This “two canvases make one piece” work of art is my most elaborate work to date. With over 350 embellishments, it’s the background that puts this one over the top. Before adding the embellishments of the primary design, more than 80 embellishments were used to create a background design sweeping from one side to the other. Antique lace, cabochons, polymer clay script pieces, small beads, and textured stenciled designs are some of the items you will find in the background alone.

On two 11.0″ x 14.0″ stretched canvases, overall measurements of the work (when you include a 1.0″ space between the two canvases) are 23.0″ wide by 14.0″ high with an overall depth of 1.75″. The detailed background has multiple coats and spritzes of paint that is finished off with metallic wax. It is sold as a pair.

Many of the embellishments found in this work are found objects – older items that I have found while searching out estate sales and flea markets. I use a combination of found objects with newer elements. With approximately 350 separately adhered pieces, I’m unable to tell you the stories of all that you will find in this piece but I can provide you with the highlights.

Let’s start with the vintage found objects: pieces of a pearl purse, various bracelet links, large daisy, wreath pin, electrical piece, star flowers, numerous 1980s jewelry makings, various beads, metal flowers, diamond glass, resin leaning Tower of Pisa, cameo bases, brooches, buttons, resin clock pieces, segments of an old picture frame, and more.

The newer elements include resin cabochons, paper roses, gears, winged heart and peace symbol, bracelet links, word charm (“dance like no one is watching”), metal filigreed embellishments, metal starfish, tree, wings, hearts, branch, central hinges, clock face, faces, leaves, and flowers, seashells, acorns, bark, buttons, beaded flower, and more.

There are attached hangers for wall hanging. Although most of my Assemblage Canvases can be framed, I don’t suggest this particular pair. Embellishments hang over the edges as part of the intricate design.

Dimensions: Hung as a pair as shown 23.0″ x 14.0″ x 1.75″. Hung separately 14.0″ x 11.0″ x 1.75″

$195.00 for the pair

Available for purchase at my Etsy Shop

Pieces not sold individually.

All art sold at Art Creations by Vicky is the work of artist Vicky Hensley and one of a kind. 

Note: The use of descriptive words such as brass and pearl are just that – I can’t verify that the beads are brass and assume the pearls are only decorative.

Titled A Raven’s Dream, this little piece of steampunk is my favorite Mini Art piece to date. It’s an original 3D collage measuring 4″ x 4″ x 1.375″. The colors are what draw me most – a mixture of green, turquoise, and purple with spritzes of highlighting color and metallic wax. The background is textured with dimensional paste. Found objects used to form this design include a variety of metal embellishments, a raven, and Dream word charm.

Dimensions: 4″ x 4″ x 1.375″

$39.95

Available for purchase at my Etsy shop

There is an attached hanger and, although I prefer the no-frame look, A Raven’s Dream can be framed. This piece will also display nicely on an easel.

All Assemblage Art pieces sold at Art Creations by Vicky are original works from artist Vicky Hensley.

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This Assemblage Art piece has an especially romantic feel with its spray of hearts and roses spilling down the canvas. Assemblage is the method of creating a larger art piece from smaller objects. Best described as a 3D collage on canvas, it contains numerous “found objects” as well as newer embellishments.

Measuring 8.0″ x 6.0″ x with a depth of 1.50″, the background is textured with stenciled modeling paste and finished off with a number of paints, spritzes, and waxes. A total of 32 embellishments plus 30 brass beads makes this piece perfectly complete.

Older elements (the found objects) include vintage bracelet link, a fragment of pearl purse, button, bead, portion of an antique lace collar, and metal feathers. Newer elements include metal leaves, hearts, fabric roses, buttons, Heritage emblem, filigreed metal stampings, wood half round, and other metal embellishments.

Hangers are attached and, while I prefer the no-frame look, this Assemblage Art piece is ready for framing. It will also display nicely on an easel.

Dimensions: 8.0” x 6.0” x 1.50″

$59.95

Available for purchase at my Etsy shop

All art sold at Art Creations by Vicky is the work of artist Vicky Hensley and one of a kind. 

The use of descriptive words such as brass and pearl are just that – I can’t verify that the beads are brass and assume the pearls are only decorative.

Editor’s Note: Originally priced $54.95, this was readjusted during a realignment of pricing. 

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I’ve been in the middle of a whirlwind of activities lately. I’m still creating my Assemblage Art as part of each day – it is such a joy. It’s been selling well too which means inventory levels, at times, are a little challenging to maintain when other activities take priority.

And lately, travel has been a priority. I love road trips and I recently took one to visit my sister, Janey, in Tennessee. I’ll be writing more about that later. But despite my four days of driving backroads instead of major highways (I highly recommend), I still had plenty of time to create as I carried with me a ton of art supplies. Story to be continued…

And in the middle of all that, I still have a misbehaving website. I’ve been discouraged from posting much new material here at Art Creations by Vicky as things have just been plain wonky since early October! The artist in me wants to exclaim, “That’s not my title font! And everything else is TOO big!” And so on… and so on…

I finally took the time to get to the bottom of those technical problems with the help of my sister Mary and long talks with HostGator and WordPress. Long story short – the week after Thanksgiving, the site will be placed in Maintenance Mode for a few days to allow me time to rid myself of the site’s current framework (referred to as a theme) and replace with one that functions smoothly (without bugs) and offers me, as the owner, many tools to give the site a better look. I’ll actually be rebuilding the site in many ways – a challenge for this technophobe!

During this technical trial, I have been keeping my Etsy shop current. Some art pieces have sold before I had the opportunity to share on my site or Facebook. I’ll be adding several new Assemblage canvases over the next few days to Etsy and will inform you on Facebook and even here on the site (if the posting goes easily). I’m finishing up another one or two Assemblage Canvases as well plus I’ve started a very special custom. See, the creating remains! Just the delivery of that information has been disturbed!

And now for a tiny preview of a double canvas work in process. Far from finished, it’s a peek at the right canvas. The left canvas is still on the work table and then I’ll add the finishing touches to both. I hope to have this in my Etsy shop by Thanksgiving.

Hope you are enjoying November. It’s my favorite time of the year!

Vicky

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Our website’s format has gone a little wonky. It’s not taking updates and our original formatting is missing. Usually, when this occurs, we wait a day or two and the system corrects itself but not so this time around. Everything is still here – spacing is just OFF. Fonts have changed and I’m unsure prices are updating as things sell on Etsy. You can double check that by following each item’s Etsy link. In the meantime…

We’re working on it!

Thanks for your patience.

Vicky

My art studio is undergoing a renovation. Everything has been moved out as we replace the flooring – we’re ridding ourselves of the carpet. Every day, I spend a significant amount of time in the studio and I want both my cat, Mia, and my dog, Thomas, with me as I create. However, Thomas is a six-month-old puppy… and carpet just doesn’t work when the back door is across the house, down the stairs, and across the house again. Puppies mean one must be prepared just in case the trip outside is a bit too long. And the added bonus, I won’t have all that carpet to contend with in case I have a spill.

Not having my art studio available though, means I’ve been creating in rather crowded areas (all the art furniture is stuffed into nearby bedrooms) so I’ve kept my projects small. I listed two new pieces this past weekend and here’s the first that I’m calling Hearts and Wings. It’s an addition to my Heart Art line and I’m back to my favorites – blues and hearts.

Now for the official details…

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Hearts and wings fill this 7″ x 5″ piece of assemblage art. I think it’s best described as 3D heart art – this isn’t just a  painting. It is three dimensional with more than 50 embellishments (found objects) plus dozens of beads adhered to a stretched canvas.

Assemblage is the method of creating a larger art piece from smaller objects. My assemblage art is on canvas rather than free standing and has strong steampunk overtones. With its three hearts, this one also carries a strong message of love.

Found vintage items include antique lace, jewelry makings, beaded necklace, earring, and beads. New elements include floral cabochons, shells, filigreed rounds, leaves, beads, hearts, wings and various metal embellishments.

The background is stenciled with modeling paste and covered with several colors of multiple paints which is then highlighted by spritzes of metallic. The depth of the overall design is approximately 1.375″.

There are attached hangers. Although most of my Assemblage Art pieces can be framed, I don’t suggest framing this one. Embellishments hang over the edges as part of its intricate design. This piece will also display nicely on an easel.

SOLD

Available for purchase at Etsy

Dimensions: 7” x 5” x 1.375″

All art sold at Art Creations by Vicky is the work of artist Vicky Hensley and is one of a kind.

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I’ve been spending most of my time at home the past few weeks which means I’ve been in my art studio more than usual. And I have the art to prove it! Also, it has provided me the time to organize my art supplies (which were already fairly well organized) to a greater degree. Having the type of embellishment I’m reaching for at my finger tips within seconds means I create more. I’m still working on organizing but I found that the new system worked extremely well with my latest finished works.

And today, it’s all about blue! Admittedly, I’m a person who has had favorite colors all my life and blue, in all its forms,  has always been at the top of that list. It’s my first time to work with such a deep blue as my background – I was really afraid it would be too dark so I decided to go with the feel of deep blue. Working it together with a lighter blue that had a touch of silver and toning it down with a few of Lindy’s sprays made it work perfectly. I’m so pleased!

In Wings Surround Me, I featured two of my favorite creatures for inclusion in my assemblage artwork – the raven and the rabbit. Ravens are an effective steampunk element which always adds to the steampunk vibe and this piece definitely says “steampunk”, just in a more subtle way. Can that be due to its coloring? I’m still mulling that over.

And the rabbit… not just any rabbit makes it into one of my assemblage artworks as I want the rabbit to add a fantasy element – not a feel of cute and sweet or scampering over fields. When I think of rabbits in an assemblage work, my mind leans heavily towards the rabbit in Alice in Wonderland.

Now for the complete description…

 

Wings Surround Me

The feel of deep blue without being dark – that was the idea lurking in my mind’s eye as I started preparing the background for this unusual taste of steampunk wall art. While steampunk elements can be found throughout the piece, I leaned towards creating a sense of overall beauty rather than the more functional feel of steampunk. Result – a beautiful Steampunk Assemblage Canvas!

I chose to mix deep blue and a lighter blue silver with bronze tones for a foundation textured with stenciled modeling paste, adding highlights of color as I layered elements (found objects) – both vintage and new. The “DISCOVERIES” word charm seemed to be the perfect finishing touch. It measures 14.0” x 11.0” x 1.375”.

This piece contains approximately 200 found objects plus hundreds of smaller and medium beads. Vintage found objects include: toy piece, beads, buttons, numerous jewelry makings, and 3D wood shapes. Newer items include: flower face, word band, bracelet links, raven, rabbit head, crown, Vitruvian man, leaves, cabochons, wings, winged heart, gears, chess piece, branch, hearts, hand, clock, and various metal embellishments.

$119.00

Available for purchase at my Etsy shop.

Dimensions: 14″ x 11″ x 1.375″

Hangers are attached and, while I prefer the no-frame look, this is ready for framing. This piece will also display nicely on a large table easel.

All art sold at Art Creations by Vicky is the work of artist Vicky Hensley and one of a kind.

Recently I ran a post titled Adventure Time! I was working with a new paint line featuring gorgeous vibrant colors which was somewhat of a challenge for me. I adored the colors but I usually shy away from bright colors – the many small embellishments in Assemblage Art are the primary draw to this sort of art. I don’t want the brightness of those colors taking attention away from the overall composition. And that is why I’m so thrilled with the results of my adventure. When I toned down the colors with various shades of bronze, they became a soothing yet colorful backdrop for the main attraction – the assemblage.

I can’t say enough good about this new paint from Finnabair. A part of her Art Alchemy line, they are called Impasto paints. The colors used for this project are Jade, Bottle Green, Azure, Heather, and Aubergine. I can’t wait to try more combinations and I’ll even be adding a few more Impasto colors to my paint stash.

And now for the official description.

Adventuring – Colorful Yet Subtle

Colorful yet subtle – that’s was my goal when I started working with this mixture of gorgeous yet intense colors. I chose a variety of bronze shades to subdue the brightness just a bit and I’m thrilled with the result!

Texture takes a starring role in this 12″ x 12″ piece as well with a background built with multiple coats and spritzes of paint and waxes over several stencil designs utilizing dimensional paste. And the embellishments! This assemblage canvas contains over 100 elements plus 200+ brass beads and hundreds of tiny cream beads. Its depth is 1.75″.

Just what is assemblage? It’s the creation of a larger art piece from smaller objects. Best described as a 3D collage on canvas, my assemblage art pieces contain numerous vintage “found objects” as well as newer embellishments.

Here those vintage items include two chandelier plaster flowers, bracelet links, beaded flowers, beaded necklace, chunks of a 3D rose frame, buttons, pieces of beaded purse, segments of two necklaces, earring, circular metal piece, paper milk bottle cap, and a large brass bead.

Newer pieces include 3 filigreed rounds, winged peace sign, plastic flying bird, glass rounds, paper brooch, word band, cabochon, beads, and metal elements including beads, wings, branches, various symbols, filigreed pendant, spirit girl, leaves, and gears. There is also a polymer clay clock face fashioned by yours truly.

And engraved into the word charm, you’ll find, “life is all about creating yourself.”

Original article updated Nov, 2017 to include current status – SOLD

Dimensions: 12.0″ x 12.0″ x 1.75″

Hangers are attached and, while I prefer the no-frame look, this Assemblage Art piece is ready for framing. It will also display nicely on an easel.

All Assemblage Art pieces sold at Art Creations by Vicky are original works from artist Vicky Hensley.

Vicky

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Today, I’m unveiling the new artwork for my website, Etsy shop, and Facebook page. I’m excited!

Since I first opened a year ago, I knew I needed a more professional look – one I didn’t have the knowledge or talent to create. But I also knew that I would be a challenging client as I didn’t want to simply showcase one of my works. Nor did I want mere words in some special font spread across the page. I wanted my header and logo to impart a feel for my process. Does that sound like an artist or what?!

So, what could I possibly mean by “my process”? Not only am I referring to building a work with dozens of little pieces, I’m talking about the painting, the spraying, the adhering, the layering, and the unusual use of found objects. I’m talking about the part I most love about the art I create – the adventure of first constructing a background from various mediums and then slowly adding one embellishment after another as I discover just where my imagination is taking me. It’s never exactly as I imagined. And it’s always better than I envisioned.

Jennifer Short with Quest Creative Design took up the challenge of demonstrating my process without words… with only two images. She used images that showcased the original use of everyday items. See the above logo? That light blue half circle you see on the upper left? That’s a paper milk bottle cap from the 1950s. You’ll also find hidden in there a plaster chandelier trim piece, a vintage earring, tree bark, beads that were once white, and flowers that were changed in color to coordinate with the design emerging in my head.

Now look at the header below. The light blue surface with tiny balls is actually a piece from a vintage black and red beaded purse. See the layering, the blending, the painting, the frosting of some items to give everything a cohesive look? That’s the process. And Jennifer captured it beautifully all while making it into an advertising piece.

Now I can finally order those new business cards (Jennifer designed those as well). I’ll be sharing those later.

Oh, and my new logo at the top of this post? It’s actually the shape of the items – without the white background. But technology gets in my way yet again. I don’t know how to work such an image into an article!

Vicky

 

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