Zenful Assemblage Art

Buddha Window Assemblage

This piece of assemblage art, "Buddha Window Assemblage", was made entirely of found objects that were collected, rescued, and reused to give old so-called garbage new life via a different form; I love to upcycle vintage treasures! It is true magic at work when such totally unrelated items can fit together in a way that feels unforced yet new! What I most enjoy about this piece is the ambiguity; depending upon how it's viewed, both figuratively and physically, the piece can either be of spiritual enlightenment or sociopolitical confinement -- happy or sad, mostly dependent upon how the viewer approaches the Buddha (again both figuratively and literally).

Click images to view enlarged.

The parts that make up the piece are few. The frame was saved after having tested a company's product where a tile fell out and broke; The frame was new, so why throw it away? The next layer of the piece is an uncommon one... a window that was never meant to be looked out. The white metal frame is a salesman's sample from a window manufacturing company, complete with black screen material and ribbed rubber seal. These mini windows were far too cool to allow them to get trashed, so it's great to use one here as what certainly must represent the industrial hand of mankind framing a spiritual perspective. Then from an antique pottery sake cup that was, sadly, broken emerges the Lord Buddha. From behind him is a bit of rusted railroad steel rising like flames. The metal Buddha figure has been cleaved off of a well loved, but totally worn out, incense burner. The left, or heart, side of the figures chest is missing. The heart hasn't been cut out but removed from the scene, perhaps for safe keeping or perhaps it was stolen somehow. No matter the frame of mind or perspective taken this piece offers a window for contemplation with clean lines, warm tones, and varied texture which I feel is a successful representation of zenful assemblage art.

Buddha Window by Tree Pruitt, 6" x 6" x 2" 2012-13

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

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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!

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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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Whispering Buddha

 Yesterday, I sat before the easel with an empty little canvas panel to give brush strokes the freedom to create a design from within. It could have become anything it wanted, yet what my inner self chose to portray was a serene image of the Buddha; I like that just fine. The canvas size is just a wee 4" by 5".

Whispering Buddha, by Tree Pruitt

I began with a pale parchment colored acrylic paint in lazy crossed strokes with a half inch paintbrush. The design has no symmetry, with everything being slightly out of balance to add the feeling of motion when standing in front of the painting; This also expresses the spiritual concept of individual portions creating a balanced whole. I moved to using Titanium White paint, without wiping the brush, and picked up a tiny bit of Thalo Blue (blue shade) to allow natural mixing. Using smaller brushes, I added a tiny bit of Purple and acrylic gel medium for blending. Areas of acrylic paint that do not have gel medium added will drag and sort of pull on a brush loaded with straight acrylic paint. Adding a bit of the gel medium will make the paint slide over previous layers and more translucent, depending on the amount used. The slight shade of yellow to the Parchment color mixed well with Titanium White and the Thalo Blue to create a soft Blue-Green Turquoise for the deepest shadow areas. To play off of that Blue-Green, and add some more warmth, I used a touch of Cadmium Red for the bindi spot over the third eye, and softer still in the cheek bone shadows. Thick strokes of Titanium White add a further sense of motion and greater depth overall for a small painting that glow from all the way across the room.

It's been terribly difficult for me to capture the brightness of this painting in a photograph. This is one of those pieces that really does look better in person. Perhaps I'll try shooting again on a day with better light. I really enjoyed painting in these subtle tones though, so I will likely continue despite having a hard time showing them to you at best.

Visit my Fine Art store for this and other new paintings.

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

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Purple Poppies Painting Method

Purple Poppies is an original small floral painting from acrylic paint and watercolor pencil. Loosely rendered purple poppy flowers and buds, in various states of open, rest in a sunny flowing landscape created by carefully controlled drips and thick wet brush strokes of paint. The composition was first sketched in with watercolor pencils. For this method I prefer using Faber-Castell's Albrecht Durer pencils because of the smooth flowing texture of the lead, which is a bit softer than other brands, and the rich pigments; In particular, a certain blue and an orange will stain a canvas and won't rinse totally away with water washes. I apply heavy wet strokes of acrylic paint, allowing the brush to dig slightly into the watercolor under-drawing. Then added drops of water will naturally follow a path through the thick paint to the watercolor, creating drips that cut through layers while coloring the exposed canvas surface underneath. When thinned acrylic paint dries it can often look chalky, but it's easy to remedy the lifeless surface with a coat of acrylic varnish (I use Liquitex brands) which brings out a glossy richness. It's an exciting, fast paced way to paint that always yields results with character.

"Purple Poppies", 5"x 7" canvas panel board.

This somewhat rare flower was historically used in hallucinogenic rituals by the "Minoan" civilization on Crete and represents the Greek God Morpheus, overseer of visions and dreams.




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

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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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Celtic Goddess Epona

The goddess Epona is particularly a goddess of fertility, but is well known as a loving protector of horses, donkeys, and other animals. She is also a goddess of sleep, dreams, hope, ambition, and is helpful in manifesting dreams into reality. Epona is known as a good protector when venturing on a new path in life and indeed the leader of the human soul in the after-life ride. Although originally a Celtic goddess, she was accepted by the Romans and eventually incorporated into the Imperial cult by being invoked on behalf of the Emperor, as Epona Augusta or Epona Regina.



Celtic Goddess Epona Mini Statue Sculpture

I've recently finished making this miniature statue of Epona, depicted sitting side-saddle on a horse. It's an original design based upon an authentic ancient relic, sized at a wee 1 5/8" tall. It's sculpted in Paperclay® modeling material, which is a great product that dries very hard. I glazed it with a wash of thinned acrylic paint and sealed it with several layers of durable clear varathane varnish. The colors are the natural cream beige of the clay and brown umber.

 It's a one of a kind. Check store links for availability.

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

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Latest in Dance with Moon ACEO Series

The figures in my playful Dance with the Moon ACEO Series are created spontaneously through free movement of the media; I let the images happen in the moment, without an under-drawing. Thick paint strokes make up the first two in the series, but for the third card I allowed Prisamcolor Pencils to have some of the fun. Card #3 is a tree filled landscape scene created from wild lines and vivid colors.

Visit an earlier post here to learn more about the series, including what inspired them. See all of the available cards in my new Artfire Studio. Each Dance with the Moon ACEO painting will remain OOAK, having no reproductions made now or in the future, and includes an acid free Strathmore paper envelope with a clear sleeve protector.

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

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Dance with the Moon ACEO Painting Series

I've been enjoying painting a series of ACEO's (miniature art cards) based upon the theme of dancing naked in the moonlight. One of the first things new neighbors will ask upon learning that I'm a Pagan is, "Are you gonna dance around naked under the Full Moon"? I generally reply with a chuckle, and explain that not all Pagans or Wiccans skip around nude (though I might) and usually don't do it at all in open suburban backyards. Each time the question is posed I get the sense that folks might wish -- just a little bit -- that they could be so open as to dance naked with the Moon, so I began this series of quick little paintings in honor of letting that wild spirit break free!

Shown above is card #1 Dance with the Moon, which features a long haired woman stretched back in motion. She's shaping energy for magic between her hands, while a naked branched tree watches from a hill in the landscape background. The painting is almost abstract in style, with thick brush stroke texture, which lends to the sense of motion in dance. Each in the series will have a similar style with a dancing figure, the Full Moon, and may or may not have a tree in the scene. Each painting should stand well alone as an individual, but a group together would create a coven of dancers in motion; should be cool!

I'll be adding card #1 to my fine art store soon for purchase. Each card is made with acrylic paint on quality Strathmore water color paper. They'll come with a clear protective sleeve and also a black edge top loader frame. I hope visitors enjoyed viewing this peek at the first Dance With The Moon painting and will come back again to see the next two cards in the series.





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

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Moon Dancer ACEO

Moon Dancer Print ACEO

A special ACEO image, of an original pastel and acrylic on canvas painting by Tree Pruitt, is now available. Depicting a mysterious feather wearing shaman like figure and the Full Moon. An expression of the magic and mystery of nature combined with devotion of humanity.

Protective, clear display sleeve is included. The official standard size of an art card is 2.5" x 3.5" (64 x 89 mm). ACEO's make excellent contemporary framed wall art with over sized matting.

*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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