Friday 29 January 2016

A Last Look at Eyes for Kim Dellow's Show Your Face on Friday!

Hello and Welcome to Magpieheaven. I can't believe that we are approaching the end of January 2016 already. The 31st is a very happy day for me because that's the day Mr Magpie and I were married back in 1987! Also the end of January marks the end of the very first theme of 2016 on Kim's blog 'Show Your Face on Friday'. If you haven't done so already do hop across to Kim Dellow's blog here and 'Show Your Face'. You'll be able to find out all about this great space in which to share all things to do with creating face art. All this month she's been focusing on eyes and there has been some great inspiration from Kim and all those who have linked up their art. I've found it a wonderful opportunity to think about the symbolism of eyes and look at some different ways of drawing the eye and using eyes as part of a project or design. You might remember that last time I doodled some rather surreal eyes? Here is the one that I named The Mermaid's Eye!
This week I've been having fun reducing my drawing after scanning it into my computer and now I've collaged it into a composition on these little brooches, which I'll be listing in my Etsy shop today.
I've collaged the eyes onto old map paper on these little MDF hearts. which measure just a little over 1" x 1". There is a tiny, clear imitation gem at the centre of each heart and they have pins on the back so that they can be worn as brooches. The tiny text is from a Sara Nauman stamp set for PaperArtsy.
 I hope to create more of these. Maybe I'll create enough to tell a whole story through eyes, text and hearts! I've also been working on a brooch especially for a customer who requested a little house featuring a particular face, the sun and the moon.
Now, even smaller, the eye is looking down from a cloud mapping the world, and the moon casts its silvery beams over a tiny door always open to adventure and bliss as long as we remain hopeful,
And the eye makes its final appearance this week on a little work in progress for my friend Lizzie whose son, Theo has just moved to Canada to live and work for a while as a chef. These little wooden houses are part of a house-warming gift for Theo and Eden as they move into their first home together. This is just the early stages and I hope to be able to show you more soon. I am hugely indebted to Mary Jane Chadbourne for the little house ideas, which I learned on her Tinytopia course last summer. Thank you for stopping by today and to Kim for continuing to host this great face making blog! In March I'm embarking on a course in painting and storytelling called The Storyteller's Art with Robin Laws and all this practice experimenting with drawing eyes is going to prove invaluable, I'm sure. Have a lovely creative week everyone.

12 comments:

  1. The eye brooches are amazing, Julie Ann - I can imagine they will attract so much attention worn on a lapel - beautiful. And what a lovely idea to create the Tinytopia-esque houses as a house-warming gift - the gilding and images conjure up a world of medieval illuminations and maps with wild creatures on!
    Alison xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your 'eyes' are inspiring Julie. I just adore that little house you are making with the girl and the tiger. How wonderful it looks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Eyes are the window to the soul...comes to mind each time I see one your masterful creations!
    The Mermaid's Eye oh my!!!
    It is inspiring too how you repurpose/resize your artwork into other beautiful pieces ♥
    Wishing you and your beloved a very Happy Anniversary and many many more! I know that you celebrate each and every day.
    oxo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Fantastic work Julie, love your eyes. Hugs, Valerie

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh I love your work here...just gorgeous...the brooches are amazing..One really needs to click on each photo to get the full beautiful impact of these pieces!! Good job!

    Hugs Giggles

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh Julie Ann! Everything here is clearly magic! The little brooches are amazing and the special moon and sun one can't fail to please your customer! Those Tinytopia houses are a most wonderful way to celebrate having a new start too! Happy Anniversary! Hugs, Chrisx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Once again you have captured a character from another time, another land. So beautiful how you re-size, allowing you to incorporate within different pieces of art.
    The house art is the most precious of gifts for something beginning a new life, a new home.
    Wishes
    Lynne

    ReplyDelete
  8. I am always in awe of how beautifully you are able to convert your artwork into these artsy pieces of jewelry. I need to try that sometime. Thanks for the visit and blessings!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Beautiful! Every one a work of art.

    ReplyDelete
  10. These are all so wonderful Julie Ann!!
    Your eyes and faces are so magical and each has a story to tell! I also love the tiger face on the music house- something different from you! Love it!! xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  11. I adore your eye brooches creation anytime, every brooch has each story and you breathe a breath. Now your eyes, itself is like another creature and very cute the gem at the centre. I love the 'hopeful blissful' brooch this is splendid and one of my favorite. xxx

    ReplyDelete

Due to high level of spam recently I have enabled comment moderation on this blog, so any comments will be moderated before appearing on the blog.