My newest piece, Sol is now finished. It is made of my grandmother’s jewelry, handmade watercolor, a fused glass leaf (made in my studio) and 24k gold. She represents the sun and is a counterpart to Luna.
The full story of the deer
I so believe in omens, whatever name you want to give them. For me, they usually involve animals. And sometimes they come at me in quite dramatic ways, unfortunately. This one happened when I was standing outside my studio in the spring taking a smoke break and enjoying the sun, when a gunshot came out of nowhere. I live in what I would call residential-country. I have an acre and 1/2 of land. There are houses all around and my kids play outside (they were at grandma’s at the time). A police officer then rolls up my driveway to inform me he had just shot and deer on my property. I was taken aback and still in shock. He caught me smoking pot, something that had just become legal in Michigan. So, let’s just put it this way—I didn’t ask questions. The officer left without saying more, and I was left with a body ( I assume the deer had been hit by a car first). I knew I was meant to watch over this deer. This piece was inspired by what I saw over the next few months. I collected fur when that was all that was left, and a few days later an old oak tree fell on where the body was. When I made this piece, I mostly thought about how humans interact with nature. How we impact it with our actions. And how the cycle still wants to happen, even though our impact created a ripple. How fragile nature is. How beautiful and perfect it is. How broken we are.
The deer is made out of the handmade watercolors that I make out of my grandmother’s antique jewelry. It has embedded crystals, moonstones, beads, glass, and a lot of 24k gold. The piece is 3 dimensional. A real cicada husk was embedded and gilded with 24k gold leaf, and the fur of the deer that inspired this piece was used in it, as well. The piece is sealed to protect the organic components.
I am part of a wonderful, exciting exhibition called Equinox at Ninth Wave Studio.
“This exhibition was curated by artists Maryellen Hains and Anna Z ILL who invited artists to create new mixed media artwork to consider the topic of the Equinox by reflecting on balance, planetary movement and/or biological and emotional equilibrium.”
Participating Artists: Mindi Bagnall, Maryellen Hains, Brent Harris, Anna Z ILL, Alexa Karabin, Courtney S. Nelson, Sniedze Janson-Rungis, Linda Rzoska, Nancy Stroupe, Randy Walker
Showing September 8 through November 21, 2020.
Equinox: Day
24k Gold, Broken Glass, 3 Moths, Antique Beads, Mixed-Media
Equinox: Night
Handmade Paint, Broken Glass, Antique Beads, A Cicada, Mixed-Media
Erica and I have joined forces to do a Giveaway on Instagram and Facebook. Check out my page and look for this image to see the instructions in how to join!
I had hoped she would travel around to exhibitions, but now I can only hope she finds a home where she can be enjoyed and reflected upon. Read about the Deer…
The Deer/ Original Painting on Wood Panel
$5,000.00
Now that my large originals are home, I am able to drop the price a bit! When they are in a gallery I have to share between 40%-60% with the gallery! I spent 3 months making this piece and several months before that conceiving and planning for it! It is made with a LOT of 24k gold and a variety of other materials. Read the story about the Deer, below!
I so believe in omens, whatever name you want to give them. For me, they usually involve animals. And sometimes they come at me in quite dramatic ways, unfortunately. This one happened when I was standing outside my studio in the spring taking a smoke break and enjoying the sun, when a gunshot came out of nowhere. I live in what I would call residential-country. I have an acre and 1/2 of land. There are houses all around and my kids play outside (they were at grandma’s at the time). A police officer then rolls up my driveway to inform me he had just shot and deer on my property. I was taken aback and still in shock. He caught me smoking pot, something that had just become legal in Michigan. So, let’s just put it this way—I didn’t ask questions. The officer left without saying more, and I was left with a body ( I assume the deer had been hit by a car first). I knew I was meant to watch over this deer. This piece was inspired by what I saw over the next few months. I collected fur when that was all that was left, and a few days later an old oak tree fell on where the body was. When I made this piece, I mostly thought about how humans interact with nature. How we impact it with our actions. And how the cycle still wants to happen, even though our impact created a ripple. How fragile nature is. How beautiful and perfect it is. How broken we are.
The deer is made out of the handmade watercolors that I make out of my grandmother’s antique jewelry. It has embedded crystals, moonstones, beads, glass, and a lot of 24k gold. The piece is 3 dimensional. A real cicada husk was embedded and gilded with 24k gold leaf, and the fur of the deer that inspired this piece was used in it, as well. The piece is sealed to protect the organic components. I include a non-static brush for occasional dusting (once or twice a year).
It is 30’’x30’’ on a 3 inch thick, cradled birch panel. I had a white, wood custom frame made for it. The frame is included in the price. The price also includes shipping within the United States. Please allow for a couple of weeks, because I will have to make a custom box for shipping.
(January 31) My husband told me to not talk about the weather anymore, but it’s freaking cold! I have to apologize to the people waiting for packages this week. Mail services is limited because of the temperature. I also haven’t had child care all week, so my communication hasn’t been the best. I hope to catch up when my husband is home this weekend. Thank you for your patience.
I have been feeling under the weather, so, regretfully, I have not been in the studio in a while. I hope to be in the studio soon. I have a lot of new work in my head, I just need to get my hands dirty. I thought I would share some oldies with you in the mean time. Tell me what you think.
Originally posted in 2017.
This is an original watercolor painting that was made with my special handmade watercolor paints. It is adorned with 24k gold leaf, and tiny bits of glass. It is encased under glass with copper. It is approximately 1’’x1’’.
It comes with a complimentary gold plated chain.