles. But you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way. I used to think that I couldn't make mistakes... and that I had to do everything perfect the first time. This held me back from even starting a piece of art I really wanted to create. Now I embrace mistakes and the sky is the limit!

Until next time big top fans!

Recently Listed: Carnival Fun - Mixed Media Assemblages

I am excited to announce that I have completed all ten of the carnival-style assemblages I'd been working on before vacation and have listed a few of them on my Etsy shop. Each one has a personality all it's own and I have some monochromatic color schemes as well as the typical circus colors available. Each one is hand painted then distressed and features vintage and everyday bits and baubles. You can find them listed in my Carnival and Circus Fun section. Happy Shopping!