More on things other than clay/pottery

I found this lovely poem on another blog I follow:


The Way It Is

There’s a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn’t change.
People wonder about what you are pursuing.
You have to explain about the thread.
But it is hard for others to see.
While you hold it you can’t get lost.
Tragedies happen; people get hurt
or die; and you suffer and get old.
Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding.
You don’t ever let go of the thread.

By William Stafford, from The Way It Is, 1998

I posted it on facebook (though I really don't post there much), then I got to thinking about this poem and thinking about my "thread." The one that keeps me from getting lost/hurt/--that which goes among things that change. I guess I could say "faith" that "all will be as it must be", but that thread is a bit exalted. I have another thread that I don't ever let go of, and that thread is embodied in the name of this blog---"play." I love to play, and playing at anything creative is the thread I hope to hang on to until I have lost the ability to hang on.

OK, that is enough seriousness for now.

That "thread" enables me to go wherever and whatever creative muse takes me. Right now, I am playing at using as many of the things I like to play with and finding new ways to use them. You know I love my silkscreens!! I have also been cutting stencils to use with paint (although I will also be able to use them with clay when that clay muse wakes up), but in the meantime, I am intrigued with journaling (really just messing about) on book pages and trying out all the ways to do that. It takes a bit of time to dry paint and to keep it from sticking pages to each other, and smudging, I have to hop from one thing to another and then go back when things are dry, etc. I have been intrigued with the idea of creating acrylic skins to use in collages, etc and found several places on the inernet that get through the basics. But I wondered if my silkscreens could be integrated into acrylic skins, and they can! I have done a few experiments, but now am ready to go at it more seriously. It is a process that takes a few days to accomplish. I have created a video that explains part one.

Part two will be later today when the initial paint dries I will then apply liquid clear tar gel which will take about 24 hours to dry before revealing  the product.  I did experiment with abstract "skin" a few weeks ago, which is similar to most of the types I found on You Tube, I squirted black, red and white paint onto a polypropylene page protector, let that dry, then squeegeed (used a credit card) a very thin layer of either clear tar gel, or liquid pouring gel (can't remember which now), I think this one was the liquid pouring gel and got a sheet of this, you can barely see in lower right hand corner where I was beginning to peel it up from the page protector.

When dry and pulled up as a sheet, I decided to try to make a bracelet with it.  The gold bracelet in the background is one I made with hot glue and gold leaf, I have not shared that hobby with all of you "yet."  Will do someday soon,  I have made the most amazing pieces of jewelry using hot glue!  Again, "Play" is that thread.  Anyway, I was exploring pushing the envelope a bit with what can be done with these skins.  If you google acrylic skins, you will see what is out there.  Anyway, I used a hot glue structure and wrapped a piece of the acrylic skin onto the glue structure and created this very funky bracelet. 

Will post again when I have more results.  Meanwhile, I have been having lots of fun with the book pages and silkscreens/paint, etc. Here are a few more recent projects:

More inspirations, testing designs in a journal

I am combining my silkscreens "and" stencils made on my cameo to come up with some interesting designs.
Used a zentangle silkscreen on top of a fish cutout stencil to create this:  For now they are in my sample journal, but they will be excellent references to use with my ceramic work as well as art journal/pages
The following page is just stencils cut on Cameo using cheap poypropylene document covers each one gets me two stencils 8.5"x11"  They will work beautifully on Iclay since they are very thin and will stick to the clay.  The small wave is something I carved out of Dollar Tree erasers and use as stamps.

The orange, pink, etc design was just a stencil, again cut out of polypropylene with the Cameo,  I now have a tremendous supply to use with gelli plates, art journals, maybe even canvases.  Grandaughter will be here next month, and maybe I can interest her to "play" with me using all this stuff.

A quick experiment using Inktense Blocks on fabric

Experimenting and playing

One of my recent favorite coloring medium is  (are?) the Derwent Inktense Blocks.  I have a set of 24 bought at Amazon and love them.  They are intense colors if you want them to be but light watercolor looking if you want that also.  Most importantly, when dry, they are permanent and you can use on fabric, paper, etc.

 I have been using some things made with my Cameo (mostly stencils, but I thought, hmmm, wonder how some of my early foam cuts would work used as stamps.  Remember one of my earliest foam cuts of girl swinging on tree?

I turned her over, spritzed backside with water from a fine mist spray bottle then swiped the blocks over different parts to color them, yellow for hair, blue for dress, some neutral skin tones and browns and green for leaves, etc, --here is a picture of  the smeary mess--

 then turned her over (just used my fingers with a paper towel to press down onto paper, and here is what I got:

here is a picture after stamping showing the blocks I used.

Then I took the dancers from another early experiment in cutting foam on the Cameo

Did the same thing as above

and stamped this

I love the painterly, watercolorey look of these.  I also sprayed cosmetic sponge onto stencils I made with the Cameo and created these pages in my sample book.

another foam geometric stamped on page using inktense as well:

and here are shots of samples using stencils cut with Cameo and inktense blocks

And these three Silkscreened Vases too

and this little pot makes me smile

Used end of soda pop bottle (large) to make this and hurriedly decorated to get into kiln but these stick figures always make me smile:

and more from the kiln

You saw the video using silkscreens on this vessel
here is the finished product:

earlier posting on this vessel

More from the kiln

I was asked to create a plate for a granmother to be--with a sentiment in Spanish which I created from a silkscreen I made.  The shape and decoration of the plate came from this foam cut:

Finished plate came out of kiln yesterday.  Grandmother was pleased and will present it to her daughter at the baby shower:

Foam Template cut with Cameo use with clay --Tree Vessel

Here is a step by step from cutting forest in foam to final vessel

A few finished pieces

Unloaded my kiln today will post more later but the bowls I made using the foam template turned out pretty nice.  Used Spectrum low fire glaze "Old Copper"  single  fired to cone 04.

Made two of these using the foam template I covered in this post:

The square plate below was made using this template

Video showing using silkscreens on clay

Links to where I purchased items used in making silkscreens and using them.
InkJet Transparencies:  box of 20 from Amazon  $21.26 Prime incl tax

$1.06 each

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003Y62QJA/ref=pe_385040_30332190_TE_M3T1_ST1_dp_1

Sources for emulsion coated sheets:

http://www.photoezsilkscreen.com/order.htm

http://ezscreenprint.com/standardrefills.aspx

Sheets cost about:  $9.00--$14.00 each if you buy the 5 pkg plus shipping.  

polypropylene page protectors:  100 for $12.82 (Prime including tax)  $.13 each

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E23SI0/ref=pe_385040_30332190_TE_M3T1_ST1_dp_1

Colour Shaper Painting Tool, Flat Chisel, Soft, Size 0   $6.99

http://www.cheapjoes.com/colour-shaper-painting-tool-flat-chisel-soft-size-0.html

Silkscreening more than clay

I love these comfortable visors and have them in different colors.  But I got the notion to decorate them a bit using my silkscreens.  After removing the squiggly thingy it lies flat and is perfect for silkscreening.  Here's my first one using the silkscreen shown.

I  had used this silkscreen over another stencil on this page of my sample book.  I have ordered a bunch more visors and may just replicate this design on one also.  I love artwork and the idea of wearing it.  

More silkscreen on clay

Here are a few more awaiting final glazing and firing.  These are all greenware (dried not fired), and silkscreened underglazes applied.  I will single fire soon.  Waiting for full kiln load.

Here is a pic of silkscreen used with paint in a journal I am keeping (now) as a reference to my screens:

He

re are some pictures of it used on three vases

The stuff you see spilling over the top is clear glaze that I applied to inside of vases.  I will coat the outside with clear glaze before firing.

Here is another vase, different kind of shape that I am experimenting with, also silkscreened with a pattern that I had silkscreened a sample of with black paint into my notebook reference.  

and, of course my stick figure "shelfies" I will fire them and add wire and either kites or balloons through the holes I have made in their hands