Day 25: To the moon and back.

And so, with the success of my last piece, I got a few more of these going. They are done in several steps, since the paint is thick and must dry between each layer. Reverse painting is interesting because you don't know what your piece of art is going to look like until you lift up those adhesive letters...the last and final step (which is completely gratifying!)

Seen here, I created an image in the background, which I applied hand cut letters onto. This is a very organic process, involving scissors and bad music. (I have somehow trained my brain to see and cut out out off-beat cursive lettered with scissors. Interesting.)

 

Day 19: a mailbox.

I got this white, wooden box at the dump (my fave place to shop!) a few weeks ago. It had indication that it may have been someone's woodworking project from shop class, circa 1968. I liked the shape and thought it had adorable charm. So I cleaned it up, dry brushed on some teal tones, added a bird and some swirls.

 

And voila! Who doesn't want to stuff their mail in this wall hang-able mail box? :o)

Day 16 & 17: barrels.

I am suddenly obsessed with figuring out new ways to paint on old barrel planks. I typically seek out canvases that are not only non-conventional in nature, but in shape and size. These loooooong canvases force me to thing about new ways to compose my thoughts and design.

 

Yes, the one on the right is from Day 9. It needed more. If something (or someone) hangs around my studio for long enough, it's going to get painted...or painted more...

 

Day 15: let's have fun.

I am really, really excited about this one because it uses entirely recycled materials AND because I am getting more into the multi-media concept. I cut up some scraps of beadboard that I salvaged from my friend's dumpster pile. I glues fabric flags onto this as a response to the texture of the board and went with some old school Mod Podge to hold it all in place. I just think it's soooo fun and it's going to make someone happy!

Day 14: namaste.

I'll admit: this is another one I had started a while ago. But I finally finished it and am posting it because I want to show what it looks like when I have a happy painting accident. See this 4 giant yellow splotches that make up the flowers here? Truth: I accidentally leaned my arm in some paint and then leaned on this piece of wood. So I went with it to create an impressionistic style garden, topped off with a simple, lovely word. (And now as a bonus, I have yet ANOTHER paint shirt with a yellow sleeve!) :o)

Finished size: 14" high. Just needs a bendy copper wire for hanging!

Day 13: crossing the ocean.

I pulled out an old window that I started sketching a design on a while back, but committed to finishing it this week. This is an old window I pulled from a stack in my studio. Painting on windows is an interesting process, because everything is painted in reverse.

So if you can imagine, the stars are painted first. Then the detail of the waves, THENNNN lots and lots of layers of colorful goodness. These take a few days to complete (at least) with all of the layers, but when they are done, you can actually clean the glass when they are hanging on a wall!

Day 12: family.

Inspired by the holiday season perhaps or my wacky family or a little of both, I painted this on yet another sap bucket lid.

 

Enamel paint (one that I do not use often), does not allow you the flexibility of acrylic. It's thick and sticky and I find myself painting slower and steadier with this technique. But still, no pencil lines first! That's part of the gamble for me. Misspelled words? You can always let them dry and paint over them! But I think I am in the clear on that one here...

Day 11: rainbow connection.

Every time I see one of these vintage wooden rainbow xylophones at a flea market or thrift shop, it goes in my cart. (Or as my Asheville friend Erica says, "wow, you really love those things" when we are shopping at the Goodwill.) I do. I love the idea of painting something musical and rainbow inspired on such a gorgeous toy and they make the sweetest wall hanging in any kids' room, music studio...or really anywhere. :o)

Day 10: Mancave signs.

I had a stack of these rusty old saws sitting around in my studio. And I had been practicing my old school Red Sox font painting. (Sometimes I study fonts for fun. No, sseriously.) So when an adorable older gentleman (we'll call him 75-ish) came into my shop and commented on how he loved my signs painted on saws, but he wanted one that said "Mancave," it was literally like an art teacher giving me an assignment. I knew I had to make some out of those saws that I had been staring at for years and years.

 

I just need to drill holes in these (without breaking 100 drill bits!)and wire them up so they're ready to hang. The perfect man gift for the holidays? Yes.

 

These (and a fair bit of what I have been painting) will be for sale at the Winter Giftopolis in Concord on Dec. 6th. Be sure to check that out too! (More on that later!) :o)

Day 9: barrel flowers.

Gosh, these barrel planks are so beautiful. With a little light sanding, their natural aged beauty shines through and is gorgeous contrast to a bold and modern style. I'm loving the long and narrow canvas.

Full view of this piece, finished size approx. 30". I have a few more of these on the workbench and could see a painted barrel wall garden of sorts in the making...

 Oh and also: I added color to the owl. It was too plain for me. :o)

Day 8: namaste.

I have no shame. I dumpster dove for this plate. Every year in town, the locals can score some great stuff on move-out day from the college. I found (among other things, including a snazzy new light fixture), a box of cool kitchen plates and such. This plain one was calling my name to be painted on.

 So I did. Now I need to get me some of those plate hangers, so this (and other plate creations) can hang on the wall in fun, circular fashion.

 

I am keeping up with the painting...it's just the blogging that's backed up! Here I go! Weeeeeee!

Day 6: Hoot.

I used to think I was perhaps part owl because of my amazing ability to work and create all hours of the night. I used to start projects at three in the morning. Now it seems (post baby having) I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime and am lucky if I make it until 11:00 p.m. But I still adore owls and claim the owl as my totem. They completely remind me of my Noni and her hippie house style.

 

And, like swirls, I do paint a lot of owls in all shapes and sizes. This was my attempt at 2 new things: using a warped maple sap bucket lid as a canvas and not using any color. None. Just white. Hmm. Not completely sold...I am sure some teal or orange will make it's way onto this painting sometime in the near future...

Day 5: You & me.

Side of the road junk piles: my car magically stops at every one I see. I found a box of kitchen-ish stuff one day this summer, including a handful (or armful!) of these wooden platters. They had a shiny finish on them, so I flipped them over and sanded them down to the bare wood. (So this is actually the back of the platter.)

  

And as everyone knows, I am OBSESSED with swirls. So I thought I would take that concept and run with it. I'm getting all sappy and sentimental as my love and I just celebrated our 5 year anniversary. We're making lots of changes (including possibly buying a home together this year) and I envisioned this hanging beautifully in our new bedroom. Or someone else's. :o)

Finished size: approx. 10x14"

This painting style got the creative wheels turning in my head. If I painted a monotone design in a dark sepia tone, it would look woodburned-esque. (And I'd stay burn-free!) Hmmm...that idea will probably make the cut this month. Onward! :o)

Day 4: bok, bok.

I am obsessed with chickens. I love to paint them. You may recall a little chicken coop I painted in Asheville a few years ago for my friend Erica. She had one chicken named Bubbles that made me laugh and has forever influenced my artwork.

This was an olddddddd cutting board (1930's?) that I scored at a yard sale this summer. When I bought it from the family it once belonged to (she explained that she had too many of her great grandmother's cutting boards), I promised her I would put it to good and creative use. I left the original cord for hanging and gave it a quick sanding, but the aged beauty of the wood made for a great canvas. Finished size: approx 24" tall.

Bok, bok.

Day 3: Magic Skies.

One of the coolest things about being known as the wacky freelance artist who will paint on anything? People will BRING you weird stuff to paint on! (Have I ever told you about the time someone brought me a toilet to paint?) One lovely, sunny day Sally pulled up to my shop in her Subaru with a box of barrel pieces and parts that she just couldn't bear to throw away. In the bottom of the box was this barrel bottom, split in two. I picked this piece up and immediately saw a funky skyline.

 All it needs is hanging hardware and it will make a perfect over-the-door piece or fun studio wall hanging. Finished size: over 12" wide.

People have been asking about these pieces I am posted and where they can be purchased. Some of them will eventually make their way to my etsy shop and some of them are going to go on the road with me for my holiday craft and art shows. Stay tuned...I'll post a schedule of all my upcoming shows if anyone wants to take a peek or buy a piece in person!

Day 2: Sunshine.

I am obsessed with this new reserve painting technique. I dabble in a little vehicle lettering, which leaves me a lot of adhesive vinyl scraps. And while I do use the scraps to make my hula hoops, I am excited to have found another us for them. 

This piece is pretty big, measuring over 2 feet tall. I painted a giant sun on the board, which was another salvaged scrap from the Habitat Restore (gosh, I LOVE my new neighbors!). Atop the colorful painting (and this is where you really have to trust your intuition!) I applied all hand cut letters and THEN washed over that with purple brushstrokes.

 

I quickly peeled up the letters (made a complete mess) and sanded down any texture to expose some raw wood. I mixed a water based, burnt umber tinted stain to lay on top of all of that for a finished product. Voila!

A rarity for me: this is pretty much how this piece looked in my head before I started. I'm sure there are many more paintings on the horizon using this super cool technique.

New homemade crafty goodies.

I can't stop. I am on a crafty rampage, getting ready for the reopening of my shop. I am finally tapping into the pages and pages of sketchbook ideas I have been filing away, and finding my way to the bottom of the bins of crap I hoard, thinking, "someday I'll do something with this." Here's an example of one of those ideas. I made these cute headbands from my old wallets, sweaters and vintage buttons. I'm not that much of a headband wearer, but I love this one. Kind of reminds me of a roaring 20's vintage hairpiece. I think it could pair well with some finger curls and fishnets. :o)

My roommate Erica called me one afternoon.
“Do you want to go to the Free Store with me?”
“Ummm...(insert half a second pause here)....YESSSSS!”

This place is fantastic and I am not sure why we don't have one in every town. People drop off their unwanted or unused goods and student volunteers sort it out in a way that is easy to navigate. They have everything from clothing to beauty products to office supplies to furniture. What a great way to recycle something that would otherwise end up in a landfill! If I had to chose one thing that Asheville has opened my eyes up to, it's the amount of waste we use. I have learned so much from this community about reusing, rethinking what you buy and passing on what you do not need. Every little bit *does* help.

Here is another example, for instance. A free market. Same concept as the store, but a one day event. Why can't we get something like that going in NH? I would certainly like to help be a part of it!

Whattayathink?

Details, detail, details! All of my paperwork for the state has been submitted and any day now, VeggieArtGirl (on Squam) will be an official LLC! :o) I am finishing up the final logo design for the shoppe so I can start building my sign and print my business cards and hangtags. In keeping with (my wacky) traditional font/style, I wanted to give this logo a retro feel, but with an earthy type border that can be used throughout the identity of the shoppe. I had been literally drawing for days, and today I came up with this, while (getting a sunburn) sitting on the lawn at Earth Day Fest. I am feeling pretty good about this one, but any feedback would be greatly appreciated!

I am also looking to tighten up the tagline, if anyone has any suggestions. I made a swap from "an earth-friendly boutique" to "a funky, unique boutique" about a month ago when a.) I got nervous about the responsibility I would be holding as an "earth friendly" gallery and b.) when I found out "unique" and "boutique" rhyme. I am still committed to making all aspects of the place as friendly to Mother Earth as possible and will be bringing in many artists who work with recycled mediums. But I am also extending the opportunity to some artisans who may not work from all salvaged/recycled materials, so that I can provide a greater variety.

So think tagline and feel free to shoot me a line with any suggestions/comments! Just to get your creative juices flowing, here are a few (of the many) crafts that will be featured in VeggieArtGirl: vintage/retro clothing, handsewn aprons, funky jewelry, photography, woven fibers, herbs, lotions and potions, mosaics, fun hats and more. It's going to be great, and if you are looking for a place to sell your wares this summer, also hollar at me! Thanks!

Come to our OPEN HOUSE this Thursday Night!

Most of you know that I am teaming up with my friend Diane on a business adventure on Squam Lake. When I return from my NC travels in the Spring of ’09, I will be opening a seasonal gallery in a shared space at the corners of Rte 175 & 3 in Holderness, called Veggie Art Girl: an earth-friendly boutique. Diane is going to have a fun shop filled with old-fashioned presses, offering all sorts of nifty services from graphic design to boat lettering to silk screening. I will have my shop in the space beside Diane, and we are going to rock Squam Lake this summer!

Why all the buzz NOW when I am not opening ‘til spring? Before I leave, I wanted to make sure everything was in order. So as you know we have been ripping carpet, painting, building and remodeling the space (ahem...any help is gladly welcomed if you love to paint or build!) We’ve been working hard and now we want to CELEBRATE!

So come on down this Thursday and check it out! We’re opening the doors from 6-8 p.m. for munchies, live music with Jim Tyrrell and fabulous raffles. We’re at the corners of Rte. 175 and Rte. 3 in Holderness…you can call 968-3192 for more info/directions.

Or are you an artist looking for a space to display your wares? If your work is earth-friendly (salvaged goods, water-based paints, recycled materials, etc.), then come on down Thursday night to talk to me! I’d love to showcase your work this summer on Squam!

Happy Holidays everyone!