SUMMER SCHOOL of FIsh

I did it again!

Handmade UPcycled, REclaimed, REpurposed... 


FOLK ART FISH...FRESH-CATCH DRIFTWOOD (properly dried) from the shores of LAKE ERIE! 

Check out my whole new catch/batch of whimsical dimensional wall art ... being offered online until my next "live" show...(see link below pictures) 

(clicking on any image will take you to a larger view!)

Look for them in my ETSY SHOP....BLUEYEDUCKSTUDIOS

Fish are flying once again ~~~

Walks on the beach finding driftwood ... sorting the piles of treasures and knocking off the sand ... drying them thoroughly for the longest time while my imagination runs wild... THIS is the stuff of summer! I made (and sold) so many crazy, wacky, wild fish characters in the years before and up to 2008 ~ look at this funny guy... purple polka dots and such a grin!

As many of you know the last couple or so years have been plenty rough with so many funerals (three in my own family), hospitals, surgeries, and oh-so-many changes... and as a result my art slipped behind the curtain a tiny little bit as I focused on commissions and small-format projects. If there is one thing that remains constant throughout my life it is that I am adaptable; I shift into whatever zone I need to and go forward where I am at. Right now I am rather alert and a bit stunned after all that has transpired. I might even look that way ~~ deer-eyes in headlights ~~ but I am happily standing still for this moment because there have been no major traumas or necessary adjustments needed in the last few months or so. It feels a little strange after the long journey of the last few years... kind of like being thrown from the back of a farm truck after getting used to being in said farm truck. I can't yell "I'm back!" because I was never gone. I was just occupied with several other callings some of which are complete. I guess I'll yell "I'm done!" since several of those callings are retired, and "I'm ready!" as new ones rush in to give me more to adapt to... thrive in...    

I struggled briefly ~~ a tiny bit ~~ getting back into making larger, long-term art messes and looking too far ahead (or so I thought). That didn't last long though and when my son went looking for something in the attic just last week he unearthed my last great beach combing box of super-dried driftwood from the summer of 2008. I immediately recognized fish bodies and potential signs --- all my previous intentions and ideas came flooding back like there had been no loss, or cancer, or death, or hospitals. Here are some pieces of driftwood that will become FISH (and a sign [sold] tossed in at the same time - by special request for an ETSY customer).

Here I have added wood FINS and TAILS ~~ you can see them GETTING THEIR WHIMSY ON already!

Next I added the wacky SMILES and place the EYES...

I will be "playing" with them all week - making them seriously FUN... painted details will cover them as the shapes and textures direct...
The largest ones in this group are over THREE FEET long!

... and when they are finished there are more waiting to be born ...



It is already shaping up to be a fabulous summer!

My Art - check it out at
http://www.blueyeduckstudios.etsy.com/

XOXOXOXOX
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Remembering my Dad here: Waitin' on a woman ...
and here: Sam

FoLK ArT & BLUE SKiES

~ 1884 salvaged wood ~


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MR. BLUE SKY

~ ELO ~

This song never fails to make me smile. The concert footage in this video is part of an excellent performance best viewed in a dark home theatre setting- on high volume!



~ 1884 salvaged wood ~

In keeping with blue skies, happy colors, and all things bright and beautiful - I am transitioning here to some folk art I created over the summer from a harvest of Lake Erie driftwood and some antique salvaged wood.

I have dozens of fish and text signs on eBay (live auctions and buy-it-now items in my eBay store)

~ 2007 Driftwood ~

Most of the wood was collected last spring - I remember one particularly cold and windy day when I was certain I'd frozen my ears off.





The color and texture on these is so rich and fun - most difficult to see in these small images. These Cirque du Soliel style fishies are really fun.



It is simple ... enjoy the music ... enjoy the folk art.

To see more (and I hope you will look) - check out "MY ART FOR SALE" in the link to the upper left.

joy in the journey,
katey

All You Need Is Love

All You Need Is Love ...

and some happy folky fish (wink)

Many are the woes of the wicked, but the LORD's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in Him. ~ Psalm 32:10

The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of His unfailing love. ~ Psalm 33:5

May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in You. ~ Psalm 33:22

I do not hide Your righteousness in my heart; I speak of Your faithfulness and salvation. I do not conceal Your love and Your truth from the great assembly. ~ Psalm 40:10

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ~ John 13:34

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. ~ I Corinthians 13:13

featured art: original Folk Art sculptures (available by clicking the link to the upper left "MY ART FOR SALE") ... created on Lake Erie driftwood with acrylic paint. Enjoy!

~joyfully,

katey-D

psalm 103