Cradled Birch Painting Panel

An old favorite paint brush sits ready to gesso a birch panel.

I began a new journey with an old friend tonight by pulling out a favorite paint brush to get started working on my first cradled birch panel. I've painted on birch in the past and really enjoyed the surface, but the cradled panels sturdiness is an exciting new experience! The brush I used is from Baker's Secret and was actually intended for basting food, but I discovered that it held other secrets! I've been using it since it was new for water media so much that the handle has developed patina over the years. The bristles are similar to hog bristle but offer a smoother toothy texture in base coats.

 I began with the panel right from the package. Without sanding I brushed a thin smooth coat of acrylic gesso over the top and sides of the panel, following the wood grain. As much as I want to do this painting it was a tough choice to cover that lovely even birch grain! There are so very many things that could be done with these boards, and I'm looking forward to using pyrography in a future project! The gesso sucked into the raw wood and dried quickly. The second layer that I applied was lain thicker and with random brush strokes to create texture. Once that dried I pulled out a jar of old white acrylic paint. Being towards the bottom of the jar the paint has thickened to a tacky paste that, when applied, brushes further texture out onto the surface. When that dried I was left with a wonderful mildly slick bright surface begging to be marked... I WAS left with it, but that quickly changed as color found its way onto my brush and painting has now begun in earnest!


*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt T. E. Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use please.

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Finished Nature Goddess Sculpture

 In each of the places I've lived in North America I've encountered nature spirits. Inside the mysterious trees and brush one thing can often look like another at first glance. Have you ever walked in the woods and mistaken a log for an animal or caught unexplained movement out the corner of your eye? Some say that the cautious creatures of magic in the woods disguise themselves to avoid capture. Who can say if they are really there or not? I wanted this recent sculpture to have that ephemeral feeling of both natural and supernatural that makes one take a second look in curiosity. If it has a meaning greater than that then we'll ponder on it together.

close-up of "Hamadryad" by Tree Pruitt

In a previous blog entry I shared an assemblage statue I'd begun titled at the time as, Nature Goddess Sculpture, well she's finished now and enjoying a spot on a curio shelf. From the base of the marble stone to the painted tip of the highest feather she stands thirteen inches tall. Click the link to see pictures in the old post of how this piece began. She has become a North American hamadryad, with her head-dress of native bird feathers; red cardinal, yellow finch, and black raven are represented in her crown.

Wikipedia informs us that hamadryads, "are Greek mythological beings that live in trees. They are a particular type of dryad, which in turn are a particular type of nymph. Hamadryads are born bonded to a particular tree. Some believe that hamadryads are the actual tree, while normal dryads are simply the entities, or spirits, of the trees. If the tree died, the hamadryad associated with it died as well. For that reason, dryads and the gods punished any mortals who harmed trees."



"Hamadryad", sculpture by Tree Pruitt



My Hamadryad statue could be understood by some to be an unhealthy tree because of the plethora of bracket tree fungus she wears up her trunk, but I don't think of this fungus as a death symbol. Also known as Artist's Conk, this particular species is Ganoderma lucidum, which is a type of fungus I've personally observed on living trees. This species is a hard textured annual with a shiny red -brown top surface when dormant. The underside of this "Artist's Conk" yields a mat surface like a dusting that darkens when touched or scrapped. Marks will become permanent, allowing artists to express creative images on the surface. I've enjoyed watching this species shape itself to the contours of tree trunks over the years, as if poured into place, until it becomes a very firm part of the tree; attempting to remove them is quite difficult and harmful to a living tree. Overall, it may be harming the ash and locust trees I've observed it growing upon, but they've thrived for well over forty years so far, with the fungus growing only in the low shadows.

 
This sculpture is considered by myself as an "assemblage". An assemblage is simply taking parts already made and putting them together to make something else. It certainly has been an assemblage of inspirations! Here, though the surface is carved and formed similar to a traditional sculpture, the body is made of different parts. A pine wood dowel rod runs upwards, and this isn't just a support structure because I've left a portion visible as torso. The foundation is a base of marble chunk. The clay is attached to this base making it a permanent part of the piece.

I was nearly sad when this assemblage sculpture was finished. I had great fun working on this piece. Paperclay as a medium has proven to be very versatile when mixing into my 3-D artwork. I enjoy the final results of this project, and I hope you've enjoyed it too!

Browse my studio store to see available artwork






http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamadryad
http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/toms_fungi/march99.html
*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use.

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Thoughts on Ritual Tool Crafting

It's time for me to set up a wand crafting station in my new art studio space, so I'm a bit jazzed up with energy. I'd recently moved and things are just now getting settled into a peaceful state of some sort of organization. I've held off crafting wands and rattles until the main metaphysical power zones within my living space were established. Having peace and clarity is vital when crafting ritual tools. The time of year is a perfect building point for me to jump from too, as I always have a rather easy time with positive creative energy when moving towards Samhain (Halloween); I'll need creative inspiration to fit another work station into my live-in studio, but I'm confident things will flow well.

I've been having an urge to work with the natural materials required for crafting ritual tools. I've already gone through my packed projects that aren't finished yet, not only to verify they survived the move but also to rekindle the connection to the metaphysical energy of the projects.



Inner guidance told me to wait a little longer though, when I was tempted to start carving on a stick. I thought it was near time to work wands and that suspicion was confirmed recently when I felt what I refer to as a "calling". I felt pulled to a something and so began to look into the matter until I found that I was being called to stones. I've been very fortunate to come upon a large variety of quartz crystal points in which I feel an energy connection! I'm very excited to work with them and discover the paths they will take from my home. I'm positive now that somewhere in the bunch is the perfect stone to top off that stick I'd wanted to carve on until guidance put a stop to my hand. Getting the stones also confirms that it's definitely the right time to create a space for making wands and other ritual tools in my new home. I'm glad because it involves many art, craft, and ritual activities that I enjoy very much! I look forward to showing you all some finished projects very soon. Be sure to check for new releases!





*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use or for purchase information.

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Nature Goddess Next Stage of Sculpture

We've reached a new stage of development, this sculpture and myself. This is something that is growing, emerging from within and expressing itself outward; like the seed of a living plant. As yet unpainted like the largest conch, I have added a colony of the woody tree fungus. Formed in paper clay, the shapes cascade, as of yet unpainted, down the trunk form. I've always enjoyed the grace offered by such forms within living nature, having spent hours visually honoring the growths.

The task was simple enough, but required time and patience. The paper clay adheres well to itself but I took some precautionary measures. I first moistened the general area where a new growth-like shape would sit. I used drops of water from my fingertip so as to avoid saturation. Then, pinching off a bit of clay with moistened fingers, I gave the piece a general fan like shape. It was then pushed onto the main body, then slid up and down until I felt a grab. Using fingers and tools the new conchs edges were smoothed into a firm placement. At this point I moved on to another piece to allow for some drying time. After adding a second fungus shape I moved back to the first to pinch and push it into a more realistic form. The slight drying time allows the piece to achieve folds, cracks and surface wrinkles that such tree fungus actually has in life. They have dried well enough, having set in the hot sunlight, and I'll likely add a base coat of paint soon to bring the new portions into tone with the larger conch shape.
I'm not trying to imitate Nature, but to represent Her with my own artistic voice. I look forward to sharing what next develops with this piece, and enjoy helping this Goddess image emerge!




*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use or for purchase information.

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Nature Goddess Sculpture in Progress

Having been working this new sculpture in stages, I feel it's well worthy of talking about. A working title is "Nature Goddess" because all of the components are mainly natural and the form is surreal feminine. I'm working with a paper clay here that dries very hard and has minimal impact upon the environment.

I began with a chunk of reclaimed marble stone. It had been a garden feature so is a bit brittle and worn. Centering the sculpture on a diagonal to the base allows for the most views of the lovely grain in the stone. I then used a strong adhesive to glue a pine dowel rod upright, and when that was dry I created a support base with the paper clay. While the lower portion dried I worked the upper torso in a similar manner, working back and forth until both ends were set nearly as shown. Then I added a few drops of water to some iron rich fine grain soil I'd collected from Arizona state. I kneaded the soupy mixture into some of the paper clay to then spread it down the tree like trunk of the sculpture. It dried rock hard and offers a lovely contrast to the natural tone of the paper clay; I don't plan on painting the entire piece.

Just last evening I work two additional areas of the sculpture. Wetting the older set clay, I then added a coil of fresh material to the flat back of the head. This portion was then pinched and moulded with fingers and tools to make a loose feather head dress. I enjoy the paper like texture and the way the feathers seem to be falling forward.

The second item added was the Dryad Saddle tree fungus. I'm very fond of how this is turning out, and will likely add a few smaller ones cascading down the base. As soon as the clay was dry I lightly glazed over the fungus (sometimes also called a conch) with a mix of burnt sienna and Liquitex fabric medium. The fluid medium soaks into the surface of the clay well and being thin allows the base tone of the clay to peek through. I certainly plan on dry brushing a bit more color in to make the fungus as realistic as possible while keeping in style with the entire sculpture. I don't plan on adding arms or limbs back on; She had arms at one point but I thought they distracted so I broke them off!

I look forward to sharing the progress of this piece with you all. Any comments or input is welcomed! To see a current selection of available assemblage sculpture, please visit my Etsy store http://www.treepruitt.etsy.com/

*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use or for purchase information.

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Start of Minoan Priestess ACEO Painting

An ACEO is tiny artwork, reproduction or original, in the format of an art trading card. My newest ACEO involves collage again, but a collage of hand drawn images rather than magazine cut-outs. A scan of the drawing stage is included here.

In the center of the card stand the famous Minoan Poppy Priestess, or Goddess. The small statue the figure is based upon holds two snakes in her hands with the heads pointed down, (see image at left). I can't explain quite why, but this feels wrong to me, so I have drawn my sacred serpents heads up. In the sky of my drawing, on the right hand side, hovers a Mediterranean bee in flight. The bottom left shows an upright dolphin, splashing out of the waves of the sea. The lower right corner sits an octopus, referenced from recovered Minoan pottery, and fitted curling into the tiny scene, (shown at right).

When working with paper, it's important to be careful with the graphite. Too much graphite from the drawing pencil, and eraser marks, can stop later paint layers from sticking to the paper, often causing a blurb or muddy looking spot. A spray fixative will stop all migration of graphite, but textured papers can still be difficult to get a clean erase. Pressing too hard when drawing will leave indentations, so a light pressure was used. Notice on the left hip of the figure is out of alignment. Due to the heavier amount of graphite, and the small work space, I'm going to need to correct those lines with paint later. This would have been avoided with better planning before getting started, but this was one of those instances inspired by doodle play; I didn't really know what the picture was going to be when I began. Anything in art can be "fixed" with skill and an open mind, knowing the inward mental picture must be altered to the action taking place.

The first layers of thin paint will pull on the drawing lines and mix with the graphite. With care this can be used to create under-painting tones of shadows and highlight. Fellow artists may find it interesting to note that Prismacolor Pencils also mix slightly into the paint. Notice in the background I've lain in a light color tone of blue and green pencil. The paint softened the pencil strokes and filled in the bumpy textured areas of the paper surface. This was achieved by thinning an already thin bodied acrylic paint 50/50 with clean water. A small medium bristled paintbrush is loaded and white paint floated onto the paper. Working a small area before it dries, the paint is lightly scrubbed into the pencil pigment blending it about; this works with all water media. Each layer after that will be more opaque, and the graphite will mostly disappear to the eye. By keeping early paint layers thin, paper buckle will be avoided, and later thicker strokes will stand out (pop) giving greater depth.

These are methods I use for any sized image on paper, and indeed often when painting my Spiritkeeper Stones too. I wouldn't have considered myself, in the past, to be a painter of miniature art because my Spiritkeepers are something just outside of art to me; being closer to a spiritual experience. I don't think much about size when painting on rocks, but it is obvious the tiny world of art collector cards isn't all too different. Hopefully you'll enjoy seeing how the Minoan Priestess ACEO turns out.

*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use or for purchase information.

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Painted Hand Drum Soon Minoan Dolphin

Minoan culture was a Bronze Age civilization in the basin of the Aegean Sea that some believe to be the origins of the myths of Atlantis. The Atlantean connection may indeed hold some truth due to the many technological benefits the society enjoyed and the relatively peaceful existence they encouraged. Developed on Crete in the 2ND millennium B.C., it is thought that the Minoan empire coordinated and defended bronze-age trade over a large area. Despite the powerful influence of surrounding artistic cultures such as Egypt, the Minoans developed their own highly distinctive styles. Minoan, and later Mycenaean, art is notable for its struggle between stylized and naturalistic motifs; However the colorful, near three-dimensional, natural style originated on the island of Crete. The famous frescoes found there are dynamic, fluid art filled with expressions of nature and daily life.

One of the most famous of motifs chosen by the Cretians was the dolphin. Just as those crafts-persons of the past painted motifs formed and curved to suit the shapes of vessels, I have done with the dolphin design on my new Minoan hand drum. I've hand painted many different types of objects using the dolphin frescoes as reference, but each piece is unique. The dolphin jumping upon this professionally made Remo drum was hand drawn without the use of a pattern or template -- only visual references and the guidance of fun.

It's the same type of drum I've painted unique, free hand designs on before; a Remo hand held frame drum. The Frame drum originated in the Middle East and is among the oldest of drum types. Frame drums can be played using the traditional style of striking with fingers, held with one hand and played with a soft mallet, or straddled between the knees like a bongo drum. Whether you are a professional drummer or just want to have fun at a drum circle with family or friends, the Remo frame drum will meet your highest expectations for sound quality and durability.



A finished example, Celestial Sol Luna (Sun Moon) drum

The Minoan Dolphin Drum is nearly ready. Though the acrylic paint is durable and long lasting, I've protected the artwork with an art fixative. Neither the fixative nor the paint adversely effect the lovely tones of the drum. I'm sure it will please the owner both as a music instrument and inspirational wall art for unique Mediterranean home decor.

*Original art images ©Tree Pruitt, unless otherwise indicated. Contact the artist prior to ANY use or for purchase information.

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