Upcycle Show...

Well... how much fun it that!?!

I took the new birdcage reliquary shrine dolls 

to the gallery this afternoon for the "Artful Giving"

show coming up in a few weeks...

And found my "Guardian of Hope" entry in the Upcycle, Repurpose 

and Reuse Show had won 3rd place in the gallery!

This incredible repurposed bronze bust won first place!

In a word: extraordinary!

What a variety of work, most pieces are mixed-media.

Here he is... standing so proud; 

next to a very handsome guitar ensemble!

Off We Go... to the Gallery Show!

These three reliquary shrine dolls are headed to Millville...

for the annual "Artful Giving" show and sale at

Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts.

Here's a link to the website: http://www.rrcarts.com

This guy is my favorite... just because!

And this guy wears the years of walking in wisdom well...

And this little guy? Well, he's is just along for the ride!

I ended up adding small, painted metal stars to the top of each 

of the hand-dyed wool felt hats... and vintage sheet music 

inside two of the reliquary shrine birdcage bases.

You've Gotta Have Heart...

Each birdcage angel has a heart...

Rusted tin painted and sprayed with a bit of walnut stain.

You don't suppose I could just pass them off as simply: 

"birdcages with a little bit o' heart?" (wink!)

Giving Me a Little Lip!

So... these "Messengers of Hope" finally have a little lower lip!

(Actually... not such "little" lower lips!)

And their birdcage bodies are just about complete...

The wings need some walnut stain and a soft sanding!

Each of these guys will have a rusty metal heart hanging inside 

his birdcage; visible through the wire bars.

I also added heavy eyelids so give them a little empathy...

Next... the heads need a base-coat with raw umber or soft black.

Their hats are made from hand-dyed wool felt that we found

in Lancaster County last summer... stamped with some of Katie's

favorite rubber stamp images (mine too!)

Thank you for stopping by... enjoy the remains of the day!

Daryle

Messengers... Waiting on Lower Lips!

These guys are beginning to take on a life of their own...

In spite of the fact that I didn't get to their lower lips and chins today!

I'm thinking checkerboard wings; to add a bit of whimsy.

Bote des Herzens

I'm working on a new series of three angels:

"Messengers of the Heart" (German: Botes des Herzens)

I've had these three wood and wire mini-birdcages 

(literally) hanging around above my studio table for eight years...  

I began to work on several dolls for the annual 

Riverfront Renaissance Gallery show, which opens in November... 

These cages were destined to become (the unsuspecting) 

bodies of three little mixed-media angels!

I have based-coated them with flat black and plan on

dry brushing some "Grotto" chalk paint over them next.

Paper clay heads are in the plan...  I'm picturing disproportionate,

"boxy" little bodies with paper/wired wings and a rusty heart

strung inside each birdcage.

Perhaps they'll each become a reliquary for the safe-keeping

of tiny treasures or keepsakes.

The Perfect October Afternoon

Just a mile or two north of us, is Hill Creek Farms... 

an apple orchard extraordinaire!

It was the perfect afternoon to be out-and-about, 

with boatloads of sunshine and some time to just relax.

We stopped to pick up some fresh cider donuts (my "healthy" choice!)

and a sampling of apples (Katie's "healthy" choice!)

But sadly... not a single pumpkin found its way home with us!