Recent Creations!

I've been sharing a lot of ooey gooey stuff lately so I decided to share some projects instead :) 
I haven't done anything to the house or the studio but have some BIG plans that will hopefully start rolling this week. I'll keep ya updated. 

So here are a few projects that I did for my aunt. She commissioned both of them, one for a gift and the other is a donation to a church fundraising auction. 
The sign below is for the church. It's a solid piece of pine shelving with wire on the back for hanging. 

 This is the other project she commissioned. It is a refurbish of an old desk she found and wanted re done for her grand-babies. 



they are Clemson fans too so she let me have free reign on the design. I know Clemsons colors are technically orange and purple but navy is often used in place of purple. So to keep it a cleaner design we went with navy with a white and orange racing stripe. And added little details like tiger eyes peaking over the desk, and a fun font with the paw on the back. 

And I did some other work for a friend on ETSY. She wanted a small portrait of her fur baby for the office. So these are 8x10 canvases for her and a friend. 

Finally I did some other tin signs. The Texas A&M sign I did specifically for Kelley from The Grant Life and the other was for another client on etsy. Both were complete custom commissions both for new friends that I've found through the awesome world of the internet :)

 These are just some of the projects I've been working with lately. I've loved the amount of time I've had to do these kinds of projects and I'm looking forward to adding more to my schedule!! 

Clemson University Kitchen Table

I'm sure you know by now that I have an obsession with furniture, specifically kitchen furniture :)
A while back I got this beautiful pedestal table from Salvation Army in Clemson for $15!
I used it for about 3 or 4 sculptures and finally got around to using it for what I bought it for. I have been dying to paint a kitchen table for some one. 

I decided while I was still in Clemson I should honor my last few weeks with a Clemson themed table. 

I drew out a "map" of Clemsons campus using some of our biggest land marks. 

First I sanded the top down and then white washed it giving me a blank canvas to illustrate the top. 

I wanted to give the landmarks a twist by doing my own interpretation, I chose the Presidents House. 

Tillman Hall

Memorial Stadium

The Walker Course

 Cooper Library

The Esso Club

Lake Hartwell

Painting this table was so much fun! 

I wish it could live in my home forever but I've collected too many tables over time. Right now it is in a consignment store in Clemson but if you are interested let me know and we can work something out!! 

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Sorry I've been gone for a long time! I'm going to try and start posting again soon. We are starting to settle in to our new home wich means y'all are about to get a lot of new projects!! 

New Chapters

Long time no see! I've been thinking about yall for a long time now I've just needed to figure a little bit of life out before I got back to my regular posts :) 

I've been going non stop for the last 3 months. 

This busyness was expected and welcomed, but boy was it harder than I thought! 

Over the past few weeks not only have Reed and I made some big decisions but we have also had some major events happening around the house. I've had my senior show in Lee Gallery and had a sculpture be selected to be part of the Contemporaries Artist of the Year gala. Then Reed and I BOTH just took a walk across the stage of Little John and are now Clemson graduates! 

It was hectic and crazy but so amazing to share my graduation day with the man I share my life with. 

Even though I always wanted to get married in school it never crossed my mind that I would be sharing another mile stone celebration with the man I love. I still can't get over how cool it is that in less than a year and a half we will have gotten engaged, married, and graduated together! 

I love it!

I thought I would share some of the pictures as the beginning of all of my updating posts :)

Trust me I have a lot to catch you up on! 

It is so unreal to not be a student any longer. I mean seriously I've been nothing but a student for 17 years of my life, that means only FIVE years of not being a student and I wasn't even old enough to really remember those! WEIRD. 

But Reed and I are starting this new phase together, so it isn't as scary as I thought. God has blessed us beyond measure with support from friends and family and is pouring his blessings on us daily. 

I'm so proud of how we have sat down to discuss our plans with everything from budgeting to dreams. It is weird to be an official adult. I don't feel old enough at all. But I know the Lord is with us always. And one thing that is giving me the most comfort are the lyrics from a song we sing at church

"I know who goes before me

I know who stands behind

the God of angel armies

Is always by my side!" 

Knowing that no matter what Reed and I choose as our next step that God has already been there, and that he is going behind us, and standing beside us is SO unbelievably comforting. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported us! 

Everything! Ranging from Tepe, palm fronds and coolers

Goodness today was so productive! 

I've finished projects that I've had from back in the fall! 

The only thing I didn't really do was take good pictures... oops :) 

First thing first. This is the longest project I've ever had. And its my fault I've just sat around and put other projects before them. I hope that these are what the clients wanted, they kinda let me do whatever. 

These are painted on Palm Fronds. The friends I was painting these for brought these to me a while back. She found them down near the beach. I think they are planning to hang these above or near the door, so I tried to do a few different orientations. 

this is another little canvas that I did for another friend here in Clemson. 

She has had these done for each of her grandchildren with just a few changes. 

This is the first that I've done for her and hope that it matches the others well enough to work! 

Annnnd finally I've gotten the chance to paint a cooler for one of Reeds buddies up here at school. 

He called last week and asked if I could do a little work on his cooler for spring break. 

He wanted the the Patagonia symbol in the front. 

And then finished out either side with a orange golf bag and the other with a Clemson bow tie. 

I think it was really fun to add those little bits to finish of the sides :) 

Annnnnd finally the top is the famous Tillman Hall along with the saying

"A Clemson man needs no introduction". 

Today was great :)

I love working on little projects, not only are they fun but they are so great to motivate.

 Literally it feels so great to finish something, sometimes it takes me wayyyyy to long. 

But this always makes me feel better about finishing school stuff, 

I have 10 week review coming up March 28th. 

So be looking for some funky furniture school projects in the future. 

Another painting I didn't have room for!

Last week I shared with you the second to last painting project from my beginning painting class. 

And today I'm going to share with you my final assignment. 

It also happens to be my favorite :) 

The assignment was based off of 3 sources:

1. object

2. photograph

3. art historical reference

I chose the fall leaves as my object, hoping to mimic their amazing colors. 

A photograph of my dads green truck and our dirt road. I combined the two together in photoshop and worked from there. 

Then finally I used Morris Louis again as my inspiration (also a painting I have of my grandmothers). 

This was so fun to paint, I started with a realistic version of the view I wanted and then abstracted it from there. To give it a kind of whimsy look I decided to thin down my paint and allow it to drip around the canvas. 

I also tried to take large strokes keeping as little detail as possible. 

I only wanted it to be identifiable if you wanted to find an object in the painting. 

This detail shot is my favorite spot on the painting. 

The grill of the truck had a lot of different shapes and colors on it so it was really fun to try and morph in to the road itself. 

I gave this painting to my dad for Christmas. I love it and would have totally found some place to fit it but this was his dads truck and something that I knew he would really love :) 

 

and I just thought this was a cool picture of what my pallet looked like while painting this picture :) 

In my dream house I will have space for all my art!

I never shared my last few projects in painting with y'all!
This one is pretty awesome, but really the one that I can't wait to share is the last project from the class.
I'm gonna try and go in order, so next week you will get the one I'm REALLY proud of.

Just a recap of what I learned in my painting class. 

In beginning painting we are taught how to mix and see colors that are more than just the average blue, green, red or yellow. It is actually pretty intense in the beginning. I had NO clue that white objects really weren't white! (I talked about that process of looking for color in a post here.) 

Now this is our second to last project. It was more geared towards teaching different techniques. 

We were told to choose 2 art historical references. 

1 landscape painting

and 1 abstract painting. 

We would then use the color palate of the landscape and the composition and technique from the abstract painting. 

I chose a Gustav Cailebotte landscape The Bridge At Argenteui

I really loved all of Gustavs paintings and color pallets but this one in-particular "spoke to me". 

Well, maybe not but I LOVE these colors. Those blues are my colors. 

Just go look at my house and you will see that a majority of my projects end with some kinda of blue from this painting :) 

I then chose Morris Louis abstract pouring Delta Zeta 

I hadn't heard much about Morris Louis until I chose this painting. 

I really loved the way it all seemed to have a smooth, soft, light emitted from the canvas. 

I then combined these two pieces to try and create a greater sense of depth. 

It was really fun replicating while also figuring out how color can change so much.

The process that Morris Louis employs is a pouring or staining.
He uses thinned down acrylic paint to pour across a raw canvas. And has multiple different tools to help him manipulate the canvas to ensure he gets the shapes he desires from the colors.

I couldn't use that process so I sorta had to make it up on my own.
I used oil paints and thinned them down with mineral spirits and Galkyd which thins the paint to a point where it is more fluid.
I then used one large brush to keep the shapes from the original Louis painting and very delicately overlapped the many different stripes.

I loved working with this fluid paint and obviously the colors are pretty spot on with my living room :) Right now the painting is leaning against the wall in the guest room.
We just don't have enough space for it on our walls!!
One day. One day... 

Spring Studio Space

I moved in to my studio at school last week. 

I'm sure most of you saw it on instagram or facebook. 

Sorry, I'm not sorry about it!! 

I'm way to excited NOT to share :)

Having this closet size studio sure beats using my guest bedroom and having to worry about the carpet all the time. 

(Heres the picture I shared last week, I've cleaned it up a little bit but forgot to take a picture. I'm sure you will see it again soon, I'll be living in it this semester!) 

Now that I've got space to work, I've been MUCH more productive.

I even just think better!

Here is my first project for the semester. 

What I am looking to discuss with this piece is a continuation from last semester. 

And the topic that is common in many societies is tradition, and how to preserve it. In

today’s American culture we are asked to look forward more often than back, and to think

about OUR individual future rather than the collective. This is evident in the lack of interest

in heritage. Not only are people losing their personal history but many traditions are being

lost as well. Trades that were once passed down from generation to generation are now

specialties that are hard to come by. With this body of work I am using furniture to

comment on the tradition, heritage, and integrity that is seemingly loosing importance to

the younger generations.

I am really proud of this piece and am honestly stund at how well the testing worked out. 

I posted a few weeks back asking if anyone knew how stiff fabric stiffener got. 

Well, incase you where wondering what I was doing with it... I made a fabric table!

Here is how I tested it. 

First I laid out wax paper to protect the counter top and chose 2 pieces that I didn't care about messing up. (They ended up being fine and I just had to wash the glue off) 

Second I filled a large bowl with the fabric stiffener and rolled a small piece of fabric in it. 

Once the fabric was completely covered I draped it over the cup and bowl to dry. 

After about 24 hours of drying I was so surprised how well the fabric held its shape! 

Now back to my large test. 

I used the same process just on a larger scale. 

I also used Elmer's glue instead of fabric stiffener because it was cheaper. (Also had the same results). 

This took about 24hours of dry time also and was unbelievably strong when I poped it off!! 

For this particular piece there is evidence of a table set for dinner while it is no

longer in existence. The tablecloth is formed to the shape of a traditional table that a family

of four would sit down to for dinner. Nearly everyone in the American society would be

able to identify this; however, eating at the table is becoming a thing of the past. With the

high paced life that many of us are living we often find ourselves eating out, in the car, or

even just grabbing a bite in front of the TV to relax. This table, whether in the kitchen or

dinning room, is becoming something that is more metaphorical than literal, more strange

than familiar, and recognizable yet overlooked.

I am hoping to draw the viewer back in with a piece that is in an inbetween state.

Causing the viewer to prolong their engagement with the piece by questioning their own

habits, knowledge or appreciation for the past.

I really do hope that people will interact with this piece and begin to investigate it. 

I love the way the fabric drapes and billows. 

 And ending on a different note. 

Tepe and Reed have too much fun together sometimes!