After the Vacation: Work

My father laying in
hex wire in the coop.

Back to work...or at least I say it's work but it's not really work cause I do enjoy what I do. It's rarely a chore. It's rarely "work" and the best part is I get to work at home. Of course working from home has it's drawbacks. There are always many interruptions during the day. Some good, some not so good. I had been waiting a couple of weeks to build the chicken coop with my father. My poor girls were hanging out in the 2 car garage I own. It wasn't a bad accommodation, but it certainly wasn't the best. So when dad came over with tools in hand I dropped studio work to help.

I have to say it was very interesting to watch every part being built. I loved watching him work too. He was so careful with every part making sure it was square and perfect. In the process of all this cutting and building I began to have ideas about the discarded wood from the project. The wood was nicely weathered and I could picture something to hang. Here is what transpired from that vision. Fun...nothing serious.

Inspired by cut pieces
of weathered wood

Hen painted on with acrylics

Topped off with a bow
ready to hang

The coop took about a day to build and once finished one chicken loved it the other hated it. So I guess you can't please everyone all the time, even hens. Studio work resumed and I'm happy to say I made lovely progress on a wild patterned Working Girl resin. In general dry pigments, acrylics, and oils are placed on the piece first. Then the white pattern is layered on with acrylics. It will take approx 20 or more layers of white to get this pattern perfect. I'm about half way there at this stage.


Reference used for the pattern
on Working Girl

Color blocked in

After many layers
of white

Messing Around With....

Wood...

Building a new chicken coop
for the girls

Resin...
Hackin' away at a Dobra resin

Don't worry, she feels better now

and paint...

Next piece that will
be up for sale soon.

Weekend Inspirations

"Bacchus" my new stallion

Did I mention that the summer partying was over? Hmm...well, I think I spoke to soon a few blog posts back. This past weekend we went to yet another cousin's party and boy, it was inspirational to the maximum for me. I'm not sure if it was the company, conversation, chickens or just that Jersey air, but I sure came back home to the studio with alot of ideas and the will to put them in motion like, ASAP.

First off, I finally finished my Lucas horse. The darned thing has only sat in my studio storage room for over 5 years. Probably more than that, but I've honestly lost count of the time frame. Time just seems to fly here and the more work I take on the less my own personal stuff sees completion. With "Bacchus" I started adding color to him and found myself getting picker and picker as the project wore on. This past week, after having a wonderful visit with cousins, I decided I'd stop with the picky attitude and just finish him. I'm very pleased with his color. Yep, he's a sun burnt black. As much as I love to paint appies and roans there is something so true (and difficult) about producing a good black colored horse. I wish you could see him in person. There is a strange softness to him that can't be captured on film. He's my new pet this week. I love-em.

Handmade "rose" box
Gift to my niece

Necklace made with raku beads

My other new pet project has been beads. I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. Me...making ceramic beads in raku. What can I say? It's fun and no matter how odd the raku bead it sure seems to look damned good placed together on a string in the form of a bracelet or necklace. I'm currently making a ton of new beads. I'm rather excited about this pet project. It's a relaxing and quick way to get that raku "itch" satisfied when it strikes up and I don't have any ceramic pots ready for the fire.

Ahh...my other new pet project? Chickens!
I fell completely in LOVE with our cousin Jen's Rhode Island Reds over the weekend. They strutted around her yard nippin at bugs all day and were just so beautiful to watch. I won't even get into the fact that Jen's house butts up against the woods and not ONE of us got bit by a gnat or a mosquito all day or night.

I grew up thinking that chickens were dirty, smelly, hard to take care of/train and above all nasty. I mean, NASTY and none of that was true. Jen's chickens were just lovely. They loved being picked up and would stay under your arm as long as you wanted to hold them. They didn't peck or crap on any of us when held. I found my mind wandering on their form and color. The amount of color in their feathers was mind boggling to me. It was far too much information for my brain to handle at that moment. I literally had to walk away cause I was totally falling for the animal and had no idea what my husband would think should I utter the words, "I want chickens".

The ladies struttin' around the yard

I figured that once I was back home in Brooklyn I'd forget all about those chickens, but I didn't and spurted out those three little words to my husband. To my surprise he was into the idea. I guess less bugs and more eggs around the house was a super selling point. That evening I found myself eyeing up the old discarded dog coop in the back. No one has used it in over 4 years and all of a sudden it had HUGE potential to be something great. Before I knew it I was neck deep in making my own hen house out of that discarded box. Using other recycled materials from around our yard I was able to come up with something fairly competent. The physical labor has been a bit intense, and I still want to put a second layer on the coop, but the vision of chickens free rangin' in our yard has been the push and major inspiration in all that I am working on this week.

Smiling for the camera

Good start to the hen house