Don't You Just Love Circles?

I sure do! This custom ornament I made recently is all about circles. The family circle, our circle of friends, and circle of life--or is it cycle of life(?).
Anyway, this round ornament is made up of many circles, and one of them encompasses a heart.

You can view the rest of the photos (3 more) of this ornament in Flickr.

Starting with this ornament, I'll post one of the ornaments a day, so be sure to check back!
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This is Thanksgiving week and in my house, the holiday baking begins! Tomorrow we'll begin by baking some cookies. MmmMmmm

Have a great day!

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Dog Day Afternoon

What a dreary day. It's difficult to get up and moving around today. I think my dogs have the right idea--take a nap! They look perfectly comfortable there in the corner of the couch. :)

I would love to, but I have many things to do. I overslept today too, which was nice. The only problem is that I keep thinking that it's Sunday.

The article I wrote on Gourd Safety is now up on Empty Easel if you'd like to check it out. I also just completed next weeks article on Pyrography.

Right now, I'm going to get busy somewhere off of the computer.

Have a wonderful weekend! 'Till later...

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Burning

Here are some progression shots of a custom ordered gourd ornament that I just completed.

The first two are in grey scale. Look at all those teeny, tiny dots! I love stippling! :)





Here all of the little details are burned in and finished, the stem cut, and the eye screw put in place.








I added a transparent red on the large hearts and a lighter shade of transparent red on the outer rim. At the time of these last two photos the ornament has been given 2 coats of finish. I didn't take these in a light box, so forgive me for the glare.



This is it for today's post. I'm still fighting that broken, abscess tooth--can't wait to get it pulled on the 18th..

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New Life x 2 for Old Leather Jacket

Here is the gourd you can win by entering the Giveaway! This is a miniature gourd bowl. It was carved from an ornamental gourd and stained with leather dye.

I carved away part of the outer shell, leaving some in the shape of the symbol for infinity. The symbol and the two half circles on the bottom are left with the natural shell resulting in them being somewhat raised off of the surface.

Thousands of stippled dots make up the design around the gourd and down the sides of the lighter area. Dots also highlight the main symbol. These dots were done with my woodburner.

The inside is painted with acrylics and the entire gourd has several coats of varnish. It stands 1.75" tall (4.4cm) It is 2.25" wide (5.7cm).
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This jacket on the left, is what I am making into two dog jackets and 8 boots. :)

As many of you know, my dogs are Miniature Dachshunds. So any clothing they wear has to be longer than usual. Lately, their little feet can't handle the cold here either, it has been -20 to -35 degrees (windchills) and either just above zero or just below for our daily highs. So boots are definitely in order too!

I was going to get rid of this jacket the other day and noticed that the sleeves are the perfect size for my little dogs and I can make boots out of other parts as well!

Here is a picture of Sam being fitted for his. Sam is the larger of the two, so his jacket needs to be expanded a bit. Buddy should fit right into his without the need for a yoke, but just in case, I'm prepared to put one in for him too.

I cut a yoke from the jacket under the arm. I had to rip the seam on the sleeve and partially around the cuff. The cuff is going to be left on as it makes a nice collar. I'll be sewing the yoke to the cuff and creating the "arm" holes as I go. These little jackets will not have sleeves. At least, I'm pretty sure I will not be putting any in. Their little legs are short and when they have the boots on, there really wont be a need for sleeves. :)

I hope to have more pics to show tomorrow. This is a fun recycling project! I'm glad I was able to find good use for this old jacket.

Any thoughts on this?

Until later....Have a great day!

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New Piece Listed!

Here is my newest piece that I just listed on Artfire yesterday!

I am in a rush right now, going to be gone most of the day. When I come back I will post a bit more on things. Still have to get the Prize gourd listed here so you can all see it (for the drawing)!

You can read about the drawing here!

My ride will be here shortly, so I've got to run!

Till later...Have a great day!

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New Gourd Art in Progress

group in progress, originally uploaded by avision4.

Just a quick post here to show you what I've been working on lately. The largest gourd in the photo is one that is going to take the longest. I'm having a lot of fun with this one though!

I'll be posting later today, the details of the Giveaway!

I've been trying to figure out how to go about adding a "Follow this Blog" widget to my sidebar without much luck. I am using a classic template, which is where the problem starts. I sure wish blogger would offer a three column template so I wouldn't have to use the classic option. It would make life a lot easier!

All for now...

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Gourd Relief

filigree6, originally uploaded by avision4.

This is one of the new pieces I uploaded to my Etsy shop. It is called "Filigree Dreams" and is made up of four distinct panels of intricate carving. Each panel is a relief made up of many different levels.

Two new , small, gourd Jack O'Lanterns were added to the shop for Halloween as well. They turned out quite cute.

And now for a bit of Off-Topic news:

Still working on getting my car running perfect again. Replaced the plugs and wires (platinum plugs) total spent on that: $155.00. Car still runs terrible...or should I say barely runs. It has no spunk, no get up and go at all. While driving and trying to accelerate, the car sputters and chokes like it is going to die... and nearly does. It has a very hard time just trying to get to 55, it is quite scarey trying to drive down the highway like that.

Anyway, my Son is coming up this weekend to see if he can get it running right again. :) When he is not roofing, he builds stock cars and pulling trucks. :)

That's it for now! :)

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What is That Made Out Of?

Gourd cuffs and bracelets are some things I work on now and then. When I cut a bottle gourd to use as a bowl, many times I will use the top bulb to make a new cuff or bracelet. These three here, are some I made in 2007.



I have one on the workbench now that is not quite ready to be finished yet. :) What I really like about these is that no two will be alike. Gourds are, after all, grown on a vine and mother nature likes to make each one different.

After I cut the cuff from the bulb, it gets sanded on the inside and on the edges until they are smooth. That can take quite a long time and use up a lot of elbow grease. After that, any number of things can happen to turn that piece of a gourd into a piece of wearable art as you can see from the three pictures above.

Speaking of sanding...I have a few projects today that need to be sanded, so I best get to it.

Have a great day and for those of you in the USA; have a happy Labor Day weekend!

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Gimme Steam (80s Flashback)

I've been so into listening to Peter Gabriel and watching his videos again. Boy, it's been awhile! I would love to meet the art director behind his videos someday, they are fabulous!

Anyway, on the subject of Steam...

Day 2 Steampunk gourd, originally uploaded by avision4.

I will be picking up where I left off on this gourd over the weekend. In my flickr album, you can see the progress shots up to this point here. After Sunday, I will post a couple more to show how much I got done this weekend.

Hope you enjoy the video as much as I do :)

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Sneak Peek!

flower gourd, originally uploaded by avision4.

This pretty flower is made of a small gourd and a piece of driftwood that I found on the river. It is just about finished too and I couldn't wait to show it off.

This flower was sort of an experiment to see if I could try and mimic some art glass done by Dale Chihuly. His work is so spectacular and I love how he gets the colored glass to do what he wants it to. I will never be a glass blower, but I do enjoy admiring glass artist's creations.

For this piece, I wanted to try and get a totally different look for the inside of a gourd by using a variety of color instead of painting it one solid color such as black. It was a success! Once it is totally finished, you will be able to see many different views of it here.

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Peace!

The theme at Inspire Me Thursday is currently "Peace". This universal sign of peace turns 50 years old this year!

Growing up I drew many variations of the Peace symbol on just about everything around me. Recently, I created this necklace with a shard of gourd and burned the Peace symbol onto it. It sure brought back memories.

I grew up with the Peace symbol all around me. After all, I am a babyboomer. There were peace signs on everything you can imagine; vans, cars, necklaces, bracelets, watchbands (those fabulous wide leather bands), posters, beach blankets, jackets, shirts, and more! They were a prominent piece of art during the Vietnam war that silently showed your hope for the war to end and bring our loved ones home safely.

This is another necklace that I created using a piece of gourd and my woodburner.

You can find both of these necklaces in my Etsy shop, simply click on the photos to go there now.

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Since the last time I posted about a winter storm here, we have had a second one and today we are under a winter storm warning again (for the third time)! If it was the middle of winter, we'd have well over 3 feet of snow by now on the ground. This new storm, destined to hit tonight, will be bringing upwards of a foot of new snow plus ice to give it that extra nice touch. :/

All for now, have a wonderful day!

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Ch.ch.ch.changes! 'Tis the Season

bottom view, originally uploaded by avision4.

It is Spring and for most of us it is time to declutter our homes, scrub walls, and brighten things up after a long, dark, and dreary winter. It is also the one time of year I find muscles I forgot I had...Oooo the pain!

Changes for me this spring come in many forms. While I am depressed about some, I have to keep reminding myself that the world is so large and my options are many. Just thinking about that reminder makes me nervous/excited. More on this another time...
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Remember this small gourd bowl pictured above? If not, you can see more pictures of it in my Flickr album.

This picture shows the bottom of the gourd. There are four panels and each panel has been carved into a fantasy scene. It is now nearly finished! I am working on finishing this gourd in between other projects I have going at the same time.

It will be a cute little bowl for fragrant potpourri or maybe keep your rings safe at night.

This is all for now. May you all have a beautiful day!
((hugs))

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Progress of Steampunk Gourd, Day2

Day 2 Steampunk gourd, originally uploaded by avision4.

As you can see there is a lot of tedious, time-consuming work involved in gourd carving. Where it has been carved out, it has been sanded smooth by hand. Some of the gourd was carved with my dremmel and other, more intricate areas with my Xacto knife.

You can also see from this photo that I am still working on sanding and carving. :) There is quite a bit of carving, shaping, and sanding to do yet and I will be working on this the rest of tonight and part of the day tomorrow.

I Will post the next progress shots either tomorrow (Easter Day) or Monday.
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I have a couple of other gourd projects going on at the same time that are nearly completed and I hope to be posting them to my Etsy shop early next week.

There are quite a few rocks now too that have been prepped and are ready to be made into colorful fish. :)

All for now!

Have a wonderful Sunday and a Happy Easter to all!

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Steampunk and Gourds Tie the Knot!

New Vase, Latest Work in Progress, originally uploaded by avision4.

I am totally in love with the Steampunk trend these days. There is so much about it to love! The clothes, the jewelry, the art......the ART!

I have been working on a couple of things that follow the steampunk trend which involve gourds. This vase, for example, is one of my latest works in progress and stands about 8 inches tall.

After I finished the prep work I sketched my rough design onto the gourd shell using a B2 pencil, which is pictured above. Now that the design is in place, I've started carving out all of the negative space. This gourd's shell is pretty thick so I will be able to work at three different height levels for the gears and cogs.

I will be taking another couple of pictures of it tomorrow so you can see the progress I've made from now up until then.

Still have a lot of packing to finish up and still trying to find a new place but I have my art when I need a break from it all.

Have a great weekend!

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Happiness is Carving!

one side view, originally uploaded by avision4.

This gourd bowl is actually the very top part of a bulb from a bottle gourd.

The four different panels are all based on a theme of circles.

You can see more pictures of this bowl in Flickr by clicking on the picture.

The inside is painted black and the main color on the outside is brown. I have started woodburning and painting the outside of it and it should be completed soon.
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The holidays are upon us! I hope you are all having a merry December so far.

All for now. December is a really busy month for me as I'm sure it is for you too.

Have a wonderful day!

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Sometimes You Have to Slow Down

gourd bracelet back, originally uploaded by avision4.

I know I haven't been posting on my blog for quite some time and for that I appologize. Sometimes, things get too hectic in real life and if you don't slow down, it can have serious effects on your health.

Depression, recurring flu, severe headaches, the list goes on...all these can and, more than likely, will happen if we don't start taking things a tad-bit slower.

It seems that I was pushing myself way too much and had to cut way back and then slowly start getting back into the things I enjoy and NEED to do online. If we are not careful, it is easy to get caught up in the whole web, stuck like a fly in a spider's web, about to have our life sucked out of us. The worst thing is, the dear friends (and friendships) I've made online have suffered and I hope I will be able to save and embrace them all.

So, I am now taking things slower, I have been working on more of a schedule and slowly working the things I need to do online back into it.

This is my first post on my way to recovery.

The cuff in the picture is one that I had made awhile back and have just recently decided how to finish it off. :) I used two silver, metal buttons from an old jumper and some leather cord. It looks really awesome.

This cuff will be listed in my Etsy shop real soon.

Have a wonderful day and remember to take things slow!

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Reviving the Soul

In order to be truly happy, I need to express myself artistically. This is what I've found over the years. Art is theraputic, it is passion. But...

Music is another passion of mine, one that walks hand-in-hand with my art and one that has nearly dissappeared completely from my life. Music is what feeds my soul and I have been literally starving for the past few years.

I was a professional bassoonist for many years. Music and my bassoon is/was my first love. I started on a B flat clarinet and eventually had played all of the woodwinds thruout school, but the bassoon was my absolute favorite! It has been years since I've played now, but the music lives on inside of me.

When I am creating my art, I always had music playing in my studio, a mixture of symphonies and rock. It all varied, depending what I was working on, my mood, or a specific effect I was trying to achieve...until about five years ago.

My studio is in my basement...directly beneath our bedroom. He is dissabled and sleeps quite a bit during the day and also night. Yup, my music not only keeps him awake, it irritates him. :( Today, I think I've come to realize that I have been strangling myself, in a sense. I have been going thru so many creative blocks in the past few years and this latest one is the worst. So, now....*sigh*...what to do?

Headphones might work sometimes, but only when I am not wearing my respirator/mask (which I wear quite often). The problem with the headphones is while wearing them, I will not hear the phone, the door, or my daughter. They will also keep me tied to one small area. Bleh!

I do know that I NEED to get my music playing again and SOON or I will completely lose it!

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The gourd that I show in this post is entitled "Symphony".

The ribbon that travels thruout the piece is representative of the flow of the music. The symbols represent the intensity, and the cross-hatching that is evident around the entire piece represents the beat. As with a symphony, there are four movements to this particular piece.

I think that when I created this piece, it was my soul letting me know how much I miss and need music in my life. What do you think?
Have a creative day!

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Out With the Old, In With the New

Miniature " Memory" " Gourd" " Box", originally uploaded by avision4.

Last year, I made this small memory box out of an ornamental gourd. I have other photos of it in my Flickr account.

I sketched my ideas onto the gourd and then lightly burned them in with a Walnut Hollow woodburning tool. After that, I used one of my X-acto knives to cut the lid.

Once the lid was removed, I scraped and sanded the entire inside surface. I also reinforced the entire gourd's walls with wood putty. The walls of this gourd were so thin and delicate that I wanted to make sure it would withstand just about anything. Once the putty had dried completely, the entire inside was sanded smooth, painted and given two coats of varnish.

Once that was done it was time to continue on with the exterior design. This included more burning and finally, painting. On the more natural looking areas of this gourd, I had rubbed a metalic gold onto the surface so that it would give a light shimmer in light. The outside was given several coats of varnish to give it a glass-like appearance. A drilled natural stone was also attached as the handle on the lid.
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Saddly, I have finally reached the limit (200 photos) in my Flickr account.

This means I either have to upgrade to the pro (paid) version or delete photos that are there to make room for new photos. Even though it is relatively inexpensive, I am unable to afford the upgrade right now so I will be having to delete older photos as I add new ones. For me, the hardest part has been having to decide which ones will be culled. Take a stroll thru there now as the scenery will sure to be changing quite often. :)

Hope you all have a wonderful, creative day!

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Not a Scratch!

Thursday afternoon, while I was watching CNN about the Minneapolis bridge disaster, something small hit my air conditioner, which was followed by a loud crash.

When I went outside to investigate, I found that our very large Maple tree lost one of it's large limbs and it landed partly on the picnic table where I sit and do a lot of my gourd work.

If it had not been so hot out that afternoon, I would have been sitting right there etching a gourd.

There was not much wind that day, it was relatively calm. I think the tree just finally decided to let it go. I'm so glad that none of us were outside under the tree that day.

Ahhh, and so now, my mind is a complete blank.

Mornings.

I love quiet mornings. I love to sit all by myself, read, enjoy the quiet. It's great when no one else is awake, especially in this small house. It's like I have the whole space to myself. It's my time to organize my thoughts, relax, and even write a little.

Lately though, whenever I get up, no matter how early it is....someone has to get up and follow me out into the main part of the house...not only that, but hover around me. Argh! Now I'm cooking breakfast and my dream of a quiet, uneventful morning has turned into a bustling, noisy mess. I will never have that chance again until tomorrow and hopefully others will sleep in.

Here's hoping you have a peaceful, creative weekend doing what you like to do best!

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The Quest

Bird without tail, originally uploaded by avision4.

This is a photo of one of my birds that I've made out of a gourd. He is lacking a tail right now. Soon the tail will be added and he will also have a brand new pair of legs too! You can see more views of him in my Flickr gallery.
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Lately I've been working really hard at trying to get rid of a lot of things. I believe I have been cursed! I am a packrat, there, I admit it!

I have so many "things", it is shocking. The sad part is I have no room for all these things of various shapes and sizes. I promise I am going to have a rummage sale really soon. (and no, I am not crossing my fingers right now)

For me to get rid of things, I have to make myself believe that I will NEVER use them no matter how shiney and interesting they are...not even how useful they could be some day. :/ No, I will NOT KEEP everything anymore!

*sigh* Give me strength!
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Hope you all had a terrific weekend and will have a wonderfully, creative week ahead!

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