Monday, November 22, 2010

Budding artist?

Riley's lastest assemblage installation is...installed. Actually, it's on the fireplace mantle right now but that's only until the nutcracker collection displaces it - AFTER Thanksgiving - when all self-respecting Christmas decorations are displayed - not before. (But that issue is for another blog entry.)

The newest tool in Riley's creative bag of tricks is a hot glue gun. Thanks Mrs.P. Having constructed a popsicle stick and hot glue long house in the classroom - he is an expert hot gluer. (glueist?) As with many things with Riley; what is mine is his and that's the way of my hot glue gun. His former, frequent use of Christmas lights is still in play but to a lesser degree. I expect that might change when the holiday decoration totes are brought up from the basement and he is faced, once again, with a tangled ball of nirvana at his feet. But until then, please enjoy his latest table top creations.




Okay, I will admit that this next one scared me at first. So much so that I didn't ask it's title. But still - pretty cool. Note the artistic use of thumb tacks and paper clips.





Right now he is working on another that involves a strobe light and a stage curtain that he has rigged to draw open and closed. Photos to follow.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Eccentric Etsians

I have just recently posted my fourth Etsy shop. (It's the fifth one I've created if you count the now defunk Plunk Soap but that's a whole other entry.) With each shop it seemed like I spent more time researching than actually building B. Noel Bijoux.
I have not tried selling jewelry online before and I felt that it had it's own separate set of rules so I just had to pop into a few fellow Etsian's stores. Needless to say, I found good and bad photos, some over priced and some under priced, detailed descriptions and inadequate descriptions... I also found myself deviating from my jewelry retailing research to follow odd tangents that that were sparked by front page features, "favorite items" of those whose work I liked and the "recently listed" cubes that scroll, cycle and pop up continuously 2/3rds of the way down the front page. Whoever thought of THAT knows the inner mind of an ADD artist cruising Etsy...avoiding laundry...the dishwasher...the mailbox... So I decided to showcase a few of my more unique finds here - out loud - so my meandering was not completely wasted time.

Some of my friends and family thought that this piece was just "not right" when I shared it with them on Facebook. But I will state for the record - I think I want one. It's called a "Baby Limb Hooktastic". Honsestly - it's one of this Auckland artist's milder pieces. To see more go to http://www.luxfordst.etsy.com/ and the "Pony Butt Broach" may still be available.
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Who doesn't look at this image and think "Hey! I think I know those guys!" Okay, my family was really big on ancestral potraits and - swear to gosh - there is some resemblance to our Pennsylvania branch.

And then I saw this one. I am choosing to share it though I will refrain from sharing all of the Republican jokes I had prepared to go along with it. Don't let the shop name scare you. It's worth the trip to:http://www.grandolebestiary.etsy.com/
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Even my younger kids are getting a bit old for the Easter Bunny but if they weren't - I would show them this picture and tell them that this is what he really looks like. The artist of this item described it as "Baby Hare Fluffa". She refers to it as a "he" but after seeing it on my Facebook posting, my sister-in-law believes that it is too pretty so it must really be a girl. Either way, you probably shouldn't shoo it off your porch if it shows up there. Especially since, (if you're reading this in the US), it came all the way from Scotland. http://www.dragonhouseofyuen.etsy.com/
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I really like most kinds of soap but have never especially wanted to smell like chocolate or coffee or even bananas. But this soap - yes - it's soap - took it to a whole new level. So wrap it up and take it to Easter dinner with the fam and wait for the inevitable "Why are the deviled eggs in the john?" Like bacon soap? Go to: http://www.sunbasilgarden.etsy.com/
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I look at this tile and think "What is the artist trying to express? What is the backstory to this remarkable piece? Can we interpret the pain of the lizard losing it's tail as sybiotic to the artist's pain?". I think those things and so much, much more.

I look at this tile and ask myself "Where the hell is the rest of the fish?"
Bet we can find it at: http://www.gretchenkramp.etsy.com/
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This artist has either spent too much time alone - or works in an office cubicle. But can't you relate to this sculpture? I can. Since childhood, I have ALWAYS wanted to to this! (Or maybe I just dreamt that...) Check out this Etsy shop to see more from: http://www.kenjio.etsy.com/
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I chose to leave out the Wax Dipped Stuffed Animal Air Freshener. If I had included it, I might have mentioned something about it's likeness to a toilet dunked toy that would constantly cause you to say "No, honey. That one is NOT a toy. It just looks like a toy. Yes - it looks just like the ones YOU put in the potty." Apparently, to re-freshen it's room scenting ability, you just "hit" it with a blowdryer. All in all - too violent, painful and unsanitary to be included here.


To end this blog post on a somewhat Easter/Spring theme, I wanted to share one more sculpture from Kenjio. It's recycled too. The artist states very clearly that it is made from "clay and a thrown away toy bird".

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Where does it come from?

Riley had another creative burst in the middle of his bedroom. I think I can let the pictures speak for themselves but what you need to remember it that each "installation" is musically accompanied. This one featured "Fireflies" by Owl City. There was also a band playing to an audience, a cat on a trapeze and a baseball player swinging a bat. Enjoy.










To answer the question posed by the title of this post - all over the house, garage, basement and the neighbors houses if they aren't careful.