dress, finished!

i couldn't wait.  i had to do the overprint, even though the ink was still tacky.  i just could not let that print sit on the table unfinished.

so here it is.  the dots (from the last post) went by the wayside.  i am not happy with the shadow color on the bow.  i think it's too dark.  but i guess i'm stuck with it.

it's a bit out of focus, as i took it with my iphone.

12x19 inches.

a preview and a good story

dress box preview

this is a very nice story.  it makes me smile every time i think about it!

at our last show, a customer named lucy came in and bought some of my art.  she was drawn to it, she said, because of the objects i had used.  so we spoke briefly (it was crowded), and she said she would be going out of town for a while, and would be back to pick up her artwork.  a few weeks later, no lucy!  so i emailed her to remind her i still had the items.  she emailed back, and told me when she came to get her stuff, she would like to let me look at some random "things" she had in her possession.  

 of course, i said "i would LOVE to see your stuff."  so lucy came in on a tuesday, and picked up her work, and bought yet another piece.  (she is an amazing customer).  she then carried in stuff by the armload for me to peruse.  my jaw dropped.  it was as if some fairy landed on her shoulder who knew my every desire and whispered in her ear what to bring me.  everything was wonderful--heavy patina, and in various stages of falling apart.  just how i like things.  turns out lucy owned an antique store in austin several years back. (did i ever mention that we lived in austin, too?  how coincidental!)  anyway, the treasures were amazing.  here is a short list:

doll/santo hands

old books with leather covers

fashion illustrations from france

a sketchbook from the 1930's from a graphic designer

old dress patterns

old pattern books

cracker jack charms

mirrors

old dog food bags (never used, with great graphics)

old photos and ephemera

i could go on, but you get the gist.  wonderful things.

now here is the best part.  she just gave it all to me.  she said she wanted to pass it on so that someone who understands this sort of thing will use it.  of course, i offered to pay her.  and she said "no".  so my trade will be that i will make her a box when the dust settles in october.  and that's that!

are you smiling, too?  sometimes the world is a very nice place to be.  people do the most amazing things.  thank you, lucy!!

ok...so here's a sneak peak at a new box in progress.  the background is an original monoprint that has been overprinted with a lino block.  the mirror is the part lucy gave me.  it's an old compact with a broken mirror.  the pieces will sit in the bottom of the box.  (obviously you can't see the actual box.  john is working on finishing it for me.)  i bought the dress off ebay.  it's an old barbie dress.  i love orange, and so i had to have it.  i'll take another shot when it gets closer to being finished!

another bird box

this picture is a little fuzzy.  i took it with my phone.  that's because it's a work in progress.  eventually the whole mess will fit into a frame.  as of now, i am glueing it all together in hopes that it will not be too deep for the frame i have planned.  by eye, it seems like it will work, but it's hard to set it all up loosely and truly know. the glueing on these assemblage pieces takes forever.  you have to do a bit at a time, make sure it's all secure, and then add pieces slowly.  i have tried all types of glue, but have finally settled on super heavy gel medium.  it's nice because it remains flexible when dry, but is really gooey when wet.  it kinda suctions things together in a way.  i have tried all kinds of jewelers glues and epoxies, but this stuff is the best for me.  the added bonus is that it's archival, so i don't have to worry about it yellowing things over time.  the only bad part is that it takes overnight to let each section dry.

this piece is one that i am working on for the show in pagosa springs at shy rabbit in october.  it's a print show, and i plan to show actual prints in frames plus a series of assemblages that have prints as part of them.  so far this is #3 in the assemblage category, and all of them feature a print which has been cut, sewn, and placed in or on a metal box of some sort.  i have also used encaustic wax to cover the print, giving it a different spin on surface, and providing a depth a regular print doesn't have.  

ok...these are some of the objects in the piece: vintage wooden game pieces from various games, old casters, a kodak filter case made of bakelite, an old wooden box, a vintage "bird" block, a brass box, hard rubber/plastic numbers, and a vintage plastic bird cage toy with a brass bell.  

i plan to work on collecting the background materials and the paper to cover the frame.  but i don't want to get too far ahead of myself before i know if the frame is going to work.  two more boxes in the pipeline.  one with a vintage barbie dress, and one with a really awesome clown-shaped carnival knock down pin.  (the kind you throw balls at). 

diagram w

i worked at the shop two days in a row.  and while i was there i created some prints.  these are big, on hot-pressed watercolor paper that is about 14x22 inches.  i am still playing around with letters and numbers.  this new set of prints is adding the diagram to the mix.  this one has 5 layers of ink.  i wanted it to look a bit naive, so i hope i was able to get that look.  i also did one that's a diagram of a dress from an old dry cleaning ticket.  it's pictured below.  funny how that light blue keeps showing up in my work.  don't know why, but it's definitely been creeping into most things i've been creating lately.  

glam lady lamp

i have had this lamp in the shop at sk3tchbook! for a while.  i think she is amazing.  she used to be in our bedroom, but was just a bit too feminine for john.  i wanted to put her in my studio, but counter space is very very precious in there, so i opted for overhead lighting.  today i added her to my etsy shop.  i am hoping someone in the world will see her an recognize her glamness!!  she is ceramic, maybe porcelain.  she has gloved hands and pink (yes, pink!) hair in an up do.  i made her skirt with embroidered linen fabric.  underneath is the original crinoline she came with.  her original skirt is long gone.  over her head is a squarish cloth shade with a crystal finial.  she works great.  one bulb in the shade, and one in her skirt.  i usually don't light her skirt...just cautious.  the wiring is original but seems sound.  for extra protection, some people may consider re-wiring.

tag dress

(the story of this dress is on my last post, below.  if you can't tell, the whole dress is made from tags.)

well, i think i'm done.   it's got it's issues.  i can tell you one thing after sewing this dress.  it is NOT easy to work with tags.  this thing is, they are of different weights and thicknesses.  and so the fabric doesn't act normally.  you will see that one sleeve isn't as puffy, and that there are some lumps and bumps.  but the good news is...

I DID IT!!

it's kind of a lesson in process versus product.  if i made a second dress, i would do a better job.  because i learned from the first one.  it's a good lesson for all of us.  and i think i am pretty satisfied with the result.

now back to prints.