Friday, November 29, 2013

HOHOHO 40 % Discount in my Etsy Shop


 Black Friday Sale...40% off enter code HOHOHO at checkout in my Etsy Shop. Hope you will visit and find a treasure you can not live without:)  https://www.etsy.com/shop/WondrousStrange   Merry Christmas my dear friends:) Any and all items are fair game:)  My muse is crying to make some one of a kind fine silver baubles...so look for some new items in the weeks to come. I will adapt some of my raku  molds to bring them to life in silver. Have a favorite you want me to try???







Happy Holidays!!!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Reveal Day and Blog Hop! Art of Science Creative Challenge: Orion’s Nebula... Fata Morgana

Today is reveal day for the artists participating in the first annual Art of Science Creative Challenge first introduced here. Taralinda Muses challenged us to create something, anything- inspired by this NASA image of the birthplace of stars… Orion’s Nebula! 

Flight of good away from evil  Morgana

This mirage was so obvious to my muses eye.  A Dove was being either released or pursued. I took the Good verses Evil  road to this image. The Dove is being pursued by the evil  Morgana of the Arthurian legend.

A Fata Morgana is an unusual a complex form of mirage that is seen in a narrow band right above the horizon. It is an Italian phrase derived from Latin for "fairy" and the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay, from a belief that these mirages were created by her witchcraft to lure sailors to their death.

I love working with digital alteration and decided to softly highlight this image to show a mirage of Dove, representing all that is good and light, with the sorceress who is almost grasping the Dove.

Morgana's features are subtly brought out by some digital masking, and the Dove's wing is accented to add to the mirage.

I hope you can see the mirage I have described:)  If you have the time to look at the original  image full screen...I wonder what your muse would see?



I also have this challenge offering of an older raku pendant that I made several years ago.   This pendant has holes through to back so if held to the light the stars appear in the openings. Or a flashlight shined close will project the star alignment on a background:)

Thank you Taralinda Muses for the challenge! I have long felt an attraction to this night sky image. I had a great time losing myself in Orion's Nebula once again!!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Tim Holtz Tattered Florals Challenge...My Secret Garden Mosaic

Original Mosaic using Raku tiles featuring Tim's Tattered Floral's.





I have enjoyed seeing so many wonderful artists and crafters take up +Tim Holtz 's challenge to work with his Tattered Florals Die. Though I rarely work with paper, I was inspired to see if I could translate his floral paper cuts and embossing folders into my medium of choice...Raku.

A stag peaks through the foliage of Raku flowers and leaves. I used just one layer of die cut here and embossed with my textures.
The center floral's are from Tim's die cuts using grunge board to cut the pattern. I embossed the grunge board with a texture folder and used that to cut and texture these pieces. There are four textured layers that make the flowers.

A black hare hides in the leaves and one of the die cut florals.

I love to create organic shapes and Tim's die cuts give me the basic shape to work with. I have used some of my own textures to heavily emboss here.


Here is how I used Tim's Tattered Floral Die to make the majority of the flowers.


I rolled out a flat of clay, rolled the Tattered Florals Die cut into the clay to emboss, then cut around the grunge board. The grunge board really keeps its shape and kept its embossing through all my presses so far.

I rough formed the large petals of die cut and embossed and cut the smaller center.

I scored and slipped the two pieces together to form one flower. I will wait until they are bone dry to sand away any rough edges. Each petal has been rounded and lifted to make it very dimensional.


Still have sanding to do before bisque firing this piece. Then a healthy layer of glaze and the perfect raku flower is ready:)

I will be happy to answer any questions you might have:) This was a fun project and I have already encorporated Tim's Hearts into some pendants and cabochons...but that is for another story telling time:)

Enjoy your weekend...and always...Health,Happiness and Abundant Creativity to you all:)

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Come Celebrate with me...Cancer Free for one Year!!

It has been a long journey. It has been an amazing journey! One that has humbled me, strengthened me and made me more passionate about everything:) Last year at this time I and my family were preparing for my surgery, a double mastectomy and lymph nodes in my right arm, as a result of Stage III C Inflammatory Cancer and hoping for a good prognosis. Months of nasty chemotherapy, Anne Penn Hospital and staff becoming a second home and family for me, all to bring me to this surgery and testing to see if the right cocktail of drugs had held the cancer cells at bay. Not only did they not "go forth and multiply" they were annihilated! Post surgery brought news of no residual cancer found. The smile on my Oncologist's face as he shared the news will remain with me always. As will the sound of my husband's voice on the phone gently crying with joy when I told him the news.

I am so fortunate!!! I remain one year cancer free....a heartfelt thanks to each and everyone one of you for your support, and emails with words of strength and courage and laughter. Harry, and Steph, and Birgitta and Mary Anne, you  are treasures for your attentiveness!! Every email, every prayer and gift helped in my healing:) There are so many other internet friends that helped in the process:) You are my village...I am so fortunate!!

Okay...enough said...let's bumpy segue to a more important topic:) CREATIVITY

The raku disk is one of my creations.
I just had to show you these pieces by fancifuldevices.etsy.com. She is an amazing "create from the gut with full abandon" artist. And artist is the right description!  

The raku collar was a gift from my kiln god:)

 I have admired her work for a very long time, but her use of my raku has led me to a need to understand where her raw creative nature originates. I feel like a stalker...I have searched her shop, and found her blog and now can not stop reading her old posts:) Open and giving and funny and mind blowingly creative, you owe it to your self to check out her work in both her Etsy shop and her blog... fancifuldevices.blogspot.com

 And on that creative note....a few of my new stored up creativity pieces...

Spanish coins, crown, skull and cross bones under watchful eye of reposing octopus.

A new bracelet....

Silk sari ribbon from Designtalentedone.etsy.com knotted to play off the texture of the pendant.
A whole bunch of treasures to list or work into wearable art....



And even more to glaze...now the decision is what to do with this one:)

Thinking about hand painting this one in high pigment paints and going for a Poe Dark and Dreary look:)

Enough for my first post in many, many months. Just wanted you to know I am well, and alive, and falling head first into my passion of art.

Health,Happiness and Abundant Creativity to each of you!!