Monthly Archives: October 2013

Wee Break before Yule Season, Y’all…

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Yay Images

Yay Images

Greeting, Artsy Friends!

I hope you’re having a wonderful fall.  I’ve been busy this week preparing for a week of author visits next week (after a wonderful HSA regional haiku conference on tap for this weekend in Atlanta).  Translation:  I have new artsy items to list and share but haven’t had time to get pictures up.  I will hit the November ground running week after next with fresh posts and new items in my Etsy shop.

I’m also SO EXCITED to be participating in the juried festivities Nov. 16 & 17 as one of nearly 100 vendors at the Christmas in Central Park show in Cumming, Georgia, sponsored by the Sawnee Artists Association.  Do you hear jingle bells?

In the meantime, sip on your pumpkin-spiced latte, and I’ll meet you with a cup of peppermint mocha in less than two weeks! :0)

 

Art Break Wednesday: Some Gothic Shakespeare for your enjoyment…

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gothic shakespeare shadow box collage with c

Seems an appropriate season (and time – it’s coming up on midnight!) to share another recent mixed media adventure.  As my daughter, Morgan, was helping me enter items into my Square inventory on my mini iPad, she asked, “What do I call this?  Gothic Shakespeare?”

I liked the name.

This 6 in. by 8 in. shadow box features an embellished experiment.  I printed my fairy door relief print design on a page from a vintage reader, and the result was rather ethereal and dreamy – but gritty, too.  I loved its mysterious “air” and pondered using it as the backdrop for an altered page collage.  Pondering turned to pasting…

Somehow a vintage typewriter key seemed perfect to place near the top – the numeral 0 with a parenthesis which looks quite like a moon.  Then, the “Floating Shift” key, featured in a copper tray and attached to a mini canvas on light green paper and a gothic shakespeare top closer uppainted black background, floated itself up in a corner.

In another vintage book, I found a wonderful snippet from Shakespeare’s “The Winter’s Tale” – this seemed just right:

Hermione.    Pray you sit by us,
And tell’s a tale.
Mamilius.      Merry or sad shall ‘t be?
Hermione.   As merry as you will.
Mamilius.      A sad tale’s best for winter.
I have one of sprites and goblins.
Hermione.  Let’s have that, sir.

shakespeare detail winters tale gothic collage

Beside this text I added an old clock hand (the reverse side – the lighter color contrasts with the black frame), and a small vintage metal rectangle graces the bottom edge.  On the top right, I placed this luscious little embellished metal door hardware.  (This was a find from my favorite antique dealer at the monthly Flowery Branch (Ga.) Antiques Market – I was able to get  a few!)

Here’s hoping a little haunted art makes you smile.  Wishing you ghoulish inspirations as the month carries on… Bwa haaa ha ha ha.gothic shakespeare angle

 

Art Break Wednesday: Columbus Day art!

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©Robyn Hood Black

©Robyn Hood Black

Okay, so we haven’t historically had big “Columbus Day parties” in our home.  But this coming weekend, we’re celebrating both kids home for college for Fall Break over the Columbus Day holiday.  I thought it might be a fine time to share a recent mixed media piece with a Columbus connection.

The map is an original page from the Meyers Konversations-Lexicon, Vol. 7 (G), Fourth Edition, Leipzig, Verlag des Bibliographischen Instituts, 1887.  Genoa was the birthplace of Christopher Columbus, who penned these words in his Letter to the Sovereigns on the First Voyage, February 15-March 4, 1493 (first and rarest of printed Americana), referring to Hispaniola (today, the Dominican Republic and Haiti):

And they know neither sect nor idolatry, with the exception that all believe that the source of all power and goodness is in the sky.

This mixed media piece columbus detail 1 features various watch components and decorative metal embellishments from a variety of sources, namely antique markets and Etsy vintage shops.  A peek into how I chose to put what, where:

 

 

 

 

watch calendar numbers detailFirst, this round metal watch component with the red calendar numbers on a white background seemed perfect color-wise for the piece, and I love the suggestion of time having to do with anything historical.  I “highlighted” Columbus Piazza on the map with a small vintage silver component.

 

 

I liked the way the shape watch parts detail columbus artof these vintage watch parts seemed echoed in the shapes near them on the map, with the circle and spokes, and then the arch/ray image:

 

 

 

 

key detail columbus art

 

The shape of this old metal key seemed to suggest the shape of the docks depicted on the map.

 

 

 

And… true blue buttonI couldn’t resist adding the brass vintage “True Blue” button beside the quotation about the sky!  As far as the larger brass embellishments, I placed them at the top of the map to frame the whole image.  Notice how the “arched” piece on the right echoes the shape of the harbor at the shoreline immediately to its left.

Columbus framed

I had fun making this piece, especially working with such a lovely map in such wonderful condition.  Thanks for taking a look.  And, HAPPY COLUMBUS DAY on Monday, however you choose to celebrate it!

 (Note:  This piece is for sale and has garnered some interest at shows this fall, though it’s not currently listed in my Etsy shop.  Feel free to contact me with any questions about it. The image is approx. 9 X 11 in. ; the frame’s outer dimensions are 18 X 20.)

 

Art Break Wednesday: New Bookmarks, Old Rust

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2 bookmarks

©Robyn Hood Black

I love my customers.  It’s been an honor to connect with old and new friends at recent shows.

Folks who are attracted to art with a literary bent are usually pretty interesting, thoughtful people. One such new acquaintance discussed a custom order option for her book club – she wanted to present the members with bookmarks as gifts and picked out a few designs for me to send her in bulk.  We got to chatting, and she said, “If you ever make a Book Club bookmark, let me know.”

“I’ve had that on my to-do list,” I said.  “How soon would you need them?”

Long story short, I came home, set up a little still life,  got out the golden-buff parchment paper and my inks and paint, and got busy.  Nothing like a “lowest prices of the year” sale at the online printer’s, ending at midnight, to spur on creativity!  (I use Overnight Prints, by the way – “the greenest online printer in the world,” so says their website.)

book club bookmark

©Robyn Hood Black

I emailed her the image I sent off for printing, and she decided to get these instead of the ones she’d picked out.  Customers do have great ideas!

Well, with that sale’s ticking deadline teasing me from my computer screen, I also got out the white paper, whipped up this “Poets” bookmark design, placed it over the illustration I’d just made (covering the Book Club lettering), scanned it in, and ordered these too.  (Love me some Gothic/black letter, I do.)  I made the deadline only because it wasn’t Eastern Standard Time there, evidently. ;0)

"Poets write between the lines"- ©Robyn Hood Black

“Poets write between the lines”
– ©Robyn Hood Black

Sometimes a little inspiration goes a long way!  I’ll get these new bookmarks listed in my Etsy shop sometime today. [DONE – Click here for the link to the Book Club bookmark, and click here for the Poets bookmark.]

In other news, we just returned from Nashville to celebrate Family Weekend with our youngest, a new college freshman.  Before we hit the honkytonks Saturday afternoon to listen to music, I dragged my guys out to find Antique Archeology, one of the storefront shops of Mike Wolfe and crew from The History Channel’s American Pickers.

Robyn and Seth - Antique Archeology truck

It was a fun stop, but heads’ up – it’s a small space (overly warm if lots of people are inside), featuring some items recognizable from episodes and primarily show souvenirs such as tee shirts, coffee cups, and the like.  I bought a cool postcard and a small poster which says “Rock the Rust” for my studio. antique archeology storefront for blog

 

I plan to rock a lot more rust this fall, bookmark in useand more thick black lettering, too.  Wishing you a creative October, whatever time zone you’re in!