0 My Entry for EBSQ's February 'What a Doll' Show: 'Beryl Moon'

Meet 

"Beryl Moon"

"Beryl Moon", a sculpted Art Doll created from re-purposed objects

Last month, EBSQ, the online art community I've long been a member of, hosted their monthly art exhibit, with the theme for February being, "What a Doll".  This was my entry: "Beryl Moon", an Art Doll sculpted using paper mache plus a whole host of all-recycled materials 

(to see my entry in the exhibit).....

"The Moon Was But a Chin of Gold", by Emily Dickinson

I painted and finished her as inspired by the following poem, by Emily Dickinson:

The Moon was but a Chin of Gold
A Night or two ago—
And now she turns Her perfect Face
Upon the World below—

Her Forehead is of Amplest Blonde—
Her Cheek—a Beryl hewn—
Her Eye unto the Summer Dew
The likest I have known—

Her Lips of Amber never part—
But what must be the smile
Upon Her Friend she could confer
Were such Her Silver Will—

And what a privilege to be
But the remotest Star—
For Certainty She take Her Way
Beside Your Palace Door—

Her Bonnet is the Firmament—
The Universe—Her Shoe—
The Stars—the Trinkets at Her Belt—
Her Dimities—of Blue—

"Beryl Moon", a view from behind

She was actually a long time coming, my "Beryl Moon", because I initially began her many moons (ha-ha) ago, only to set her aside for some reason (ADHD mostly, I suppose), abandoned and unfinished.   Started as part of a project to rescue the dead, mangled barbies left behind after my daughter's childhood, it was my intention to breath new life into these hopelessly broken objects so as to keep them out of the waste stream, where they were surely destined.  And I did get a reasonably good and interesting start on a few of them, before I became distracted by something else and rudely shoved them all onto the back-burner (story of my life?)....

An in-progress project I call the "Dead Barbies Society" -- its mission being to turn useless broken junk into Art, people!  ART...!

However, this one in particular was the furthest along....: 

....thus she was the one I grabbed when I decided I needed something to enter into the EBSQ "Doll" show last month...:

And so I got her finished, finally....! 

The following is cut and pasted from my artist/entry statement (because I'm lazy like that):

Buried deep inside 'Beryl Moon', under Celluclay (a commercial paper clay product) and layers of paper mache, is a wee 'injured' action figure, but a few inches tall, and missing an arm. Spared from a landfill life, he now provides some inner armature for this Art Doll, though little of him is actually recognizable anymore, given that an entirely new being was sculpted over and around his original form, using re-purposed items (including but not limited to: a plastic cup, multiple plastic cup lids, and newspaper), for a complete and thorough transformation. A whole new, crescent-moon shaped head was sculpted from Celluclay and attached (the head of the original figure/doll ends somewhere deep within in the present neck/chest area), along with a newly sculpted arm, and new hands. In addition to gaining inches in height (now standing about a foot tall), "he' also became a 'she', complete with a newly sculpted bosom, as well as a big, bustled and flowing skirt of Stars -- using as my inspiration the poem, "The Moon Was But a Chin of Gold", by the wonderful and talented poet, Emily Dickinson....: 

"....now she turns Her perfect Face
Upon the World below—...."

And so there you have it, my "What a Doll" show entry.  

Which..., I'm happy to be able to report tied for "Member's Mention" (2nd Place) in the show...!  Thanks so much, EBSQ...!

Detail: My Entry for EBSQ's February 'What a Doll' Show: 'Beryl Moon'

0 A Few Random Fall Updates....

"...Summer's over.  Now it's Fall. 
Just the nicest time of all..."

"Now It's Fall", by Lois Lenski, published in 1948

....or so read the first line in one of my favorite childhood tomes.  Did anyone else have this vintage classic lying around their house growing up?  I so adored it, pouring over the simple/sweet illustrations while reading it over and over -- so that even today, all these years later, I can still recite the thing pretty much verbatim.  Well in any case, it indeed IS Fall.  Shorter days and cooler temps can mean but one thing around here -- Midwestern autumn color is soon to bloom.  May it be good and showy this year. Plus, don't know about you, but I myself am looking very much forward to the imminent appearance of pumpkin-flavored Everything (yummm)....

In other news, my private, youth art classes have started up again this fall.   I do so enjoy working with children -- such a pleasure.  Here are two of my students experimenting with Still Life painting...:

I set up a vase of roses for each...

Working out their compositions...

Acrylic paint on stretched canvas....

This was after a couple of sessions.  Aren't they coming along beautifully...?

Now for some randomness...... 

Rock talk:  I was recently lucky enough to stumble across this pebble below.  Long time readers will understand how thrilled I always am to find special wee 'Rock People' ( to see Rock People gallery here) -- that is to say, little faces and characters in the bumps, cracks and crevices within a rock's natural shape.  Can you not spy the obvious profile in this one, along the left side...?  (with an eye, nose, mouth and nice strong chin?)

A Face in the Rock:  His Left Side....

And his Right Side (again, an Eye, Nose, Lips and Chin.  He's Perfect!

I was thinking at first that he looked like another "Man in the Moon" (much like this little fellow) -- but just today, when taking these pics, I realized there is also an 'Abraham Lincoln' thing possibly going on here, of all things.  Hmmm, an Abraham Lincoln painted rock -- now that would be a challenge....!

................

One last tidbit for now.  I want to share with you a fabulous little surprise gift I received from a friend when we recently met for coffee.  She said she had a little something to give to me, but I couldn't imagine what it might be.  How I laughed when I unwrapped this little gem...!

Mini Statue of Liberty, in all her glory...!

Again, long time readers reading this will recall my epic project from a few years ago, back when I was commissioned to create a ten-foot tall replica of the Statue of Liberty, in papier mache, to be shipped 2,000 miles across the country....: 

For comparison purposes, here is my ten-foot Lady, once she was all finished)

While I welcomed the challenge of the Project (having blogged all about it here), and it was fun, I have to admit it was still intense at times, such that by the time she was finished and out the door, it did take some months before I could stand to see Statue of Liberty references and not freak out, if only a little, heh (shudders).  Because I promise you, once you become hypersensitive to the Statue of Liberty's image...?  She's popping up everywhere.  Via commercials.  Movies.  Magazines. Books. Videos.  Ads for the most random stuff imaginable (I swear she's used to sell anything and everything) -- it's clearly not called 'iconic' for nothing.  But while I once had to practically shield my eyes, lol..., the fact that I absolutely adore my Lilliputian Lady must mean I'm in full recovery...!

She really is wee, but nice and heavy for her size (given that she also happens to be a handy-dandy pencil sharpener) ...

It would have been fun to have taken a pic of my two Liberties together, for size reference.  Guesstimating, I figure the Mini might be about the length of my 10-footer's nose...?

As for the Real Deal...?  Gosh I dunno, maybe an eyelash...? 

The real Lady Liberty in her harbor home, in a photo I took from our speeding car on a trip through New York several years ago.  How excited I was to spy her!  (this was well before I had any inkling of The Project, mind)....

And lastly, here I am introducing Little Lady to my pet cockatiel 

(he's not so sure he cares for her very much):

"Hey, what is that thing...?!?"

Also let us not forget that the Nibblefest Art Contest starts in less than two days (on the 20th).  The theme for September is 'Cats' (read about it here) -- here's hoping you'll join us then for a look/see of all the great Cat entries (starting at just .99 cents!).   Note that I've been working on my entry -- check back soon for updates....

Happy Autumn, all (well, all those in the Northern Hemisphere that is)....!

Detail: A Few Random Fall Updates....

0 "Sisters": My Entry for EBSQ's June Show, 'Butterflies and Moths'.....

"Sisters", a painting on a 6 x 8, reclaimed wooden plaque....

This painting, entitled 'Sisters' on a 6 x 8 reclaimed wooden plaque, is my entry for EBSQ's "Butterflies and Moths' exhibit.  It is also a donation I am making to a local silent auction to benefit the group, Young Survival Coalition (YSC), a national organization that serves to support and educate young women with breast cancer.  As a breast cancer survivor myself, I found our local affiliate of the YSC to be enormously helpful when I needed it, and even though my own treatment is well behind me, I've made many lasting friendships through the group so I am happy to lend my support for the cause.   Combining the idea of 'Sisters', as related to the YSC, and 'Moths', as related to the EBSQ show, this was the idea that came to mind....a beautiful Luna moth, and her namesake, Luna, the Moon.......  

Detail: "Sisters": My Entry for EBSQ's June Show, 'Butterflies and Moths'.....

0 Day 11 of the '29 Faces' May Challenge: 'New Moon', 5 x 5 Acrylic Painting

"New Moon":  a 5 x 5 Acrylic painting on re-purposed wooden Board....

Day 11 of the '29 Faces' May Challenge.  18 more Faces to go.....

I was looking forward tonight to what I was expecting to be a quiet evening here at home -- hanging out in the studio, catching up on all my various painting pursuits (in particular my Student Art Journal Project, which I still have TONS to work on before they are to be finished by Tuesday!), perhaps even getting back to some much-neglected email correspondence.  Only I ended up instead spending the better part of this evening tracking down unauthorized usages of a couple of my art images.  So much for my plans!  But oh well -- these things come up all the time and have to be addressed, besides just being part and parcel of the managing of one's own art business.  Unfortunately it did mean though that I did NOT get around to painting as I'd hoped to though.  Happily however, I still have a 'new' Face up my sleeve -- one that I've been hoarding precisely for such emergencies.  And so we have here the companion piece to the painting I posted as my Face for Day 3 of the Challenge, my portrait of the Sun   -- a painting that, like my Sun portrait, I had created late last month, but never had the opportunity to officially blog about yet (until now!).....
 

As mentioned in that previous post, I entered two small works in late April to a local art show, whereby all the art submitted was 5 x 5 in size, and pertained to the theme "What You Love".   It was a lovely spring day the morning I set out to create my entries, and, having decided to paint the Sun as one of my beloved 'things', of course I then also simply HAD to paint a Moon. These things go hand in hand as far as I'm concerned....!

Here they are as a happily anthropomorphic, celestial set:

The Moon and the Sun, two 5 x 5 Paintings for the local 'What I love"-Themed Art Show

Detail: Day 11 of the '29 Faces' May Challenge: 'New Moon', 5 x 5 Acrylic Painting

0 Day 3 of '29 Faces' May Challenge: "Here Comes the Sun"

"Here Comes the Sun" (Acrylic on vellum mounted permanently to a 5 x 5 handcut wooden board)

My Face for Day 3 of the new '29 Faces' in May challenge.  26 more Faces to go....

Today's entry I admit finds me cheating ever so slightly.   It was a rushy-rush kind of day on my end (I know -- excuses, excuses), including teaching, multiple errands, a  soccer game, dinner out, and, last but not least, visiting with out-of-state relatives.  Since I do wish to sleep tonight (and desperately!)  I'm using as my Face of the Day a project I actually completed late LAST month, but hadn't managed to get around to blogging about.  Yet.

This little painting is currently hanging in a local gallery exhibit (along with its companion piece, which I will save blogging about for another mega-busy day).  The exhibit is called the "5 x 5  Show', with the theme of the show being 'What You Love" --  a very fun concept for an art exhibit.  For me, when I was preparing to paint my own two 5"x 5" show entries, and contemplating all the many and varied things that I love and might want to paint about, we were experiencing in these parts a particularly gorgeous warm and sunny spring day after a lengthy patch of gloomy chill.  I felt so grateful for the sun at that moment that I was more than happy to paint up a little ode to it.  In fact anthropomorphic celestial beings have always been long-time favourite subjects of mine -- smiling happy Suns, Moons and Stars just somehow never fail to cheer me up.....

Detail: Day 3 of '29 Faces' May Challenge: "Here Comes the Sun"

0 Day 22 of the '29 Faces' Challenge: Another Nibblefest Art Contest Entry....

"Good Morning, Starshine" : A  3.5 x 4.5 Painted Reclaimed Wooden Plaque

Beveled Edges and Painted on All Sides

The background is actually more purply-dark blue than the flat black as it appears here.

Day 22 of the '29 Faces' Challenge!  And I was really hoping to get to bed before Midnight tonight....but alas, it is not to be.  Well at any rate, for my Face for Day 22 I ended up whipping up another Nibblefest Art Contest entry today, being as that it was the 22nd and I could enter a 5 day auction. 

*For Auction Link*

As mentioned in a previous post, I adore painting Anthropomorphic Moons.  Therefore I couldn't very well have a Nibblefest theme like 'Moonlight' and not come up with at least one little MoonFace for it.  And for my support I recycled a 2nd hand-acquired, small wooden plaque that I'd been hoarding for awhile (after saving it from the landfill)....

My auction description:

"...I am currently participating in a very fun art blog Challenge, called '29 Faces in February':  a 'face' in any medium, for every day this month. So far I have managed to paint (and blog about) a Face of some ilk every single day for the past three weeks.  Since today (Wednesday) is Day 22 of the Challenge, and I just happen to LOVE painting anthropomorphic moons, I decided to come up with one last entry for the Contest, that I can also just happen to use as my art challenge "Face-du-Jour".   How practical...! ..."

Detail: Day 22 of the '29 Faces' Challenge: Another Nibblefest Art Contest Entry....

0 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)...):

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

0 Day 7: 'Bloo Moon' Painted Rock

My goodness, has it really already been a whole week since the beginning of the '29 Faces' challenge....?  How quickly it's going....!   

I have to admit, when I first heard about this Challenge, I did have a moment's hesitation in regards to taking part.   I think it was the thought of the daily blogging that really gave me pause -- it just seemed so...daunting.  And yet here with a full week under my belt, I'm pleased with how I've been keeping up so far, plus how there is no question at all about the fun to be had in participating.  The interaction with my fellow artists and blog followers has truly been a pleasure and an inspiration, and I'm so appreciative of all the lovely comments I've been lucky to receive. So too with the many nice emails I've gotten since all this began --  it means a lot to me and I thank you all! (Note: to any who haven't heard return word from me yet, please know you will very soon as I catch up on my correspondence :-))....

So here we are -- Day 7 of the Challenge.  Tuesdays are always my busiest day, and today was no exception -- nevertheless I still managed a few hours of studio time this evening, which afforded me to finish, for once and for all, another wee rock painting.....  

Meet "Bloo Moon": 

"Bloo Moon", a Painted Rock

 

 Who can resist that face...?

 

 Here we see Mr. 'Bloo Moon' in his classic crescent shape, nestled comfortably in a cushion of clouds (A view of his right side).

 

(Yes, these photos are rather crappy, sadly,  but the best I could do tonight given my light-challenge house (will reshoot in natural light asap)...(

Lots of Character in his face (painted following the natural shape and contours of the rock)

(A view of his left side)

I'd begun 'Bloo Moon' many moons ago, even declaring him 'finished' a time or two over the years.....and yet somehow, I was never really satisfied, and as such never uploaded him anywhere online.  Tonight while re-examining him (again), I realised that more contrast between him and his 'cloud' would be an improvement, plus more definition in his features, among other details.  Correcting these things this evening I am now much happier.  Victory!  Yet another 'Finis!'....!

Detail: Day 7: 'Bloo Moon' Painted Rock

0 September Nibblefest Art Contest: "Ode To Blue"

"Blue Moon Guardian", my 9" x 12' original entry for this month's Nibblefest Art Contest



What a week! We've had contractors crawling around here for days doing extensive and much-needed insulation work on our ramshackle, century-old home. Lots of noise, fuss and muss, inside AND out -- though all of it should prove very worthwhile once we start seeing what we hope will be significantly lower energy/heating bills this winter, brrrrr. It's always been so bone-chillingly frigid in here during the cold months that I suppose I'll only truly believe it when I actually see it (and FEEL it!). Which ought not be too long now, hard as it is to believe that we are actually at the official first day of Autumn....

Something else that we are currently at right now, is yet another round of the fun and fabulous Nibblefest Art Contest...! The theme for September is 'Ode to Blue'. Well, needless to say, I adore the color blue, so in spite of all the commotion around here I did manage to come up with a NFAC entry. I was in the mood to do something whimsical and fun -- plus for once I actually entered a larger painting this time around, as opposed to my customary ACEO's ( for link to my entry auction)...

My auction description:

A tribute to one of my favorite colors, this unframed ORIGINAL was painted in acrylics on 9" x 12" canvas sheet, and features a lovely whimsical creature, perched on a branch and cuddling her infant under the watchful, trustworthy gaze of a friendly and smiling, blue crescent Moon....

For further information regarding the Nibblefest Art Contest (NFAC), I highly recommend reading this really good blog post about it, hot off the Wordpress press as written by my friend and fellow artist/blogger/Nibbler, Sherry Skey (check it out here)....

Happy Nibbling, Everyone...!

.

Detail: September Nibblefest Art Contest: "Ode To Blue"

0 The Nibblefest Art Contest Rolls Around Again....

An ACEO entitled, 'Catch a Falling Star', the theme for July being "Imaginary Creatures' ( for auction link)...



Nibblefest Time! For those not in the know, the Nibblefest Art Contest (or, NFAC) is a fun and friendly, themed monthly art competition, hosted via ebay. All entries must pertain to the theme somehow, AND be listed with a starting bid of .99 cents. My entry for this month is an ACEO featuring a young woman who, to her surprise and delight, has been lucky enough to catch a fallen star.... (To see all of this month's lovely themed Nibblefest entries, here)...

Detail: The Nibblefest Art Contest Rolls Around Again....