Ticket to the Freak Show... Opens April 11th!

Step right up folks! You won't see anything like this anywhere else. Freaks and oddities of all types and kinds... right here for your viewing pleasure. And I've got your ticket!

I am beyond excited to present to you my most recent collection of art dolls, live and in person for the very first time... this Saturday, April 11th at Torche' Galerie. Inspired by my love of everything circus, as well as the recent FX series hit American Horror Story: Freak Show, this collection is my most favorite of all! And not only will I have 6 art dolls on display at this show, but I will also have 2 new whimsical vintage style collages showcased!

Torche' Galerie's 2nd Anniversary Exhibition features a whole host of talented artists in all types of mediums including sculpture, photography, charcoal, watercolor, acrylic, collage, film, mixed-media and so many more categories of intriguing contemporary art. Torche' Galerie is like a little slice of an upscale New York City gallery with a friendly and inviting atmosphere... right here in NJ! And the opening night reception — which many of the artists attend — will blow you away.

Torche' Galerie 2nd Anniversary Exhibition

Opening Reception 

Saturday, April 11th, 2015

7pm - 10pm

500 Main Street, Belmar, NJ 07719

So come join me at the opening reception and view my latest selection of whimsical art dolls and collages, as well as the work of 50 inspirational artists! If you can't make it to the Opening Reception, the show is up through the month of June. Hope to see you there!

No Clowning Around This Time!

So... right after my last big project — creating 30 custom Knock Down Dolls — I had to go right into a marathon of Art Doll making! With only 17 days until a gallery submission deadline, there was no clowning around for this girl. I had to accomplish what had previously taken me more than 3 times that to do! So... I neglected housecleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, the beach (that one hurt a little!), and I worked night and day, sleeping a lot less than usual... for more than two weeks! But I did it. I created 9 dolls from start to finish in that amount of time. It was a whirlwind of art making, but at the same time it was an incredible journey...

I'm not a big fan of being on an extremely tight deadline. I'm definitely more from the camp that "art takes as long as it takes." Because... well... it does!

However... needing to create quickly helped to keep me from overthinking things. Bonus! I'm definitely an overthinker... pondering the many, many facets for each stage of dollmaking. But I didn't have that luxury this time, and it kind of turned out to be a blessing. I committed to my decisions more quickly... and without much regret. Double bonus!

At times I felt like I was possessed... or that I had sold my soul to the devil. But that was okay, because My Devil Is Da Bomb! Not only do I love making these dolls, but I enjoy coming up with whimsically clever names for them as well. From a design standpoint, don't ask my why my devil has glitter star pasties and a feather boa skirt. That's just my very odd brain hard at work!

Have you ever made a Snow Angel? Yeah... me too! I couldn't very well have a devil without an angel.... so I thought I'd make her white as snow. For good contrast. With a recycled blouse as her gown, some vintage jewelry to keep her afro in check, a repurposed bow, and pearls from my stash... she really is angelic.

For a long time I didn't like my Tooth Fairy. She was a toughie. But I gave her a tulle shawl to match her tutu, a vintage jewel for her halter top and a couple of adorable blue bows for her hair buns... and I fell in love. I actually won't stop — on any of my dolls — until I fall in love. This just took a bit more falling until the love part.

Having grown up near the boardwalks — and knowing that the gallery show would be for two summer months — I had to include some circus-carnival-inspired pieces. Welcome To The Big Top was one of my favorite ideas and I really enjoyed making her a circus tent style dress! Oh, and that hair! Totally over the top.... just how I like it.

And sticking with the circus theme, Dottie The Clown might just be my favorite doll from this group. This tender heart touched my heart the most. So much emotion from that face!

And from the whimsical — and more delicious — memories of my boardwalk days... came Candy Apple. I actually used to eat those things until I felt like I was going to break my teeth one day. So I switched to caramel. That art doll will be next!

And of course, no boardwalk, carnival or circus visit would be complete without an Oops! I Dropped My Ice Cream moment! I can say that I have dropped my ice cream before. And yes... I scooped up the part not touching the ground and resumed eating — without so much as skipping a beat!

So that's a sneak peek at some of the dolls I created for this series. And I am so excited to share with you that Torche' Galerie in Belmar, NJ has accepted all 9 of my dolls for their summer show! I am thrilled beyond words!! You can see the dolls in person at the exhibit opening on Saturday, July 12th, from 7-10. I'll let you know all the details as we get closer!

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.

Join Me For Some Folk Art Fun...

Boardwalk Memories: Folk Art Assemblage Workshop

Sunday, March 25th

Creativity By-the-Sea, Ocean Grove, NJ

Take a stroll with me down to the boardwalk... or the circus.... or the carnival.... as you learn how to age and everyday items like wood, plastic, clay, fabric, paper and more. Bring back memories of those fun arcade games as you create a whimsical, folk art style, dimensional shadowbox from the ground up using vintage and everyday items. Starting with an unfinished wood box that you'll paint and decorate — you'll learn easy techniques for making new things look old. These are methods that you'll be able to use time and time again on your own future projects.

For information and registration, check out the Creativity By-the-Sea website and sign up to come play with me!

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?

Carnival Madness...

Whew! Worked all week and into the weekend on my carnival-inspired assemblages... and am very pleased with the results. I had fun testing out some of my new ideas... and of course I came up with even more ideas for next time (I really should write these things down, you know?). So let's see what else is new with this batch...

New words! Sometimes things are so obvious that they're not obvious at all. For instance, I fashioned these particular clown assemblages around one of my favorite boardwalk games... but had not thought of using that word until I ran out of all the F U N and P L A Y Scrabble tiles and game pieces. Duh!

Trying out some new ribbons. Loving the red polka dots juxtaposed with the coordinating circus stripes!

And speaking of ribbon... I almost died when I saw this red and white striped shimmery ribbon, that's totally wired! I attached it as an awning using vintage steel tacks. Squeal!

This time I tried my hand at fashioning a Paper Clay duck using a simple plastic candy mold from the craft store. It worked out perfectly!

And my absolute favorite I'm-totally-making-more-of-these ode to cotton candy! I really want to eat it!

And, well... ummmmm.... does anyone else see that pink elephant in the room?

So that's what I've been up to, day and night... for the past week or so. I have to admit that it's a fun process, but I'm happy to move on to the next creative project. All the carnival assemblages you see here (and more) are available on my Etsy shop if you are interested. I hope you had fun coming along for the journey!

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!

Quit Clowning Around... Actually... Don't!

Did you ever get one of those thoughts in your head that just won't go away? The kind where no matter how much you push it back and say, "not now, I can't" it keeps coming back with a vengeance? Yeah, me too. Ever since I made a carnival-inspired assemblage last fall, I've been wanting to create more.

Lately I had been making jewelry full-time. Now, making something that will be worn over and over (and over) means you had better make it last a long time without coming apart. Well—to tell you the truth—that kind of pressure hurts my brain a little. I needed to break freeeeeee! At least for a little while.

So I hired my handyman to build 10 boxes for me. And when he brought them over last Friday—all those pretty wooden blank canvasses—well, I just jumped right in! It was a veritable assembly line of fun! I couldn't stop myself.

I got out my vintage bulbs... and chose paint colors to match. I gessoed... and measured... and painted stripes of all colors. Then I collaged... and sanded... and aged with a wash of brown acrylic. Making messes and being un-perfect and scratching and scraping and covering up. Ahhh, sweet freedom!

Having grown up at the boardwalk and going to local carnivals and fairs... it has always been one of my favorite themes. It just brings back such happy memories. It's no wonder they keep coming back through my art. I'm looking forward to working more on these pieces to see where they evolve. I actually thought I knew exactly where they were going... but the objects I'm using seem to be making some of those decisions for me. Love it when that happens!

Still Clowning Around...

Look at this cool clown I found at a flea market! Nah, just kidding... I made it! Awhile back I had stumbled upon a few vintage clown molds and recently used one to create this clown from paper clay. I painted it with Claudine Hellmuth Studio Paints to look aged. He's definitely going into some kind of assemblage. I need to make a whole bunch of them!

Pick-A-Photo Tuesday: Magic Midway

So, obviously you get the boardwalk thing from the entry below, but that love extends to carnivals and fairs as well! This photo I took and colorized the old-fashioned way... by painting the non-colored areas with a photo masking fluid, letting it dry, and then dipping it into a bath of orange dye! When the desired intensity of color was had, you let it dry and peeled off the mask! You gotta love Photoshop!

Lookie What I Found...

Over the weekend, I stopped into one of my favorite little antique shops and found this gem. Living in a beach town and having grown up at the boardwalk, I really love these game-themed pieces. I think I'm going to hang it on the wall.