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!

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!

new stuff at the shop and on etsy!

i've been busy assembling for the last few days.  i just listed the items above on etsy (click here for a link to my shop), and am going to bring them down to the shop tomorrow for public viewing.  

believe it or not, i am completely out of items to make any more game piece boxes, and the crosses aren't looking too good, either.  i think over 2 years of making these kinds of assemblages has taken their toll on my inventory of objects.  i have been scouring the antique malls, etsy, and ebay for the stuff i need to renew my stash.  and it's been quite frustrating, really.  i even drove up to fort collins this past weekend (thanks john for the company!xoxo) to see if i might be luckier there.  and i came back muy empty-handed.  so i guess what i am saying is that if you want a box, better get one now because the larder is looking pretty bare.

im thinking of maybe going to the midwest this spring or summer on a buying trip.  i was always lucky with stuff when i lived in iowa and missouri.  maybe it's the same deal there?  could the world of antiques and junk actually be running out of stuff??

ok.  time to get myself out of my PJs and into some sort of working mode.  oh, and i guess i still haven't had breakfast!!

birthday prezzies!!

happy birthday, to me!  my sweet and thoughtful husband john gave me some wonderful gifts this morning.  he is a man after my own heart!  this is one of the vintage games he gave me.  the other one is called "hickety pickety" and involves hens and eggs.  they are a dang riot!  i love those old graphics, and i love the funny stuff on the box.  "a snappy game" ha!!

i also got some other neat ephemera, including a book on penmanship exercises, and two report cards that belonged to alfred olsen in the 1920's.  alfred did make it on to 4th grade after this report, but i don't think his mom and dad were very happy with him on the ride! (click image for a closer look!)

how do i know that john is the man of my dreams?  well, because he got everything for under $20, and was happy to tell me!  now there is the perfect man for me!

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

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). 

some more game piece boxes

 available at sk3tchbook.com

here are some new boxes.  i have been having a really hard time finding pieces.  i drove all the way to fort collins on saturday, and only found ONE piece!!  it's the globe on top of the one box.  i am seriously getting down to no more stuff to make boxes with.  it used to be easy!!  guess the world wants the things i want, now.  i ordered a game off ebay the other day.  i was desperate.  i had to pay $15 for enough pieces for one box.  and that's just the "base" coat!

i love making these.  i think it's really fun, satisfying, and good problem solving.  so i gotta figure out a new source for stuff.  seems like the folks on etsy are buying up all of the games, dividing them up, and charging exorbitant prices.  like $6 for 10 or 15 alphabet tiles.  and i need about a hundred for each box.  that calculates out to about $50 for each box, just in pieces!!  agh.

i think i may have to raise my prices.  i hate doing that, but i'm thinking i have no choice.  each box takes at least 3 hours to make.  i start by painting the interior and then placing game ephemera (like directions from games) inside the lid and bottom of the box.  then i start assembling.  i use gel medium for glue (don't even ask how much that costs!!) because it's thick and flexible, and acid free.  and you can imbed stuff in it for a great "stick".  i use a little brayer on the flat stuff to get good adhesion.  i get the base coat of pieces on, and then let them dry overnight. next day or so i start the "decorations".  these are also left to dry overnight.  then two coats of matt medium to seal everything up, and a coat of spray sealer on top of that to make sure everything is durable.

that's that!  by the way, these look really nice in groups.  i have four on my living room table together, on a black tray.

new game piece boxes

these are two new boxes i finished today. they are created with lots of plunder from old children's games. i glue them on nice and sturdy like, and then seal the whole thing with matte medium. finally, i spray them with acid-free sealer. i always leave the patina on the pieces. i think it makes them feel more like they have a soul. inside and on the bottom i have decoupaged old game ephemera, mostly the directions that come with the games.

the one with the pinwheel is $65, and the one made from pre-lego bricks is $55. available on our website or in the shop.

new boxes, new life

oh my. what a few weeks it has been. first the end (forever) of school. it still hasn't hit me that i will now be a full-time artist and shop owner and not a teacher. it's a good feeling...i can truly give my art the time it needs to develop.

i've been working on some boxes. this is one isn't completely finished. i am going to put plexi on the front. it can stand or hang. it's made of old building sets and some other found objects and ephemera.

i am also working on another virgin mary box. i'm making this one small (5x7"). i will post photos when i'm done.

acabado!

it's finished. all i need is glass. i always put the glass in last so that i can photograph the boxes without it. then there's no glare to deal with.

i glue in the pieces using gel medium. i have found it's better than any kind of other glue because it dries clear, is really strong, and is also flexible. it also has a long drying time, so you can adjust things a little as you get the pieces put in. way better than epoxy, once you are past the 5 minute drying time, you are unable to move anything.

i also finished bird box 2 and am really happy with it. i think i'll photograph it tonight and get it on the site. i'm thinking i may leave it out of the store until the show. i want to make sure there is some new stuff that nobody has seen yet. i am also buying up some fun and different things that i will have for sale. funky magnets, cool necklaces, lots of found objects and ephemera. i just hope i can get it all together before then.

new boxes

i'm working on some new boxes for the upcoming show. it will be on may 21st, and will be called "altogether curious". we will be sending out invitations on or about may 1st. if you would like to be on our mailing list, you can either comment here, or go onto sk3tchbook.com and send info from there. either a physical address or an email is fine. we never share our lists, they are only used for sending invites and occasional info about sk3tchbook.

anyway, this is the start of a new box. the frame isn't show here because i am still working on it. the entire composition is made of game pieces (mostly vintage with a few newer ones thrown in for color and fit). this took me hours to create because i wanted a perfect fit for the elements. i kinda like it!! in real life it looks a lot richer because you can see the layers more clearly.

i'm also working on "bird box 2" which is looking pretty nice so far. i hope to finish today. i think it will be posted by the end of the week. i covered the frame with pages from an old coloring book that was colored in about 60 years ago. the crayon was still vibrant and the artists did a great job of staying in the lines! i used to have the worst time with that! my mother always got frustrated with me for my lack of neatness. seems like i am finally getting better in my artwork. now all i need to do is transfer that skill to my surroundings!

hidden in plain sight

this is my new box. i used some really awesome modern paper. i think it was made in india, but i'm not sure. i really liked the flower pattern, and tried to repeat that in the layered part. in person, the layers are a bit further apart than they appear in this photo. the monkey is an old tin game piece. i have had him for years, looking for just the right place to put him. he is holding a little white cup in his hand, which i think is funny. it's about 6" square and about 1" deep. check out the sk3tchbook website for a side angle view.