by deets

I know it’s a little early; I realize the caramel marshmallows are not back yet; I know it was hot today, but I just love Halloween.  And really, if there’s a holiday to decorate for, Halloween is it.  I mean, you put up some fake spidey webs now, and take a little housework break til November.  Sounds good, am I right?

So anyway, here’s what I wanted to show you.  A Halloween version of my little bots, and a taller, dangly armed version of everyones favorite, Frank N. Bot.  You can find them for sale in my etsy shop.

So next I’m thinking pumpkin heads, I’m thinking ghosts, I’m thinking skeletons… what’s your favorite?

I’ve been really enjoying sculpting octopi.  Here’s one of the first guys.  I’m making some big, some small, some beaded, some not.  They all make me smile.  You can never go wrong with a cephalopod.

The weather has become gorgeous in Ann Arbor again, salt in the wounds of the Ann Arbor Art Fair. Depsite the rain and humidity, or possibly in part thanks to it, the Robot Art Fair at 826 Michigan was a wonderful success!  My new line of robots were received warmly, and are now available through 826 Michigan’s shop.

And since I keep talking about robots, and robots, and making more robots, I figure it’s about time I actually post a photo of these guys.  I’ll be taking an army to Maker Faire this weekend, and those sold at the event come on a base inscribed with “Detroit Maker Faire 2010″.

robot mixer

Let me know what you think! I plan to make some larger robots soon, as well as robot ornaments as winter approaches - think tiny robot scarves…

One day, a super hero awoke and said, “when there is a hotdog frankfurther, schnitzel, kilbasa, redhot, weenie or weiner in trouble… Ploch Man will heed the call!”

and so it began.

I’m going to be trying my hand at mold making with Ploch Man.  Who knows?  Maybe he’ll start some sort of strange adventure or something.  I’d love to hear your suggestions!

Congrats to this wonderful couple who got married in Central Park this May!

It was really fun creating this dress in clay, and surprisingly, I believe this was my first plaid!  The suit has a really cool texture as well, that I added with a steady hand and tiny needle.  Some of the other details I included were the makeup for her, and a bit of a five o-clock shadow for him.  Clean shaven he still has that rugged shadow goin on.

If you’re in the Ann Arbor, Michigan area and would like to see an example in person, check out Zingerman’s Cake! showroom, or send me an email and I would be more than happy to meet with you in person.

The leaves are dropping, the caramel marshmallows have returned to Sweetwaters Cafe, the Frozen Assets have played the first two games of the season, and I’m wearing tall argyle socks.  It must be autumn.

Before I become lost in the carboard, foam, ruffles, doo dads and whatnots of constructing Mario, Baby Peach AND their karts for Halloween, I’d like to share a few more sculptures.  Meet Agatha, Cele, and Humphrey.

Scavenging for items to upcycle in my sculpture has become one of my favorite things to do, outside of the actual creating.  Wandering the aisles of local thrift shops, or pedaling from one garage sale to the next makes my mind race with new ideas and excitement.  My latest characters are the product of one of those finds.  A box of dirty used electron tubes became the jumping off point for my Series of Tubes.

They made their debut at the Kerrytown Artisan Market last weekend, and many are now listed in my etsy shop.  I am far from done creating these funny guys, as I still have quite a few small tubes left, and nearly a whole box of larger ones which I have yet to dig in to.  Let me know what you think!

Fall is in the air, and I am loving it.  It’s the crisp air and sweet smells of rain, leaves just starting to change colors, the peacefulness of it all.  I have been sculpting in my studio every moment I get these past several weeks, finding myself lost in thought as the faces emerge, drawn in by their eyes, and enjoying the way the tiniest change in the shape of the lid or depth and color of the glass can alter their expression.

Out of my studio have come several mini busts with handmade glass eyes, several figures with clay upper bodies and found objects (many of which have not emerged finished from the studio quite yet), and a couple of larger figures as well.  Several of these new figures are listed on my etsy site, with more in the weeks to come.

I have been inspired to embark on another adventure as well:  the Sunday Artisan Market at Kerrytown.  Hosted by MICE (Michigan Indie Crafters of Etsy), I will be at the market on Sunday, September 27th.  Come by to see me and a lot of other wonderful local artists!  I hope that these last days of summer are good to you all!

Cocoon began as a figure based atop a vintage receipt spike I found at my favorite local resale shop, Treasure Mart.  The spike itself is was used as both an armature and inspiration for how the figure took shape.  I have been wanting to experiment with using glass eyes, and found these (as well as many more pair waiting in my studio) from a fellow etsian.  For the cocoon itself, I used a long “scrap” of gorgeous hand-dyed yarn bought at another A2 local shop, Busy Hands, originally intended to make a scarf for myself, although I’ve already begun and undone said scarf 4 or 5 times (hence the “scrap”).  With several more receipt spikes in my studio, there will be more sculptures to come, but only one Cocoon.  You can find him for sale on etsy.

After several years of visiting the many fairy doors of Ann Arbor, I recently I found myself creating my first ever winged sculpture. I had not set out to make a contribution to the fairy genre, but when this figure started to emerge from my studio, wings seemed to be just what she needed.  That, and a tutu made of countless layers of black tulle.  You can find her for sale on etsy.