Full Steam

I had the itch to burn something the past few days but I just didn't have to inspiration and I'm waiting to be able to get my hands on a piece of basswood for my big Cowboy at the Cross project.  While waiting for the wood, I decided to sit down at my desk and muse. 

Musing is when I consider a person who has been on my heart or come to my mind.  I take that person to heart for as long as I can possibly budget for daydreaming and usually, when I get to musing, a certain inspiration comes.  Often enough, the inspiration has very little association with that particular person.  Sometimes, it's as subconscious as the designs people doodle randomly (for instance, when my mother talks on the phone she picks up a pen and paper and while chatting idly scrawls out the strangests patterns and shapes.) 

My artwork is dedicated to my muses.  As I work on each piece I think of no one but that particular person.  A part of me and that person is fused into the artwork to bring out the mood that I desire.  I know, I know, you're thinking, all artists are strange, nerdy, nuts, weird...out there! Thinking about other people is what I like to do, and my art time is the perfect time to do that.  It allows for my compassions to flow while my other hemisphere controls my hand.  Often enough, I am so deep in thought that I hardly pay any attention to what I am burning.  

Dangerous?!  Maybe.  

Other things are New at Phoenix Pyrocreation's art desk.  While taking a leisurly stroll and sing by the creek I stumbled across more water sculpted roots which I shall decorate with time.  I love these things!  

Also, my latest inspiration comes partly from my new obsession with human anatomy.  I love horseflesh and I've always enjoyed doing horses.  Another horse portrait coming soon by the way!  I can't wait!  But first, I should explain my new fascination.  I love eyes!  I love eyes of all rich colors.  Eyes, are the windows to a person's soul.  But painting, sculpting, drawing, carving, or burning eyes would be just plain creepy.  

My new love is the human hands...forearms, and the back and shoulders.  The grace of a woman's hands and arms are as lovely as the rippling muscles in a man's shoulders and back.  I can gaze all day at Praying Hands, hands holding pencils, gripping beams, arms resting on fence rails...you name it.  A balled fist has as much grace as an open palm.  

So when the inspiration hit, I felt to burn something with a powerful message.  A tattered, frayed rope, gripped by two worn, tired, hands.  A bit of a depressing picture for sure, but it has a dozen interpretations.  I don't know yet what I'll call it, but I have some good ideas.  

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Tortise Shell- Finally Got Around To It

             The Tortise shell that has been lying on my desk for many months now is now in the spotlight.  I decided to apply some gold leaf to the underside of the removable parts of the shell and when they are laid back over the bone they reflect very nicely.  I only wish I had more of them to put on the shell, however, since I do not I will come up with some other way to decorate the bone. 

            When it is finished, sealed, and glossed, it should make a gorgeous table piece that I will not likely want to let go of for some time!  As with all my work, I love to admire it for a time before I have the heart to offer it for sale! 

           While lack of time has prevented me from posting pictures as regularly as I had in times past, I have been flying through projects lately.  If you visit my facebook page you will notice Fishscale guitar picks for sale and several new Etsy editions! 

           The Etsy widget on my blog hasn't been working and I'm not sure why but I hope in the near future to have it running again on the sidebar.  Thanks for coming!  Check back soon.  I hope to keep pictures coming on the blog as well. 

Contemporary Art

The contemporary Art piece is complete! 

I love the effects of the gold leaf under enamel and must say it looks a lot better in person.  This creation will be offered immediately on Etsy along with the Lion portrait I recently finished. 

These roots intruige me still but I have no idea what I shall call them.  I supposse I designed it to be a sort of coffee table decoration or mantle piece.  Some people may think it rather dumb... but I like them. 

They're for someone out there in this world. 

Contemporary Art?

I am not a fan of the contemporary art style.  I am a realist and I also like to dabble in impressionism when the subject calls for it.  I love to walk through the woods and on some occassions I bring home water-carved pieces of wood.  Some of this wood is pine and I do not like to work with pine.  However, once I dug up what I thought was a rubber chew toy, or a child's plaything out of the mud.  It turns out they are roots of some kind.  If you stand back and let them lay in the grass they tend to remind you of something a neighborhood dog might have left behind.  But other than that they impress me.  The lumps, the bumps.  

The wood is very very light and porous so I have sealed it to strengthen it as I work.  Over the next few days I shall wait for the inspiration on just how to complement these woodpieces.  I already have in mind to use copper, turqoise, and perhaps even fishscales.  This will be a very interesting project.  I don't even know what to call it.  

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Loon Commission Compeleted...well, Almost

I suppose with Facebook it has been hard to post as many pictures to my blog as I have to Facebook but here is an update nonetheless. 

The work is complete but this is the most updated picture I have been able to upload.  I have added a log in the background and more grass since then and signed it with my pyrocreation. 

I hope that Anna will be very pleased with the outcome and I will have one satisfied commission client.  I would not have burned a Loon otherwise.  Commissions force me to excersise, to branch out and burn something special. 

I was approached on Etsy by a kind member of my community who announced that a church in my area was hosting a Pre-Independance Day festival in which I could open a booth and sell some of my work.  I was excited and hope someday to do that, however, the cost was $50 dollars a booth and I hardly have enough to sell for it to be worth my while.  However, the thought appealed to me and I hope that one day I will be able to attend. 

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Loon Commission update

I found the perfect piece of basswood for the Loon I have been commissioned to do and have started working on it already.  Birds are always exciting and I'm loving the way it is turning out so far.  The picture says it all. 

I would normally start with the beak and eyes but since I have my line drawer hooked into the machine I decided to work on the feathering first.  The shading detail done with the ronded skew will be done later. 

I hope to invest in more pen tips in the very near future but I'm still working to pay off my workhorse.  The two tips I have are fairly versatile so they'll work for a long while yet.  I'm so excited to see the detail I'm able to accomplish with my Optima pens and burner.  It is truly the best. 

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Loon Commission and Lion update

       I am proud to announce that I have recently been commissioned to burn a Common Loon portrait.  Birds are always exciting to do and I love commissions because they encourage me to burn a variety of subjects in a variety of styles.  It's like being forced to exercise. 

       Since the temperature outdoors is always rocketing up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit I find alot of time to burn the Lion portrait.  I expect it to be done soon after my birthday at the end of the week.  While I would love to swim and burn away my summer I must find a "real" job, as my family puts it.  So that is what I am also doing.  I am employed with the job of...job hunting.  When I do land myself a small career my art will be put to the side.  But that does not mean that I will not be burning every spare moment I have. 

       Facebook has caused my freqent blog posts to become less frequent but I assure you that I will continue to post as often as I can.  And I hope to keep all of my followers fed with good pictures of steady progress on my latest burnings.  I'd hate to be an artist who simply has nothing to show after a month's time. 

      

       I wish I knew how to land a publisher for prints because as I've stated before I want to create burnings on large pieces of basswood that I can create giclee prints of.  I don't have a high quality camera to take my own photographs of the work so unless I can borrow a relatives camera I will need to find a publisher who can scan the work.  I hope it all works out.  So I will be very busy this summer. 

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