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

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!!

drawers!

this cabinet is the coolest thing on the planet.  it was painted green by some person very long ago who happened to know just the shade of green i love.  this piece was found at a street fair, and i bought it for storage at the shop.  when we closed, i had the right of first refusal.  so it came home with me, and now lives down the hallway from my studio.  i really wish it could fit in the studio, but i will say that it looks pretty terrific where it is.

i spent the other day cutting up some old cards from a "flinch" game to make the numbered tags.

then i decided to put all of my printmaking stuff in the drawers.  i figured since the drawers come out, i can carry what i need down the hall to work in the studio.  the drawers are kinda small, but perfect for carrying.  one drawer is about the size of a ream of computer printer paper. 

here's some of my printing stuff:

warm colored inks,

brayers,

masking tape.

there are 27 drawers, so i won't bore you any longer. 

funny that i decided to make a printmaking station, and now i have lots of prints to make for the cherry creek arts festival!  i think tomorrow is the day i begin.  i'm still terrified, but i think making work will help.  i also started reading "art & fear" again, and that always makes me feel better.  if you are the creative type, it's a wonderful book to read.  it always makes me feel like i'm not so crazy.

the adventure begins!!