Come celebrate summer this weekend at the
and chalk art festival…
Saturday, July 31st, 10am to 6pm
Sunday, August 1st, 11am to 5pm
1200, 1300, and 1400 Blocks of Cornwall Ave in Downtown Bellingham, Washington
I am only doing a few art shows these days so don't miss this opportunity to see and shop my work.
I will have some new strange and wonderful things and I will also have some discounts on some older pieces.
Look forward to seeing YOU!
I have been enjoying the warm summer evenings lately. I love how late it stays light out. Played tourist in my own home town on an evening stroll with a lovely companion and took pictures of downtown Bellingham. Of course then I had to thoroughly mess with them in Photoshop…
Title page… lol.. I want to learn more about making text interesting and harmonious… this just reminded me of how little I have worked with text.
There is a Sebastian sculpture exhibit in Downtown Bellingham and thus the large geometric sculptures.
Ok and this is my one unaltered photo, which is actually a pretty good photo… but a bit boring and brochure like for my taste. Ok now back to crazy photos.. There is a knit tree in front of NW handspun yarns on Commercial and I am in LOVE! I want to start decorating the trees in my yard!!
Ok… don’t expect the tree to look like this is real life.. this last one was a bit of knit tree on LSD…
The ADO blog wonderland event started yesterday and
I AM LATE
LATE
FOR A VERY IMPORTANT DATE
I may be late but I am inspired!
I am working on a piece inspired by the white rabbit. However he/she is not turning out to be very white, but perhaps there will be white furry pants in her future?
I am not a traditional Doll artist, as a matter of fact me and the word “traditional” doesn't work in most parts of my life. Instead of building my dolls from scratch I alter/ upcycle dolls found at yard sales and thrift stores. Here is a peak at how "Rabbit" started out life…
A bit of a difference… huh?
I usually use lots of textured paint effects with my dolls utilizing my favorite tool the blow torch. This time I wanted to play with some plaster, so after resculpting the face with apoxie sculpt and creating some armature for the ears, I covered the doll in thin coating of plaster.
I was purposefully messing and drippy with the plaster wanting as much texture as possible. After the plaster had dried taking advantage of that glowing ball of fire in the sky to help, I gessoed the piece haphazardly. Then my favorite part started, I stained with walnut ink and golden paints. the gesso and the plaster absorbing the paint and ink differently, and then I sanded and painted and painted some more… and I am sure it will change further before I am done…
So here is my work in progress “Rabbit”. A day late and a dollar short, but full of excitement and creative discovery.
Make sure you go and see all the other amazing wonderland inspired dolls being created…
And THANK YOU ADO for hosting this event!
If your new to my blog check out my blog giveaway and become a “follower”. (That word always conjures up images of cults and makes me shake my head)
I love my home but sometime when you look at something day in and down out your stop appreciating its uniqueness. These photos were fun to take and alter and help me see the beauty around me freshly.
I will be teaching three upcoming classes at my home studio. All have spaces still available!
To register for classes I need payment in full
I can take credit cards over the phone call 360-305-9058
or make arrangements to mail me a check.
All classes have a small materials list, email me for further information clarissacallesen@gmail.com
Winged Assemblage
Saturday July 10 from 10am -4pm with a 45min lunch break.(Please bring a sack lunch)
$80 limited to 6 students
Learn basic assemblage techniques while creating a winged goddess, monster, saint, or creature from another world. We will cover different methods for attaching 3D objects. I will share with you some of my “secret techniques” for altering objects to take ordinary modern objects and make then look like antique relics. Learn to work with you mistakes and embrace chaos. This is both a technique and project based class. You will finish a piece of art in the class and learn many techniques to use in your personal art.
Altered Doll
Saturday July 17 from 10am -4pm with a 45min lunch break.
(Please bring a sack lunch)
$80 limited to 6 students
There is magic in the act of reclaiming an object and turning it into art. Dolls are as ancient as humans. They can be just toys for children. They can also be important icons in artwork and spiritual shrines. We will deconstruct and reclaim an ordinary or perhaps even tacky commercial doll and turn it into a meaningful work of art. I will provide you with a small jointed porcelain doll for you to alter. . By reclaiming and recycling an already constructed doll, you can skip right to the fun part. No sewing, no stuffing, no patterns, just decorating, dressing and embellishing. Through layering paint and ink, we will create a unique “antique” texture as a base for a hand painted artistic face. We will “dress” our dolls through wrapping string, fabric, tape, and wire to create a richly textured artwork. I will show you two different unique techniques for creative wings. I believe in embracing the grunge and cherishing the haphazard. This is both a project and technique based class which you will leave with a unique piece of art as well as skills useful not just to art dolls but to assemblage work in general.
Junk Birds
Sunday July 18 from 10am -4pm with a 45min lunch break.
(Please bring a sack lunch)
$70 limited to 6 students
Everywhere we look stores are full of large quantities of mass produced decorative items, which tend to be aesthetically challenged or just plain ugly. More often than not they are also sterile and soulless. But if you dare to join me we will deconstruct these objects and then with an open, playful spirit, we will recreate and reconstruct them into our own unique pieces of soulful art.
Starting with a commercially made artificial bird decorations we will engage in some deconstruction. Through the use of fabric, wire, string, and whatever else, we will create a complex textural base on our bird/s. Then using thin metal and found objects we will build new beaks, wings, and eyes. We will embellish and add richness to our creation, with beads, buttons, paint, ink, and wax.
This is a project-based class with tons of room for exploration and variation. I really encourage everyone to go where their muse is leading them. We will be learning lots of fun easy techniques that produce quick, dramatic results. You’ll find that these newly learned techniques can be applied to many different kinds of mixed media work. I look forward to playing with you.
