I just finished a piece that has been sitting in my art room for about 8 months! I had the background completed and really liked it, even though it is very different from most of my backgrounds. I just wasn't sure what I wanted to put in the center of the painting. I'm glad I waited and took my time.
By now, if you have looked through any of my past work, you know that I love Native American Lore and have used the stories for the basis for some of my pieces. This is one of those paintings. It is based on the story that the Raven is black so that he could fly into the Darkness and bring the Light out to the People. The story is lovely and is told in various ways in many of the different nations.
Here is the 'Spirit of the Raven--Bringing The Light Out of the Darkness', 24"x24", mixed media--acrylic, white gel pen, white pastel--on stretched canvas.
I am making floating frames for my larger canvases for the first time. I am learning to use my mitre saw and a hand held router. It has been a longer process than I anticipated, but I am on the downhill slope now. i have finished all the cutting and routing and sanding and today I started gluing and nailing the frames together. I bought myself a brad nailer a few months ago and it is the absolute BEST! I had always tried to hold my frame on the edge of my canvas while holding the tack and hammering it in. The brad nailer is like a miracle! It also helps that my husband bought me framing clamps last year for Christmas and they work SO GREAT! I love them. Easy and accurate. Here are a couple photos of my efforts. I'll keep you updated as I continue to work on these large frames.
My last 3' routed strip. Notice the pile of sawdust to the side!
This is the completed wood pieces that have been cut to size on the mitre saw, routed, and sanded ready to be put together.
Here I am all decked out in safety paraphernalia and SAWDUST! Who knew?
Frames glued and nailed together.
Many of my completed frames, with mesonite backing, painted, with canvases glued and then nailed into the frames.
The rest of the big frames. It feels REALLY good to be finished with them. Now to wrap them in bubble wrap to await delivery to the galleries! YEA!
