Steampunk Bird on Wheels

A couple years back I saw the work of an artist at a local art sales gallery who makes these little sculptural birds (some on actual wheels and he adorns them with metal and other 'found' items).  For the life of me I can not remember his name and need to look him up!  It will come to me though eventually (of course, I could call that gallery;  at some point I will update this post with his info!)

I did not purchase one of his bird sculptures but, was inspired to create a reminder of them!

I never really saw this as 'Steampunk' (Steam Punk?) until recently.  

Was thinking I should sell this but I can't quite let it go yet.  

It's 16 x 20" and bright and metallic and fun and swirly and makes me smile.  I actually glued on the feather and the button and little metal embellishment.

I will soon be using this image (maybe card sets?) in my etsy shop.

April ACEO calendar page

Spring ACEO series.  

The 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" bird and ribbon was inspired by the natural fibers in the hand-made art paper I found at the local supplier. Using corner-photo tabs I mounted it aside a calendar page for April on a 5 1/2 x 4 1/4" card stock.

After selecting the paper to paint, I thought the fiber color blob in the upper left kinda looked like little chickadees when they hang upside down on a branch.  I'm always watching them in my yard so, I painted one of their own as a little spectator to their antics. He sits on a branch in the background behind an embellished painted ribbon sprinkled with micro-glitter.

APRIL and the calendar were typed on my vintage 'ROYAL Quiet De Luxe' typewriter (a treasured, mid century heirloom that once belonged to my Aunt Hannah; used in her roll as a staffer to a district congressman who later became a U.S. Senator) I'm not sure of it's age but certainly mid-century; and I don't know what I'll do when the ribbon runs dry but, in the meantime, it is good to go with plenty left on the roll!!

I just noticed I used the
lower case i instead of the 
upper case I...
no 1 offered on this old typewriter! 



find this and other months http://www.etsy.com/shop/rainheart

Sheep at home with a mountain view

It's spring and sunny here but, way colder than the 53 degrees on the thermometer...wind chill?  No, it's 'damp chill' out.  So, today was the perfect day to get painting early since it's too chilly to be in the garden.

I'd previously prepared this collage background so it was ready and simply waiting for the right day to finish off with a spring theme.  

The water running off the slope is frigid and the sheep still wear their shaggy coat.  Any day now they will be running from the farmers shears!  

In the meantime, aren't they lucky to have a home with a mountain view?

 

Whimsical Painted Dog Portrait

Our dogs are very funny so, a big whimsical Dog Portrait is in order!

Detail of 16 x 20" Collage, wrapped canvas @2013

         This is a famous Shiba Imu.   Hope she tickles your funny bone!

Next up is a super cute Beagle...

then a Chihuahua.. a German Shepard...a Border Collie...a Shepard mix...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/125822407/your-dog-portrait-customized-made-to?

CLOWN ACEO

Lest we take ourselves too seriously (something I did for far too long) I have been throwing some mini-portraits of clowns to the wind in the form of ACEO.  

3" x 3" original acrylic on wrapped canvas frame

As I paint I imagine these clowns have worked very hard entertaining crowds of mildly disdaining people; maybe a too long parade or not enough money for the fare home and next thing you know, it's the morning after and they wake up in a bus station.  But are they discouraged?  No. The smile tells all...someone has actually dropped change in the hat and there is a photo-booth in the lobby....

                       These are in my Etsy shop (hence the necessary '@' symbol)


If this is your first encounter with ACEO here's the definition :
                         Art Cards Editions and Originals

These little treasures are a well established phenomenon in the 'artist community'.  They were developed by artists who traded or handed them out to fellow artists or clients as calling cards...original, memorable and the trend grew.  

ACEO has opened up a world of affordable art to artist-collectors and now just art lovers in general.  ACEO is perfect for the full audience of creators and collectors of mostly 'outsider' artwork.   

ACEO is open to your own interpretation and further definition; there is a blurry line these days between 'art' and 'craft' and that is much of what makes admiring ACEO so fun.

I have been creating a wide variety of ACEO for a while now...well before I knew there was a name for it and seemingly a whole community devoted to it!  

Spotting the Spotted Owl

 

As a deconstructor/reconstructor when I get lucky the re-purposed turns into something good looking, whimsical or even functionally satisfying

Put an Owl on it

The somewhat vintage fabric for this little skirt awaited an idea to bring it to a hanger as a finished fashion item.  In the Pacific Northwest you can't help but notice the 'put a bird on it' theme in many of the boutiques, so, I jumped on board with an old favorite, a spotted owl.

I decided to send this one out for sale and a kind shop keeper, a sweetheart really, with an eye for cool trends swept it up.  

I'm sure there's a more up to date name for it but I'll call it 'urban casual' style and I plan to create a few more items with my original owl design so, stay tuned!

Queen silhouette

It was a milking stool.  What?  Yeah, kind of outmoded but, whimsical none the less!

I added the queen's face in silhouette because it was right around the time of the Royal Wedding and a bit of Britannia whimsey was needed.  

It may be slightly inappropriate to set your bum on the queen's face if you don't have a sense of humor...

Sweet Lamb

Wood shims, paint and embellishments collide to create these two, sweet, wall hangings.   

Putting these together was so joyful (in my best buddy's studio with her making hers in a different color scheme right next to me).  

LOVE the results, especially the so, so so, sweet little lamb packaging graphic (I sure wish I had thought to make a copy and not used the original, alas, but that's what makes these wall hanging extra special...all the vintage touches!).  

Piled up vintage flower buttons and sewing treasures give them a charming theme, don't you think?

  available on etsy in the Rainheart shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/rainheart

Amphibious Art

This sure is a one of a kind that took a 'whimsey' mood during the creative process!
 

This Creature is mermaid-ish (or is it Merman?) and Amphibious (the two characteristics are HUMAN & FISH (rather than Land and Sea)

The lovely natural Silk used for the body is the perfect 'muddy pond' color and hand sewn with glass beads.  Fin tail is a gorgeous, wavy, high fabric and embellishments are shiny and simply pulled from the stash, a bit of tulle, a bit of yarn, etc.

The face is watery, slime green, pond scum-ish with an expression that is Mona Lisa-esque don't you think?

It can be placed on a sofa, chair or table to greet quests or has a way to hang from a ceiling hook to seemingly float toward you!

Amaryllis in FULL bloom!

These made it into the pot a bit too late for the Christmas decor...wouldn't they look great in a big Cupid pot? 

The 3 large and healthy bulbs were a gift from my green thumb S-I-L.  Her yard in the Willamette Valley is GORGEOUS.

I planted them in a single pot December 18th I was a bit under pressure and over budget on holiday decor so, I didn't shop/buy new pots and they landed in the biggest pretty pot I had available without me going to the shed....I thought it could be big enough to squeeze them all in....slightly!

I have no idea how to keep these bulbs alive for next year; the producer is Hadeco (have not looked it up yet but I just noticed the web address on the label www.hadecoamaryllis.com !!)

I LOVE the names of the flowers: Wedding Dance, Razzle Dazzle and Ragtime which is the BIG double red flower.

If you know how to keep these alive for next year please feel free to leave a comment!  (Climate area 6)

Sunshine helps!

We are being fooled by a false SPRING!  Just on the heels of a cold spell; but that's okay, we'll take it!