Projects...With My Busy, Busy Life

Inspiration From My Inner Artist

Ok, so I have now found more time in my weekends to accomplish other projects I have been wanting to do...hence the delay in writing again, sorry! I find I get side tracked in wanting, not to mention the need, to create art pieces now that I am not working 18 hour days as I was back in Alberta. Don't get me wrong, the long hours were definitely an eye opener and it allowed me to save some extra profit from wages but it was very tiring. So on to what these other projects are. Don't worry I am still painting and drawing but also have found time to create other projects with other mediums, such as metal wire. Soooooo very excited for this medium! Took a small 2.5 hour workshop at my current establishment of employment and it only makes me want to learn, create and research more on this amazing material. There are a variety of artists who work in this material which I have taken an interest to as well. Richard Stainthorp, Derek Kinzett, Michael Bergerman (local artist in my neck of the woods), Shi Jindian, and Selcuk Yilmaz just to name a few. When you look at the delicate nature of the metal wire and then the sculptures you see by these artists, you think there is no chance the small, flimsy wire can be transformed into pieces of art and sculpture without destroying the wire in the first place by all the bending and contouring. Well you are right but also not. It takes days, months and maybe even years of planning, taking chances and making mistakes before you can successfully manipulate the wire to your specifications. The research of what type of weighted wire to use to undertake your vision is needed too. Using a light gauged wire to create a massive sculpture will not work, you have to create the frame and sometimes large heavy duty metal rods are used as the starting point and then you work your way with the wire to create the form. There are also weaving techniques, looping styles and twisting methods to perfect the sculpture as well. As for materials...well that all depends on what you want the finished product to look like and such as well. You may think wiring is cheap so the finished product would not cost much. Wrong! It can take up to 4000 yards of wire to create one sculpture, you do the math and let me know how well that works out for you depending on the wire chosen. Don't forget to include the blood, sweat and tears it will take to create the sculpture as well. As mentioned above, I am still drawing and painting. Sadly, I have only been painting in Acrylics as of late due to I live in an apartment so poor ventilation and such will not allow me to work in oils, which I miss dearly. With that being said, it might be time to get a portable easel and get outside to paint in oils this summer, as long as the mosquitoes and ticks do not eat me alive...ew!! Anyway, back to my current paintings. I have been experimenting with different mediums with the paintings such as crackle mediums, metal leafing (which I am hoping to put a patina on them if I can find a way to do so while still on the canvas, suggestions??), varnishes and paint layers. So I really have not produced a painting to hopefully become an exhibition piece until I have find some methods which will successfully work for an exhibition piece for a theme I am researching. Stay tuned for that one once these paintings have worked out. As for drawing, well I am still working on a rather large piece over 4' tall and 2.5' wide. Charcoal on tar paper.....yes it has been over 2 years of continually working on it but it is a piece that is rather meaningful to myself. If something goes wrong then I tend to walk away from it until I magically realize what is it and fix it. I can happily say it is 50% complete and I am thrilled about this! Also, another project and medium I have been experimenting with is glass. On my most recent trip home I happened to go to a small gallery in a neighbouring community. The artist, who happens to be a glass mosaic artist, and myself started talking. She peaked my interests so I have been playing around with the materials and such to get my creative juices flowing in this medium too. So far, I have enjoyed it a lot and can see myself creating other projects for this as well. I just have to find a glass supplier, haha! With all that being said, here are a couple phone pictures of what I have been up to: