Laboratory 555

So many beginnings! The beginning of Autumn, the beginning of ArtSoMoFo 2007, the beginning of re-entering the Lab555 project.

If you're on my friendslist then you might feel a little spammed by my cross-postings, and for that I apologize! But here is a modest collection of these little collages that I have been obsessed with lately:
More art. It looks like I'm making those series I spoke about, but these are just stitched together with software. I am eager to get out of the one-off mode and into making "story-boards" with nine (or more) arranged just so on bristol board or the like.

I've been sooooo embarrassed to poke my head in here and see what's going on since I "cut and run." Starting Lab 555 when I did was foolish (and, if you'll remember, assisted by my pain-killers), but I'm so happy to see that a bunch of you stuck with it, hung in there and are Makin' Stuff and posting. I hope no one is too pissed at me for not following through. I hope y'all have a sense of humor about it. It seemed like a good idea at the time...

*HUGS* to all of you, in any event. Perhaps, now that probate is wrapping up, I will join you before 2007 is over!!

The last project from the Metal Craft Discovery Workshop was an altered Altoids tin. I saw a spread in a stock photo mag about "The Grass Menagerie" and coupled with the fact that I had a small plastic (rein)deer kicking around the studio, I got the idea for this tin shrine. It was a fitting end to a delightful project. You can see all the pieces in one place here, if you're so inclined. I should point out that a couple of the projects didn't get photographed, either because it was part of a collaboration and "left the building" (metal purse) OR it was so hideous I just couldn't bear to have it online (metal mesh pages). And yes, it really was THAT bad! lol

Anyway. I thoroughly enjoyed myself with this challenge (originally started on lab555) and am looking through my books for the next one.

Wanna join me??

x-posted to meadowood

I've been diligently working through the projects with some personal changes.



For example, these were supposed to be part of a bracelet but as I don't wear jewelry (besides my wedding ring ;) I decided to make assemblage/shrine doodads using watchcase backs, small tins and even some shells (NOT metal but hey! I wanted to try'em!)



Another would-be necklace that I'll likely use as a shrine embellishment. This is made from tin cans and some rims from the brass plates I found at a yard sale. It makes a lovely cow bell jingle when moved!



Some metal ATCs - serendipitous because I had need for half a dozen cards to trade so these will be heading out on an exchange.

So lately I haven't been doing much in my studio. Instead I have been experiencing artist's block of sorts in that I get ideas but then get into the studio and can't do anything. I think I have too many possibilities.

So I got to thinking that I may just pare back to the stuff that I know I love to do and get rid of a lot of other stuff and see if my creativity resurfaces.

Therefore, in the interest of decluttering my studio I have listed a BUNCH of Crafting mags on ebay

There are Somerset Studios, Expression, Artitude Zine and a bunch more

If you are interested please check them out http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZoliveleafstudios

Also, I am going to be getting rid of a lot of supplies too. I have lots of game pieces, book pages, beads and other collage ephemera that I dont think I will use so I am probably going to be packing it all up to list on etsy. I would also be willing to make some trades (mainly for intersting papers) if anyone can use a bunch of random collage-y stuffs.

I know the point of this group is to make art and try new things but this artistic malaise isn't getting me anywhere!

Still working away at this. Made good progress the last couple of days. Finally finished this little piece:



The idea for adding the nailheads to the sides came to me in a dream. I love when my subconscious interacts with RL projects. :)

It's so QUIET in here. Did everyone leave?!?

... just wanted to weigh in and say, that "No!" I haven't stopped the Art Book Challenge. I'm in the throes of bike training but that ends next weekend. I have the next project on the table but am usually too tired at the end of the day to get into the studio. But I'm still doing this! Eyecandy, lab555ers! We NEED eyecandy!!

The second assigment was just to get color on to paper.  I gave myself a minimum of working for 15 minutes on this.  I had also wanted to try doing some ATC's which is another thing I hadn't done before.  I tried not to think to hard about the outcome and am trying not to be to hard on myself now that I'm done.

  I dumped out mah bukit to find the paints
 I got out my blank playing cards (ATC'S)
 I grabbed the spray bottle of water I keep in the studio for just such purposes. This is the results  There are more deatiled pics at flickr if you want to see them up close.

TTFN
Cheeky

hey lovely creatives!
I am starting a new on-line art project and would love it if anyone from lab555 would like to help me.
I have a website:
www.mymessage2theworld.com

would you like to help me by having your photo taken holding a sign with your message to the world?
You can e-mail me the photo and I will post it on the site.
All you need to let me know is your name and where you are, so I can add it as a caption.

My idea is to build connection by having the whole world have a chance to share a message that is important to them.
I hope to get photos from all over the planet!
So - if this inspires you, please help out, and feel free to spread the word.

thanks so very much!
-Em

I decided to use The new Creative Artist as the book I want to work thru cover to cover.  The very first activity in it is to make a job jar. She states that as you go thru the book if any of the project strike your fancy writem down and put them into a jar and pull one out when your feeling stuck.  I'm doing this one as I go along and just have to find a jar to use for it.  The next activity, which will be the first one I put into the job jar, was the one I started with.  It's called fill a Sketch book page in a Jiffy.  Give yourself 15 minutes and fill a page, it's as simple as that.  I also created a new Bucket O'Art Supplies for myself.  Read the page and you'll understand why the bucket is important.  If you can't see the text on the page go to my flikr page and you should be able to read it there.

   

Yeah, I know my Mah Bucket is a box but I wasn't going to go out and buy anything new.  One of my goals for working thru this book, and for my life in general is to not to buy anything to complete the activites.  I have lots of art supplies.  Not just what's in the bucket.  I also want to go on a consumer diet.  There isn't anything that I need in a material sense right now.  Sure, there's stuff I want but what's the point of getting new stuff if I haven't used up the old stuff first.  In filping thru the book I don't think there's anything called for that I don't already have.  When and if I come across an activity that call for some I don't have then I'll se if there's a subtitution I can make and if not I'll go on-line to price the materials.  If their too expensive then that activity will just have to wait until I get a new job.  I'll just put a sitcky note on the page and move onto the next activity.

I'm also going to try to work thru Collage with Color in the same systematic way.  If I finish my activiey from TNCA and feel I have time then I'll work from CwC. 

Well, I had a busy week last week, but I finally have my first lesson on the computer to post. I had trouble starting this first lesson- I just didn't like what I was creating- but then I decided that I was treating it too seriously. The lesson was "painting around the white". It is a lesson on seeing the white areas in our subjects and painting around these areas to make the white pop out to the eye. I don't think that I executed the lesson exactly right, but I finally just did it and now I can move on to the next lesson. Hopefully the next one will be easier on my brain. I almost decided to tackle a different book, but then the whole point of this is to get me out of my comfort zone like a retreat or class would- so I am sticking to this one. I should have a few more to post this week because I left my mess out on the table and I am all ready to go for the next few lessons. Let me know if you think I could have done something to interpret the lesson better. I love criticism!

( here )

This was the second project in the book, creating a doll using found tins - as opposed to pristine metal sheets, I guess. Yes, it's completely weird but it makes me laugh. Ironically, when viewed from the other side the silhouette is very similar to some species chickens we had back in the day. I used a number of fasteners including rivets which I'd never tried before along with eyelets and made a discovery that if you bore a hole with an awl you can actually create an eyelet-like joint using the eyelet setter. I doubt it would hold *well* but it did the job for this (you can see the two holes on either side of the neck on the head piece). Anyway, I feel I'm getting better working with metal which IS the point after all!

I’m sure many of you are familiar with lomography’s lomomissions. I’ve created a group that does something similar to that. About every week a new topic will be announced for a mission and then it is your job to go out and shoot what you think the best picture is for that topic. There are no wrong pictures, you can interpret the mission any way you want.

Please check it out and join

http://community.livejournal.com/ljphotomission/

&we're also looking for mod's
so let me know if you're interested

I had to share these awesome trades that Mandy sent:

Love the "home" and "eye" symbols of this collage.



The very cool envelope it came in.



I already have plans to string this on some red/rust fibers and WEAR IT!



It bears repeating....YOU ROCK!

While the "bottle caps" wouldn't necessarily be my choice, I did thoroughly enjoy trying this. I made the frame (which surrounds an itty bitty box), painted it with copper and patina'd it. The caps - one bottle cap and two other thingies - which I *believe* are something to do some sort of binding mechanism I received in a trade yonks ago - filled with pictures and I used "Pouring Medium" by Liquitex. Note to self: be sure the items are well secured before pouring in ANY liquid as they moved and wrinkled during the drying process. (fyi the bottle cap hadn't completely dried for the photo) The image was a photocopy of an old one I procured transferred onto a piece of sheet metal. Chain to hang.

On to project deux...

This is the second *assignment* out of that Couching Book/Mag.

It has said to study natural lines in trees.. I was going for the rings on a cut tree. Then I got bored and it somehow turned into a labyrinth and then it morphed into something that had a mind of it's own and became flat and organic.

Well,first off, chiffon is not the same as silk organza, because it would not melt. So I put another layer of fusible and some paint over that. And it barely melted. (base is felt from Jo Ann). And then wool roving and mica and some angelina-like stuff and sequins (because I saw someone putting sequins onto something while surfing today). And I like it. The bumpy intestine looking thing is from the next part of the book (first you build a surface, then you raise it a bit) where you take ribbon tubing and stuff it with stuff. Maggie suggested making tubing if you had netting, and hey, I still have two spools left over from when I made Dita. And overlock stitches on my machine. And hey, more roving. So I made a tube and then stuffed it with roving.
This is fun :)

Well, I was just browsing through my bookshelves after Mei posted on her personal journal with embroidery questions, and I came across "Raising the Surface with Machine Embroidery" by Maggie Grey. It looks fairly doable in terms of playing around, fits in with the work I am already doing and will expand my repertoire. I can't guarantee I'll get the whole book done, but it would be nice to make a sampler book/journal. :) First stop, the evil empire for handi-wipes, ModelMagic and parchment paper.

Hi, I found this via shebaduhkitty. I was so inspired that I pulled out some neglected textile books and started with "Over the Line - Couching Rediscovered". It's part of a great series of books for textile artists.

Here's what I did last night (and this morning):

Couching *found* objects - these are sticks that I cut up.. were just laying out in the back yard and screaming to be played with! LOL



Thanks for having this.. it's a great site and I can't wait to share and see all ya'll's creations too!