Artfest, night two: work hard, play hard
A few more Artfest tidbits of after-school fun: Swag from the Aleene's glue people!
My housemate Jennifer Blevins (on the left) brought free art supplies from her employer. (And no, I wasn't asked to blog about it in exchange, but I did let Jennifer focus-group me a little.) Speaking of fun free stuff, I loved Michelle Allen's trade -- a Dangling Doodling with moveable arms.
African-inspired hairstyles: braids on Adeola Davies-Aiyeloja, Michelle with her 'locks, and me with my twist-out.
Interesting observation from Michelle: It's the first time, as a white woman, that she's ever been the focus of such strong reactions to her hair. People either adore it or are completely repulsed.
During the journaling/kibbitzing/working on class projects, we had live music, with belly-dancing courtesy of Lana Guerra. That girl's moves oughta come with a tsunami warning. Lana also taught a wig-making class; Madeline Jolley wore hers pretty much every day.
And finally, Kecia Deveney, my first retreat roomie and the artist whose necklace I bought at last year's Artfest. Every. Single. Day I got compliments on it, so I asked Kecia for her business cards to hand out.
But she didn't have them on her! At Artfest, epicenter of her target audience! I plan on giving her a hard time about that until I get referral commissions.
Artfest, day one: Steampunk'd
It's time to make some magic! Get your head together!
After the usual sleep deprivation from reconnecting with friends until the wee hours, I settled in to Clarissa Callesen's "Steampunk Sally" class. I transformed a porcelain doll from this:
To this:
We began by scalping our dolls...
and then we divided into work shifts. While one half added gesso and toasted it with butane torches...
the other half painted the cloth bodies.
We sewed clothes for them too: corsets, wings...
skirts and dresses...
Not to mention hair -- gears and coils to suggest hair, and duded-up versions of the original wigs.
Oh, but the best part by far was learning to paint the faces. (That, and the chance to use my new Golden paints. Mmmm.)
It was a complex series of steps, but surprisingly, not intimidating. I give you Miss Lucretia "Lucy" Pettigrew of Port Townsend: Professional Furniture-Climber...
Mud Puddle Stomper...
and Occasional Pyromaniac.
Besides the cyborg eye, she'll need more embellishments. I'll post photos when I can.
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| Deborah Olsen's gear design |
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| Kimberly's doll corset |
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| Christine Benjamin's steampunk pirate |
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| Sheri Debow's Marie Antoinette-style doll |
Oh, but the best part by far was learning to paint the faces. (That, and the chance to use my new Golden paints. Mmmm.)
Artfest opening ceremonies, part 2
