Sierra College Ridley Gallery Holiday Sale

I've got the following artworks available for purchase in the above show.

 Drop Some Breadcrumbs, a multi color block print

 Nora's Daffodils: a silkscreen print

Looking for Trouble Buster?  A two color block print

Some brand new hand pulled pochoir enhanced block printed cards:

this block print was inspired by a photo I took of my grandson back when he was only 2 years old.  I stamped a holiday greeting inside so the cards can be used for Christmas cards.

A few reproductions of recently done ACEOs I sold on ebay last week:

These reproductions were printed onto cardstock for blank greeting cards then folded and cello packed with matching envelopes.

Last but not least I included several of my little one page wonders books.

They are all blank sketchbooks made from fine art paper of various sizes. Each 62 page accordion book is made from one sheet of folded, cut and folded paper and slipped into a book cover made from decorative papers.  I brought one large book with flocked cat on the cover cello packed.  I also cello packed a variety of 3 packs of matching books.

NibbleFest Art Contest

Today I listed the following artworks on ebay for a monthly art themed exhibit/contest titled "NibbleFest Art Contest."  (NFAC)

Many artist participate in this online exhibit/auction by listing artworks based on a new theme each month.  All of the works have to be listed using the auction style with an opening bid of 99 cents.  There are no reserve prices or additional fees other than shipping.  I've yet to see any of the participating artists try to make money by padding the shipping.  I've only seen shipping fees that are reasonable for careful packaging and postal costs.  

I find these kinds of art challenges a fun way to step outside of my usual and experiment with materials and subject matter.  The theme for November 2011 is Penguins.  Click the following link to see an EBay search for this month's "NFAC" challenge:  http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=NFAC+Art+&_trksid=p5197.c0.m627

This artwork is a 2.5" x 2.3" mixed media collage ACEO (Artist's Card Edition or Original).  You can learn more about ACEOs at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artist_trading_cards

I got the idea for this image by googling "penguin" images.  I saw this pic of two penguins and thought they look like they're snowboarding.  So I created a digital collage on my laptop using that image.  Then I made this miniature paper collage based on the digital collage.  I used fun decorative papers pasted to a scrap of Stonehenge printmaking paper.

This one is an original 9" x 12" charcoal sketch on Canson drawing paper.  I saw this cute screen saver of a photoshopped photo on the computer in the Sierra College classroom where I'm a teaching assistant.  I mentally cropped it then sketched my idea and yesterday I created an open edition woodcut print from my sketch.

This is the open edition miniature woodcut print I created based on the above sketch.  Its a 2.5" x 3.5" ACEO on vellum Bristol board.

Tea Party Proof

The next step in the barenforum.org exchanges 49 and 50.  These are the keyline proofs.  I'm thinking of cutting repurposed stryrofoam take out trays for puzzle printing the color fields.

Desert Tea Party

Been working on some new compositions for a couple of barenforum.org print exchanges.  One exchange is to be 3x7" the other is to be a 3.5 x 2.5" ACEO (Art Cards Editions and Originals).  The 3.5 x 2.5 size for ACEOs is a standard.  The 3x7" size is a traditional size for a few of the annual barenforum print exchanges.  The images I'm posting are the ideas I developed into digital collages.  I've made a decision on which ones I'm doing...have fun guessing!

Exchange Number 49

Exchange Number 50

Tarot Stream of Conciousness

started working on stream of consciousness studies of some tarot decks in preparation of designing the entire deck rather than one card at a time.  Well I can only design one card at a time...what I mean is I will study all the cards then design the entire deck and then start carving and printing the physical cards.  

©U.S. Games

 

I studied the Morgan-Greer Tarot deck in May.  I'll start posting my research within my personal metaphysical studies blog here:  

http://shadowork.blogspot.com/

And I'm currently studying the Universal Waite deck.  

  ©U.S. Games

I think the next one I'll work with will be the Osho Zen deck 

 and then I'll tackle the Thoth deck. 

©U.S. Games

The Thoth deck is so complex and rich in archetypes that I will need to give it more time to understand my reactions to it.   It does give a lot of people feelings of unease, and it did so for me at first.  Now when I handle the deck it just makes my forehead itch... I've worked with the traditional symbolism in the classic Coleman-Waite deck for so long I already have an understanding of my reactions to the archetypes but the Osho Zen and the Thoth decks are a whole ball game; or should I say card game...that's why I save them for last.

Bee God

 The following artwork will be offered in auction at the above fundraiser.  They provided the box, I turned it into a mixed media encaustic painting.  I pasted digital printouts on all sides of the box then painted it with encaustic paints and added found objects.  I then attached hooks to the top and provided a 10 foot decorative chain for hanging.

 A peek inside the box.

 A view outside the box

tweaked in photoshop to show details outside the box.

And a view inside the box.

outside the box

 I've had this box lying around in an attempt to prod some inspiration.  It was given to me to create a work of art around it for Outside the Box a fund-raising auction in Auburn California.  I knew I wanted to do something in encaustic with but was completely uninspired visually.  

Last week I attended a meeting of artists asked to create mesoamerican installations for the upcoming Festival de la Familia, well the research I conducted afterward became very inspiring for the box project...

First I needed to prime the box with all natural rabbit skin gesso, acylic gesso wont work with all natural bee's wax encaustic paints.  So I went out to the studio and searched my painting cabinet, only to find I'm out of rabbit skin glue...think think...ok we'll use all natural rice paste and all natural mulberry paper to make a nice white all natural surface for the encaustics to adhere to...

Next I sized images I liberated from the www, sized them to fit the box and then printed them onto masa paper.  Of course my printer only prints 8.5x11" sheets so I had to print them tiled and then assemble the tiles onto the box.  I pasted the tiled printouts to the box using rice paste.

The largest surface, on the outside of the box

The inside of the box

 

 outside edges  drying beside the smoke box where I am smoking a pastrami.  Thought I'd use the heat of the smoke box to facilitate quicker drying of box.  Its been raining and everything is taking forever and a day to dry...

Nightmare Clown

 Well I finally finished the Mixed Media Clown Painting.  As you saw in the previous post I painted the background then adhered decorative papers to the painting to create my visualization of Pennywise, the antagonist in Stephen King's novel "IT".

 I adhered marblized blue gift wrap for the collar.

 White mulberry paper makes up the face and printed scrapbook paper was used for the mouth.

 Scraps of red hand made vegetable dyed paper are the nose and eyes.  Very thin orange mulberry was layered three times for the hair and bitty bits of scraps were layered over the black mulberry eyebrows.

 I made the eyes a bit more compelling with blue linen paper for the iris and holographic foil for the pupils.  The reflective holographic paper has a checkerboard pattern which makes it appear as if the eyes may be compound.

I finished it off by drawing with color sharpie markers to create the illusion of depth and shadow.  The whole is protected by a few layers of clear matte acrylic medium.  The face and spots of highlight are enhanced with a layer of iridescent acrylic medium.

He is offered for sale at http://www.absolutearts.com/cgi-bin/portfolio/art/your-art.cgi?login=pharecamp&title=Beep_Beep_Ritchie-1299361368t.jpg