Today I was a glutton for punishment.
I still need some key pieces of driftwood to complete some of my sculptures, so I decided to hit the beach. If you are not from New England, then let me fill you in on the weather. It was about 20 degrees today but with the wind chill, it was estimated to feel about 9. Great day to go to the windy beach!
I wised up this time and brought a wagon. My arms are still sore from lugging driftwood.
The beach I went to was an absolute disappointment. I came home with a headache and an ear ache from the wind and only about 6 small pieces of driftwood. None of which were what I needed to complete my pieces. It was so windy I thought I was going to blow over. I love having the beach to myself, but there was a reason I had it to myself today, it was nasty!
I came back home and it seemed like all my wooden sculptures were waiting for me.
We got back down to work, my daughter and I, we had wood shavings, nails, wood and saw dust all over the place. There was absolutely no way we could work outside in this weather, so we moved it all inside.
I have to say my 9-year-old daughter was way more productive today than I was. She tells me all the time how much she doesn’t like art and how she has no interest, what a liar! On her own, she decided to create some Christmas decorations. I just love this snowman see-saw. The snowmen are corks. She nailed them all together and created a functional lever and fulcrum….show off!
I, myself, was all over the place today. I couldn’t figure out what I wanted. I started with painting the block orange and the duck magenta, but from there, I didn’t know where to go. This is what I started with:
I wound up adding a log for visual interest and I’m glad I did. The faux-bois log is my favorite part!
I had also found this rusty wheel shaft on the beach. I thought it would be great for an eye. Unfortunately, I thought I could drill two small holes in it which I couldn’t, I wound up cracking about 3/4″ inch off the side of it. That stunk. It was absolutely perfect, but I went with what was left and it still adds some visual interest.
You know, originally I was thinking of painting this bird to look like a seagull, but then I thought about how many people in the world have painting a seagull out of driftwood. My second thought was to go with something wild from my imagination which I think was a good call. My driftwood duck is wild, over-the-top and oh-so very colorful. It ties in with all my art kicking around the house. I have to say I am truly digging the 3-D element to these pieces as well. With all of the paintings I’ve been creating, everything winds up being some form of a rectangle. These pieces are adding some dimension to the room. Who knows, some of these creatures might wind up permanent dwellings in this place.
I plan on tackling my goose tomorrow. I’ll have to dream up some crazy color combinations tonight. I already have a fun idea for the neck. It’s going to be crazy!
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