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Art Deco Cars at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts

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Lest you begin to suspect that engaging in art is all work, work, work….this post comes courtesy of our summer “stay-cation”.  Of course we’ve partaken of the mandatory summer blockbuster movie, motorcycle riding (see my Facebook page for pics at https://www.facebook.com/alice.shepherd.79), done a bit of shopping, dining out and sleeping in, and piling up to watch recorded movies at the house while munching taboo snacks.  We also highly recommend Bruce Munro’s extensive light exhibit at Cheekwood (no pics but you’ll find plenty online).  And now, without further ado, selected photos (yes, this is one exhibit where photography is allowed) from our docent guided tour of Art Deco cars and motorcycles.  Happy summer, everyone!

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“Pressed” for time :-)

aeshep

Snapshot_20130724_14Hey Cube’sters!  Here’s an experimental piece I made using a fairly new technique from http://www.fusedglass.org called Kiln Pressed Glass. The goals are:  1)  to have the colors stacked without letting them mix up, 2) to have them spread like watercolors and, 3) all this without the piece becoming thick.  The light refraction is beautiful, like a kaleidoscope!  I’m such a metal head and any color not metal related doesn’t come naturally to me.  So, of course, I gotta master it, right?  🙂  This one took two full fuse firings up to 1500°F and held for – wait for it, ‘cuz I had to – one and a half hours!  The annealing (holding at app. 900 degrees to ensure stability/longevity of the piece) took two full hours.  The indention around my nose occurred because I didn’t plan my glass volume carefully enough on the 2nd run: the glass flowed around the fiber blanket squares used as a vertical spacer UNDER the kiln shelf which was on TOP of the glass which had a metric ton (well, not literally, but almost) of other kiln posts, bricks, shelves, etc on top of that; hence the “press” in the title. Plenty nerve-wracking.  Sorry I don’t have photos of the stack; maybe next time. The first firing looked like this after I opened the kiln and removed all the weights that were stacked on top:

1st attempt-1st firing-side view

Then I added more colored and clear glass pieces, stacked it up with tons of weight on top and repeated the process. This time I used as many colors as I had on hand for testing purposes.  I’m looking forward to other projects with planned color and pattern schemes to incorporate into mixed media works.  Stay tuned… 

 

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File Under “A girl’s gotta have some fun…”

aeshep

I spent a couple of hours yesterday evening painting with the great Myles Maillie!  To say I was thrilled doesn’t begin to describe my elation. To not be misleading this is what I, and many others, were up to:  https://www.facebook.com/StackedBoxCommunityMuralProject.

And here are some pics: Myles Maillie Finished BoxesMyles in the middleThat’s the great Myles Maillie in the middle, Matt Fischer (Owner of “Picture This” framing and art gallery in Hermitage,  TN, and Vice-Chair, Metro Arts Commission) to the left and Sierra (hope the spelling is correct) to the right.

This is one installment of more to come.  They’re going for the Guinness Book World record.  How fun to be a part and how exciting to work under the direction of Myles.  He sketched out the design in black paint, directed us in filling in the broad strokes of color then went back and fleshed out the final painting.  Awesome to do and to watch him work.  (Insert satisfied “aaahhhh” here  🙂

 

 

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Progress on garage studio

aeshep
I am so excited!  My generous sister-in-law, who is moving out of her home and into a condo, donated a 6′ x 3′ standing height table, a four foot fluorescent light, several organizational bins as well as a ton of shelving (stay tuned for how/where that gets installed).  This means the car has been officially deported to the driveway.  Well, I guess if the drive was covered it would be “carported” (Get it? Car-ported? Fine. Don’t tell me keep my day job; it’s too late!)
Anyway, Ron and I spent Sunday working on the garage studio and it’s truly coming together.  Let’s see…240v electricity for Olympic kiln – check; plumbing/sink – check;  wet station for cutting & grinding glass – check; large plastic bin for discarded water containing glass “sand” – check; extra rubber mats to stand on – check. Plus, my resourceful uncle Butch gave me a compressor that he put together from several discarded ones of its kind. Now, if anyone has a used, in-wall exhaust fan lying around…  🙂  I am a lucky gal, indeed!
Studio June 30_2013 (2)

 

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Scrap to art

aeshep

So this is how it happens:  I agree to make a commissioned, kilnworked glass “bowl” to be gifted for the July birthday of someone special to the purchaser.  And as it turns out I have JUST the ruby colored glass requested:  in many small pieces!  Since I have worked exclusively with System 96 (top of the line glass formulated specifically for kiln formed processes http://www.system96.com/), every piece is precious.  So after turning over design options I decided to make a bowl/sculpture that represents gemstones for July: specifically rubies and moonstone.  In combining a couple of different glass-cutting and kilnwork techniques I go from scrapWorkbench-Using Ruby scrap glass to art with a big sigh of relief AND a new idea:  The Birthstone Series.  Fellow artisans and lovers of glass I present the 1st in the series:

Birthstone Series: July - Ruby and Moonstone bowl
Birthstone Series: July – Ruby and Moonstone bowl

This one measures 10″ in diameter and 4″ deep, and features iridescent glass. Here’s a close-up:

Close-up: Ruby and Moonstone Bowl
Close-up: Ruby and Moonstone Bowl

The circular bottom portion is coldworked for a satin finish and signed with permanent glass paint.

DSCN0150

On to the remaining 11 months!

 

 

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Latest “Tattoo” Custom Artwork

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This challenging and fun piece was commissioned by a new friend. The symbol that is fused into System 96 glass is based on an original tattoo designed by her husband.  Here’s the finished piece as hung in her home and a pic of the tattoo.  Also check this link for larger images to see more detail:  Custom Art   It’s 8″ x 8″ x 1 1/2″ overall.  Kiln formed glass is 6″ x 6″.  Thanks, Sarah C. and see you soon!

Tattoo installed at client homeSarah Calvo husband's tattoo art project

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Fun art event-don’t miss it!

aeshep

Hey everyone!  Looking for an interesting way to end the weekend and kick off the week?  Well, you’re in luck!  Sunday (June 9th) from 5-7 Seed Space is having a tour of the art studios and galleries starting at 427 Chestnut.  A guided tour is available from 5-6 but you can wing it on your own between 5-7 if you’d rather.  Check out the details:  http://seedspace.org/studio-tour.

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The (not so) glamorous side of art…

aeshep

I’ve spent the better part of the day working on my website appearance and online presence; trying to make a perfect circle of all my web locations.  I’ve updated the sidebar to include my “Gravatar” info to make linking to other sites a breeze.  And there’s a new slideshow on my homepage. Things are improving but it seems the simpler I make them the more complicated the tracking: so many accounts, usernames, passwords, and expiration dates.  There’s just no escaping good record keeping. Can anyone say spreadsheet-arghh!!!  Ah, well…I’m beginning to pine away for the actual crafting.  So here’s a past shot of me in the garage workshop, priming kiln shelves:

The Glamorous Side of Art
The Glamorous Side of Art

From this perspective even this looks like fun!  The kilns have been cold for much too long and I hear the thrumming of tools impatient from lying dormant…

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And now for something completely different….

aeshep

Howdy! I’ve titled this post for fellow Monty Python fans out there.  Let’s not underestimate the FUN factor, right?!   Time indeed does fly when you’re crazy busy.  And in my case the crazy busy is a complete life changer: my experiences interning with artist/social practitioner Adrienne Outlaw combined with my experimental day job of seasonal plant merchandiser. I’ve been wondering how the two seemingly different activities might relate and how they compare to the ways in which I’ve spent, basically, my entire adult career.  Which, lets face it,  tends to define a good portion of one’s time.  I’ve gone from desk and carpet and solitary crafts-person to outdoors and dirt and cooperative creative efforts.  On reflecting I find a particularly striking similarity that addresses both curiosities.  My day job is literally around the corner so I’m working in my neighborhood, which means anonymity is virtually impossible.  Likewise, the internship in the art of social practice is necessarily community based: from interacting with artists in the same building to assisting exhibitors at Seed Space (Adrienne’s site for installation art located in her studio (http://seedspace.org/), to accessing a global community of artists and other professionals via the web.  Nothing of value in either milieu can occur without the confluence of individual and collaborative efforts.  Remember that degree in Sociology?  I’m letting it out to play 🙂  And speaking of play and FUN…it’s time to go have some.  Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!

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My Fabulous Logo

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A much delayed thank you to Micah Caputo for the awesome logo she created for me in record time:

aeshepwhite REDUCED

and for teaching me about .png files (example on the home page of my website)!  She’s working on her MFA:  photography as the medium, mental illness as the subject matter.  Be on the lookout for her and check out her work at http://mckennajane.com/.