Happy New Year! A Trash Bubble Update

Hello! Happy New Year!

Long time, no write. I know. But you know what? For once, I feel no guilt.

Time well spent, in my estimation. I have been practicing self-care, giving myself the much needed time to mull things over, plan out my course and readjust to where I am in my life and my art.

Today, I am here to share with you a little bit of what’s been going on and where I intend to take things in 2018. Hopefully, you’ll join me on my journey. At the very least, I hope you might take away a little inspiration for your own journey.

Last year was another big one for me, in that I have continued to step outside my comfort zone, stretching myself and my art. I took more chances. I experimented more with marketing and sales of my art. That meant doing three art/craft shows (up from one the previous year) and applying for a local Awesome Foundation grant. http://www.awesomefoundation.org

It’s true that the shows didn’t yield as much income as I would have liked. BUT! I learned from each one. In addition, I spent time attending shows (market research) trying to find ones that were a good fit for my art and found a few to experiment with this year. It was all part of the learning curve for me.

That grant I applied for? It was for my Trash Bubbles! And guess what?!?

I GOT IT!

Awesome Pittsburgh honored me with their 69th award! Check it out here: https://awesomepgh.com/2017/12/07/award-69-trash-bubbles/

That brings me to the request that you join me…

In August, I issued a call for Trash Bubbles. https://trashbubblesandlifeslittlebits.wordpress.com/2017/08/21/monday-morning-mail-art-call-trash-bubbles-a-poetic-exploration-of-trash/

Sadly, I have only received a few. By few, I mean less than a dozen. Trying to put together an exhibit to include the Trash Bubbles of other artists alongside those I’ve made falls a bit short when participation is low. I know they cost about $3 each to mail and that might be an issue for some of you. Understandable. Others of you may have had good intentions, but forgot, got sidetracked by life, etc. That’s cool, too.

You still have time to participate! After all, I am still seeking a venue for the exhibit. It may be that it happens on a smaller scale this year. That’s okay. Just know that I am still looking for your own interpretation of Trash Bubbles. I will be taking submissions thru March 1, 2018.

Even if you are merely curious, please check out the link above for the details. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be inspired.

In any event, I wish you all a healthy and productive 2018!

Happy Trash to you, until we meet again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life’s Little Bits: Happy Cyber Week!

Happy Cyber Week!

This post replaces the Monday Morning Mail Art Call.

But WAIT! Don’t be disappointed!

Use coupon code: FREESHIP in my Etsy ( https://www.etsy.com/shop/LynnRadford?ref=hdr_shop_menu ) to receive FREE SHIPPING on any order of $30 or more, now thru November 30th!

What’s in my shop?

Cigar Band Collage Coasters are a great gift for him! Buy one or mix and match a set of four! They’re only $15 each! They are sealed with three coats of cold wax making them durable for cold drinks like his favorite whiskey or scotch!

Take a peek and save on shipping! Don’t see what you want? I create custom orders! Does he have a cigar band collection, some special bands you’d like me to use? Same price! Contact me!

Our regularly scheduled programming will return next week….

Happy Trash to you, until we meet again!

 

On My Desk: Daffodil Dreams

Mail art endeavors seem to come in fits and spurts for me these days. Rather than a piece a day, which I’ve been doing for Mail Art 365, I have been working on individual calls that inspire, or in series.

Each month since January, I have created a large (18×24 inch) background which gets cut down into eighteen postcards. Six of those go out to co-members of the 5089 group at IUOMA and facebook. They alter them digitally, or using collage and post photos to the group. The remainder get dolled up by me and sent out into the world as replies to all the wonderful mail that arrives here at Piney Creek Acres.

April’s piece became the Daffodil Dreams series. This is the sneak peek I released prior to mailing:

Using the rich, primarily monochromatic, yellow mixed-media background I created, daffodils, clipped from fall bulb catalogs, were glued atop. I hated to part with this series because they made my heart so happy. In the end, that is exactly why I did part with them… to spread that happiness.

Here are views of the eleven individual pieces:

Daffodil Dreams I

Daffodil Dreams II

Daffodil Dreams III

Daffodil Dreams IV

Daffodil Dreams V

Daffodil Dreams VI

Daffodil Dreams VII

Daffodil Dreams VIII

Daffodil Dreams IX

Daffodil Dreams X

Daffodil Dreams XI

Hope you are all enjoying the mild weather and beautiful blossoms that spring has to offer!

Happy Trash to you, until we meet again!

Studio Chaos!

Seth Apter (http://thealteredpage.blogspot.com/) has challenged us to share our studio work tables in all their messy glory in his collaborative effort, Studio Table Reveal!

Deciding to take the plunge, I knew I’d be in good company. Pop on over http://thealteredpage.blogspot.com/2014/09/studio-table-reveal.html to see in excess of eighty different artist work tables in various stages of artistic goodness! It just goes to show that creativity is a messy subject… you have to get in and get dirty!

My work table (an old farm table) rarely exposes a work space larger than eighteen inches square. Arty clutter surrounds me despite my attempt to follow the rule, “A place for everything and everything in its place.”

Today, you can see several projects in various stages of completion, along with the supplies I’m using, scattered about the work surface.

In addition, I have a U-shaped work table that tends to accumulate art supplies, as well as serve as my sewing station.

Note the random drawers hanging open to the left of the sewing machine and the stack of supplies on top of the stool below… chaos suspended in time.

This challenge got me thinking about cleaning… I mean, when was the last time I thoroughly cleaned the place? But… I’m simply too busy creating!

Happy Trash to you, until we meet again!

Outbound Mail Art: Mail Art 365 Challenge Accepted!

The most recent pieces to post from The Studio at Piney Creek Acres marks the beginning of my adventure in Mail Art 365.

Mail Art Superman was sent to Brazil. It was ultra simple, but it made me smile.

Mail Art Superman 001/365

Floating is another light, happy piece. Massachusetts was its destination.

Floating 002/365

Beach Glass Delight had nothing to do with beach glass and everything to do with the tranquility of the color scheme. Scraps and bits made up this collage. My hope is that it arrived in Washington before the recipient relocated.

Beach Glass Delight 003/365

Calypso’s Dream was an experiment of sorts. I really liked the way it turned out. It landed in Minnesota without incident.

Calypso’s Dream 004/365

Colorful Expressions is a trash-po collage made up of Scotch washi tape labels and went to California.

Colorful Expressions 005/365

Created from a scrap of textured wallpaper, Textured Dots was sent to Italy.

Textured Dots 006/365

One of my favorite pieces of the last week is RUSTic Naturals. An assemblage of bits, including a rusty disc and bit of old book binding, I had a difficult time letting go of it, but it posted to New Jersey.

RUSTic Naturals 007/365

Created for the Fake Andy Warhol Mail Art Call, this crazy little guy got under my skin. Iowa, here he comes!

Fake Andy Warhol Monkey 008/365

Happy Trash to you, until we meet again!

 

 

 

 

Off to Atlanta!

FRAGILE Eco-Blueprint is finally getting a new home! Taking flight from the Studio at Piney Creek Acres, it is heading south to Atlanta, Georgia for inclusion in the Zalop: Illusory Correspondence Art exhibit at the Eyedrum Art & Music Gallery. (http://www.eyedrum.org/) The exhibit runs from February 15 through March 16, 2014. If you live in or will be visiting the area, stop in to check it out!

This is quite the adventure for a trash bubble whose only view has been the clutter and chaos of art in the making!

You may remember this piece from an earlier post. Find the original here: https://trashbubblesandlifeslittlebits.wordpress.com/2013/05/24/fragile-eco-blueprint/

Many well-wishes will carry this trash bubble on it’s way to its new life!

Now, it’s time to get back in the studio to make more!

Happy Trash to you, until we meet again!

Going Mobile!

The Art of Recycling show is over. I picked up the Trash Bubbles Heart the Earth https://trashbubblesandlifeslittlebits.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/trash-bubbles-heart-the-earth/  mobile on Monday. It looked so sad and deflated, atop one of my canvas backgrounds, that I knew I needed to do something with it right away.

It did not take any awards. I did not expect that it would. My goal was to bring awareness.

Throughout the duration of the show, I gave much consideration to the fate of the mobile upon its return to Piney Creek Acres Studio. I did not wish to hang it, or hang onto it, for posterity. I wanted to maximize its potential, to continue spreading its message.

What better way to spread the message than to send the individual bubbles out into the world? Trash Bubbles were originally created as mail art, after all.

Grow Miracles https://trashbubblesandlifeslittlebits.wordpress.com/2013/04/13/grow-miracles/ was attached to a 4 x 6 inch piece of product backing to prep it for the post.

Now, they are all ready for their journey. Coming soon, to a mail box near you!

Happy Trash to you, until we meet again!

Litter Bug

The Litter Bug bubble hangs just below Grow Miracles on the Trash Bubbles Heart the Earth mobile. Read the original post here: https://trashbubblesandlifeslittlebits.wordpress.com/2013/04/11/trash-bubbles-heart-the-earth/

Litter Bug was the first bubble created for the mobile and as I worked, I measured all the other bubbles against it. Because the mobile was an Earth Day project, I really wanted to focus on the trash as much as on the beauty wrought from it. If not for litter bugs, I wouldn’t have so much inspiration looking up at me from the ground on my walks. However, I can find inspiration to create anywhere. I would much rather folks dispose of their trash properly.

A piece of green all-weather carpet (washed up in a mild flood) made a great jumping off point for this piece. I added a crumpled scrap of smokey blue paper (pulled from my trash can) behind it to serve as sky. Bits of this and that jumped out at me from my jar of trash and found objects and soon, the bubble was nearly overflowing. The composition had become too cluttered. As I was going for a less is more approach, I removed several trashy bits and this was the end result.

A scrap of that chopped up Miracle Grow bag made the cut, as did a broken piece of flourescent lighting grate, and a fantastically rusty piece. The flower bead (found peeking up from the mud one day) gave me the complementary color I needed to complete the piece.

The packaging originally housed Tim Holtz idea-ology ruler ribbon. (Note the grommet in the upper right-hand corner which held the one inch sample.) The package is hinged at the bottom and snaps together, making it so that little was needed in the way of closure. I threaded a bit of aged gas line ribbon (found on the forest floor) through that grommet and snapped the piece shut, using patterned paper tape to seal the edges shut.

It is a beautiful day in the neighborhood! I’m off to hunt trashy bits and clean up the roadside near Piney Creek Acres….

Happy Trash to you, until we meet again!

Trash Bubblet Has Landed!

Last week, I discovered via http://www.sparkledaysstudio.com/2013/02/27/keeping-it-simple-what-to-do-with-a-bubblet/#comment-6390 that Corrine Gilman of Sparkle Days Studio had created a Trash Bubblet for me. I was tickled! It was great to see that my Trash Bubbles! article in the Winter 2013 issue of GreenCraft magazine had been the inspiration for such a great piece. Better yet, that Corrine had embraced the Trash Bubble concept, going so far as to name the multi-bubble pieces, was amazing! From here on out, any Trash Bubble with more than one chamber shall be refered to as a Bubblet!

Here is a close-up of the Bubblet’s detail:

I particularly love the shape of the chambers, six-sided bases with bubbles atop! So much fun! Its size is impressive at 9×6 inches. (I had expected a standard 4×6 postcard.) Corrine used confetti sized scrap to fill the chambers and a colorful stamped piece as its backdrop. Just looking at it makes my soul happy!

The Bubblet took its good old time to arrive at Piney Creek Acres, having travelled the USPS to get here. Corrine and I have been exchanging mail art for about a year now, having met through a mutual friend’s blog and mail art swap. (Jill Eudaly of Recycled Daze: http://www.jeudaly.blogspot.com/) We are all contemporaries over at the International Union of Mail Artists (IUOMA.) As such, it was quite fitting that the Bubblet was genuine mail art!

I loved the cereal box backing which provided stability for the piece. The security envelope address areas added texture, as did the torn scrap upon which she wrote her note to me.

Here is the first Bubblet I created, long before Corrine aptly named them:

You may recall from a previous post, that this Bubblet was created for my 2013 Sketchbook Project from a gum packet.

Corrine didn’t stop at the Bubblet. She also created a Happy Trash Bubble for our friend, Jill. It is pictured below and more about it can be found on their blog posts:

http://www.sparkledaysstudio.com/2013/03/04/monday-monday-its-mail-for-you/

http://www.jeudaly.blogspot.com/2013/03/thank-you-corrine-gilman-for-trash.html

Here at Trash Bubbles and Life’s Little Bits, we want to see the Bubbles and Bubblets you create. Feel free to post a link to your Bubbles in the comment section of any post.

Happy Trash to you, until we meet again!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jig!

My Trash Bubbles, published in the Winter Issue of GreenCraft magazine, arrived back at Piney Creek Acres over the weekend.

As I unpacked them and photographed the pieces, I tried to think about what to do with them next.

The vinyl enclosed 45, You Are So Beautiful: Solar Disk Holism, was originally created for the 2012 Solar Disc Festival, only the festival was over by the time I got around to finishing it. (That’s what happens sometimes.) Subsequently, it has been promised to another Trashpo contemporary who loves vintage vinyl as much as I do, Neil Gordon of Connecticut.

This wasn’t my typical Trash Bubble. The cracked 45 was essentially trash, but I just couldn’t bring myself to throw it away. Encased in clear vinyl and punched with two sizes of holes at irregular intervals, it became another animal entirely. You Are So Beautiful… I can’t help but wonder what Joe Cocker would think.

Below are the other, more traditional Trash Bubbles which appeared in the four-page spread.

You can read more about these pieces in the Winter 2013 Issue of GreenCraft magazine, on stands now.

Happy Trash to you, until we meet again!