Art duo Guerra del la Paz had a residency at Northern, and here’s one of the pieces they created with the students.
Blizzard. In April.
Random building in Aberdeen that I found. Who wouldn’t want to buy furniture here?
An event at the Students Center where the Vocal Jazz Ensemble performed and art was auctioned off. Art by Sara Christensen Blair.
The other day I spent the morning helping a friend with an art project. She needed to smash several Precious Moments figurines and I helped her capture the excitement. Here’s some of the set-up:
Before.
One tiny Statue of Liberty.
During.
After.
I’ll not give anything away, as this is not my project, I was just the assistant. I assure you my friend has nothing against Precious Moments nor the people who collect them. I promise to update everyone once the show is up and running at the end of the month.
Needless to say I have many more pictures like this one:
Next in line.
Stained Woods and I are in the process of moving to South Dakota. Here’s a few pics of my dismantled work spaces.
Oh, and I’ve found some new masking materials. Tape with attached plastic sheeting for additional masking. Very useful for painting the ceiling, but not sure if it will be added into the Stained Woods inventory.
Yes, the stained glass below is my work, too.
I’ve blogged about my IATSE 618 logo project several times. I am feeling the need to get the final project out of my head, so I can move on to something else. I tried several new techniques, most of which turned out rather well: New stencil paper, arced tape lines, stencil numbers and letters. I’ve learned a few unexpected lessons along the way as well: Don’t over-burnish the tape, ’cause you’ll get dimples; the stencil numbers are rather sticky and the wood needs to be cleaned after use; and most importantly, measure the length of the nails used in the sawtooth picture hanger. I couldn’t fix the last problem, and have been angry at myself for this simple mistake for quite awhile. It’s time to move on.
Not that I won’t come back to it, but I think I need to mix it up a bit.
Yes, it’s finally time to finish the base. Sanding: done. Stain: done. Touch-up: done. Now it’s time for the tung oil, which is mostly about drying time, anyway. I’ve noticed that I kept simplifying the design. Some ideas didn’t even make it on paper. My husband mentioned that the base is rather different than my other pieces. I explained (and showed) him that I didn’t want to compete with the sculpture, and once the marbles start moving there will be plenty of action. I think he agrees. Here’s a sneak peak:
Transfer paper is a good thing.
Yes, there’s been some activity on the rolling ball sculpture base! I have a lovely piece of maple that I spent what seems like years sanding. (And, I STILL might have to do more!) I even worked on a bit of extra maple for stain samples, but didn’t finish it because I couldn’t wait to get started on the real thing. I had a heck of a time transferring the drawing to the actual wood. The reason, I finally discovered was that I had altered a couple of angles while working on the pine mock-up. And, since that piece wasn’t large enough for the design in the first place, I was rather confused last night.
Stain: Antique Maple
Stains: Chestnut and Brazilian Rosewood
Things are looking better.
I don’t usually start staining w/o a solid design in mind, but thought I’d try it on this one. It makes sense, since I’m working with someone elses’ work. They need to happily co-exist…or something. It also gave me a chance to see how my latest stain purchases work with the older ones. So, I latched on to the best part or two of my sketches and went to work. I’m using a rather warped piece of pine that is both too long and too narrow — but close enough for testing and sampling.
There’s my trusty bone folder. It’s that flat, plastic bookmark-looking thing at the top next to the tape. I use it to burnish the edges of the tape. The stain likes to spread everywhere if I’m not careful. Yes, I run the bone folder over ever single edge of tape. Carefully. I can always tell when I’m too tired to work, because I’ll miss an edge and end up with stain seeping into the next part of the work. Which means more effort in the long run. Best to be conscientious in the first place.
The rolling ball sculpture is in my house. Tom’s part is done for now. I’ve been working out some ideas in my head. And by that I mean that I’ve spent quite a bit of time running those marbles through their paces. Getting a feel for the sculpture, and how someone else might interact with it. Sometimes the marbles are sent together, sometimes spaced out a bit. I’ve even been know to set them free somewhere in the middle of the run. It’s all part of the process, you’ll just have to trust me on that.
I feel I have three different ways that the base could go.
Or, maybe a compination of all three? In an effort to learn more about RBS, I’ve googled. Here’s one with a traingular base and one made of wood. And one out of Legos!
I finally finished those trivets (and my work in North Vernon). I know, it’s been a long time. The last phase was to put cork on the back. I found a roll that had adhesive already on it, and saved time. I need to take some good pics, but will happily show them as soon as I can.
I officially have a shop on Etsy. I have nothing to sell, yet, but I’m taking my time so that I do it mostly right the first time. I’ll keep you posted.
New project! My friend Tom Harold, who makes rolling ball sculptures, has asked me to make a base for his latest creation. He brought it by the house, and I took a bunch of pictures and brainstormed a bit with Tom. I have a few ideas already, but it still feels very early in the process. Tom’s part is almost done, though, so make sure to check it out.
So far, I’ve had some great reaction to my Etsy thoughts. Thanks to everyone who commented. I have to admit that I haven’t done much research since my last post, and I should start here. Oh, and I should finish those trivets that I’ve been working on since December — so that I can sell them! A look at some of the competition trivets: wood and otherwise. I guess that means I should get back to work.
To do list in no particular order:
I really have been working!
set up Etsy shop
finish trivets
check into shipping
read Dos and Don’ts
??
Stained Woods: Art by Tina Hanagan, Bloomington, IN 