December 2017

A Search for Faces… of Clocks

December 31, 2017 admin

Clock faces, as well as clock gears and movements, are highly popular elements for inclusion in Assemblage or Mixed Media art. I’ve purchased more than a few broken watches or clocks over the years to disassemble – using every part that could effectively be adhered to canvas. But it can be a timely process and, even greater, the right sort of clock or watch is usually difficult to find for a price I’m willing to pay.

There are a multitude of new gears and watch faces available for purchase that specifically target the Mixed Media/Assemblage artist. I use such items extensively, especially gears. But the new clock and watch faces appear to be just that – new – and I want my embellishments to look old and a little rough or (even better) a bit broken.

Imagine my delight in finding these old battered colorful watch faces recently on Etsy for a reasonable price. I often find vintage elements on Etsy or eBay but the price is usually too high for use in an art piece that will contain dozens if not hundreds of such elements.

The key to such a successful find may be that the seller was located in Ukraine as well as my willingness to wait many weeks for delivery. I purchased these 24 clock faces in two lots. And, although I still think you’ll find the best vintage elements to include in your artwork at flea markets and estate sales, this time it really paid off to search a little online. Just perform your search using whatever descriptive words come to mind. Etsy sellers, in particular, take great care in tagging their products with all sorts of keywords to assist you in finding what you want to buy. As an example, I used the search term “old clock faces” to find these little worn jewels.

And now, you’ll soon see these clock faces peeking out from my works!

Vicky

Found Objects Galore

December 15, 2017 admin

I’m so happy to have everything back to normal again! The website redesign is working smoothly and, although I enjoy traveling immensely, I’m back home for a while and love being in my art studio regularly.

Here’s my latest – a Steampunk design that actually works for those who have more traditional tastes as well. It is full of vintage found objects – probably more than I have placed in one work before. I have a few others in process as well – one is a custom for a dear friend and a second and third feature either a turquoise or light blue background for you all who love the blue family.

And here’s the official description of today’s creation…..

Another steampunk creation although this falls into the traditional assemblage canvas as well. My Assemblage Canvases are filled with objects adhered to the canvas and this one has a higher percentage of what I refer to as “found objects” – vintage or older pieces I find at estate sales or flea markets. In fact, this artwork contains far more of these found objects than the newer elements.

Let’s start with the found objects – all of which fall into the vintage category as well: watercolors, pieces of a resin clock face, beaded purse sections, adding machine keys, furniture trim, bobbin, large beads, red 3D heart, red wreath brooch, knight chess piece, 7″ metal gear, beaded leaf, button, crocheted collar pieces, large metal star, metal flower, and diamond glass pieces.

The newer elements include gears, filigreed rounds and squares, bracelet link, large beads, clock face, word charm, propeller, button, various leaves, Celtic cross, metal heart, and other metal embellishments. There is a scripted piece of polymer clay crafted by yours truly. You’ll also find dozens of small metal beads.

On a 14″ x 11″ stretched canvas, the depth of this piece is 1.75″. The background has multiple coats and spritzes of paint with stenciled textured designs and pieces of lace collar providing an additional dimension. Once the multiple layers of embellishments are added, the piece is further enhanced with metallique and antique waxes and more spritzes of paint.

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.

Dimensions: 14″ x 11 x 1.75″

$119.00

Available for purchase at my Etsy shop

All Assemblage Art pieces sold at Art Creations by Vicky are original works from artist Vicky Hensley and one of a kind.

The Site Redesign Is Complete!

December 4, 2017 admin

It’s done… and days before my deadline. Yeah, I’m relieved and exuberant and feeling a bit like a victor cause, see, I’m basically a technophobe. I can envision, write, and produce decent photography but please don’t call on me to change a font for the entire site. Or move the navigation bar. And on and on.

Once again, thanks to my sister Mary for helping me start the process. Assuring me it wasn’t that big of a deal, I visited Mary last week – MacBook in hand. Once we had chosen the best theme, the going was surprisingly smooth (big sis was right) and I returned home with a big “to do” list and a feeling of optimism that I could do it!

The changes? Colors are slightly different – I’ve added a lot of white space which I believe makes reading easier. Some categories are gone and others added. I’ve tried to make the site simpler and easier to access. I’ve taken the time to explain “assemblage” in a number of places as it is a foreign word to more than not.

One big decision – I dropped the gourds. It doesn’t mean I won’t add them at a later date. I’ve discovered two things about my artistic enterprise. First, it takes all my available time to keep Assemblage inventory up (I sell as much as I can produce) and, second, I’m simply not turning out gourds that fit my definition of “good enough to sell”. Learning the large number of procedures one must to produce the type of gourds I envision creating takes time. And I can’t rush that as I had originally planned. One day – I’ve promised myself – just not as quickly as I hoped.

During the transition, I listed four new Assemblage Canvases. You’ll find each here on the site – just scroll a little further down the front page. I’m also providing you with a quick look…