new coin box

this is the desk in my studio. it's a mess with all sorts of assemblage fodder. i really like my new set-up. i have 3 work spaces, and now i really can set stuff out and play. i will admit i am not staying as tidy as i had wished, but oh well. at least i am being productive.

this photo shows the new coin box in progress. it's been a really fun problem to solve, both in color and composition. it has a late 60's color scheme, and lots of vintage stuff. all mounted on an old game board. i found some cool pre-made shadow boxes to put it in. i am also putting the first coin box in the same kind of box. they are deep and stained an espresso color. i think they make the artwork richer. unfortunately i still have not sat down and figured out how to put two images on the website of the same work. so all you can see there is a detail. (i know, i am technologically impaired.) once school is out i will have time to figure it out.

anyway, it will be in the show on the 21st, so stop by and see it in person along with the first box. neither have ever been in the shop before.

AAAAAGGGGHHHH!!!!

i am so damn frustrated. i brought a gessoed panel to the studio today to paint another figure in the series i am working on. it's a piece of crap!! this is what i ended up with after 2 hours. i started the whole process by tinting the panel cadmium red. let it dry. started painting and noticed that some of the red was coming up with the new color on top. so i tried to do a little test and scratched lightly with my fingernail. the paint scratched right off. i already had the whole painting blocked in, so i was not amused. i took it to the sink, and the entire thing washed right off. so i dried it, checked the package to make sure it was made for acrylic ONE MORE TIME. package said it was suitable for oils and acrylics...so i thought...maybe if i sand it first. so i did, and i re-started. seemed better. the tint coat didn't bead up this time. so i started painting again. from the photo you can see what happened. had the whole thing blocked in...seemed better...tried the scratch test...seemed ok...then the bad part. i made a mistake while painting, and tried to wipe it off while the paint was still wet. i do this ALL the time on canvas and paper. the dang paint wiped right off and TOOK EVERY LAYER down to the "gesso". so i brought it back to the sink, and you can see what happened with a wipe of paper towel. so i am DONE with this "gessoed" panel. it's now in the trash.

i feel better now. i am always telling the kids about product failure at school. that sometimes things don't work, and that is part of the artistic process. but i am still mad, and want to write the speedball company a big fat letter. i know i won't, but it still feels good to say so.

if you don't know me well, you may not know that i tend to vent with a big bunch of words. i just did...

now back to the proverbial drawing board.