Bubbles Be Gone!

Yeah! I finally figured out how to solve the bubble problem with my resin for good. And there was nothing fancy involved. In fact, it was my first solution in the very beginning but I didn't make the commitment and pour. LOL. Ok, let me explain. I had a show last weekend at the Scoot Inn here in Austin. I met the other people who use the same belt buckle blanks here in town that I do. It's funny because when the supplier is out they tell me it's because someone else bought them all up and that the two of us keep buying each other out. Anyway, they told me to use Modge Podge to seal the paper into the buckle. I told them I was concerned about brush strokes and they swore they disappeared. That had been my first solution but once I coated the image I was appalled at the very noticeable brush strokes and never poured resin on top because I thought they would still be there after the fact and at the time I was still experimenting and didn't have many to play with. So I learned a lesson. When experimenting, commit to the idea and follow it through. You might be surprised. Turns out the brush strokes do disappear. Can't see them at all. And the air pockets stay put and away from my curing resin. I'm excited. I can create belt buckles now without fear of wasting product. Just wait til I have some time after the holidays. New designs are swimming in my brain.

Christmas Shopping Made Easy

Here are some easy ways to get unique gifts and still feel good about all the money you're spending...

Avoid unoriginal, mass produced gifts and shop hand made.

I have some fun stuff on my etsy shop

Lucy Blue Studio


Etsy has a great gift guide as well if my stuff isn't to your taste. Just click on "gift guides" on the top of the page or just start browsing.

You can also buy local at the
Austin Artist's Market and other events. We are at Mother Egan's on 6th Street every Saturday (except Dec. 1st, we'll be at
Wheatsville at their event the 1st AND 2nd) and in Round Rock on Main Street every second Sunday (that's the 9th in December.)

Also, check out
AckMe at the Scoot Inn on December 1st from 8 p.m. until 2 a.m. Lots of artists and fun things going on.

Belt Buckle Rack

Here is the rack I built myself to display my belt buckles. I'm pretty proud of it.

New Skills!

I learned to use a plasma cutter today. I tried to weld but I'm not very good at it yet. But I will be! Anyway, I was learning so I could build new displays for my jewelry and belt buckles. I think I made some great pieces. I'll post some pictures as soon as I download them but I want to set up a mock display first. I was just so excited I had to post :)

Maker Faire

Well, spent this weekend at the Maker Faire here in Austin. I loved it. There is something energizing about seeing so many creative and talented people showing off their inventions/labors of love. And there were lots of robots :)

I was handing out materials for Etsy and having a great time wandering around looking at everything. The art cars were the first thing that caught my eye. Saw the famous camera van and had no idea it had working tv's on one side.

Also saw the giant mousetrap.
Honestly, if you are curious just go to flickr and do a search for Austin Maker Faire to get all the pictures you could ever want. It is hard to convey the atmosphere of the event. All these people that I'm sure have been called crazy or worse for following their creative impulses, be it mixing dead animal parts into cute sculptures....
or making dancing robots, building their own theremins, or making bicycles out of found objects. There was also the Diet Coke and Mentos fountains. Took about 3 hours to set up properly and all of 2 minutes to explode.

If the Maker Faire ever comes anywhere near you, go!

NY in a Nutshell

Figured I might as well elaborate a bit on my trip. First off, we knew it was going to be a good trip because the day before was so awful. I was almost late to work because the truck broke down. Turns out the brake lines were bad. Wes had to take me to work on his motorcycle, which proceeded to brake down after he dropped me off. He limped home and got into his car to get parts for the truck and the car broke down, too! We went to NY leaving three broken vehicles to deal with when we got home.

So, I was amazed that our plane was on time. I'd heard many scary things about LaGuardia but everything worked out fine for us this time. Though I think my next trip I'll fly into Newark or JFK since they both have trains running from them and we won't have to worry about getting a taxi or paying for a car service. Because LaGuardia doesn't have a train, we took a car service from the airport to Etsy Labs. I'm not sure if taking a taxi would have been better or not. We should have looked up car services before we ever left Austin but we were so busy getting ready for the trip that adding one more thing to the list would have been painful. So we overpaid for a ride but the driver had GPS in the car and without that I'm not sure we would have found the place. I thought I recognized the building from pictures but it was hard to be sure from where we were sitting. We didn't know where we were going at all so I guess I'm glad we paid for the car. A taxi driver would have been a crap shoot I think, now that I've had a bit more experience with the cabs in NY. They either really know where they are going or they expect you to know.

We got dropped off in front of the building and were buzzed in. The Etsy Labs are on the 6th floor and guess what? The elevator was busted. I laughed. We carried all our bags up the 6 flights of stairs and into Etsy. Oh and let me say that along the way we passed Make and Craft magazines and a very cool looking motorcycle shop or museum. Not sure what that was. All I could think was "of course all my favorite things are here. This is NY, where everything cool lives." Wes made sure I was ok, rearranged his luggage and took off for his friend's place in New Jersey. I saw him on and off the next couple of days and was glad he had places he could go. I was so busy I hated to think how bored he would have been if he'd had to stay in Brooklyn with me.

We met Mandi from Scribble Scrabble downstairs then went and had our first experience with street food (well, mine anyway) before heading back over where Becky from Becky Mae Designs and Danielle from Fabfrills met us and we started tackling the mound o' boxes from the rest of Texas street team. We basically moved them to a better room and started to rearrange the front room a little and set some stuff out for that night. Etsy was hosting an event called Handmade Music Night and invited us to set a few things out that might appeal to musicians. No one sold anything but it was interesting and we were a little ahead for Friday.

Friday was a day of hard work but it was fun. Kaite from Katinka Pinka and Christy from Carolina Bleu joined us and we continued to set up tables and display everyone's pieces. We all went to have dinner at Junior's before the show and returned to the labs ready to go. We had quite a few people show up and several people sold items. I sold two, which for me is pretty good. Michelle was entertaining everyone online in the Workshop, showing off everyone's pieces to the camera. We had some raspberry chipotle sauce over cream cheese, various salsas chips and crackers and plenty of wine to feed the masses. We spent the rest of the evening cleaning up and getting ready for the Brooklyn Indie Market on Saturday.

Saturday was another trial by car service. They were late and we were standing on the sidewalk with everyone's boxes, a table and a dolly worrying about getting there on time. When the car showed up, the table barely fit and we had to squeeze in best we could but we made it. I really enjoyed that part of Brooklyn. The neighborhoods had people sitting outside their brownstones having stoop sales, there were cute restaurants and shops lining the streets and it was a nice change of pace seeing so many people outside walking from place to place. We set up our tables and took turns manning the cash. A funny little old lady visited us and told us about the vintage bead shop she worked in "just around the corner" so we decided to go see it. Another thing I learned, for New Yorkers, or in this case Brooklyners (?), a little ways or a short walk or just around the corner could mean 10 blocks. We headed off and 6 blocks later found Union Max. It was a great little shop. We bought lots of stuff and then sent the other girls to go see it when we got back. For his part, Wes found a great little Cuban place and a Rolleicord camera at one of the stoop sales. We had a lot of traffic at the market and several people sold quite a few things though we were told it could have been better but Atlantic Antic was the same weekend. We still had fun. And we discovered the best car service. We called and they were there in 5 minutes and they knew where they were going. If you need a Brooklyn car service use Arecibo. We used them again on the way to the airport and they were half what the first service cost and cheaper than a cab.

We got back the labs with all our stuff then proceeded to pack everything up. I think we got back to the labs around 8:30 and weren't done til after 2 a.m. Most of the girls had early morning flights, as in they had to wake up at 4 or 6 a.m. and were real troopers about getting everything done. I won't say we weren't all a little grouchy by the end of it but to be fair we were exhausted. Luckily, I still had several more days and could sleep a little longer. Everything got packed up and labeled and we are still waiting to see if everything gets shipped out ok.

Sunday, we checked into our bed and breakfast. My first view of it was a little sketchy. There is an overgrown lot across the street, trash on the sidewalks and a few of the brownstones were a bit rundown, but it turned out to be a fairly quiet street, especially compared with how noisy it was sleeping at the labs and we were never bothered even when we came home at night off the subway. I do have to laugh a little about the well positioned photographs on their website now. Our room was so cute and the photos actually didn't do it justice. We had AC, cable and the trim and details in the old house were pleasant. They had a kitchenette upstairs and a common room with a computer. The bathroom was shared and that caused a few uncomfortable moments but it is workable. It isn't like you are sharing with lots of people or anything. But I think it would help if it weren't with a French woman who thinks she has to do everything in the bathroom, even things she could have done in her room to be polite. Oh but wait, she's French. Polite? Ce qui? We stayed in the Franklin room and had plenty of space. Can't say the others would be the same. The pictures of the two other rooms looked tiny though to be honest, who stays in the hotel, or B&B, when they are visiting a new place? So, we checked in, dropped off our bags and headed into Manhattan.

First stop was Gray's Papaya for the recession special. Two dogs and a drink for $3.50. Get the onions on it. Then, we headed for the Met. Wes was still re-acclimating himself to subway travel so we ended up a few blocks away and had to walk. Still, it was nice seeing the city and I don't mind a little walking. Everyone had said that when going there you need at least a couple of days to see everything. Obviously, they don't have any idea how I see museums. I saw everything I wanted in a couple of hours. The Egyptian section, Asian section and the Arms and Armour. Yes, I'd like to see everything eventually but that won't take long next time. Maybe Italy ruined me for museums but I can get through even the most massive in a fraction of the time it takes most people. For one, the medieval and Roman art was no where near as impressive as the pieces I saw plenty of in Italy. Seriously, it has been a few years and I still have problems passing by the annunciation paintings. If I never see another one it'll be too soon. I tend to gravitate toward key pieces, can ignore the similar items and don't feel compelled to read every piece of material written about the exhibits. I'm a museums ideal customer. Pay to enter and use a minimal of their resources... and still spend money in the gift shop.

We went through Central Park on the way back and decided to eat at Katz's. Anyone from Austin is thinking of the Katz's here. Not even remotely similar and in no way related, though I'm sure Marc Katz would love to charge the same prices. I don't think I've ever had pastrami before. Ok, I thought I had but it didn't taste anything like what I had there in NY. And the knishes with sausage in it. Mmmmm. We made it back to the B&B full and tired.

Monday, we went shopping. H&M, Century 21, Canal Street, Pearl Paint, Pearl River, various shoe stores. It was very damaging to my bank account but worth it. I laughed every time Wes haggled with the street vendors. They would get so angry sounding but if we walked off suddenly the prices dropped. That whole day is a blur of cheap handbags and store clerks looking for our shoe sizes. And Century 21. I wasn't sure if I was excited to be there or slightly frightened. So many people, so many floors, so many things to buy. As for food, we started the day with lunch at Kelly and Ping and some very productive photos taken of graffiti. Turns out it's harder to find Graffiti in NY than you would think. Thanks, Guilliani. We ended the night back in Brooklyn eating the best pizza either of us has ever had. Raymond gave us the suggestion. We got there, sat down, ate and when we were leaving the line was around the building. We went across the street to the River Cafe and spent more on drinks and dessert than we did on the pizza, but don't think either of us cared. It was amazing.

Next day, we were off to see B&H, which of course, was closed for a Jewish holiday. I did get to have my falafel from a street vendor and we made it to the Strand. I think I loved it so much I could set up a shrine in my house to the place. Needless to say, I bought many books with no regard to how I was going to get them home. Also found a little shop that sold Nepalese papers and ended up with a pair of $200 cowboy boots for $30. I love that I bought cowboy boots in NYC. We went to a sandwich place that we suspect is a franchise but the sandwiches were so good I'm still craving them. I had the G4 (Grilled smoked ham and smoked turkey breast with melted Finlandia swiss cheese, romaine lettuce, coleslaw and Russian dressing.) Highly recommended. We then realized we were late meeting some old friends of Wes's from the exchange floor so we rushed over the financial district to meet them for drinks. We ended up in New Jersey afterwards eating Indian food. By this time I have really fallen in love with public transportation. I can even forgive the slimy feeling you have after traveling on the ferries and subways because of how efficient they are. I think I'll make sure I take antibacterial gel with me next time.

Wednesday, we met Wes's friend Dave for a trip upstate. Forgive me for not remembering the places we ate or went but it was a nice change from the city though I would have liked another day to explore Manhattan. We ended up at a winery eating some good bread and honey. We also drove around and I got to see at least the start of the leaf changing season. We ended up eating at a Mexican restaurant in New Jersey. Apparently, finding good Mexican is hard for many transplant Texans. They were ok. Not perfect but as close as you can get, but the prices are much higher than for Mexican food back home. El Bandito's review in the New York Times is pretty funny to read.

Thursday, we went back to Canal Street to find some of the 6 for $10 I Love NY t-shirts and finish out our gift buying. After that was done we wandered into Little Italy and ate at Amici II. How many times do Texans get to eat Italian at a place where everyone speaks Italian and the food is authentic? Not often unless you go to Italy. Eat here and be fat and happy. We got back to the B&B, called our new favorite car service and made it to LaGuardia ahead of schedule. I was sad to leave but excited about the next trip up. We'll hit all the places we missed this time: Cooper-Hewitt, MOMA, El Charro for their paella, Peter Lugar for the steaks and everything else I look up between now and whenever I get to go back.

This got longer than I expected, hope I don't bore everyone silly. Oh wait, if you hate reading it I'm sure you will have clicked somewhere else by now :)

Back from NY!

Wow! I don't even know where to start. I love that city. Yes, it's dirty, the people are rude, everything costs an arm and a leg, but somehow that only makes me love it more. The show went ok. I didn't sell much but the experience was worth it. I managed to make it to the Strand, the Met and a few other places. Bought too many clothes and books. Oh and Brooklyn is a very cool place nowadays! Click on the city to see the rest of my flickr set.

Help Support a Texas Artist

Should be a fun time. Come on by if you are in Austin.

Only a Week to Go!

I'm so excited I even bought a New York guide book. Ok, so I'll have my own personal tour guide but still, I like researching and finding things my self. The show starts Friday at 6 and the second one starts Saturday at 1. That leaves 4 full days and most of Thursday to explore. As far as prep for the show goes, my pieces got shipped today by FedEx and hopefully nothing tragic or weird happens. I don't think I'll get to see as much as I want but the Met and Cooper-Hewitt are top on my list, along with plenty of bookstores, Chinatown and at least a couple of nice restaurants. How silly is it to already be dreading the return flight? I love that city and would live there in a heartbeat. Wish me luck at the show. It'll be worth the trip no matter what happens.

A Fellow Artist Needs Help

Please visit Scott Garrette's etsy shop or read about why he needs help here. Anything would be appreciated.

Aha!

I have genius friends. For some reason I thought I'd have to buy something expensive to fix my "bubble" problem. All I need is a giant bag, a box, some duct tape and a shop vac. I'm building a fabulously cheap vacuum chamber for my resin. No more bubbles and I get to feel like clever for a few minutes :) Now I just have to see if it will really work.

I Never Thought...

... bubbles would become my enemy. Usually I find them charming. Children blowing them into each others faces always puts a smile on my face. I had them at my wedding instead of rice because they are so so friendly. When I learned to scuba dive, my favorite part was the bubbles coming off of everyone. There was something magical about how the bubbles reflected the sunlight from the surface and sparkled when they gurgled up over our heads.

Then I discovered resin. I looked at websites and books before buying all the supplies. I remember the passages about bubbles showing up. Bubbles? No big deal. How hard could playing with resin be? I've been making belt buckles and having so much fun designing them. But... But I have to check on everything constantly. I have a straw I carry with me when I've been making things with resin so I can go blow on the bubbles every few minutes. I will pop them all and feel very self satisfied until I go to check on my pieces again. More bubbles. Where in the hell do they come from? Is it the chemical reaction causing them or do I keep battling unseen air pockets?

Can you be a bubble magnet? I have been dreaming of giant bubbles chasing me down the street and I dropped my magic straw down a manhole. I think maybe I should take a break and go back to something that needs less babysitting... Ha! I'm not sure anything like that exists. It took me 45 minutes to write this just because I kept getting up to blow on my belt buckles.

I'm just as obsessive about all the mediums I work with. I keep figuring a light bulb will go off and I will have a solution to the never ending bubbles. I'm pretty sure that I missed something in one of those books about battling bubbles. Something about swords and flamethrowers. Maybe a canon or two.

Only a Month to Go

Anyone who follows what is going on in the Etsy world has probably heard of the Last Friday Trunk Shows. Etsy Labs invites different street teams to have shows at their place in Brooklyn on the last Friday of the month. I've heard mixed things about it but then again that happens with anything that is new and working out the kinks. Anyway, the Texas street team is invited for the last Friday and Saturday in September and I decided to go in person. Can't really afford it but I love New York and have never tromped around Brooklyn so I'm excited. If I sell some stuff great, if not, well, I'm in New York :) I haven't traveled outside the state in awhile so I'm looking forward to it. I'm trying to compile a list of places to visit, both for myself and to see if I can get my stuff in some shops up there. I'm taking suggestions. I know I still have a few weeks but I'm getting excited. So take a look at the poster I designed. Hopefully you'll see it around :)

Belty Bling

So, I've been too busy to make my own stuff lately, but not too busy to browse around Etsy. I'm on a belt buckle kick so I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you.

We'll start with a fellow Austinite.
cougar.etsy.com

Glass belt buckle with woodgrain silkscreen.
Love it.
kikuhandmade.etsy.com

Steel buckles no one else will have on their belts.
20volthand.etsy.com

Yes, we've seen them before but this one is 18k gold!
Vanessarap.etsy.com

Amazing Dia Des Los Muertos Belt Buckle
at headzortailz.etsy.com

Ring a Ling!

Here are some of my first rings. Any suggestions on ways to keep the clay attached would be appreciated. I am using E6000 right now. Seems to work fine. I've been wearing some and bumping them around at work. Very sturdy.

Balance

I'm trying to master a new trick. I'm sure there are many of you out there that have to balance your art with family, work... well, life in general. I've never really tried to fit my art into everything else. I'm either all or none. Typically, I have worked full time or gone to school and let my personal work stay on the back burner; something to fiddle with on long holidays. That or I am out of school and letting the one who loves me pay the bills while I try to focus solely on my work. Neither of those choices is satisfactory to me really. I don't like letting someone else support me and I don't like ignoring that very important part of me.

I just took a full time job and decided this time to pay attention to all my needs. I need to feel independent financially but my creativity needs to be addressed. Most of you will know how hard it is to make time for yourself and your art when there is laundry piling up, dinner to be fixed and the exhaustion of just doing your job for eight hours a day to deal with.

My compromise is to work during the week and just focus on my home and my job. The weekends are for me. Seems obvious to me now but for some reason it was the hardest decision to come to. I still find myself catching up on housework on Saturday and eyeballing the clay on weeknights when I should be in bed, but it is getting better. Anticipating my time in my studio gives me something to look forward to and I am excited to be in there.

Maybe it seems silly to just be figuring this stuff out but you can only learn what you are ready to learn.

Rock n Roll

In honor of my shoulder feeling better then acquiring a fabulously crispy sun burn that makes wearing clothes feel like a million little needles, I am going to post a few of my favorite etsy artists. Actually, the real inspiration for the artists I chose are all the river rocks I collected after I burned myself floating down the river at a family reunion this weekend. After the bad choice in non-waterproof sunblock, I decided it was best to play babysitter and amused myself with finding interesting stones while the kids hunted for fish with these awesome $2 toy nets. I love it when kids find more amusement in the cheapy stuff. Anyway, here are some very talented people who work with stones and pebbles (or at least imitate it well.)

Ashleyjewelry's fabulous rock pieces


Beth Cyr Fine Art Jewelry


Ad libitum- as you like it


Created by Abbe Ciulla of The Offbeat Artisans


Hardflower Studios


Kim Westad Ceramics

Waiting

I seem to have hurt my shoulder in some mysterious way. Two weeks now and until a few days ago I was convinced it would just go away. I am currently on pain meds and waiting to see if I need an MRI. Not that you guys want to hear all this. I am just frustrated because I want to make all the things I've dreamed up in my convalescence. It seems small rounds of typing doesn't hurt so bad but conditioning clay is a nightmare. I could try painting with my left hand but, silly me, everything I am dying to make requires clay. Wish me luck and pray I suddenly find patience. Seriously, bored, impatient redheads... very bad thing to have floating around the house.

May PCAGOE Challenge

The theme for this month's PCAGOE challenge was Mixed Media so I used copper wire, string and paint to fulfill the requirement. Don't ask me where the idea came from; it just popped into my head. Ok, it was spurred on by this tutorial showing how to make little octopus charms. How I got from those to this would hurt your brain and mine if I tried to explain. That happens though. I get clay in my hands and what I want to make takes a backseat to what the clay wants to become. I hope you enjoy the sculpture. It was fun to make.

"The Masked Whale Boy Comes Ashore"

Rabbits Have Invaded

I have had rabbits on the brain for a long time. Go figure. I am pretty sure I will keep expanding this series. New ideas just seem to pop into my head in the middle of the night. They are small. I use various 2x3 inch frames to house the sculptures. I can just see dozens of them covering an entire gallery. It would be so hilarious.

Heaven Has Apples

Spring Time Is For Fish

Rabbits Can Swim

Show This Weekend

This is the festival I will have my work at this weekend. I'll be sharing a booth with Andrea of Powderpuff Creations.
I will have more polymer clay work than anything I think and some new weird rabbit pieces. I'll post some photos later in the week after I'm done with this little mini series.

So, if you are in the Austin area come on by and say hello. I'll have some fun promo stuff from other Etsy artists to hand out. There will be music, food and tons of artists to drool over.

See you there!

Fun Piece

This is a piece I did for the April Challenge for Polymer Clay Artists Guild of Etsy (PCAGOE). I rarely work in 100% polymer clay but I thought it might be fun to try. I started with a mold I made of a carved walnut shell and then made flowers, snails, a beetle and some budding plants. I painted it with various metallic paints when it was baked and here you go...

Product Reviews: Amazing Mold Putty & Super Sculpey Firm

Let me begin by saying I love Amazing Mold Putty. I have more molds than a teenager out on their own for the first time. I have finally graduated from molding what is around me to creating molds from polymer clay so I can cast my own unique pieces. The molding putty is easy to mix, not too sticky and makes detailed impressions. It is an easy 1:1 ratio. I have tried about 3 other brands and I have to say they each had their own issues. One was so sticky it was hard to mix without getting everywhere and the other two made molds that weren't flexible enough. I started out by carrying it with me everywhere and molding anything that caught my eye; texture on furniture (don't use on fabrics, I was playing with wicker and bamboo pieces), floors, walls, friends' appendages, etc... It sets up fast and stays pliable. I've made impressions in polymer clay and now resin and the resulting pieces are just as interesting as the original. I found you have to watch for air bubbles but that seemed to be the case with all of the brands. Paying attention to how you are mixing the parts together helps cut down on the bubbles.


I have also been using Super Sculpey Firm as my sculpting medium. It is easy to condition, easy to blend and is very durable. I found that the lumps, bumps and fingerprints disappear with less effort. For my usual work I'll still stick to Premo but for pieces I'm going to cast in resin I will use SSF. I'm enjoying the smoother texture and have been impressed with how it holds onto details.


Hope this information helps with anyone who has been experimenting with mold making. I haven't graduated to the liquid silicone molding mediums yet but I probably will. I have been eyeballing some of my 3-D works for casting and need something else to make molds with. I'll keep you posted.

Birthday Weekend

I'll be gone for the weekend celebrating my birthday so I won't be doing anything crafty to post about. Just wait til next week though. I have plenty of things in the works...

Any Market for Weird Purses?

I've been encouraged to make more of my cigar box purses. I have a couple for sale and they get looked at a lot but no one picks them up. I try not to be too effected by this. I know that making things true to yourself is more important than trying to make things you think will sell.

So I traded some light poster work for a temporary salesman. He is willing to talk to some people about carrying some of my purses and hopefully he is better at it than I am. I am still too attached to my work and have a hard time watching the buyer's eyes judge everything. I think this is why I love the internet so much. You can still interact with your customers, you have a broader customer base (if you can reach them) and there is a barrier between the work and the fear of rejection.

I find my fear of rejection funny. I mean, I have confidence in my work and my attention to quality. I think my stuff is fairly unique and I enjoy making it. But put me in front of a person who isn't as enthusiastic about my work and suddenly I am full of doubt. I know it happens to everyone and plenty of people either get over it or ignore it enough to schlep their stuff around but I haven't figured that part out yet.

I think for the next few I'll base my purses off of these...


These are listed on Etsy so I can't send them around to shops.

I made the figures first then decided to put them on purses. So I think I'll work that way again; just start playing with the figures and see what happens then decide what to do with them. I made molds of some doll heads and various insects. Then I added skulls, flames and embellishments. I'm pretty sure that in the next few weeks I can have an extensive line of creepy purses and no two will be alike.

Hot Rods and Art

Ok, nothing too crafty today. I've been oversaturated with hot rods this weekend and I'm processing. I love that whole culture but I am more of a voyeur than a participant (aka, no hot rod of my own, soon though, I don't have a enough tattoos and don't hang out with that crowd on a regular basis.)

Lonestar Rod & Kustom Round Up

I do have a very well grounded appreciation for that scene though, as a lot of the artists I love seem be influenced by a combination of '50's hot rod art and the skater scene. Yes, they are different but to me and most other people who have been following the "low brow" art scene (which needs a new name BTW,) looking at it from an aesthetic point of view, there are some common threads.

I have also become convinced I need to learn to do pin striping...

First Post and Semi Repost

This is a repost of my newsletter. Moving all my stuff to the blog. Luckily, I only made one.

Just click on the images to be able to read them.