if you are out and about...

my friend kelly berger recently joined 3 denver artists at brushstrokes gallery on old south gaylord street.  they are celebrating their 10 year anniversary this weekend with some new paintings!

so if you are out and about this weekend, stop by for a few minutes and check them out!!

Brushstrokes Studio-Gallery

1059 South Gaylord Street

Denver, CO  80209

303-871-0800

Hours: Monday through Saturday, 11-5 and by appointment

brushstrokesstudio.com

you can click on the image for a larger view, or follow their link for more information!

before...and after!!

i posted this little cabinet my brilliant husband picked up at an auction about a week ago.  he got it for $45, which seemed like a pretty good deal considering anything with drawers is a) hot right now and b) almost impossible to find.  (the larger piece underneath went to an antiques dealer for $60.  i am dying to know what she's going to charge for it!!)  anyway, we did a bit of work to it this week, cleaning out the drawers and performing some magic with chemical stripper.

here is the result:

it's a beauty, no?  i love when this happens!!

father time

"father time" is officially finished.  another in the series using boxes covered with vintage paint-by-numbers!  materials include old clock parts, old washers, ephemera, a nail tin, and a 50's era wooden cut out of the perfect guy!  behind him are pages from an insurance policy.  

if i'm doing my math right, that means i have13 assemblage boxes, and 29 framed prints for my show in may.  phew!!  i think i'm gonna try and finish one more box, and then be done.  work has to be delivered on may 1st, so i'll have a few days to rest.  oh, i take that back.  i think i will only take one day, and then will begin that monumental push in printmaking for the arts festival in july!!

i can't complain.  it's nice to be working toward such nice goals.

by the way, may show announcements go out today, so if you are on my mailing list, you should get one very soon!  if you would like to join the list, you can send your email or physical address to me at:

thefwegers@me.com

don't worry, i won't bother you will a million emails.  the mailing list is used for show announcements only!

working this sunday

i have been spending the day indoors.  a storm came in last night and wrecked our gorgeous spring weather.  there was a layer of slushy snow on the grass when i woke up this morning!  it's in the mid-forties outside, but i am so used to the seventy degrees (or more) lately that it seems too cold to be out.

i have had two boxes in the works for over a week, and decided today was the day to get going on them.  here are some pictures of my work in progress.  as you can see in the top photo, my workspace is a huge mess.  that's how it goes with assemblage for me.  i turn my studio into something you might see on hoarders!  the good news is there is actually a place to return to for everything that is now cluttering my surfaces.

it usually takes several days for me to get the right mix of objects for a box.  i set them out without glue or attachment  hardware, and then take a quick photo with my phone.  then i have picture to guide me as i glue, drill, screw, and fasten.  it sometimes takes me a few days for this process, as i like to dry in layers to make sure everything is truly secure.  i usually give my pieces a good shake and turn-around before i call them done.

john is at the auction today.  he sent me a picture of his first purchase:

it's the smaller cabinet with drawers.  i think it will be cute once it's cleaned up!  yay john!  there's also 3 wooden tripods at the auction, and i am hoping he will pick them up as well.  i have an idea for a series of assemblages which sit atop tripods.  right now they are hot--everyone is making lamps out of them.  i really could care less about a tripod lamp, so it is unfortunate that my idea is coinciding with the lamp trend of the moment.  agh.

john is in the market for an old tool chest.  he has been wanting one for years, so i hope the junk gods smile upon him and he gets one for a song.  

back to the studio...

CCAF auction donation

Martha 1

this is the piece that i will be donating to the cherry creek arts festival auction.  each year the festival asks participating artists to donate a piece for the purpose of fundraising.  the money from the auction goes to outreach programs promoting art access and art education.  i am extremely happy to contribute to this very important cause.  

Martha 1 is a one-of-a-kind monoprint, and the image measures 9x12 inches.  i will be bringing the piece to the framer in the very near future.  with professional matting and framing, the piece will measure about 16x20 inches.

i will be posting more information about the auction as it becomes available.  

mother nature, finished!

ok, so i only lasted 6 hours or so of glue drying before i put the new box together.  i get like that sometimes.  i know that the full 24 hours is optimum, but since there are screws securing the found pieces along with the glue, i figured it would be ok.  i get so excited about finishing the work, that i just have to do it, glue dried or not.

in my last post i talked about the paint-by-numbers, and as you can see, the box is completely covered with them.  i cut each piece to fit and then glued and clamped them in place with painter's tape.  then i sanded the edges to get them to line up perfectly.  finally, i sealed the old paintings with a coat of matt medium for strength and a nice surface.  

the box can sit on a surface or ledge, or can hang with the wire installed on the back.  this piece will be one of the boxes at the juxtaposition show at the curtis center in may.

i really like this one.  if it doesn't sell at the show, i think it may have to go in my permanent collection!!

mother nature, in progress

a new assemblage box, in progress.  i'm working on a series of boxes that are completely covered, inside and out, with vintage paint-by-numbers.  i got a bunch of these a few years ago in an antique mall, before they were really hot collectibles.  i wish now that i had purchased the entire lot (there were over 100).  unfortunately i only bought about 10.  it takes about 2 large paintings to cover a box, so the series isn't going to be a long lived one.  i only have enough large ones to make 3 boxes.

anyway, here is #1, in which the glue is still drying.  i need to let "mother" sit overnight, then attach her with screws to keep her secure.  then she gets popped into her frame for the grand reveal.

did anyone notice her halo says "bing-o-rama"?  i think that's a riot.  the original game piece was red.  i re-covered it in metallic silver.

juxtaposition invite

i'm having a dual show in may with teresa brooks at the curtis arts & humanities center in greenwood village, colorado.  the center is a really wonderful venue.  the gallery was created from an old one-room school house.  at the back of the original building, another large gallery space was added.  teresa's porcelain work will fill the front room, while my assemblage boxes and prints will fill the back.  we would love for you and your friends to stop by for the opening reception on may 5th from 5:30-8:30 pm.

thank you to my terrific friend johnine byrne and her graphic design talent.  she created the postcard that you see above.  it will be going out mid-april.  if you would like to be added to my mailing list (which is not shared, and is only used for show invites), please email me your address.  i would love to include you!!


you can email me at thefwegers@me.com.

hope to see you there!!

oh, and by the way, if you click on the card image above, it will enlarge it for those of us who are old enough to need reading glasses!!