"Railroads are a great prop.
You can do some awful wild things with railroads."
~Buster Keaton
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| Tribute portrait of Buster Keaton |
What's this...?
Nibblefest Art Contest time again already?
I always say that February feels like the longest month of the year, despite it actually being the shortest month of the year. I suppose it's because usually by this time Winter starts feeling tiresome and relentless, with the promise of Spring a very welcome change indeed. And so the days of February typically stretch on. And on.
Not so this time around though. February has zipped right on by before I even had a chance to catch my breath. It helps that I have a lot of freelance work keeping me on my toes right now. Nevertheless I did still manage to enter this month's Nibblefest Art Contest. February's theme is "Better Late Than Never", which is a chance to revisit any monthly theme from 2016. I somehow missed September 2016's "Balancing Act", so that's the one I chose. And so I considered and rejected several potential 'Balancing Act' concepts before settling on this one. An ode to Swan Lake or some other ballet classic was on the table briefly, as was a possible tribute to Harry Houdini. Eh, I did like these ideas and might want to explore them further someday. But for now they've been filed away, and I concentrated instead on the late/great slapstick genius of acrobatic silent film balancing acts, Mr. Buster Keaton....:
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| Oils on 6x10 Wooden Plaque |
The following is my Nibblefest auction description...:
"Buster Keaton"
This
is my entry for this month's Nibblefest Art Contest (NFAC), the theme
for February being 'Better Late Than Never", in which we get to pick a
theme we missed in 2016. I missed last Sept's "Balancing Act", so I
chose to do a portrait in tribute to the classic vintage film star,
Buster Keaton. Painted in oils upon a 6"x 10" upcycled wood plaque,
this unique original is signed and ready to hang.
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| Buster Keaton, my entry for the theme "Balancing Act" |
(Note
to the winning bidder: As per the nature of oil paints, this piece may
need just a little wee extra time (up to a week) to fully cure/dry
before being safely shipped to its new home).
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| "The Great Stone Face", In Progress.... |
(Also
to note: Just so the new owner is not too surprised, they will find a
'gingerbread man' cut-out (see photos) on the backside of this piece
(which was originally the front of the plaque before I repurposed it.
Hey, 2-for-1...! )
I
missed the theme "Balancing Act" back in September, so I was happy for
the chance to try again. I chose to paint the late, great silent film
star, Buster Keaton, because he was so well known for his physical
comedy, or Slapstick. He threw himself around constantly in his movies,
performing ever increasingly complicated acrobatic stunts -- at times
downright dangerous ones...! Often involving automobiles and/or trains
-- it was a 'balancing act' for sure with all the fined-tuned timing it
surely took to pull off. And always accompanied by the most deadpan
expression, earning himself the nickname, "The Great Stone face".
.......
We are lucky to have a really neat and unique non-profit here in my town, called The I.D.E.A. Store -- a small 2nd hand shop specifically intended for the re-use and re-purpose of various and diverse arts/crafts odds and ends. The store accepts donations of used materials and supplies of all ilk -- unwanted assorted sundry bits and pieces that might likely otherwise be destined for the landfill. Because one person's trash is other one's treasure! The shop offers these donated items cheaply to the public, with proceeds going to our local school district. Many years ago I wrote here in my blog about my own personal moratorium against the purchasing of new art supplies, whenever I might be able to avoid it, in favor instead of recycling or up-cycling as often as I can in my creative process. Obvious exceptions to this over the years have included new paint and brushes -- though now The I.D.E.A. Store can sometimes help even with that as well, managing as I have to occasionally find acrylic and oil paint tubes in decent condition and even a few gently used paintbrushes. I found a wee table top easel that I was in the market for and that I adore and utilize constantly. I also make it a habit to regularly check for the wooden plaques I so love to hoard -- and have scored many there, including this sweet little 6 x 10 incher I've used here for my Buster Keaton tribute. The original 'front' of this plaque featured an interesting little cut-out gingerbread man. I have painted upon what was apparently the 'back' (which is now the 'front') -- so the winning bidder will discover this little gem when they turn Mr. Keaton over....:
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| A sweet little Gingerbread Man on the back. Bonus! |
In any case, I really love our little I.D.E.A. Store, and wish every community could have one (maybe someday as this up-cycling trend becomes increasingly popular) -- so handy, and helpful too for keeping a lot of random homeless bits and bobs out of our local waste stream....
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| Mr. Buster Keaton upon a 6x10 upcycled wood plaque |
Happy Nibblefesting...!
To see all the fabulous "Better Late Than Never" themed Nibblefest entries this month, click here.
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To see all the fabulous "Better Late Than Never" themed Nibblefest entries this month, click here.
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