Third grade & mosaic tiling

I have been asked to teach the third grade art, an artist in residence type of class. On my trusty 1999 flower power imac I have rendered to scale a mosaic tile and welded metal creation. In the main composition I have laid out a grid representing individual blocks of wood the children will be tiling. My design will be color coded onto the individual blocks for a pattern of color to follow. In the end they will have completed their individual works of art that will be puzzled into a group project framed in a black mosaic border. The welded arched metal frame will be done with a team of volunteers separately from the students. Welding and 68 third graders....ah no. It is scheduled to be completed this June. I will repost this rendering along with the completed piece at that time.

Prepare to dance!

In my recent quest to learn the piano I have discovered my brain strains. It takes intense focus for me to learn how to read music and transform the notes thru my brain and out my fingertips with the correct sounds and finger coordination. I never knew such a thing as "fingering" existed. After many many sets of practice sessions, it is quite rewarding when it all comes together. Just don't call me during the process, the setback is tenfold! I would love to bring as much joy as this man (click here) has brought to me thru music. Prepare to dance.

Electric blue

My second of my top two favorites. Forgot what it was labeled but it's unbelievably stunning. This electric blue (CLICK HERE & enjoy the mullets) cropping shows the detail. The piece was 6 or 7 feet in height and was suspended from a rusty steel support beam from an enormous metal screened canopy on the Garden grounds. Pure bliss.

Flashless

The tippy top of the "Mexican Hat" vibrant display. Having the camera settings as to not need a flash was a beautiful way to capture the intensity of his work against the evening sky.

A bright bit of the sun in the evening

A cropping of the "Sun" after sunset.

One of the top 2

The "Float Boat" was one of my top two favorite installations. The aged wooden boat was large enough to fit six adults comfortably and was overflowing with hand blown spheres ranging in sizes larger than the inflated exercise ball that sits in my closet supporting a stack of haphazardly tossed worn clothing.

Hand blown glass in the desert garden

The Desert Botanical Gardens has an exhibit on the incredible glass artist Dale chihuly. I am amazed at his talents and wish I could include all of the photos I had taken. Here are a few of my favorites. This one captured the desert terrain and is one of many entitled "ferns". CLICK HERE to view a snazzy youtube production with a happy tune (someone else had much more time than I to compile their photo treasures!)

An inspirational return home

Last week I was in the Phoenix area where I've spent most of my life. I revisited a favorite restaurant Rancho De Tia Rosa. Good food and an outstanding atmosphere. I have enclosed a snapshot of an inside doorway with a saguaro ribbed ceiling. The architecture and over all decor enriches my inspirational mind.

Forge ahead!

It's comforting to know the rhododendron's are forging ahead with their objective despite the snowy weather. They are an initial presence of the floral and foliage detonation to come.

A simple snowy March Monday

These old & new bottles have a front row seat to Mother Natures grand performances. They sit perched on a 89 year old window ledge observing the ever changing Gorge weather, seeming perfectly content to be there without resistance. A simple flick for an uncomplicated day.

Scintillating sunshine

Today one moment it's snowing, the next the sky brightens with full fledged sunshine clear to the hue of pantone 297 blue. Considering the sunshine as spring...there was some serious house cleaning going on. Dust from the deep crevasses of winter begone! I reorganized my art space and repurposed an old (freakishly large) ottoman as a chaise. I now have a cozy reading nook against the upstairs dormer window with plenty of scintillating sunshine to bask in. I completed my gift of three wax boxes for a dear friend and will deliver them tomorrow. I chose to embellished them with more wax than usual. I made black & white striped paper ribbons with a touch of 1970's harvest gold paint, imperfectly smudged with my fingers.

Simple

The sectioning of a ruby red grapefruit as a small child was a nurturing ritual with a plastic picnic knife my mother let me use. I abandoned the simple process for a few decades for I had more important interests: discovering who I thought I should be, earning an education, frivolous shopping, inconsequential attention from boys, a madcap venturesome exertion to climb the corporate ladder, dedicating my efforts to reaching material and superficial goals based on my interpretation of the media and the society of which I lived, co creating a family, then finally embarking on the discovery of simplifying my previous quests and establishments. I have reconnected with the patience and appreciation of the time and process it takes to portion each segment with my very own grown up utensil.

Put those buck teeth to work

Our family bottle opener is quite the creative icon in the kitchen. Those buck teeth are powerful tools. As for the denotation of the two sets of eyes I am clueless. Any suggestions?

Doodle here - doodle there

A doodle or three in a moment of listlessness.

Total encapsulation

Although this is my first attempt at this style of encaustic photography, I rather like the way they turned out. I'm usually my worst critic and pick apart my projects to the point of doom. I am making an additional set for a friend and want to cover all sides of the box in wax with some snazzy embellishments along the sides. I'm liking my vision of total wax encapsulation.

A single nail

I hung each of the wax boxes on a single nail with "UHU" temporary adhesive at two of the back corners to keep them even.

Instant patina

Well it's about time! I finally concocted my beeswax mixture to seal my Hearst Castle kitchen photos, mounted on artist panels. It's my first attempt at this medium outside of a class two months ago. They will hang proudly in my own kitchen. The beeswax was filtered but not bleached, giving a yellow patina hue to the classic vintage utensils and fixtures. When I was shooting these I couldn't stop thinking about how many times that kitchen was messed up and cleaned up after all those gala events. He had two beer taps in that kitchen as well. One main hub for refrigeration.