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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Old Soldier Assemblage Sculpture

"...an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty."
The last soldiers of the First World War have left us now. The 100th anniversary of the outbreak of that war will be in August this year, and with that in mind a few recent finds called my imagination to create assemblage art. A modern television set color cap became a helmet, an old light bulb fixture from a now demolished building became the form of a soldier, his eyes staring with dazed rings created from antique Parcheesi game pieces -- glue and etched markings on the light bulb glass resemble gently falling tears. With a plastic toy gun the soldier stands at the ready in a field of daisy like upholstery tacks which, though surrounded by fencing made of metal nails representing the dangers of barbed wire in the field, has not yet turned to become the life sucking mud of the First World War trenches. There is hope. He will fight. He will win the battles that life sets before him and thus always remain a soldier.

 Though from a different war, the light bulb and theme of a soldier then called to my mind a famous phrase used by General Douglas McArthur in his farewell speech, "old soldiers never die". Around the wood base of the assemblage sculpture are those words pieced together from magazine cut-out letters pasted into place.

"I am closing my 52 years of military service. When I joined the Army, even before the turn of the century, it was the fulfillment of all of my boyish hopes and dreams. The world has turned over many times since I took the oath on the plain at West Point, and the hopes and dreams have long since vanished, but I still remember the refrain of one of the most popular barrack ballads of that day which proclaimed most proudly that "old soldiers never die; they just fade away."

 And like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military career and just fade away, an old soldier who tried to do his duty as God gave him the light to see that duty."

-- General Douglas McArthur in his farewell speech to Congress

►First World War Centenary http://www.1914.org/why_remember/

►Check availability of this artwork by clicking HERE.


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

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Falling Together

It's been a stressful past couple of years, to say the least, but my art survives the artist folly, and I am regenerating. There'd been a terribly complicated matter that led to the loss of my inventory catalog of paintings... and most ALL of my collection of actual unsold paintings ... my personal collection. Many where rescued by the general public from tragic fate by those who just happened to see art that they liked -- that is the biggest honor an artist can receive, and I am thankful to those people!! Some works of my art have sadly met fates unknown to me still. What can I say now other than the modern phrase that "*it happens"; Floods and financial disaster have plagued many an artist in the past and they still persevered through the trauma -- as I intend to do. Not that I equate myself with a Master by any means, but Picasso said something to the effect that once an artwork leaves the artists' studio it has a life of its own -- independent of the creator whether sought or sold. May my creations life well! 

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Pink Japanese Magnolia Tree in Bloom

Rather than "on" my easel this canvas has just come off of my easel... "Pink Japanese Magnolia Tree in Bloom" is a water-colour pencil painting on canvas of a very large old tree that I'm blessed to share space with in this life. I really enjoyed drawing the tree onto the canvas and moving the flow of water from my paint brushes to enhance the forms! I look forward to the possibility of painting another version of this tree in (albeit exaggerated color) full bloom, as I've enjoyed observing it's growth over a few years now -- a twinkle in its growth span! Due to the diameter of this trees sprouting trunks I can only imagine that it must be 100 years or more in age -- an early example of a hybrid species of flowering trees in America! Add in the fact that this tree is left to chances in a semi-urban environment and it is truly an amazing example of survival, beauty, and luck (or Divine intervention). I've enjoyed this tree a great deal, and consider sharing life space with it as one of the high points of my time living in Indiana.

I began with a double primed cotton canvas. The image was drawn free hand with only 3 colors of Faber-Castell Albrecht Durer water-colour pencils -- Walnut Brown, Wine Red, Phthalo Blue -- then very few black accents were added. The background was enhanced with additional Light and Emerald Green pigment pencils with the Walnut Brown. A Burnt Ochre was then added in areas of the tree for highlight shadow. All of the white highlights (darkened here due to photograph lighting) are the white of the canvas showing through. Once dried for several days after painting I sprayed several coats of a fixative over the water-colour pencil paint, then carefully brushed over layers of acrylic varnish to seal the painting to a finish.

At this point the original painting is not for sale because my dear husband has requested that it remain hanging in our home for personal enjoyment... the BEST payment that an artist can hope for is to have a painting enjoyed!


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

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Brightening the Post-Holiday with Blues

 In the depths of Winters moody darkness it's helpful and fun to find projects to craft that will add a bright spot to your spirit. I decided to craft up a new brightness in our lives by making a glass bead wire mobile. The holiday season this year found our home filled with sparkle, light, and decoration, but after it had passed taking down the ol' Yule tree left us feeling less than festive. Once replaced, the candle holder that usually hangs in the archway where the lit tree had been sitting looked dark and dull. I didn't want us starting a new year with a dull feeling hanging around, so that's where I put the mobile! A slight touch or a breeze will start the beads to movement, catching the light and also moving Chi life energy around. I wrapped some quartz crystals and used blue beads that look like frozen drops of water and captured air; We here are both Fire signs, so the energy of Water should offer a calming balance to us and Air should feed the fire of our creativity. At the bottom of the mobile hangs a faceted heart which not only sparkles nicely but hangs there to represent the desire for our loving energy to continue to effect our environment in positive ways and for that love to grow in the coming year. Over time too the steel wire will likely oxidize a bit changing into a nice warm red, which will certainly cause us to continue to enjoy the piece as well as serving as a reminder that change can be a good thing. Overall it's just a hanging wire mobile, but as with everything handmade it's what it means to the person enjoying it that matters most!

 Now that the excitement of the holiday season has passed don't let your inner artist go hungry... feed it some good energy by crafting up a project that will light up your life in some way that's special to you!

Happy new year to you all! --Tree

 

"Crystal Water" wire mobile by TE Pruitt.



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

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No Scrub Clean For Old Brass

  Want a no hassle scratch free approach to cleaning darkened old brass? Vintage and antique metal components are great additions to art work, but sometimes an age patina doesn't turn out to be so charming. Don't waste time rubbing away patina-poo and risk scratching delicate brass bits! Just dip it... dip it good!

Before & After



 I'm currently working on an assemblage art sculpture, and some of the old brass items that I want to use have tarnished too much. There are a lot of different methods for cleaning brass and copper. Many like vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and ammonia produce strong smelling odors that can not only stink up a studio room but also may be harmful to breath! Because I didn't want to scratch the surface of the brass, and because I'm a busy person too, I decided to use an easy dip soaking method.

 The product I chose was simply Mr. Clean... with Febreze®, so it smells great in addition to working like a breeze! Just pour some of your favorite scent of undiluted Mr. Clean into a shallow dish, then add the brass bits. Make sure everything is covered by the cleaner and allow to soak several hours, depending on the severity of the tarnish. The product has even performed well for me at removing the green oxidation that can sometimes chew into brass, copper, and other metal. Without scrubbing or rubbing the brass will emerge clean with a soft shine. If not then soak a while longer, and for an extra boost renew the cleaning fluid if it turns very dark in color.

The first photograph that I've included shows a before and after effect on an antique brass corner guard. The guards had pieces of old tape stuck fast to them and had developed an unattractive patina over who-knows how many years. The cleaner softened the adhesive very quickly, so that the tape simply wiped away. I allowed a piece of tape to remain stuck in place during an over-night soaking to show the before and after effect. The dark rectangle where the tape used to be is the before color of the metal; Look how bright the rest of the corner guard is! All of the brass surface had been that black or darker. When your items are finished soaking be sure to rinse them very well to remove any residue. Except for rinsing, the cleaning process is basically hands free, but the best part is that it smells so good!

 Before I glue down the metal objects that will go onto my assemblage I will wipe them with rubbing alcohol to ensure good adhesion; If it still smells like cleaner then the cleaner is probably still there, and rubbing alcohol should do the trick. The Mr. Clean product will remove most all paints and many types of varnish, so do have care and test a spot before using on any surface. Now that cleaning the metal parts of my project is finished I can move on to the fun part of assembling the art. I love using this easy cleaning method! Stepping out of the studio to reach under the kitchen counter can make an artist breath easier and the work itself a real breeze too. ;)

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

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Vintage Funeral Mask Comes To Life

After 1st cleaning before remount.

 It feels good to take care of my kitsch and transform it into home decor. Have you heard of the Death mask of Agamemnon? I've always been somewhat enamored with Bronze Age Greece (c.2500-1100 BCE), the Minoans and Mycenaeans, so when I noticed an old souvenir reproduction of the famous funerary mask in a box lot it was quite a find! I was thrilled to add it to my small collection of funeral art and masks.

The original artifact is a mask of gold that was found in 1876 by Heinrich Schliemann in Mycenae. It was dubbed as the "Mask of Agamemnon" because Schliemann was convinced that he'd discovered the final resting place of the mythical king of Mycenae, commander the united Greek armed forces during the Trojan War. The mask, however, is most certainly not the face of Homer's fabled king because it is much older than the historical Agamemnon.

When I received my version of the mask it nearly resembled an artifact dug out of the ground, likely having spent many years boxed in a garage. It was mounted to a padded trophy shield of black velvet and faux green paper crocodile skin. The velvet had lost its fuzz and was worn threadbare on the edges. It was dusty, and the metal had begun to "green-up" in a few places -- a damage that will continue to spread if untreated. So I cleaned old Aggie up and put him aside until I got around to creating a new background mount.

The first photograph shows the "before" and the second photo is the nearly finished product. It's resting in a regular picture frame now but will soon go into a glass encased shadow box frame for protection from dust and debris.

I started by brushing some Cardinal Red craft quality acrylic paint over a large piece of archival sketch paper. When that dried (thank you blow-dryer) I crinkled it firmly into a ball. The chalky texture of the paint cracks open a bit in the crinkles exposing the soft paper, which I then smoothed flat and washed with a thin coat of Burnt Umber craft acrylic paint. I wiped off the Burnt Umber with a soft moist cloth then let the paper sit overnight. The next day I adapted the design from images of genuine Mycenaean fresco using Antique White and various blue craft paints.

After the design was finished I coated both sides of the paper with Liquitex Acrylic Varnish. The high amount of acrylic polymer in the quality Liquitex product increases the lightfastness and gloss of the craft paint plus protects the surface of the metal mask from chemicals that could migrate up from the paper or paint. The painted paper was then attached to paper board using PVA glue. The mask was originally wired onto its old mount but over time the weight of the piece had begun to pull it out of shape. I opted for thick dabs of hot-glue as reinforcement. It's a strong hold yet could be removed for re-mounting in the future.

I'm happy with the level of protection I've given to this piece and enjoy it much more than when it was mounted to a dirty black base. Time well spent!

Learn more...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mask_of_Agamemnon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agamemnon

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

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