The Internet Blackout

In support of the movement to kill the SOPA bill in Congress, my site will be blacked out until Thursday morning. I will be offline for that time.
Everyone, be safe!
Also, call your congressperson and tell them a vote for SOPA equals a non vote for that person come elections.
This is a dangerous piece of legislation and does not protect the little guy.

I am a kind of split. I won my fight for SSD, and while that is great in one way, in another, it's sad. It's an acknowledgment of the slow deterioration I'm experiencing.

I have so much to do! I have art to complete, and one of my urgent matters, is to get that 501(c)(3) designation for Continuum Heart Gallery. I do have to say, that will be one of my easier chores. Doing a nonprofit is really pretty easy.

One thing I am interested in, though, is the trademark stuff. It turns out that one's agents are supposed to do searches to see if other organizations preexists that trademark claim, and it turns out that in the case of Art with Heart, her attorneys dropped that ball big time!!
There are over 80 organizations that are antecedent to her trademark claim, and her attorneys, well, they SWORE that there were no other organizations, and they either lied or just plain did NOT do the work, in my opinion.

I have some theories about the relationship between Perkins Coie and Steffanie. Lots of reason to wonder about that. Lots of them, and she's lucky I have other stuff to do. I love stories, and puzzles. My spidey senses are telling me that there is a story with a puzzle there that might not stand the light of day, so to speak in someone's mind...
Perception is reality, for all of us. What to others may be no big deal, may seem as a mountain for someone with a perception of guilt. Either way, if I didn't have so much other stuff to do, I'd really like to dig into this conundrum!!

Now, off of the subject of minions and their masters, and on to art!!!
I've been working with this cool new stuff coming out, and here's one of the first serious pieces to incorporate the Expanding medium.
This stuff is way cool! I will have more images to show very soon with more progress. I got a lot done on it last night, so I'm close to finished, period. Yah!!!

We've packed up most of my studio, I'm winding down on some unfinished projects, and then we finish this remodel, put her on the market, and we're outta here! We're moving to New Orleans. It's so much easier to create art when one is warm and not shivering....
The bottom image shows the encaustic base.

This upper image is of the new project I'm almost done with! The ball is lit by blue LED. It's a ball of resin that was supposed to be a cast hollow head. As you can see, it didn't quite work out the way I was hoping for!

Poplar base, resin ball, the thick silver tendrils are left over wire from construction trash, and the thin ones are copper wire left overs from the same trash heap. My husband brought them home to me. There will be more to see regarding the thick aluminum wires in the future!!

This is a close up of the resin ball, in it's unlit state.

The resin ball. This was supposed to be a cast resin hollow head. I just didn't factor in speed like I should have, sigh! But I also could NOT throw out that ball that I made, either. Then it hit me! In a flash this project jumped into my mind!

The green and blue tentacle-ish stuff is the ever awesome 3P Expanding Art Medium. I've been helping the inventor along with a very good friend and colleague, Cayenne Link. She makes the coolest jewelry out of this stuff...
More to come!

Not so very nice people out there!

Well, I AM important! How do I know this? Because I have 
the law firm of Perkins Coie, from Seattle trolling my site, 
looking for ways to sue me, on behalf of a person that I don't 
like, for good reason. 

Why don't I like this person? Due to what I perceive to be bad behavior


 towards the disabled, this high falutin' law firm, in my legally allowed opinion, 


 is out to make sure I do not use those  pesky First Amendment rights.

 How do I know I am in their sights? Well, I have a statistics counter that


 records IP addresses. And boy, did theyvisited my blog!! I think they are 


stalking me.  I have that visit on record, to show any 


interested party that would like to see it. Just email me from my contact link


 on my site. 

So, my question is this? What is this law firm, and this woman, that in 


MY OPINION, destroyed a gallery for no good reason is this: Why are you afraid of me?


 Because you are,  and now I know it. 

Your client has made a PR error, William, old son. Blame her, don't try to demolish the 


Constitution any  further. Why is the truth of the situation frightening to you? Hmn....

I do wonder about that! 


Also, she IS a public figure, therefore, artists ( I used that word again, teehee) do 


have a right to make works about her. I believe that has been settled. I'm not too 


worried. I'm filing bankruptcy,I have no assets, so bummer for her attorney, Rava!

They applied a scorched earth policy, in my opinion,  towards an autistic


 man and his partner. I'm sure that she and her pro bono minion


are salivating to destroy me, too. "They" including  this woman that I believe to


 have done  harm with vindictive intent. They fined  them $250 daily because 


they could not afford to move fast enough. One might think that some slack


 could be cut, ( it IS the holiday season)  and these poor guys have zip for assets, 


so I believe the entire point was to destroy and shut down a perceived competitor, 


which they were  not. She says she helps kids, they were helping adults. 


She had a poshy attorney  to help her,  (I do wonder who paid the filing fees, 


the couriers, as well as the process servers...hmn...I wonder...), they did not.


 She is tax exempt, they are not. 

And now look at that! *wink and a grin* 

I have this tony law firm, and William Rava, Esq.(he IS her attorney of record)


  and his frightened pro bono client that calls donors "customers"( that is in


 the legal paperwork served on the guys)  looking to take me down!


 Once again, art  (yes, I used that verboten word!) is under attack, with 


artists being targeted, as well, in my opinion. One thing about this action that I 


 find disturbing is the lack of compassion, what I see ( that means opinion, gotta 


keep this straight for the edification of M. Rava)  as a heartless (yes, I used that


 forbidden word, too) attitude that was displayed towards these men, who


 made no profit, they were still operating in the red. So why?

Simple. It was all about the Benjies, in my opinion. Why are they looking to attack me?

 In my case, I  posit(that means opinion, a guess, in case that word wasn't encountered 

in prelaw)  that it's twofold:

fear, and those Benjies...

Newest Exhibition in Philly!

This Friday is the opening night of an exhibition called "Wax Poetic" at the Nichols-Berg Gallery in Philidelphia, Pennsylvania. http://www.nicholsbergart.com/shows/wax-poetic-contemporary-encaustic-works
I have three pieces in there, and I so wish I could go, but I have too much to do here and too little money to go, but I have a fellow artist that is going to be there and will let me know how it goes.

Also, be sure to check out the Billboard Project, http://www.billboardartproject.com/
One of my very good friends as well as a very talented artist, Shanna Efferson D'Antonio, is an artist in this project for New Orleans, Louisiana. It's a really great project and I just love the work that was used!

Here are my three entries:
The Fat Lady Contemplates Her Song

Season's End: Menopause

 and Cracks in my Facade: Rupture

Art and Urgency

I am really feeling the crush these days. My hands are half numb, and I have soooo many projects to do!!
My wonderful soulmate, that man is the very best art supply that I could have. He stretches canvas. He makes frames for my work. He tirelessly and painstakingly supports me with all that he can.
He's built me an 8' easel. It is huge and will hold a canvas/panel up to 12' x 12'.
You should see the neighbors faces when we broke that out! They couldn't decide what was going on. I'm sure I saw a couple of the older Latinas cross themselves.
I've got one project that is getting finished tomorrow. Maybe tonight. Depends on how I feel. I feel, these days, that I haven't much time, and I have art projects beating on the doors of my mind. Each one is selfish and sure that it is more important than the other thoughts beating at the mind's door.
Sometimes, these images make it very difficult to sleep.
When that happens, it's best to just get up, and do what I have to to get that image happy enough to let me go back to bed.
I know that these are my thoughts, my ideas and my concepts, but many times, it feels as they have a life and a mind, of their own.
I'm just the messenger, sometimes. ;]

The travelling Artist

I had a great trip to Louisiana! LSU is a lovely campus; I think I'm going to do my Master's there. I also think that this little artist is probably going to move there.
The people were wonderful, the food was delish, and I have to say, I felt like it was home!
The lecture I gave went over well; all of the students as well as the profs, were engaged and asked plenty of questions!! It ran over time, and had to be cut short. I consider that a triumph, as well as the students that asked questions afterwards.
Baton Rouge is absolutely beautiful. I think that Louisiana as a whole, is just gorgeous. I'm hooked!
I think that most interesting part was how many of these people looked like me, prominent cheekbones, squarish face, curly dark hair and many with light eyes. I had an old woman welcome me home. She said she could see Louisiana in my face. I could see Louisiana all around me on the faces of the people.
Awesome!!

New Projects

I've been working on a new series of mosaics. They are going to be heads, but I want them to be clear, so I'm not limited on the art glass that I can use.

I need 'em hollow so I can mount the LED's. Therefore, that sexy beast I married is going to build me a rotational resin casting machine. I love that man!!

An hour in front of YouTube and he's got it. He hasn't failed me yet! That man can take a video, get the idea, and figure out an improvement whilst assembling the materials! I am one lucky cookie.

Futhermore, he works for love, affection and chocolate. No problem, I can supply all of those needs. *grin*

The first step was finding the proper form for the liquid latex rubber mold material. Then I used a paper mache-plaster mix to make the rigid form to set the latex mold in.
Done.
Then, with that completed, both halves of the mold were put together, with an inside overlap of latex rubber. Since these are going to be covered with art glass, a seam is not an issue. But I think that I'm going to be doing a few cast resin body casts. I have some visions that have come to me...

So, tomorrow, it's the materials for the rotational caster.
Then it's the cast. Will post pics tomorrow of what I have now.

I did have a happy accident, though. My first thought for the rigid mold was an air dry clay. Well, I put too much water in it. It cracked on the form, but in such fantastic ways!!
Now that has become a project. It's looking pretty cool. Tomorrow is going to be busy. I also have to make some more encaustic medium in order to finish that project!
It's going to be a mixed media piece. I've gotten wax. some fantastic art paper from I don't remember where, but I'm thinking Japan, encaustic, and I'm thinking some photo transfer.

Also, I have to report on my trip to LSU. But that deserves a whole new post of it's own, cause I have some fantastic stuff to share!!

The top is the inside with Gamblin's traditional gesso, and the bottom is the head covered in that lovely paper afixed to the head with PVA size. I have to take more images, but the cracks are sutured with copper. At least as suture like as one can get that copper wire to go!