Lazy Daze of Summer-A Peek-a-Boo Project

Growing up in the countryside of Pennsylvania, Summer was time spent going to the swimming holes, building dams in the brook, catching crayfish,  searching for hellgrammites and night crawlers-the perfect bait for fishing. Staying up late, camping out in the backyard, taking nighttime walks, catching fireflies some call them lightening bugs, dipping our head  in the refreshing spring at the bottom of our property where the brilliant salamanders hid under the flat stepping stones. Often there would be a watermelon chilling in there along with a rainbow trout who enjoyed the oxygen rich waters. These are the inspirations for this artwork.

 

Supplies:  Gypsy Soul Laser Cuts-ATC Frame Folder 1, Transparencies of Summer Gone By Illustrations, Copies of County Fair Covers, Pieces of Copper Foil, Glue Dot Runner, UHU Gluestick, Wider Washi Tape, Acrylic Pain in Tones of Green, Brown, Yellow, Red and Gold, TH Distress Stain Evergreen Bough, Weldbond, Brayer, Scissors, Copper Paint, Flower Stamps, Matte Gel Medium, Rub On Transfers, Glossy Accents

1.  Gather Supplies.

2.  Make Copies of Resized and Re-Colored Summer Gone By Illustrations on Transparencies and  Copies of County Fair Covers on Vintage Style Paper. 

3.   Cut to Size. Attach Transparencies to Cut Pieces of Copper Foil Using Glue Dot Runner-I Would Prefer Regular Double Sided Tape, But I am Adding This as a Decorative Element.

4.  Use a UHU Gluestick to Add Thicker Washi Tape to the Spines of GSLC ATC Folder Frames 1.

5.  Paint GSLC ATC Folder Frame 1 With Shades of Green and Brown Acrylic Paints. 

6.  Fill in Any Empty Spaces with TH Evergreen Bough Distress Stain.

7.  Paint Back Part of GSLC ATC Frames with  Shades of Red and Magenta Acrylic Paints.

8.  Color Front Part of GSLC ATC Frames with Shades of Yellow and Gold.

9.  Once Fully Dry, Attach the Two Parts of the Frames Together Using Weldbond.

10.                Use a Brayer to Randomly Add Hints of Red to the GSLC ATC Folders.

11.                Cut Out Printed Country Fair Covers and Glue to Front of GSLC ATC Folders Using UHU Gluestick.

12.                Use Copper Paint and Flower Rubber Stamps to Add a Layer to Inside Cover of GSLC ATC Folders 1

13.                Once Fully Dry Add Highlights of Pale Green Acrylic Paint to the Folders.

14.                To Add a Bit of Shimmer Dry Brush Aqua Flash Color Shift Paint to ATC Folders.

15.                Still Needing More Depth and Interest Add Rub on Transfers to These Two Parts of the GSLC ATC Folders.

16.                Use Dry Brush Technique to Add Splotches of Yellow, Cooper, Gold and Red to These Two Parts of the GSLC ATC Folders.

17.                Coat Everything in Matte Gel Medium.

18.                Use Double Sided Taped to Attach the Copper Layered Transparencies to Illustrations  to the Right Inside Section of the GSLC ATC Folders.

19.                Use Glossy Accents to Mimic a Glass Cover Over the Copper Layered Transparencies to Illustrations.

20.                Once Crystallized and Clear, Fold in Half and Allow to be Weighted Down Overnight.  

Some Final Thoughts.

SUMMER

Summer time is finally here

School is out and fishing time near.

Barefooted boys and fishing poles,

Down to the creek, to the ole swimming hole.

Running through the woods, along the river bank,

That old boat they used went and sank.

A can of worms, a hook and line,

Looking for a fishing pole, if they can find

Two good friends who share their fun,

They run and jump and chase the sun.

Running here, and running there.

Not any worries, not a care

But too soon, it must all end

For these two that were good friends.

Summer comes and summer moves on.

A few summers in your life, then you're grown.

But there are days we can recall When we were friends, we had it all.

-Doug Beggs

A BOY'S SUMMER SONG

'Tis fine to play

In the fragrant hay,

And romp on the golden load;

To ride old Jack

To the barn and back,

Or tramp by a shady road.

To pause and drink,

At a mossy brink;

Ah, that is the best of joy,

And so I say

On summer's day,

What's so fine as being a boy? Ha, Ha!

With line and hook

By a babbling brook,

The fisherman's sport we ply;

And list the song

Of the feathered throng

That flit in the branches nigh.

At last we strip

For a quiet dip;

Ah, that is the best of joy.

For this I say

On a summer's day,

What's so fine as being a boy? Ha, Ha!

-  Paul Laurence Dunbar

 

 

International Strange Music Day-A Peek-a-Boo Project

 I enjoy looking up unusual holiday to see if I can include them in my blog posts. Today, August 24, 2022, is as my title says  International Strange Music Day, a day that encourages people to listen to all types of music they don't usually listen to. It is a also a day to discover strange and bizarre kinds of music. "Madam Butterfly" by Malcolm McLaren is one type of music many may not know. It is the inspiration for this artwork. 

Supplies:  GSLC ATC Shrine Box, GSLC Royal Flourishes, GSLC Vine Corners, GSLC Gothic Cross Miniatures, Weldbond, Polymer Clay, Plastic Wooden Texture Plate, Liquid Clay, Embossing Powders in Brown, Polymer Clay Oven, Small Golden Beads, Small Golden Nails, Shades of Green Acrylic Paint, Gold Design Cream Paint, Glossy Accents, Transparent Butterfly Wings, Golden Heavy Matte Gel Medium

1.  Gather Supplies.

2.  Put Together GSLC ATC Shrine Box and Secure with Weldbond.

3.  Roll Out a Thin Sheet of Polymer Clay and Press into Plastic Wooden Texture Plate.

4.  Cut Panels of Clay and Adhere to GSLC ATC  Shrine Box with Liquid Clay.

5.  Brush Empty Areas with Liquid Clay and Sprinkle with brown Embossing Powders.

6.  Cure in Polymer Clay Oven.

7.  Build a Butterfly Body Totem In Middle of Cured Box Using Small beads for Eyes and Small Nails for Antennas.

8.  Paint GSLC Vine Corners with Shades of Green Acrylic Paints.

9.  Paint GSLC Royal Flourishes with Gold Design Cream.

10.                Attach GSLC Vine Corners and GSLC Royal Flourishes with Liquid Clay and Cure Again in Polymer Clay Oven.

11.                Use Glossy Accents to Attach Transparent Butterfly Wings to Butterfly Body.

12.                Add Patina to Art Piece using Dry Brush Technique and Acrylic Paints.

13.                Paint GSLC Gothic Cross Miniatures with Gold Design Cream.

14.                Attach GSLC Gothic Cross Miniatures with Golden Heavy Matte Gel Medium

Some Final Thoughts.

I enjoy a variety of music, Putumayo is a great starting place to discover different types of World Music. I have enjoyed their A Native American Odyssey,, Gypsy Caravan,  India Compilation, Louisiana Music Sampler, and Zydeco.

 I Have Favorite Female Vocalists, Tori Amos, Annie Lennox, Miley Cyrus, Tones and I, Natalie Merchant, Sinead O'Conner and Tracy Chapman.

 My Favorite music group is Over The Rhine, whom I have quoted many times here on my blog posts. I Like U2, REM, the Chieftains, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Moby, Gregorian, Rammstein,  and Grant Lee Buffalo.

There are so many different styles of music for me to still discover. Tell me a few of your favorites.

 

Cuckoo Clocks and S-Town-A Peek-a-Boo Project

 My father brought back a Cuckoo Clock from when he was stationed in Germany during WWII near the Black Forest Region. That Cuckoo Clock was a permanent fixture in my childhood home. I was mesmerized by its intricate carvings and fascinating features. the first podcast I ever listened to was S-Town, whose main character a horologist, a time keeper repairman, these are the inspirations for this artwork. 

Supplies:  GSLC Cuckoo Clock, Bookboard, Ruler, Cutter, Scrap Paper, UHU Gluestick, Embossing Ink, Embossing Powders Brown, Wooden Grain Embossing Folder, Fan Brush, Various Shades of Brown Acrylic Paints, Artist Cloth, DecoArt One Step Crackle Finish, Glossy Accents, Watch Parts, Clock Face Embellishment, Design Cream Gold Paint, Art Alchemy Metallique Hazelnut Acrylic Paint, Golden Heavy Gel Matte Medium, Colored Pencils, Matte Varnish, Liquid Pearls

1.  Gather Supplies.

2.  Cut a Piece of Bookboard, Mine is 5 by 10 Inches.

3.  Choose Pieces of Scrap Paper to Add an Interesting Background, Cut and Use a UHU Glue Stick to Attach.

4.  Use Embossing Ink, Brown Embossing Powders and a Wooden Grain Embossing Folder To Add "Wood Grain" to GSLC Cuckoo Clock Top Portion.

5.  Use a Fan Brush and Various Shades of Brown Acrylic Paints to Continue the Wood Grain.

6.  Use and Artist Cloth Brown Paints to Add Patina and Distress You Prepared Background.

7.   Cover Background With DecoArt One Step Crackle Finish, Allowing to Air Dry Fully.

8.  Use Design Cream Gold Paint to Paint  Top Part of Cuckoo Clock Balances.

9.  Use Art Alchemy Metallique Hazelnut Acrylic Paint to Paint Bottom Portion of Cuckoo Clock Balances.

10.                Use Golden Heavy Gel Matte to Secure GSLC Cuckoo Clock Parts to Background.

11.                Use Art Alchemy Metallique Hazelnut Acrylic Paint to Paint Inside of "Windows" of GSLC Cuckoo Clock.

12.                Use Glossy Accents to Secure Watch Parts and Clock Face Embellishment.

13.                Use a Colored Pencil to Fill in the Cracks from the Crackle Finish and to Distress Edges of Background.

14.                Use Liquid Pearls to Add Details to Background.

15.                Use Matte Gel Varnish to Seal the Entire Piece of Art.

 

Some Final Thoughts:

I wish I would have found and taken the Black Forest Cuckoo Clock my father brought back from Germany, that was a great memory from my childhood when we sold the Ole homestead a few years ago, but it was nowhere to be found in the many boxes shoved into the ancient attic. I may one day splurge and buy a one as a replacement for our condo, but of our limited space it would need to be much smaller.  I am fortunate that I have a musical beer stein my dad gave to me years ago, a nice remembrance of our German heritage.

S-Town tells the story of John B. McLemore, who despises his small Alabama town, where he alleges there is a murder that is being covered up by a wealth family and police corruption. It is described as an investigative journalism, serialized audio narrative meaning it tells the story through recordings of many of the key characters and added narration to tell the back story.

One such conversation:

One day, John was on the phone with me, and he looked out his window and started listing off the flowers that were in bloom in his yard, and the ones that were dying. He sighed and said,

JOHN B. McLEMORE:

It's tedious and brief. That's a sundial motto—tedious and brief.

BRIAN REED:

Before we had clocks, we had sundials, and I never thought about this until I started talking to John, but watching a sundial, which could be as simple as a stick in the ground, as the shadow crept along, you were actually witnessing the rotation of the Earth. It's so much less abstracted than a clock, a level closer to time itself. Anyway, John told me sundials often have mottoes engraved on them. John says "tedious and brief" is one.

BRIAN REED:

What do you mean, "tedious and brief?"

JOHN B. McLEMORE:

Your life is tedious and brief. All sundial mottoes are sad like that.

BRIAN REED:

There are hundreds of these mottoes. "Life passes like this shadow." "Make haste, but slowly." "Use the hours, don't count them." "Even as you watch, I'm fleeing." "Soon comes night."

These little reminders are out there, hidden in crannies around the world. I recently happened upon a sundial in the cemetery of an old Catholic mission next to a grave. Because of John, I knew to look for the motto. It read, "Nil boni hodie. Diem perdidi." "I did nothing good today. I have lost a day." 

As I see my summer break slipping away I remind myself to use my hours and not count them. The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here.