a few new game piece boxes

i spent the weekend making 3 new game piece boxes.  i also did some junk store hunting to see if i could find some more pieces.  no luck.  this may be it for the boxes.  i have used my 20 year reserves.

i will be bringing these down to a friend's gallery to sell.  she has the last word on what she would like to display in her space, so i'm crossing my fingers!

the art of it all

i am lucky enough to be a part of a group show, the art of it all, at shy rabbit contemporary arts in pagosa springs this november and december.  if you happen to be in pagosa springs, or on the way to durango, it's definitely worth the stop.  here is the show announcement.  for more info about the gallery, click here.  and as always, you can click on the pictures below for a larger image.

the most collected

it's been a while since i have posted.  i have been kind of taking a much needed break from making art. i think my brain needs a rest so it can catch up on gaining some creativity cells.  i think they were all gone after my whirlwind summer.

i have started some new boxes this week. they are in the preliminary stages, but at least i have started to work again.  no pictures yet.  they are just beginning.

 the antique mall called me the other day (big surprise) to start collecting some box fodder.  turns out all i bought was things made from wood. as i was standing in line ready to pay for my new wooden stuff, i realized that it has become the most collected thing i have.  except for maybe metal objects.  it may be a tie.

anyway, here is some of my wooden object collection.  many of the items are also in other categories, like miniature houses, santos, boxes, and things with drawers.  i have no idea why i love things made from generations of trees, but it all fits in with my love of anything touched, used, and loved by a human.  

enjoy!

tiny wooden box.  someone fixed it with a wire.  love that!!

doll house chair

wall cabinet with added wire mesh shelf.  other wooden stuff on top!

frame.  thanks tina!!

the virgin mary, sans nose

san raphael.  i like to give my santos some bling!

another virgin mary with wooden rosaries

doll cabinet

hand made house for a train layout?  bricks and stones drawn with graphite

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...

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!!