Sunday, June 30, 2013

The Finished Pieces: Eostre

I want to share the good “official” photos of the big pieces I built this spring for the “Odd Birds” show.   I usually refer to this piece as “The Giant Bunny”.  However a lot of people at the latest art festival I attended called her the scary bunny or the creepy rabbit.   Her official name is “Eostre is Watching” after the pagan goddess with her hare companions thought to be associated with the origins of the word Easter.

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Eostre aka Giant Bunny started her life as just that a dirty white giant stuffed bunny sitting in the corner at a small thrift store. I actually paid her no mind, looking right past her former self. But my partner was totally taken with her and KNEW I needed to take home that ratty 3ft stuffed bunny for something.   Well my partner was right!  Giant Bunny was one of the most enjoyable large pieces I made this spring.  She became a giant Wild Thing using basically the same techniques I use on my small Wild Things.

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Eostre’s face started out as a hair dressing mannequin a friend found in a free pile. She wears amulets or talismans on her shoulders  that include shotgun casings, rusty washers, springs, locknuts, chains, and bones.

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One of the on going themes of my artwork is the juxtaposition of different religious icons.  So adding the classic catholic sacred heart to the pagan bunny seemed like a perfect compliment to each other. I also enjoy playing with the dichotomy of sweet and soft and dark or gruesome.  I would love to hear what other readers see in Eostre.  My goal as an artist is not to tell the whole story but to set the scene for the viewer to create their own story.    

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Details on the paws were stitched out of vintage sari material. The all seeing hand was a dollar store find that was originally painted with blue and white classic Dutch designs. The vintage moving eyeball was actually removed from “Junk in Her Trunk” and is one of my favorite details.

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A couple pictures of Eostre in the progress.

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Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Bricologe Preview

 

This is a brand new class this year and it’s debut will be at Art Unraveled

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Bricologe : construction (as of a sculpture or a structure of ideas) achieved by using whatever comes to hand.

What do mixed media artists have at hand usually in excess on or around our work tables?

Fabulous scraps and bits of amazing stuff!

 

 

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Some of the potential yummy materials for your Bricologe IMG_4737  IMG_4729

We will be exploring all kind of fun techniques to create texture, Texture,TEXTURE! 

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I will cover many different ways to create a distressed or aged finish on new materials.

 

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My style of making art and teaching is to HAVE FUN and embrace the GRUNGE.

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Cherish those beautiful little scraps that need special recognition!

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Explore composition in a very hands on immediate way and leave class with a work of art and a sampler of new techniques.

Friday, June 21, 2013

The Finished Pieces

I want to share the good “official” photos of the big pieces I built this spring for the “Odd Birds” show.   This piece is affectionately called

Junk in her Trunk

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Junk was created from an underwear mannequin that I bought at a junk sale in a dark funky barn along side the road.  I probably paid too much for it $15 but I just knew it had good potential.  The doll came from the Goodwill Outlet bins which deserve a post all to themselves. Her horns are made from a broken candelabra accessorized with fabric, wire, and pieces of a shattered chair.  Her hat was the top of our porch light that blew off in a wind storm 5yrs ago. Her junk is just that all kinds of small bits and pieces that have been collected over the years. I wanted to create a tapestry of sorts for her lower body.  A tapestry of toys, game pieces, junk, and precious jewels. A cloth constructed of things to symbolize the objects and experiences that we carry with us in life, both the precious and the painful. All of those things make her beautiful and interesting just like our scars, wrinkles, and stories make us beautiful.  She is held together and unified as one with lots of paint, plaster, and magic.

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IMG_4256editHer humble beginnings   aka “Before”

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To her regal “After”

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This piece is still available for purchase just contact me at clarissacallesen@gmail.com

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