Jen Worden - Mixed Media Artist

Jen June 12th, 2008

So I did another etched piece today for Project 4 in Semiprecious Salvage. The original project calls for a doll’s hand as the dangly from the bottom of the etched metal and dutifully I grabbed one from my stash - actually NOT bisque but some composite plastic stuff from ’40s/’50s dollies. It had shattered …erm… disintegrated more like and I really loved the jagged edges. I sloshed on some quin gold/black (ACTUALLY it wasn’t black but dirty pthalo’y turquoise’y black water from my dirty brushes container!) drying with a heat gun to adhere to the hand. LOVE how this turned out! Though I chose not to use it for this project.

Apologies for such a lousy photo. I can’t seem to take my picture out of a paper bag these days! The wee heart charm has "xox" engraved into it and wrapped with rusty wire.

I ended up using a little ballerina from my Hannah Grey stash. I cut off the base and painted her within an inch of her life, drilled a hole in the top of her head (causing her head to fall off I might add. Doh!) glued in a loop of silver wire. 

 I tried using duct tape as a resist and absolutely adore how it turned out. Truth be told, I’m still pretty smitten with the whole etching process. You can see the unetched sections on the top - uneven because of two widths of duct tape - and left hand side which sorta looks like a reflection in this photo but is actually the metal. I did the text etching but don’t have ready access to a copier and simply used some sheets of print grabbed from the recycle bin. Again, it looks nubbier, not very text like but there are a number of spots that in reality show up well. Because I didn’t create my own text, this is backwards and NOT white text on black background. Hey! Improvisation is key in these sort of book work-throughs.

I added a star stamp over top and really love the juxtaposition of the two. The beads were things I had kicking around and cut them shorter to create more of a dangly than necklace. I’m pretty pleased with the results.

Oh! Jewelry people! Question! Why oh why am I having such a hard time creating wraps with the silver wire I have? Not the right gauge? Not the right  type of silver wire? I’m okay with the rusty wire I have which IS harder. But this silver stuff? Oy vei! It keeps snapping as I wrap. Help!

• Art Challenge , Assemblage , Experiments
• Comments(11)

Jen June 9th, 2008

OMG! OMG! OMG! I etched today and I am COMPLETELY stoked. Why didn’t I know how to do this before today?!?

Once I got over the fear that the muriatic acid was going to eat me from two feet away, I was able to get on with the task. It’s a lovely warm sunny day perfect for playing in the shade. I tried copper, 22gauge brass that I got for SOME reason and regular sheet metal. I did the bird (lower righthand corner) in the first batch and it changed the acid/hydrogen peroxide bath this weird rusty colour complete with puffy stuff floating on top of everything. Oh No! I’m ruining it! I thought and hauled it out and dumped it into the soda bath. Upon washing with baking soda paste and rinsing, rinsing, rinsing, I realized that, Nope! the acid was just doing what it was supposed to. (fyi - the middle sheet metal piece I left in longer on the second go round)

Another thing I found out by accident which I will try more pointedly next time, a piece of tape had wrapped around on top of the metal and of course, created a resist. (duh!) But! This could be exploited in so many wonderful ways. My original thought was as a simple border but using a combination of stencils and tape, it would create some really neat raised relief parts. FYI, I found duct tape to be more durable (and easier to grab hold of) than masking tape.

Project 3 from Semiprecious Salvage

After playing with etching for the better part of the day, I made Project 3 using a piece of my etched sheet metal, some plant roots and, I confess, an already made resin piece. I just wasn’t up for mixing a bunch of resin today. Likely the charm will change as it doesn’t quite fit the theme here. I am in LOVE with this rolled piece of metal though. Mrrrowwwrrrr!

OH! And just in case you get a serious case of etching envy, Stephanie provided a fantastic tutorial on her site.

• Art Challenge , Experiments , Mixed Media
• Comments(11)

Jen June 6th, 2008

So the challenge is underway, if you haven’t joined in it’s not too late to start. And here’s my first 2 projects from Stephanie’s Semiprecious Salvage.

Project 1 - Scroll Pin

I used a stamp from Mad Rat Rubber for the Scroll Pin … I wanted to do semething for Gretchen because I love her stuff and figured I could kill two birds with one stone (check here for Gretchen’s MadRat Mania Challenge). The metal is roof flashing, so REALLY soft and likely NOT what you’d want to use for a real live piece of jewely but I figure this’ll end up in some other assemblage so no worries! What I love was the already established patina which I just added to with Quin Gold/Mars Black washes, some titanium white and a bit of Pthalo Turquoise for good measure.  I had to do some mending hence the cross-stitch portion and I added the fishy charm to the bottom. Fun!

As I haven’t yet gotten my etching supplies - today I hope! - I simply used another piece of metal that I stamped the day before. Again on  flashing so really too soft to use as jewelry. The stamp was one I’ve had and frankly can’t remember where I got it from, but says "Evidence of Travel" with a box for writing or what have you so I added an old torn photo, some script pages and a found paper heart topped with a piece of "glass" and attached with brads. I’m learning the whole wire wrapping thing and am SO slow and SO clumsy and likely doing it all wrong but thoroughly enjoying myself. 

I cannot WAIT to get etching. Yeehaw!

• Art Challenge , Experiments
• Comments(9)

Jen April 9th, 2008

… and still struggling with the time difference. It is SO much easier to go East to West than West to East. That whole Spring forward/Fall back thing I guess only with a FOUR hour difference. heh.

So. ArtFest. It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.
The best because I got to meet face-to-face with some long time online friends and there really isn’t any substitute for ‘in the flesh’ time. Hanging out at Camprunamuckus was perhaps the highlight of my time at Fort Worden. We’d give a daily Show’n'Tell of what we’d learned/accomplished in our classes and were as varied as the dozen or so of us that were billeted in that dorm. We’d finish projects, journal (though honestly? I HATE  using that word as a verb! ), play and kvetch. Some of the ladies kept us in stitches, tears pouring down the cheeks laughing.
The worst because frankly, being surrounded by 500+ women scared the bejezus outta me. I am not an outgoing person in a crowd. I prefer smaller, more intimate settings and walking into a dining hall FILLED with unknown people? Yah. Panic attack mode. There were a few folks I recognized but didn’t have the confidence/gumption to walk up and introduce myself. (Ms. Katie I forced myself at Vendor’s Night because I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again. But we were in the same dorm. *sigh* I am SUCH a wanker!)

The Classes:

Who’s Your Dada? with Linda & Opie O’Brien.
We were all given the same head and block of wood to start with. The end results were ANYTHING  but similar. I was absolutely astounded by the depth and variety of talent in this class. Or as I’d later learn, at ArtFest in general. Truly mind boggling! Remember, I had limited how much I took with me so each class was a challenge in working with what I had. We were also introduced to a new product called Apoxie Sculpt. I am in LOVE! Truly this stuff rocks the Free World. (the heart is made with this stuff with a bit of red acrylic mixed in) The advantage of it is it’s long workability time, 3-4 hours then dries to a hard finish that can be drilled, sanded or otherwise "tooled". PLUS it is a strong adhesive. Seriously rocks!

Transparency Collage with Michael deMeng.
The first class with Michael - his classes were held in the Art Asylum - a room that is set up with all manner of detritus that other artists bring for everyone to play with - and a good thing too, because after looking at my paltry selection of stuff for 8 hours the previous day it was obvious what I had brought specifically for this class was NOT going to cut it. I managed to find a box - complete with folk art painted apple and checkerboard if you please - to house my frame in. A couple of cuts with the dremel and a judicious coating of Dap adhesive (another new-to-me product that rocks!) and it was ready to house my transparencies.

Michael went into great depth of "his" painting techniques and I was amazed to learn that we use very similar techniques - base layers of watery washes with "The Uszhhh" (aka The usual) - Quin Gold & Mars Black (though I often use Payne’s Grey but I digress) and I tend to bring up more colour with a final coat of Titanium White applied with my finger. But similar enough. It felt as though I was being validated if that makes any sense at all. I also learned that burning transparencies creates totally cool edges. I was also thrilled that I was able to complete the project in the given time frame. Something that concerned me as in the past I’ve often needed more "pondering time" to grab a theme and go with it. Guess all these weekly challenges have paid off!

The (infamous) Morpheus Box with Michael deMeng.
The class that made me go to ArtFest in the first place. And it was all worth it. Again, I didn’t learn a whole lot in technique in any of these classes, I so fell in love with the structure for this project and can see using it again and again. One of the best things, maybe THE best thing was the critique at the end of each of Michael’s classes. Starting with his playing of the theme from The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (and frankly, it will forever induce a panic attack when hearing those opening bars!), wherein at the end of the song, we’d all "put down our pencils" and assemble at the table to receive a critique of each and every one of our pieces. Finished or not. I learned SO much from these - from Michael’s ability to find something positive in everyone of our creations, as well as how he’d make connections with our choice of colour or material and why these were important. LOVED that!

 In the end it was about the connections with people. The classes, the projects were almost incidental. My brain is overflowing with ideas. Now if I can just get over this jetlag to implement some of them. Don’t forget…new challenge on Friday!

• Assemblage , Experiments , Mixed Media
• Comments(8)

Jen January 28th, 2008

Cynthia Gaub documents her process using the Citrus Theme here. Not only do I love how this turned out but that she pushed past her comfort zone and ended up creating something wonderful AND satisfying.

Personally, that’s what I’m trying to achieve (and hopefully, you too!) with these challenges. Frankly, I need deadlines like I need another hole in my head but unless I make a concerted effort I tend to create within the same known parameters. I always feel like I’m strapped for time and don’t give myself the opportunity to "just play" or spontaneously grab new materials/supplies to try’em out. By adding this weekly challenge to my schedule, I’m trying to use some of those hoarded materials, trying out new-to-me techniques or unusual colour schemes and moving beyond my self-imposed comfort zones. It’s breezy out here on the edge but oh! so invigorating. Won’t you join me??

• Art Challenge , Experiments
• Comments(4)