Keeping Up

Feast or famine - it's always one or the other in my life. Which isn't surprising since I'm a full time professional artist/photographer. But now that I've taken on a bigger than big project I can hardly sleep anymore. Not time to, and also very difficult to quiet my mind. Sigh. Not that I'm complaining, understand.

In an economic time when many professionals are out of work I'm very happy to to be spending quality time in my studio working on commissions.

I did take a break last weekend and made a quick trip up to Chicago for my boyfriend's son's college graduation. He got a degree in computer game design, imagine that! Since Victor added me as his registered travel companion, it's a lot easier to jump on a plane with available seats and take off for somewhere, anywhere. While we were stuck at DFW because flights to Chicago were delayed, it was very tempting to take a flight to Honolulu instead. Of course then we would have missed the graduation. Next time, though, I'm going to pack for all possibilities.

I have a lot going on in the studio. Four 40 x 60 landscape paintings on gold/silver leaf, one large abstract, two 24 " sq paintings with gold painted leaves cascading down the surface, two 48" and two 36" sqs with raised stencil medallions. That's all for this week. I'm also still processing photos for another job which has deadline in a week. aaack!

I'm pouring resin for a job that was rejected! The resin had bubbles. I've poured two more, and they both have bubbles, too. There is no way to prevent that unless you use a pressure tank, and these pieces won't even fit inside one. It's bubbles or nothing at this point. I'm voting for nothing because I'm sick of the whole resin fiasco!

Going to San Antonio mid week for a photo shoot with a friend. I know I don't have time, but the photos are for a specific project. I hope to work in a short visit with my dad.

I've canceled my June vacation to Italy. Just can't take the time right now. Hope to do it in September, instead. And maybe between now and then Victor and I can take a few long weekends somewhere.

Saturday Resin Casting

Now that I'm all set up in my new place, I'm challenging my production layout by resin casting today. I'm afraid I have put this project off to the very last minute and now I'm working on Saturday. I had a new mold made this week, and today I'm making a casting of clear resin with rocks. It's part of the 17 pc 3d installation for a Houston hotel.

I've also got a couple of print jobs running, in response to two new purchase orders this week.

Business has not slowed down for me, and that's a good thing since I'm paying rent for the first time in my 11 year career.

The luxury hotel business remains strong, with projects that have been in place for a long time. Presumably they can't cancel new construction that's incomplete. There has been some scaling back of original art, but that doesn't really affect me, either, since I'm capable of producing giclees of my own work.

I went to a popular art show last night, and business was brisk. Indeed I spent a little money of my own on hand blown glass tumblers. I love to surround myself with handmade items, and these sparkly glasses were just the ticket.

Bath House Reception

Yesterday morning I spent on trash duty, hiking and cleaning up debris at Spring Creek. There were about twelve of us, some with dogs. Both my dogs came along and had a big time since it was a combination of hiking and swimming for them. We were all tired at the end of the afternoon and I fell asleep on the couch and woke up just in time to get to the reception.

Big crowd at the Bath House last night for the opening reception of Some Like It Hot, an exhibit of encaustic artworks by my local group, Texas WAX/Dallas. There's a concurrent show, also quite good, of women printmakers.

I bought a number of plastic containers with the idea of testing them out as molds for cast resin. I haven't perfected my process and it makes me crazy. Especially when I continue to design installations including cast elements. I'll be pouring samples today to determine what works and what doesn't. I'm not looking forward to it since it's a toxic and messy process. Oh well.

Casting Resin

Resin continues to be a challenge for me. I've about conquered the poured resin that I coat photographs with, but the casting resin is a different story. Part of the problem is that there isn't a clear formula for mixing the resin with the catalyst. On Friday I tried using the standard formula from the side of the can. The results are above. It cracked to bits.

The formula (drops of catalyst per ounce of resin) depends on too many variables: 1) how many layers, and which layer it is, 2) the temperature of the workspace, 3) humidity, 4) depth of the cast. I am not a scientist and can't figure all this out.

The second casting did better -- when it cracked it didn't go all the way through to the edge. Since I was out of materials, and didn't want to try casting again, I taped off the edges and poured the other kind of resin over the top. It still sunk in the cracks, but it sealed the surface, and gave it a nice shine. And I am going to say that I intended for it to crack -- doesn't it look like ice? (wink wink)

Hey, it's art! Nothing's perfect.

Today I am resin-coating another cast piece to match. Thank goodness there are only two pieces in the project!

Multi-Tasking Holiday

Happy July 4th! I l0ve this holiday, but historically, it's a day I work. I remember one year back in the '80s when all my friends went to lake, driving past me, honking their horns and waving. I was inside heavy duty overalls with a hood and a safety mask, working on an outdoor etched glass project, temperature in the 100s. Whew!

This year was much better than that. I wore only my swimsuit and an apron while I poured three layers of cast resin for a commission. Nasty work -- smells terrible, and I'm sure it's toxic. But I tempered that with a jump in the pool every few minutes.

And I was determined to be a part of the biggest fireworks display in the Dallas area so I went downtown to Fair Park. After getting directions to where the launching area was located, we headed out with our chairs to get the best seat. Security soon chaperoned us back to a safe area after a huge explosion and blast of color right overhead scared us to death. We still were in the debris area, and I doubt that it was safe, but wow what an experience to hear that boom reverberate off a couple of metal buildings, and the explosive color right over us. woo hoo!

I just got back from my first belly dancing class at the rec center -- much harder than I thought!

This afternoon I'll work a little while on some new digital imagery for a Monday presentation.

Summer Time

Time moves slower in the summer. Days are long, sunshine prevails, and it seems that I accomplish so much more in a day than in winter. I painted six commissioned paintings yesterday, from start to finish. Not small ones, either, they were 12" x 24" photo paintings. They dried overnight and I rolled them up, stuck 'em in a tube and shipped them off to Ohio ten minutes ago. I couldn't do that in the winter. Too cold, paint takes too long to dry.

And today I've been out at the pool in my swimsuit, sanding a cast resin piece in preparation for painting. This one was cast very shallow, because I'm going to mount it on matboard and frame in a shadowbox. It's another image for Verity, located in Texas Clinic. I got that powder all over me, but I just hosed off and jumped in the pool! And it's no problem since I have tile floors in my studio. I've been going in and out regularly since it warmed up.

One problem I have in summer that I don't any other time of year is my watermelon addiction. There's a big juicy one in the fridge calling me right now. It's best to sit outside and eat it so that when that juice runs down your chin you can jump in the pool to clean up.

Summer Doldrums

Something about the warm windy weather calls to me. I want to be out in it, not stuck in the studio. It's a problem since the pool is visible from the studio windows. I'm trying to have it all by working in my swimsuit and running back and forth between the paintbrush and the pool float. Yes, I know I should be swimming laps instead, but hey.

I'm so easily distracted these days! When my neighbor calls to see if I want to walk the dogs I say yes! When my friend calls to go to a movie I say yes! When I'm invited to Happy Hour, I go. What happened to my focus? Aha - maybe my life is becoming more balanced.

This weekend I beat myself up until I finally did a resin pour at 8:00 last night. I planned to do it over the weekend, and waited until the very last minute on Sunday night. At least I did it, it's cured today, and that's another piece completed for the Westin Park Central.

Photography Presentations

The internet has made a big impact on how I do presentations. Now it's strictly email. I still remember making appointments to show artwork where I would have to (1) bring original art (2) bring food and drinks (3) entertain the group of designers. Those days are (thankfully) over for me since my client base is well developed. We know each other. They call me when they want something they know I can produce. In return, I know what to present because I know what they like. It's a win-win.

For the past two days I have been working on a series of photographs for two massive hotel projects. It's for room art and each project is too much volume for me to print, so I'll be collecting royalties. It hasn't been decided for sure yet, but there will be at least three pieces in each room for both locations. So far I have submitted more than 50 photos. Most of those follow the parameters that I was given, but there are a few that are out-of-the-box. My rationale for that is that if the client has never seen anything like it before (1) they can't reject something they don't know about and (2) they might love it! Experience tells me that commercial designers are always looking for something new and different.

I'm competing with other photographers on this project, so I took a lot of time making sure that each photo I presented was appropriate for the two different locations.

I'm also painting. Seems like I'm getting back into the swing of things since I've been back in town for a couple weeks now. Finally! I've got several commissions I've had for awhile but haven't been inspired. Well, the creativity is finally kicking back in and I'm rocking and rolling.

Summer has arrived in Dallas, with it's corresponding hot weather. I'm actually glad of that since I have a couple of resin pieces to complete in the next couple of weeks. One is cast resin, and that's always tricky.

My dog ate through the outside door in my back studio this week. I have no idea what inspired her to do that since she's never shown an interest in it before, in all her 7 years. There is a metal grid shelving unit blocking that door on the inside, so she knocked everything off the shelf to get in -- was a big mess! And that flimsy sheet of plywood won't last long, I'm buying a new steel door that I'll have installed this weekend. Bad dog!

Incompatible Materials

As a mixed media artist I have tried a wild assortment of materials to create artwork. Some work together and some don't. I try to think it through, but without being a chemist I don't always succeed.

This time it's the resin box that's the problem. Most varnishes work better on a horizontal surface. I found that out on the last resin boxes when I varnished the sides and made a big mess. This time I sealed the paint with a Golden UV polymer varnish, which worked great but did not give me the high gloss shine I was looking for. So I tried polyurethane over the top of it. Wrong! It's mineral spirits based and the surface immediately alligatored. I was able to remove it (quickly), clean with soap and water, sand, repaint, re-varnish with additional coats of the Golden varnish. Whew!

Today all the sides are varnished and dry. Two sides have resin, and the top will get resin today. And I'm done!

Also have five photo paintings with this project, and I'm on number five right now, so I will meet my deadline of next Tuesday with time to spare.

It's a good thing, too, since I have been the victim of identity theft.

Since returning home from three weeks away I've slowly been going through the big sack of mail. I pay all my bills online so I don't usually get anything high priority through the mail. This time I was surprised to find six new credit cards and four letters from credit card companies asking for more information in response to applications. I did not apply for any credit cards, and apparently have really good credit, because the companies happily set up new accounts for me. Yesterday I spent mostly on the phone with credit bureaus, the police, and each and every account that was opened. Also discovered four fraudulent charges on an existing credit card and had to cancel it, too.

I don't see the benefit to a thief of setting up new accounts and having the cards come to me. They sure know a lot about me, and that has me nervous.

Full House

Travel is such a mind opening experience! On this trip I intentionally set aside my artist's eyes, and enjoyed the landscape and light just as it was. I set aside analyzing and composing that automatically happens in my brain. I quieted myself, and just soaked it all in.

I met lots of great people, and completely relaxed. Even lost a few pounds, always a bonus.

But I returned to thousands of emails, and deadlines that were set before I left town. Immediately, I turned my attention to the studio, and am working on the huge double-sided resin box swore I wouldn't do.

But the most exciting thing was an email from an art consultant in California who I've corresponded with over the past few years, but not actually worked with. She has a project with 300 rooms, and a nice budget for original art for every room. Today I will be focused on creating digital concepts for the project. This is a great opportunity for me with a new client, so the creative juices are flowing!

Working it Out

After a flurry of activity, and many hours thinking I'd never wrap things up enough to leave town, I'm breathing easier today.

Yesterday wore me out, though.

I've had to clean my front and back studios in preparation for resin pouring. I can't believe I'm doing another two-sided resin box! Not only that, but it's 6 1/2' long! Instead of having a solid box fabricated, I took another route, and made an open box, with the other side separate. This way I can pour resin on both pieces at the same time. It will sit and cure for the three weeks I am away. When I come home, I will glue them together - and voila! That's my last project, and it's under control.

I painted the cast carved sculpture yesterday. My intention was for the fabricator to tint the resin to a dark brown color, thereby eliminating much of the painting process. That didn't turn out as planned, so it was me and spray paint out in the back yard. I like the way it turned out, and hope the designer agrees. I'll know tomorrow. She wanted a "rusted metal" look, and I think I've achieved that.


This one is for model room, so we won't get it back. So, I'll be painting another one today for reference when we get to production stage. There will be over 900 of these.

My project of 22 pcs for behind the registration desk of a local hotel is still in progress, I've worked a little on it every day, but thankfully, I got a deadline extension and it can be finished up when I get home.

Today after the resin pouring I'll be working on the abstract commission. My client is coming to meet me tomorrow, and it would be nice to hand over the finished painting. Hopefully I'll spend at least a few minutes in a lounge chair by the pool!

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.

It's All Art

When my client and I got in an argument about a current sculpture project we're working on together, she announced, "I'm sorry but I don't know all your capabilities." At that point I had to laugh and tell her that I don't either!

I certainly didn't know how to create the clay sculpture you see above. My only experience with clay was back in the 70s when I worked for a wholesale ceramic supply company as a bookkeeper. I just applied a little knowledge and common sense to create the shell form. I bought a bag of air-dry clay, a few tools, spread out the plastic and went to work. How hard could it be, right? My client and I met with the designer yesterday and got approval (with a couple minor changes - she said it was too perfect). Next I will let this piece dry (it's hollow underneath), then make a silicone mold. It will be cast in clear resin, tinted an aquamarine color. There are 15 of them for a hotel installation.

Creative Concepts

Lots of things inspire me, but bringing a creative concept to completion is always a challenge. When I did the carving (above) as a concept for a cast piece for hotel room art, it presented a huge challenge. I had no idea how to even start. So I started with a sketch, did a lot of internet research, bought high density foam and carving tools and went at it. Had the mold made, and we made a casting which was hung over the tub in the model room. The designer loved it. Apparently she was the only one. The owners said it looked too tropical for a resort located in the hill country of central Texas. With that as the only comment, I was commissioned to create a new piece.

It has been on my mind for a couple weeks now. I didn't know what direction to take it. I tried modifying the original design. Didn't work. I thought of other plants and trees located in the area that I could abstract into something cool. I did extensive internet research. I drew some digital designs. Nothing really worked until I got out a pencil and paper and came up with this:


I sent it to my client who replied "that's my girl". Yay! Have not heard from the designer yet, but I'm confident I'm on the right track. Once the design is approved I will go through the whole carving, moldmaking and casting process again. And these are big pieces, 36" x 36". But there are over 900 rooms in this project and that sculpture will be in every one of them.

I am having a similar experience with the cast resin shell project, only it's proceeding much slower. I've had a purchase order for awhile, but getting all the information from my client and the designer is proving to be a real challenge. This is an instance where my client insists on being in the middle, and not allowing me to discuss the details with the designer directly. I don't understand that at all. It's just not efficient, as I talked about in my last post. We are disagreeing on the mounting method. Now I have agreed to make a small sample piece with a cleat embedded in the resin for the designer to approve. I won't even get into what a waste of time I think that is, because the customer is always right -- right?

In other good news, yesterday was Purchase Order Friday -- and this one is all photography for a healthcare project.

I'm rocking and rolling, it's Spring, birds are singing, flowers are blooming, and I'm headed off to a Meditative Photography session with a new friend. I'll report back.

Lull

I am still feeling lazy, but have not delivered the resin boxes yet. I swear I will never do another resin box! I've been plagued by Murphy's Law, and the sooner I get them out of my studio the better. I gave them a good coat of Turtle Wax, and at least they will resist fingerprints for awhile.

I do have another project that I am working on. A lot of it is large scale photography on canvas, and I have already processed all the photos, so the printing should go smoothly. That's low-stress work. There are three large paintings that go with that project, but I am not in a hurry to start them.

Two other bits of good news. One is that the Ritz Carlton Dallas is looking for more art! I sent over some things that I was working on for my West Coast rep. The other is that I got a phone call last night telling me one of the tenants at Texas Clinic wants a big custom painting for their suite. The new year will be starting off with a bang.

My framer's having a big holiday meal at lunch today, and I am fighting with myself about whether to go. Fresh from watching the season finale of the Biggest Loser last night, I am not inclined to eat high fat high sugar holiday food. We'll see if I can hold out....

Working in the Rain

It's typical winter weather in Dallas. One beautiful 65 degree day and five days of rain and forty degrees. I'm having trouble with the resin, I'm late on my deadline and my client is unhappy. I sent her a list of everything I have done on the boxes each day since I started. Today I sent a "resin report", and will do so everyday until I deliver. The weather is not my fault. I did, however, go to Home Depot and buy two new heaters to place under the tables where I am working. That should help warm things up and dry out the air a little.

Yesterday was "art emergency" day. A client had forgotten to send me a purchase order for some photography. The framer went looking, and there's nothing to frame. Backtracking led them to the unsent email. Lucky for them I was in town and could drop everything else and print five large photos at the very last minute.

I'm almost finished with the six photo paintings for my West Coast rep, will be able to ship on Monday. The weather has interfered with that process, too - nothing will dry!

I got a call from an art consultant in the town where my father lives, Harlingen, TX. What a surprise to know that there are commercial designers down there. Seems there's a project at the airport where they are interested in commissioning my work.

Christmas is coming, presents are wrapped, the air smells like gingerbread (scented candles), and I'm taking off early tonight to put on my flannel jammies and snuggle on the couch (maybe with a dog). Rain makes me feel that way.

Artwork and Weather

I have an order for two big resin boxes. This is a process best done in summer. I normally use the back room of my studio for this, and open the windows. Can't do that now with temperatures in the thirties and a wintry mix knocking the rest of the leaves off the trees. I've plugged in a portable heater in there, it might be warm enough by tomorrow to start pouring resin. Brrrr!

Instead of trying that today I am putting together a proposal for a hotel resort project in Lake Tahoe. I have been there, though not in many years. I'll have to google and see what the area looks like.

And I'm working on an order for my West Coast rep, hope to finish that up this week.

I've heard from my client at Texas Clinic -- not with any comments about the installation (alas) but with a request for pricing to paint additional "Texas Roundup" paintings in different sizes for people who have seen the original installed at the clinic. I guess it's the most popular piece.