the tools of the trade might be paper, paint and scissors...
but without direction and decision, the path is obscured...
Showing posts with label wood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wood. Show all posts
4.24.2016
Sunday musings
the tools of the trade might be paper, paint and scissors...
but without direction and decision, the path is obscured...
1.11.2016
Spool Valentines Art Party
take a vintage wooden thread spool...
add a strip of patterned paper...a button or two...or maybe a bit of ribbon or twine...
write your own secret message, rolled around the spool...
and you have a spool valentine.
Join me at this February Art Party where I'll show you how to make these tiny treasures...I'll supply everything from the old spools to a plethora of paper, buttons and ribbons...along with a dose of creative camaraderie and light refreshments...You don't have to bring anything but enthusiasm...
Registration is limited; the workshop will take place at my home in Everett. Once you have paid your registration, I'll send out a confirmation email with all the details.
Spool Valentines
Saturday, February 6, 2016
1 - 4 pm
Everett, WA
$45 registration fee
add a strip of patterned paper...a button or two...or maybe a bit of ribbon or twine...
write your own secret message, rolled around the spool...
and you have a spool valentine.
Join me at this February Art Party where I'll show you how to make these tiny treasures...I'll supply everything from the old spools to a plethora of paper, buttons and ribbons...along with a dose of creative camaraderie and light refreshments...You don't have to bring anything but enthusiasm...
Registration is limited; the workshop will take place at my home in Everett. Once you have paid your registration, I'll send out a confirmation email with all the details.
Spool Valentines
Saturday, February 6, 2016
1 - 4 pm
Everett, WA
$45 registration fee
3.17.2015
bird obsessed
seems lately that I have been obsessed with birds...more than usual...
perhaps because it is spring and I welcome their increased activity...
In any case, I have several bird inspired projects I thought I would share over the next couple of days...
Today's is a quick one...I had a couple of wooden boards that I had collaged years ago and then never finished...the first background layer was a page from an old art book; the second layer is the top ply of a paper napkin...one of my favorite collage layering techniques since the single ply of the napkin is so sheer, you see the underneath layer. A snippet from an old dictionary was added...and then it sat...
Getting ready for a show always motivates me to action...in this case, I pulled out these two boards, attached a Cavallini bird tag, added a few more words and finished off with a ribbon hanger...
Both of these beauties (plus so much more) will be at the
Vintage Market at Swan's Trail on March 28...will you?
perhaps because it is spring and I welcome their increased activity...
In any case, I have several bird inspired projects I thought I would share over the next couple of days...
Today's is a quick one...I had a couple of wooden boards that I had collaged years ago and then never finished...the first background layer was a page from an old art book; the second layer is the top ply of a paper napkin...one of my favorite collage layering techniques since the single ply of the napkin is so sheer, you see the underneath layer. A snippet from an old dictionary was added...and then it sat...
Getting ready for a show always motivates me to action...in this case, I pulled out these two boards, attached a Cavallini bird tag, added a few more words and finished off with a ribbon hanger...
Both of these beauties (plus so much more) will be at the
Vintage Market at Swan's Trail on March 28...will you?
10.05.2014
an idea years in the making
I've had this idea for a dining room table that I've been thinking about for over 10 years...
finally I had the time/energy/resources to put into reality the idea that had been been in my head for some time...
After we decided to stay put and not move across the country, we were determined to do the house projects that get put off and forgotten about...until you think about selling the house and then all those things get done. This time we were going to do all of them and then get to enjoy our house for ourselves. I was never a fan of our dining room table...and had always wished for a different table...now was the time to make that idea a reality...
I already had a cast iron table base that I picked up for $15 years and years ago...
when I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for the "someday" table...
I bartered 4 rusty metal table legs for 6 reclaimed fir boards from my friend Shelley who is the Queen of Junk...thick heavy boards...a little worse for being outside for a while...but that's what we call patina...
Got the boards home, scrubbed them, bleached them, set them out in the sun to dry...
an aside...Atlas work gloves are the best...great rubber grip and flexible knit backside...I love them...
Laid the boards out, moved them around until I had an arrangement where the boards fit snug...pounded in several wood connectors...essentially wood staples that would hold the boards in place while I secured them with three wood braces.
I also laid down the table base so I could mark
the position of the screw holes...
For the table braces, I didn't want to use new wood because the tone would be so glaringly bright...rummaging around, I found several used stakes that once held campaign signs of some candidate we were supporting at the time...I cut the stakes into the desired lengths...the leftover pointed ends might be resurrected into a wood composition art piece in the future...
After determining the placement of the braces, I drilled pilot holes for the screws...wrapping a piece of blue tape around the drill bit gave me a guide to the depth of the hole without drilling all the way through the table top...
Once the braces were in place, I used my electric sander to smooth the rough edges and remove any loose splinters...I debated whether or not to apply any sort of sealant...decided against it for the time being...I like the natural tone of the boards and wanted to keep that rough hewn look...
I moved the table top into the dining room for final construction...
Attached the iron base...noticed that the feet on the legs were rather rough...not wanting to scratch up my wood floors, I cut rounds of self-adhesive felt for a cushion...
Flipped the table over and I was done!
It didn't take long for me to get the chairs around the table and set up a fall vignette...
I love seeing the deep grain of the wood planks...
All the textures and tones that speak an autumn mood...
My new table... the perfect palette for whatever the seasons bring...
Joining the group over at Funky Junk Interiors Party Junk...lots of great recycled ideas...tons of inspiration...
and the Salvaged Style Link Party over at Knick of Time
finally I had the time/energy/resources to put into reality the idea that had been been in my head for some time...
After we decided to stay put and not move across the country, we were determined to do the house projects that get put off and forgotten about...until you think about selling the house and then all those things get done. This time we were going to do all of them and then get to enjoy our house for ourselves. I was never a fan of our dining room table...and had always wished for a different table...now was the time to make that idea a reality...
I already had a cast iron table base that I picked up for $15 years and years ago...
when I saw it, I knew it would be perfect for the "someday" table...
I bartered 4 rusty metal table legs for 6 reclaimed fir boards from my friend Shelley who is the Queen of Junk...thick heavy boards...a little worse for being outside for a while...but that's what we call patina...
Got the boards home, scrubbed them, bleached them, set them out in the sun to dry...
an aside...Atlas work gloves are the best...great rubber grip and flexible knit backside...I love them...
Laid the boards out, moved them around until I had an arrangement where the boards fit snug...pounded in several wood connectors...essentially wood staples that would hold the boards in place while I secured them with three wood braces.
I also laid down the table base so I could mark
the position of the screw holes...
For the table braces, I didn't want to use new wood because the tone would be so glaringly bright...rummaging around, I found several used stakes that once held campaign signs of some candidate we were supporting at the time...I cut the stakes into the desired lengths...the leftover pointed ends might be resurrected into a wood composition art piece in the future...
After determining the placement of the braces, I drilled pilot holes for the screws...wrapping a piece of blue tape around the drill bit gave me a guide to the depth of the hole without drilling all the way through the table top...
Once the braces were in place, I used my electric sander to smooth the rough edges and remove any loose splinters...I debated whether or not to apply any sort of sealant...decided against it for the time being...I like the natural tone of the boards and wanted to keep that rough hewn look...
I moved the table top into the dining room for final construction...
Attached the iron base...noticed that the feet on the legs were rather rough...not wanting to scratch up my wood floors, I cut rounds of self-adhesive felt for a cushion...
Flipped the table over and I was done!
It didn't take long for me to get the chairs around the table and set up a fall vignette...
I love seeing the deep grain of the wood planks...
All the textures and tones that speak an autumn mood...
My new table... the perfect palette for whatever the seasons bring...
Joining the group over at Funky Junk Interiors Party Junk...lots of great recycled ideas...tons of inspiration...
and the Salvaged Style Link Party over at Knick of Time
8.05.2014
layer upon layer
I've been busy getting ready for Fresh Paint, held August 16-17 at the Everett Marina...
its a juried art show sponsored by the Schack Art Center here in town...
I've taken a new direction with my art this year...combining paper collage...with digital photographs... and then adding dimensional vintage elements as a finishing touch.
Though any one step by itself is not very involved or time consuming...when placed in the context of a completed piece, the time and effort can take months...
I thought I would share a condensed version of what goes into such a creation...to both inspire you as well as cultivate an understanding of my process...
The germ of an idea for the main collage of my highlighted piece started here...
Above are two scanned images of original paper collages from a commissioned art journal I constructed in October 2013...With techniques I acquired through the Photoshop Grunge class that I started in January 2014 (and I haven't even completed all the lessons yet) I found a way to merge these two images together while adding two more photographs of mine...so that's 4 images that went into this montage...with additional layers of textures and grunge...the resulting collage looks like this...
I then produced a high quality print...and started creating the larger multi-media assemblage...
At this point, the print sat on my studio table...for many moons (you can't rush inspiration...it sometimes takes its own sweet time)...
I often use old drawers as the foundation for my larger collages...but this print was an odd size - 10" x 16" ...and was confounding me...until I was cleaning out the basement...and found an old typeset drawer that was falling apart...it was perfect...
From there things came together quickly...wanting to pick up the blue tones of the collage, I covered the surface of the typeset drawer with a sheet of blueprint diagram (friends of mine had to scrape a remodel project and I happily snatched up a set of plans that were going to the trash) The white background of the paper was a little too bright...so my favorite patina to the rescue...
Several coffee washes later, I'm ready to put the photo print in place...finishing with a light sanding and a wax buff, this process of waiting for each layer to dry before proceeding takes about a week...
Wanting to keep with the original intention of the typeset drawer, I pull out my wooden type...and cobble together two words that express my message...
running short of traditional letters...you've got to use "poetic licence"... that number 3 is now an "E"
The inside edges still needed something...so it sat another couple of days...until I decided to add a length of metal measuring tape...secured in each corner with the letters n, s, e and w (for north, south, east and west)
At this stage, I leave the collage at a place where I can look at it each day - in this case, the dining room table - deciding whether or not it is complete or if something else is needed...once I'm happy with it, hanging hardware is attached then signed, labeled, ready for the show...
Come visit me at the show...I'll be in booth 21...and you can see this piece up close and personal...
its a juried art show sponsored by the Schack Art Center here in town...
I've taken a new direction with my art this year...combining paper collage...with digital photographs... and then adding dimensional vintage elements as a finishing touch.
Though any one step by itself is not very involved or time consuming...when placed in the context of a completed piece, the time and effort can take months...
I thought I would share a condensed version of what goes into such a creation...to both inspire you as well as cultivate an understanding of my process...
The germ of an idea for the main collage of my highlighted piece started here...
I then produced a high quality print...and started creating the larger multi-media assemblage...
At this point, the print sat on my studio table...for many moons (you can't rush inspiration...it sometimes takes its own sweet time)...
I often use old drawers as the foundation for my larger collages...but this print was an odd size - 10" x 16" ...and was confounding me...until I was cleaning out the basement...and found an old typeset drawer that was falling apart...it was perfect...
From there things came together quickly...wanting to pick up the blue tones of the collage, I covered the surface of the typeset drawer with a sheet of blueprint diagram (friends of mine had to scrape a remodel project and I happily snatched up a set of plans that were going to the trash) The white background of the paper was a little too bright...so my favorite patina to the rescue...
Several coffee washes later, I'm ready to put the photo print in place...finishing with a light sanding and a wax buff, this process of waiting for each layer to dry before proceeding takes about a week...
Wanting to keep with the original intention of the typeset drawer, I pull out my wooden type...and cobble together two words that express my message...
running short of traditional letters...you've got to use "poetic licence"... that number 3 is now an "E"
The inside edges still needed something...so it sat another couple of days...until I decided to add a length of metal measuring tape...secured in each corner with the letters n, s, e and w (for north, south, east and west)
At this stage, I leave the collage at a place where I can look at it each day - in this case, the dining room table - deciding whether or not it is complete or if something else is needed...once I'm happy with it, hanging hardware is attached then signed, labeled, ready for the show...
Come visit me at the show...I'll be in booth 21...and you can see this piece up close and personal...
7.22.2014
Zen poetry
I'm in the throes of prepping for my upcoming art show, Fresh Paint...but thought I would show you a little diversion I had a couple of weeks ago...
Since my paint can lid message board in my workshop studio is such a popular re-pin on Pinterest, I thought I would make some smaller versions...
I still had leftover lumber...and plenty of paint can lids...and a supply of magnetic words...
So what does that get you...Zen Poetry Boards!
The overall picture makes it hard to read the words...so here's two up-close versions...
I'll have twelve of these for sale at my booth...along with lots of new art work...will show more peeks as the show approaches...mark it on your calendar...
August 16-17, Everett Marina...
Since my paint can lid message board in my workshop studio is such a popular re-pin on Pinterest, I thought I would make some smaller versions...
I still had leftover lumber...and plenty of paint can lids...and a supply of magnetic words...
So what does that get you...Zen Poetry Boards!
The overall picture makes it hard to read the words...so here's two up-close versions...
I'll have twelve of these for sale at my booth...along with lots of new art work...will show more peeks as the show approaches...mark it on your calendar...
August 16-17, Everett Marina...
4.04.2014
The wonder of nature
A late afternoon walk with the dog and the Southern Man...
past an empty wooded lot...
sitting on the edge, a piece of a branch...sawed off on each end...it caught my attention...
Two days later...walking past same lot...wood piece still sitting there...
this time I picked it up and brought it home...
I let it dry out...and brushed off the dirt...the texture and the contours are exquisite...
perfect height for a small pedestal...for a display of old clocks...or a small vintage silver coaster...
The photos I took of the side striations and the top whorls will become layered textures in future photoshop creations...but for today...I'm just enjoying the beauty of the wood...
I edited the above photo using kk texture justatouch2...and a fab new font, BDParis...font courtesy of Creative Market...an expansive design site that I've just recently signed up to receive their emails...which includes some great freebies from time to time...
Joining all the other creatives over at Kim Klassen's Friday Finds...what fab find did you discover this week?
past an empty wooded lot...
sitting on the edge, a piece of a branch...sawed off on each end...it caught my attention...
Two days later...walking past same lot...wood piece still sitting there...
this time I picked it up and brought it home...
I let it dry out...and brushed off the dirt...the texture and the contours are exquisite...
perfect height for a small pedestal...for a display of old clocks...or a small vintage silver coaster...
The photos I took of the side striations and the top whorls will become layered textures in future photoshop creations...but for today...I'm just enjoying the beauty of the wood...
I edited the above photo using kk texture justatouch2...and a fab new font, BDParis...font courtesy of Creative Market...an expansive design site that I've just recently signed up to receive their emails...which includes some great freebies from time to time...
Joining all the other creatives over at Kim Klassen's Friday Finds...what fab find did you discover this week?
2.04.2014
If I had a hammer...
I'd hammer in the morning...and the afternoon...all week long...
(apologies to Pete Seeger...may his soul rest in peace...)
I've been hammering...and sawing...and soon to be painting, plumbing and wiring...
What's going on you ask? Let me back up...
For the past year, I've been hosting regular art parties...a chance to get together with like-minded individuals to create...and inspire, support, kvetch, eat and drink, laugh, and glue. This has been so much fun, why not expand...and offer workshops to others...the gears started turning...ideas started churning...
On the hunt for workshop space to rent was an eye-opening experience...I didn't want a conference room at the local Holiday Inn...I wanted something a little funky, a little artsy, a lot of welcoming...such spaces come at a price...a higher price than I wanted to pay...
Standing in my kitchen one day, it hits me...the eureka moment...I have 300 sq ft of space sitting in my backyard...I have a small bungalow in my backyard...its a rental...with a daylight basement that opens to my garden...used for storing the lawnmower and garden tools and a few other odds and ends. Though the basement is not completely finished, I thought it was possible to turn this space into the workshop destination I envisioned...
Here's a glimpse of the "before"...
Half of the basement had been dug out and framed...there's already electrical in place...and a dry concrete floor...
and a great window with a view to the garden...
So I started gathering ideas...searching online for both the look & feel of the spot I was envisioning as well as the components and materials. I used Pinterest as a resource to collect all of my ideas...this was the first time that I used Pinterest as a "digital bulletin board" and it has been helpful to have everything in one place without keeping track of numerous online sites...here's my board...
Follow four corners design (Amy Duncan)'s board studio workshop ideas on Pinterest.
Since I have plenty of old wood leftover from projects, I thought that I would build a wall to enclose the space, using the stud framing as the foundation...my plan is to whitewash the completed wall to unify the space, painting the concrete blocks as well...a section of plywood will fill another space, providing a large scale blackboard...heavy cotton canvas drop cloths will be made into curtains to cordon off two storage areas (we still have to store that lawnmower!)
The past week I've worked on building the wooden wall...its been a project indeed!
I can not thank Shelley of From the Alley to the Gallery enough for all her help and assistance...a true friend!
Getting everything to line up...and be square...to say nothing of sawing a straight line...has taken more time, effort and energy than I had planned...but I'm on my way...with hammer in hand...
(apologies to Pete Seeger...may his soul rest in peace...)
I've been hammering...and sawing...and soon to be painting, plumbing and wiring...
What's going on you ask? Let me back up...
For the past year, I've been hosting regular art parties...a chance to get together with like-minded individuals to create...and inspire, support, kvetch, eat and drink, laugh, and glue. This has been so much fun, why not expand...and offer workshops to others...the gears started turning...ideas started churning...
On the hunt for workshop space to rent was an eye-opening experience...I didn't want a conference room at the local Holiday Inn...I wanted something a little funky, a little artsy, a lot of welcoming...such spaces come at a price...a higher price than I wanted to pay...
Standing in my kitchen one day, it hits me...the eureka moment...I have 300 sq ft of space sitting in my backyard...I have a small bungalow in my backyard...its a rental...with a daylight basement that opens to my garden...used for storing the lawnmower and garden tools and a few other odds and ends. Though the basement is not completely finished, I thought it was possible to turn this space into the workshop destination I envisioned...
Here's a glimpse of the "before"...
Half of the basement had been dug out and framed...there's already electrical in place...and a dry concrete floor...
and a great window with a view to the garden...
So I started gathering ideas...searching online for both the look & feel of the spot I was envisioning as well as the components and materials. I used Pinterest as a resource to collect all of my ideas...this was the first time that I used Pinterest as a "digital bulletin board" and it has been helpful to have everything in one place without keeping track of numerous online sites...here's my board...
Follow four corners design (Amy Duncan)'s board studio workshop ideas on Pinterest.
Since I have plenty of old wood leftover from projects, I thought that I would build a wall to enclose the space, using the stud framing as the foundation...my plan is to whitewash the completed wall to unify the space, painting the concrete blocks as well...a section of plywood will fill another space, providing a large scale blackboard...heavy cotton canvas drop cloths will be made into curtains to cordon off two storage areas (we still have to store that lawnmower!)
The past week I've worked on building the wooden wall...its been a project indeed!
I can not thank Shelley of From the Alley to the Gallery enough for all her help and assistance...a true friend!
Getting everything to line up...and be square...to say nothing of sawing a straight line...has taken more time, effort and energy than I had planned...but I'm on my way...with hammer in hand...
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