Day 16 of the '29 Faces' Challenge: 'Forgiving River', an Original 11 x 13 Painting

"Forgiving River", an Original Painting Incorporating a Vintage Wooden Frame

It's with genuine satisfaction that I am posting this particular piece for my Day 16 Face of the '29 Faces in February' art blog Challenge.   This painting, which I call 'Forgiving River', has been knocking around my studio for THE longest time (see my 'Pile of Shame' in my previous post, "Unfinished Business") Comprised of one of my DIY painting supports that I create myself using vintage wooden frames, it's painted all over, including said frame, which has been incorporated into the overall piece.  I'm sort of amazed actually that the whole thing doesn't weigh 10+ pounds by now, what with the accumulations of paint I've applied to it all these years trying to get it 'just so'.  In any case, as I've written about previously, but will repeat here -- the following explains my painting-support-building process:

I have recently begun painting almost exclusively on supports I create myself utilising the old, salvaged wooden picture frames that cross my path from time to time (usually for free). I feel good about giving these unwanted homeless items a second life, not only because trees were cut down at some point to produce them, but also because by the time I get my hands on them they are usually destined for the landfill. The process of recycling these vintage frames into painting supports/canvases is a lengthy one, typically involving stabilizing the frames (which can be quite rickety), cutting thick paperboard to fit, securing it all and pasting and building up a painting surface with layers of overlapping scraps of paper. The end effect is a highly textured surface that adds dimension and depth to my paintings, complete with a built-in frame (onto which I often extend my painted images, incorporating the frames into the overall piece) into one cohesive, ready-to-hang whole....

So after working on this today, I'm just so glad I can finally declare it finished, after all these long years of it pestering me, ahhh.....

Plus interestingly, now that I think on it, my "Forgiving River' would actually fit the theme of this month's upcoming Nibblefest Art Contest (the theme for Feb being 'Moonlight') really well -- hmmm, kind of a coincidence there. (But no, I'm thinking it will be Etsy for her....).

Day 15 of the '29 Faces' Challenge -- 'Gibson Girl' on a Painted Rock....

It's Day 15 of the '29 Faces' in February Challenge!  Which means once I hit the 'publish' button for this post, we will officially be over the challenge half-way hump, with progressively fewer 'Faces' ahead of me than behind.  Wooh!  But it does still mean another fourteen consecutive daily Face projects yet to come however, determined as I am to stick with it all and see it through to the end.... 

Up to this point it feels as though I've been mostly playing things by ear with my Faces, kind of working on random projects willy-nilly as I've felt like it -- but it certainly wouldn't hurt to actually properly plan things either.  Looking ahead, I realise there are several art deadlines fast approaching that probably ought to be receiving my attention.  One is the upcoming Nibblefest Art Contest (Nibblefest F.B. Fan Page here,  Nibblefest Blog here) with longtime readers knowing it's an event I like to regularly participate in.  For anyone unfamiliar, the Nibblefest Art Contest is a themed event hosted via ebay (Nibblefest ebay group here), which begins the 20th of every month.  The themes are broad and the entries (up to three per contestant) can be of any medium -- the primary ironclad rule of the contest is that all auctions must begin with a starting bid of .99 cents. Admittedly that can feel a little risky at times -- as such it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but for me, the contest is a hoot because I always so enjoy working with the Themes.  This month should be no exception, because the theme, "Moonlight", has to be one of my favourites.  As much as I love anthropomorphic 'Hearts', I probably  adore anthropomorphic 'Moons' all the more (if my 'Bloo Moon' Painted Rock, my 'Myrtle Moon' WIP Doll, plus this as examples are any indication) -- therefore I can totally see once again combining 'Moons' with 'Faces' for the contest AND challenge, and 'killing two birds with one stone' again while I'm at it (something to mull over anyway -- I have until this coming Monday, the 20th, to figure it out)....

Now, speaking of 'stones', this brings me to today's featured Face, happy as I am to announce another finished project, and yet another painted rock figurine at that.   As with the others, she was begun aeons ago (literally, if you consider Mother Nature's role in the matter!), so I'm terribly happy to finally declare her 'Finis!'.... 

 Meet "The Gibson Girl"....

'The Gibson Girl', with her upswept hairdo and poofy sleeves, her pet dove perched on her hands and cuddled under her chin

Photographed with a penny for size reference

This rock had lots of rough texture to work with, still, her features have always been very apparent to me

Her dove's wings are outstretched and framing her lovely face.

 

Good Buddies.

 Charles Dana Gibson was a victorian-era illustrator who, through his extensive body of work, influenced an entire generation as to his idealised image of feminine beauty that became popularly known as  'The Gibson Girl".  My own little lady here, with her upswept hairdo, serene expression and big, poofy sleeves, recalls to my mind these once-ubiquitous, vintage 'Gibson Girls' of yore, hence her title....

My usual little blurbie about my painted rocks:

...Typically, a rock... is just a rock. But sometimes, when luck smiles upon me, very special ones reveal themselves. Then I 'see' rock people, little figures hidden within the naturally formed bumps, corners and crevices of ordinary stones -- Nature's very own sculpture. With the help of a bit of paint, I enjoy 'liberating' these unique wee folk for others to enjoy as well.....  

 (To see more of my painted rocks, click on the 'Painted Rocks' label for this post -- as well as visiting my Painted Rock Gallery on EBSQ)....

Day 14 of the '29 Faces' Challenge -- One More Heart Face

Another DIY Valentine Card (scanned before the adding of the lettering "Be Mine)

Day 14 of the '29 Faces' Challenge!   A very special day today in fact, and not just because it happened to be St. Valentine's Day (hence another anthropomorphic heart from me as my Face-du-Jour).  No indeed, but because at some point between this post, and tomorrow's post, we shall be crossing over the exact mid-way mark of the Challenge.  Half-way through, and so far, so good...!

And so things have been humming right along.  As mentioned in a previous post, I have always made homemade, DIY Valentine's cards for my family, therefore I'm really glad I was able to make the Faces theme work 'double-duty' for me, while sort of killing 'two birds with one stone', as it were (though as a bird lover/owner I've never cared for that particular expression).   Having one more anthropomorphic face to share did also make things a little easier for me today in particular, being as that I teach small private group art classes on Tuesdays, so I knew it was going to be a busy one on my end.  For fun, please allow me to share what we were up to  this afternoon via some pics I snapped during one of my classes, in which my students are currently working on some really fantastic papier mache projects (I'm so proud!):

All projects have been sculpted -- they are now in the painting stages (note the 'hotdog' in the foreground)

A large, striking papier mache fantasy sea creature!

The is the underside of a papier mache Falcon

The Papier Mache has been a real hit with the kids

Fanciful/Colorful Papier Mache Projects in Progress

This student finished his p.m. project last week, so spent time painting an awesome Art Journal entry in a book he's altering

A Very Cool Green Papier Mache Dragon, Complete with Wings...!

Day 13 of the '29 Faces' Challenge -- More Heart/Face Valentine Action....

Busy-ish day for me today on this, the 13th Day of the '29 Faces' Challenge (with one even more so expected tomorrow, oy).  That, combined with the fact that it's currently in the wee hours of the morning right now (groan), is strictly  that this be one quick-and-dirty, perfunctory drive-by blog post (to be made up for later)...

With Valentine's Day tomorrow, my project du jour was more home-made, DIY  Valentine' Day cards, featuring my sunny and cheerful anthropomorphic hearts, as from a few posts back.  Hence my Face for 'Day 13'...:

Red Heart Valentine Card ( to have lettering saying 'Be Mine')

Day 12 of the '29 Faces' Challenge: On a (Rock &) Roll Here With the Painted Rocks!

omg!  I think I might actually manage to get to bed before midnight tonight!  This, my friends, would be a very good thing, as I think I've been running on a bit of a sleep deficit, squeezing in my daily painting and blogging as I have.  But all very worth it of course!

In any case, it's Day 12 of the internet art blog challenge '29 Faces in February', and I am especially proud to announce that I have yet another 'Finis!' project for today, which also happens to be yet another painted rock.  Meet "Rockquel":

'Rockquel' Cuddling her Pet Pooch, ''Pebbles'....

Mother Nature was particularly creative with this one.  It's a very special rock (though aren't they all?), because it sports not one, but TWO figures and faces --  one being the lovely 'Rockquel', as you can see, but also her wee pet dog, 'Pebbles'....:

Painted all over, following the natural bumps, crevices and curves of the rock.

How can you describe it other than Nature's Sculpture...?

Her Left Side.

Her right side.

Back View

Very Cuddly!

Along with all the other unfinished projects in my 'Pile of Shame' post, Rockquel had suffered much neglect by me for years despite being such a magnificent find, what with having been started, but never properly finished.  Today I worked over her hair, which I had originally painted a bright red (for variety's sake?) but which I never felt really suited her.   I'm so glad I made the change.  I also defined her features a bit, plus I switched out her shirt color, which was initially painted a green hue.  With all these improvements I'm much, MUCH more satisfied now, and am so very happy to declare her finished, finally, for once and for all, who knows how many years after initially starting her....

The following is the statement I usually include with my painted rocks:

Typically, a rock... is just a rock. But sometimes, when luck smiles upon me, very special ones reveal themselves. Then I 'see' rock people, little figures hidden within the naturally formed bumps, corners and crevices of ordinary stones -- Nature's very own sculpture. With the help of a bit of paint, I enjoy 'liberating' these unique wee folk for others to enjoy as well.....  

 (To see  more of my painted rocks, click on the 'Painted Rocks' label for this post -- as well as visiting my Painted Rock Gallery on EBSQ)....

Day 11 of the '29 Faces' Challenge: Work In Progress Altered-Art Dolls

WIP Altered Art Doll

Well, I had a nice blog past all written up late (very!) last night, only to have it  irretrievably eaten by Blogger.  How does that even happen...???  Not very nice of you, Blogger! (shakes fist)   And so here we are on Day 12 of the '29 Faces for February' art blog Challenge, but I will be posting twice today -- now this morning with my (reconstructed) Day 11 Face post from last night (grr), and then again this evening with my Day 12 Face post....   

Being as that it was Saturday yesterday, and a fairly quiet one at that, I woke up with my head full of ALL kinds of grand schemes of getting ALL manner of stuff done in the studio.   Of course as the day wore on things didn't quite go along with my lofty initial plans, though I was able to spend a bit of time last evening to work on several ongoing projects.  Nothing that I can declare officially 'Finis!' to show off  as Day 11's Face -- however I do have a Work-in-Progress project involving faces to share....

As I've mentioned in previous posts, I really despite waste.   I understand of course that some waste is unavoidable in life, but it's really pretty appalling to me the extent that our modern day society has become so very...disposable.  I myself do try to personally tread as lightly as I can in this regard -- by recycling whenever possible, buying second-hand and in bulk, schlepping my own grocery bags (when I'm not forgetting them at home that is), avoiding excessive packaging and that sort of thing.   I know I likely could always be doing more in my attempts to be green, as we all could -- still, I do try to maintain an on-going awareness, and make responsible choices based on that.  Also, as I've written before, it's a mindset that has become absorbed into my personal philosophies as an artist, propelling me in my attempts to satisfy my creativity and make art, by using materials I already have at hand, or with objects that would otherwise make their way into our nation's waste stream. To make something, from nothing....

So, on that note, I guess that's why I'd held on to my daughter's aforementioned dead and broken barbie dolls all these long years....:

Sad Collection of Dead and Broken Barbies

Either my kids were especially hard on toys, or they just don't make 'em like they used to (I suspect a bit of both) -- whatever the case, by the time my now teen daughter was done with this stage in her life, we had amassed quite a collection of dead barbie dolls.  Too practical to throw them out (actually it's a balance, and I have to be very mindful or I know it would be entirely too easy for me to slip into 'Hoarderism' --  but that's a topic for another post), I held onto them with the intention of upcycling them into something useful and beautiful one day, a project that I finally started some while back:

WIP: Dead Barbies in the process of being given New Life with the Papier Mache Cure

And so this brings us to my Face of Day 11.  Meet Myrtle:

Moon-Faced 'Myrtle', a Work In Progress....

 Myrtle's internal armature was actually some sort of small, broken and discarded action figure of my son's.  I've fashioned an entirely new moon-shaped head from paper clay, and an entirely new papier mache body, complete with a long, sumptuous skirt:

Myrtle's View to the Side

Least of not which is her ample bustle and train:

'Myrtle': A view to her back

I really wish I could show you before pictures (never remember to take those!), because her transformation from broken/small action figure to her current lovely, statuesque state is pretty radical.  In any case, I'm really pleased with how she is turning out thus far, and will continue to work on her and my other Dead Barbie Projects here as I go along.....

(And, in other late breaking news, do you recall my poor faceless, rabbit-bitten crow from a few entries ago?  Well, he's still faceless, but at least he now has a leg to stand properly on, with his nice, new, garbage-constructed base (which will make it far easier for me to actually WORK on his new face)...):

Day 10 of the '29 Faces' Challenge: "Young Dancer"

'Young Dancer' Original Painting,  7" x 9"

Another day, another Face.  For this, the 10th Day of the '29 Faces' Challenge, I completed and signed yet another painting that had been kicking around my studio for a while now (see my earlier post 'Unfinished Business').  As with my Day 3 face painting 'Red Dress', it's a support/canvas I built myself using a thin, vintage frame, which I have painted over and incorporated into the overall piece. 

The subject matter is a personal one.  As has been mentioned before in my blog here and there, my dear son is a dancer.  He began classical ballet lessons, that I'd signed him up for as sort of a lark really, at the tender age of 6.  Who knew he would take to it so naturally  -- so much so that all these dozen years later he would not only still be taking classes, but actually actively pursuing classical ballet as a professional career....?

Thus, given my family's high involvement in the dance world all these years (my daughter dancing throughout her childhood as well), I experienced a lot of exposure to, and as a result gained considerable appreciation of, the art and culture of classical ballet.  As the parent of a dancing son, I do admit my motherly attention often focuses on the males present in any given dance situation -- be it class, rehearsal or performance.  I know only too well all the effort, hours of time, sacrifice and sweat equity (and often all without a lot of appreciation or understanding from one's non-dancing peers) that is part and parcel of becoming a skilled and fluent dancer.   And yet, despite all the hard work there is still so much joy, passion and optimism involved.  As part of all this personal experience, though it may not be readily apparent otherwise beyond its title and the white shirt, the requisite standard uniform for any ballet boy (painted as part of the frame), my piece is a loving tribute to that rare individual, the young male ballet student.