Slacker

I've been such a slacker lately! Among other things, some medical problems are interfering with my ability to create.

But in the good news department, a big project that I've worked on for half a year has been approved by the owners. It's the 900 room JW Marriott down by San Antonio, TX. I have five pieces in every guest room: 3 prints of original paintings, one processed photo on metal, and the big carving that I worked so hard on! The carving will be cast in resin. It's good to have the security of knowing that project is on track, and on my schedule.

Haven't heard about the two other very large hotel projects that I have pending. On those I was competing against other photographers. Should be a decision soon about who gets the job, whether or not they decide on the exact images. Mine were highly manipulated, and "artsy" instead of straight photos. I don't know if that will work for or against me.

I would like to hear something soon, though, so I can plan the rest of my year, with some time off for surgery. I'd rather say "time off at the beach" but I don't see that happening.

Big installation next week. 3o pieces for Verity Radiation, a suite at Texas Clinic. Will have two more pieces to finish up for that job. After that there's a photo installation for a long ramp wall that I am designing.

Will have a preview Happy Hour for some designers at my studio next week. They want to see the completed components of a 22 pc installation for a local hotel. I better get busy!

Saturday night is a charity function. I normally wouldn't go to something like that, but I've been trying to get out more.

I haven't kept up with this blog lately, either, but now that I see how helpful it is in motivating me to get in the studio, I promise to be better!

Mania Sets In

With six projects all in various stages of production I have run out of studio space, which now includes my living room, dining room, and third bedroom. And when a client calls to ask me to do just one more thing before I leave town on Tuesday I freak out! Too much to do and not enough time.

I went to visit my Dad in Harlingen this past weekend, and we had a lovely time watching golf on TV. Golf has been his passion for many years, and since he can no longer play, he watches. He's lonely though, and I wish we lived closer because I don't see him as often as I'd like.

This morning I am printing three giclees for model room for a hotel resort. Purchase orders will be issued for this job when I get home. I'm printing all three images, with quantities of 900 ea, so I need to get a move on - it will take forever and I'll use both of my 44" printers. Also for this project I am painting the casting that I've had made of the original sculpture I finished this week.

I have struggled mightily to get three good prints on aluminum. I've had different problems with every print, and it has cost me hundreds of dollars since I'm buying pre-treated metal from Booksmart. Yesterday I pulled my last sheet out of the package and it has a big gouge across it. I'm a little high strung right now and fired off an email which was quickly answered by Eric, offering to replace the product immediately, and he helped with the other problems I'd had, too. Thanks Eric!

Spring storms are wreaking havoc here in North Texas. Besides tearing up my beautiful flower beds, the high humidity makes it hard for paint to dry. I'm trying to heed all the cautionary labels that say "do not use in high humidity". Well I can't wait forever!

My medical clinic project is coming along nicely. I love working with Denise! We have all but a couple of pieces picked out.

I have a new project that's a large grid painting for a local construction company. I went to their offices yesterday for a photo shoot, and got lots of really great ideas walking around their back storage yard.


The new abstract commission the Glorieta series (above) is almost done, but it just hasn't told me so yet. It still needs a tiny bit of tweaking. Lucky for me the wonderful woman who ordered it understands the creative process and will wait.

This weekend I'm fabricating another photo box with resin so it can cure while I'm out of town.

With all these things in process, nothing will get finished before I leave town, but I sure will have a lot of work when I get home. There's some security in that.

Sculpture, Illustrations, and Berry Stains

The past few days have been full of extremes. Lots of different projects, with differing degrees of success. Here's the shells:

Pretty crazy, huh! Clear plexi cleats will be epoxied to the back, and they'll be cleated to the wall in a grid pattern.

And in the mail today came this:

That's one of my first paintings gracing the cover of this academic book. I licensed that image last year, and totally forgot about it until now.

The carving of the boot top is completed. I met with the designer yesterday so she could give it her blessing; instead she made a couple changes -- now it's done. Next step is the mold, then casting and painting, and it's ready for the model room.


While working outside on that piece I got berries stuck on the bottom of both feet, and thought I was tracking paint in the house, but couldn't figure that out since I wasn't painting. Nature's paint, I guess -- red berries!

Tomorrow I head to south Texas to visit my dad for a couple days -- for his 93rd birthday!

3d Artwork

High Density Foam Carving, 36 x 36

So far so good. I made alot of progress on this over the weekend. Consequently it's Monday morning I am am totally worn out! I wanted a massage last night but Royce was in a volleyball tournament and couldn't come over. darn-it-all

This is the rough out. All the holes are cut, but not shaped, and I haven't dimensionalized it yet. Just a start, really. At least I got smart this time, and instead of dressing in a jumpsuit and hanging plastic to isolate my studio and protect the rest of the house from this static-y dust, I did the whole thing outside. It was a perfect 72 degree sunny day, low humidity. Then used a lawn blower to clean it (and me) off before bringing it back inside.

As you can see, the design has changed dramatically (more than once). If you can't tell by looking, it's the top of a cowboy boot, from the side. There's the strap down the middle, and lots of stitching and cutouts.

This is the piece that will be cast in resin and placed in 900 hotel rooms in a resort in Central Texas.

I'm on hold right now, waiting for a response from the designer before I take it any further. The thing about sculpting is that once that material is gone, there's no putting it back. Except for the swirly hole cut by the Dremel tool when I yanked on the cord and the drill slipped! I had to spackle that!

Wouldn't You Know

The designer has finally approved the sea shell casting. I was in such a hurry to get the samples to her that I didn't even take a picture! I'll have time for that later, but for now, the one she chose was the first pour, the one with a distressed surface from using too much mold release! It did create an interesting texture, so I think it was a good choice. I just hope it can be replicated. We'll know today, when the second set comes out of the molds. (fingers crossed)

I did get a two month extension on my major project, the 22 pc installation for the registration desk, but since I was already in the big middle of it, I haven't entirely put it away. Everything involved has multiple steps. I'm getting as many done as I can, so every layer has a chance to dry completely before the next step.

Yesterday I got approval for the next carving, to replace the one I did last fall that was not approved by the hotel owners. This is the sixth design; it was a struggle to get something that was acceptable to both the designer and the owner. I hope to be carving it tomorrow. And with the experience I got the last time I did this, I'm doing it outside so I don't have that terrible mess in my studio. The dust from carving foam has a static charge that won't let go.

36" x 36" carving

Also yesterday my client called to ask if I had any photography of colorful bowls. I said no. Then she emailed me what she had in mind, and in digging through old travel photos discovered that not only did I have exactly what she wanted, it was as though the photo she sent me as reference was mine, since it was in the same market in Istanbul, Turkey!

Had a great meeting with my new medical clinic client, and we chose all the artwork for the suite in two hours. Amazing! She understands that I'm traveling and then she's traveling, so I don't need to stress about deadlines with this project.

Have another project in the works for a large grid painting for a construction company, will meet with them next week. It seems it's always like this before I take a trip.

Taking My Time

Invariably I am swamped with projects before I leave for a trip. This time is no exception. I'll be gone for three weeks, and there are several deadlines during that time, which means I'm working like a madwoman! I have projects in every room of my house, not just the studio. I am printing on metal in my second office for the large registration installation, printing original photography for public spaces for another hotel in my main office, the front studio is full of platforms in various stages of completion, my slant wall holds an abstract painting commission, the table in the living room is covered with sketches for another carving, the kitchen holds glass bowls of colored water where I'm adjusting color recipes for the cast resin pieces, my back studio table holds the printed metal photography which is being coated with layers of clear varnish. So when I got another purchase order yesterday afternoon, I almost went over the edge! But how could I say no to this? It's the hotel in Arlington that I did etched glass for back in the 80s.

This is the original glasswork that I did in the 80s. At the time the wavy pattern matched the fabric on the chairs.

Door to the lounge, I sandblasted the logo back in the day! Soon to be replaced.

This is the colorboard for the new space.

This is the drawing of the photographs and installation of artwork for the new space. The photos are mine, black and white, which will be printed on 44" x 44" plexi and mounted with standoffs. Cool installation.

It's just so very odd that my work would be featured so prominently in the same hotel I worked on twenty years ago! I have original photography in every guest room, and according to the PO I just received, twenty large scale photographs for public spaces. Amazing.

The good news I received after that PO was a phone call that one project's deadline has been pushed back two months. Yay! I can finish it up after I get home, and can go visit my Dad in South Texas without worrying.

Today I'm in yard, it's time to plant flowers!

In the Flow

This photo was taken outside Ste Colombe, France last year. I've been thinking of France since a couple of my artist friends just returned from a lovely visit there and I'm jealous!

We've all experienced times when our lives just flowed without conflict. I'm in one of those periods now, and things are good. I've completed a number of large projects, and have a couple of purchase orders in house for new things.

This weekend I attended the Healthcare Design conference, and made some contacts that seem promising. I printed tear sheets to hand out, and one person I met said "oh! You're "A Walker"? I just sold 25 of your paintings on a hospital project!" She promised to send me photos of the installation.

And Carl told me that he sold 50 giclees of my work for a hospitality project. Guess the check will be in the mail.

Solo Show at Scott and White hospital

Yesterday I took down my solo show at the Smith Art Gallery at the Scott and White hospital in Temple, TX. I met the art consultants that are just completing the installation for all the art in the new addition to the hospital. That's another company that might turn out to be a nice new client for me, too. They were already familiar with my work.

cast resin, 36 x 36

Today I got to see the final painted cast of the carving. The colors weren't exactly right so I made a few touchups, now it's perfect! Looks like rusted metal, right?

longhorn photography, 32 x 42

And the other thing that I haven't talked much about is the large photograph for a huge resort project. I sold the rights to the image, and someone else is printing it on metal. The color isn't right on that either, but it will have to do for model room, we can make adjustments after the purchase order arrives!

The Pain of Arrogance

I paid little attention to the order for three small (8" x 12") photo paintings for the large hotel project. I've done hundreds of those paintings, so there was no challenge for me at all. Their significance was further reduced by the drama of the carving, and an intricate layered digital construction for the same project. I forgot about those paintings, actually.

So I rushed through them, tried to skimp on the paper size, changed my process entirely, used a different printer, and basically ruined them at the end. They're trash.

I had to start over late last night, and today I'm following established processes and paying more attention. It was my own fault.

Using What You Got

I'm in my last phase of printing images for Texas Clinic. Instead of starting over from scratch developing new photography to combine with paintings for digital constructions, I am using photography that I already created for a different job. Why reinvent the wheel, right? I am creating these the same way that I do digital mockups, cutting and pasting, really.

It's good to be working on something that doesn't have the level of anxiety of the carving. I took photos of the final piece before I delivered it to the mold makers yesterday. This is a nerve-wracking process. First I have never worked in that medium before (foam carving). Second, I've never had this company make a mold, and third, we have a Nov 1 install date. Yikes! Even my client called me last night (after work hours) for reassurance that it's all going to be good. How the heck do I know? We're all doing our best and trusting in a good finale.

Fresh Air

I've been cooped up in my studio for so many months that it was great to get out and breath some cool morning air with 26,000 of my closest friends. Race for the Cure has become a giant commercial venture. I'm wondering how much money actually gets donated. It was like a county fair with booths and hawkers. I didn't put my name on any mailing list. And I discovered I probably need to buy one size bigger shoes. yowch

On Sunday I took another day off (between coats of varnish) and went to the Edom Art Festival in East Texas. I was there years ago, but haven't given it much thought since. Then my artist friend Cheryl McClure recommended it and off I went.

Now it's Monday already. I've got one coat of resin on the back of the carving, and four layers of varnish on the front. I had intended to put resin on both sides, but then it occurred to me that the resin would level out and fill in the carving details. Glad I though of that before I did it!

So it's off to the mold makers today. Yiikes! This is the scary part for me. The carving will be destroyed by the mold making process. I just hope they get a good mold.

Third Stage of Sculpture

I had an assistant all day today. If not for that I wouldn't have accomplished near as much. As it is, the carving is complete and approved by the designer. I took it outside and varnished the front side and left in in the sun to dry. While I was doing that, Debbie cleaned my studio from top to bottom and side to side. That dust has static cling and I had to get rid of it before I could get back to painting.

I know the carving is too fragile to make a mold of as is, so after the varnish dried I brought it into my back studio, and put down a layer of resin on the back. I'll turn it over tomorrow and do the front. That should give it more stability.

I did some test pieces, first, just to make sure the materials were compatible.

I've two paintings up on the studio wall, almost done. And I have a print job running, but it doesn't need me to babysit. This was another "art emergency" where a designer "forgot" to order art for 40 hotel rooms. I did three other pieces for the same rooms about a month ago. Got the purchase order today, will deliver on Monday. That's a fast turnaround!

It's late, and I just washed the resin out of my hair (when will I ever learn to tie it back??). Got to get up early again tomorrow, it's Susan G Komen Race for the Cure day, and my friend Janet and I are walking the 5k. It's beautiful weather, a great day to get out and do something physical with 26,000 other women. Girl Power!

Thorough Clean-up

I'm almost done with the carving. I've sent off photos to the designer, will be interesting to hear what she has to say. In researching the process of making a mold from this foam I have discovered that I will probably have to coat the whole thing with resin. Otherwise it's just too fragile and will come apart when the first mold is made. Since there will such a volume of castings (930) we'll need multiple molds. They wear out. Who knew?

So since resin has to have a dust-free environment looks like I've got a heavy duty cleaning session ahead of me.

Metal boxes done. Have to antique and varnish the last ones.

Magnetic Dust

carved foam, 36" x 36" x 1"

It's not really magnetic, but it must have some sort of static cling to it. Carving this foam (Last-A-Foam) is the messiest thing I've ever ever done. Even more than sandblasting! I made the mistake of going from the studio to plopping down in a living room chair. Foam dust went with me, loosed itself from my clothes and attached to the chair. And the remote control, and the pillow, and the carpet, and my coffee cup. I got undressed in my studio last night, and bagged the clothes. Even with shop vac-ing every ten minutes, it's a huge mess. But as you can see above, I've made good progress. The design is an abstracted mesquite tree, which is native to central Texas. This is the original from which mold will be made and then cast in resin.


Also completed one of the metal boxes. The photos are printed on metal and adhered to a cradled wood panel (box). I've surrounded the image with aluminum tape which has been imprinted in a design. Can't really see that part on the photo. Also antiqued it a little with black ink, then scrubbed it with steel wool. I'm really happy with how this turned out. I have three more to do. These are for Texas Clinic.

Dust and Debris

I knew it would be messy, but I didn't know the dust would have such sticking power. After gluing two pieces of foam together and cutting it to size I couldn't wait to start cutting. First I took my full size pattern and transferred it to the foam using graphite paper. Then I got out my Dremel tool, Exacto knife, and other various cutting tools. And sandpaper, the screen kind you use for wallboard.

I've just started, and can immediately see that this won't be as hard as I expected. What you see about is about twenty minutes work. The Dremel tool can get away from you, so that was a surprise. I'll have to use a gentle hand with it. But the cutting bit I'm using is very effective. I think it's all going to work out fine. Deep sigh of relief!