The Studio

I was trying to go to sleep the other night and it wasn’t happening. I took these images of part of the studio.

The office part of my studio. This is where I do all my writing, graphic design, and creating templates and other things to use in my art. To the left are some shelves where I store wood and some supplies. Out of camera view on the left is my paint rack.

Where the work is done. Or at least some of the work. Now that winter is on around the corner I will be doing most of the work here. I use the balcony for sawing and sanding and sometimes the dining table to cut paper. I also use the bathroom sink to wash brushes. The closet to the right is where I store most of my tools and some scraps of wood.

Cutting a big slice of wood cake from a section of dowel

The wood dowel is 2 inches wide. I made three cuts to get a nice looking cake wedge shape. I cut seven of them. With a hand saw.

Priming surfaces

Starting a new assemblage box by painting a white primer coat. I’m being more vigorous with brushing this one. After this primer coat dries I will paint the actual colors using a brush and spreader card.

This is what you get when you hold the camera in one hand and brush with the other. At least I have the option of saying “cheese” to snap the image instead of using a finger or thumb.

A controlled still posed shot.

The finished primer coat on the inside and outside of the box.

More fun with cakes and ladders and snakes

I started this one the beginning of September and finally finished it yesterday. I had it sitting aside for weeks till while I started and finished a couple of other pieces. I finally figured out what I wanted to do to finish it a couple of weeks ago. I’m glad I didn’t rush this one.

I think there's a naked red velvet birthday cake hiding up there somewhere.
Wood, acrylic paint, laser cut MDF, recycled wire
24 x 7 x 2.5 inches (61 x 17.8 x 6.3 cm)

Tools: Plastic Wood Filler

Not really a tool but I use this stuff to fill nail holes and gaps in wood. It dries fairly quick and is easy to sand smooth. A piece of I’m working on slipped out of my grip and fell to the floor and smashed one of the corners so I’m using some of this stuff to try and rebuild the corner.

The lids of these cans of wood filler are always upside down from the label.

I like to use the Natural color since I mostly use poplar and pine.

Tools: The heavy hunk of metal

I got this old hunk of metal from my father-law. When I’m laminating small pieces of paper I use this bar to as a weight to keep the lamination flat. I also use it as a clamp when I’m gluing small pieces together or needing to straighten slightly bend wood while the glue is setting. I also use it to hold small sheets and pieces of MDF in place when I’m cutting with a hand saw.

6.75 x 2.25 x 2.25 inches (17 x 5.7 x 5.7 cm) | 9.7 lb (4.4 kg)

Another tall building

I've had the front of this one put together for a couple of years and leaning against various walls. It would have been easier to use 45° angles for the roof but I chose to use what ended up being 72° angles. That made for some challenging cuts with the tools I have at my disposal. I used a hand saw and my mini table saw.

The sides being glued to the front.

Finishedwith a small base. I had to fix the front top point of the roof that got dented when it slipped out of my hands and hit the floor. The wood for the facade is very soft. I used plastic wood to rework the corner.

Casting halves of bottles

I made a mold of a small bottle and cut it in half and have been casting these halves of bottles to use in a piece. I am using Durham’s Rock Hard Putty as the casting medium. It sets up very rock hard as the product name implies. To make sure they do hold up I inserted a piece of bamboo skewer into the plaster while still wet and pliable. I’m not sure what else I’m going to do to them. Stay tuned.

Cayucos Coastal 07 in Progress

I came upon this interesting rock formation on one of my beach walks at Cayucos and thought it might make an interesting painting. I need to do some more work on the sky and a little more work on the left of the rock formation.

I did this one in a 16 x 20 inch format instead of my usual square.

Another tall Assemblage work

Here is how those six objects were used that I posted about yesterday. This is another of those where the main structure was constructed a few years ago but I could not figure out what to do with it until now. Some things can't be rushed I suppose.

Title: Another piece of art hanging by a thread. Well, isn't that just silly. Wood, acrylic paint, wire, string | 22.75 x 3.375 x 4.125 inches (57.8 x 8.6 x 10.5 cm) | October 2022

I created this miniature painting to mimic those in my Cayucos series that haven't been popular and haven't sold very well.

This image will give you an idea of the scale of the miniature painting in it's early stages.

Little Stuff

Making some tiny objects to go in another tall wall piece.

A tiny book, 8-ball, cupcake, pot, yo-yo, and slice of cake. The only ones I made are the book, cupcake and cake slice. The yo-yo is made from two wooden wheels from a craft store which is where I got the little wooden pot and bead. I plugged the holes in the bead with a stick to make the ball.

This is Clementine

Or at least it will be a version of Clementine the cat.

This is the initial drawing with colors quickly filled. I will rework the colors as the painting progresses.

Tools: Google Keep-Notes & Lists

Google keep is one of the handiest tools I have in my art tool box. It makes it easy for me to keep track of ideas for art projects, tool settings, things I want to look up and research, idea sketches, art techniques I find in publication and even art supply shopping lists. For example I have running lists of art project and title ideas that I can quickly record as I think of them. I can either key them in or use my S-pen to jot them down or record them by voice.

Finally using the tall building

I've had this tall building structure for a few years now and could not settle on how to use it. A week ago it suddenly came to me what to do with it and here is the result.

The building is made from recycled slats from a pallet. The windows are paint transfers from laser copies. The figure hanging by a string is made from wood, recycled Christmas lights wire, and the head of a broken brush. I suppose he is a carry over from 2020 & 2021 with his black mask.

I have included a couple of detail shots of the figure. Just for fun I added some direction text on the figure.

The title is: It was a tall order. Nevertheless he had high hopes for a soft landing.

Mixed media. | 26,25 x 5.5 x 6 inches () | October 2022

Tools: My Best Brush

I use this brush when I want to achieve smooth painting on small objects. I use my other rough brushes when I want to achieve more textured and sloppy work. This brush is also the one brush that is the easiest to clean. I don’t remember where I got this brush from. I think it was given to me.

#10 Protege 546 Flat(Extra Long)

Fine bristles and easy to clean.

Central coastal no. 15: progress

I'm trying something with a bit more detail in the foreground. The colors are still abstracted. I need to work with the foam and bubbles on the beach.

Central Coastal No. 15 in progress | 3000 x 3000 pixels | Infinite Painter 7 | Galaxy Tab S7 tablet

The reference image I used for the painting above.

Cayucos Coastal No. 7: progress

Beach scene at low tide. Trying something different with some colors and the sky.

Cayucos Coastal No. 07 in progress | 3000 x 3000 px | Infinite Painter 7 | GalaxyTab S7 tablet

The Buckets

Here are the finished buckets I have been post about. Although you can’t see it there is a hole drilled in the bottom of each bucket from which paint will leak out of.

A Tall One

I have had the basic structure of this piece sitting around in a corner of the studio for several years now and it suddenly came to me today what I want to do with it. This will be one that can hang on a wall or be free standing. I haven’t quite worked out what I want to do with the windows. More to come.

I’ve had the front facade put together for a few years now and today I added some reinforcing pieces in the back and sides and a base.

Equipped with hanging hardware.

Here is how the piece will hang on a wall. A white coat then an off white coat of paint have been applied.

Makeshift measuring

This is when scraps of paper come in handy.

A strip of card stock left over from trimming printed postcards. The length of the strip is the circumference of a bucket. The line in the center marks the circumference divided in half. The mark at the end of the strip is where I want to mark the holes in the two sides of each bucket for the handles to be inserted.

Marking the handle holes.