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!

The next ten years

It is my hope, my wish, that we can recover our compassion, recover from the trauma that was inflicted on our nation. That we can look at one another and see fellow Americans, instead of Muslims, or Christian or Jewish or Pagan.
It is my dream that we, as a species, can learn to heal and to move on. Not to forget, for that is not possible, to forgive and move on, for ourselves.

New Work, Corporate Commission

The Phoenix Rising  encaustic on poplar panels

 This piece is done! It was an adventure, working on a piece as large as this one, in encaustic.
I modified an office chair and it worked perfectly!

These other images are closeups of the new art supply I've been working with. It's a proprietary formula, and so my lips, they are SEALED!!
This particular piece is for the Phoenix Brite corporation. They are a financial sort of place. Not my area, I'm just the artist...
;]

I love encaustic, I really do! This piece came out really well, better than I had expected. I think the shellac burned in really gives it a hot appearance. Nice! Fun to work with, and it can give such a fantastic webwork to the images texture.

WIP Middle Panel

This is the largest encaustic I've ever done. 48" x 24" for this center panel.

Here it is and boy, this was a beast to do!

This one is a corporate commission, and it has been a challenge, but I am pleased with the way it's coming along.

Commission in Progress

This is the largest encaustic I've ever done. Three panels totalling 48" x 48" meant to be spaced out.

I have the center panel pretty much done. The picture is the cartoon that went on the panel.

Will post images when it's done!

Art and Science

I am one happy little wax slinger! I've been invited to be a guest speaker at Louisiana State University regarding this fabulous art supply that the director there is making.

Ok, here's how an artist gets to go to be a guest speaker for a chemistry department:

As anyone who knows me well knows, I am no shy violet; nope, I'm more like a curious monkey. Or a magpie. If it's shiny or if it gets my curiosity going, well, I have been known to make mad right turns....

I transferred into Portland State University from a semester system and they're a quarter system. so that caused a wee bit of a discrepancy in the credits that I needed; it turned out that I needed half a credit in Chemistry. I'm a professional artist going to get a psych degree, so I'm totally there for the half a credit and the marvelous cookies, not so much for the actual presentations. Most of those went over my head.

But there was this one presentation....

From LSU, Dr. John Pojman, the director of the Chem department (I'm totally positive that's what it says in the signature at the end of his email) came to show us his current work in polymers for adhesive purposes. Interesting, my ears perk up.

Then he started the presentation, with film clips of these magical substances. My mouth fell open, the cookies almost forgotten!

Before my wondering eyes fantastic textures unfolded. Textures and the ability to bond this to that.

I hear you all rolling your eyes...get on with it, Colleen! OK, OK!

This stuff allows one to apply heat to it which allows one to bond plastic to wood, and to embed glass bits and other cool stuff.

Now all the good Doc is seeing is industrial applications. Not me. Oh no. I'm seeing panels covered in wonderful, crazy cool textures that one touches with the torch and this really cool reaction, the propogation front, marches across the stuff that was applied to the surfaces.

At the end of the presentation, when it was Q & A time, my hand shot up in the air!!

I had one question "Have you thought of art supplies for these wondrous things? I would love to have some of this! I have a problem I've been trying to solve and this is the answer."

He looked at me in surprise and said no, he had not and did I have time to discuss this after the presentation?

Yup, I sure did, and I am VERY happy that I did!

So now I'm off to talk to grad students and some other pretty important sounding folks! I gotta get out my top hat and brush my bowler hat off!! Now for some Mad Scientist goggles for the demo part. did I mention the demo part? Oh yeah...hot wax and torches, in the land of my foremothers on my maternal side!

Hot damn!

What to pack?

Art supplies, camera, torches, batteries, top hat, shoes would be good....I should probably put some clothes in there, too...and my faithful laptop as well as my Droid.

I'm gonna have a bourbon on Bourbon St, then some pecan pralines and some file gumbo!

I'm so freakin' excited!!!

Will post updates! ;]

Seattle was great!

Seattle is a lovely city! I got some great pictures which I will post as soon as I get them off of the camera. I saw the troll under the bridge, my daughter and her friend took me to Pike's market and I got to ride the ferry to Bremerton and back.

Fantastic food, and the exhibition is going to look lovely.

Mother Earth looks fab, and here are some pictures of her.