Smoke and Mirrors...

I hate writing about my work.  I am currently avoiding writing this proposal by blogging.  Here are my experiments with dry ice:

Hand Dyed Feathers

So...still haven't had too much time in the ART studio.  I've been thankfully very busy with the feathery stuff.  I also put together some of the shirts for a boutique in L.A.  yay!

Here are some hand dyed feathers I made this week:

Today I am working on a proposal for the sculpture center!  I will post some sweet pics (yes this will involve smoke and glitter) later this weekend.  

No more sleeping.

Black Light, Black Magic, Black Tail

So....It has been an insanely long time since I have posted and I am very sorry!  The image above only slightly explains the madness really.  

It all started here: 

I was trying to figure out how to make some money out of something handmade, so I didn't have to wait tables again.  I started making jewelry!

One day I was making a feather earring and got a little carried away with the beadwork.  It them got turned into a hair clip.

Presto: one month later I am a small business owner.  So...needless to say I have been working 12-15 hours a day to fill jewelry orders, hunt down rare rooster saddle feathers, and try to stay on top of teaching and painting....

It is all AMAZING.  You should check out the shop.  It's to your left of this post.

I never dreamed to know so much about fly tiers or rooster bodies:

So these guys are genetically bred to have long, beautiful tail feathers. There are only so many roosters out there.  Before jerks like me, fly fishermen who tied flies as a hobby had prime pick of the Whiting Euro rooster saddle hackle, a glorious explosion of long as hell soft tail feathers.  They used to be around 40-90$ a pack (100 feathers).

Now they are all gone.  The guys that run the fly shops have an incredible amount of personality and sense of humor.  They probably find it quite strange that we want to put them in our hair like this:

or this:

I have become obsessed.  These things are gorgeous and I want to hand dye them and offer them to my customers.  I e-mail fly shops all over the country.  Gone....

I was told by one man that his birds left early this year...saying something about L.A. hairstyles.  At least he has a sense of humor about it all.  Needless to say the saddles are going for 300-500$ on E-bay.  I found 2 smaller ones that I have in my possession and I'm using in designs.  

Ahhh that is all for the birds....

Let's talk salt crystals.  These are some studies (successful?) for a sculpture I can't wait to build for Clutch gallery. 

When I'm not plucking rooster rear ends or growing things in dark, damp places, I zone out under the black light.  I am doing research for a show at the Hyde Park Art Center.  David Shirgley is going to be in it too! I'm so pumped up.

It is a mild coincidence that the feather earrings look amazing in backlight too!

That's all for now.  This is my 5th 15 hour day in row.  

Snore time.

Thomas McCormick Gallery Exhibition

Hello!  I just wanted to share the virtual tour of the exhibition at the gallery with Michael Hedges.  The show is up until June 4th, so you should come by and see it if you can get a chance.  Tom and Mary are awesome people and great to work with.  (and they both have a great sense of humor!)

Department of Beautification Report #4

Update:  New Birds on Head!

And!  Totes of birds in the One Strange Bird shop!

Department of Beautification Report #3

Hello, Everyone.  Sorry it has been sometime since my last update.  The giveaway was such fun.  My awesome artist friend Mathew Paul Jinks won a small painting.  I will post pics of it in his new home as soon as he returns my calls.  Ha!  

I have been really busy with the craft side of my practice making stuff for my two Etsy shops.  (There are links to them on the left-hand side of the blog.)  I have also been crafting with my girls Amanda Baker (super talented an all-around amazing person) and my sister, Madeline and fake sister, Allie Corwin.  Madeline moved back to St. Louis for the summer, so I am sadddddfaced. :(

Below you will see the most recent of street pieces I made.  I realized Mod Podge has subversive potential.  You can see below some lady heads in Wicker Park....

She is in good company with my good friend Hebru Brantley.

This next piece is on Milwaukee Ave. and is a "time based" work, in that I have been adding birds to her head over a span of about four weeks.  She now has four birds on her head.  I have to photograph the other two still, as we went out at night last time. 

Bird #1

Context: Street art in wicker park

Two birds up on her head

That's all for now!  Enjoy the sun, beautiful people.

Drop it like it's hot.

This is the newest piece in the studio.  This is my hard core rapper face.  I'm so cool it hurts.

But more seriously, I had an awesome opening at Thomas McCormick.  I realized how many amazing people are in my life...wow!  So thanks to everyone that showed up to show some love.  It was so much fun to see the paintings outside of my tiny, cramped studio.  

To show my love, I want to give away one tiny painting to someone.  Here is how it works.

1."Follow" me on this site.

(Click follow on the right hand side)

2. Comment (anything) on this post

3. I'll pick a number via a randomizer

4. The winner gets a baby 5 by 5 

5. I get to show my love...

6. I'll pick on Sunday May 8th, post, and give it to you!

Good luck.

So...  I have two new pieces I'm working on.  I am SUPER excited.  I haven't been this pumped up in the studio in a while. One is above and the other I'll show it to you later this week.  Right now, it is still pretty rough.

Lastly, look for lady heads around wicker park!  I did it again.  There is also a "time based" piece, where I've been adding a new bird on top of a lady head every 5 days or so.  Let's see how tall it gets.

This week I have a lot of goals:  make more shirts, work on the new pieces, finish a piece for 3 walls Spring Gala, make more jewelry, hang out with friends, and guest crits at Columbia.  

I love spring.

Take care friends,

N.