Recycling My Psyche

The past several months I've been trying to find my way. Recycling my psyche is very important especially in this time of my life. I am turning 50 this year. Half a century that has gone by so fast that I missed a few paths I wished I had seen and walked down. Such as the path of creativity. I did find creativity in my teens but stepped aside and went exploring other areas during my twenties. In 2005, I found my creativity hiding in my subconscious. Not lost, just waiting for me to wake up.

Now I can also learn to upcycle/recycle my material world creativity. I worked on the upcycled/recycled clothing line that I said I would start after the first of this year, but I am not happy with it. I worked on the upcycled/recycled jewelry line and loved that. I guess I am not a seamstress, but I do love to make fabric cuffs. I sew them by hand. I did sew some clothing pieces by hand, but as my greatest critic, I didn't care for the outcome.

(I closed my web site - www.sgsartworks.com. It is no more. Microsoft is going to change their software and change the fees, so I copied my pages and html as backup for a future website.)

Right now I am selling junk on eBay from my art studio/storage building. I am doing pretty good on those junk drawer lots. My ID on eBay is purdondepot. Check it out. You may find some of my junk worth having--who knows? I am trying to make some pin money to venture into other mixed media projects that I want to explore. Life is too short for me not to try all the art techniques that intrigue me. I still want to get back into doing ACEOs (art cards). I love doing those small formats of art. And they are great as to-go projects when traveling. As for the junk drawer lots I am listing on eBay, I feel that is a fun way to recycle and to earn some pocket money.

I have to honestly say that I am definitely into recycling. I checked out YouTube and found several others who have also been hit hard by the downsizing and recession over these past years. I found an intriguing recycling family on kennychumsky. You should check them out. They are great! I have a channel called sgsbluemoon, but I only use it store my channel subscriptions. I do not do videos. Not my thing, but recycling is. If I can making money stripping old cable for the copper, I will. I am doing it for a stress outlet. Recycling is not easy but I know that not only will it help me, it will eventually help our planet. My husband recycles also - aluminum cans and scrap metal.

Future Projects

I've got some future projects I'll be working on over the next few months. I am going to start working on an upcycled/recycled clothing line for my web site right after Christmas. Along with the clothing line, I will make an attempt at fashionable tin earrings to add to my jewelry line.

I also found a small horse trophy at my local thrift store. I will use it in my next Texas Cowboy shadow book. This one will be my third one, Texas Cowboy III.

Right now I've been busy selling on eBay, watching YouTube, and researching different approaches to my upcycled/recycled clothing line. Watching YouTube is great! I can learn almost anything I want from the videos. I know...I am one of those late-bloomers on YouTube discovery but I do find YouTube intriguing.

I wish everyone Happy Holidays!

Mixing and Mingling: Talking About Transitions

I loved doing my assemblages. I have a few more that I would love to create, then I am moving on to other areas in art. I just read "Mixed-Media Dollhouses: techniques and ideas for doll-size assemblages" by Tally Oliveau and Julie Molina; and published by Quarry Books. I absolutely love this book! These dollhouses are another type of assemblage that I am looking forward to doing. I haven't decided when I will start my first mixed-media dollhouse but I do plan on doing at least one this summer. I have already sketched the "blueprints" out.

My current project is working with button rings and jewelry. Vintage, contemporary, and some may look gaudy but to me they look very pretty(my tribute to Penelope G. on Criminal Minds - she is a great role model!). I have been using old buttons, pieces of old and/or broken earrings and pins/brooches, new earrings, dragonfly charms, and new buttons. I have about 60 finished rings. I am going to make an attempt at Steampunk jewelry, and also metal stampings. A little exploring in this area, and then I will be making another transition. Either a new art/jewelry technique, but using the materials and supplies that I already have. My life changes everyday, so why not incorporate those changes into new forms of artwork. "Mixing and mingling " is going to be my motto for my anticipated art and jewelry techniques.

I want to tell that I am picking up a lot of endless information on YouTube. (Yes, I am just now discovering that YouTube has a lot of info that is a must for every artist to put in their knowledge database. If you want to learn something new, YouTube is the place to go. In fact it has become one of my favs online every night for the past week.)

Tell me about some of your latest art techniques. You don't have to give up all your secrets, just give me one that you think I might like, and that you are crazy about.

Putting It Together: Assemblage Art

It has been a while since my last post. No excuse for it. I did work on the website yesterday though. I worked on most of the pages, especially the Gallery page. I added my new pieces of assemblage artwork. I am also working on a layout to set up a Facebook page for SGS ArtWorks.

I have come across another artwork project series I am interested in - Assemblage Box Series. I love assemblage art. Michael deMeng is my favorite assemblage artist. I have finished four pieces so far, and they are in my gallery. (Some of my Boxes will be very creepy, but that's okay. That is how I let my ArtWorks be my therapy. Sometimes those old science fiction movies I used to watch as a kid are great inspirations for some of these therapy sessions.)

I am prepping a lot of pieces for the artworks I have already planned out in my sketch book. I have three more pieces started. I am just arranging the inside of each box trying to work out the perfect design element for me. If no problems arise, I may be able to finish those pieces this weekend.

I went to several garage sales today. The first time in many months. I also visited my local Salvation Army - which I usually do once a week. I found some great finds today. Old wooden plaques, frames, resin figures, small glass and ceramic items, dolls, Barbies, action figures, plastic columns and cherubs that are used for wedding cakes, a plastic salamander (which I am painting black with yellow spots like a fire salamander and use it in one of my assemblages), a broken wooden wall clock that has a vintage-look clock face, and a large assortment of plastic toy items.

Does anyone have any great finds for their artworks that they would like to tell us about? Brag away. I know I did, and will still brag about more of my finds in future posts.

Meditation Art Cards

Recently, I was given a commission to do meditation art cards. Very interesting cards. I did have to do research in the Pagan/Wiccan area for these cards. I have completed the elements: fire, earth, water, and air. I have also completed aether/spirit, moon goddess, earth goddess, triple goddess, horned god, marriage, love, money, and new job. Over the next two weeks, I have to do more research on divination, prosperity, health, healing, energy, knowledge, intuition, and many others. I am working on 3 to 5 per area until I find out how they will sell. I would like to do a small series on psychic dreams meditation art cards. The art cards are atc size - 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" so that I can place each in a protective sleeve. These are smaller than regular meditation art cards which I think are 4" x 6"? So far this has been a knowledgeable endeavor. There is so much about this religion that is very down to earth, and peaceful.

Working on the art cards, has given me even more ideas for areas of topics that I would like to research. Knowledge is very important, not only in one topic area, but in new topics that you find during researching a present project. I do not know whether all of this knowledge will help me with my art work, but I do know that I will be learning new things about many, many topics of interest, not only for myself, but for others as well.

Keep learning. Knowledge is power, especially for an artist.

Artist Block - Comes and Goes

Hello. Thank goodness school is out for the summer. My creativity has slowed, sped up, then trickled, and is now only mediocre. I have been doing a lot of art cards lately (about 100 or more), and selling some on eBay. Art cards are a great way to keep the creative trickle flowing until I can find more inspiration. I've been checking on the Internet, in art books, sketching, making notes, and taking digital photos. I am now at a stand still on creating art cards. Art cards may not bring in much money but every bit helps so I need to keep moving on those.

I am working on a commission order for a shadow book. I started cutting the inside pages today, and hopefully with that task, I might be able to generate more ideas for art cards as I am working. I already have about a dozen wooden panel collage assemblages created with lots of found objects. I need to start thinking about a marketing plan for those. I sold an 11"x14" canvas board collage on eBay, and I have listed another one. My eBay id is purdondepot. I may have to go back to "real" paintings and jewelrymaking. I like both of those but I get burned out very easily after a week of constant beading. But an artist has to do what an artist loves to do and that is CREATE. Maybe I'll do a combination of all. I hope I don't end up with something creepy like the collage assemblage I already have listed on eBay.

Well, tomorrow will bring me more ideas, and I will start creating again ....

Quilted Wall Hanging

Well, here is the finished wall hanging, and I am now on to new works - atcs and 3D collage assemblage. Check out the new 3D collage assemblage I just finished on the home page and in the gallery.