Diane Lou-Found Object Art

From Hawaii to snow....

2012-01-15T16:43:00.000-08:00

On January 5th, my husband's birthday, we left for a week in Hawaii. The "excuse" for the trip, if one needs an excuse to go to Hawaii in January, was that he had an academic paper accepted for a creativity conference sponsored by the University of Hawaii.

We were blessed with glorious 80 degree weather the entire week (even though the weeks before were not nearly so pleasant). Heavenly....all those open air rooms, flowers in bloom, the beach, warmth, friends, and wonderful food. Following are a few shots from the trip:

The banyon trees that never cease to entrance me.

The giant "rope" above a Shinto (I think) shrine. Each strand about 20" in diameter.

Foo dog outside shrine.

Wedding couple in downtown Honolulu.

Tassels in Chinatown.

Some kind of bread balls that were dropped into boiling oil and continually stirred by women standing over the hot, hot burner until the balls were all evenly puffed. Fascinating to watch their rhythm, but mostly all I could think of was how tired their arms and shoulders must be at the end of the day.

Now to the second part of the subject line....snow. We awoke to snow this a.m. with 2 or 3 more days predicted before returning to rain. Have to get out in the a.m. to bring Kolya and little granddaughter Gigi here for a couple days. Hope the snow doesn't intefere.

Finally got back into the studio this afternoon for a couple hours and decided how to put together a piece that has been "resting" for a while. Felt great after not doing much for the last month or so. Time to get back at it again.

A new year steps in...

2012-01-04T13:40:00.000-08:00

(Offering to the Oracle...just sold)
The march of time is inevitable, of course, but at no time am I more aware of that than at the beginning of a new year. I can scroll through my past year's blog posts for a reminder if I need one. Watching bins finds being brought home and then used, watching pieces being created bit by bit, seeing the list of shows participated in, seeing building projects evolve and gardens grow, then die and be put to bed for winter.

This year will see my oldest granddaughter Abbie, who will soon be 18, graduate from high school then move away to college. It's going to be a toughie for her mom...and for me as I had her with me part of nearly every day during at least the first 10 or 12 years of her life. Grandson Jake will be 12 and is already thinking he'll ask a girl to the middle school's semi-formal dance (whoa, how did that happen so quickly!). And then Gigi (Geneva) is still a toddler, learning words, figuring out her world, tasting it all, learning about gravity and all the other great laws of life while we watch entranced.

Looking back at my goals for last year, I had hoped to sell more art (which I did....21 pieces in all which I consider to be a lot since my art only appeals to certain people)...and to get into Local 14, a large women-only Portland show (which I did). I'm sure there were more goals in there, like solving all the world's problems, doing away with corruption in government and business, ending war, figuring how to feed all the world's starving and hungry people, curing cancer and a hundred other diseases and more...but I didn't get it all accomplished. Worthy goals to move on to 2012.

After a few more days' break, I'll be fully back into the studio to make new work for the new year as the time to submit to new shows is just around the corner.

We are blessed to be warm, safe, sheltered and well fed, and know that such should be the case for everyone. Our wish for this year. Love to all of you....

Daffodils already popping up....

2011-12-19T13:35:00.000-08:00

Oh, dear readers, I fear I have left you in the lurch! Last post on the first??? How can that be?

It seems December is always a blur, not only with holiday preparations, but with birthdays in our family. My sister's was Thanksgiving, my oldest daughter's Dec 1st, and my twin daughters' Dec 10th...and then we are left basically with 2 weeks until Christmas.

I've been so behind, I didn't even get the November giveaway posted (after promising at the beginning of the month). Deb, my dear, you are the winner of a little tidbit of art, and I think I do have your address somewhere here, so will pop this in the mail to you.

Can you tell I am I am just trying to wade through through all the odds and ends of things that need taken care of here on the table?

Our weather continues mild, and we've had an inordinate amount of sun...and here we are nearly at solstice...."the watershed of the year" as Vita Sackville-West called it. Always a mental load-lifting time for me as I can look forward to spring and longer days, and yes...those daffodils, the early ones of which are already popping through the ground! One of the many reasons I love, love, love where I live.

A snowy photo from last year...just to get you in the holiday spirit.

Where I grew up, the first blizzard is predicted now, with months of possible snow and storms ahead. For 13 years I lived in MT where we basically had 9 months of snow and 3 months of bad skiing. Here, there is really only about one month where almost nothing is in bloom

Grandson Jake cut our holiday tree for us again and helped me decorate. It is a bit of a Charlie Brown tree, a wild tree cut from the forest, but it is the fun of going out and getting it and dragging it up to the house that makes it special. We've already spotted a new stand of moderate-sized trees for next year.

Granddaughter Gigi will be here with mom Kolya for our early Xmas on the 22nd, as will be the rest of the family. I'll get to enjoy 13-month-old Gigi for 2 whole days!

Have a blessed, healthy, contented, friend-filled holiday everyone. Back to art soon....

Clocks and looms....

2011-12-01T15:45:00.000-08:00

We've been blessed with glorious sunshine for much of the past few weeks, very unusual for us this time of year when the rain, clouds and darkness normally descend for weeks on end. It has made my usual seasonal depression lift and for me to face the days with energy and excitement. Scrubbing decks, moving firewood, working in the studio, cleaning out more of the garden, cleaning off the driveway...all have seemed doable and have been done.

One thing I have noticed is that when the low winter sun is shining directly in the windows, every piece of dust, every fingerprint, every cat hair shows up on the furniture, on the tables and counters and floor. Housecleaning has seldom risen above the lower rungs of my priorities list (although I love a clean house, I don't want to be the one doing it all), so the newly visible neglect has made me do more cleaning than normal too.

December 1st marks my oldest daughter's birthday as well as letting me know that solstice is just 3 short weeks away! Then the days begin to get longer....Such a relief. At times, I feel like a primitive person must have felt who perhaps did not understand the cycle of the seasons and did not know that spring would return.

Anyway, I have made some time in the studio and here's what's new.

Oops, I should have rotated this I guess, but you get the picture (no pun intended). Remember the large clock face I picked up at the bins a month or so ago...about 15" across. It is replica, a paper face mounted on wood, but with all the appropriate crackling and scratching one might expect on a really old clock face. The dark part is part of resin clock with Roman numerals on it. I used the other part of it in a work that I sold...and I cannot now remember the title. At this point, I have just fastened the rusty metal bar to the clock with bolts.

Here it is, right side up. I still haven't decided how to attach the dark, Roman numeral part of it. On top of the rusty metal piece, you will see a wooden part from a cuckoo clock that also came from the bins, and on the left, an old camera bellows I purchased from friend Tabor (and which is very hard to use because I like it so much!).

In this detail shot, you can see a tiny cuckoo (from the same clock) that I attached to the bellows. Now to figure out how to put it all together and what to put inside that inviting space inside the bellows.

Months ago, I picked up this very old, hand carved loom piece (just the wooden parts without all the other stuff) at the bins. This is the start I am finally making. Oh my, there are those little black plastic finials (thanks, Su...again) fastened on, and that metal curlique I got at my last bins trip seemed just perfect to attach to the bottom (I drilled holes in the wood and wired it on from the back), which I realized the second I got it home and in the studio. Now what?

I found the old wooden oval while rummaging around in the old studio one day. Finally, it seems like this is the place for it. And then we'll see where this all goes....

Oh my, giveaway time again too. Will pick a name and a prize and post that tomorrow, I hope.

The bins shall provide...

2011-11-23T17:10:00.000-08:00

During a two-day stay this week in Portland, I took some time Tuesday to go to the bins. Pickings have not been that good on Mondays recently, so I decided to try going on Tuesday. Much better...at least this Tuesday was much better.

Above is part of my stash...hard to see in such a tiny photo, I know, but there are the little white cherubs, eight of them, the weird glass bottle shape, the scary skull, the metal curlique, the elephant, Dutch shoe, interesting frame (for needlework, I think, but I can certainly envision something in there), the little Chinese pot, and a couple other things.

And here, the dark, tall carved Indonesian box, a rain stick, the 3 cats, a decorative box, a toy cash register (just like one I had as a child...very broken but with good pieces inside as you will see), and the ray shape at the top.

After about an hour of trying to disassemble the toy cash register (they definitely made toys to last long ago...everything out of metal, securely riveted together), I got the nice little pile of keys which you can barely see lower left), and those great pop-up metal numbers...and the red metal pieces. I often use a little red in my pieces in my mostly dark art, so I am sure these will get used at some point.

As I was leaving the bins, one of the "regulars" that I see
there all the time came over to me and offered me this.
He said it was an Indonesian egg box, but actually I
think it is that game that I can't remember the name of
(see interior photo). Obviously, it is all hand carved.

Then there was the elephant.... The "regular" who gave me the box above said he had had this in his cart but then put it back, which explained me finding it on a return visit to a bin I had already been through. He/she needs a little work, but I find it quite appealing in its own right. The elephant will hang from the crossbar, and there is a little wooden "clanger" which will fit inside the elephant to make a wooden bell.

As I was putting things away, I couldn't resist playing with a few of my new pieces. No matter what I come across, I always find new inspiration in all the disparate pieces of detritus I bring home. I loved the 3-cat base this is sitting on as well as the broken but very interesting glass shape (broken off top and bottom from whatever it used to be) as well as the scary skull. They are all just sitting together to pose for the photo.

I'm going to add a photo of tonight's sunset for you. The photo doesn't really show how brilliant the colors were though...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving week...

2011-11-20T14:18:00.000-08:00

(Me with our driftwood pterodactyl on the treehouse.)

Thanksgiving week begins and most will be spent with my grandchildren, children and my family...as it should be.

There is much to be thankful for...a loving husband, 3 daughters and 3 grandchildren nearby, good friends. But truly most of all, I am thankful that my health is holding and I feel great and have good energy. I have goals for months and years ahead, and I plan to be here to fulfill them.

Grandson Jake and I planted 120 spring-blooming bulbs yesterday...an exercise in optimism, is it not? And if you ever want an 11-year-old to help you get lots of bulbs planted in short order, get an bulb-planting attachment for an cordless electric drill. It is like an auger and makes quick work of dozens of holes while fulfilling a boy's joys of using tools, digging holes and getting messy.

We also cleaned out the guest room closet which tends to be the catch-all in the house. I can actually walk into it now! There we found boxes of photos which need sorted and something done with....as well as many years' worth of my diaries, from the years when I lived in the backwoods of MT, homeschooling the kids, growing the food, hauling the water, tending the fires, cooking on a woodstove. I think there is another book in there. Also years' worth of saved letters to review. Good work for some wintery day when little else holds appeal.

May your holiday be filled with gratefulness and joy!

A couple finishes...

2011-11-13T15:25:00.000-08:00

I'm just back from the studio where this a.m. I finished up these two pieces. You've seen their earlier iterations on the blog a week or so ago.

At this moment, I don't have a title yet for this one (possibly Bits and Pieces). Above, a couple of the pieces are from one of those decorative bird houses one sees...the archways, which used to have wire "bars" on them, and the top roofline portion. There is a dial on the right side, as well as the handle, which came from the vintage gas pump.

The detail below shows the interior gears (once aqua plastic but now rusted) and the red string manipulating the woman.

Here's the second piece, currently untitled (that part of my brain seems to be on vacation). It's a very simple composition, but it feels right to leave it this way.

Without a flash on it, the silvery shapes on top cast intriguing shadows that sort of fill in the composition. Those, you might remember, were part of a metal lamp (painted reddish-purple) that I acquired at that farm sale where I got a huge pile of stuff for $40. I'll look forward to using the rest of it in future pieces.

The beadboard on the inside of the white box also came from the same farm sale. The ancient pitchfork from friend Ray.

Winter rains...

2011-11-12T16:28:00.000-08:00

As we near the middle of November, some days are filled with treasured sunshine (like Thursday), and then it is dreary, overcast, foggy, rainy much of the rest of the time. Here's the view I am seeing right now out our dining room window.

The maples in the foreground are losing the last of their leaves in the winds and rain. Right before I took this photo, big drifting sheets of fog moved between us and the mountainside...which made me wish I could send you a video (if I knew how).

Grandson Jake and I spent Thursday hauling loads of huge branches (many 20' long) from the woods where we had some thinning done. He drove the 4-wheeler, we bundled the large branches, pulled two chains around them and off they went to an area where they can be reached when we rent a chipper. Hard work...but the sun was shining, it was perfectly still and about 55 degrees with a blue sky.

Every couple loads we would lie back to rest in the beds of small branches still covered with needles, look up at the sky and talk. It was exquisite.

Wednesday I celebrated granddaughter Gigi's first birthday with her. Her mommy had bought a mylar balloon for her and we need not have bought other presents. She spent about 30 minutes bouncing the balloon up and down, giggling hysterically the entire time. There is nothing like a baby's laugh, is there?

(Daughter Kolya and Gigi)
So, simple pleasures...but the very best kind.

I did some more studio work today, so in a few days, I have some more photos of what is finishing up and what is getting started.

10,000 and counting...

2011-11-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

When I started this blog, I watched the little counter go up 4 or 5 a week...and now, we have surpassed 10,000 views. I know many blogs have hundreds of thousands of hits, but I consider this a landmark. In viewing my stats, it's interesting to see how many views are from Russia, Korea, Venezuela, Denmark and other far-away places.

A big thank you to those who read often as well as those who peek in occasionally. You give me a reason to keep working and a reason to document the progression of creation, which I am glad to have....especially now when some of my older pieces hold so little appeal for me.

I hope my work inspires, encourages, and motivates you to create whatever it is you chose to do. We all need creative outlets in our lives, whether it is through teaching, singing, acting, writing, motivating, designing, decorating or creating art. It's good for the soul.....

New starts...

2011-11-04T09:32:00.000-07:00

The relatively empty walls in the studio have encouraged some new work which I snapped a few photos of yesterday. The above piece once again uses a couple of those black finials (which I like so much!) that Su sent me in the goody box. The entire piece measures about 18" tall and the black box is screwed into a wooden checkers/chess board that I cut down to a smaller size with the tabletop band saw. The round wooden piece was from a recent bins trip, as was the old rusty compass. No name yet for this one, but I think it is probably done.

Though I seldom work in white, this one seemed to want that kind of a backdrop to show off the very simple, old, rusty pitchfork that friend Ray found for me. While it is not done (I don't think), it will probably only have one addition, something hanging from the bent light socket.

This one is still very much in a state of flux with nothing but the background fabric glued down. The picture is a little inadequate since it was sitting on the toolbench, not hanging on the wall, when I photographed it.

If you look at the lower left, you'll see a little system of gears which used to be a bright aqua plastic toy piece which I used the rusting materials on. The little silver circular items hanging from the center of each arch are part of an old window-locking mechanism which I screwed into the top of the box. On the right is an old black faucet handle (and oh, I should have taken a photo of that from the side) sitting on top of one of those great dials from the vintage gas pump I took apart a month or so ago.
What will go on the top and bottom of the piece remains to be discovered.

The sun is trying to come out and it looks like another beautiful fall day despite a forecast that did not sound so cheery. Since we had some of our overgrown forest thinned a bit recently (see the wood stacking photos from the firing), the brightness is even more evident. Wonderful...and the view is much improved too.

ebooks are ready....and monthly drawing

2011-11-01T21:51:00.000-07:00

Finally! The ebook versions of all 3 of my books (those on the left sidebar) are now available. Just click on the book and it will take you to blurb.com where the ebooks are $8.99 each.

And my, how did this happen? The end of the month is now past and I've got a give-a-way for Dayna, our monthly winner. Dayna, if you'll send me your address at dianelou at earthlink dot net I'll send it out.

Saturday night we attended the big gala at the Chehalem Cultural Center and the Day of the Dead show.
In a time of limited funding for the arts, it was refreshing to see them raise $160,000 in one night! Lots of generous donors willing to make a wonderful community arts facility a reality.

I have 3 new pieces in the works which I hope to finish up this week, so I'll photograph them and post them when I get home on Wednesday.

ebooks update....

2011-10-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

Despite the promise that the ebooks would be available today, only the East Creek Anagama is ready. There's a glitch with the others right now and I'm awaiting a reply from tech support. Will keep you updated.

Three nights of frost are gradually eating away at all the plants, but some echinacea still look vibrant. We'll enjoy every last moment of them!.

Had some studio time, and will post pictures of two new pieces as soon as they are finished.

Firing over...and ebooks!

2011-10-24T09:08:00.000-07:00

Twice a year when we fire the big anagama kiln (a wood-fired, 8th century kiln replica), I think it really won't take up most of the month....but pretty much it does. Saturday we had massive amounts of wood to stack for future firings besides the unloading.

(You gotta love the green moss on this guy's head)

We've hired someone to thin out our forests a little and open it up giving us more light, and lots of that wood was bucked up, split and awaiting stacking in the shed by the kiln. Thank goodness there were lots of people there...but even so, the unloading, stacking and clean up took us 6 hours. By that time, we were just tired out.

Oh yes!...Recent news is that blurb.com where I have created the books you see on the left sidebar is now making all the books available as ebooks! So if you have an iPad or such, you can download these books for a fraction of the cost of the print version. Please note: Only the East Creek Anagama book is available today. After tomorrow, all should be. Just click on the photo on the left which will take you to the site, then look for the ebook option to download your book.

The sun looks like it might shine today which would be lovely. We've had tastes of the gray and wet of winter already, but I am just not quite ready for it to settle in permanently yet (am I ever?)

Time to clean out most of the garden beds, except carrots, which will stay in the ground until they are needed for fresh juice. I did plant some mixed greens both outdoors and in the greenhouse as they thrive in the cool days of fall and winter and provide us with fresh salads almost year around.

This Saturday night is the gala/fundraiser at the Chehalem Cultural Center in Newberg OR where my Day of the Dead pieces, along with those of a few other artists, are shown with the work of other artists. The silent auction ends that night, and hopefully supporters of the new Cultural Center will show up en masse to bid and raise money for this vibrant facility for the arts.

Ah, yes, the sun is shining, so it is time to seize the day! Enjoy.... One of these days some more will get done. It seems that after a big burst of creativity some clean up and reorganization are just what are needed to restart the creative spark which is what I will do today.

Bins stuff and another anagama firing

2011-10-13T09:10:00.000-07:00

Last night the warming fire was started in our 8th century Korean anagama kiln, and the next 3 days will be consumed with the firing. We'll have about 30 or more people here off and on doing their shifts, day and night, of stoking the kiln. By Saturday we should have reached the requisite 2400 degrees, and we will close it up tight, sealing the ports and the door for it to simmer and then cool for the next week. The following Saturday will reveal what we have.

There is no art process quite like ceramics where it is the final step that either makes or breaks the piece (no pun intended), and that final step has so many variables, especially in woodfire. The type of wood, whether it is wet or green or dry, the weather, how the kiln is stacked, how the firing is conducted, how fast the temperature rises....you get the picture. The best piece in the world can be destroyed in this final step...a crack can develop, the pot can tip into a another piece sticking them together forever, the glaze may not mature, a piece from an exploding pot may stick to the perfect piece...or as happened once, a series of kiln shelves may fall, starting a domino effect within the kiln. The artist must truly "let go" of the piece once it enters the kiln.

Anyway, for our second topic, I was able to make a bins trip on Tuesday, and found a bunch of small items that interested me...a whole $25 worth (which also included some Christmas tree decorations, a book, and some other things). Here are a few photos of what I picked up:

I love the 2 round wooden pieces (no idea from what) and one is already set out to be used in a new piece. The little wooden trivet (red and natural circles) has already been cut apart to yield a bunch of little circles that will be used as accents. Beneath everything is a handmade, crocheted piece on old natural linen.

Old gauges (upper right), white vintage drawer pulls (very neat), finials, sepia ink, a clamp. old sewing notions, wooden blocks, tweezers, and more.

Some more odds and ends. I'm sure the section of glass tiles will be used in bit and pieces in some art.

I really love this big clock dial, and even though it is a reproduction, it will look fabulous in some pieces (because I will probably cut it apart, and maybe even try to get a large copy of the front of it done before I do). The little scary Halloween tree to the left of it is much more interesting when you cover up the face part. A couple old frames, one handmade, sort of tramp-art-like are good. And I like the tasseled cord too. And so does Jasper (Jazzie), our studio cat. He's a big old guy who is loving spending his final years in the studio with lots of little round things to bat around on the radiant heated floor.

Another little find...

2011-10-11T16:01:00.000-07:00

Last week when I was at the bins, I found this great guy draped across the bins of clothing. Sadly his arms were missing, but still, his primitive, rustic look really appealed to me. Here he is in Nils's studio chair. Perfect for Day of the Dead season.

Speaking of that, Nils delivered the following pieces to the Chehalem Cultural Center's DOTD show for me today. Seeing everyone else's submissions will be fun!

Drawer 280 (In the New York show, A Book about Death)

Offering to the Oracle

Hummingbird

Domino

Went to the bins again today, so will post pictures of some of the goodies I picked up. There were quite a few little goodies for "bottom feeders" like me.

Drawing winner, and Day of the Dead

2011-10-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

September's winner is Tabor! I think I have your address here, but better email me at dianelou at earthlink dot net with your mailing info. Congratulations!

Above you'll see a new piece I created for the Chehalem Cultural Center's Day of the Dead show this month (See dates on show section on sidebar). I have a fascination with the DOTD pieces...something so sad, yet so appealing about them. This one is very tall and skinny, but I love how it turned out.

Below is a detail of the section right below the faux tintype. Yes, that is a real hummingbird (who sadly died in my neighbor's garage) sitting atop the red-string-wrapped bone.

And here is a closer look at the top section. Some coppery strips flank the tintype along with metal wings. The top is one of those great black plastic finials that blog reader Su sent me (perfect, Su!), and some ancient holiday spires I found in the bins one day. The white turned wood pieces along the side came from that yard sale where I bought a ton of stuff for $40 (about a month ago), and these peeling pieces were from the sides of an old crib.

Tomorrow I'll deliver to my new gallery in Portland. More pieces out the door.

Amazing show!

2011-10-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

Here I am back home after the Local 14 show in Portland, and it was great! I sold 10 pieces, got a new gallery, was invited into a ReUse show in spring, met amazing people who "got" my art and what I do, have an opportunity to be filmed and interviewed, and well, all in all, it was validating and inspiring. And it's always fun to connect with new women artists, and since this is a women-only show, there was lots of that too.

Penumbra, pictured below, was the first piece to sell.

Whoa, September is gone already! So that means it is once again time to draw a name and send out some "goodie" to a reader who has posted a comment during the month. I'll try to do that by tomorrow. And remember each month there is a giveaway of a free item....a print or a piece of art...to someone who posts a comment. Your name is entered every time you post a comment.

On the 11th, I'll deliver 4 or 5 pieces to the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) show at the new Chehalem Arts Center in Newberg. Since my work is often a little "dark" anyway, it is easy for a lot of my pieces to fit into that category.

Fall is definitely here. Time to plant some fall greens in the garden.

Right brain, left brain...

2011-09-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry (again) for my absence, but much of the past week or so has been spent getting ready for the Local 14 show in Portland...and, since yesterday I have been here, setting up, working and selling. Tomorrow I have the day off, will view the show with friend Jennifer, and just enjoy the day as I am not signed up to work. Sunday the show is over and it will be pack up time at 5 p.m., then the drive back home.

I met up with lots of old friends and made face-to-face contact with some people known only on Facebook, like Dayna.

A friend posted this wonderful photo on Facebook which I loved. Yes, I'm sure I am breaking some copyright laws by posting it, but let's just say I am passing on some very imaginative advertising.

Left Brain, Right Brain

Lovely, isn't it?

Enjoy!

A vintage gas pump...

2011-09-17T18:24:00.001-07:00

While in Portland this week, I stayed with friend Jennifer. Part of our agenda was to visit friends and fellow artists, Tabor and Greg, and shop a bit from Tabor's inspired collection of stuff. So off we went....

After we finished drooling over everything (and all too often lusting after the same items), we made some choices, and here is one of mine, a vintage gas pump. Here's how it went as we (Jake and I, and then Nils at the end) disassembled it. When I bought it, I thought there must be lots of stuff inside as it was quite heavy. And, of course, all those intriguing dials showing held a lot of promise. Here's the sequence of disassembly:

Above you see it as it started out with a hand crank on the side and several sets of dials.

Here we have the front off...and I find the front very intriguing in itself.

The next level back gives us a peek at what's inside.

Ah...treasure!

Luscious little dials with brass gears on the sides.

And more....

After some struggle, more wonderful dials.

And lots of bits and pieces at the end.

Tabor and Greg, the time at your home was absolutely entrancing! Lovely food, good conversation, captivating surroundings, and good shopping. What could be better?

New stuff...

2011-09-12T16:34:00.000-07:00

I've recently been the happy recipient of some good "stuff", as most of us call it. Blog reader Su told me she had something for me, and I envisioned some small item she wanted to send me, but no!...here came a big box full of goodies. Each nook and cranny around the ever-so-interesting drawer (out of an old sewing machine cabinet) was filled with something inspiring and fun. Take a look:

There's the wonderful metal knight in armor, a pile of black finials, metal turtles, glass faces, keys, rusty metal curliques, and glass hearts (which Su tells me were made from powdered glass melted in a waffle iron!)

Then, a couple bins trips yielded not a lot, but some, interesting items.

oops...my picture is sideways, but you get the idea. I especially like the woman figure on the right, the very unusual cow, and the aqua gear item.

Finished up another piece today and here it is in its final form (I hope). The background is part of that initial collage jumpstart I did a week or so ago. Also in the piece are some old letters and music, a old red and black typewriter ribbon (see lower right), aqua rusted metal from an old vehicle, a key and tag, a part from a piano (on right interior) and a rusty lock on the bottom.

It's called Amatory Poems, and here's a detail.

Don't forget to post a comment during the rest of the month to be eligible for the next drawing for some wonderful free item. It's nice to know someone is out there!

New Winner!

2011-09-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

Well, finally, an announcement for the August winner of a small piece of my art....Jackie Gardener! Jackie, if you'll email me at dianelou at earthlink.net with your mailing address, I'll get the little piece in the mail to you.

Another new small piece (tall but small). This one is tentatively called In the Samurai's Garden.

The tall (approx 20"), narrow (3 1/2") box is painted with a satin black paint. Inside, first I put down a handwriting covered paper,which was then mostly covered by a rough white paper with bamboo strips on it (but the handwriting slightly shows through), and then a bit of black and gold at the top. A rib bone donated by a friend (an animal bone, that is. I have good friends but not ones good enough to donate a rib) was inserted through the box after a bit of chipping, hacking and drilling, to get the opening to fit the bone. Then some tiny hand-dipped candles that I purchased recently at a garage sale were hung over the bone. Brass decorative elements were added top and bottom.

There may be one more thing added...a tiny bit of a reddish item on the right side where the black meets the white.

Back to the studio. Will post some photos of all the new goodies found at garage sales and donated by friends.

Breathe in these last wonderful days of summer and enjoy!

And another....

2011-09-08T10:07:00.000-07:00

If you look back a couple posts, you'll see the square box with part of the collage I started with in the background. This one turned out to be a perfect example of how things evolve and totally change if one just lets the process lead you.

After trying too hard to make the other image work, I just covered it up. (Tip: When things don't work out, take it apart and start over....or rip out a major component and then see where it goes). Once I did that, found a rather racy old letter written during WWII (the little blue rectangular handwritten section on the left) and the St Christopher Be My Guide winged pin...well, it all fell together.

The angelic transparency in the top triangle (a wooden child's toy) fits right in with the carefully posed young women (who also appear in Magical Kingdom). And the vintage French postcard addressed to "Ma cherie Gabrielle" seemed to fit, and the rusty horseshoe nails piercing the bottom add a little ambiguity to it.

And actually the wooden rectangular piece framing the left was pulled from another piece I was working on, but where it didn't work at all (another plus of working on multiple pieces at once. You can pull from one to the other).

Moving on to the garden, I saw the most amazing spider there yesterday, curled up the leaf of the scarlet runner beans. Here she is:

I've had garden orb spiders in that area of the garden before, and when their eggs hatch, a whole web will be shimmering with tiny golden spiders making their way up, up and away (I understand they make a strand of web and float away on the wind). But I've never seen one with this large white body with a black spot. The new style?

New and small....

2011-09-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

As I've been talking about, my free days have been spent in the studio working on a bunch of "smalls" for the upcoming Local 14 show. So, here are some photo updates for you:

This one, unnamed for now, is in a tall skinny box (about 20" in all), with another small box on top that contains some round red ceramic-type piece that I don't even remember picking up. Off the bottom hangs a fishing lure with red beads on the wire.

And a detail:

In the background, you can see part of the collage I made at the beginning of this process, and a wonderful zipper Nils found for me at a garage sale one day (out of a pair of boots, I think).

Here's another, tentatively titled Miles to Go. It starts with a shallow box for a background, then some old barn boards on top of that, that a small drawer for the main container (see the small white knob on top?). Shoe forms flank the sides, some sort of red military epaulet (I think) graces the top, and from the bottom hangs an old leather bag with vintage letters inside.

Here's a detail of what is inside the box. A lichen covered twig with a piece of old cloth measuring tape wrapped around it, and tied with a piece of red string. Behind in the box is a map. Total height about 18" (guessing).

Last night I attended a meeting in Portland for the Local 14 show. It should be fantastic having seen a powerpoint presentation of all the wonderful work. As a guest artist, I have to work 9 hours during the weekend, so I'll be hanging around Portland quite a bit that weekend of the end of Sept/beginning of Oct but it should be fun.

I hope you are all having some creative time. We are having a heat wave (for us)...near 90. Found a dead flicker by one of the front windows, a crash I am sure, so I'll keep you updated on what I did with it. For right now, suffice it to say that the wings and feet are in silica gel, and the body is being taken care of by the yellow jackets (and I hope to retrieve the skull and beak at least. Pictures to follow if it doesn't gross you out too much :)

Oh, and poor Felix had to have surgery and a tooth pulled, so here he is in his misery. I always feel so sorry for animals with these cones on.

Assemblage jumpstart....

2011-09-03T18:25:00.000-07:00

With the Local 14 show coming up, I decided I wanted to create a bunch of small pieces which hopefully will sell well, and at the same time I thought I'd show you my process. I start by just pulling out lots of small wooden boxes, and assorted small "stuff" that is really too small to show up in a large piece. Here's a part of the table I set up just for this project.

Next I decided to create a big collage (about 24x30 on matboard) for backgrounds. It is also a way for me to "backtrack" and get back to my roots of collage....and it is a jumpstart for these small pieces.

The next step is to identify some interesting areas that could be cropped out of this collage. I measure a few boxes and then start cutting out an appropriately sized piece.

I prepare the box for the image by spreading glue all over the inside, then put the image inside and weight it until the glue dries. The box will now be waiting for the addition of some 3-D objects.

Here I pick out a small piece of the collage for another small box.

This photo shows 3 boxes with backgrounds glued in and awaiting the dimensional objects that will complete them.

Here's a small one that's complete. Finished size is about 4x4 inches.

And here's what's left of the big collage. Plenty for more backgrounds.

Will announce that August winner tomorrow. Stay tuned!

Disassembling...

2011-08-28T11:06:00.000-07:00

In the garage sale photo from the last post, in the middle you will see a round hanging lamp, which is painted a purplish-red. After unloading and putting everything away yesterday, I started to disassemble it.

I used a cable cutter to cut the wires that formed the whole thing into a circle. Then found the connecting point on the decorative part and got it apart. When I wanted to cut it down into a smaller piece I found the steel very hard...but did finally get through it cutting with a hacksaw while the piece was firmly clamped in a vise.

The paint was obviously not the original coating and was easily sanded off to reveal the metal in the bottom photo. Although, as I started sanding and there were still bit and pieces of paint left on, that was a lovely finish too.

I love this shape and will use it across the top of at least one piece I am currently working on, and I'm sure will quickly use it up. Quite a deal for $1.

NOTE: I hope all of you on the East coast are safe and secure while Irene creates havoc. Thinking of all of you.

Garage sales...

2011-08-27T16:18:00.000-07:00

Since I opted not to have chemo, I still have hair....so decided I really needed a cut. Harrold, my hairdresser, is in Salem, and on the way home from there, I saw this big garage sale sign on the highway that pointed back towards some farms and country properties. Needless to say, I pulled over, turned around and went back.

The first sale was OK...found a few books and a few things I could use in art. As I was paying for those items, they mentioned that their neighbor was also having a sale, but that it was "mostly antiques". I almost didn't bother to go, envisioning a garage full of furniture (which we don't need) and high-priced items.

Ah, but no....this was a "pickers" dream come true. Fran (yes, we were quickly on a first-name basis) was closing down the family farm since the death of her father and husband. Her dad had bought the place 60 years ago, and you know what that means....lots of old rusty stuff and wood. And Fran herself was a bit of a packrat who loved collecting weird things, interesting decorative wood pieces, frames and more.

In fact, Fran is a tuffet maker!! Now how weird is that? Did you know that the word tuffet is not used anywhere in literature except in the nursery rhyme (and references to it)? And I had just read that the day before I met Fran. So she collects wonderful old legs, fabrics, and buttons to make her tuffets.

The minute Fran saw me digging through a box of weird wood things, she said, "OH, is that what you're looking for? Then come with me..." And off we went to the assemblage artist's dreamland of wooden stuff. I started picking up things, and she was saying, "Oh, 50 cents for that....a quarter for that." and I thought "oh, yes....."

And here's what I got....and she charged me a total of $40! Not bad...and you can't even see all the little things that are in there. I'm already busy taking things apart and figuring out what I am going to do with them.

Lamentations in its final form...

2011-08-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

Here is Lamentations in its final form...finally. It wasn't one of those pieces that flew together, so in this type of piece, I really have to trust my intuition step by step. Before I had any idea what was going inside, I had to trust that it was going to be OK to fasten in the checkerboard pieces in the bottom squares and across the top....and that whatever I did, the old tapestry background was going to be OK too, and so on. Of course, if it weren't, I'd have to rip them out!

Here's a detail shot where you can see the rusted horseshoe nails holding the taxidermy hoof in place, the resin hand (screwed in from the back) holding some sort of vintage cross, an old chain draped across, and the wire cage hanging from a concealed hook.

Busy doing all my alternative treatments and meds. Seems to take up much of the day. Got the juicer fixed tonight so now I can make fresh vegie juices to drink every day. Thanks for all the good wishes, everyone. Su gave me a wonderful visualization of knights on horseback (killer cells) attacking the tumors who are boars, all with a background of old tapestries.....well, it was quite wonderful and noisy! Thanks, Su.

The Offering to the Oracle...

2011-08-23T17:40:00.000-07:00

Here's a new work just finished. You did see a "stacked together" version of it in its earlier iteration a few days ago, but things change...

As I think I mentioned before, I used two weathered boards for the background, which I fastened together with a couple small boards across the back. The curly metal bits are from a candle holder which I removed the protruding candle holder part from. The shelf with the elephant head underneath came just like that from the bins. Above the shelf, I added an odd-shaped mirror frame that was (and remained) golden colored, and flanked it with two very heavy duty German scrap wings which are glued to the wood (and which I may fasten more securely with some kind of small brass nails to make sure they don't fall off).

Inside the frame, I put some tapestry-like fabric for a background, and then added a door plate with a vintage French doll's eye in the center. Two spindles are mounted on the sides.

Here's a detail shot of my "offerings". A hornet's nest, the jawbone of an animal, 3 melted gold candles, and 3 small red fruits (wooden).

And here's the top. I struggled a bit figuring out what should go up here, but ended up with the speedometer dial (loved the subtle colors which were mimicked in the tapestry) from a stash of ancient pickup parts. The slot in it where the odometer reading would have been shows 2 eyes from a classic madonna (I've forgotten which artist) peering out, and her golden color picks up the wings and frame. The circle did seem to just "float" there though, until I added an strip from a checkerboard to ground it a bit (and you'll notice in the top photo that I added one at the bottom too).

Hope you like it!

Despite my promises to the contrary....

2011-08-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

Despite my promises to the contrary, I have been quite bad about posting this month.

Earlier this month, I received the rather shocking and sort of paralyzing news that the cancer I had 2 1/2 years ago has returned in not a good way. I continue to hold out positive hope for a happier prognosis than I was given, and am seeking alternative treatments and a second opinion to see if there are options other than a highly toxic chemo (the one I would get would be one of the worst).

The thing is, I still feel great, have good energy and am able to do all the things I love....spend time with my grandkids, make art, garden, go for long walks, spend time with my dear husband, and all the rest. I'm just not willing to give that up for 6 months of extreme chemo which would kill my immune system and make me tired, weak and sick. Oh, and did I mention that the chemo was not going to be curative? So it would just prolong my illness.

So, since the news, I have spent as much time as possible with my grandkids, wringing the fullest out of every day we spend together. It's quite a thing to deal with, as I'm sure many of you know either from your own experience or that of a loved one, and there are good days and bad. Quite a roller coaster ride.

Now that that is out of the way, on to the important stuff...art. Here are a couple photos of some started projects. This one is really just in the "trying it on" phase with everything just stacked in place as I figure out what else is going to happen with this piece. Since this photo, I have added a rich, tapestry-like fabric to the background of the golden frame. Pieces included the wire swirls from a former candle holder which I cut off, a conical shelf holder with an elephant head on it, an old door plate, some plastic columns and roof line, all on some old weathered gray boards.

Here's another one in an even earlier stage of development. The arches came from one of those decorative birdhouse pieces you often see at Goodwill which I disassembled. It did have vertical wires in each of the archways. The old dovetail box was a gift from friend Marlene (very old....the box, not Marlene), and the base piece which will be attached after the box is filled was a shelf piece from Goodwill.

I have a couple days this week to work on these projects and hopefully I have some progress to post about.

Summer has been beautiful since it arrived. Truly lovely days. I hope you are enjoying yours too!

Something new....

2011-08-07T16:39:00.000-07:00

It's another perfect summer day here, in the mid-70's. Thank goodness! I don't know how some of you are tolerating the record-breaking heat.

Grandson Jake has returned to his mom for the next few days before his next stay here in the country, so I managed to go take a few photos of some of my work in progress and some nearing completion which I'll share with you in the coming days.

This one started with a box which came back into use when I disassembled a piece made about 3 years ago that I was no longer happy with. It was a black box back then too, but that's about where the similarity ends.

I inserted some of my favorite checkerboard pieces in the narrow top space, and in the 3 boxes down at the bottom. Two of the bottom ones are "popped forward" by gluing a block behind them.

The detail is a little hard to see, but there is a taxidermy hoof on the left (by the hand) which is held up by old rusty horseshoe nails driven into the box. The hand may or may not be in its permanent location. The background is made from an old faded tapestry-type cloth which was cut to size and glued in.

In the bottom boxes (also still subject to change) are, from left: an African animal figure with a wax seal on twine hung around his neck; in the middle, a billiards ball in some sort of light-bulb-holder; and on right, a bone, a rusty white dried rose, and two small bottles with vintage labels.

I think the title is "Lamentations", but I am not sure yet. This definitely is not finished, but it is getting close.

I must admit this summer has not been my most productive in the studio, but there has been lots of grandson time, some golf (I am a horrible player, but I still like it), lots of gardening, projects around the property, and just plain old lazy reading days.

This month's giveaway will be a small piece of art, so stay tuned and post a comment to get into the drawing!

Excuse my absence...

2011-08-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

Well, I have been sooo pathetic about posting during July and early August, but I continue to be mired in the Dr's appointments and related stuff. That, coupled with the fact that summer fully arrived with beautiful 75-80 degree days and sunshine, providing weather I don't want to miss out on. Grandson Jake has also been here a lot, and with all of the above, the weeks just flown by.

Since all my online groups have been quiet, I think most people are either out enjoying summer, working in the garden, vacationing, trying to get the kids through the last few weeks of summer, or melting with the extreme heat. Oh, I am so sorry for those who are going through that!

But, I do still want to do an August giveaway. Post a comment during August, and you'll be eligible for the drawing. And, for my part, will try to show you some photos of new work and some commentary to actually respond to! I do have a new piece or two started, so I'll do some photos and get back to you.

In the meantime, stay cool, my friends!

Pictured below: an oldie titled "Done". Copyright by Diane Lou.

Where is the month going?...again

2011-07-20T10:44:00.000-07:00

Wow, where do I begin? Let's just keep it at this: I have some pending health issues that need dealt with immediately, and well, there's just too much other stuff going on to even talk about in any detail...except to just say "Enough already, Universe!" Please just accept my apologies for being much less than on top of things in regards to posting on the blog.

And there's "summer", if you want to call it that. While I know some of you are literally melting into the pavement (or the pavement is melting beneath your feet), we are having what one Seattle radio station called, our "78-minute summer" (number of minutes above 85 degrees). I'll take this over that, but a little sun and warmth would be good.

We've had grandson Jake here a lot, and he and Nils are playing golf quite a bit, which keeps them both active and outdoors. This past Saturday, they played in a parent/child tournament in Salem. My two favorite guys....

I haven't had a lot of time in the studio, but do have some starts on a couple pieces I'll show in a few days.

Meanwhile, stay cool and keep creating.

Happy 4th! A winner, art finished and art sold...

2011-07-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July to all of my US readers, and to the rest, I hope summer (or winter, depending on where you live, is perfect for you. Our summer has finally settled in in its wonderful way...75 degree days and 55 degree nights, with a nice breeze. Finally....

Sorry, I'm a couple days late with the June winner of a free copy of my book, Transfers and Transparencies. And the winner is: Anne Huskey-Lockard. Anne, please email me at dianelou at earthlink dot net with your mailing address. And congratulations!

Today I have some photos of some finished art, one of which sold immediately upon completetion.

Here we go:

I showed this the other day without the bottom complete, while it was still on the workbench. As I was walking past a table full of stuff, I spotted a bag full of white feathers which I didn't really remember having, nor did I remember they were hooked together which made the whole process a lot easier and they suddenly seemed just the right thing to put behind the brass rods (part of the stash given by friends who are moving away). Although it doesn't show well in the photo, the white at the center top is a porcelain oval that says "31" on it, the title of the piece.

Hard to see are the details behind the little roofed structure...a brass piece with a vintage baby picture in it, various wires, a copper coil, and a monopoly horse and rider.

I finished this piece about 3 days ago, and it sold the next day. It has undergone a few changes since I first posted it on the blog. "Sensorium"

Pieces that have also sold recently are "Bound Angel" and "Repository", both pictured below.

More new stuff on the way. Enjoy your weekend!

Last day for the drawing....

2011-07-01T13:36:00.000-07:00

Today is the final day to post a comment to have your name entered to win a copy of my book, Transfers and Transparencies. The winner will be announced this weekend. Good luck!

Great weather has finally hit...just in time for the 4th weekend. Our first strawberries are ripening, and the garden has finally decided it is safe to commit to growth. Nils and Jake are off to play golf, and I'm headed to the studio while the heat pump install continues to occupy several installers.

These summer days are so precious and easy. Like our grandson Jake says, "It's so nice when you open the door and it is the same temperature outside as inside." It's quite soothing...

Enjoy!

Summer, I guess...new stuff in the studio and garden

2011-06-24T13:20:00.000-07:00

A week or so ago, I showed you the start of this piece with the wooden box with checkerboard pieces around the sides. Well, now it is done and here is what has happened. I've had to take side shots to keep the glare off the glass inside the 1950 Ford pickup dashboard "shrine". With photos and transparencies, and the two copied together, I've come up with the image that you see.

I also added the base piece, ones I often find at the bins. They are designed to be hung on the wall (upside down from the way I use them) and then a plate or some knickknack would be displayed on them. I love them as base pieces. The chain is from an antique cuckoo clock, with the key hanging on it, and the decorative wooden piece near the bottom was from a box I disassembled.

Here is a new piece in progress. I have the bottom box to complete, but most of the rest is (I think) as it will remain.

It's been a very strange spring and summer, as it has been in many parts of the country. Ours has taken the form of one day a week of sun, and the rest of the time cloudy and overcast with showers. Even spring gave us none of the "normal" warm, spring-like days we often have. But, there are the usual treats as always, like this magnificent poppy and the wisteria.

Weekend of Michael deMeng...

2011-06-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

The weekend in Portland was a delight! Laughter, learning, art, old friends and new friends...what could be better?

(Photo by Maria Raleigh of Collage in Portland)

Above is what I made in Sunday's workshop with Michael DeMeng. Although I have long taught classes using transparencies, I learned some new tricks from Michael that I am now just itching to use in some of my art! I especially loved the curved transparency look (upper woman) that looks almost like curved glass, and the mica trick on the woman below.

To backtrack, on Saturday I took a workshop called Pretty Vial Things from Michael. I have to run take a picture for you right now. ( Music playing........)

There were about 18 in the class, and oh, I wish you could see all the marvelous bottles that came out of it! Basically we used bottles of our choice, and applied Aves Apoxy, an air dry clay with almost endless possibilities to create a new surface....or as a way to attach things....or to create decorative elements. After seeing its potential, I quickly ran and bought a big container of it. Among other things, it will be a great way to attack (and attach) some of the really tricky issues we as assemblage artists often come across when trying to connect drastically dissimilar items.

This little one is my favorite of the 3.....about 5-6" tall.

I stayed with dear friend Jennifer, and we had a fantastic time as always. Catching up, lots of laughing, good food, and solving the problems of the Universe and life.

I came home so refreshed and inspired and invigorated! I quickly attacked the over-the-line mess in the studio by moving another metal shelf unit in. Shelf units are like magic really....you have an entire floor covered in stuff (and you can't find anything), then in goes the shelf which you quickly fill with everything (and often even have room to spare)....and it is organized and you can see what you have and the floor is cleaned up. It's a wondrous thing!

Dave from Illinois, whom I know from one of Michael's online classes, is stopping by today during his trip west, so I'm off to put some brownies in the oven.

The garden is finally growing wildly and beautifully.

A new bins find and more...

2011-06-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

On the latest trip to Portland to pick up my grandson Jake for the weekend, I did my usual stop at the bins, even though, as of late, they have been rather disappointing as far as a source for art-inspiring "stuff". But one item on that trip did make the stop worthwhile.

It appears to be a part (unfortunately the only part there) of a very old loom, with little reeds (or something?) creating the spaces that would have kept the threads in line. I'm sure some weaver out there is cringing right now at my lack of correct terminology. The whole thing is about 4' wide, and I can't wait to figure out what I am going to do with it, though a quick thought is to create below it, working from the bottom board.

A current shot of part of one wall in the studio. There are so many pieces there and on other walls, as well as about 15 in the house too. I never thought I would run out of room!

And, a parting garden shot. A few (although very few) warm days brought some of the perennials into bloom....here the lupine in the foreground, with purple catnip lavender (catmint) in the background.

One of my favs....

2011-06-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

Today, just a quick little garden shot or two. When I created the garden 2 years ago, I found these hollowed out stumps which, to me, called out to be filled with plants.

Years ago, I owned an herb nursery called Lost Prairie Herb Farm which shipped live herb plants all over the US. One of my very favorite plants was creeping thyme, of which there are many varieties, and I loved them all. This one provides a dense carpet which, starting this time of year, covers itself with breathtaking deep-pink/purple flowers. Exquisite! It's just beginning that process right now.

This is a closeup of the top scene. Loved the mushroom that situated itself right in the middle!

Back to the studio today. Hope you get some time in yours, whether that means at the kitchen table, in the corner or basement, or on the floor (and I have worked in those places many times too).

Right under my nose....& new work

2011-06-02T16:24:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been bemoaning the slim pickings at the Goodwill "bins", my favorite go-to place for "stuff". I come home with a few odds and ends each time, but nothing unique that really inspires me to create.

So, yesterday I went down to the old studio, a huge building holding the remnants of the 36 years my husband has lived here (I've only been here 4) but a building no longer used for much. There are boxes of nails that have rusted with years under a leaky roof, bits of wood and metal, a couple rooms full of excess art, and then lo and behold!....a find....right under my nose.

Eureka! OMG! Cool!! Beautiful rusty dashboard parts from the 3 (yes, 3) 1950 Ford pickups my husband gathered together at one time to put together one complete one. Gauges....all suitably aged. The wonderful arched pieces that immediately called to mind shrine-shaped openings...and they come apart so each one provides 3 pieces I can use. And even a speedometer dial....up to 80 mph!

Oh, then the glass and metal arches (the glass that would have covered the dashboard gauges). Be still my heart. Can you tell I was thrilled with these new acquisitions?

When I first showed them to my husband, he said, "Oh, I could probably sell these on ebay to someone restoring an old truck" (His is finally finished after 15 years!), but I'm sure the crestfallen look on my face made him quickly say, "but you can have them if you want them." You bet I do!

I've already started a piece which will utilize them. Here's just the start....I'll show you the rest as it comes together. Suffice it to say, one of the arched pieces will go inside.

Love my tabletop bandsaw for slicing up those checkerboards.

And here's a piece I think I consider finished. Tentatively titled "Stepping Out", but subject to change.

Pam McKnight, please contact me so I can send your winner's print to you. Everyone remember to post this month for a giveaway of my Transfers and Transparencies book! Hope everyone's weather has settled down, and that you aren't melting, washing or blowing away, or staying cold like we are.

And the winner is....and a free book!

2011-06-01T08:09:00.000-07:00

May's free giveaway winner is Pam McKnight! Gee, I was so lax this month that I didn't even tell you what the prize was. Pam will receive a free print of one of my collages! Pam please email me at dianelou at earthlink dot net with your address, and I'll get this right off to you. Congratulations!

This month I'll start off more professionally by saying that, to make up for not posting much lately, I am offering a free copy of my Transfers and Transparencies book. It details all the steps I go through in my workshop that I have taught for years....and more! It goes into creating your own transparencies on your inkjet printer at home, and creating all kinds of layered and wonderful art.

Remember, every time you post a comment this month, your name goes into the hat for the drawing!

Oh my....where did the month go?

2011-05-31T10:28:00.000-07:00

Here we are, the last day of May, and I'm embarrassed about how little blogging I have done. I wish I could say it was because the weather was heavenly, and I spent all my time enjoying it, but that was certainly not the case. Our weather has been not unlike our usual January or February weather....cool, overcast, and rainy. Poor garden.... We are promised some sun by the weekend, but we have been running 15-20 degrees below our normal 71 degree temperature.

My daughter and baby Gigi (Geneva) moved back into a cabin on the property at then end of April, and I have been helping them get settled in their new home.

Then last weekend I hurt my back (ugh) so now am trying to coddle it along into recovery, and consequently haven't done much in the studio though I hope to get back in there today.

I have also, I am ashamed to say, not properly promoted my May giveaway, so you loyal darlings who have actually posted have a very good chance of winning when I draw a name tomorrow a.m.! The June drawing begins then, and I will try to be better at actually giving you something to post about!!

The deck is currently full of grosbeaks, chipmunks, Douglas brown squirrels and Stellar jays enjoying their morning sunflower seeds and suet. Love the chirpy grosbeaks!
(Wings copyright Diane Lou)

King's crowns

2011-05-18T17:50:00.000-07:00

After I posted that I would LOVE to find more of these (found the first one at a church rummage sale), blog-reader Su found a source for them for me (partycheap.com), so naturally I ordered a dozen.

http://www.partycheap.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=king+crowns

I love the design of them...and "rusted" they are just perfect for borders on pieces. So perfect, in fact, that I have used them many times. See "B-4" below. Just an example of how almost anything can be transformed by the Modern Options rusting solutions. (Sometimes sold under the name Sophisticated Finishes). I use their primer first, then paint on the paint containing the iron filings, then when it is dry, I paint on the rusting solution.

On another note, I finally finished planting the garden today, inspired by the first truly warm day we have had. The greenhouse is now filled with 6 varieties of tomatoes and as many basil as I could squeeze in. All of that means that possibly/maybe I'll have more time to make art and blog about it.

Nils had a great opening of a 3-man show on Friday night. Fresh new work full of color and energy!

I hope you are having and enjoying spring!

Tulips, gardens, and ....

2011-05-12T09:10:00.000-07:00

The red tulips I planted a year and half ago multiplied beautifully and put on quite a show this year, as you can see. A few (and I do mean few) warm days pushed them to full open bloom quickly after sitting in bud stage for 2 or 3 weeks. Even though they are transient, I do love them!

As you can see, they surround the fenced garden area, which is right beside the garden and greenhouse. Perfect for multi-tasking.

The lack of posts on my part demonstrates that time has been spent helping daughter Kolya settle into her new digs here on the property, having grandson Jake and little granddaughter Gigi here, and digging out the bad garden soil we got to replace it with new. Not much studio time, I'm afraid...although I do have several pieces started in the process of discovering where they are going. I'll be showing you some of them within a few days.

The weekend is packed with me having to run to Portland tomorrow to pick up grandson Jake for the weekend, and from there to Salem for Nils's art opening at Bush Barn, then home for a full weekend of entering into the world of an 11 year old boy! It's always rejuvenating and fun to be around him. Such energy, creativity, and interesting thinking to observe.

I hope all of you are having more of a spring than we are! Still chilly with not a lot of sun, but gradually improving.

Strange Woman....finished

2011-05-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

I finally finished (I hope) Strange Woman with the few additions in the bottom box. Some small fake cherries in the left hand corner, and a glass and copper hand on the right. They seem to add the needed visual weight to the bottom of the piece.

Here's the detail of the lower box.

Life's been a little crazy lately. One daughter has moved back here with her 6-month-old daughter (Geneva aka Gigi), and they will be living in a cabin on our property. We all know what moving and settling into a new place is like, so we've been helping her with that. I look forward to spending time with both of them.

I had added new soil to all the garden beds and started planting when we found out the soil we had bought and already added to the beds was no good, so all will have to be dug out and replaced! Not a chore I look forward to.

Hopefully things will settle down and the spring weather we have just had a few days of will become more regular. Sunshine does wonders for the spirits.

May Workshop at Keizer Art Association

2011-05-03T07:13:00.000-07:00

Nature Collage Workshop

with Catherine Alexander and Diane Lou

“Monarch and Wanderer” by Catherine Alexander

“Read Before Cutting” by Diane Lou

About Catherine

As a child, Catherine often drew the flora and fauna of Western

Oregon. After studying fine art at the University of Oregon and Portland

State University, she worked for an art dealer in New York for eleven

years before relocating to Florida to direct a gallery and pen art criticism

for the New York Times Syndicate. After devoting six years to illustrating

orchids at the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida, she

returned to Oregon to renew her connection with Pacific Northwest

ecology. She currently serves as the gallery director at the Bush Barn

Art Center in Salem, teaches at several art centers and botanic gardens

and exhibits her work regionally.

About Diane

A degree in art opened Diane’s eyes to the creative world she now

inhabits. From that time forward, artistic expression has filled her life,

whether it was painting, pottery, herb crafting, package design, jewelry

or assemblage. She has taught workshops at a variety of events and

venues throughout the Northwest and her work has appeared in

Somerset Studio, Cloth/Paper/Scissors, Art in Your Pocket, and more. She

shares a studio in the Oregon Coast Range with her husband and fellow

artist, Nils, and their feline collaborator, Flix the cat.

Nature Collage

Saturday, May 28, 9:00am-3:00pm

Keizer Art Association, Keizer, Oregon

Using pressed flowers, leaves, shells and

other natural materials, create a nature

collage incorporating decorative papers,

vintage memorabilia and photos, lace,

buttons and other found objects along with

botanical drawings or mixed-media paintings.

All skill and experience levels welcome.

Optional supply list. (Basic materials will be

provided.) Bring a sack lunch. To register,

visit www.keizerarts.org or call

503-390-3010.

This workshop will be team taught with

Diane Lou, noted assemblage artist and

author: www.dianelou.com.

And the winner is....

2011-05-02T18:43:00.000-07:00

And this month's winner of a 100-piece assortment of creative possibilities/treasures/stuff, is.....
drum roll!!!......Rebeca Trevino! Congratulations! Rebeca, please contact me at dianelou at earthlink dot net and I'll send it right out to you.

Details on next month's (well, actually now this month's giveaway) to follow tomorrow.

It finally feels like spring is here! yay!

Strange Woman...

2011-04-27T07:43:00.000-07:00

This is a new piece that has gone through several iterations (as have some of the pieces contained within). It started with the book cover that says, "The Strange Woman" from a book I found at the bins. Other than the title, which I found evocative, the book really held no interest. The cover of that book formed the background in both boxes, which are held together by screws.

The upper box is crowned by a "rusted" plastic child's crown (and because they have such a lovely design, I wish I could find more of these). The golden wing was broken from a resin cherub, and screwed onto the back of the box. (See detail below).

The Strange Woman herself was made from a rusted Xmas ornament (the bottom) surrounded by a rusted plumbing piece, which was topped by a rusted plastic cake column (from a wedding cake) and a small round gourd from the bins, in which I inserted my favorite angel face. Moss from outside the studio, and a bone wrapped in red thread complete the top. Between the two boxes, there is metal piece from an antique adding machine. For the bottom section, I used the lid from a tin, cut an opening in it, and inserted a photo of the legs of the same angel picture.

I have a bit of a nagging feeling that there still may be something to add. I don't know what, but I will know it when I see it.

Spring may perhaps finally be arriving here, with more sun and slightly warmer temps.

I'm sorry I've been "away" too much....lots of other things going on here at the moment. Hopefully May will be better! Don't forget the drawing on the 1st for a goodie bag of assemblage possibilities! Just post a comment to enter.

Another bins find....

2011-04-20T09:07:00.000-07:00

During the winter months when "the bins" are not fed by peoples' garage sale leftovers, the pickings can get rather slim. I've gone several times in recent months to walk away with not much at all, but it seems there is always at least one treasure that makes it worthwhile.

Apparently I wasn't the only one puzzled by what exactly this "thing" was for....wasn't a rug, wasn't a wall hanging, but it had a sewn border and a backing like a rug...but it was made of thin wood (1/8"). It is about 6'x4'. Weird. No wonder it was one of the last things remaining in a very picked-over bin. But, now that I'm using it, I am delighted I decided to bring it home!

The picture above shows it with the sewn border removed, as well as the backing...and it is now in two pieces. I don't know if you can tell, but it made of tiny little slats, about 1/2" wide, with various types of print on it.

Now that I can easily take the slats apart (they are just held together by a gauzy fabric on back) and cut them with my tabletop bandsaw (yes, Carol, there I go again with the bandsaw...I LOVE that thing!), I have tons of little bits of wood to add to the starts of pieces. I'd had this piece started for several months now, but had ragged edges where the fabric ended and couldn't figure out how I was going to resolve that. Well, 4 little slats, cut to length, then glued (with wood glue) and clamped down overnight solved that problem and gave me a neat and interesting edge.

I had some short lengths left after cutting long lengths, so I used them to finish off the inside of a box that used to be a part of Strange Women, which is now reduced to 2 boxes, which I'll picture next time.

Also, remember that tall skinny house-like structure I got at the bins? I think it is finally going someplace through a weird set of mishaps. Will keep you posted on that one.

Have had a couple spring-like days (though still cold), and the gardening experts are saying that the ground is so cold and so wet that we should wait till June to plant much other than cold season crops. So glad we built that greenhouse last year for tomatoes and basil and other heat lovers.

Recycled Art Show

2011-04-18T10:15:00.000-07:00

Currents Gallery in McMinnville is currently having their annual recycled art show, and Saturday night was the opening. Jake, Nils and I attended, and found one of my pieces, Universe (pictured below), won first prize!

Pictured below are a couple photos of a new piece, right now named Fragile, that developed from a very interesting folk-art-type wooden box I found at the bins one day. The box was just a rectangle, but one of Nils's colleagues at Linfield gave me the peaked "gingerbread" piece which I added to the top, and I then trimmed those out with narrow strips cut from a checkerboard. The large metal piece top-center, is a lamp fixture used upside-down, in which I inserted two "rusted" doll hands.

Inside the box, I put a backing of a sheet of cardboard from a box sent from China (It says "Fragile" and then there are Chinese characters underneath that...thanks, Marlene), then added top and bottom pieces (at different depths) cut from a checkerboard. The "earth" is 1/2 of a styrofoam ball covered in a map (interestingly, the other half of the "earth" is in Universe, pictured above), and that is mounted on a spring I found on the ground one day at a farm sale. The wing on the spring is from a Lego set (see the other wing on Warrior Crow). The black wooden bottom piece which balances the weight of the top came at grandson Jake's suggestion. It was part of a roundish wooden frame with sunrays and stars around the edges, but in garish colors. He suggested cutting it apart (with my trusty tabletop band saw) so I would have some tops and bottoms, things I am always looking for. I painted them black to add weight and get rid of the awful colors.

I added a container of burned candles, some burned matches, and that is about it. The fun part is that the spring is so springy, even the slightest movement sets the earth in motion.

(Fragile copyright Diane Lou 2011)

Workshop and giveaway...

2011-04-13T13:37:00.000-07:00

While spring still drags its heavy little feet about arriving full time, and we lag about 10 degrees below normal most days and nights, we have had more sun and less rain....enough to lift my spirits a bit and get me outdoors more. Now for things to just dry out a bit....

For those in the area, I'll be posting the details of a found object assemblage workshop I'll be co-teaching at the Keizer Art Association (in Keizer, near Salem) on May 28th. My co-teacher is Catherine Alexander who will teach the first half of the class, while I teach the second. Because our approaches vary, you will learn two different ways to approach the project. Catherine will be mainly leading students step-by-step through a nature collage/assemblage, while my approach is less guided and utilizes more varied materials and more varied forms of attachment. I also emphasize creating a sense of mystery in the work that will intrigue viewers. The class cost is a very modest $40, and Catherine and I will provide most everything you will need, unless you have special treasures you wish to incorporate. Class is from 9-2...or 3 if needed.
I'll post a link soon.

The April giveaway: I've giving away another goodie bag of at least 50 pieces this month, so be sure to post a comment or two to get your name in the hat for the drawing. Each comment enters your name again. I'll pull the goodies and photo them in the next few days so you can see what "treasures" are at stake!

I've been a little under the weather with a virus, thus few posts. Am on the mend, so will be back with you more often now.
(Evolution copyright by Diane Lou)

Where have I been?

2011-04-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

Almost a week has gone by, and I've been completely useless in giving you anything new! Jake was here for the weekend, Sunday was my birthday, and the rest....I'm not sure. Partly I've been moaning and groaning way too much about the continuing drippy and cold weather we are having, and the lack of the appearance of that golden orb referred to by some as the sun, which we simply have not seen! We are running 15 degrees or more below normal temps most days. Very discouraging to moi who wants to be outside cleaning up the flower and garden beds.

But I have managed some studio time, thankfully...the perfect place to escape the realities of things like the weather.

This is a small piece....about 8" wide and maybe 5" tall at the highest point. It's called Guess Who?

I like to do these tiny pieces sometimes, just as an escape. I love the colors, shapes and graphics on various game pieces, and at times, I just want to see a bunch of them together....dice, checkers, chess men (the bishop), bingo pieces, and some unindentified ones. The little "grid" in front of the bishop was made by slicing a masonite chess board into thin slices with the tabletop band saw I have. (Love that thing!) The whole piece is housed in a little drawer that I painted black and then added little "feet" to it so it can either hang or stand.

We'll start talking about the April giveaway this week. Stay tuned!

(Guess Who? copyright Diane Lou 2011)

And the winner is....

2011-04-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

Carol Cantrell! Congratulations, Carol! Send your mailing address to me at dianelou at earthlink dot net and I'll get this print right out to you.

Finally two days of around 60 degrees, at least in Portland where I have been for these two days. Doubt if we hit it at home. But, oh, just to not have it raining for a change! We set a record for consecutive days of rainfall in March. Enough! It's time for some sun and the beginnings of warmth.

More art to come....and a new drawing for the month of April! Stay tuned....

Penumbra....

2011-03-29T15:56:00.000-07:00

Here's one of 2 new pieces, the other of which I'll put up tomorrow or at least soon.

This square background (the box for a game that had numbers that flip up on all four sides, those obviously removed) seemed a little challenging to me at first and while I thought my chosen pieces were going somewhere, they never did. So I scrapped them all and started from scratch working on the 4 little compartments around the outside....some tubes that I had glued images to and a chess board that had been sawed into small strips between them (bless that tabletop bandsaw Nils got me). I also found the image of the penumbra (celestial shadow thing) which just seemed made to go into the center. The little girl in the house shape had been a part of my original work, and I pulled her back into the scene, and liked her now that I had everything else in place.

The piece around the little girl...the house shape with the arched door and windows... was from a dollhouse. The plastic part was "rusted" with my rusting solution and the cardboard backing was painted black, then covered with tissue paper with writing on it.

Although it is probably a little difficult to see in the photos, the cage-like part was added at the very end (originally part of some sort of lantern, the other half of which is in Damaged Goods), and I loved how it added dimension to the piece. And interestingly, the cage does cast a shadow on her....
(Penumbra copyright by Diane Lou)

Drawing near.....and anagama pots

2011-03-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

The Oregonian posted a follow up article about the firing with pics of some of the finished pots and here is the link:

http://photos.oregonlive.com/oregonian/2011/03/ceramic_pots_from_the_east_cre_1.html

Don't forget the drawing will be on Friday for the print pictured a few days ago. Be sure to post a comment to enter!

A couple new pieces are finished in the studio and I will get photos today. Below are a couple photos of some of the stash I work with.

It's still rainy and dreary here, while we all long for sun and some warmth.

I got in!...20 years later...

2011-03-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, I submitted my work to the jury at the Local 14 show, and yesterday I was notified I was accepted!! I'm thrilled. This is a very large, women-only show that has been going on for 44 years now in Portland.

But what is really fun for me is that 20 years ago, when I had just moved back to Oregon from Montana, I read about the Local 14 show in the Portland newspaper, The Oregonian, and said to myself, "Someday I am going to be in that show." Over the years, each year when I saw it advertised, I'd say, "Someday..."

So, this year, since I am not teaching at Art and Soul which has always conflicted time-wise with Local 14, I decided to apply. Notification was supposed to be April 1st, so yesterday when a saw an email from Local 14 in my inbox, I assumed it would say, "Thanks for applying, but...." I was definitely dancing a happy dance when I read the message. The show is the end of Sept/beginning of Oct.

The photo is a new piece: Compressed Experience. Friend Deb gave me, among other things, the tall wooden box (actually a file card tray), and the lovely wooden woman/comb. To the tall box, I added a base I made from a wooden picture frame which I cut with a chop saw, and a fence post topper I repurposed from an old, old piece I had disassembled. The interior is lined with a handmade paper with bamboo sticks through it.

My "lady" has an added belt around her waist with a dice and a tiny little bejeweled metal container that I have had for at least 20 years. At that point, I got stuck on the piece, but knew it wasn't done. When I put a screw in from the back to fasten the woman into place, she cracked slightly....a crack which ran from her shoulder to her breast, creating the perfect opening for some of my favorite red string to hang down the front.

(Compressed Experience copyright by Diane Lou)

First Offerings...finally done!

2011-03-23T16:53:00.000-07:00

If you look back at least weeks, if not months ago (http://dianelou-mixedmedia.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-startsand-finish.html), you'll find the start of this piece. It began with a wooden checkerboard for a background, topped by a wooden box painted black. The two pieces that are screwed to the top and bottom of the box are, I believe, from some type of Lego set that I found in the bins. The finial is an inverted pendulum piece (plastic) from a very cheap clock.

The background piece inside the box was one of my "glueless" collage pieces that I created for my book, Transfers and Transparencies. On top of that, I fastened down with construction adhesive the silver warmer, with my favorite angel image inside. The wing was broken off a ceramic angel, and also glued down with construction adhesive.

Like sometimes happens, this start of a piece which included the checkerboard, black box and Lego pieces, sat in the accumulation of "stuff" that gradually piles up in front of my working wall. Yesterday I took my brush and dustpan and decided to tackle that messy area. Not only did I find this piece and finally see the way to finish it (literally within minutes), I got rid of some things I don't think I will ever use.

I often find cleaning or sorting or just looking through things brings out things I had forgotten I had, or things that were set aside when I just couldn't figure out where they were going. It's a great way to jump start some new art!

Free March art!

2011-03-22T07:35:00.000-07:00

Here I am, nearly at the end of the month, finally posting a picture of this month's giveaway. It is an archival print of one of the collages I made using the techniques in my book and workshop, Transfers and Transparencies. It is titled "A qui pensez-vous?" (Who are you thinking about?) This print comes in an 8x10 mat.

Remember, each time you post a comment, your name will be entered into the monthly drawing. Just a few more days to go!

Finished up 2 new pieces and have several others in the works, so will be posting new pictures this week.

Still raining and dreary here....hoping for sun...

Quote for today...for all artists

2011-03-21T14:32:00.000-07:00

Bob Hicks, the writer for The Oregonian who did a couple great write-ups about the anagama firing, wrote the following at the end of one of his articles. I think it is wonderful!

"So maybe it’s just a pot. Maybe the Greek guys were right. Yet it strikes me, looking into the maw of this volatile and strangely comforting furnace, that our foolhardy canoe slipping downriver into the current of an unruly past is bringing back something that the future needs. A sense of the vitality of the frankly physical. The nitty-gritty joy of sheer cussedness. The primal and transformative power of clay and blood and bone and raw human doing-ness that can’t be conveniently abstracted away by the intellectual arbiters of an overcrowded lockstep world. The fugitive pleasures of fun. The potters, the weavers, the carvers, the hand people, are our wild children and our pioneers and our roots. Let them feed the fires. Let them float the canoes. Likely as not, we’ll be needing what they know. ~Bob Hicks, freelance writer for The Oregonian.

Feed the fires, float the canoes......

Spring and the super moon...

2011-03-20T11:23:00.000-07:00

The rest of the crocus have all sprung up after the very few early yellow ones. Their brilliant colors make me smile thinking of spring and summer and gardening and flowers. The netting that you see is because two deer have decided my garden would make good eating, and they love tulips....and there are several hundred waiting to bloom! I also used deer repellent, since I never feel safe relying on just one thing to keep them away as they are so persistent.

Yesterday we unloaded the anagama and the "caboose" kiln. It was a very mixed firing with failure to reach temperature through much of the big kiln, but there were also some amazingly beautiful things, some the result of underfiring. As someone said to me, "Sometimes enough is just enough."

And don't we need to remember that in so many parts of our lives? Feeling contentment and peace with what is our life, with what we have (and once we move beyond our basic needs being met, there really is little that we "need"), with each day, hour and minute. Not always wanting more, feeling lack, feeling the "if only I had....." feeling that leaves so many people over-shopping, over-eating, over-drinking, over-doing, over-everything.

Twice a week I attend yoga, and one of the goals of my practice is to shrink my world to my yoga mat, and attend to the feeling that there isn't so much going on the world that needs my attention at that moment. That quiet space and time is quite freeing.

With that, I wish you, on the first day of the season, a joyous spring. Don't forget to peek at the still glorious super moon tonight. It is at its closet point in its elliptical orbit in decades, so the moon will seem even bigger and brighter than usual. Enjoy!
( Kiln photo of Don Hoskisson)

Elk....and a freebie!

2011-03-16T10:19:00.000-07:00

On the way out today, Nils called to tell me there was herd of elk in the field by the Delphian School, about 5 miles from here. At that point I was still in my robe, sipping on my tea, but I threw on my clothes, grabbed the camera and was able to get a couple photos...nothing close because they were quite wary. But what a sight they are! Marvelous (as long as they aren't tromping through your garden or yard...or eating the winter's stash of hay you were using for your cattle or horses).... beautiful, massive (about horse-sized) creatures.

Nils hasn't seen elk around here for many years. This herd could find its way to our property as they have a large range that they occupy.

Don't forget to post comments during the month in order to be entered into the drawing for a piece of my art! Drawing is on April 1st. Each comment puts your name in the hat once again.

Off to the studio...

Anagama firing...again

2011-03-15T21:24:00.000-07:00

Another anagama firing has been my excuse for being away from here. This week, from Wednesday night through Saturday night, we were firing 24/7. All the people who have pots in the kiln were here to help in the arduous process of firing. The wood-fired kiln uses 6 cords of wood to fire, and requires crews of people working 4 hour shifts stoking all the ports. The final temp reaches 2400*F.

This is the 26th year that the kiln, which was built by my husband Nils Lou, has been fired. Here are Nils and Felix, both seemingly in an advisory role.

The Oregonian, the Portland newspaper, published an article and photos about the firing, which you can view at:

http://www.oregonlive.com/art/index.ssf/2011/03/east_creek_anagama_kiln_near_w.html

and another great article on the artscatter blog:

www.artscatter.com/general/circle-of-fire-tending-the anagama-kiln/#more-14299

The opening of the kiln will be Saturday morning. Between now and then I am hoping for some real studio time.

The first hummingbird showed up today....right on the usual date! How do they do that?....and how do they find a tiny feeder in the middle of hundreds of acres of forest lands? This little rufous was battling strong winds and beating rains to use the feeder. Amazing....

Laps to go...

2011-03-04T17:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a new little, kind of weird piece. Every now and then, I dig out a bunch of small wooden boxes and just start putting things in them and putting little mini assemblages together.

This one is about 7"x7" (am not near it to measure it at the moment) and utilizes some "rusted" plastic architectural elements, a game dial and "99" (both plastic and rusted), and two resin fish, which I cut in half on the band saw. I glued half of each one on the inside and half on the outside so it looks like they are swimming through the box. A map piece covers the inside back of the box.

These "smalls" are a fun creative exercise when nothing big is going on, or when I just have a short period of time to work/play. They are also a good way to utilize small items I have collected which would be lost in a larger piece. Try it!

(Laps to Go copyright by Diane Lou)

Shows and snows....

2011-03-02T10:05:00.000-08:00

The first signs of spring...intrepid crocuses (croci???) still there after a 15 degree night and a pile of snow! I love these little harbingers of spring.

Amid the snows, it is time for show applications to go out for jurying, and time to create more new work. Lately I've found myself doing a lot of networking via Facebook, Yahoo! groups, my website and all of that.... and while I used to shun anything that vaguely looked like self-promotion, I've realized that these things are how we now do it, and unless I want to have my children dig through a studio full of art up to the ceiling when I die, I need to do it. Marketing is just another part of the process, and it takes time.

Off to do applications....or at least start on them....or go to the studio and play and later do applications.

Oh, you'll notice a new button off in the left sidebar. I just took an online class from Michael deMeng, and now that the class is over, many students want to stay in touch. Since I still had my Instant Inspiration Yahoo! group which had been inactive, I volunteered to use it for the group members who wanted to continue with a forum for exchange of ideas, art and support, as well for other artists who want to join. All mixed media/collage/paper/assemblage artists are welcome! Just click to join....

And the winner is....

2011-03-01T14:59:00.000-08:00

Judy Shreve! Judy, please email me your address at dianelou at earthlink dot net . You win the goodie bag of "stuff" . I see from your blog that you are a potter (I used to do that, and my husband Nils Lou is a potter) but that you are starting to branch out...so I hope these things will be fun for you!

Names for the next drawing start with those posting from today on through the rest of the month. See you tomorrow!

Last day for February giveaway...

2011-02-28T07:36:00.000-08:00

Just a quick reminder that today is the last day to post a comment to get your name in the drawing for the "stuff" I am giving away this month.

I've decided to do a giveaway each month...either art or "stuff" or ephemera or something...so stay tuned!
Good luck!!

Pterodactyl...

2011-02-27T22:14:00.000-08:00

I've written several times about the treehouse Nils, grandson Jake and I are building. We're getting down to the fun parts now....the railing and special touches. Today, we finished siding another side, and decided to build the driftwood railing to keep energetic young boys (and everyone else) from falling over the side.

When Jake and I sorted through the driftwood stash, I immediately saw a pterodactyl in this one (or, as Jake reminded me, what we think a pterodactyl looked like). We decided he should be the guardian for the treehouse. Not content to leave it at that, I dug into my stash of taxidermy bird eyes and found the biggest, scariest ones ever, and drilled holes and put them in.

Last time friend Deb was here, she brought me a stash of stuff for my creative endeavors, and in the box was a wonderful piece of bark with perfect knothole in it. I immediately knew I would do something with it, but I had no idea what. Well, here's what happened to it.

A plexiglass mirror screwed into the back started the thought....then when I attached it to the treehouse, from the ground, it looked like a hole into the treehouse. So when a visitor climbs up the ladder and bends over to peek into the peephole, all he sees is himself!

I just love it! As Nils said tonight, "I think you are having as much fun with the treehouse as Jake is." I'm sure I am.

Nils and Jake....my two favorite guys...creating the driftwood railing for the treehouse.

New snow...

2011-02-25T12:27:00.000-08:00

It's amazing that the internet stayed on during our 5" of snow! Now the sun is shining after nighttime temps of 22, and we have a predicted low of 15 tonight. After that back to our 40-50 daytime temps.
Here's a few shots of our winter wonderland:

The garden and greenhouse which are right beside the studio.

Gorgeous blue sky.

Grandson Jake going down the driveway.

On the way out...

Footpath to the studio in the background. Treehouse is off to the left in the trees.

Off to take art to a professional photographer for some good photos to use for jurying into shows. More later....

February Giveaway....a few days to go

2011-02-23T19:30:00.000-08:00

Well, fortunately we still have internet so I am going to post a couple things while I can as it could be several days before I get back on here. First, the giveaway...

Anyone who has posted or will post a comment this month has had their name put into a drawing for some "stuff" for assemblage. Now if you don't like to play around with odd stuff, this drawing may not interest you, but if you do....there are over 50 items in the giveaway box, and I'll probably toss in a few more things at the last minute, so do post if you are interested in possibly winning!

Second, as promised, some pictures of the piece I finally finished up to my satisfaction. I've titled it The Invitation. There are some detail pictures following. It may be hard to see, but behind the box with the eye, there is a burned paper border made from an old document, and peering through it is a reproduction of a vintage nude. She barely peeks around the left side, and is further camouflaged by the curly metal pattern.

And then there is the watchful eye...

(The Invitation copyright by Diane Lou)

Remnants...and snow again...

2011-02-23T15:16:00.000-08:00

If I'm not visible for a few days, it is because of snow. Because we live way back in the woods, we have a satellite dish for internet, which is fine....but as soon as there is 1/4" of snow on it, we lose service. Good thing we live where there isn't much snow. Seems they should have a little heater in there that kept it just warm enough to keep the snow off.

The snow and predicted cold (teens Friday and Saturday) made us postpone the anagama kiln firing for two weeks. Just not worth the risk with dozens of people trying to make it out here on bad back roads. And I can't imagine getting snowed in with 20-30 people!

Another new piece below is fashioned on the framework that would hold a wooden sewing machine drawer on an old cabinet treadle sewing machine. The "flying buttresses" are actually plastic bridge pieces from some child's toy, while the little stained glass piece under the top finial is part of a very 1960's stained glass hanging lamp that I disassembled.

Within the wooden framework, I attached a sheet of copper on the back, and to that, I attached a "rusted" plastic rib cage (which broke...so I made use of it broken) attached to the copper with red cotton string. Over the top of that is some heavy wire mesh (hardware cloth).

Yesteday I finally figured out how to finish up the piece that had the vintage French doll eye on it (I'd have to look back to see which post that was). Utilizing an image of a vintage nude and an old document disfigured by my burning much of it away, I'm finally happy with it. Will post that soon.

Drawing for free assemblage "stuff" coming on March 1! Post a comment to be entered

(Remnants copyright by Diane Lou)

John Ruskin....and free stuff...

2011-02-21T12:53:00.001-08:00

Since we are in the midst of loading the big anagama kiln, and getting ready for the firing which begins Wednesday night, I've been away from the computer. Back for now, but it will be be a crazy week.

Looking at the calendar, I realize that the month is nearly over! Giveaway time is nearly here. Yes, yes, I know I still haven't posted a picture of the mixed media goodies you will get to use in your art...but if you post a comment, or have posted a comment this month, your name is in the hat. For now, all I can say is that it is a box of goodies, ephemera, and who-knows-what!

Here's another new piece...John Ruskin, the title taken from the cigar box piece at the top (the bluish part). It began on 2 old, old boards from the ReStore, then an old book cover, and on top of that, the grill from a small barbecue, then....then...then... The metal strips along the sides are what is called "plumber's tape" (I think). It comes on a roll and has holes punched in it. Recently at the bins, I found a bag of wonderful, sort of brassy, very short screws, but with very large rounded heads on them. I have used them repeatedly because I love their look, and they fill each hole in the plumber's tape.

This is a detail of the piece. Under the double arched windows (doll house plastic pieces which have been rusted), a photo strip from a photobooth of a man and woman peek through. Their faces alternately show passion and almost disgust (and yes, I even found them in the bins several years ago). Wish you could see all the detail in person. Lots is lost in the photos.

Anagama, here we come!

Snow and website note...

2011-02-17T11:01:00.000-08:00

We had snow yesterday afternoon, and the temp has kept hovering around 33 degrees....not enough to melt the snow off the satellite dish we need to get the internet in our remote location. So, I'm only online now because I am at my daughter's restaurant.

Just a note on the website, http://dianelou.com ....I haven't figured out the intricacies of the purchase gallery and paypal buttons yet, so please be patient on that bit.

On Saturday we start loading the East Creek anagama kiln, a process that takes two days. The weather doesn't look too favorable...chilly, possibly snowy. Usually 20-50 people are involved. The firing starts goes Wednesday night through Saturday afternoon, then the kiln cools for a week (it takes 6 cords of wood to fire and holds about 500 pots and takes a while to cool), so the opening will be the following Saturday. We'll have 3 kilns going....a pit fire, the big anagama, and the "caboose", another wood-fired kiln. Can you spell "pyromaniacs"? Everyone is just in heaven....:)

I'll be back with art in a day or so.

Website at last...

2011-02-16T12:22:00.000-08:00

After having "create a website" on my to-do list for oh, maybe about 3 years, I finally did it!

Yesterday I awoke to large snow flakes falling down (but not sticking), an overcast sky, and a nagging feeling that I really needed to get this done! So I did a little yoga, ate breakfast, grabbed a big mug of tea, and went to a create-your-website site I had seen. They offered the super package for $20 for 3 months to try out, so I thought, why not?

As they advertise, if you really want a basic website, without lots of extras, you could do it in a hour or two. And the basic ones are free! So yes, after an hour or so, I had the basics of my site together, some photos uploaded, but of course, I couldn't stop there. Then there was adding in the artist's statement, bio, comments, a review, links to everything, going to Photoshop to create a cover page, and on and on. So for now, at least, it is good enough, and it is up and running.

Go take a peek: Diane Lou Assemblage

Art tomorrow....

Game of Chance...final version

2011-02-14T16:13:00.000-08:00

I've enlarged this a bit so I hope you can see it better. The added details were pictured previously so perhaps you can pick them out now on the finished piece. That creepy former spoon and fork seem to have taken on new power.

Enjoy! A new piece tomorrow....
(Game of Chance, copyright 2011 by Diane Lou).

Game of Chance details

2011-02-10T19:20:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, I decided that I needed to start using some of my metal bits and pieces...or else get rid of them, so here is a start.

If you'll look back two days at the post of Game of Chance, you can see where these changes occurred on the bottom part of the piece. There are two sort of creepy wooden figures (former spoon and fork) flanking each side of the box, so I decided to give them a little more connection to the piece. I used a metal piece from an old 100-key adding machine (oh my, what a treasure trove of odd-shaped pieces), used its spring to connect it to the on/off switch, and then used a wire (also from the adding machine) to connect the metal bit to the wooden character. To me, it changed the whole feel of the piece because now the wooden character seems to have some control over your Game of Chance.

On the right-hand side, I also used a piece of the wire and another small metal part to connect the figure, this time to the old bottle full of dice and rusty nails. I just poked a hole into the cork and inserted the wire in with a little glue to help hold it.

To me it is interesting how the smallest changes or details can either make or break a piece. Too often, it seems, I see art in which the artist has just felt the need to add pieces, but those pieces add nothing to the final artwork, and they become instead, the kiss of death to the piece. Each ingredient in the piece should have something to add to the narrative of the art.

Adding to art and another new piece...

2011-02-10T08:46:00.000-08:00

Since I posted Game of Chance on the previous post, I've added a bit to it (but the camera is on it's way to school with Nils today so I'll have to photo it later).

I came to the realization that even though I have loads of metal things that I have collected, I seldom use them. I also realized that much of what I have collected are really heavy metal things, which will just not work in the art I do. So, in my usual state of clean and purge which is amplified by the first signs of spring, I packed up boxes and buckets of very cool, but very weighty metal bits and sent them off to school with Nils. Some of the students who do very large pieces or metal sculpture will love them, and I no longer have to look at them sitting here unused.

At the same time, I committed to at least trying to use some of my smaller metal pieces...like cool metal bits from the old fashioned adding machine Kim gave me and Jake disassembled. I decided that if I find I really don't use them, off they go to a new home too. As a consequence, I added a bit to the Game of Chance (honest, I'll have a picture next time). I think it made it a more interesting and mysterious piece by adding a metal piece with a spring and a couple wires.

I've been doing a lot of cleaning and purging, and find it a great creative exercise. Not only do I find things I had forgotten I had, but some that I had disregarded as sort of uninteresting before have suddenly become the exact piece that I need right now!

Here's another new one. I'm not sure there still isn't something that needs added, but here is where I am right now with it.

Here is a detail shot of that little piece. That lovely little eye is a very old French doll eye (thanks, Maria!) which opens and closes. No title yet.

First 2 crocus are in bloom and more and more of the daffodils are budded! I LOVE spring!! (Sorry to all of you who are still buried in snow. Stay safe and warm).

Oh, I'll get a picture of the giveaway packet for this month for you too.

Game of Chance

2011-02-07T09:34:00.000-08:00

Game of Chance is another new piece from the past couple days. Do you see the rather forbidding figures flanking the spinning dial (the spoon and fork from the bins the other day) and the white, very old finial on top also from the recent shopping.

The surface holding the spinning dial (a game piece that was altered by replacing the center with a Viewmaster slide circle, with slides removed and various other tiny images inserted) is raised off the checkerboard background to give more depth and interest to the piece. I do this by gluing or screwing wood blocks below. The fiery wings which rather match the color on the John Ruskin cigar box end are Lego bits (I think). Below the spinning dial are 3 green bulb things which were gleaned from a box at the bins, as was the on/off switch at the center bottom. A rusty chain finishes it off.

I have to say one of my favorite tools besides a battery-powered drill is the new bandsaw my husband bought me for Xmas. We found it at the Habitat ReStore. It's a table-top model, so fairly small, but it was brand new and was priced at $45...and we had a 50% off coupon for that day so $22.50. It is fabulous for cutting things like that checkerboard, cutting the spoon and fork ends off the figures. It makes it all so fast and effortless that I am doing things I never would have done if I had to struggle with sawing small bits by hand. Thanks, Nils! I didn't know I needed it until I had it!!

Since the photo, I've added a very funky bottle in the lower right, filled with dice and rusty nails. It has the cork attached by a rustic leather strap...something someone's grandfather collected his rusty nails in.

Off to the studio for more creating.

Omaha....and another giveaway!

2011-02-06T08:15:00.000-08:00

I love it when I get on this creative roll! On Thursday I finished 5 pieces, yesterday two more, and I hope to spend all afternoon in the studio again today. The times of "flow" or "the zone" are just the closest to heaven on earth that there is! The world and worries all vanish and I tunnel-vision into the 3-5 pieces I am working on, and nothing else exists.

"Omaha" is another new piece that came out this week. Like most, it is rather detailed and maybe not that easy to see. There is a detail shot below.

I rather like the break away from working just inside a box, and enjoy the complexity of the multiple containers stacked on top of one another. So, you may see more of these.

The photo on silk is my mother at a young age, a photo I especially like of her. She appears to be standing in front of a greenhouse, in her very best dress...perhaps Easter or her confirmation or something. But even though the photo was marked as her being 11, she definitely has the air of someone more mature than that age.

One of the fun parts of the piece is the octagonal piece near the top, another bins find. It has what looks like hand-printed lettering on it, disconnected just enough so you cannot know what it is saying, but with phrases that are evocative as if we were reading pieces of a torn up letter full of personal details. The old tiny box of matches below my mother created the name for the piece as they are from a business in Omaha.

OH, and I did mention a new giveaway, did I not? I've decided to do one a month! Say, why not? I have sooo much stuff. Some may not be pieces of art, but may be bits and pieces you might like to use in your art (like game pieces, ephemera, and who-knows-what), so if you don't do found object art, some of these drawings may not appeal, but again, each time you post a comment, your name goes in the hat, so to speak. This drawing will end at the end of the month again. Makes it easy for me to keep track of!

Good luck!

Cuckoo...

2011-02-05T13:01:00.000-08:00

Introducing my warrior cuckoo/crow. Thursday a whole day spent in the studio allowed me to finish up 5 pieces, and here is one of them. This one was not started prior to that, but the bird, the clock case and #12 had been around forever!! The bird happened to be sitting next to the spiked helmet, and suddenly they seemed to suggest something to me, and I put them together. I knew, for some reason, that I wanted the bird peeking out of a hole...so off to the clock case. On that I added the round wooden foundry mold, figured out how to attach the bird inside, put in a background, glued on moss from outside the studio door, attached a cuckoo clock sound piece (what would you call one of these things) on the left, and the number 12 on the top. The spikey wings were from a Lego set, I think.

I'll show you the rest of the art of the day in upcoming posts.

I'm going to start working on an honest-to-goodness website this week, I hope. About time....

I hope everyone is staying warm and inside with all the crazy weather going on. Good time to do art....

More on "the bins"...

2011-02-03T12:05:00.000-08:00

Since posting about "the bins", I've done a little more research as people here, and on other groups, have mentioned not having any where they live. Apparently in some areas, they are called not the Goodwill Outlet, but the Goodwill As-Is Store...or even the Goodwill Blue Hanger Store. I was told by a Goodwill employee that in Oregon and Washington, there is one outet for each Goodwill region within the state.

To find what you have, Google Goodwill Outlets...or call your local Goodwill and ask (or ask to speak to a supervisor if you get nowhere with that). Of course, other sources for goodies are all your friends (once you put the word out that you are looking for things), estate sales, garage sales, thrift stores, and secondhand stores. Also some recycling centers (here in the NW) also have recycle/reclaim stores that are affiliated with recycling station. And, in some parts of the country (not here) local dumps still let you dig. And then, there is dumpster diving....and on...and on...and on....

The point is really that once you start looking, there is stuff everywhere! I've found some wonderful things squashed on the road or street...rusty cans, metal bits from cars, a squashed frog, bones, bottle caps, and more. Look at all of nature's discards...feathers, bones, teeth, moss, lichen, branches, leaves, cones, seedpods, stones.

Take a different look at all your own stuff. For example, for years I had boxes of some of my mother's things....boxes I never opened. In my clean out and organize mode, I decided I needed to either donate, use or discard many of these things. It was very freeing to put some of them in my art, and I felt good to have upcycled it. I felt good that her image, her stuff was out there in the world being enjoyed by whoever bought the art.

By the way, the free art was shipped to squidglass. Watch for other giveaways....like maybe some "stuff" to work/play with.
(Childhood copyright by Diane Lou)

And the winner is.......

2011-02-01T07:23:00.000-08:00

Hi all...

Before I head off to yoga, I wanted to let you know the results of the drawing. I put each of your names on a piece of paper, once for each time you posted, put them in a wide plate, then had my husband stir them up and pick a name.

And the winner is squidglass!! Congratulations! Please contact me with your mailing info, so I can pack this up and send it to you. Contact me at dianelou at earthlink dot net. I'm so happy you'll be the custodian, and hopefully enjoy-er, of this piece.

More later, everyone. And watch for future drawings too.

What are the bins?...and Tuesday is the drawing.

2011-01-30T09:39:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that Tuesday is the 1st, so that is the day for the drawing for the FREE ART! If you have posted a comment since I announced the giveaway, your name is automatically entered each time you have posted. Good luck everyone! Here again is the piece you will receive if your name is drawn.

In one of the many comments posted recently, the question was asked, "What are the bins?"

Goodwill has certain stores called Goodwill Outlets (if you are looking in the phone book or online), but which are called "the bins" by those who frequent the places. They are few and far between, often only in the bigger cities. They are the end of the line, so to speak....the place for donations that are not good enough to go to a Goodwill store, the place for things that spent their time in a store but did not sell, and sometimes the place for excess donations that they do not have time to process, or small items that would not be practical to sell in a regular Goodwill (like Lego pieces, wooden blocks, etc).

They are called "the bins" because everything is rolled onto the floor of the big warehouse-type building in bins about 4' wide and 8 or 10' long and about a foot deep. They are about waist high to make digging convenient. Shoes, books, electronics and clothing are mostly kept in separate bins, but everything else is thrown in together and you must dig to see what is there. I am often what would be called a "bottom feeder" because I love to find the little treasures left after the mad scramble by others to get the bigger things off the top.

The bins in Hillsboro (Portland metro area), where I go, probably has around 80-100 bins on the floor at any one time, and during the day, the employees periodically wheel them away and bring back new ones, which brings a new rush of enthusiasm for the many buyers. Owners of second-hand stores, and those who frequently sell on the internet, are avid and almost daily shoppers.

The best part is the pricing system....by the pound. Except for a few items which are separately priced, like large rugs, books ($1 for paperback and $2 for hardback), furniture, exercise equipment, and bicycles, most items are sold by the pound. If you buy over 25 pounds, the price is 89 cents a pound. Under 25, I think it is $1.29 (I don't really remember because I almost never buy that little). Glass items are 29 cents a pound. So a whole shopping cart full will often cost about $25-30.

When Nils and I go, I remind him what a cheap date I am. One of my favorite ways to spend 2 or 3 hours is to go the bins foraging because I never, never know what might be there! It is like a whole new treasure hunt each time (and each time new bins are rolled out). Cheap fun indeed! Of course, if you don't make art (or do something with everything you find), this fun habit may win you a spot on the TV show "Hoarders"!

Besides the hunting, I love the creative exercise of this. When I look at each item, I have to look at it not from the standpoint of what it was for, but ask myself, does it have an interesting shape, texture or patina? Can it be disassembled into interesting parts? If it was painted or rusted, would it look entirely different? I don't think about how I will be able to use anything, but just if it appeals to me on a gut level. And it all costs so little, what if I made a wrong judgement from time to time. Besides, often things I don't end up using will be just the thing a student at one of my workshops will love.

And that is the story of the bins.....

Bins treasures....

2011-01-28T19:15:00.000-08:00

Tuesday through Thursday of this week, I was in Portland with my grandkids. And, since they are both in school, I had all day each day to go foraging around the city for things for my art. I made a daily trip to the Goodwill bins (or Outlet), where the broken, unwanted and who-knows-what end up, in search of goodies for my art and home too. Besides all the art goodies pictured, I found a beautiful soft leather jacket, a new leather purse, pillow shams that matched our bedding, gift wrap paper and ribbon, Brio train tracks and much more. But what follows are some of the "goodies" (or what some people would call "trash") that I found.

Fingers, finials, and more.

Always love architectural or geometric shapes.

A horse, a frog, a crown for the frog, and cones

A 4' tall house that I cannot wait to transform. The door opens.

Love, love, love this! She was in a plastic bag, ignored even by the diggingest bins shoppers. Her crepe paper dress is ages old, rumpled and beautifully discolored. I think she is a treasure.

Trophies, a tamborine, a decapitated angel (whom I would have broken apart anyway, some interesting little metal thing on the right (a little dish warmer?), a wine carrier that opens into two intriguing 1/2 columns.

An old ledger, 2 metal curtain tie backs. a tiny red cowgirl boot, arches (love arches!), and some sort of prayer wheel.

A doll, a wooden box, unusually large musical notation, drawer pulls, and golden Xmas ornaments (sad that they are made of plastic not glass, but good they are made of plastic not glass because now I can rust them and paint them and not worry about them breaking.)

A horse, a lampshade, a cigar box, a small cutting board and Tinkertoys.

Architectural plastic pieces from a dollhouse which can be painted or rusted, tiny bird's nests, a gold cup, a wooden cove, a spoon and fork with primitive Philipine figures on them (I've already cut off the spoon and fork parts, making them more statue-like), and a plastic looking glass that will not look anything like this when I am done with it.

Hope you enjoyed seeing the results of my treasure hunt!

B-4

2011-01-25T08:48:00.000-08:00

It's one of a string of beautiful, sunny days here....a break we often get in January, lulling us into the belief that winter and rain and dreary days are over. But after a week or two of sun and spring-like temps, we usually sink back into the other once again. In the meantime, even the tulips have decided it is safe to surface, and I even saw a flowering tree in bloom the other day. The great thing about Oregon is there is not a month where something is not in bloom, and spring never seems that far from fall. I would not be surprised to see my first crocus in bloom by the end of this sunny spell.

Yesterday was to be an all-day playday in the studio for me, then we had a power outage, making it too dark to work! So I moved outside to the garden, cleaned up more beds, took a nibble of the new 3" tall chives, dug out my old sick raspberries in prep for turning the bed into all strawberries, with a new location for raspberries.

I'll be spending a couple days in Portland with my grandkids this week, so that will afford me hours of time while they are in school to go to the bins, to SCRAP, and to the reBuilding Center looking for some new inspiration. Can't wait!

Nils and I saw The King's Speech last night. Terrific movie!

The piece above, B-4, centers around part of a collage of a king I made years ago for a 4x4 book, and part of a broken horn, courtesy of friend Jennifer. Test tubes, a chess board and the rusty piece across the top, which is actually a plastic child's crown which has been flattened out and had my favorite rusting solution applied to it, are the other main elements.

Don't forget to sign up for the free art by posting a comment! Just a few more days to go.

Photo of free art...

2011-01-13T15:49:00.000-08:00

Well, finally. How the days do fly by!

I just took a photo of the piece that is up for grabs in the Free Art project. It's entitled Tick, Tock and is about 14"x14", created on a old chess board. There are chessmen, old photos, photobooth photos, vintage clock hands, and the rusted case from a plastic clock.

So, remember to post a comment to enter (or enter again) your name in the drawing to win. You have until the last day of the month to post! A name will be drawn February 1, and the piece will be shipped right out to you!

Now snow...

2011-01-10T15:38:00.000-08:00

Saturday Nils, Jake and I awoke to snow...and what could be better when you are a 10-year-old boy like Jake? He spent the entire day building snow forts and snow men, and stockpiled snowballs, all while being soaking wet and freezing cold. When I told him I was too cold to play outside any longer, he asked, "Can't you just pretend to be 10 for a while?"

Unfortunately, my more mature body doesn't tolerate the cold well, and few minutes of wet and cold chill me through and through, but I did engage in several snowball fights during the day, winning a few and losing many.

All three of my submitted works were accepted into the Wild Woman show...Reveries which was pictured a few days ago, Domino which is at the top of the blog page, and Repository. We'll deliver them on Friday and the show opening is the 29th. Nils also had 3 pieces accepted.

I hope you are staying warm wherever you are...

Free art!

2011-01-06T08:40:00.000-08:00

Read on for the Free Art part....
I had one more icy photo to share, this one from by the pond where the water spews out from the spring up the hillside. The branches by the heron sculpture were covered with a thick layer of ice where the water continually splattered on them and froze.

Now to the real point of this post. My studio walls are covered with art, I'm packing some away for a while, sending some off to galleries, and adding more to the house, but still, I am left with way too much, so I am doing a giveaway to start off the new year!

I love, love, love the process of doing art, but very often don't have a huge attachment to it after the fact. And, as time goes by and my work progresses and changes, I often become even less attached to it.

So, every time you post a comment to a post on this blog during the month of January, your name will be entered into the drawing for a piece of free art. So, read as often as you can, and post a comment, and I'll enter your name in the drawing to be done at the end of the month. I'll post a picture of the art in a day or two.

I'll be looking forward to hearing from you!

Winter frost...

2011-01-05T11:35:00.000-08:00

Although most of the time we stay above freezing here, we had about 5 days of below freezing temps which created magical-looking frost, especially by East Creek. Today we are back up to our norm...40's and rain.

Today is my dear husband's birthday! It will be a quiet day with studio time, but last night we saw Black Swan, a dark but wonderful movie. Happy birthday, love!

Aging gracefully...

2011-01-03T15:02:00.000-08:00

Friend Kristine's wonderful essay about aging gracefully on mattersthatmatter.com set me thinking about it.
Sure, I'd love to have smooth, unwrinkled skin again...and a body I didn't mind putting in a swimsuit (but I minded it as much when I was younger as I do now, so what's the big deal about that?)
I was recently reminded that cosmetic surgery does not make us look 30, but instead it makes us look like we are “trying” to look 30.
That aside, I have recently taken a great deal of interest in watching the women my age (nearly 65) and noting what it is about them that still makes them attractive at this age and older.
The common traits I find are a smiling or happy countenance; eyes that reflect their interest in new things, their wisdom about things that seldom change, their passion about living life fully, and their compassion for others after having seen the good, bad and ugly of life; good posture, and a great haircut (no matter what the color….white or outrageous red). There you have it!
I’m so happy I am no longer making bad decisions with men, no longer care what others think, and that I have the freedom to finally be the person I have aspired to be my whole life.
I have watched life enter the world and attended to it as it left. I have been threatened by health issues serious enough to make me face my own mortality. And I feel blessed that all of these things have happened to/for me. I wouldn’t trade this for my 3 mid-thirties daughters’ lives for anything.

About life (and this could apply to the artist's journey as well) Joseph Campbell once wrote, "What I think is that a good life is one hero journey after another. Over and over again, you are called to the realm of adventure, you are called to new horizons. Each time, there is the same problem: do I dare? And then if you do dare, the dangers are there, and the help also, and the fulfillment or the fiasco. There's always the possibility of a fiasco. But there's also the possibility of bliss."

I hope you are following yours....

Winter solstice...

2010-12-24T07:38:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago the shortest day passed by...the "watershed of the year", as Vita Sackville-West called it. Now we can look forward to the gradually lengthening days as winter officially arrives. It's a long, slow process, this getting through dark, damp and dreary days, but here in Oregon, the signs of spring are already evident.

Daffodil shoots are already a couple inches high, and instead of dying down completely the perennial flowers have thick rosettes of new leaves at ground level as if they are eager to head towards next summer's prolific bloom. The filbert/hazelnut trees are covered with a thick dusting of catkins promising a more abundant crop next year. Camillias are in full bloom at elevations lower than we are.

Like these lengthening days (today will be 11 seconds longer), life sometimes has to be taken in baby steps too, instead of those giant leaps we often choose to take. Change brought on by challenge is in the end a positive...but the getting to the other side can take every ounce of effort. This year was one of loss (of my son-in-law) balanced by gain (new granddaughter Geneva, lots of new art, and deepening relationships with loved ones).

Today I'll be back in the studio for the first time in a week, looking through some newly acquired items from the bin trip yesterday, temporarily packing away some things that have sat for too long, and attempting to free up some wall space so I have a place to work. In a few days, grandson Jake will be here again and treehouse work (siding) will continue.

I hope your holiday finds you in a place of peace and comfort with those you love!
(Untitled piece, copyright Diane Lou. Just added the "cage" part in the past week.)

Reveries...

2010-12-17T18:17:00.000-08:00

Last summer when my sister and I sweated our way through about 100 garage sales in Oregon City (in unusual 100+ degree heat), we found a car full of goodies. But as the day wore on and the heat had taken its toll on us as well as on those selling, we decided to head home....then saw one last sign that we decided to follow up on.

The sellers were packing up and giving up so had a huge number of free things, some of which went home with us. They also had this old shadow box made from an old wood-framed window that I gladly paid the $10 for. With its perfectly peeling old paint, the nice division of space, and a good depth, I knew it would be the start to a fun project.

Here's a detail of the piece. All the interior spaces are lined with black and white photos of European architecture (enlargements from vintage postcards) which create a real sense of depth and perspective. The top addition was part of a broken picture frame from the bins (like most everything else inside the boxes). Upper left there is a small nest, a gift from Kim. The wooden window below it has a transparency of a nude woman in it. The Glamour Shots plastic holder on the upper right houses vintage photos instead of Glamour Shots, and the bottom holds a sparkly little girl's shoe, an evocative addition to the piece (and a gift from friend Jennifer).

I just emailed a picture of this as a submission to the Wild Women show. Fingers crossed!
(Reveries, copyright Diane Lou 2010. 28x25x5)

Our Stuff...

2010-12-16T17:35:00.000-08:00

First of all, thanks to assemblage artist Terry Flowers for finding this amazing picture...one particularly appropriate for those of us who see the potential in every bit of rusty metal on the street, every bone and stick and stone by the wayside, every broken toy or doll, every bit of fabric or, oh my, old paper with the written words of someone now long gone. Every bit of eggshell or nest, every gear, every old book or box, every clock piece or number. But no, we can't take any of it with us, so we have to create, create, create while we have the chance! Enjoy your gift!

$10 off Transfers and Transparencies Book!

2010-12-14T18:08:00.001-08:00

Order your copy of Transfers and Transparencies and get $10 off! You can order in paperback, image wrap or hard cover with dust jacket. Just type in the coupon code CHEER when you get to that point in the order blank. Happy Holidays!

Transfers and Transparencies by Diane Lou | Make Your Own Book

Gratitude...

2010-11-24T20:10:00.000-08:00

As this holiday season begins, I find myself filled with gratitude for all the good things in my life. For a loving and much-loved husband. For three beautiful adult daughters and three exceptional grandchildren. For living where I live, for having time to pursue the creative dream of lifetime, for being surrounded by beauty everywhere in my life. For long-time and loyal friends who enrich life at every stage, for newer friends who entered my life when Nils and I married, and family members who have known me forever. For good health, happiness, strength and maturity. For being alive and learning and growing daily. And I'm thankful to all of you who read these posts, who have taken my workshops or purchased my books. You keep me motivated!

May your Thanksgiving be filled with warmth and love and friendship.

New starts...and a finish

2010-11-18T10:18:00.000-08:00

On November 8th, I posted about the initial stage of this piece and wanted to update you on that with the picture below. At this stage, again, I have no idea where it is going beyond where it is. So far, we have a cigar box, lego pieces (the black and gold), a clock part and a checkerboard.

Another start below fashioned on an old sleeve-pressing board, on which I fastened a set of antlers (both bins finds). No, those aren't eyes, just the two screws holding the antlers on...and no, this isn't a holiday piece :)!

And now for a finish. If you look across the top of the piece, that gridwork section is those little lanterns I disassembled. Really like them! Inside, the scraggly, rusty bit is a burnt out drain pan from a charcoal grill (bins again). Couldn't resist its patina and wabi-sabi appeal. Still waiting for the title for this one to pop into my head. Any suggestions?

Hard to believe we are flying towards Thanksgiving and Xmas and the end of the year already. Possible snow this week down to 1000'. We are 700' so we might get a skiff.

Here she is....

2010-11-15T12:35:00.000-08:00

Geneva Alexandra McDonald

Our newest family addition.

Granddaughter Geneva Alexandra here at last...

2010-11-11T16:55:00.000-08:00

Gad, I don't even have a picture to show you, but she's here at last. It was a rather problem-fraught delivery....her heart rate kept dropping dramatically during labor, she was certainly overdue, so eventually the answer became to do an emergency c-section. She had the cord wrapped around her neck, poor dear.

Since she was still distressed after delivery, off she went to Legacy Emanuel NICU, where she still is (fortunately it is only about 20 minutes from where they live and has one of the top NICU's in the country). But, she's doing better, just very tired out (aren't we all?) by the whole experience. The great news is that she is here, lovely, 6#8oz, 20 inches long with a little curly red hair like her lovely mom.

Huge congratulations to Kolya and Larry and Geneva!

Beginnings and baby?

2010-11-08T12:06:00.000-08:00

This week I've been showing some of my "starting anew" process, which involves preparing materials (painting, rusting, disassembling, breaking) for inclusion in a work of art. Most of the time, I try to alter each thing I use in some way prior to putting it in a piece, and this process creates a whole new inventory of materials to choose from.

After that, I start setting things together (without any idea of where the assemblage is going). Right now I have 9 pieces in that state.

Here are a couple pictures of how this might start. This photo shows a wooden cigar box painted black and from the bins, a couple Lego pieces which I thought were just smashing.

Here are how the two might be "tried on" to see if I think this is a direction I want to go.

I love the enclosure these two pieces create for the box. It already has a sense of mystery about it. At this point there are not attached because it will be much easier to work inside if they aren't, but they will be nearby to set on the piece as I work to check how they will look. Their attachment will probably be one of the last things I do.

Granddaughter Geneva is apparently reticent to come out. Attempts to induce failed, so mom and dad (Kolya and Larry) are back home waiting...waiting...waiting. Send some "Come on, Geneva!" energy their way.

More changes... and recent purchases

2010-11-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

Another beautiful fall day here. Some sun, some rain and a vibrantly colored rainbow as we drove to brunch this a.m.

Here's a continuation of the posts about transforming things before I use them. Recent bin finds (Nils found them for me) included these very neat little "lanterns" which were fitted onto a string of holiday lights.

As you can see, they are rather easily cut apart to form an interesting series of small panels. I'll be showing photos of a piece I have started and which is nearly done which utilizes these little grid panels lined with paper.

Part of Art and Soul, the Portland event that I taught at in October, is a vendor night. And since I was a vendor myself, I had little time to shop but did manage to hit one very cool booth where I bought the following items. I can hardly wait to use them.

I love the whole idea of opening doors, keyholes, locks and keys, and when they are old, even better! I thought these were just terrific.

Fall color....

2010-11-06T09:35:00.001-07:00

Burning Bush

Beauty Berry

Maples in the Douglas Fir forest

Beauty Berry

Sweet Gum

More transformations...

2010-11-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

As I continue to prepare my "stuff" for pieces, I thought I'd show you a few more photos of what I've been doing during the past few days. I love the Sophisticated Finishes rusting finish (from dickblick.com) that enables me to transform ordinary plastic (or paper or fabric or lace or wood or metal) into something that looks like it has been around for decades.

In the first photo, you'll see the original items (clear plastic man, red giant checker, and plastic castle tower from a child's toy) and then one with one coat of the metal finishing on it. I used the clear primer from the same company first, which creates a surface that the dark painted on metal adheres well to.

More plastic items with the metal surfacer coating on them.

Here are some pieces in the process of "rusting" The rusting solution is applied after the metal surfacer (usually 2 coats) is completely dry. Sometimes if I don't get quite as much rust as I would like, I reapply the rusting solution again. It can take several hours for this part of the process to complete itself.

Since the dark metal surfacer actually contains metal filings, what you are getting is really rust, not just a look-alike.

Gorgeous fall photos to follow.