22 July 2009
So Trendy... I Know...
This is to let you all know that I am on Twitter as of today. I will have to get the hang of posting shorter and more frequently, but I can do it. You can look me up under JemTonic or just hit the link.
20 July 2009
Occasional Lamp
The lamp you see here is a lamp that I am working on at the moment. It is in the beginning stages and I hope to have it finished in the next couple days. One aspect of this lamp that I didn't illustrate (which I thought of later), is that this lamp will have the ability to be used as a floor lamp or a hanging lamp. On top of the lamp, there will be feet. These feet will hide the hooks that are used to hang it from the ceiling, and also be the feet on which it will sit while being uses as a floor lamp.
My chosen material is Birch plywood with relief cuts for bending on the inside. The interior will also be painted a gloss white to reflect more light illuminating the room more and not overpowering the look of the lamp.
As soon as I have finished it, I will be sure to post photos on my Flickr with a post to show all finished.
amidsmod@yahoo.com
17 July 2009
Still Just Doodling
As I try to find a way to make a living on my art I find myself creating almost everyday. Some days I have more drive than others. The crazy thing is, I never really seem to get tired of drawing, sculpting or doodling. Many times I look around on the net to find different styles and artists. As I find something new I play around with new shapes and designs while trying to work them into my own style. These here are just a few from the past day or two. These are not completed compositions, they are just doodles. I hope you can see the creative process here.
With most of these illustrations, I've been focusing on the shadowing on the floor and the walls. I'm also playing with different kinds of textures.
15 July 2009
The End Of The Line
Photo source: phil toselli's photostreamIf any of us have art out there on flickr and do a tag search for art to see how far down the line it lays, we may be surprised. When I searched mine, however, I was not surprised. I found my first one on page 25. That's really not too bad considering that under the search phrase I used there are 102 pages.
In reality though, this post isn't about me at all. This experience just got me thinking about the fact that I never go to the end of the search to see what it offers for my viewing pleasure. Therefore, I am going to bring you some highlights every now and again about what I'm finding from the back to the front. I'm going to pick out one picture from each page.
Just so that everyone understands, I used the tag search of mid-century art on flickr, and this first segment will be a pick from pages 101.
The image above comes from phil toselli's photostream. Later I plan of finding out more about this "David Wiedman" as well. If I find anything good. I will post about it.
12 July 2009
Why Piet Mondrian...? Why not?
 |
| Photo Source:www.anthroposophie.net |
09 July 2009
Just For You!
A while back I had posted some photos of my buffet/dresser in process. With this came a few comments from my readers saying that they like to see these types of photos and would actually like to see more in process photos. I don't know if that just means for the buffet, or in general. So, in hopes to try to keep all happy, I am posting a little about one of my current projects and the processes and changes that occurred.
The photo above is of the pine board that this project started with. I had this board just lying around from a temporary piece of furniture that I had made to set our TV on. Therefore, this board has hole drilled in different places on one side. That added an unusual aspect that I had to keep in mind as I started the design process.
Some of my sculptures/wood art start out on paper and make there way to life after the design has been finalized. That, however, was not the case with any of the pieces that came out of this board. At times, I find that I need to work directly on/with the board when I'm inspired if I actually want to get around to finishing the project. Thinking about a process can sometimes dampen my desire to complete, or even start on it. Therefore, I drew out all of my general shapes for guides on the board and cut the smallest shapes first. This helps provide a more accurate final cut as I can choose which to cut first and maintain a maximum grip range for movement of the material during the cut. Once the inside shapes are cut, I will take the outside material off to create the outside, or boarder shape.
Here you can see a little of the drawing showing thru in the photo after all cuts have been made. After all the cutting is done I then do my sanding. I have seen some people who sand there material first and then cut. I, also use this method for some of my substrates that are very rough or in a natural state. The size of this material/project, plus the fact that I was starting with a finished lumber board made pre sanding unnecessary. Usually the sanding process requires more than just sanding, it is a pre-finishing process and therefore can take a large chunk of my time. I try to get all of my edges smooth by sanding, using gouges, wire brushes, whittling knifes, and even some handy Jem's specialty tools. These can be very crudely made. I mean, man... I learned from those "good 'ol boy's" in Georgia, and my neighbors in Chile. So, you know they're well made.
If, as in this case, I am going to be painting images on top of the carved/shaped piece I don't fret if some of my pencil drawings are still visible. I just make sure that all drawn lines are gone where I will not be painting. This is so that you don't see hints of guide lines thru the stain and clear-coat.
Since this piece was not a commissioned piece and was also extra material I had lying around, I chose to paint with a new (to me at least) method. I used my paint pens. After starting, I chose to stick with light, sketchy coats and give a more unfinished/rustic? look. From my standpoint I don't find it too bad, but I would like to know what you think.
As it goes many times, you're happy to see the piece finished, and then it happens. In my case I got to anxious and thought the paint was dry, but... alas it wasn't and started to run. So, there I went back to the cutting table to adjust (save) the piece. In the end, I had to cut off a chunk and re-sand new
cut edges and re-stain. Once all was done, this is how it turned out. My final piece.
I actually am using the chunk that I cut off for a small wall hanging and will show it here soon.
Check out my Flickr for some more photos.
You can check out my buffet/ dresser posts below.
06 July 2009
Mr. MR... That is MICHAEL ROBERTSON
Anyone who has been reading my blog for any amount of time knows that, I find the most amount of joy in finding new artists with an old style. Also, I have had the privilege of meeting and receiving comments of many such artist. In my book, some of these would clearly include Veronica Diago and as of a couple of days ago Michael Robertson.
One of the few things that I like more than finding artists such as these, is to share them with you. The reality of all things art is that, well... art speaks louder and better than words. With that being said, check out Micheals Robertson's blog and his Etsy as soon as possible and see what's going on over there. It's worth the time. Just... don't forget to keep checking out what's going on here too.
 |
| Photo Source: Samba for rats Etsy.com site |
02 July 2009
Thought I had been slacking off huh! Revised!
For those of you who have been keeping up with my Flickr, you know I haven't been slacking off. That's right! Ever so slowly, I am working on my Buffet. What can I say? It's fairly hard to work on it without having my own shop and all the correct tools. None the less I continue to work on it little by little. I think I prefer it that way for right now. I have a lot of other things going on as well at the moment, and my buffet/dresser...uh...dresser/buffet???? keeps me from getting burnt out on any one thing.
Oh yeah... these photos are of one of the sliding doors that will cover the drawers... um... shelves? I'm not quite sure which of those 2 the doors will cover right now. Designs evolve over time. Be assured though, they will indeed cover something as door are wont to do. Also, don't be amazed when you see a different version of this door. One that has a background of white with the images in the stained wood. I still haven't figured out how I am going to connect the overlay/3d element to the door. I have options. Therefore I can show you another image of what could have been, but will never be.
For those of you who have been following my blogs...here is the variation of my door. This is the way the door would look if it were white with the image dimension image on top of it. This is the way the door would look because, well... this is the door painted white. I chose to use the other side that is stained due to issues with the paint not laying well.
01 July 2009
The Rats And The Cicles
When I finally got to the age of 16 I had dreams of all the old cars that I had seen on the shows I watched as a kid, and had seen in car shows with my dad. What I got was an old 78 Bonnaville. In the end... that was probably the perfect car for me at that age. It was a tank. This was great for me but horrible for everyone else, since, I rarely paid sufficient attention to the road when I was driving. Terrorizing everyone on the streets.
That car came to an end when, one day, while driving home from school I had to break hard and heard a pop. The upper control arm broke and I shot right, almost running into the ditch. Since then, I have had a number of other cooler cars, but... alas I still have never owned a worthy classic. As this is the case, I find that as I get older I look at the old cars, bikes (motorcycles), and scooters, with interest in more specific styles.
All things hot rod or classic are my favorites. However, with in this huge category I've found the Rat... whatever's to be the most creative. To me they are art in of them selves, and inspire me a lot in my work. With that in mind... I give you some that I have found online and that move me.
Enjoy!
18 June 2009
To Which Do We Owe The Honor?
(Image on left is entitled "Dan-eesh")
For maybe the first time in my blogging history, I will have this post out, not only on time, but early. Wow...! Will wonders never cease. In case you haven't noticed the large image to the left of your screen... STOP NOW! Look at it closely now. No! Not like that... I mean CLOSELY! Yeah... More like that. Ok, this is my newest piece. I like it.
However, art really isn't always about what I like. I forget that sometimes, but in the end, I find my readers opinions very important, as well. So, here is your chance to let me know. I will be returning to the States for a visit in about 2 months with the hopes of producing a number of pieces of original art, sculptures, and maybe a few small pieces of furniture. The furniture depends on the time I have available. Also during this time I will be reviewing a few prints to consider selling on the Etsy store I will be setting up. To help me select which prints I will offer, I am consulting the mass population. After all, you'll be the ones buying 'em.
Of course my newest one (Dan-eesh Fisk) is a possibility. There are others as well though. They are as follows.
The thing is, I am only looking for two right now, maybe three. This is because I am going to order samples so I can see how they turn out. I don't want to offer bad quality art to any of you fine people.
So in the end... PLEASE HELP!
To see some of my other art, check out my FLICKR.
15 June 2009
Am I The Last?
As is usual, I seem to find out about artist that inspire me only when someone is writing a recap of the art they had spent decades perfecting. Also as usual, it's only after they have died that I notice this individuals name. I then feel like I am the last person in the world to know about them. This recently happened to me with Ib Geertsen.Recently though, I found myself helping a few readers of my blog learn about people and styles that, over the years, had become daily terms for me. This showed me that, while I am not the most informed about all things MCM, I can have the enjoyment of helping people to expand their vision of the art world. That's kinda cool! So, as I have learned over the years, art speaks louder than any word. For that reason, I will leave you with the following. I hope this proves to enlighten and inspire you all.
Also, you should really check out his site. I can't read it, but it has a lot of info on it.
13 June 2009
Buffet or Dresser?
This is a question that came up recently on my Flickr account (and yes... I am posting this tonight just because of you Tikimama). So as Tikimama was looking thru my photos she saw the doors slide to one side. Therefore she though that I was making a simple buffet, and this is where my story begins.
Ok, so we live in Chile South America, if you haven't seen from some of my other posts. We chose to live here based on a number of things. We ended up picking a small town a few hours south of Santiago. By the way, I mean SMALL! The community is about 10 miles in length by about 6 miles wide. In this sector there is only a population of about 8000. It is mostly vineyards, Kiwi vineyards, apple orchards, cherrie orchards, and... oh yes, did I mention vineyards? The area is fairly poor. Not extremely, but none the less poor.
Just to give an example, I bought a Suzuki Samurai 1998 and now all our neighbors think we are rich. Very few people here have cars, and for this reason, we drive very little. Plus gas is like 3 to 4 dollars a gallon on a regular basis.
It's very calm here, with hardly any crime or violence. The most common crime is that someone's bike, cow, or horse is stolen. I'm not joking about the animals. Everyone works in agriculture. It's E-X-T-R-E-M-E-L-Y rare to find someone that works in another field.
That's a short cap to help explain a little about the buffet/dresser that I'm building. There are very few places available to rent here in this town. The one we found is small. It is about 400 sf, and all kinds of oddly laid out. We have a 10 ft x 20 ft bottom floor where the bathroom and kitchen is and a 10 ft x 20 ft upper lever which is our living and bedroom.
When the buffet/dresser is finished, the Tv will sit on top of it and that is the reason that I am making it like I am. See, I wanted something that looked like a buffet while looking at it, since... I will be doing a lot of looking at it. This being the case, plus the fact that we still don't have a place for our... oohhh... I'm blushing... je je je under ware, I decided to make one the other. I hope you got all that.
The front will have the two sliding doors. One will have a Witco-ish design on it (which I cut today). The other will just be a solid stained door with a handle. The inside of the cabinet will have 6 drawers with a shelve-less compartment in the middle. This compartment will be about half way accessible while the sliding doors are move all the way to one or the other sides. There will be 3 drawers on each side. The draw back to this is that you can only access one side or the other at one time. Oh well I guess... the things we do for looks.
I have changed the legs from the drawing a little bit. The legs will now be 9 inches tall and the overall piece will stand 29 inches. This is in comparison to the 4 inch legs as original and a 24 inch standing hight.
All wood is Eucalyptus plywood with raw edges. I love plywood and the layers that can be seen from the ends.
Really for now, that's all I have. I will post again when it is finished, or at least close to being finished.
Note: I am by no means an experienced wood worker and am always looking for information on the subject. Especially in connection to mid-century modern woodworking. Also, sometime tomorrow my editor and chief will edit this and make all my mistakes go away. Enjoy the raw art NOW before it is erased from humanity for ever.
Check out my Flickr
08 June 2009
It's just like that! Well...sort'a??!
This here is my art. It was inspired by something. No. really... that's more or less it.
Ok, I know it was inspired by the great old Motor Inn signs. You know... the ones that littered all the major highways before those new fangled things we now call "Interstates" came and by-passed them. Yep, those are the same ones.
It's interesting because I really don't remember which site or sign really inspired me. However, it was a sign, and for this reason I am going to feature another treasure that I found by digging thru the links on Tikimama's blog www.atomicteaparty.blogspot.com. She has been helping me be inspired a lot lately. That's when you know that someone has a good blog. This inspiration really came from one of her links but, in the end, I found it thru her. So, that counts.
Truthfully, I will probably just keep following this inspiration for now. What can I say? It seems to be working.
Oh! But, wait! That's not all. See, while I was looking at this site that I found, I thought of you. That's right, I thought of each and every one of my readers. So here is my present to you. www.lileks.com/motels/index.html
"Wait??! What is this?"
You wait! You...! This is your present.
"Who said I wanted a present?"
I did. So there!
Sorry! I'm back. I really think you will like this site. There are TONS of old motel post cards and, even better, is that... there is seriously funny humor here. I haven't finished going thru all of them yet, and I'm looking forward to getting back to it. Some of the selling points on these old postcards are classic. No pun intended. I hope you find the site well, and if you have any problems, just let me know.
Also, check out my Flickr when you get chance.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)