Reverse Lampshading Process...

I like the shape of a crystal lampshade, so I purchase them, which this is...lets walk through the process of reverse painting with glass on glass in traditional techniques for museum quality. Using a special mix of paint with fine ground glass and an added amount of flux so the kiln can embed these elixirs at a lower temperature keeping my shades shape, we begin with what is called the line drawing. This is painted on the inside of the shade in the reverse pattern of your intended drawing.

I am showing just 2 sides of the shade. The fist one is a pioneer family in front of their sod house...the second image is on the trail setting up camp for supper...

this becomes the first kiln firing..

Next I totally black matte the inside of the shade.

This shows the inside totally black...then with scrub brushes and picks I gently remove the matted paint to give details to the images.

This takes hours depending on how much detail you wish to portray...I am keeping it simple since the images are not going to have a lot of designs on clothes and that sort of thing they used homespun fabrics and basic basic living utensils

The letters Yous view are portraying a homestead certified ticket which would give the homesteader their location to stop...also a portion of journal recording the trip...here you can see how the scrubbed areas respond to the matte being removed...this is the same portion above "on the trail stopping for supper"

and the pioneer family in front of their sod house...

tomorrow this fires in the kiln and sets the matte process into the glass..next is color!

Last of the Christmas orders...done

these are the last 2 commissions that were to be done for Christmas! the 2 small bevel panels were shipped out today...and will arrive Thursday...close!


then the grandma platters...the first set we chose glass that plainly wanted to misbehave...which had me nervous over the whole project..what if the next glass does this too..(it can happen)

so client came and reselected a different sheet for these granny and Nana platters
the children's hands were traced and then i made a stencil of their hands


first i used frits and powders but the purple and pink colors that were to represent the girls were to close to the base composition of the substrate glass
so i ended up having to use enamels..which still set the tone of the color..even tho the bottom plate looks as if both of the pairs of hands are purple
the bigger hands are pink..just where i took the picture absorbed the true colors
these are lead free enamels

the irregular edge lends to a unique arty appeal that says i ordered this just for you
i think you are special!

done in time for Christmas gifting...


how is that list doing there for you??

ho ho ho...

Favorite Piece

What was my favorite piece of artwork....
that would be this piece
Hannah
done in acrylics
I don't do portaits as much as I used to and Hannah's piece was a limbering exercise...

enjoy the weekend
:>)

Reverse Painted Shade Traditional

"Wave Of Conflict" is a traditionally reverse painted lampshade. (in lit state)
I did this one back in the 90's and it won an award at the Museum show I had it entered. Back in Va.
I am showing you this to prepare you for the next few postings that you can follow along for how I get to the finished product.

First of all, I use finely ground grass with mineral and ores mixed to a texture that is like paint.
With a brush I lay the design onto the inside of the shade.
(think reverse of how you traditionally might paint a picture)
this much is fired in the kiln...for painting a crystal such as this shade I have to use low-firing mixtures..technically more flux is added...the temps I am taking this to are no higher than 1100 or my crystal will cave on me.
(yes it happened)

Next step is I matte the inside of the shade...A black "paint" is mixed up then put totally over the inside of the shade
everything gets covered up...then I slowly brush the matte away with special stippling brushes that will lend the texture and subtle shading to my images
after MANY hours of brush away step...the shade gets fired again.

Then each color I decide to use on the images and backgrounds get scheduled as each color matures at a different temperature. So highest temps first and so on...

The lampshade you will watch grow is about the homesteaders moving west. This shade is designated for a museum showing in OK with the Chisolm Trail group..you can see the link over to the right of this post.
Check it out some mighty fine artist are part of this group.

The show is in March ...so I have some work to be doing and fast...Right after Christmas I leave for Texas...and this needs to be done...or I have to drive my ownself down and back..and I am not much on this chore...
so
I am opting for being DONE!

More explanations will be given for each step as we follow the Homesteaders
along their trail to being a reverse shade...

Have a great week!...and thank you for coming by!

AEDM day 30

I wanted to show you these frames. They are a Polystyrene composit sold at http://www.dickblick.com
this is 1 of 9 styles, called the Metro. Some have mattes as well, I ordered the 11 x 14 for 11.99...to me this is a super price for a really nice looking frame..very sleek and contemporary. Also I mounted the painting to a piece of mixed media composition board I painted to compliment the painting...Keeping a nice light weight framed piece. I hope you like my find :)


then Sunday we put the lights on the out front tree..the extent of my decoration requirements

It was warm Sunday but snowing yesterday. I had to wait for it to be almost dark to get a decent picture.

Happy Holidays...buy original handmade artwork and crafts from your favorite artists...help support your friends and family and not the ready made from wal-mart (and the like)...the gift is better appreciated for a lifetime of admiration...just keep this in mind when you make the decision to purchase your gifts this year and to come...
birthdays/anniversaries/holidays of all kinds and ...special thank yous too!

this is the last day for AEDM the tree is my participation...but I am back in the swing of posting more regular...so keep coming back often.

Thank you for coming by!

AEDM 27-28

This is my final for Julie and Chris's Texture Town class...this was a bit more of a challenge than the last one and this time i am putting in the photo we were given.










here is the photo and my beginning
day.











I have started with some color












putting those braket things in...
and pretty much I am done...

this class is all about texture and how to replicate it..learn MORE about the Golden products...you can only grow in these classes...

thank you for coming by!
have a good week!!

AEDM 25-26

Happy day after thanksgiving!
nothing I have is done enough to post about...I began a commission of a larger canvas with the sea nettles theme...and I have begun my final showdown exam for textures with Julie and Chris-texture town

We spent the evening at sons JR's...Hannah 5 and autistic had created on her own this book (she gifted me) totally her idea to bind it with the paperclips!!! I am an impressed grandma



a few of the pages follow...

























here is the little artist!

AEDM day 22-23

this is my first of two exams to enter into texture town

offered by Chris cozen and Julie prichard

and you can find the information at

http://www.julieprichard.com

(oh and i passed :>) )

any way this is an intense amount of medium used to create the texture part of the painting

so it took around 48 hours to dry...then my process began to replicate a wall that was given to replicate in the lesson

it had old iron scroll work at the top then grime and rust down the stucco wall

or an interpretation of the old wall.

i have new found interest with stencils..but only a few in my possession to choose from

they are widely used in these processes and offer a great amount of relief to the overall look you might be going after in the painting.

so the stencil at the top of my painting is my

interpretation of scrolled iron work

this painting i like...i would buy this painting...rich hues that may not be coming across in the picture

of umber tones which i love..and even though i am not a contemporary fan...i like the contemporary feel to this piece...or maybe i am converting

:)

i came a LONG way from the first lesson offered in this class...

now

i have been "professionally" painting for over 30 years...(in a more traditional style)

if a seasoned professional can gain from Julie and Chris's classes don't you think the novice would...

thank you for looking and enjoy the day

Happy Thanksgiving too

we have a lot to be thankful for!

AEDM day 20-21

I have been diligently working on projects but I don't have anything complete to show...so

Here is the first piece I entered in a show that I used staining techniques...She has over 40 firings to achieve the charcoal look I was aiming for
and I was honored to receive best in show for her...more than 30 years ago!
Mata Hari

She is my own drawing from a freeze frame off the tape I ordered from the history channel "Mata Hari"


Next is the beginning for the next painting which is so heavily textured it is still in drying mode






and I have also still been cleaning the years of grime and paint away from the bevel glass in this restoration, which part is ready for the solder
panel 1 of two...

enjoy the day!
and thank you for stopping in...

go art ppl

AEDM day 19

the bi-plane is finished if you look at yesterday you can see the subtle difference

mainly in the sundog

I mounted it to this composite sheet of mixed media board

and I may, after the medium dries,

add something to it if it doesn't dry clear enough to not look a mess

if it does then it is done and ready to frame

hope the day went well for you!

AEDM day 18

this is as far as i have gotten today with this painting

a crop dusting bi-plane i captured when he was spraying our fields
at dusk

a cool sundog came up and i am painting it in



here we are beginning the painting this morning



layers and layers later and more to go..







here is the original photo

the painting is on canvas 8.5 x 11.5

AEDM day 14 and 15

First let me tell you about the weather today...sunny and mild...here is a picture of it hailing! WRONG weather people ...again.


Next I am still working on photos for my moms Xmas present. I am fixing her up with one of those digital frames...since she doesn't live nearby or plan to ever visit here i thought to put lots of area photos plus of course family stuff in the frame
editing takes FOREVER!!!

Last night the birds were just flocking to the trees outside my studio..there were tons of them.

I kept trying to get closer and closer and they would move around but never fully left.

It was beginning to get dark when this picture was taken and just a few moments before the next picture was taken so you can see how fast the sun was dropping at this time of the day
like around 5 or maybe 6...probably closer to 5..
sorta time lapsed it for you.

In the next picture though you can see they were robins!
look how red they are!

I am not exactly painting but still cleaning on this panels pieces and I have been taking pictures so that is my art...

Are YOU continuing to art a day?

I have to say it is quite the challenge to art EVERY day! to do what i typically consider arting

however

remember

Everything a person does in a day is art. (I think this is the challenge to realize this)

You can artfully ask a question, or answer it...do the regular tasks...cook the meal, change the diaper

it is all a manner of art...

In my opinion, art can be the typical or non typical...so it is all good...

AEDM day 12 and 13

yesterday we rode out and i played photographer

i love old buildings and i found a few to get pictures of this one here is an old schoolhouse resting where currently a person has a winery established near academy sd

i practiced in photoshop with adding a filter and changing the layer

this is the result

it has a painterly feel to it

i think

have a great weekend and thank you for stopping by!