Between the Bars

Josephine Apartment series with mesh, broken jewelery, glass of all sorts (found), metal, plastic. The gold pigment, which the wood is painted with, is closer to the outside photos than the indoor. Some repairs had to be made, so the pieces do differ, slightly, from indoor to outdoor.

coup de grâce

Final finished piece from the "Josephine Apartments" series. There are at least 2 more part of this series, one begun before leaving, one created post. At least 2 are not yet on the blog, so, a total of 11 pieces.

Blue Note Cigar box

Cigar box with many items.

Hope/Promise

It's the hope/promise of the first flower to poke its brave head through the snow.

12" x 12"
frosted pink scalloped Tiffany depression glass
Bus shelter glass
safety glass
stained glass scraps
silver foil

Watchworks

New work with metal mesh, clock bits, butterfly looking glass, trimet bus shelter glass, windshield glass, silver and gold foiled, silver pigment, chandelier bits, broken jewelry.

mirror mirror

Home with dear C.

Somewhere in Time (2013)

Glass/watch parts/skeletal brooch, wire, foil in a cigar box.

The queen aint no bitch...

Mixed glass, mixed foils, some plastic bits, and a queen from a glass chess set. I like this.
* the title is taken from this scene from The Wire: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=S1HUlTKvDUI

Documentation: thanks for the information

A piece being documented during creation; "...if it's worth the going, it's worth the ride". Roughly 7.5 inches x 10 inch wood, painted red w acrylic, painted with gilding adhesive:

Once this dries,  a layer of silver foil over the adhesive. Pieces of glass, as well as garnets from a broken bracelet and pieces from a ca 1920s chandelier painted with adhesive and foiled.

Glass from trimet bus shelters, windows, etc, painted with adhesive and gilded in silver:

Pieces begin to go together:

(turns out this is upside down, but I did not realize it until later)

up close, turned right side up, just the silver part- red is still exposed @ edges.

mores pieces added. Still a lot of work left.

*******************************************************8

Started working with long, 1mm sticks of glass, making radiant lines and adding a different type of movement.

Now, it is finished, save repainting the red border. I never would have guessed I would have kept the red border, but I was taking the color on as an issue. The border is wider, but the glue and foil residue are really irritating me, so I cropped them out. The final piece will be photographed and posted. Documenting my process is really tiresome; no wonder I have never bothered!  These photos also prove that my work just does not photograph well--the depth and the facets are lost, and it seems to capture anything negative and magnifies.

Noble Rot building piece

This piece is on the corner of SE 11th and Burnside. 6ft tall x 4.5 ft wide. Gilded glass on wood painted with gold pigment.

almost

I am not sure if this is finished, but I like the monochromatic industrial look of it right now. At first, I was concerned by my subdued palette, but I ended up really loving it.

The close up shots are of a plate that was my paternal great grandmother's. During the original Great Depression, plates and cups were given away with oatmeal. Beautiful white glass, opaque in places, raised floral designs, see through lines. So elegant to the modern eye, but considered a "freebie" at the time. Alas, they are also very fragile, and this one did not make a move. With gold leaf gilding it, the reaction behind the glass reminds me of moss.

Also contains a large metal nut, found outside of my work on a walk to get away, glass from bus shelters, silver foil, some beads, and a 1930s faux ivory piece. Various metal bits, chandelier glass, buttons, pearls, rhinestones. On found wood from one of the dozen or so cookie cutter apartment buildings going up on my street. One, I found out with this morning, blocks out most of my
ability to see the mountains and sunsets from my front yard. Ah, gentrification!

in medias res

This piece is going to take a while. The centre is a piece of wrought iron fence I found on one of my walks. Curving out from the metal is blue windshield glass gilded in silver, opaque white glass, pearls (vintage and fresh water), gold pigment and gold foiled clear glass. This, of course, is unfinished, but feels special enough to share.

Mirror for LoLa

I went to Corvallis for a wonderful visit with dear, dear Lola. I can now say I've gotten drunk with someone who used to drink with Bukowski: I have arrived. I am sharing this, because it is beautiful, even if it is on a cheap ass mirror, and it commemorates a lovely meeting of minds; I am almost tempted to move there, but space and timing are issues!
The slight nod to Haring is intentional.

Electric Blue

12" x 12" featuring bus shelter glass, broken 1950s cocktail glass, a jar bottom, stained glass scraps, cabochons, and other ephemera. On gold leafed wood.

Siblings: Fraternal Twins

A diptych of 12" x 12" pieces. Color fields of silver gilded  blue windshield glass, gold, silver and copper foiled clear glass. Ordered Chaos: What I do best.

Found Object Boxes

One old and one new. These are drawers from an old jewelry box.  The older one is a squirrel (my mortal enemies) mandible and a gold gilded glass heart. The other is a glass skull, found in the dirt near the tracks under the Hawthorne bridge, gilded with silver foil and placed in a box, lined in 1930s silk velvet.

Finally Finished this piece!

I posted the beginnings of this almost exactly 2 years ago. I finished it a few nights ago, basically just outlining some more silver foiled blue glass and painting with 3 shades of gold pigment on wood. I love the broken corner, and the intricate bead work, each placed on separately. 20" x 12" found wood background.

Seascape with Scallop Shell

Found wood, painted with gold pigment. Windshield glass gilded with silver foil. Freshwater and vintage pearls, scallop shell. 2012

Prison Panties!

Years ago (likely in 1998, given the stamp on the pants), I found these, discarded in a gutter near the Greyhound station in old town. It was pouring, but I picked them up with a stick, taking them home to boil them. They've languished in a box for over a decade. I mounted them in a box that looks like it could have been made in a prison workshop with industrial push pins. Apparently, these are no longer issued, so they are a collector's item of sorts. I can only imagine the woman who shed these, post release, tossing them into the gutter as a final "Eff YOU!" to Portland, Or., as she prepared to board a bus out of town. Ah, when old town was sleazy! *I do realize they are jail panties, but I am a sucker for alliteration.

 I don't usually do found art, but this was too good to not complete. Thanks to C & J for convincing me (with gin) to make this, finally. X