multiples again

art material that is...

as i discussed a few posts ago, multiples of ANYTHING = art supplies. little did i know what would wander by my computer a few days after that...

now, i have to say - i work with nurses. those of you who are nurses or who EAT with them know what their conversation can be like during meal times. yum. you'd think it would be the greatest weight loss incentive known to man. (sometimes it comes close!). you would think NOTHING could possibly faze them, right? well that's what i thought. till i showed this to one of them ~ and much to my surprise ~ she was spooked. dare i say ~ finally grossed out.

now ~ before you click the big red x at the top of the page, let me show you what i am talking about. frankly i find it awesome:

yes. these are bones: skulls, etc. ok ..i'll admit, it is just a tiny bit macabre, but after reading the backstory, not so much...
frankly, i think they are visually very appealing..

essentially they are found objects.

essentially this is assemblage. it could even be argued (imho) that it is a wonderful example of outsider art. they were put together by a wood carver who, i would guess, had no experience or indoctrination in using these materials in his day to day work. maybe that argument is a little farfetched, but i still think it's a masterful public art project...

what do you think??

more collages

tried to add these to the last post and blogger wouldn't cooperate..
i got these in the mail today for the 9th annual international collage exhbition and exchange
you can see the last several years worth of work, and bookmark the site for the upcoming exhibit which will be up at the beginning of april.. there will be one selection from each artist for sale.
here are a few more photos...

time flies!

when you're having fun. it seems like just yesterday that i last posted. for the first time in many many years i actually did mardi gras...and enjoyed the living daylights out of it...it's been a long time since i've done that! we caught tons of beads, which seems o so important in the moment. then 2 minutes later when you're home and unload the stuff all over the counters you wonder why in the hell you brought that home and what on earth you're going to do with it! and this is after giving most of it away to the various kids we encountered...

since i'm heading to the atlantic center for the arts in a few weeks for the art retreat, i will be loading up as many pounds as i can squeeze into my luggage and bringing them with me. will give pamela allen, the embellishing queen, a bunch and ditto to anyone else who's there who might want them...

and this is my favorite end of the parade imageit's a little blurry, which just makes it more appropriate, dontcha think? this is what happenswhen the parade beats you home... we ended up getting in line behind the floats heading back to their den...

in between the parades and other goings-on, i managed to get my collages done for the annual bakers dozen exhbit.here are a few of them that should be going out in the mail soon:

fun stuff in the mail!

yesterday's mail brought my copy of the long awaited and anticipated new book by our very own lesley riley. the book is entitled: Fabric Memory Books: Techniques, Projects, Inspiration and it's very aptly named as it's very inspirational! it definitely makes me want to get out piles of stuff and PLAY!

the other reason i'm thrilled to see it is i have a piece in there that i've been waiting to unveil.. here it is:

lesley invited 11 artists to submit a page for a book that will be auctioned off later this year revolving around the them of home. this piece was done with mixed media techniques based on a photograph i took at laura plantation just a few months before the fire. this image is the upstairs back gallery, (porch ) and is the essence of home to me. i've got other photos and mentions of laura plantation in the archives as well. this piece is bordered with the same wonderful woven paper fiber that i used in a couple of my sculptures. i just love the stuff and it's always fun to use. i attached 3 small glass vials to the side of the page as well symbolizing the past history of this particular home, which was in my family for many years...

i was thrilled to be included in lesley's project along with the rest of the notable cast of characters. the other quilt artists included are susan shie, mary fisher, and laura wasilowski. and mixed media artists nina bagley, sas colby, patti culea, claudine helmuth, karen michel, lynne perrella, and lynne whipple. what a wonderful group! i urge you to get the book and enjoy!