One thing led to another...

I promised to publish some pics of my works in progress today. And that was definitely my intent yesterday when I went down to my studio. I took my new camera and went into my studio gathering up all the things I started preparing for a project. (As any of you know, we mixed media artists tend to work on multiple projects at one time.) I took all the pics of all the pieces and took my camera back upstairs.( cuz its new and I didn't want to get paint all over it like most everything else I own.)

Ok. These guys are being prepared for a "Charlotte's House" type shadow box. I have an idea for the one on the bottom and he was painted specifically for that project. The one on the top was just painted for something to do. You know, like when , even though you don't have a project in mind you still don't want to stop working.

Same held true for this guy.

I had paint left over from painting the shadow box and wanted to use it up. I found this little guy that I'd set aside a while ago for something special. I thought I'd paint him and by doing so, find a great use for him. (it worked!!)

Well, after I took the camera upstairs, I thought I was done for the day. But that wasn't the case. The kids had friends over (spring break- part 1) and they were really noisy, so I went back down to my studio.
My idea for the shadow box I had painted, was a vaguely composed idea of a vaudeville stage or a circus theme. Problem was, I had searched my local antique stores, to no avail, for a frozen charley to use as a dummy or one wearing a top hat to use as a magician. I found one of those, but it was a bit more than I wanted to spend. I even spent one afternoon searching the internet and that just added to my frustration. So, as what usually happens in a case like this, I started rethinking the project... What if I took a doll head and painted it to look like a clown? Great idea! Look!

 One thing led to another and I was on a roll. No clown hat? I constructed it out of wire. The red hair was a bonus. I chose this head because it was my least favorite of what I have and if the idea didn't fly, I didn't ruin a perfectly good head. True to what usually happens when I fly by the seat of my pants (no fully formed idea), everything comes together in a way I couldn't have planned.

The clown head turned out to be too big for the box.:( What to do! Ah hah! Stick it on the top! :) Then it began to take on a life of its own. It became an abandoned carnival and the little bear finally found a home as a left over carnival prize. Ironically, it is a bisque frozen charley bear, an old carnival prize. See?! I could not have planned the irony!!

While its not quite finished, it needs some finishing touches, I am really excited about this one!!