Images for Pinterest

Alright, I'm going to do it, pin my work on Pinterest. Brace yourself world.

 

"Budgie" plaque

This piece features a budgerigar head atop the body of a dancer. Budgie are a popular pet to keep caged, perhaps this woman is too.

 

 

"Expectant Cassowary" plaque

 

This piece has a beautiful cassowary head atop the body of a pregnant woman.
The cassowary drifts through males during the mating season, leaving each egg with the male that fathered it. She's then off to her next adventure. 

Perhaps you know someone who fancies this kind of life. 

The Princess of the Galapogos - she's finished!

(This photo copyright of Lane Community College)

20x16.5x10"

Stoneware, oil paints

Lady Birds

These are my Lady Bird plaques. These were created in an attempt to represent aspects of human/albeit female nature of one vein or another. The Cassowary (on the right) has been sculpted on a pregnant torso and this fits as the Cassowary is renown for leaving her egg with the male and promptly heading out to find a new mate, with whom she will leave that egg with as well. The budgerigar (on the left) is a comment about the perfect little "pet" of a girl. This budgie resides, a bit ackwardly, on the body of a very lean female torso and she is a pretty little thing.
I am curious what others see in these figures. I have had people love them, feel moved by them, positively and even be disturbed by them. How do they make you feel?

The Budgerigar Lady Bird plaque handpainted in vibrant colors:

What is your story?

What are your fears?

What are your secrets?

With the Lady Birds I hope to reveal women from every angle.

Cute, innocent, angry, abused, motherly, abandoned, friend, respected, forgotten.

Which bird tells your story?

A Glimpse of Our Booth and Our Work

This post is for those events that need to see us in action.

At the Douglas County Fair in 2010:

At the Lane County Fair in 2010:

Several happy customers:

Birds of a Feather

My love affair with birds goes back as far as I can remember, well, maybe not quite that far. Anyone who has met me knows before too long that birds and I are pretty inseparable. I don't mean physical birds, like pets, as I do not have any right now. I mean the presence of birds in my mind and in my work. I possess quite a few bird-themed items, however, I am particular about exactly what kinds of bird work appeals to me. For one, I care that a bird is labeled correctly. For the record, the term "seagulls" is not accurate. Look them up in any bird identification book and these birds will be found under "gulls". There is a distinct difference between crows and ravens, no, we do not have Blue Jays on the West Coast (unless they are really, really, really lost). We proudly boast Steller's Jays and Scrub Jays. And my biggest soap-box topic is that birds are protected. Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 more than 800 birds on this continent are protected, meaning they are illegal to possess in whole or in part. This includes feathers, birds found from natural death, nests that are still in a tree or building, etc. I had this conversation with a woman earlier today, she wanted to know if crows were protected, yes, were gulls protected, yes... yes... yes... yes... Game birds are exceptions when permits and other laws are abided by, also is collection for research purposes or rehabilitation (all of these for which there are special permits). If you find an injured bird please contact a rehabilitation center. A couple of local organizations include Willamette Wildlife Rehabilitation and the Cascades Raptor Center.

Okay, I'm off my soapbox, for now...

My point was to introduce some bird work that I did more than ten years ago (as proof that my bird infatuation now is not a phase, and will not pass quickly. *grin*)

Fischer's Love Bird - 1999

pastel

From a photo I took at the Fort Worth Zoo

Scarlet Macaw - 1999

graphite

Nymphicus hollandicus: Cockatiel -2000

graphite

Sulphur-Crested Cockatoo - 1999

watercolor pencils

Barred Owl - 1999

watercolor

(Before I knew it was a barred owl, and before I knew how to tell barreds apart from spotted owls)

A Dog, A Cat, and An Owl

It was hard narrowing my OCAC portfolio selection to just twenty images. Yeah, just twenty. So, I'd like to share some pieces of mine that did not make the cut, but that I love just as much.

"Bear"

Pen and ink

This piece is a bit older than I would have liked, which was one of the reasons it was removed from the selection. Remember Rapidograph? Yeah, they drove me nuts too. But I managed to pull this out of them before I flung those pens to the curb. I love this piece. Bear was my childhood dog. She passed away while I was in high school and the memories are bitter-sweet. She was such an amazing dog, so sweet, so loving. Tony and I are looking forward to the day we can bring home a puppy for our son to grow up with. It will be a couple of years at this point however, we need to get a yard first. *grin*



"Harley"

acrylic on canvas

This piece I painted for my parents for Christmas last year. Harley (because he was a "low-rider") left this earth last fall, too young. He was the most interesting cat I'd ever met. Of course he was special though, he was a munchkin.

"Young Barn Owl"

Acrylic, fabric and wire on canvas

I love this piece, however, my instructor (whom's opinion I sought) mentioned that it was difficutl to tell from the photo what exactly was happening with this piece. This was the first piece I created with one of my images from the Cascades Raptor Center (CRC). This young barn owl was one of eight that were in rehab at the center awaiting release. I had the pleasure of trying to catch this group from a large flight cage to weigh each one. Quite a unique experience, I will tell you that! When I first saw this photo after I got home I thought, "there it is, there's my muse" I had to do something. I created this piece as mix-media because I love putting materials together. In this case I sewed a pile of little leaves, wrapped wire around them, covered the wire and created small branches. The owl is pieced with a variety of patterned cottons. I glued and then sewed the owl and branch sections to the canvas (that I'd already begun to paint) and then painted the details on top of the fabric sections. Here are some additional images to help you see what is happeninng in this piece:



Denali - She's finished!

Here is the finished painting for your viewing pleasure:

"Denali"

36"x24"