More adventures in Porcelain Painting

Desert Kit Fox porcelain painting (click to enlarge)

Another experiment in porcelain painting as I explore this new media. It will be added to the que to fire at the end of this month. All of the plates will eventually be put up in the cookie store as decorative serving plates.

Foxes are such adaptable creatures. In the UK they are common urban wildlife much as the coyote is in the southwest. In the Tucson, AZ area kit fox is rarely seen, being mostly nocturnal. This plate painting is of of a San Joaquin kit fox which is endangered due to habitat encroachment. They are California residents.

Though wildlife Do Not make good pets due to their wild nature they are born with, there is a story of a man who rescued an injured red fox that is so touching! Watch the story of Cropper The Fox  HERE.

Sweet Dreams

Panda Play - Overglaze on repurposed porcelain plate

Sweet Dreams - Overglaze on repurposed porcelain plate

Two more paintings on repurposed plates I found hunting at a thrift store.  It is really interesting as I learn the possibilities of painting with overglazes on finished porcelain ware.  A whole world of ideas has been opened!
Most of the focus will be on endangered animals. The porcelain ware will be varied.  Repurposed or new, each is hand painted with no two alike - no mass productions here!
Originally started as a concept for cookie plates, the project has taken on a life of it's own and moved toward my beloved wildlife, animals, dogs, botanical subjects.

My friend Carol Hedgedus from Handmade Tile Studio has empowered me to pursue this interest by loaning me paints, her super helpful book China Paint And Overglaze by Paul Lewing, and giving me an older kiln. I am forever grateful to her for her generosity.

The kiln will not be ready for some time due to a bit of electrical work, so meanwhile I am looking for local sources to fire my plates and tiles.

Sweet Dreams and Panda Play will be available as limited editions thru my Etsy cookie store MoonLight Cookie Art. 
Enclosed with every Wildlife plate will be a few facts on each subject and a portion of the proceeds is donated to World Wildlife Fund and Nature Conservancy - two of my favorite educational charities!

While there is quite a bit of information on Pandas and Polar Bears, below are a few facts I have learned from a book I recommend The Great White Bear by Kieran Mulvaney.


Did you know:

• Polar bear fur is not really white. The fur is colorless and absorbs the colors of surroundings.
• Pandas have only one baby born about 5 inches long.
• Many male bears will kill the cubs if given the chance.
• Pandas diet consists almost entirely of bamboo, unlike most bears.

More will be added to this list as I learn about these endangered, beautiful animals.

Almost Finished

Now that it's about done I discover a few things I want to change before I put the mosaic tape. Once the tape is laid on there is no going back.
It is a one time deal.
There are a few things I have learned the hard way for next time.
Can't wait to see this done - it will be beautiful!

Half Way There

Almost there. Still have to do the touchy part of  applying clear tile tape to the face, Carefully lift it off, turn it over, Carefully peal off the sticky paper it is on, then Very Carefully apply it to the round substrate that will be prepped with cement thinset.

It's a one shot deal from the time tile tape is applied to the face to the actual finishing. 

This technique is called the Double Reverse application method in mosaics and can be very touchy. I am both nervous and excited - I love challenging techniques.

I chose this method after reading about it in Sonia King's Mosaic Techniques and Traditions and Sandra & Carl Bryant of Showcase Mosaics use this method exclusively for all their public art installations. Their work is beautiful.

They also work in stained glass mosaics and after reading a forum on their technique I decided to use it for this project because of the extreme complexity of design and shading. 

It sure would be nice to have them here for tips - but here I go!

(the black piece of glass by the ear is for lettering, not part of the design)

Well Hello There!

Hello out there! Seems like time is flying by way too fast. Lately I average about 5 hours of sleep, but feel pretty good. Must be because I am so excited about my new cookie store MoonLight Cookie Art, the new article of my work in Tucson Lifestyle this May - the BEST birthday present ever - and planning for a nice road trip.
The article in Tucson Lifestyle lists this blog site here instead of my main website due to a slight mix up, so here is a flyer with my main web address and work samples - I will post a few times over next month.

Click to enlarge full size

Still working on a mosaic that I love and will have finished in a week. Also now that Easter is over Mother's Day is coming up and I will have to set cutoffs for orders for cookies. I was swamped for Easter - this time I will have more control. Also working on a small mural project that, is due at the end of this month! But I wouldn't have it any other way - I love working in different media and ideas always flow!

Blue Coyote Mini mosaic WIP

Still playing with tempered glass in the mini mosaics. Made copy of my painting to for mosaic. No glass on it yet. This one will be sent as a sample when finished. The appeal of the TG is that it allows painting as well as mosaic. Painting, drawing, design is the foundation for my artwork. The visual "comfort food" that always soothes and restores the creative juices.

Think I am drawn to trickster tales in general. A great book on trickster tales I just finished - The Coyote Road Trickster Tales edited by Ellen Datlow. An anthology of tales by popular fiction authors and illustrations of Charles Vess. Introduction and Preface was fascinating and I learned much about the history of trickster folklore in different cultures.

Kit Fox

Here is a secretive little kit fox peaking out from a mesquite - finished! She is part of my Starry Night series for the upcoming shows. A small piece 9" x 12".  These little foxes have adapted well to urban life as it has encroached on their environment. Being mostly nocturnal they  can be seen scavenging around trash cans, yards etc. It's amazing the way  much of the wildlife has adapted in spite of the often thoughtless human society. Birds, bats, coyotes, squirrels, raptors, bobcats etc. can be seen everywhere. 

New mini glass works

New works are smaller for the upcoming shows. Mirror mixed media mosaics and tiny jewel colored 1" glass pins and pendants as well as the framed glass paintings.

My other series I like to refer to as SOL (Smiling Out Loud) pieces are dreamlike images inspired by St. Francis, Madonnas, angels, folktales, proverbs, love, and dogs (love dogs!). Vibrant jewel tone color palett combines with wildlife and the SOL pieces. A direction my work has moved toward since 2005.

Featured in several of my pieces is my k9 Aussie companion Risa. 

The glass paintings glow with color and gold metallic highlights in both series. It's fun to toggle/play between them for endless design combinations!

 The light shines thru the sides in the glass pins highlighting the glitter in them. I have always wanted to make a few of these - they are so cute and colorful to wear! Just had to finally make some :~)

 Currently on the easel is a shy, mysterious, lovely Kit Fox.