Tuesday, January 10, 2012

art, cats, plants, bricks.

Here are some photos of the big art I mentioned on Sunday... though it looks much less big hung on a big wall next to a big window. This was painted towards the end of the summer and I wasn't specifically painting it for our apartment, but Mike liked it and when it was finished it just seemed to be the perfect addition to our home.

new, big artnew, big art kitties, plants, bricks, art
new, big art
new, big art

It was inspired by a poem I wrote about standing at the edge of the ocean and is a little more abstract than a lot of my other pieces... and I love it. Beneath the paint is chunky bits of paper, metal, plastic, other scraps... some are (intentionally) peeling to reveal layers underneath. This piece is chunky, flaky, dripping, rough. Over the paint are dozens of lines of text from all kinds of poems, songs, old sea shanties, even encyclopedia descriptions of different oceans. My poem is hidden within them.

surveying the rooftops

And this is just a gratuitous photo of Chubby Boots surveying the seagulls flying down our street.

Since I spent nearly every minute of the last two months on my business, most of January is going to be spent working on personal art/crafts and other projects for our apartment... I'll try to find some good DIY projects to share!

10 comments:

  1. Mae - I can't tell you enough how obsessed I am with your art! I'm dying for an original piece one day. I love the one above!

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  2. This is a gorgeous painting, i love it ... i have been wanting to do something like that for ages so thanks for the inspiration. Love your work. x

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  3. LOVE LOVE... looks fabulous on your wall. The semi transparent & hidden writing is amazing...
    And Chubby Boots looks pretty good there too. :-)
    So happy for you Mae.
    xoxo

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    1. Thanks Pauline! Chubby Boots has been a good addition to our decor ;)

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  4. I am continually impressed and inspired by your work, Mae! Glad to see you doing some art for your personal enjoyment. Do you use any sort of sealant or finishing spray on your pieces to keep all the media and materials in place?

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    1. Hi Jennifer.. thanks so much! A few pieces of my unsold work are hanging in our apartment but this was the first "us" piece I've finished :)

      Throughout the process of each piece, I use layers of water-based polycrylic sealant (I forget the brand, but I buy it at Home Depot) or ModPodge, or even paint, which generally keeps everything in place. Bigger chunks of material are held on with nails and staples. If it needs extra hold at the end I'll use a spray varnish to make sure nothing flakes off.

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    2. That's awesome.

      Wow, ok! Well that makes sense. How long does it usually take you to make an original piece?

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  5. Great piece love the textures, type and color. Awesome! :)

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    1. Thanks Steve! Your work has actually inspired me to experiment with grittier, rougher material and textures in my backgrounds - so thank you!

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