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I Know Snow.

whiteout 8" x 10" acrylic on canvas

I was trying to capture the feel of winter on canvas and when I finished this I thought I got it. I can feel the snow and the cold and how hard it is to walk outside when the wind is whipping the snow at you and you can't get a good grip on the slippery snow-covered ground.

It makes me realize I really know what a cold winter day is.

A few weeks ago it dawned on me that I have spent half of my life in the cold. We get cold weather for close to 6 months of the year. Well actually the outer three months are iffy... we can get freak snows and cold spells in Spring or Fall so even if I am exaggerating it's a third of my life spent in below zero temperatures.

It's too much.

Illustration Friday: Climbing

Polar Bear Swim 10" x 8" acrylic on canvas

After climbing into the icy water for the polar bear swim, he couldn't wait to climb back out.

Year of the Ox Print Exhibit

I just got word that the Year of the Ox print exhibit is officially online here.

Like last year, a group of people answered Proof Studio Gallery's call for traditional prints to celebrate the Year of the Ox.

This was my submission

Stubborn as an Ox etching, aquatint



Here's an excerpt from an article about what the Year of the Ox holds in store for us. Click here to read the full article to see what the Year of the Ox means to you personally.

According to Chinese Astrology, 2009 is a particular type of Ox year, it is an Earth Ox year. As well as the cycle of twelve Chinese Year Animal signs, there is a cycle of five elements (earth, metal, water, wood and fire), so a complete cycle is 60 years. There are five types of Ox year: Earth Ox, Metal Ox, Water Ox, Wood Ox and Fire Ox.

The pre-dominant element of the Ox is earth, so in an Earth Ox year, the earth will be especially intense. The earth element is about stability and any movement will be slow and steady. The Ox is considered to be the most persevering and responsible of the twelve animal signs and its influence will make us more hard-working and inspire us to bring some order to our business and home lives after the turbulence of the Rat year.
Earth holds back water, so communications can easily be hindered and extra care will be needed in negotiations to avoid misunderstandings. Ploughing on one step at a time will bring greater rewards than trying to find short-cuts, quick fixes and fast bucks. Put the pedantic nature of the Ox to good use by checking all the small print to avoid broken promises, for this is a year where we can run into muddy waters. Ensuring that your messages are crystal clear will avoid you getting stuck. During business negotiations avoid sitting such that you are facing North-east. Sitting with your back to the North-east may give you the upper hand, but if you are looking for a win-win scenario, avoid either party facing the north-east across the table.
Ox year is time to be persistent without being pushy. Over-aggressiveness and over-ambition will not force closed doors open. Rather, wait for the sound of the bolt easing back before you give a gentle nudge and make your entrance bit by bit. This is not a time for heat of the moment decisions and uncertainty will hang around a lot of solutions.

In the climate of credit crunch, the Ox influence will bring about consolidation in many industries. A practical down to earth approach will serve better than elaborate strategies for many of us. Caution will still blow in the wind, yet success and prosperity will come to the lucky ones.According to Chinese Astrology, 2009 is a particular type of Ox year, it is an Earth Ox year. As well as the cycle of twelve Chinese Year Animal signs, there is a cycle of five elements (earth, metal, water, wood and fire), so a complete cycle is 60 years. There are five types of Ox year: Earth Ox, Metal Ox, Water Ox, Wood Ox and Fire Ox.

The pre-dominant element of the Ox is earth, so in an Earth Ox year, the earth will be especially intense. The earth element is about stability and any movement will be slow and steady. The Ox is considered to be the most persevering and responsible of the twelve animal signs and its influence will make us more hard-working and inspire us to bring some order to our business and home lives after the turbulence of the Rat year.
Earth holds back water, so communications can easily be hindered and extra care will be needed in negotiations to avoid misunderstandings. Ploughing on one step at a time will bring greater rewards than trying to find short-cuts, quick fixes and fast bucks. Put the pedantic nature of the Ox to good use by checking all the small print to avoid broken promises, for this is a year where we can run into muddy waters. Ensuring that your messages are crystal clear will avoid you getting stuck. During business negotiations avoid sitting such that you are facing North-east. Sitting with your back to the North-east may give you the upper hand, but if you are looking for a win-win scenario, avoid either party facing the north-east across the table.

Ox year is time to be persistent without being pushy. Over-aggressiveness and over-ambition will not force closed doors open. Rather, wait for the sound of the bolt easing back before you give a gentle nudge and make your entrance bit by bit. This is not a time for heat of the moment decisions and uncertainty will hang around a lot of solutions.

In the climate of credit crunch, the Ox influence will bring about consolidation in many industries. A practical down to earth approach will serve better than elaborate strategies for many of us. Caution will still blow in the wind, yet success and prosperity will come to the lucky ones.

Friendly Plastic for sale in my Etsy Shop

I just posted some Friendly Plastic sticks from my own personal stash onto Etsy.

If you are looking to try this material just go to my Etsy Shop and shop away... but you might get a lifelong addiction so be warned.

These are some of the combos I put together...

I have a link to my shop on the right. Click on it and it'll take you right there.

My Best Friendly Plastic Work

I got a link to the Amaco 2009 Friendly Plastic Challenge Gallery in my email today. It was great to see all the fp work.

I am so happy to see people using this stuff!

This got me thinking that I really enjoyed looking at a bunch of fp work and I figured I may as well post some of my best examples of how I've used fp. Hope you enjoy taking a look and that you get inspired to make something new!



wedding favours



viking lady pin

long tall kitty a good example of why I love fp cause you can make something so long and tall and it holds its shape.

nice shark pin

very symmetrical moose design

mirror of good cheer "may the road you follow have only green lights."

wedding favours: behind their hands were small clothespins to hold the name of the guest (and to hold other things afterwards like notes or photos). These were such a hit that guests were stealing other guest's favours. I gave up my own, and a few spares, to cover those lost, so no one went home empty handed.

A special order for a kayaker who loved orcas

I love making ladies with fancy clothes

kitchen witch

dragon with precious jewel

little boy fun and some little girls too (but not me) I just really like making hands holding things

Fimo bases, people on wires above the bases

another dragon

death takes a holiday. I always figured I'd get flack for this one but, surprisingly, it was the older folks who loved it! I made several versions of this with all kinds of hats: fedoras, toques, caps, a fez, but I loved the fedora the best.

mirror of good cheer

the whole wedding

a gang of fp well wishers

special wedding gift for a happy couple

lady with stars

red dragon

chick of the sea -- fp lends itself really well
to all things aquatic

this was a highly decorative fish motif for me

swamp thing aka dragonfly

Ahhh. Kids today.. no not just for the kids!

This is from one of Vincent Van Gogh's self-portraits.

I decided to make an all friendly plastic ATC. This is Dorothy's Kansas house being caught up in the tornado and about to be carried over to Oz.

A parrot lover kept after me to make some parrots. She knew the colours of fp would be perfect for parrots and she was right. I liked it and so did she.

I am partial to the design of Soviet era posters and decided to make this Homage to the Worker in red-orange friendly plastic. This design was based on a Soviet poster.

I was doing some experimentation and this little sculpture is made from raw friendly plastic. I didn't heat any of these pieces, except for trying to model the face in water (I am not very good in water with fp). The pieces are all fused together using a soldering iron at the joints. The design was based on a 1960's kid's book illustration.

This is just a little mermaid pin. Few pieces, bright colour, happy results.

I really love these earrings. It's like a "glass half full" design: are the little fish escaping or caught?

I did an art show in a comic shop and decided to try my hand at reproducing a few comic book covers. I made Little Lulu for myself because I remember reading Little Lulu as a kid. I loved it. Not many comic book attendees knew of Little Lulu except real comic book people. I was surprised and not surprised at the same time. The lettering was made with foamie sponge material. It really suited this project. The lettering couldn't be omitted. This took quite a while to complete but it was worth it. All those tiny Little Lulu's around the edge were a real pain but oh so worth it.

I adore this little picture frame. She's very sassy.

This was a special request for a lawyer. I went ahead and tackled Blind Justice. I remember as I was modelling the folds in her cloak the plastic wasn't totally melted. I had to really push it around to get the right look. I was very pleased with how it turned out, as was my client.

Fiskars are the only scissors I have ever used to cut fp.(I only cut my plastic with scissors, but I do trim my fp designs with an exacto blade &/or Fiskars after it's been cooked.) Actually, I have used other types but for the amount of work I do with this material I quickly built up blisters and then callouses and a nobby thing at the base of my thumb. When i came across Fiskars I was in heaven! My first pair I used everyday for 10 years and then the spring between the two pieces broke in two. Since then I have had two pairs break on me (grrrrr)and my latest pair seems the flimsiest of them all, but even still, they are well worth any aggravation. I don't know where my hands would be without them.

Lady Godiva's famous ride. Another atc.

For and art show I made a few mixed media pieces. here I wrote a famour Einstein quote onto shrink plastic (Gravity cannot be held responsible for people falling in love), glued it to the canvas, and made an Einstein for the piece. This is actually Einstein#2 as the first one I absent-mindedly placed onto my hot toaster oven and he melted into two blobs before I noticed.

For the same show I made this fancy lady and her pooch. The quote, using shrink plastic again, was "Love is an emotion a woman always feels for her poodle, and sometimes for a man."

Sexy Beast.

I made this for a Vancouver hairdresser. It was a gift from a friend and an inside joke... I never did get the insider details but I love this Bog Queen, especially the little frog.

Another comic book cover reproduction in friendly plastic. This time the first appearance of The Batman. This is a big file. Click on it for a very detailed shot.

My what big teeth you have.

Another uncooked raw fp sculpture.

This is fp reproduction of a very famous Matisse design.

I made this for a school nurse from Texas. She wanted something for her office to help the kids feel more comfortable when they came to see her. I had her hold a golden bandaid aloft the way a torch lights the way!

And this mirror is one of my best memories.

I was asked to create a mirror of positive affirmation for Jennifer Heil. She is a member of the Canadian Ski Team and was heading to the Torino, Italy, Winter Olympics in 2006 when I got this request. Her sport is freestyle mogul skiing and she took the Gold at this event in 2006. I was told by her sport psychologist, who requested this mirror for her, that she brought the mirror with her to the Olympic village in Torino, and it was there with her when she won the gold! So, if you thought saying affirmations to yourself into a mirror was silly, think again. Look what it helped Jennifer achieve!