So... Where's the Art?

Well, in my defense, I WAS on vacation.

In beautiful Ouray, CO, to be exact.

You try to work when your eyes are distracted by skies like these.

Very difficult.

I was blessed to be able to see views like these daily. I came home feeling invigorated and ready to work.

It was the having to come home part that was so sad.


Now, as for the art? My daughter, an artist in her own right, and I happened to be very lucky on this trip and it was the 50th year of the Ouray art show.

In honor of this occasion, local artists from the surrounding communities came in to share their knowledge re: technique.

We decided to attend a few workshops, including colored pencil and encaustic.

Did I just hear you shriek out loud?

Be nice! This was my first attempt at encaustic.

I layered, carved, embedded....a bit of everything.

Not my shiniest moment, but it was fun. It is liberating to try new things. Scary, but liberating.

This one may end up on BarterSauce, if they would take it!

Until next time, happy battery recharging!

Theresa

I DID IT! (and it is definitely not perfect)

I DID it! FINALLY! I have had that polymer clay forever and I just kept putting it off and putting it off.

Warning: The guy that I made is not meant to be "cute" per se, but I think he has a certain rudimentary charm. And I learned a lot making him.

First off, I blended two different colors of clay to get a less "beige" tone for the skin. I don't like an orange-y cast. It looked pretty good until I baked him. That was when it became evident that the fabulous blending that I did was not so fabulous. I guess I should have kneaded for a longer amount of time. Lesson: When you think you are done, go for five more minutes.

Next, I threw together a loose wire armature. I knew I was supposed to build it in such a way that the head would be up off of the pan when I was baking him. But, in my total novice wisdom, I decided that it wouldn't matter too much because I was going to do some color washes and a mohair wig, which would cover his flat spot anyway.

Well, his ears cooked more quickly than the rest of him, given their lack of bulk, and they are of a darker cast than the rest of his head. Lesson: If someone 'in the know' suggests something, it might be a good idea to listen. It saves headaches from "fixes" later on.

Once I had him done, I tossed him in the oven for the allotted time period.




That part was easy. What I noticed when he came out, however, were all of the slight imperfections where I didn't quite smooth out the joints where extra clay was added. Lesson: Smooth and smooth again.

Note to self: Get smaller tools. My regular clay tools weren't all that helpful due to the small size of the guy.

All that being said, I actually kind of like my little creature and can't wait to color wash, dress and wig him. I'll post final pictures when he feels done.

Thanks for popping in. PLEASE PLEASE, if you are a polymer clay person (not a person made of polymer clay, silly...one who WORKS with it), please feel free to leave me any helpful hints. I am a glutton at jumping in with both feet and reinventing the wheel. Very time consuming.

Any and all suggestions would be appreciated!

Until next time, happy imperfection!

Theresa

Baby steps..

I got out the Sculpey. And the glass eyes. I even opened the packages! No going back now. Today, folks, will be the day that I FINALLY try polymer clay.

I have had lots of ideas tripping over themselves for years, but I have always been hesitant to try to make them come to fruition. It's a perfection thing. Yeah, I'm getting over it, but it hasn't been easy.

Hopefully I'll have some pictures to post by tomorrow. Either that or I will have learned that clay is not for me. (But maybe, in the spirit of not trying to be perfect, I will post the lumpy pictures anyway.)

Time will tell.

Until next time, happy risk taking!

Theresa