divine bird 2009 6"x 6" mixed media

Most plywood has a "good side", and with each of my plywood paintings, I try to pick the best side on which to paint. This piece did not have good side. In fact, the side I chose to paint is actually the side I would generally shy away from, but instead of trying to fill in all the cracks and sand down all the bumps, I decided to enhance them by letting the imperfections shine through (like I say, imperfections = charm).

lemon love bird 2009 6"x 6" mixed media

I entitled this piece with love, because I LOVE my new lemony colored spray paint [I kind of want to lick it, but I know it will probably disappoint like when you try to eat flavored chapstick]. The bird in this piece is created from an illustration of A Christmas Carol, taken from a vintage book, and the flower is cut from vintage drawer lining paper.

pleasant 2009 4"x 4" mixed media

This little painting is created from acrylic and spray paint, featuring a bird made from a vintage illustration from a book.

upcycle sign birds 2009 11"x 33" mixed media

This piece is created from an upcylced sign. It was sitting outside the back door of my work, basically where we put things that are to be recylcled and thrown away. It was a shabby chicish sign (white). I asked what it was doing outside the door (because it seemed perfectly useful to me), and my boss said, "you can have it" (he must have seen it in my eyes).
It was so great; this white painted sign, in terrific condition with hangers already measured and aligned on the back. All I had to do was paint it. BUT, on a very rainy sleepy day, I began painting it. It was coming along well. The colors good, the birds perfectly shaped and painted--it was all going well...until...I went to mount the birds on the painting. I unthinkingly placed all 3 upside down. It was my mad painting skill. I had created such a nice branch in which the birds would sit, that it looked just as good upside down (maybe that's not a good thing). It wasn't until I flipped it over until I realized I had placed the birds upside down (and not on purpose like in some of my work), and had ruined the beauty of the sign being pre-hung.
So there you have it. By the way, I re-wired it, although the original hangers are there too, if one was inclined to hang it upside down.

girl on a string 2009 12"x 16" mixed media

I personally love this one. The colors and content. The bird is fashioned out of a vintage cookbook recipe and the girl from a vintage illustration from a book.

plywood bird paintings

a bit of an off day 2009 6"x 6" mixed media

The bird in this piece is made from a photograph of a festive table from a vintage cookbook.

cast off bird 2009 6"x 6" mixed media

The bird in this piece is made from a recipe (pattern) for hand-knit gloves from a vintage book.

3 little sugar birds 2006 6"x 6" mixed media

The birds in this piece are fashioned out of vintage cookbook recipes.



rick rack blue bird 2009 6"x 6" mixed media

The bird in this piece is made from the vintage paper packaging from rick rack (for sewing projects), and the background is fashioned out of the cardboard that use to line my painting workspace (mounted to plywood). The cardboard acts as history to my work--a collection of my favorite colors and materials.




under the weather bird 2009 6"x 6" mixed media

The bird in this piece is made from a vintage cookbook recipe. I thinly sprayed this plywood red, leaving some of the natural wood's attributes to seep through.

tv cathedral bird 2009 4.75"x 6" mixed media

I just completed this piece today. The postcard is a vintage European, from the late 19th/early 20th century, and the bird is created from a vintage television owner's manual (70s I think). The frame is a tacky little piece I picked up at the thriftstore, sprayed it and transformed it into an object of cool.

table and chair birds 2009 6"x 8" mixed media

These two little birds are fashioned out of a vintage card; the illustration on the card is colorful and I've been meaning to work it into projects. The background is a postcard from the late 19th/early 20th century, featuring a historical cabin in Oregon. And the frame comes from the thriftstore, was originally silver, and sprayed with my favorite Montana Gold Himalaya blue spray paint (love that stuff).