Life turned upside down.I used cigar bands for the bracelets on the elephants eggs.
create Art.
I also integrated paper painted fortunes, fortune sticks, shells, eggs (always sneaking in there), 
These pieces are available at the Green Rice Gallery in the NODA Arts District in Charlotte. If you haven't stopped by yet I also have some of my Birdstacks, Eggs and an Elephant Series hanging there. Christmas is coming, BUY ART!
The scientific moment is the presentation itself and the round canisters housing a shell, compass and of course some eggs (they always sneak into my work). The box itself is covered with handmade paper and topped with 5 egg rocks found on a sojourn with my niece to Campobello Island on the Bay of Fundy many years ago. I like the way this box evokes a sense of mystery, mystical and eastern philosophy and a bit of magic as well.
Joseph Cornell is known for his small wooden boxes (from 10-12 inches to 20 or more inches in size), artfully filled with various objects. These boxes were usually covered with a pane of glass. Some of the elements were kinetic. These works of art are referred to as assemblages. The objects were chosen carefully, although many held no intrinsic value alone; when combined these objects reveal a deeper meaning.
Birds were a common image, (a personal favorite) as were constellations and other heavenly bodies, either as two-dimensional images or merely evoked by a round sphere. Juxtapositions were always poetic, evoking associations often explored by Surrealists, of mystery, fantasy, the subconscious, dreams, etc. However his work differed from the Surrealists in that he was more interested in finding poetic connections of meaning between disparate objects. The miniature world in itself always has a unique charm and when these few objects are isolated in such a way they force us to really look at them and to think about their possible intended meanings. The spareness of the compositions also contributes to the expressiveness, with their geometry, curves and two- and three-dimensional spaces.Cornell's work brings some of this sense of wonder and mystery back to us.
Here is a bit of history that formed the foundation for Cornell's Assemblage Boxes. Duchamp, the Dada artist, developed the idea of the 'readymade' as an art object, early in the 20th century. Basically as an intellectual questioning of what the nature of art truly is, as well as a Dada shock tactic, Duchamp placed a urinal in a New York exhibition in 1915 (an object is art if the artist says it is). From this point on, the 'found' object could also be art, alone or with other objects. Cornell had already been collecting bits and pieces and putting them together into collages when he met Marcel Duchamp in the early 1930's.(Ah true inspiration!) 
His acquaintance with Duchamp and the Surrealists influenced his thinking and his work, as well as the box constructions of Kurt Schwitters, another Dada artist. Schwitters' abstract collages and constructions were composed of materials which had already been thrown away and 'useless,' however, rather than precious items chosen carefully for their meanings. Cornell had no formal art training, and didn't draw or paint or sculpt in the traditional sense. However he was the very definition of artistic and creative, as an artist who takes materials and/or elements, and combines them in inventive and/or expressive ways.
Are you interested in taking a workshop that is inspired by the work of Joseph Cornell? It is a Saturday Sisters Art Workshop event and will be held the second Saturday in December.I created this sample to illustrate my interpretation of a Joseph Cornell Holiday Box. Click for more info.
The light in this first painting " Trout Fishing in America" is liquid and somewhat murky, streams tend to be that way.
Exploring light, color and how it interacts with water is a good way to spend the day!
She is always adding new techniques for her different assemblages and is a fan of attending artist's workshops. She was recently inspired by a Michael De Meng workshop, he is an assemblage artist with a flair for making magnificent altered creations that are shrine-like but look rusty and careworn. Sheila has applied this technique to her work in a fresh and different way.
The Green Rice Gallery of Charlotte, N.C. is in the NODA Art District.
She is fun, delightful and so well versed in many different mediums. I was treated to a tour of her home and studio and was absolutely inspired by her fearless artistic approach.
She attends many workshops and applies the knowledge she has picked 
The actual style of her home is eclectic and lovely. The colors are bold and neutral and the furnishings are comfy and inviting. The overall atmosphere is a truly creative and inspiring one. Pam is an artist who loves actually doing all kinds of Art following whatever her inspiration may be on any given day.
I use a wide variety of paint products. Golden Paints has a wonderful selection of colors with various transparencies and the best gel medium which is great for transferring and applying the images to the canvas. Golden also has a wide and varied selection of molding paste and various gels and finishes. Liquitex, and even a generic store brand paint works very well. Try to stay away from the cheapest canvas' as they may not be primed and can be made in an inferior way. The best bet is to explore all of the choices at your favorite Art Store. A few here in the southeast are Cheap Joe's Art Supply and Binders Art Supply, both have websites and both have quality products at a price that is easy on the pocketbook. Log on and check it out. If you have questions you can also give them a call.
Today I am going to write about the creative muse that lives within us all. My friend Janice Micek is an incredibly talented artist.
Her specialty of the moment is assemblage art. She lives her life in an artful manner. I went to a workshop in her home and asked if I could come back and photograph her "Arty Still Life's".
Tables filled with silver from a bygone era, shells and other treasures from the sea, a bowl of pieces and corners of old frames, not to mention the charming natural whimsy that was the underlying foundation to her display work. Janice also had a fair amount of nests and all were displayed in a cozy and nesty fashion. 
