Two weeks ago I hosted another one of my art parties...an opportunity to get together with artist friends, play and create, drink wine, eat great food, play and create some more...
I usually plan a loose idea for playtime...but everyone is free to follow their own muse. This particular afternoon was all about resin...I was itching to play with it and wanted the comfort of the crowd with my experimentation...so I supplied a big drawer of collage fodder, a variety of bases for the foundation of said creation and a quart of resin...and we went to work...
I provided a good selection of foundations...
metal jar caps, orange juice can lids, curtain rings, tart tins, bottle caps...
Here's Shelley of From the Alley to the Gallery creating a pair of earrings...Shelley had worked with resin quite a bit so had some handy tips to pass along...using a straw to blow onto the newly poured resin (carbon dioxide releases the bubbles that form on the surface) is easier than pushing your face that close to the resin...its not good to be inhaling the fumes!
Wendy of Silver Spike Studio contemplated what to use in a special memento for her daughter...
The finished masterpiece from John of artjuvenation...
Kudos here to John...he is a published artist! Seth Apter's new book, "The Mixed-Media Artist", features three of John's collages...I've been enjoying perusing a copy of the book that I won (!) on Seth's blog...art eye-candy on every page...
Here are the ones I completed...I used the curtain rings as a base by attaching a backing of cardboard with a strong adhesive, letting it dry completely before I poured the resin...I thought that with the eyehook on top, it could be a tree ornament. My experiment with the OJ can lid left a little to be desired...I overfilled the cavity, which made quite a mess as it dripped over...also the glitter is a tad distracting...I won't even show you the ones I tried to make using old ironstone saucers...I thought the resin would stay contained in the saucer indentation...no such luck!
But the best part was just the chance to get together...Wendy's email to me afterward sums it up best...
Art is good.
Getting together with artists is sublime.
Hanging with like minded people is invigorating.
Eating well is wonderful.
Drinking is grand...well, the sparkling stuff is, for sure,
Learning new techniques brings joy.
yes, it was a good day to play well with others...and I didn't even run with scissors...
