Permission Ship

permission ship

this is one of the metallic silver ships you may have seen floating in the air at my shop.  a whole fleet of silver and white ships hang from the ceiling along with various sized mirror balls, glitter stars and tissue paper orbs.  it's a magical scene and one many folks have voiced wishes to have above their beds to glimpse while drifting off to dream land.

recently my soulstorm posse was having a discussion concerning the need for space and time around making decisions/choices while diving head long into new projects, initiatives, and work.  following the energy, if you will, and examining which lines of energy to tug on each day, reel in, work on and cast back out.  the idea of "allowing" our intuition or gut feeling guide what pieces we pick up each day to work on, within the vast overflowing pile of life-as-we-know-it,came up in the form of a "permission slip" except that it came out as "permission ship." 

and it stuck.

when one of us in our sisterhood is having a rough time on the sea of life, our hulls depleted and not getting refilled to overflowing fast enough, and when our sails are stretched taut, close to snapping,  from the gale-force winds of responsibility we must attend in a day while fitting in our abundant hearts desires, we swiftly glide each other a permission ship.  we let one another know we are each others safe harbors.  we hold each others nets and baskets while what needs to spill washes full out to empty.  and all the while we do this space holding in loving awe and utter deep respect for each other, our womanhood, our powerful wild selves.

and we sail on.

not just drifting, untethered, forlorn with no destination.

we navigate full on with billowing wind in our rippling, outrageous sails, anchored only to the deep down profound truths of who we truly are, and buoyed by our pirate crew, the beacons, the luminaries, the stars, the treasures.

i am one blessed sea rover these days...

rolling in the deep aboard my permission ship.

if you need "permission," ahoy, just send up a smoke signal.

i will see your flare and i will skipper a permission ship your way.

you can count on me.

your ever loving and deep diving mate,

xxx

jennette



Antler

i've been working on some antlers.

 

adding bits and bobs

 

the next ones will have some lacy bits, some string bits, and maybe a few tassels

 

come on by Smashing Rubbish and see what's new!

 

Friday & Saturday

noon-6

 

15926 main st.

duvall, wa

 

 



Paper Mache Bee

i did some paper mache recently and thought i would share a nice way to give new life to old plastic crap!

like this plastic crap!  i found this at the thrift.  and as i am attracted to all things honey bee, i had to nab it.  but alas, i hate the plastic-ness of it!  so i figured i'd use it as a base and paper mache over it! 

smarty party much?!

just joking!

(kinda!)

since i have been "going gluten free" i have all this wheat flour in my kitchen i need to use up somehow.  so why not mache paste?  It turned out a bit bumpy and clumpy but it ended up ok with this extra texture.

working away

gettin somewhere

completely covered and starting to dry

after it dried i gave it a coat of thinned out white acrylic paint.  i wanted some of the print from the newspaper to show through like you see on Ann Wood's boats

a view from beneath

so the semi-opaque white honey bee is just hanging out in the shop.

not sure if i will try to add color or detail.

but i am happy to not being looking at the plastic-ness of it anymore!  it's been transformed, upcycled, and repurposed!

what are you all crafting lately?

gifts?

me too!

going home soon to play with boxes, wrapping paper and ribbon!

xoxox

jennette

p.s.

don't forget the shop will close at 4pm on Saturday December 24th and will reopen Wednesday January 4th at noon.

Thanks for all your support!

 

Painted Bus

saw this cool painted bus at the grocery store the other day

love seeing artistic expression like this in the rural suburbs

looked like someone could be living in it

what a fun adventure you could have going across country in this!

plenty of space to bring your friends and collect your junk!

this section offers me inspiration for the '61 vintage Fireball, which will be getting a new creative paint job soon.  can't wait!

and i will have updates on the interior progress as well.

you'll be amazed!

xoxox

trying to stop being sick

jennette



We Are All Connected

so i stenciled some text on this old paint by number i had down at the shop.  i have seen these, like the plates, on Etsy and elsewhere and thought i'd give it a go.

work in progress

i have lot of old prints, mirrors and odd paintings that i plan to add some text too.   most will be for sale down at the shop.  come check it out.

dreaming of tucson...9 days and counting,

xoxox

jennette



Get Your Paint On Week 3

two pictures of the same thing, in different light.  this weeks assignment was to pick four items from around the house that we love the color of and try to match those colors as close as possible by mixing our paints.  the miniature red purse, pink feathers, green piece of wood from our old house, and blue chippy stool were my choices.

in progress

finished piece.

since we could paint any subject matter using our four colors, i wanted to try something really simple this week.  i didn't want a bunch of detail like last week.  i wish i had a more intuitive sense of shadowing and highlighting.  i don't automatically know where to shade and highlight so i get frustrated.  here i was looking at a wine bottle and just had to decided on where the light source could be coming from.  these are odd colors and not at all realistic so it was tougher for me. 

week 4 is all about composition.  we have a list of about 10 elements of composition and we are to pick one or two of them when focusing on our choice of painting.  i just saw a photo of a one room church in the Andes mountains in Peru that i want to try painting so i will be back to show you when that's finished.  the photo is in an online magazine and i cannot figure out how to lift the image to show you here so i will try making a link to it so you can see the original photo i base my painting off of if ya want....

making pasta with huge shavings of parmigiano reggiano,

xoxoxxxo

jennette



Bird Art

this is a painting August did several months ago for me.  he calls himself a "bird nerd."  he went to cascade bird banding camp last summer and attends Bird Watch at The Burke Museum once a month.  he has over 180 birds marked off his life list!

one view of Jasper's palm cockatoo, kiwi and bunny painting

another view.  he was supposed to use wild colors.  he came up with the cow kiwi and the spiral palm cockatoo.

these are paper mache on a wire structure.  his art teacher found the stick and attached it to the base for him.  Jasper loves his art class!

working on my own Get Your Paint On week 3 painting,
xoxooxxx
jennette

Get Your Paint On Week 2

a glass of red wine helps the painting along

background good to go

got my brushes ready

"Suddenly at Twilight"

this weeks assignment for my Get Your Paint On class was to be inspired by an artist(s) we like and to try to emulate a part of their style in our painting.  i am inspired by Amanda Blake who is a painter in Portland,OR., that i love. emulating her night time sky seems to be what i had the most success with.  i also used her ability to do faces as the inspiration for this little guy.  The rest of my painting and subject matter was inspired by this drawing that August did of Jasper when Gus was 10 and Jasper was 2.  Gus called it "Jasper Demon!":

the original Jasper Demon

just a few days later i already see several things i could have done to make this painting more "right."  i should have done a gray wash, especially over the tent, to give it a less bright and more night time look.  and i could have gradually darkened the ground as it goes back to make it look like it is receding.  also i have no sense of proportion so the demon's wings are just about as big as his body!  i wish i would have allowed more time to fill in the foreground with more movement.  i suppose i could still go do more of that but now we are on to week three, which is all about color.  I need to pick four objects from around my house that i love the color of and then try to match those colors as closely as possible by mixing my paints and then use those four colors in a painting of my choice.  deciding what to paint is the hard part.  i want to try something bigger, with less detail, for this next one.  i will let ya know how it goes.  in the mean time....... you could go get YOUR paint on!

attaching medals to my military jacket,

xoxox

jennette

You Are Your Own Muse

I'm taking another workshop!

You Are Your Own Muse!

it's about "telling the story of my life, stepping into my beauty and my identity, and telling the story of my history." 

 HolyScaryFaceMyDemonsScary!

i will be exploring my visual voice through self-portraiture.

the ultra fabulous Vivienne McMaster, who is offering this course, is a Vancouver based photographer and mentor/teacher.  She has other photograpy and self-discovery workshops so check out her site if this intrigues you at all. 

setting a scene for a photo shoot,
xoxo
Jennette



Get Your Paint On!

here i am working on my Week 1 assignment for Get Your Paint On

so i decided to take my first painting workshop!

scary!

and fun!

Get Your Paint On is a five week painting class with Lisa Congdon and Mati McDonough.  it is conducted all online in a private, safe and supportive environment where Mati and Lisa share their unique and colorful approach to painting.  each week has a topic of focus that is supported by information, tips, and important ideas from Mati and Lisa.  they post videos, images and photos to elaborate on the weekly topic.  they give an assignment each week that is connected to the topic and we have one week to complete the painting assignment.  then we post a photo of our painting to our private Flickr group.  we are asked to comment on others work in a supportive way and Mati and Lisa comment too.  there is an interview each week with an established artist about their work and process.  and Mati and Lisa each take a day to share what they are inspired by with links and images.

you might remember my "new" quilt from the antique show in november...

what does this have to do with painting, you ask?  well our first week covered selecting mediums and using materials with our painting assignment drawing on inspiration from the incredible Gee's Bend quilters of Alabama. We were asked to make a gridded or quilt like painting so we could experiment and get familiar with our paints by making blocks of color.  i love quilts and immediately thought of the one above that is now hanging over my bed.   the quilt looks like it could be a Gee's Bend quilt so i decided to be inspired by it for my first ever painting!

here is a look at my week one finished painting.  i have never really painted like this before so i have so much to learn.  these blocks of color seem so heavy and solid to me. 

i am getting to be so fascinated by paintings and how painters can make something look so real in paint.  some painters can make photo-realistic paintings!  amazing!

if you have any interest in exploring painting, you should check out the next Get Your Paint On.  There will be another level one class this spring or summer and i already plan to take the level 2 class after this one.

week 2 assignment has to do with finding artists that inspire you and trying to use or incorporate an element of their style that you are fond of.  i have been loving Amanda Blake since discovering her in November at Little Winter so i have spent this week looking at her paintings and doing a lot of my own drawings while trying to emulate her style.  i am loving it so i will try to show you the next painting and the inspiration for it, when i am done.

please be nice in your comments and feedback.  i am too new at this to be handling criticism, even if its constructive! like my mom always taught me, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say nothin at all!

drawing circus tents and floating crystals,

jennette



Huichol Art and Alter

these are the Huichol Yarn Paintings i bought in Sayulita.  These dull photos do not do them justice as they are bright, vibrant and wonderful in person.  the Huichol are an indigenous ethnic group of western central Mexico.

"The Shaman are running together to dialogue about a giant serpent.  The largest they have ever seen.  They are singing to him and trying to learn from his power."

"These Shaman are gathered together in the sacred place of the Gods.  They come together singing and praying to hear the voices of the Gods.  To learn to live and know the teachings."

these yarn paintings are made from dreams and visions and there is nothing predrawn or illustrated.  they apply beeswax to a wood board or surface and just begin by pushing the yarn into the beeswax and creating designs.  it's amazing to watch, see and behold.

this is a Huichol beaded belt that is one of a kind.  i went to visit it every day for almost two weeks and then decided to spend my birthday money on it.  i LOVE it!  there was nothing else like this in town and i just adore the work, talent and time that went into it.  to me, it is amazing.  a million tiny seed beads.

this is a small painting by the same Huichol artist who made the belt.  i love the painting because although that is supposed to be a candle she is holding in one hand, i think it looks like a giant crystal, and when I finally bought the beaded belt, he gave me this painting too.

these are the beaded Huichol bracelets i got.  the Huichol religion consists of four principle deities, the trinity of corn, blue deer, and peyote, and the eagle.  all are represented in the bracelets above.  i am fascinated by Huichol myth, their traditional beliefs and and how they are resistant to change.  follow the link above to learn more.

and last but not least is the lovely alter i set up to hang on to a little bit of sunshine, beach, vacation and Sayulita, Mexico.  most of this is items we brought back and a lot of what you cant really see is the many many shells, beach glass, and broken but smooth tile pieces we collected on the beaches.  best beach collecting ever!

i miss you beach

i miss you warm ocean

i miss you whales

i miss you heat

i miss you sun

xoxo - jennette, sitting near a bright window, in smashing rubbish world headquarters :)