My resolution this year was to devote more time to my creativity. Since I went back to work almost full-time (30 hours a week), I feel like my time for my art has diminished, and I have a deadline of 2/23 to enter SFA's Texas National Show and see if I can get accepted. For months, I have been collecting smokeless tobacco containers. I'm fascinated by the aspect of all those rounds. My boss is a chewer and although I think the habit is worse than my smoking, it irks me more that those damn containers aren't recyclable. One of the things I've always been intrigued with is the fact that if you use the same shape 100 times in a piece of art, it becomes something larger, different, and gorgeous! I don't know why it happens, but it does.
For example, if you see one amaryllis lily, it's beautiful, right? But if you see an entire yard covered with them, surrounding every tree, in front of every wall of the house, it takes your breath away. I think I can do the same thing with smokeless tobacco containers. We'll see....I like to work out a piece on paper before doing the actual 3D installation, and it is still cooking in my mind. I know they will be painted, color to be decided later, so yesterday got them all washed and cleaned, peeled off labels, and tonight started gesso-ing them to accept whatever color I decide on later. If you're not an artist, gesso is the white paintlike substance they put on canvas fabric to make a canvas paintable and it will accept whatever color you use as new. I could use the black of the containers as the base, but it won't give me as true a final color as gesso-ing first. Gesso is like putting a base coat of Kilz on a wall; it covers everything.
And if you don't know what Kilz is, well, I just give up. Google it.
On a personal note, for the followers of Elvis and Ducky, the two ducks I feed every day at our local pond, I went by after work today because I had not been out all weekend (because of the smallest room in the house thing). My friend's daughter came with me cause I had just picked her up from school and Elvis put on a great flying show. For the uninformed, Elvis is about a 20 lb. muscovy duck who has about a 6 foot wingspan. He put on quite a show for my young friend flapping his big loud wings and flying in to just in front of us for his bread. He came up and let me hand feed him, as always, but I'm careful with my fingers!
Ducky did not show tonight, and this is the first time since he showed up last July that Ducky has not been at Elvis' side when I came by the pond. I'm a little worried; Ducky is a hybrid mallard with deformed wings and I'm not sure he can fly. I'll swing by in the morning after I drop off Jen and see if he's around. Maybe he CAN fly and is sleeping in a different spot. Who knows? Hopefully he'll turn back up in the morning; he's a funny little guy and I have an odd affection for Ducky. FYI, here's the two of them:
You see how Elvis got his name.That's our Ducky! I love his curly tail!
On a sad note, we didn't get to see Travis and Kadence today. Travis was gonna come over yesterday and do laundry, but he didn't feel good. So we haven't seen Kadence since NYE, and we are both missing her awful. Still, it's better if he waits till later in the week to come over. That way, Max gets to see the baby too. Sandra is due on 1/17; Kadence was six days early, so basically we're expecting the new arrival almost any day. Kadence will stay with us while Sandra's in the hospital, and I'm hoping a couple of days when the new baby goes home so they can get a bit of a break. Kadence is a busy BUSY kid right now! 18 months old and into everything, and nosy and curious and smart and funny We luffs her!!!
Damn, was eating cookies while I was writing and got crumbs in my bed!
Love to all those I love who love me back,
allison
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