Face Planters

FACE PLANTER

“SHE WHO SURROUNDS HERSELF IN BEAUTY”

Here she is surrounded by a garden of zinnias

Maybe I’m wrong, but I’ve always said that materialism and spiritualism can mean the same thing. The wonderful fountain that plays a background melody in my garden and allows me to meditate upon life, the flowers that adorn every corner of the grounds at Woodloft (my home), the rock walls that hold the soil at bay and the sculptures that beautify each walkway, all play a part in spiritualism. Yet, they were made at a price or purchased. Where do we draw the line between those two words? Materialism/spiritualism?

Full view

Here is the poem I wrote for her:

“She Who Surrounds Herself in Beauty”

……Brings all of nature’s bounty to her abode. She calls upon the earth, the mountains and the ocean to share with her their abundance. She takes no more than she is offered for she knows that life gives what is needed. She has hand crafted everything in her possession or has received as a gift those items that were carefully and with love created…therein her life is made sacred..by all these things.

~Cheryl Dolby~

Another close-up

The planter I have named, “She Who Surrounds Herself in Beauty,” reflects my feelings on this subject. I used lots of gold, bronze and silver to adorn her. She sits quietly in the garden and adds a feeling of atmosphere to her quiet surroundings. We will be creating a planter similar to this one at my residential sculpture class this summer. I am accepting 5 students and have 2 openings left. You can read all about it here.

At an angle-side view

She is 12” high and 5” wide. I used stoneware clay and fired her at a very high temperature so that she can remain outside all summer long and can be watered without fear because I used Aquarium glue which is the same glue I used on my art car b-dazle I know this glue works!

I’ve just listed her on e-bay. You can check her out there and e-mail me if you’d like to purchase her. She is $85.00. I take all credit cards, checks and Paypal. I am happy to ship internationally as well.

Thanks so much.

ANGEL OF SACRIFICE

ANGEL OF SACRIFICE

Angel of Sacrifice Oil Collage

Sold. Thank you Dawn!

ANGEL OF SACRIFICE

Silently,

She lies cocooned beneath the gossamer wings of her guardian angel.

She does not move, for fear her angel will leave her
Alone
To face the universe of memories
That abide in her mind.

Unrequested,

the angel came with strength, wisdom, love and a promise to lift her sorrow.

Luminescent prisms flow in the distance
Becoming brighter and clearer as she travels.

Seeds of light burst round her in an
Unwavering fashion. Her angel by her side, they transcend toward a presence brilliant and familiar.

She is teased with leaving behind the heaviness of her life and escaping to a place of peace.

But…knowing in her heart that it is not the time…for there is much more love to give before she can go home again…

She returns.

~Cheryl Dolby~

I think the antique frame came from Mexico

An old almanac that I had stashed away in my studio was the inspiration for this angel collage. I love to read measurements and usages from these old tomes. This one in particular has details of herbs used in the early 1900’s. I used it for the background and added crackle glaze to it. I painted her face using the Renaissance Oil method and made her three dimensional halo using the technique I learned while taking a fresco class in Italy a few years back.

Close-up of almanac and crackle glaze

Close-up of halo I learned to make while in Italy

I have used my Angel of Sacrifice story with many of my sculptures and paintings. It has special meaning to me and I think it speaks of many women.

I have priced "Angel" at $325. She is 17x 21". If you are interested in purchasing her, please e-mail me and we can go from there. I take all major credit cards and Paypal. You can also purchase her on ebay by clicking here. This is my first listing on e-bay. Wish me luck! Thanks so much!

FRIDA ART BOXES

FRIDA ART BOXES

A TALE OF TWO RECYCLED ART BOXES

Recycled Frida Art Box

For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed recycling just about anything. I especially like to recycle discarded pieces and turn them into works of art. When I found two cigar boxes recently, the shapes basically dictated their use to me.

The first box is about 1” deep, which is a rare find. I knew I wanted to use my Frida digital image to create a box in which to keep art pencils or pens.

Quilted interior of box

Can you guess what I used for the clasp on the lid?

I just knew this old opener would work it’s way into my art..Of course, if things get tough, you can always use it to open a beer!

For the inside, I used a discarded quilt jacket. It is so pizzazzy and goes well with the bright colors of the box.

Quilted interior and another image from my Frida Original Oil Collage

For the feet, I used 4 wooden pieces that I found at a flea market some time ago. I have several more and now I know they make a perfect flat base for a box.

Bright yellow wooden feet

Close-up of flowers that have applied with encaustic wax

My Frida Art Box is for sale for $42.00. It is 2" D x 8 1/2" W x 9" H. Art pencils are not included.

The second box I found really gave me inspiration. I love the chunky square shape. To me, it looked like a sewing accessory box.

I was going to add a clay bas-relief of Frida but decided to experiment with canvas. This experiment has given me all sorts of ideas of other ways to use the canvas. My method was to make a digital print of Frida on canvas paper. I then painted over the picture with oil paint. This gave the print a very soft, rich look. It almost reminds me of cross stitch fabric. I used the print on the recessed front along with small glass tiles.

Frida Sewing Box

I used a fabric I had leftover from another art project to the inside and added quilt batting to the top so that needles can be stored there.

Floral fabric inside of box

View of side of the box

My Frida Sewing Box is for sale for $38.00 and is 2 1/2 " H by 5 1/2 square.

If anyone is interested in either of these art boxes, please just e-mail me and we can go from there. I take all credit cards, paypal, or checks. Thanks so much.

RENAISSANCE OIL COLLAGE-GENTLE SPIRIT

GENTLE SPIRIT

Gentle Spirit Renaissance Oil collage

Spring has inspired me to create an oil collage of a young woman who looks a bit like a fairy or wood nymph. At first I was going to name her “Elfin”, which seemed to fit her but then I decided on Gentle Spirit, from my book “She Who Whispers.” She is highly textured with flowers from my garden and a crackled effect. She definitely has the look of one "not yet injured by life."

GENTLE SPIRIT

The seed pod opened-a woman child emerged. She was not yet complete…still in the process of becoming finished. She was innocent, having the quality of one who has not yet been injured by life. No soul searching, no vision quest. She was just content to be here and to be a living part of the great mother earth.

~Cheryl Dolby~

I placed flowers along the edge of the painting

I used encaustic wax to attach and preserve these flowers, which are from my garden here at Woodloft.

I was very pleased with the large crackle effect.

Gentle Spirit is 18x24” and priced at $290. Shipping is included to anywhere in the continental USA. I accept checks, MC, Visa, Discover and American Express or paypal. I can also send to anywhere in the world and will be happy to give you a shipping price to your country. Please click on my e-mail to make arrangements for sale. Alternately, you can view Gentle Spirit on my Etsy shop for more details by clicking here.

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH

Johann Sebastian Bach

Renaissance Oil Collage of Johann Sebastian Bach

What a surprise! After studying Bach on Google, I discovered that he was a numerologist. I learned that his fugues and cannons are mathematical in nature and that he even played games with his music. A sheet of his music can be turned upside down and be completely unchanged! He was obsessed with the number 14 and wore only jackets with that number of buttons. In numerology, which I still don’t know a lot about, the name Bach supposedly is equated to these numbers:

B=2

A=1

C=3

H=8

Added together, they total 14. JSBach= 41 I created his musical signature and placed it on his sleeve shown below.

Musical signature Bach used on his compositions

Number 14 and mirror number 41, were Bach’s favorites. I decided to add that signature to my painting along with showing the 14 buttons on his jacket. I also added a complex mathematical symbol with the numbers and musical notes most often found in his compositions.

Mathematical symbols I used to depict his genius

Fourteen buttons on his coat-I placed a small image of Bach in the center of each

Here are a few basics on Bach’s life. He was born in Germany in 1885 and lived to be 65 years old. He was a virtuoso organist and composer and has been hailed as a genius whose work represents the peak of the Baroque era. He was taught to play the harpsichord and violin by his father. Bach married twice with a total of 20 children, many of whom became famous musicians in their own right. Bach’s numerological symbols still amaze musicians today and many consider him to be the greatest composer of all times.

I have now finished 3 of the 5 composers I plan to do. Next is Chopin.

Thanks everyone for your most appreciated comments on what has been for me a real stretch in my artistic endeavors!