I love functional art! These are cool little shelves, or shadow boxes to hold little, lightweight trinkets. They are still a WIP (work in progress) because the two on the left have yet to be varnished, but I'm really pleased how they turned out. I even made the two big beads on the top out of papier mache pulp!
This one was far more docile than the last. She expressed her appreciation in allowing her to inhabit my flooded basement. She says the water isn't quite as fresh as what she's used to, but she's thankful nonetheless. Having a mermaid as a pet's pretty cool.
I finally got one of the mermaids that invaded my house to pose for a picture. She's super slippery, so it's no easy feat! She's pictured with a peace offering for causing so much trouble.
My house has been taken over by mermaids. It's not a hostile take over. They're very mild and passive, but they do have some strange quirks. And they smell, dare I say, like fish. Poor things. Now if that doesn't affect you socially, I don't know what will. Aside from that olfactory assault, they really are great to have around. They remind you of the magic that surrounds us. They absolutely LOVE water (I mean, I guess that's a given, as I sure do love air) so be careful bringing them into your house around spring time. Floods tend to occur. Trust me on that. You should see my basement.
I've decided to show the creation of this little mermaid, almost step by step. I could have taken a pic of the wire armature, but forgot, so you'll have to use your imagination. It's pretty easy to do...just look at the rudimentary shape of the mermaid, and you can pretty much visualize the twisting of the wire beneath. Anyhow, that's how you begin. Shape the wire in whichever way you choose, and then ball up newspaper and wrap and twist it around the wire and tape with masking tape to get a basic shape. I've also cut out the shape that I would like the tail to be and taped it on.
From there, I make my flour and water paste (no recipe, just mix it till it's nice and gooey) and use newspaper strips and cover many, many layers until it becomes quite strong.
I've let it dry and now it's time to start adding some detail! I add detail with my homemade paper pulp which is made up of flour, water, and cheap toilet paper! There are many recipes online for paper pulp, all you have to do is tweek it and make it your own :) 
From there, I cut up lots of tiny strips of tissue paper and use a paint brush to 'paint' them on using the flour and water mixture I used to apply the newspaper strips.
Finally...I painted her, varnished, added hair, and attached beaded wire for hanging :)
There is life in nature, even if you don't see their faces or hear their words. Sometimes, if you look REALLY closely with your heart open wide, a face will appear in the most unusual of places. I have found evidence of this! When I was walking through the woods the other day, this leaf fluttered down onto my shoulder. I just about dusted it off when I glanced a little smiling face. So gentle and peaceful. I couldn't believe it! Much to my disbelief, this little leaf told me the story of the leaf fae. A whole world under our very noses. But they'll only show themselves to those they deem worthy, those respectful of Mother Earth. Let me know if you see the face...the fae told me that some may not see it. Consider yourself blessed if you do!
I just sharpened Gryphon's pencil and was about to just toss the shavings when I looked into my hand and saw a work of art! It was just so beautiful and simple, so naturally I had to take a picture!Its silhouette reminds me of a moth or butterfly or something. Am I crazy? It's pretty, right? 
She's done, I think. I may add a few finishing touches here and there, but she's done for the most part. She stands about 18" tall and about 9 inches wide. She'll look pretty hanging in my living room. Whenever my little girl sees her, she waves and says hi. I ask her if she likes her and she says, "Yeah". And then I ask her what I should name her and she says, "Da-da". Like everything. The answer is Da-da.
I like faces. I like expressions. Happy, sad, comical, confused...you name it, I like it. I like that eyes are the window to the soul, and the mouth is an open floodgate that divulges sometimes too much, and other times too little. I like the lines that faces get as people age because it tells you so much about them. If they've been happy souls, their lines express that, and the same goes for the opposite. From my perspective, we really could all just be a bunch of balloon heads floating around, because I really don't notice much else - unless of course we're speaking of my husband's sexy hind side ;)
She's coming along! This head is finally getting close to being finished! She's my little wood nymph. I think she's going to be pretty neat when she's done! She's sort of taking on a life of her own. They always do. I have images in my mind of what I want them to look like and then they go and morph into something entirely different...
I've been busy creating, and thus, haven't popped in here much! But anyhow, here are some pics of some of my recent creations. There's another one that is ALMOST done...just needs sanding, painting, and varnishing! Yay! I'll post pics of that one later, though. As for these two, they're merely decorations for my home! They'll be going in my living room which is a deep, rich chocolate brown, so I like to accent it with that pretty blue.
