so this is where the jewelry gets it's start

Many years ago I had a little store, about the size of a large walk in closet. In this store I sold hand painted clothing and art. I hand painted the clothing using acrylic paint. This type of paint is wonderful, bright and colorfast, BUT it dries quickly and once it does, it cannot be mixed back into paint. Ever. So, it dries on the palette and starts to layer. Occasionally I would peel the dried paint off the pallette and start afresh.

One day I had just cleaned off my palette and had this glorious mess of schlokked paint that just beckoned to be upcycled into something. Right then, in walked two dear friends of mine, my minister and his wife. I held up the paint and said, "This is too pretty to throw away, but I don't know what to do with it. He said (Note: HE) "Well, you could always cut it up and make it into jewelry!" Oh, we got a good laugh out of it that day. Imagine, making paint into jewelry! But later I thought, wow, that idea could've been from God! I should do it. I cut the palette up into interesting pieces, glued earring backs on them, and launched my new line.

Now, 21 years and a lot of dried paint later, I am still making one of a kind jewelry pieces from dried acrylic paint. The pieces have evolved and I collage them with all kinds of other stuff, but I haven't lost the thrill of seeing paint become wearable art.

Comments

Paint and Palettes

I’ve always been a lover of paint and paint palettes. I vividly remember the excitement I felt opening that rectangular tin filled with round cakes of watercolor paint in elementary school. I was hooked! From that point on, I have wanted to explore and express within the inviting purity of paint. In 1988 I had a beach side shop where I hand painted women's clothing. I was using acrylic paint in abundance. One morning I had cleaned my palette off, and had peeled a large colorful piece of variegated and textured acrylic paint from it. Some friends of mine came into the shop (actually it was my minister and his wife). During our brief conversation, I showed them the peeled up paint and said, “This is too pretty to throw away, but I don’t know what to do with it.” The husband said, “Oh, you should cut it up and make it into jewelry!” We all laughed about it. It was like "Yeah right, I should try ...

Winter Work

Now that my show season is over, it's time for what I lovingly call winter work. Winter work is studio time. It's when I light the fire in the wood stove and sit down at the drawing table and/or easel, both of which are pulled close to the wood stove. It's winter work because when the weather cools off and the leaves fall, the studio is the most inviting place in my life. The warmth of the fire and the smell of the wood and the blank slate on the easel are what inspire and motivate me to work. At one of my shows I bought this glorious coffee mug from Paige @rockbottomceramics. It sits on top of the woodstove and keeps the coffee warm for hours. It's a studio staple. There is purposely a blank canvas on the easel, or in this case, a smooth panel which will eventually be gessoed and painted with an expression of light through leaves. The blank canvas is self care. It's a sign of hope for my future. What will go on ...

Up and Running

Show season is up and running! Next up: One of my favorites, the Crosby Festival of the Arts. It will be held in the beautiful Toledo Botanical Garden June 28-30. I'll be in booth 178 - the Purple Zone- which is where I've been located before. One thing I love about this event is the location. M y booth is situated close to the herb garden, which is laid out on an inviting pathway, full of life and color. I look forward to taking photos of the gardens, which will eventually find their way into my art. Here's some from last year: I'm excited to return to the event with my mixed media collage paintings. I've been at work on some new pieces, which will also be available. Here's a sneak peek at the latest work: I'm still aiming to capture that path of light through leaves. I combine paint, papers, ink, wax resist, linocut printing, colored pencils and canvas. My aim is to combine these various ma...

Parts of Art

Search This Blog