Its what day now?

I cannot even believe how fast this month has gone by. Christmas lights are popping up everywhere and I'm trying to remind myself that I need to be doing some Christmas shopping while getting all my school stuff done so I don't end up leaving it all to the last minute. Lately I've been working on monoprints for one of my last big assignments in printmaking. Basically, a monoprint is a completely unique print that can't be mass produced as is the goal of most printmaking techniques. Ironic I guess that it's my favorite thing to do in printmaking, just because it allows me to play with other mediums and experiment.

Admittedly these pictures kind of suck, but I thought I'd share a few that I have at home right now.

My teacher likes to have us focus on a theme throughout the semester so that we can explore the subject as our prints progress....we had to write an artist statement as well so I'll share that with you guys now.

"What was previously commonplace on the street and in people's homes has quickly turned to outdated forms, abandoned for the “better and faster.” Through analysis of these visual objects and their residual function, I seek to rediscover their value. My prints create a narrative, imagining these objects taking on a life of their own. By deconstructing, rearranging, and adding elements, I translate our own obsolescence in an age where technology increasingly has more power and control over our lives than we do."

It's all highfaluting art speak but basically what it boils down to is my concepts were built on the idea that so much in our society is thrown away at the drop of a hat - as I love the look of vintage technology I thought to find other ways to reinterpret it - and of course my imagination took over so to reinterpret it I created little stories in my head about what these inanimate objects would do if they were given their own "life" after being thrown out and abandoned. It's how my brain works - go with it.

So these are all monoprints. Created from prints I made in class, cut apart, painted over, glued to other things, etc. I even did some embroidery stitching on a few!





The webs on this one are all embroidery! The picture does horrible at conveying the texture but it's pretty awesome.



Also some more embroidery in the root work. This one isn't done yet - After I finish all the roots, I'm not quite sure where to go from there....hopefully I'll figure it out





There's one more that pretty much my favorite one but I left that at school of course. Pictures will come eventually.

Undergrad Juried Art Exhibition

Every year my school has an art show featuring undergraduates; last year I didn't really have anything I felt was worthy of entering, but this year I thought why not? Here's the pieces I think I'm going to submit to see if they'll be accepted...

I love this piece though sadly I don't really have anywhere to display it in my apartment. It speaks to me of consumerism, hoarding, and a throwaway society. I love that so many people see different things in it.





And I think I may have posted this before, but I love the simplicity of this mono print I made last winter. It's whimsical and a little dark at the same time.



There might be one more piece I'll try to submit if I can find it and take good pictures before the deadline. Wish me luck!

flamingo dance

Here's the project of the week! Took me 7 hours on Friday to get just the printing alone done. But I'm happy its over with and I'm fairly happy with the outcome even if the registration system I was supposed to have been using didn't work out really...thank goodness I'm pretty good at improvising.

Layer 1: light pink silhouette



Layer 2: Hot pink overlay



Layer 3: Black detailing



Here's the overall look. It was done on a piece of fabric 2.5 yds long. Long day!



Now what to do with it? hah. I think I might take a small chunk and turn it into a hoopla for my wall.

Finally some new pictures, geeze!

Yay!! I've really cut back on swapping (thank god! If I didn't I'd be a shivering ball of mess trying to get everything done) but I couldn't help but start another round of the Jar of Whimsy swap on craftster. Read: Get or make a container of your choice and fill with tons of tiny things! So much fun right! And my partner, the awesome MissingWillow received today so I can share my wee crafting hehe.

So I sent it all (or rather as much as I could fit) into this stoneware teapot I made in my summer ceramics class. Totally classy and awesome.



Whatever was left I fit into a spare mason jar and a few baggies. Course the handmade wee things were specially wrapped and donned with appropriate taggies. MissingWillow has a wee house she is crafting for, with rooms for tea and tea vending, as well as a palmistry room and waiting room!! I had to make her some fun stuff for the palmistry room =)

First I have to show off these tiny tiny runes I made!!



All done with polymer clay - they were supposed to be shades of gray, but I guess when you're cooking something that tiny, it really doesn't take too long... I think I had them in the oven maybe 2 minutes before I noticed it was smoking a bit and yeah,..oops. But it did give the runes a lovely patina. I dabbed white paint in the lines I scratched in before baking and made a little pouch to keep them in.

I also made her a spying eye (may also be known as a magnifying glass) and a creepy vintage girl frame to hang up in the room - maybe ghostly ancestors?



The spying eye is made from a Tim Holtz gear wheel, a neato circular watch face I got from erica_tattoos (one of many! I got a bunch and I love it!), a wee key, and a little red crystal embellishment thing.

I also made a small matchbox shrine thing - I was thinking along the lines of a wheel of fortune, but maybe with timey mystical overtures or something?



Holy crap a matchbox is tiny, but I am a bit hooked and I'm itching to make another shrine soon - look out for that!

I had a pog too that I converted to a spooky type table top, or maybe just room decorative medallion - it's two-sided



I burned the edges with a real flame because the inky edging with a stamp pad just wasn't really cutting it - again more smoke in my apartment haha.

And a palmistry hand to keep in the room! The idea is totally stolen from the completely incredible mistress of tiny Knickertwist who made a similar palmistry hand out of a doll hand - same idea!



Oop couldn't find any other pictures but I also made a wee rug (had to restart it 3 times! kept messing it up somehow), wee bunting, a dragon eye.....not sure where that was going but I sent it along anyhow, and a creepy poison sign.



Oh and a fun papercutting that I tried, in the spirit of all things whimsy and wee, to make it as small as possible....that being said its still probably about 4" x 6" but still a challenge to cut out!



And of course this was all sent along with a teapot and mason jar full of found and bought whimsies =) I hope she can find use for it all! I had a lot of fun making it.

A small rant

*sigh*

Ok this is frustrating. I have twice now bought E6000 glue which is awesome and wonderful. HOWEVER. Twice now I've had it for a few months and then after squeezing and getting some glue out, it somehow becomes unglued at the bottom where it's supposed to be sealed shut and leaks nasty toxic glue all over me!!!! Seriously, glue company design these containers better so they don't leak and make me throw away a half a bottle of expensive glue! I might not be buying it again just because its more of a waste and I don't use it all that much to make it worth it.

Anyway....

I slacked last weekend when I probably should have been doing homework and got some fun holiday gift crafting done. I suppose the only thing that's good about the holiday time going fast is that before you guys know it, I'll be able to share all this fun stuff with you instead of keeping it all secret.

This weekend will not be slackage though....I have a 10 page paper to write >.< which I am not looking forward to. Buuuuutttt after this hurdle I think I will be feeling a lot better about my school stuff having that monster behind me and will hopefully be in much better spirits. I think I might be getting my "first" wind (as compared to a second....I have yet to find the first so yeah..).

Have a great night all!