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!

mountain house

it's been a heck of a month.  after my last post about my doggie, there was another surgery.  that makes three times that they have opened him up.  and all due to some pesky peach pits.  i truly think he is on the mend for good this time.  he is eating like a logroller (AKA labrador), and has the sparkle back in his eyes.  who would have thought that a month later we were still dealing with the after effects of a backyard snack??

the good news about nursing a dog back to health, is that it keeps an artist home.  and in my case, being home is a good formula for getting artwork done.  this weekend i finished my large painting, and also got some game piece boxes done.  i will post some pics of the boxes when they are 100% dry.  they need a day to set up completely before i can seal them and photograph them.  my plan is to take them to a friend's gallery to sell.  

in the meantime, here's a picture of the painting.  the right side is cut off a tiny bit, and you can't see the sides of the canvas, which i have left cadmium red medium.  that's also the color of the underpainting.  

i'm going to hang it for a few days to see what might drive me crazy.  anything look like it needs a change to you?

what a week.

it's been a hell of a week here at the fweger household.  no artwork was being made, that's for sure.  we think we are finally out of the woods...cross fingers and toes.  long story short, our adorable and voracious labrador decided to have a peach picnic.  he ended up in the dog hospital, and after a week including surgery, X-rays, ultrasounds, a barium swallow, and many days on IV fluids, is finally ok.

needless to say, not one hour was spent in the studio.  i did manage to pack up work to send to one show, and apply to another.  but that was it.

yesterday and today i have finally been painting.  here is a sneak preview.  it has a long way to go. to compound that, the canvas is huge--36 inches square.  so far, it's the largest painting i have ever done.  i am a couple of hours in, and expect it to be a long time in coming to fruition.  

after the painting, i am going to concentrate on more prints.  i haven't decided whether to re-apply to the cherry creek arts festival, but i am going to spend the next two months getting ready, just in case.  i have some ideas that involve multiple prints, using thread as a drawing tool, and mounting work on cradled hardboard vs. matting and framing.  so we will see...

i really liked doing the CCAF, but it was pretty intense.  i'll see if i have the stamina this year!!  i honestly don't know how many of these artists spend so much time on the road.  it's hard enough shuffling the work and the tent and the other necessaries when you live 20 minutes away.  i can't even imagine driving 500 or more miles.  i had a tough enough time balancing kids, dogs, and one weekend. i have a truly new appreciation for the arts fair people.  they are some tough cookies.

ok, here you go:

b.a.c.

big. ass. canvas.

that's what is sitting in my studio right now.  i generally don't work large.  36x36 inches is kind of overwhelming for me, but i'm gonna give it a try.

we recently did a master bath upgrade.  we lived with terra-cotta, dark green, and cast plastic countertops for 7 years.  we have finally updated the look.  we went for a light spa blue, white, gray, and black color scheme.  unfortunately the oranges, reds, and greens in the master bedroom clashed quite a bit.  the two color schemes right next to each other got me off kilter.  so i have been working to change the bedroom into something more complimentary.  i'm going with blues and greens, which will allow us to keep our painted green bed frame and the slightly lighter green walls.  

i know the golden rule of art is not to "match it to your couch" (or in this case to your bathroom), but i just could not live with the huge orange, red, magenta, and green painting over our bed.  hence, the canvas.  yup, i am definitely too cheap to buy a painting that large.  so i will make do (hopefully) with my own creation.

i have an obsession with houses.  a few years ago we did a vacation in southern colorado.  while i was there, i snapped some pictures of old houses in various states of decay.  i am thinking i will try out this sketch, loosely drawn from one of the photos. 

i have also decided to do a smaller painting first.  it's 10x10 inches.  i have gessoed the canvas black.  i'm going to try and old technique i use sometimes.  the black with actually come through as the outline in the final painting.

wish me luck!

one week until kickoff!!

in one week, i will be sitting in my booth at the cherry creek arts festival, hoping that the attendees will stop and have a look at my work.  it's both scary and exciting.  i really can't believe the time has come to make the final preparations!!

(click here for a link to the cherry creek arts festival site)

i finished these two prints early this week.  they are both about 10x18 inches, and will be for sale at the festival.  my goal is to get one more done in the series before the event...but it has to be today and tomorrow so that the print has time to dry before being matted and framed.

in my last post, i talked about the inspiration for the first print, which you can read below.  it has been reworked a bit.  i have added a purplish element, and have drawn into the lace to make it seem "lacier".

the second print is also inspired by a memory from childhood.  i remember being fascinated by anything that had to do with being a mature female.  at an early age, it had not really occurred to me that i would one day have womanly body parts that needed cinching in and holding up.  my mother's underwear drawer was a big mystery to me.  there were all kinds of things in there that made me feel uncomfortable, yet curious.  i would sneak in my parent's bedroom, and go through my mom's carefully folded stash of underthings.  i can smell that drawer as i am typing.  the sweet smell of cotton, the perfume of the paper drawer liner, and the unmistakeable scent of the wood surrounding it all.  

i would take out the contents, one at a time, and study them.  lace, elastic, metal hooks, those rubbery nodules that were attached at the end of her girdle to hold on her hosiery.  i always wanted to try that stuff on, but never dared.  it seemed like something i shouldn't do.  then i would put everything back, trying to make sure that things looked untouched.  if she ever knew, i would be so horrified and embarrassed.

it's strange to me now that underwear evoked such feelings.  lingerie doesn't make me feel uneasy in the slightest bit now.  it's a fact of life, one that is with me every day.  in a way it is liberating to see undergarments as subject matter.  my hope is that i can connect my childhood memory to yours, somehow, or at the least, make you smile!

first try! more to come...

not sure about the black and blue background.  would love your comments!!

working on several more underwear ideas, and will post them as i finish them!

busy, busy!!

john has been busy out in the garage, taping off a section of the floor to create the outline of my booth for CCAF.  he is painting away on the display panels he has in the works.  as he works diligently, i am spending time back in the house stressing out!  questions are running through my brain.  they run from "do i have enough work????" to "will anybody buy anything???" to "i think i should have never even applied to this show!!"  then, in moments of calm in between the freaking out, i think "this is no big deal." and "all i gotta do is sell a few works to break even."

agh.

in between the stressing and calm thoughts, i am making more birds.

here is the print from yesterday.

a couple of new characters

i'm still playing around with the colors i saw at the fabric store a few weeks ago.  not my usual grayed-down tones that make me comfortable, but some bright, more pure hues.  ok, so i did go with some olive green and dark gray.  but i couldn't help myself.

this one is about 10x17 inches.

more birds!

memorial day weekend is our traditional "plant the garden" holiday in new mexico.  this year, my husband john couldn't make the trip.  he stayed home getting our son ready for finals.  without them, it was girl's weekend this year.   my sister-in-law, her partner, and i shoveled, hoed, and hauled our way to a fully planted plot of veggies and flowers!  our fruit trees are also brimming with peaches, plums, cherries, apples, and pears!  it is the first year in almost a decade that all of the fruit trees are bearing.  i think taos may not be the fruit capital of the world...we inherited the trees from the former owners, who were from the east coast.  the warm spring was good to us this year.  we are looking forward to this season's yield!!

we also tackled a long overdue project out front.  we finally replaced the old, ugly, and faded address post.  the former indicator of our house number was a simple steel fence post stuck in the ground.  wired to it was a piece of plexiglass bearing digits on mismatched stickers.  not a great sight.  so the ladies went shopping for a replacement.  we ended up with a 4x4 wooden fence post, iron numbers, and a handmade iron crow to mark our space.  we had to drill, dig, and mix/pour concrete for the job.  and we are very proud of our results:

birds are definitely on my mind these days.  so upon my arrival home after a glorious long weekend in sunny NM, i made this print.  it's a variation on my last post.  i think i like it better.

sorry.  a bit out of focus.  it's still wet, so i took the image with my phone.  

our names are on the sign!!

i have spent the last couple of days dropping off work and placing my pieces in good spots for hanging at the curtis arts and humanities center.  here are a couple of shots of the curtis center, which is a renovated circa 1914 schoolhouse.  In 1931 it was expanded to a two-room schoolhouse, then the structure was moved to its current site on the northwest corner of orchard rd. and university blvd. in 1990. The building re-opened its doors to the community in 1992.  it is truly a beautiful space, and the grounds are also really stunning.  teresa and i are very lucky to have the opportunity to show our work in this gorgeous venue.

we hope you can come by for the reception on saturday evening fro 5:30-7:00pm!!

i will say that it's pretty cool to drive by and see our names in print!

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!

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, 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!!

productive

blindfolded

i am on a roll these past two days.  i have to stop now, because there is not really any more room for drying prints.  that is a wonderful feeling.  as an artist, i go through big bursts of creating work.  and then there are the dry spells.  you know, when every idea turns into a dud, or you are just not that in to it.  

i had a lot of worry around moving to my home studio in january.  i thought i would not be able to concentrate at home, and that i might focus on the everyday chores instead of working.  luckily, that has not been the case.  i actually think that i have been more productive here than anywhere else i have worked in my lifetime.  a few things have definitely helped.  one is that i have an amazing space to work in, and a guest bedroom next door for the overflow.  the second is that i am older and calmer than i used to be.  sitting all day in the house making art was not something i could have handled in my 30's or early 40's.  now it is a gift to sit all day and create.  i am so very fortunate!!

eye pop

olive green and red-orange.  this combination makes my eyes hurt!  but i think you'll notice this one from across the room!

it's about 12x19 inches.

marie antoinette and her ship hairdo, part 2

this is one of my sketchbook pages from a few years back.   this is the image that got me dreaming about a print with marie antoinette and the ship in her hair.  that particular sketchbook had a library pocket on each page, and there was an interactive part that you had to pull.  as you can see, the hair grew taller, taller, taller, and was topped off with a sailing ship.  i guess a trend was started in 1778 when the french frigate "la belle poule" was victorious, and it started a hair trend with the ladies of the court.  they wore enormous poufs with scaled down ships as the crowning embellishment.  

anyway, i think the print is close to finished.  it came out very 60's looking for some reason. so now i have decided the next one in the series will be similar, but with a huge beehive instead.  funny how 200 years later the styles kind of repeated themselves.  no ship in the 20th century, but still quite the fashion statement.

here she is:

is it me, or am i the only one who keeps remembering that old herb alpert album?

underwear

i've been printing away.  three new ones complete, another 2 in the trash.  at least i'm keeping more than i am throwing away!!

anyway, one of the new ones:

jar full of...

fireflies

newest monoprint.  6 colors, 12x19 inches.

taken on my iphone, so a tiny bit blurry.

i'll repost a better pic when it dries!

series complete!

i finished the series of boxes with first-aid images from old cigarette cards.  had to buy a new point driver in the process, which cost me fifty bucks.  hopefully the new one will work better than the old one.  for those of you who care, a point driver is a staple gun looking device that puts in those little tabs on the back of frames to keep the contents secured in the frame.  

when people ask about pricing artwork, i try and let them know all of the stuff that goes into a piece of mine, besides the artwork itself.  for example, the boxes are created with clear poplar or birch plywood, which i have to buy.  and then my sweet husband spends hours making them.  he uses lots of tools.  a table saw, a router,  and a dovetail jig.  then i use the orbital sander to smooth everything out.  next, i have to cover the box, cut plexiglass to fit, and cut the rulers to size for the spacers.  then i secure the spacers, and place the artwork inside of the box.  then i put on the backing, drive the aforementioned points, and add the hanging hardware.  it took john all day yesterday to make the boxes for me, and then it took me all day to finish two boxes.  the artwork had been completed previously.

i don't want to get on my high horse, but it's a lot of work!!  

i don't know exactly how much it cost me to make the series, but i do know that i spent many many hours on them.  these pieces will be in a show that opens this may.  this particular venue is going to also take 20%  from any sales i make.  that's a good percentage.  most galleries take 40 or 50%.  i will be teaching a class on making boxes to local kids as part of the deal.  and i won't get paid for teaching.  but i will get the added bonus of 5 more percent if i make a sale.  their usual rate is 25%.

i guess that's enough of the diatribe for now.  the good news is that there is joy in completion!  so enjoy the finished pieces!

finger tip

sylvester's method