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

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

3 new boxes

i have been working on a series of 5 assemblage boxes.  in an earlier post, i photographed the beginning of one of these, thinking that i would create a print and install an assemblage on top of it in a large frame.  but then i got the idea to place the assemblages into a smaller boxes instead.  the 5 boxes can then be hung together or stacked into an installation.

here are the boxes i have finished so far.  they are 5x7x3 inches.

four point bandage

fractured knee cap

fractured jaw

all of the boxes feature tin (and other metals), cigarette cards with first-aid images, vintage rulers, and vintage game pieces (which are loose and can move around in the interiors).  the numbered tacks were for numbering window screens.  when they were taken off and stored, the numbered tacks helped you find the correct window.  love that!!

they are all protected with plexiglass.  sturdy dovetailed boxes are hand made by my fabulous and talented husband!

junk

i have been on some junking trips lately.  and i have found some good fodder.  some of these things were real bargains, and some i had to pay the price for cool.  the good news is that i am honing in on some ideas for a new series of boxes.  i think (duh) they are going to involve drawers somehow.  i don't know if i will do a box within a box, or just let the drawer be the box on its own.

some great news today.  i went to the curtis arts and humanities center in greenwood village with teresa.  we met with the gallery director there about a show.  turns out that teresa and i will have a dual show in may.  the center was originally a one-room school house back in the day.  there are two rooms on the main floor of the building.  teresa will have one room, and i will have another.  i will be showing assemblage, teresa pottery.  how exciting!!

it's a bit overwhelming, really.  so much to think about.  i know the time will fly, and the next thing i know, it will be may.  so i better start getting the ideas rolling.  and assembled!

INK invitational at shy rabbit

here it is!  the announcement for the show at shy rabbit!  

click here  shyrabbit.com

or here  http://www.shyrabbit.com/Exhibits.html

i will have 25 pieces in the show, and will be happily attending!  yay!

no title yet...but another box finished!!

finished this one last night.  i have had the clown knock-down target for at least 5 years.  i bought it up in silverton, colorado, at an antique store there.   i loved the hand-painted surface, and the patina of wear.  at the time i paid $24 for him, the price tag was still attached!  i created the monoprint in the background with the same color scheme, and tried to get a whimsical, fun pattern to work with the clown.  the roulette wheel was purchased on ebay, it's really old, and is marked "made in england".  the front of the box is a loom of some sort, and each sawtooth-shaped spike was hand-cut with a saw.  the discs on the front are made from some old poker chips which have paper circles overlapping them.  i cut them from a monoprint.  

john made the box for me.  it's made from oak, and has beautiful dovetailed corners.  it measures about 10x15x3 inches.  it can hang or sit on the legs i have installed discretely on the bottom of the box.

there is really no story attached to this box, i just loved the pieces individually, and think they look really nice together.  sometimes when i create a box, i'm telling a story.  and sometimes i just like to play around with combinations of elements.  

here's an image of silverton from a 1950's postcard.  it still looks exactly the same!

silverton, colorado

"OCD", a new box in progress

messy studio

OCD

well, it's not quite finished yet, but i am getting close.  this is another box that includes cut-up prints and found objects from my collection.  i think i am in a red mode.  (i am concurrently working on another box with a red color scheme as well.)  the title, OCD, reflects the number and label theme.  as humans, we are always trying to put things in order.  the tags are vintage, and look like they were originally used to identify keys.  one says "K's suitcase", another "freezer".    the numbers (a personal favorite of mine) show up in a cool old ruler, some metal "numbering tacks" that declare on the package that they are "for marking screens, storm windows, bins. drawers, lockers, etc."  the red squares are from some sort of vintage game.  i have no idea how to play it.  the wooden box, divided in sections was obviously some sort of container for keeping something tidy.  lastly, the wooden nurse.  she works well with the colors, and she's the perfect size.  and she reminds us that there is a very thin line between order, compulsion, and medication.  ( i think about that every day when i count the 16 pieces of banana i put into my cereal in the morning.  i often tell myself that i'm not OCD, just a virgo.)

speaking of order, the top photo shows my messy studio in action.  just yesterday that table was pretty clean.  in hours it went to full-on crazy mess.  guess my virgo tendencies don't transfer everywhere.  the picture below shows it a little less chaotic!

clean studio

"mind of the president", a new assemblage box

finished this one up this morning.  how apropos.

i have had this figure of president taft for about 5 or 6 years.  i found it in the hall at grandview high school, and left it on my desk for several years, thinking someone would claim it.  it was one in a series of president figures made by marx in the 1960's.  i guess it was cool to collect presidents at the time!

originally i had this box covered (with an original monoprint) and ready to be assembled with an entirely different interior.  then yesterday a customer came in named barb.  she had given me some clock parts and an amazing clock case some months back.  her visit got me thinking about those parts, and when i got home from work last night, i pulled them out.  taft was sitting on the shelf next to me as i worked, and things immediately came together.  that's how it is with boxes sometimes.  the idea just happens lickity-split.  other times i hum and haw and struggle.  the original interior was kind of like that.  i didn't glue it for a few weeks because it just didn't feel right.  now i am glad.  i like this one so much better.

the background is also a monoprint, and the sides are an old letter from the 50's.  the clock face is from a coo coo clock,  i added the rusty gears.  taft is standing on a half of an old block, and a composition checker from the 1920's.  hopefully this will be one of the pieces in the show in october at shy rabbit.  if not, it will be in the shop for sale.  its' about 5x7x3".

i could get all political, and try and explain the metaphor here.  but i think i can leave that up to you.

new stuff

sissy and buddy

in the mirror

a couple of new pieces. 

first,  a print (about 8x10") based on an old photo of my parents from the early 60's.  although my parents went by fran & joe at this time, i named the print for their nicknames from younger times.  this one is a bit more graphic than the others i have been working on.  don't know why, it just turned out that way.  i also did the print in a green/orange color scheme, which i like as well.

the second photo shows a new assemblage box (i think it's 8x10x3", but i need to measure to make sure).  this is the finished box i was working on in a previous post.  i covered the frame with old tickets from a restaurant.  i came across two sets of them in different greens, and mixed them up kinda crazy quilt style. inside the box is a "household hint" booklet, taken apart and used for the sides.  the back is layered with: 

1)  a monoprint i made and then overprinted with a floral/star lino block print

2)  an old leather-covered compact with a broken mirror.  it was given to me by a very nice woman named lucy who has been a great patron of mine

3)  a barbie dress i got on ebay.  it still has the original barbie tag inside.  i didn't use any glue to attach it to the box.  instead i sewed it to pieces of stacked foam core, and glued the foam core into place.  that way it is removable for anyone who cares to take it out in the future ( but i hope not!!)

4)  the broken pieces of the mirror sit in the bottom of the box, loose.

the box is kind of an exploration of womanhood, and the way we, as women, try to balance all of the things in out lives.  the broken mirror is a symbol of how sometimes  that balance is a bit tricky.  part of my boxes are trying to say something, and part of them are about getting the perfect balance of elements. many people don't quite "get" the whole assemblage box thing.  a lot of customers come in and want me to put family items together for them.  i always tell them i can't do that.  making a box is not just the time spent gluing the pieces in.  some of the boxes take years of serious collecting to get the right mix.  i'm a very picky collector!

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!

submission

shoot out, 12x12x4 inches

this is one of two pieces i will be submitting to the all colorado show.  i know i have posted this piece before, but i'm kind of in a strange place as far as work goes.  i have 3 new boxes that have never been seen in any venue, but am saving them for a show in october.  i have also been working on prints, but am saving them for october as well.  i made this box a few months ago, and thought it might be a good fit for submission.  john was nice enough to make the actual box.  he uses plywood, and then runs it through a dovetail jig to make the joints.  these boxes are very strong because of the dovetail joints.  i think they could probably survive just about anything.  anyway, on this particular box, i used old yard sticks for the trim on the front, and also to line the inside.  you can see the usual suspects in my choice of materials...old stuff, objects with numbers, metal things, boxes, toys, and old handwriting.  i'm not sure why i am drawn to those particular themes, but they show up over and over in my work.  i also like circles, and the outside of this piece is covered in them!  they also show up in the old ring toss target.

i read lots of artist statements, and everyone seems so smart, so deep, and so introspective when they write them.  writing the artist statement is really tough for me.  making art to me is explained simply.  i'm not trying to make a huge statement.  i like things with age and patina.  i like color.  i like to put elements together like a puzzle to make things that are beautiful.  i choose stuff because it calls to me, not because it is saying anything that is particularly significant in the world.  i also like a bit of humor, but not too cutesy.  hence, the headless cowboys, taking aim at one another, obviously beyond the point of no return.  i call the box "shoot out", but the name is really for identification, not to inspire deeper meaning.  

i don't mean to suggest that my work is uncomplicated.  i spend hours and hours getting just the right combination of elements.  assemblage, i think, is highly misunderstood.  many think you just stick stuff together, but it's a lot more difficult than that.  the magic word is puzzle.  it's a puzzle with no picture on the box top to help you get the pieces in the right order.  that's up to the artist to figure out.

finished a new assemblage box!

i finished this box this am.  it's got a lot going on, but i think it works together pretty well.  the papers are all hand-printed, and the objects culled from my vast collection.  it will hopefully be a piece in the show i have at shy rabbit in october.  it's 11x14x2 inches, and can hang on the wall or sit on a ledge or shelf.  i haven't thought of a title yet.  any ideas?

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). 

new assemblage box

this is my new assemblage box.  it's called "x", for obvious reasons.  i found the hands at the local antique mall.  the letter has been hanging around with me for several years, waiting for its place.  the orange "halo" is actually a roll of elastic.  i got it at the pink attic cat in littleton.  i told amy, the owner, that i needed something round and orange.  and she had just the thing.  the print is attached to an old mint tin.  it has been covered with a thin layer of encaustic wax.  this is the second in a series.  i am working on others as well.  i don't think i can sell it yet.  i need to save it for a print show in the fall.  

on a very serious side note, things are pretty solemn around here.  my husband's dad, who is 90, had a stroke on wednesday.  john and his siblings are in wyoming with him.  if anyone is so inclined, a little prayer would be appreciated.  we just want the best for him, whatever that may be.  

we love you, jack.

shoot out

this is  my new assemblage box.  it's called "shoot out".  lots of cool junk and ephemera.  i still have to install the plexi to keep everything safe.  then it will be ready to post on sk3tchbook.com.  it's 12x12x3 inches.  i used lots of rulers in this one.  can you see how fancy i'm getting with my 45 degree angle cuts?  just call me bob villa.

prints

like i said a few posts ago, i have been working on prints for my class at shy rabbit in pagosa springs next weekend.  here are two very different examples.  you can click on them for a closer look!

 the first one is an assemblage box that contains a 3x3" monoprint.  i have placed it into a brass "frame" which is really a top to a brass box neal gave me a few years ago (thanks, neal).  i have used encaustic wax over the top of the print to give it a nice mellow patina.  oh and before i put it in, i ran it through the sewing machine for some texture.  the print is sitting on top of a page from a very old french dictionary.  (been using that a lot lately).  the trick to get it completely flat is to wet it first, then glue it down with matt medium.  i use a little brayer to get the air bubbles and extra medium out.  then i repeated the print image underneath with found objects.  the top of an old weathered can i found up in silverton.  (there is a place there by the railroad tracks that was once the dump.  you can find all kinds of fodder there.  and a lot of it has char marks from some 100 year old fire.  there are pieces of vintage china, old bottles, metal, and mechanical parts everywhere!)  lastly, i put in a vintage toy car that i have had sitting in my studio looking for the perfect home.  and i think this is the place it has been looking for!  the piece is 8x10", and is in a frame i have covered with ephemera.

the second print is about 9.5x12.5".  it's printed on 90 lb. hot pressed watercolor paper with oil based block printing ink.  there are about 5 or 6 layers.  i have scratched through some of them with an exacto to reveal what's underneath.  i'm not usually a blue person, but i think it works here. this print kinda reminds me of the background scenes from cartoons of the 60's.  the last layer was the white trees.  i cut a stencil out of contact paper over an original drawing to create them.  i think i will matt it under charcoal colored matt board in a 16x20 frame.  i also did two versions of this in browns, taupes, and purples.  they are really different in feel.  after the class all of this will be for sale on the website.  i need to confer with michael at shy rabbit before i put them up for sale!