Summer studio time...

in a heat wave certainly gets me working in cooler colour.  I've finished some pieces this week and I'm smiling at the distinct lack of heat in them.  That's very unusual for me, as you know.

I created a textured canvas background for a 7" x 5" piece that I'd made on a wood panel, and now I'll call this done.

'We Stand Together' 14 x 11" mixed media on gallery wrap canvas © Win Dinn

I've  also finished a commission for a local business here.  Photographing a work that is so metallic in composition is beyond challenging (never mind getting it square!), so I hope you can get a sense of the muted colour scheme - soft lilac, rust, brass, gold, and burnt orange. The business is Gold N Treasures, and they specialize in all sorts of wonderful things for gold panning, rock hounding and even beading.  It's no surprise the piece incorporates polished stones, gold nuggets and nuts and bolts.

'Gold N Treasures'  11 x 14" mixed media on cradled wood panel  © Win Dinn

This glass does have a touch of heat, with the red bouncing off the dark pewter background.

'A Toast in Red' 9.5" x 2" altered glass © Win Dinn

This piece is the first in The Summer of Colour challenge, with the palette of two blues and one green as the criteria this week.  Incorporating a host of Gelli prints on a background of paper-making texture netting, it's not done yet, but I'm enjoying the cooler tones already.

The other thing accomplished this week was a metallic board and a host of wine and beer bottle cap magnets.  Have you worked with epoxy?  This was my first  experience, and it has permanently glued all my fingers together.  You've no idea how difficult it was to key this post.

Add to all this the two visits to Legend Rock for concrete play (see previous post), and starting a new job it's been a busy one.  This means, naturally, that I deserve some time off, so we're heading to Alberta for a few days on Sunday.  When you look for my Tuesday post and can't find it, think of me visiting Alice Saltiel Marshall and wish me well.  I hope you're happy summering too!

I love taking...

a closer look at what's in the studio.  Just as I love macro photography, zooming in on pieces of art just gives me a rush.

This is a portion of a 'man thing'...you know I got into John's stuff to work on this.  Quiet please - he'll never notice!

The cross in this piece came from a fabulous store here in town called Gold N Treasures.  I've scored so many wonderful metal embellishments from there that I may have made some enemies in town by depleting their stock.

The large button top centre of this photo came from the stash I scored from Eileen, and the coin bottom centre was part of the collection Rochelle (my favourite daughter :D) gave me when she was last here for a visit.  She spent some six months travelling in South America, and I get the mementos - how cool is that?!

This martini glass is just full of texture,

and I'm amused to find this computer bit poking out of a piece - how did that get in there?

You can tell that I'm crazy about cheesecloth.  I mop up leftover paint with it, and it gets incorporated into many pieces.

The Golden mica flakes medium is another favourite of mine right now...I must be a crow I'm so attracted to shiny things.

The brown texture below is a mixture of dried (used - waste not, want not!) coffee grounds and soft gel medium,with a bit of Inka Gold brushed overtop.

Coins, bottle cap flowers, buttons, coffee grounds, cheesecloth - it's all there for the viewing.

I'd decided yesterday that I was just about done with bottles and glasses, but then I had a brainwave this morning - Lord help me, there are four more bottles in the sink with labels soaking so I can test it out.