March 22, 2017

Brr! Isn't it supposed to be spring? 

I am practicing drawing and painting Oaxacan patterns.

 I have a collection of the little wooden critters from Mexico.

I don't have a very steady hand and I am in awe of the tiny details the Oaxacan artists create.

 

 

March 16, 2017   Winter waited until March! Brr! Snow and Ice and Wind!

 I made these a few years ago. Recently pulled them and and touched them up. Each one is a board with a riot of found objects glued on. Spraying it black unifies the composition.

The technique reminds me of Louise Nevelson's work.


You can read about her and see some of her artworks at http://www.louisenevelsonfoundation.org/

  

Here is one by itself.

A long time since the last post. My Dad's health declined rapidly last fall and he died December 6. It's amazing how grief will stop one's normal activities and mindset in their tracks. I've made a few small things with paper mache, done some doodling, and made a few necklaces.

The "beads" are Styrofoam balls covered with paper mache.

My desktop computer crashed and died in December so a lot of my pictures are still on data sticks.

I made these for Halloween with small gourds.

Soon I will post some other work from my sketchbook that I have uploaded to Instagram.
It's time to purchase my Art for Arf canvases and get busy.

Now what in the world have I been doing since I added those last pictures at the end of May?

Hmmm... oh yes
working at the writing center at VMI and writing a blog about writing analysis essays.
 Blog address
http://sites.vmi.edu/drakemp 

Working on a collage for an August show Farm to Table using rust fabric, leaf printing, and stitching on a canvas covered with wrinkled tissue paper, painted and rubbed with show polish.

July was mostly downtime and puttering around with nothing much to show for it.

Now it is time to keep up with the tomato harvest by making gallons of tomato juice.

I offered classes at CFSOTA, but only three people signed up in May and then no one else all summer. We'll try again in September.
Need to visit the new director there soon so we can talk about what kinds of classes might fly. Monsters?

My three works for SPCA ART FOR ARF 2016 Lexington, VA. Nelson Gallery. Show opens Friday.

   Masks from the web

The mask making class at The Clifton Forge school of the Arts is going well. The members are three adult women who seem to be enjoying themselves! Two are making African looking masks and one is going a more sculptural route.

For Thursday May 19 we will make paper mache clay and experiment with using it on the masks and constructions.

If you have not yet visited UltimatePapermache.com check this out:

http://www.ultimatepapermache.com/snowy-owl-adding-feathers-with-paper-mache-clay

Here is the first recipe I tried. it makes a sticky "fibery" clay with texture.
The ingredients are inexpensive, and can be found at your local grocery store and hardware store. You will need:

• Cheap toilet paper (measure the wet paper pulp, and use 1 1/4 cups – some rolls contain more paper than needed)
• 1 cup Joint compound from the hardware store (get premixed “regular,” that comes in a plastic tub, not the dry powder form.) (Not sure what Joint compound is, or what it’s called in your country? click here.)
  Note:  The DAP brand does not work. All other brands will work just fine.
  
• 3/4 cup Elmer’s Glue-all (PVA glue)
  
• 1/2 cup White Flour
• 2 tablespoons Linseed Oil or Mineral Oil (Linseed oil contains chemicals, so mineral oil is a better choice if you’re working with kids, or if you like to get your hands in the clay.

The video is here:
 
http://www.ultimatepapermache.com/paper-mache-clay 

I have also tried this recipe. It makes a silky smooth clay just like the recipe says.

First, mix together –
1/2 cup toilet paper (24 grams dry, 110 grams wet)
1/2 cup Joint Compound (200 grams)
1/2 cup Elmer’s glue (130 grams)
1/2 cup corn starch (70 grams)
3 tablespoons mineral oil (or use linseed oil or any vegetable oil)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (70 grams) to start
Then, add up to 3/4 cup (100 grams) all-purpose flour and mix.

Jonni Good's video about making it is here:

http://www.ultimatepapermache.com/new-air-dry-clay-recipe 

For both recipes it is essential that you either use up your clay within a few days or store it in a truly airtight container in the dark. Since the flour is an organic ingredient you will get MOLD! Yuck! 

The Clifton Forge School of the Arts will offer more mask making classes in July and August. 
http://www.cfsota.org/