It's a small world...

and I'm still on the other side of it.  In the meantime, you can check out this post from 2015 about repurposing bottle caps -  beer, wine and liqueurs, for upcycling.  It's surprising what can be done with them.

They make fabulous flowers with the addition of buttons or brads.

Of course, the bottles can be used as well, after removal of the labels,

a thorough scrubbing

and a coat or two of gesso.

In fact, there's hardly any part I don't use.

As long as I have my trusty hammer, some round nosed pliers, tins snips and acrylic medium, my garden blooms all year round.

I don't want you to think, however, that I am totally responsible for emptying all these bottles - the staff at Jimmy's Pub here in town graciously saves them for me, although I have been known to have a glass or two of wine occasionally to assist them.

Let's talk about recycling, upcycling, art reduction and reuse.  How do you turn 'throw-aways' into art?

Yes, I'm still...

... away playing in China, but I thought you may have missed this tutorial on playing with alcohol. Done in 2014, it's a favourite on my YouTube channel.  You could always subscribe while you're over there too. 

You can find a written tutorial on the technique here as well if you prefer to read instead of view. 

I love the way that the dropped alcohol (use a mask please!) looks over the spray-misted alcohol.

These backgrounds lend themselves easily to journal pages or paintings, as you can see in this progress photo.

It's a fun technique and I encourage you to give it a go!  Just remember to use full-strength (non-drinkable) alcohol, and keep it away from your mouth!

Since I'm playing...

on holiday in China with my brother (thanks Neal & Judith, for the amazing gift!!) for the next while, I thought I'd give you a smile with another look at the Crazy Heads pieces from the Rotary Wine Art in 2014.  The collection of heads was beyond amazing!

This Day of the Dead head is Andrea's homage to the Mexican celebration.

I ‘Ave an ‘Ead Ache

Ceramic, LED lights and a wee bit of gritted teeth

by Andrea Revoy

I very much enjoyed this dual brain head from Brandy Hunt.

Left or Right? by Brandy Hunt (left brain side)

Left or Right? by Brandy Hunt (right brain side)

And I can see that Alison has a darker side to her - caught me unaware!

The Grim Reaper Hits the Road

Scarf, upholstery materials, really big earring

by Alison Bjorkman

 This luscious silk head is yummy - I LOVE the hair!

Screwed, Blued and Tattooed.

Head;  Silk, screws, string, indigo, logwood and myrobalam, dyes.  

Base; mixed media, fused glass.

by Anne Fetterly (head), & Janet Holder(base)

Maureen and Audrey obviously had a blast with this one.

Bird's Eye View

Vintage birdcage, feathers from a boa and a whole lot of sex appeal

by Maureen Cameron, Audrey Herridge

 Words just cannot describe - must be seen to be believed, and appreciated!

Dahling! If you must!

Extreme mixed media awesomeness by

Jacqueline Wedge

  

Nightmare Nightlight

Ceramic by Sandy Kunze

This 'nightlight' really makes me smile - can you imagine a child waking up to this?!

These heads and more (you can check out my Roadside Crosses entry here) were such an eclectic bunch for a tiny town we were all in awe.  Well done, my crazy artist friends!

I'll be catching up with your posts and comments about mid-December.  In the meantime, do let me know what your craziness has been!

It's a mixed bag...

today, rather akin to my mind, I suspect.

I'm in the midst of preparing for a full weekend mixed media workshop in Kimberley.  Are you going to join me there?  Please do - we're in for a crazy play-ful time!

I'm also working on three pieces for a show in Kimberley - this one is in June, and I'm already starting to  feel the push.  Don't you love doing shows for the kick-start they provide?  This small table leg is a just the start of a project that's going to take a good deal of time.

 This wood panel will sport layers of snowflakes of all kinds...final outcome TBA!

Here I'm using a technique I love - gessoed cheesecloth and organics for a background that will eventually be puddled with more than a dozen glazes of colour.  It's a tiny area of a large mirror that's in the works.

All three pieces are being created with cast-offs - furniture, wood, dried leaves (Mother Nature is so very giving!), etc.  The name of the show is Material Change, instigated by a fabulous textile artist Darcy Wanuk of Kimberley.  It will feature her work, the work of Puffin Design owners Alison and Bart Bjorkman, and mine.  I hope your Art Appetite is fully engaged, 'cause it's going to be a knock-out!

Of course, that's not all that's on my mind...there's always more.  In the studio and in my life, I expect the unexpected, so stop in next week to see what else is happening!

Guests...

...in the studio are always fun, and this past weekend proved the rule.  Louise Olinger, a consummate watercolour artist, and her sister Kelly LeBlanc spent three days playing with me, and we got up to the usual chaos that ensues when one is hooked on play.

Kelly's been tearing into the Gelli prints - can you tell?

Louise has prints everywhere

The scene before Saturday (day 2) start

Stacks of prints

Louise paints while Kelly prints on fabric

The intent truly was to do mixed media for the weekend, but we got so far into the Gelli printing that somehow we finished nothing at all.  The up side of this, though, was that we were blissed out on colour, texture and pure, unadulterated fun!

I hope you've have as much enjoyment in your studio this week...if so, we're both on the right side of overdosing!