February 2013 – Summerhouse Art

#2 in the Upcycling Artists Series – Carolyn Machado, Assemblage and Mosaic Artist

Posted on February 28, 2013January 11, 2015 by Helen

Quite a while ago I thought I’d start featuring other artists who, like me, are into recycling or what I refer to as Upcycling. My first featured artist was Leo Sewell, whose sculptures were made from all sorts of recycled bits and pieces. But what he did with them was amazing! But that was way back in May of 2010.

I really meant to carry on with that idea but life happens doesn’t it? Things get lost or found or whatever and this year I’ve been giving my blog a bit more thought, especially about the directions I want to carry on with. And one of the ideas I still want to to do is this feature. Especially when there are so many artists I’d love to tell everyone about. That’s really the beauty of the internet too, that you can be exposed to so much really good work.

So on that note I’d like to introduce on my blog, a remarkable assemblage and mosaic artist, Carolyn Machado. I discovered her work a year or so ago. She was one of the artists in my long list of bookmarked artists before I started with Pinterest. Many of you will no doubt know of her, but for those of you who don’t, you are in for a lovely show. When I emailed her for permission to feature her work, which she graciously gave, she mentioned that she was quite happy to hear that someone so far away was enjoying her work. She also has a blog that you will enjoy.

What I love about her work is the sense that each piece of the assemblage has been lovingly saved and then slowly set into place. In her bio she says that she uses recycled materials quite deliberately because she is attracted to the overlooked beauty of things that have braved the passage of time. I can identify with that sentiment entirely.

Carolyn has a touch with her works that makes her little bits and pieces transcend their humble origins and become something that looks almost jewel like. They have a taste of the Orient about them, being quite simply designed, with a quiet and meditative sensibility. Since I use old odd little ornaments and bits of old dishes in my work too, I’m happy to see that I’m not alone in appreciating their value.

Of course, not all of her work is quietly meditative, some have a sense of humour and a feeling of fun like her Mexican piece or some of her paper collage pieces.

Carolyn shows her work in a rather prestigious show in California called Festival of the Arts at Laguna Beach. You can get a glimpse of past festivals on youtube and also an interview with Carolyn there as well. She also offers workshops on assemblage, so if you are in California, do check her website events page.

I’d also like to share a little video that Carolyn has sent to me about her studio and see a bit about her and how she works. Enjoy.

Carolyn Machado studio tape

I hope you have enjoyed my second in the series I hope to maintain. As I said in my previous post I’m loving Pinterest since it allows me to have a visual bookmark at last. I’ve just started but I’ve gotten quite a few really interesting artists collected already and hope to feature more on my blog.

So thank you to Carolyn Machado for allowing me to feature her work and also thank you for being such an inspiring artist.

Oh No She’s on Pinterest Now! and other new stuff

Posted on February 23, 2013January 11, 2015 by Helen

Yes, it’s true, I’ve gotten myself a Pinterest account. I’ve even gotten on Facebook. Who knew I’d get all into the social networking scene?

I actually got a personal Facebook page first, just to keep in touch with all the kids and rellies too. And you know these days I’m remembering Birthdays for people whose birthdays I never even knew before. So that’s nice. They all get one of my collage birthday cards. And I get to see all the nieces and nephews too and what they are up to.

Then just a little while ago I started a Facebook page for Summerhouseart.com. I’m a bit slow, it took me ages to set up, but it means I can say when I’ve got a new blog post up and also spread the word on a lot of other sites I really like and support. All about art, recycling and mosaics of course. So if you’re on Facebook, please feel free to pop over.

In the last year or so on the blog I started to notice something new called Pinterest. People were Pinning my mosaics! I’d see their Pinterest boards from my stats page. And I thought Wow what a great idea!

I mean I’ve got a list of bookmark folders down the left side of my Bookmarks screen that goes on for ages. But the thing is, I can never remember exactly why I bookmarked them or what they are about or look like. So, hey, here comes Pinterest and now I can bookmark with Pictures!! Perfecto!

So for those of you who have been pinning my mosaics, please please accept a huge thank you from me. It’s been great to see how many times my mosaics have been pinned and I really appreciate how it’s brought even more people to see my little blog.

So it took me a while to get onto Pinterest too. For that I went to the library (big fan of the library I am) and got one of those Dummies books and found out all about it more or less.

And one thing the book tells you to do and that I’m slowing getting done, is watermarking my images. Because one thing that I’m finding out on Pinterest is that sometimes you just can’t get back to the source of the image you like. Don’t you hate it when that happens? So, at least for mine, you’ll always be able to find where mine come from, at least the one’s that are fresh ones.

And now I’m on Pinterest just pinning away. I’ve been going through all my old bookmarks and pinning all that good stuff I’ve been saving for ages. It’s taking a bit of time and I’ve got lots left. Plus I’ve been finding so much new good stuff to pin on other Pinterest boards too. I think I’m getting hooked on it.

So please have a look at all the stuff I’ve been pinning. You might like some of them yourself. You’ll find a badge on the right side of the blog. And again, thanks so much for pinning from my blog. As they say at Pinterest, Happy Pinning.

My Over the Top Cats and Roses Mosaic

Posted on February 18, 2013May 31, 2015 by Helen

Actually, I created this mosaic a few years ago. Another one of those shrines that come together almost serendipitously. I had an idea of creating a mosaic with cats and to that end I’d been collecting all sorts of cat ornaments. And although there are quite a few on this particular piece, there are still an awful lot left over that are still waiting for homes on a mosaic or at least a shelf or windowsill. I do sometimes bring them out to the kitchen windowsill to sit among the African violets. But I wander from the point…

Ok I had a amassed a huge collection of thrift shop cats, since I tend to have a soft spot for cats. And I was looking for some sort of a background to set them against but nothing had came to mind. Then one summer day, Bill and I came upon a garage sale that had a lovely collection of rosy bone china saucers. As I remember it, the cups were missing so the saucers were going cheap. And they were absolutely full of bloom and color, you could almost smell the scent of roses coming off them. I snapped them up. I’d suddenly had a vision of my cats with all these roses!

Almost as soon as I decided on the theme, I found at another sale soon after or it could have been the same day, quite a collection of rose ornaments with these deep purple roses as well.

I put together a bit of a unique color scheme. Not so pastel, with that dark green around the rim and those dark almost black roses. And now I also had the place for some really outrageous rose ornaments as well. I decided to go over the top!

And it must have been too, because when I had a big display of my mosaics at the local municipal hall, I got written up in the local community paper. And what did the writer wonder about? Well, as I remember, she wrote that although she loved all the mosaics I’d made, she thought the whole Cats and Roses shrine was a bit too sweet and she hoped I was being facetious when I made it.

All I can say is that she did get the gist of it. It was meant to be Over the Top. But I like the combination of Cats and Roses, they have an affinity. Both so beautiful but with sharp bits like claws and thorns. So maybe not so sweet after all? Who cares? It’s not meant to be serious.

But it’s over the top Kitsch too. And I love kitsch. I once heard of a garden that was full of things that were over the top kitsch like flamingos, vintage signs and the oddest things for embellishment. What I loved most, though, was the unapologetic sign in the garden that said to please tell the gardener if anything “tasteful” was found and he would make sure to remove it right away. Love it. Hope you enjoy my little Over the top take on Cats and Roses.

Perpetual Valentines for a Happy Valentines Day

Posted on February 11, 2013January 11, 2015 by Helen

I’ve been collecting Heart shaped boxes for a few years now. It’s sort of like a perpetual Valentines Day in my kitchen.

They are all hanging up, well almost all of them, on the wall in the kitchen. Today I thought I’d share a few new ones that haven’t yet made it to my wall of hearts. Sort of my way of wishing everyone a Happy Valentines Day! Enjoy and I hope you make sure to have some lovely chocolate too, or flowers are good if on a diet. But chocolates are better. Very necessary for the full enjoyment of the day.

Creating Texture and … Boomerangs?

Posted on February 1, 2013June 5, 2020 by Helen

The fun of working in Pique assiette mosaic is the inspiration you can find in a simple plate design. Trolling a thrift store one day, I’d found just a couple of plates with a pattern around the edge that just felt like the 50’s, bringing ideas of mid century design with it. I love that time in design. So optimistic about the future, so modern, and colorful.

One of the first things I show my students, sometimes even before we go shopping for good dishes to break, is how to create texture with lines. These plates are a perfect example. All the lines pretty well went from the outside to the inside of the rim with all lines going toward the center. But, when you break the plate, you have all these nice bits and pieces with lines that can be put back together in every which way. And that arbitrary rearrangement is exactly what creates this lovely texture.

detail bits,Boomerang Mirror by Helen Bushell summerhouseart.com Since the design on the plate inspired me to think 50’s, one thing sort of naturally led to another.

Boomerang Mirror by Helen Bushell summerhouseart.com

Boomerang Mirror by Helen Bushell summerhouseart.com A popular shape then was the boomerang which inspired a whole lot of boomerang shaped tables at the time. Ok I didn’t have enough dishes to create a top for a coffee table, but, I did have enough, with a little embellishment from other colors and tiles…..