Open House

Hello lovely people!

So as you know I am moving to El Paso, Texas, and I have started to go through my things to start packing up. I have unearthed sooooo much of my artwork that I have hoarded to myself in the process! hahaha aaahhh!! I would hate to pack them up and have them sit in a box... they need to be out and on a wall where they can be loved and appreciated.. (I'm way too sentimental... haha). So.. I have decided to do a big blowout sale of all my stuff! Woot!

I have some things that are framed and/or mounted and ready to go, which will be full price. I also have A LOT of unframed raw work that will be sold at a very discounted price! So there will art available for aaalllllll prices ranges so you all can have a piece of me before I peace out to El Paso! All of them are originals so you will definitely get a one of a kind piece. Woot!

Here are the details my friends:

McKenzie Jones Art

Open House - Sale

Saturday, October 3, 2015

10 - 2

Orem, Utah (at my home)

For the sake of not putting my home address on the internet for everyone and their cat to see... leave your email in the comments or email me at mckenziejonesart@gmail.com for that info! I would looooove to see you all and would be so happy to find new homes for all my art (remember... I'm waaaay too sentimental). 

So thank you thank you thank you for your love and support and I hope to see you there!

Plus.. there will be refreshments and desserts.. so at least come for the free food ya? :)

fear of the unknown

Everything in my life is changing right now... I find myself in unknown territory and it is terrifying and exciting.

I'm no longer a student... I'M GRADUATED FROM COLLEGE! Holy crap. With school starting back up this fall and me not in it I sure feel weird. What am I going to do??? (I guess use my degree eh? haha)

Unknown.

My husband has joined the Army Infantry and has been gone the last 4 months training. We were only able to communicate through letters... which was romantic and hard all at the same time haha. The whole time I knew at the end of the 4 months we would move out of state... but I had no idea where (I do now, and you will too in a couple of lines). I couldn't plan or anything so I've been just sitting in liiiiiiimbo.

Another unknown.

Finally getting to see him after being apart was incredible! I feel so honored and proud to be his wife. Being back together sure made me excited for this next step in our journey... in EL PASO, TEXAS!! And no it's not close to my cousin Angel (who also lives in Texas)... but I will be with my man so that is all that matters. :) ...uuuuunnnleessss he gets deployed... so let's hope he sticks around for awhile ya? Ya.. okay great :)

Deployment?
Big huge unknown.

Right now I am surrounded by all these unknowns and change and it is freaking scary and kind of exciting (mostly scary... at least right now.. haha). McKenzie here is definitely out of her comfort zone.

The greatest thing about being an artist is being able to use it as therapy to understand how I am feeling. I am able to get all my thoughts and emotions out of my head and onto the paper. This piece below was the first piece I did after working on my BFA show, and it was for my last final at UVU. I felt as though I was scraping the bottom of the barrel for this because I had put every ounce of my soul into my BFA. I was also kinda sad and sentimental knowing it was for one of my last finals... once I was done that meant I was DONE. All this while knowing Austin would be leaving soon and we would be moving.... aahhh! So this piece became a place where my hope and fear collide.

'Fear of the Unknown'
42 x 56 in
Mixed Media

With all this uncertainty it has sure made me dig deep to find strength in myself and my relationship. 

Finding strength in yourself is hard sometimes. We all have self doubt. It's so easy to support and cheer for others.. but to cheer for yourself? Not so much (GO ME! haha). One thing I keep telling myself is "I can do hard things". I know I can. I have been through a lot in my life so far and it has stretched me and shaped me into who I am today. And I'm pretty awesome... right??? hahahaha :) With graduating in fine art and no longer being a student it is time for me to be the artist I want to be. I want to be successful and have it be my career. I want to create for a living. I want to make my mark on the world. I want to move people. I want to inspire and be inspired. I have so many aspirations and it is scary.. cause now is the time for me to pursue them. I can't hide behind being a student anymore. I have to be a grown up (ew) and go after this dream of mine! Wish me luck eh??

Along with digging deep into myself... I've had to dig into my relationship for strength with all this change. Austin and I have such an incredible bond that has only grown stronger with him joining the military. Watching him receive confirmation to join the Army and to go after this life long dream is so inspiring. And trust me... I haven't always felt this way. Back in high school when we were dating he ALWAYS talked about joining and I thought he'd grow out of it for sure. I would tell him it was a deal breaker for marriage. Now here we are... almost 8 years later.. married.. and he's in the Army... hahaha. Deal breaker my A.. I love that boy too much! It took a lot of conversation and prayer to truly feel okay about it. Now that I do my heart is just overloaded with joy and love for that noble man on mine. I am so proud of him and cannot wait for this adventure to begin!

As nerve-racking as all this is... it is so fun to go after our dreams together and dive head first into the unknown. With all this inconsistency, that boy is my constant. That's all I need. :)

Come visit us in El Paso eh? :)

uvu - class of 2015

Guys... I graduated... woot!!!! It took me a while... but I freakin did it :)

I graduated with my Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in painting and drawing. I also got a minor in art history.. which was totally unplanned.. haha. I had just taken so many art history classes that I stumbled upon having a minor! Yay!

in the drawing studio... look at those beautiful walls!!!

Commencement was Friday, May 1, 2015 held in the Grande Ballroom at UVU. I got there... little late as usual... so I ended up being the last graduate to walk out when they introduced us to come into the ballroom. I was so excited!!! (as you can tell below.. baha)

My whole family and Austin's family was there to support me. It was so fun to walk out and see them all cheering me on.. I felt like a million bucks! I love them so much!

The program was sure different than most graduation's I'd assume. Of course it got boring at times.. haha but we had a dance number... an amazing group of singers... and a senate lady from Idaho spoke and it was like we were at church with her. She had us yelling "AMEN!" and "HALLELUJAH!" and laughing so hard... it was sure entertaining :) Then there was a slideshow showcasing all of the visual arts and I had some work in (my crew yelled pretty loud when mine came up.. woot woot!).

Then it finally came time to ggrraadduuaaatttee!

I was so freaking nervous and excited to walk up on that stage... it was so crazy knowing I was actually graduating.. and in something I am so passionate about! They called my name to go up... and I got my diploma (not really tho... haha punks.. still waiting for that in the mail).. shook hands all official like.. the I got to hug Lana Jardine (a dear friend) cause she was up on the stage... and it was just the cherry on top!

One of my amazing professors, Sue Parkinson, got an award and it was so cool to see all her hard work pay off. Makes me hope one day that when I'm all cool like her I've done something to be proud of too!

After the program we left the room as everyone applauded us... cause we are freaking awesome... and then got to meet up with family and friends!

Marcus and Catherine.... my professors :) 

Having a polly in the family sure made it fun because he made me candy leis that went up to my eyeballs! I was soooooooooo pumped about that!!!!! Jake is the best! It was soooooo heavy I thought I was going to fall over... haha

I love my momma's!!!

I love my family so much! Thank you all for being there to support me and along my journey to my BFA! Seriously could not have not it without you guys... who else would tell me how awesome I am?? haha :):):)

And most of all.. my husband :) He is what keeps me goin.. man do I love him. Thank you for being my number one babe!

Thank you ALL for your kind words and comments... they kept me going and led to me getting my Bachelors! Five years ago I would have never thought I was an artist or that I would graduate as one... I was lost on what my degree should be and changed it every chance I could. Randomly taking that drawing 1 class back in 2011 CHANGED MY LIFE! I had no idea of my ability an what my little hands were capable of. It has been an amazing journey at UVU discovering what I could do... and learning, growing, and pushing myself to be better. It has been quite an adventure and I've loved every minute. Now here I am... graduated in fine arts... doing what I love... and making it my career. I am so excited (and terrified) to see what the future has in store!

Woot!

To leave you... and since I'm a total idiot.. here's a plethora of Kenzie for the day... hahahaha

Enjoy :)

peace out :)

series of seven

Now that I'm out of school and done with my BFA I can show you guys some other work I've been doing besides that for my BFA project! All while working on my big project I did have other classes I was doing work for. I was in Watermedia 4 with Marcus Vincent... and it was a little class with just four of us in there. I loved it. We mostly got together once a week and hung out (that is when I showed up)! Marcus was so understanding about my BFA taking over my life and let me turn things in whenever I finished. What a gem :)

Our final for that class was to do a series of seven. With this series he wanted us to find something to hook onto to and remember what we are about as an artist. To use what we were passionate about and have the work be about that. Having it be in a series makes it so you can explore your ideas throughout seven pieces, not just one. We got this at the very beginning of the semester... so we could really search, ponder, and pray about it... which for me meant I don't start it till the week before finals... bahaha.. aahhhh. I did have an idea of what I wanted to do.. but I didn't lock it down until that last week. 

My idea came from that book I've raved about on here, The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto. In it he takes photos of water crystals exposed to different words and circumstances. There is a series he did where he wrapped the cups containing the crystals with the word 'thank you' in 7 different languages and took pictures of the crystals. Each photo is a representation of 'thank you' in each language (below). So cool!! So seven thanks you's... series of seven.... it was meant to be. Plus it meant something to me cause I felt like it was my thank you to UVU and the experiences I had there.

Here is the page from the book with the photographs of each 'thank you' crystal (the japanese one had its own page).

As you can see each crystal forms uniquely and different than the one next to it.. but all are beautiful and have a sense of gratitude about them. I love it! So having each picture as a starting point for each of my pieces... I began to create.

I worked on each piece at the same time... so I didn't do them in any specific order. I would do a little on one and while that dried to a little on another. It was fun to jump around from piece to piece! It kept my marks fresh and my brain going!

Let's start off by showing you the Japenese 'thank you' piece. (below)

On the left is Emoto's photo of the crystal that formed with 'thank you' wrapped around it in Japanese, then on the right is my piece inspired by it. I love the rigid edges in the crystal and the green hues. I don't use a lot of green... so pulling out my gem green pastel and playing with it on there was fun! As you can see I didn't match colors or shapes perfect... thats why I say I used the reference photo as inspiration and not as a guide to copy. I wanted to make it my own while still giving a nod to Emoto's photo and the idea of it being about thanks.

Thank You (Japanese)
15 x 22.5 in
Mixed Media
2015

As I worked I kept my book open and continually glanced at it making sure that my pieces had the same energy as the crystals. That's how to crystals formed... through good energy. So to try and generate that same energy was a freaking challenge! Another challenge... I gave myself. Before I started these I challenged myself to NOT use collage... aahh! I collage on everything. I'm obsessed with it. I really don't know why I told myself I couldn't use it... I guess I thought I was being all cool and 'thinking outside the box'. I put way to much pressure on myself for this project when I only had a week to do it... haha.

While I was working one night Austin came in to check on me... and he caught me in a moment of frustration cause I was just pissed... haha. I felt like it wasn't working.. my idea was dumb.. I was dumb.. and my life was over... haha.. I go through these phases a lot. But he of course was bias and said I am amazing and I will make it work... while in my head all I could hear was 'bla bla bla'! But bless that boy he was right and I'm freaking awesome! hahahah.. I did end up pulling through and surprised myself with what I could do. With not being able to use collage I had to solve problems in a different manner which made me do things I normally would not have done. It was fun to see the outcome and see what I can do!

 

Thank You (English)
15 x 22.5 in
Mixed Media
2015

Thank You (Chinese)
15 x 22.5 in
Mixed Media
2015

Thank You (German)
15 x 22.5 in
Mixed Media
2015

Thank You (French)
15 x 22.5 in
Mixed Media
2015 

Thank You (Korean)
15 x 22.5 in
Mixed Media
2015

Thank You (Italian)
15 x 22.5 in
Mixed Media
2015

Doing these pieces sure gave me a lot of closure with my time at UVU coming to an end. It was good for my soul to be able to say thank you. Thank you to all the wonderful people that I met in the art program and my professors. Thank you for the support of my family and friends. Thank you to my Heavenly Father for putting me on this path to becoming an artist. Thank you to my incredible husband for being my biggest fan and punching bag when I'm frustrated ;)... and thank you to my little hands for showing me I can do things I never knew I could.

I have lost and found myself in art. I am forever grateful.

the process

Hey hello hiiiiii :)

So I told you I'd eventually tell you about my process for creating the art for my show... and today is that day! 

After making all my wood panels, prepping them, and reading The Hidden Messages in Water (read it)... my soul finally felt ready to create the work for my show. Also the fact that I procrastinated terribly and only had 2 weeks to finish the work made me ready too.. haha. Although I rushed it and didn't sleep and stressed myself out.. I wouldn't have it any other way. That is when I THRIVE. Going on no sleep and painting in the middle of the night when the world is asleep is when I pump out the best work. It's when I have time to sit there and think about it and its daylight outside... I produce absolute crap! It is best for me to just loose myself in the solitude of the night and create.

To start off, here is my artist statement for my show. This statement encompasses the underlying meaning of each piece and also tells you why I do what I do. With the idea of water and the universe I began to create each work of art and then each one morphed into their own meaning and story.

My artist statement :)

Alrighty... now that you know where my mind was at... let me go through each piece for ya so you can bask in their glory .... bahaha

1. Abyssal

This is a piece that I actually started months before I started all the others. Not that I was making it for my BFA, it was just a piece I did in the studio at school one day. I turned on Maxwell radio and got all in the groove and just threw paint around (pic 1). It was a very fun day :). I wasn't expecting anything out of it and I didn't care how it turned out. I added darker shapes to give it some solidity cause I got a little carried away with my dancing brush :) haha (pic 2). Without much thought I started throwing some greens on it... mostly because I hadn't used green very much lately and just wanted to (pic 3).

At the end of the day.. I left it hanging... and it hung in the studio for the next couple weeks. I just stared at it. I finally brought it home where it sat and I didn't really think of it after that.

1                                                                                          2                                                                                         3

After my break from this piece... I was in the midst of doing that art for my show and this guy snuck back into my thoughts.. sneaky devil. I pulled it out.. and again.. stared at it... haha. Until I decided I was going to use it. I mounted it to one of my panels and decided to collage on it. Before the collage this piece hinted at deep waters and what it feels like to be down there. With the collage I wanted to emphasize this idea. I wanted it to feel more like the abyss in the water and the cracking of the Earth from erosion. From that last picture to the finished piece it totally transformed and took on a new life!

Abyssal

65.5 x 42 in

Mixed Media

2015

Now for the deeper meaning...

Water is unpredictable and it can surprise you. It can crack open the Earth right below your feet and drop you into the abyss when you least expect it. The only choice you have in the matter is whether you drown or swim. Sometimes you will drown and others will have to dive in and save you... and thats okay. Cause other times you will be able to swim and fight it. Either way you grow and you learn. This piece is about that evolution in life and the world due to changing waters.

2. Flux

So I don't have the best step by step process photos of this piece because by the time I was almost finished I didn't realize I had gone that far! haha. I was in my art studio at home and Aust had come in and asked how long I was going to be. I told him I was just going to gesso the board and put a few collage pieces on it... so I wouldn't be too long. All a sudden, a couple hours later, I had done a lot more than I had expected! So I was basically finished before I had even come up for air. (pic 1)

1                                                                                                   2

This piece had a quality of 'flow' deep within it that I wanted to pull out. I added more blue/grey throughout the piece to give it that cohesive movement and emphasize the shapes that were happening. (pic 2) And then even more finishing touches to finish it off :) 

Flux
25 x 49 in
Mixed Media
2015

I named this piece 'Flux' because it is about the dancing waters of life. The rushing waters move you, cleanse you, and change you. I also just love dance and movement and wanted to have a piece that embodied just that. I'm so deep. baha

3. Aqueous

This piece was a fun one. I started out with a nice gessoed board and glued on some ripped Rives BFK paper onto it. Then I got my water-soluble crayons (grown up crayons.. haha) and just started going to town on it! I scribbled all over and then sprayed it with water and watched the magic happen (pic 1). Then while it was still pretty wet I went in with some acrylic to add some more dimension (pic 2). That part was fun because with the wet board the acrylic dripped and pooled ever so nicely :) Then I flipped the board upside down, I liked the composition better plus I didn't want all the 'drippys' going in the same direction. I went in with some nice paynes gray and purple to add more contrast (pic 3)... then with turquoise and quin gold to make it feel more like water. (pic 4)

1                                                              2                                                              3                                                       4

As you can see I flipped it again onto it's side and this is where it stayed. I always work on pieces all different ways and then at the end I decide which way it looks best. I like it horizontal like this because it brings out the peaceful quality in it more, which is what I wanted this to be about, the serene gentleness that water can have. 

Aqueous
72 x 36 in
Mixed Media
2015

Ya know when you are swimming and you stay under water all by yourself and just look back up at the surface? That's the feeling I wanted this piece to have. When you are fully immersed in the water... it is quiet... light is dancing through... and you get a sense of calmness. That feeling is my favorite... plus.. you feel like a total mermaid :) haha. It sure heals the soul.

4. Eclipse

This is another one that I worked on vertically that ended up being horizontal... but the way I started it was much different. K.. I don't want to sound all weird here but I totally dreamt up this idea before I did it... haha aahh but can you blame me? I was barely sleeping and when I did I fell asleep thinking about my show and what to do. So I felt like it was a little tender mercy just showing me the way!  I woke up in the middle of the night with an image and had the scribble the lines out of my brain so I didn't forget. So when I started this one I actually knew somewhat what I wanted it to look like and to be about, which is the only one that was like that.

My idea: Conflict. Opposition. Overcome. Crashing. Thrashing. All these words that portray the chaotic side of water.

To start out I got some Sumi Ink and created the shape I saw in my dream (pic 1)... hahaha aahh that sounds so funny when I say it out loud. The dark shape jutting down while the white shape was swirling and crashing over it was what I wanted. The color palette I used for this piece was to emphasize that idea of conflict. I hardly use black in my work. I'm a color junky... closest to black I usually get it grey! But this piece needed it. Then adding the yellow and reds to it gave it that power it needed. I collaged some pieces on it... because i'm obsessed with collage... and filled in the white areas with color (pic 2). 

There was still a lot of black marks showing through that made it too busy, so I went over it all again with some acrylic to push back some of those marks (pic 3). By doing that I kind of flattened the piece... so I went back in with dark to add some contrast and dimension (pic 4). That's what always happens when you are working on a piece... haha.. you fix a problem only to create another. That is all part of the process though and I love it! 

1                                                                     2                                                                3                                                         4

As you can see I ended up turning it on it's side. With it horizontal it really emphasizes that wave-like shape crashing down and over coming the darkness, which is what this piece is about. 

Eclipse
72 x 36 in
Mixed Media
2015

One night... I had all my pieces flooding our kitchen.. and asked Austin which one was his favorite.. and he pointed to this one. So I asked 'why'? He said he loooooooooved the colors and how it was a little different than the others. I then asked what he thought it was about... and of course he got all flustered saying he doesn't know anything about art or anything.. haha.. he's so cute. So I just told him to try. Just to look at it and tell me what you feel. His reply made me cry (I'm a boob).

He said it felt like inside each of us. We all have a dark side and a light side. We are constantly having to overcome the darkness with our faith and light. Sometimes it is a battle when things get hard and you have to fight to conquer it. It is a constant process that can get easier as time goes on. It is our job to 'eclipse' the pain to make room for healing. 

Couldn't have said it better myself.

5. Solstice

Alrighty... this was the very last piece I did. I started it after all the others were completely finished. The biggest reason I waited to start this one was because it was the biggest of them all... 7 feet tall!! It totally scared me because I didn't want to biggest one to be the worst one ya know??? haha... And I was feeling pretty proud of the work I was doing and had NO idea how I was going to top myself. 

So with no idea or direction... I started up ripped up paper and throwing it on there. I tried to used warm tones and cool tones to kind of bring in all my other pieces so they went well together (pic 1). Then to make it look like not just torn up paper I started painting over it to soften up edges. I also liked the mountain like shapes happening on the bottom so I wanted to bring those out more to make it feel kind of like a landscape (pic 2). 

After that it sat in this state for a while. I hated it. Absolutely hated it. I thought all my hopes and dreams for the biggest one begin the best one were crushed.... haha dramatic I know. I took a picture of it and sent it to my friends for feedback. Bless their hearts for giving me guidance and telling me it didn't totally suck... they just said it needed some life!! So after staring at it even long.. I added some rich reddish pink to contrast the cool blue (pic 3). It needed to be warmed up and more vibrant! Then it felt as though the big red area was just too big and too bla? haha.. So I taped up some white tissue paper to see what it would look like to extend a shape through it. (pic 4)

1                                                               2                                                         3                                                         4

As you can see I just glued that white tissue paper right down. I love how it went a little transparent and gives you that shape without it being too much in your face! Going through the issues I did in this piece.. made me super connected to it. It is for sure my favorite of the bunch because of my process with it. Plus its the biggest. So it had to be the best.. haha.. and in my eyes it finally was!

Solstice
48 x 84 in
Mixed Media
2015

Once I finished this piece I had to look at it and figure out what it was about. For me it was about the process of creating it... but since that is only my experience with it.. I needed to give it a life that everyone could connect to. But... I'm not going to. :) Muahahahha. 

This piece, I feel like, can be interpreted many different ways and I have heard a few. I'm not going to tell you what they were because I want to take your own ideas and feelings from it. My biggest goal as an artist is to create an experience for the viewer. So that is what I want you to do. Let yourself let go of 'what is it?' and ask yourself 'how does it make me feel'? Because that is what art is about. That is why I do what I do. That is when it turns into something pretty into something important. So let it be that. 

-

To finish I just want to say thank you! Thank you for supporting me and keeping me going! It feels good to know that what I'm doing is okay and that I'm maybe... hopefully... inspiring you in one way or another. :)

bfa show opening night! - 3/24/15

My BFA show has come and gone and I cannot believe it is over and done with... that thing consumed my life! It sure felt good to see my work displayed in the Woodbury Art Museum along with other amazing artist whom I am very lucky to call my friends. It was so fun to have everyone come to support and take a peek into my soul! (also kind of scary).

Thank you thank you thank you to all who came and all who loved from afar... it was definitely a night that I will cherish. It gave me the motivation and confidence to keep doing what I am doing... and I love what I do.

So THANK YOU!

That's Austin in the background :)

My man

Momma's and sisters

My dad... we are awesome :)

Catherine Downing... my professor and mentor

Me and the one who has influenced me and my art the most... Brandi Stoneman

The End :)

inspiration

Today I just wanna share a little bit of inspiration with you all... in the form of a book. :) But before I get to that... let me lead you up to it..

So last year around this time I got accepted into the BFA program at UVU for painting and drawing.. yay! I was so pumped and I totally felt like I had arrived... haha but little did I know that it was just the beginning! Soon enough, talk came of a BFA show and projects and all this crazy stuff.. and I just thought 'what did I get myself into?'. AAHH!! 

Every BFA student has a BFA project... it is your thesis for graduating. You come up with a concept of what your project is about and explore all ideas on it. For me... I was still figuring out who I was as an artist.. so to get all deep and focus on one thing was a big challenge for me. 

I started looking into my soul (I'm so deep... I know..) and really tried to find something I was passionate about. I tossed around a couple ideas but none really were hitting the spot... until I came across the idea of water... and it just spoke to me.

My whole life I have been a mermaid and have loved the water. It is more apart of me that I realized! Once I started focusing my work on water studies I began to soar. I found what I really wanted to explore and create my work about.

In my exploration of waattaaa, one of my lovely artsy friends told me about a book by Masaru Emoto called The Hidden Messages in Water. 

So I got the book and began reading it.. and after just reading the prologue I was beyond pumped. I kept telling Austin how amazing it was and how it just encompassed my work and ideas and thoughts and hopes and dreams and EVERYTHING. :)

While I was reading it I kept my sketchbook with me so I could write down my thoughts and quotes. I almost wrote more than I read because I was that obsessed. One of the quotes I wrote down ended up being in my artist statement for my BFA project... so thank you Mr. Masaru Emoto! Everything he said just struck a cord in me that won't stop vibrating.

I truly encourage you to read this book. It is so beyond inspiring and life changing. Trust me. You will get chills. Yup. :) Plus when see my art maybe you'll have a little more understanding of what it's all about.. eh?

To leave you, here is a little video to give you a taste of what the book is about. Woot!

road to the show

Alrighty friends... my show is this Tuesday!! Can't believe it is already here... I'll see you there eh? :)

In the mean time... let me butter you up and show you all the work that went into my show. I am going to keep the focus off the actual art (because you have to come to my show to see them!) and show you all the behind the scenes stuff.

So as you saw in the last post... I made some big huge fancy wood panels to create on.. and oooohhhh how lovely it was! They were all bigger than I am and it was so fun to dance around on them. I have never worked this big before so it was fun to go out of my comfort zone.. and freaking scary. After MANY sleepless and emotional nights I finished all my pieces... and I will tell you all about my process of how I created them soon.. just not today. :)

Once I was done with the art it was so relieving, but then a lot more work came sneaking on in. This is the part I didn't plan for. I gotta make them look all nice and professional and shiz?... whaaaat?

First step was to seal my pieces. I work in a lot of different mediums and not all are permanent, such as pastels and charcoal. Right now I have one of my past pieces in our hallway that is covered in charcoal that I haven't sealed... and Austin, like the boy he is, always rubs his fingers in it and chases me around to put black charcoal all over me... aaahh haha... no bueno. Since these are hanging in a museum and not just my house... figured I gotta make it stick! So I got Austin and his friends to help me carry my laaaaarge pieces outside so I could spray fix them and seal in all that artsy love!

Three spray cans and a very tired pointer finger later, I finished sealing in all my work.

Next was to save the sides. From painting and spraying water on it like a mad woman... a lot of paint and gunk dripped down the sids of the wood panels. So I had to paint over it. After taking waaaaay more paint chips than I should have from Home Depot and staring at them for days, I finally chose a nice warm neutral gray color to paint all the sides. I sanded and painted to cover up all the craziness and also serve as a sort of frame... and WOW it made all the difference.

Next was my least favorite part of all. Installing the hanging wire. In my earlier years of my art degree I made a wire sculpture of a butterfly, which turned out awesome.. but my poor fingers were so sad and ruined by the end of it that I vowed to never touch that wire crap again. Welp... vow didn't last long... I wired these babies up and kissed my fingers goodbye.

Once I was all done it was finally time to take them to their new home for the next month and a half, the Woodbury Art Museum. Hanging them was a bit of a pickle cause they are so large and in charge... but with the help of my handsome dude and his sis.. we busted it out.

I may or may not have cried when we finished and left... IT WAS ALL DONE! It felt so good to know that I had done my part and now it is their job to hang there, look all nice, and create an experience for the viewer. Time to let them live on their own. I know I totally sound like mother goose letting her ducklings into the world... but it's totally how I feel!

hahaha... aaahhh... I need a nap.

See you soon my friends :) and soon as in this TUESDAY FROM 6-8 at the WOODBURY ART MUSEUM :)