DEERSKIN RATTLE

Here is the deerskin rattle made by my friend, Jim. I painted it using gouache, which I had never worked with before. I loved the whole process.

Altered Book: Wide Wide World

This is the cover of an altered book from several years ago. The book title is "Wide Wide World" and it's a nice small size. Sometimes it's nice to work on a petite book because you can use some materials without altering them. This cover features a stamp that I like a lot though I can't really remember the company! It's been a while since I went to a stamp convention which is where I have bought most of my stamps over the years. Okay, maybe this is a PostModern stamp. I do a lot of thrift store shopping and one of my favorite places to find cool stuff is the Goodwill Outlet stores, also known as The Bins. We have one here in Salem and there are several in the Portland area. I've even been to one in Seattle and that was a good one. So, the grommeted vinyl trim is something I picked up here in Salem. I painted it (probably with Lumiere) for this application but I've also used Staz-On which makes for some amazing colors. I particularly like the dark blue Staz-On on metal. Very cool. The image is stamped on a scrap of a 1920's National Geographic and I like the vertical text.

I'm placing things here in no particular order. I'm attempting to upload photos of my work that I have on hand. That does tend to limit me to older work. I used to photograph and scan everything the minute I finished it, but that has gone by the wayside.

1950's Vintage Typeset Hospital Ledger Paper: Hospital Green

http://www.picturetrail.com
Member Name: corhof

That's where you'll find all the info you need to purchase this unique paper. Here's a description:

Heavy 8.5"X6" paper typeset on both sides. Manufactured by NCR. This amazing vintage ephemera is probably from the 1940's or 1950's. It features a gorgeous font. Lots of columns. Some of the column titles: Date; Symbol; Charges; Credits; Balance; Prev. Balance. The printing at the top of each page says: No.; Birth Date; Spouse; Family. Six numbered double break lines. Very cool hospital vintage hospital green color. Use it for collage, scrapbooking, altered books, journal pages, etc. Bind these together for a daily journal and don't forget your fountain pen!

Altered Postcards

These are altered postcards done for a swap last year. They turned out to be a tremendous amount of work because I was interpreting/emulating a style I saw in the examples the hostess offered at the outset. I used an array of techniques and materials and the postcards ended up having a lot of depth. As I look back I see some things I would have done differently, of course, but I like them. I finished shortly before the deadline and hated to let them go so soon because I hadn't lived with them for long. My studio is in the basement and my habit is to take my newest artwork right up the stairs and set up a display on the kitchen table before I go to bed. My partner, Herb, is usually the first one up in the morning so he is the first one to see my new work. It's also a treat for me to see the work in the morning light and I often leave the display set up for quite some time. I think I had only a day with the postcards and off they went. Swaps and round robins were a very good tool for me back in the mid-90's when I was first doing altered books, tags and ATC's because they helped me see what others were doing and gave me project focus and deadlines. I don't do them as much anymore but every once in a while a project will be so tantalizing that I can't resist.

I'll eventually post newer work. Some upcoming photos will feature paintings I did on a deerskin rattle made by a new friend who is an intuitive healer and alchemist.

March 24/Altered Book/The Body

What you're viewing is the cover of one of the many altered books I've worked on in AB classes I've taught over the years. This one features an image transfer showing through a window cut in the book cover. I've begun because I enjoy looking at other artist blogs because they inspire me. I want to begin posting photos that I have already taken and I want to photograph completed work . This book, for instance, contains some layouts that have never been photographed. I also want to let people know when there are art supplies, embellishments, ephemera, vintage fabric, hand-painted paper or art pieces for sale. I have collected for many years with the intent of circulating it. So enjoy this and come back to look for more if you like it.