Art & Light Gallery Show

      FIRST FRIDAY is coming up FAST!  I've been designing, painting and creating my 10" wooden letters for three months!  Now, suddenly it's time to wrap it up, pack it up and take them all down to the  Art & Light Gallery for the December Show.
    
      I'm honored to have my letters included in Art & Light's Toyland "Not For Kids Only" art show!  (Remember that Jerry Garcia CD called "Not For Kids Only?" That's one of my favorite CDs!)

      I hope everyone can make it out to the Pendleton Street Arts District in West Greenville on December 4th (First Friday) from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.  The Art & Light Gallery is located in the flatiron building.

     Click on the title to this post to see Art & Light's blog!
 

Little Medusa Magnet

     Color, texture, pattern.   Mystery, history, fantasy.  Danger......from a safe distance.  These are a few of my favorite things.

      This is my little magnet version of Medusa.  She is 2 1/2" x 3 1/2".  Created from prints of my original artwork, each little magnet has several layers of crystal lacquer applied to each tiny, painted "tile".  I leave the tiny "grout" lines flat.  This gives each magnet the same texture and shine as the original painting.  Although it's very tedious, detailed work, the outcome is worth all the extra time I put into each of my little magnets.


     All of my little mosaic magnets are $8.00 or 3 for $20.00.  Shipping is $1.00 for up to 3 magnets.  You can see a whole album of magnet choices on my Facebook page.   http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/kaylarch?ref=profile   Thanks!

FISSURE MAGAZINE

     My Day of the Dead skull mosaic is on the cover of the current FISSURE magazine!  Fissure is a small chapbook style magazine filled with cool poetry and short stories by writers all around the world. The publisher is a small, local underground press right here in Greenville, South Carolina. (Actually, Greenville has a lot of cool little secrets to discover!)


     I met the owner/editor of Shadow Archer Press, Gail Gray, a few months ago when she asked me if she could use my art on the cover. It was--and still is--really exciting!  Since then, Gail and I have become friends.  She's an amazing person.....a multi-talented artist/writer/poet/weaver/painter.....well, the list goes on and on.  Gail's novel, Shaman Circus, is due to hit the stands, soon.


     If you want to learn more about Fissure or Shadow Archer Press, (or if you want to order a copy of the issue with my cover art ;) you can find the link by clicking on the title to this post. 

    
 

SNEAK PREVIEW.......

     This is a sneak preview of the project I've been working on for a few months!  I've been creating LETTERS!  I've almost completed the entire alphabet.  These 9 1/2" high wooden letters will be part of the December First Friday Show, at Art & Light Gallery on Pendleton St. Greenville. (Pendleton Street Arts District)

      The process I use to create these letters is very similar to the way I create my smaller magnets.  There are several differences, though:  First, I designed the shape of the letters and had my friend, Jude, cut out several of each letter for me. I then began painting 26 original designs...one for each letter. I painted them in the mosaic style.  I painted little "tiles" and little "grout" lines.  I did them all in a '60s-peace-and-love style.

      When an originals were complete, I made several prints of  each letter.  I painted each wooden letter black and glued on the matching print. When dry, I applied several layers of crystal lacquer to just the "tiles". I left the "grout" flat, so these letters have the texture and shine of a mosaic.

       These are limited edition, signed prints, but because of the huge amount of time and detail on each one, they are much, much more than prints.  Each letter is its own work of art, if I do say so myself!! The originals were painted for the sole purpose of  creating this collection of letters.  The originals themselves will not be made into wooden letters and will not be for sale.

        My letters are $28.00 each.  They will make perfect, unique Christmas gifts as initials or to spell out whole names or cool words.  If you have any questions, please leave a comment :)

       EVERYONE is invited to the December Show at Art & Light Gallery!

....more magnets

     Here are a few more examples of my art magnets. As I said before, these magnets are made from prints of my own original artwork. I have well over 200 images of my work to choose from when I begin making a magnet, so I'm having a lot of fun with them! 
     I add the texture by applying several layers of crystal lacquer to the painted "tiles" while leaving the painted "grout" flat. This is the same time-consuming technique I use on my original paintings, so these "prints" are more than just prints.  I work with very tiny brushes and a stand-up magnfiying glass to create these   2 1/2" x 3 1/2" magnets!
     First Friday was this past weekend and I sold a bunch more magnets. I've been working hard on a new project for December First Friday, so I haven't had time to produce any new larger paintings. (Tomorrow, I'll post a preview of the project I'm working on.) In the meantime, I'm glad I have these little magnets as something new in my studio/gallery! People who are curious about my style and technique, but can't purchase a larger painting at this time, have found the perfect solution with these little magnets!
     If you missed my earlier posts, you can click on 2009 on the right of my page to see more.  Thanks!