Altered Art: Solar Light Post Roses

Posted on 3rd June 2018 by perfectly4med

There was an adage in my first career as a doctor, that goes along the lines of ‘see one, do one, teach one’. Today, I saw a Youtube video where a copper tube magically became a copper rose. Me, being me, thought ‘I’ll have a go at that’…

Meanwhile, in the garden, I’d just been sorting through the solar lights that, well, still lighted up. Most didn’t and I’d kept the stainless steel posts that they were on, just in case they became useful. And because I had those, and didn’t have copper pipe, stainless steel roses were on the cards. Here’s what I made this afternoon. Each rose has a diameter of approx. 10cm and now takes me just 25 minutes to make.

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Altered Art: Weathered, Part II

Posted on 29th May 2018 by perfectly4med

A friend of mine put me onto Gaslands – a post-apocalyptic turn-based game that happens to use Dinky/Matchbox cars. Now, I have to admit that I’ve not actually played it yet… the fun bit has been creating Mad Max style car makeovers. The cars need to look battered and weathered, so there has been a lot of dry-brushing. Just using acrylic paints is enough, with their almost matte finish being much better than the glossy original. Continue reading →

Altered Art: Weathered, Part I

Posted on 28th May 2018 by perfectly4med

In my efforts to move things out of The Studio, I have started making things for sale. That, in turn, has created stock – for the first time ever – which then needs its own storage, but that’s another issue. I bought these papier-mache frames a long while back, originally to use for Powertex painting. Instead, I have created a weathered faux-zinc frame complete with moulded flower motif. I popped in an acrylic mirror for good measure. What do you think?

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Altered Art: Powertex figurines

Posted on 25th May 2018 by perfectly4med

It’s been some time since I have had my Powertex and old t-shirts out. This week, however, saw four new figurines completed. For the uninitiated, Powertex is a pigmented liquid textile hardener – add to absorbent fabrics/surfaces, squeeze out, drape and allow to dry. With the addition of varnish and more pigments, it is possible to create faux-bronze finishes.

A bit more detail

Ranging in height from 16½”/42cm to 23″/53cm, they stand on faux-granite wooden bases. The heads and shoulders are pre-cast plaster. Everything else is either a wooden dowel, masking tape, foil or an old t-shirt. I also raided my button box for suitable buttons to make brooches.

Arts in Worship: Prayer Tiles

Posted on 17th April 2018 by perfectly4med

As regular readers may remember, I’m going to be artist-in-residence at this year’s inaugural Bishop’s School of Prayer, 9th-13th May at Launde Abbey in Leicestershire. There are three full days, the afternoons of which will feature workshops led by the day’s teachers, myself and the musician-in-residence. I’ve been prepping some potential workshop projects, and here are a couple of experiments that have made the grade:

There are still spaces available for the course, with both residential spaces and day passes. I do hope you will join Bishop Martyn and the other teachers and leaders for what is essentially a three-day conference on prayer.

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That’s Crafty! Showpieces (March)

Posted on 6th April 2018 by perfectly4med

Apologies – I intended to post my show samples for my March shows somewhat sooner than this. But, as they say, better late than never! Keep reading for more details on each project.

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Altered Art: What do you see in the mirror?

Posted on 12th March 2018 by perfectly4med

I had the privilege of hosting three of the church’s young people’s group (in other words ‘yoof’) last night in The Studio. We had two hours to work on a project, so I rummaged in my ‘for altering’ drawer and lifted out some Ikea Malma mirrors that were collecting dust. I also dusted off a technique I learnt years ago and came up with an altered art project.

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Altered Art: more etched glass brush pots

Posted on 5th March 2018 by perfectly4med

Buoyed by the success of my previous etched glass brush pots, I’ve created a couple more. These feature either snippets of quotes from creatives, or tidbits of inspiration from elsewhere.

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Beachcombing for sea glass

Posted on 13th February 2018 by perfectly4med

I was on the south coast of the Llŷn Peninsula in North Wales last week, and had the pleasure of doing some beachcombing near Criccieth. The tide was extremely low (lowest I’ve seen it) giving great conditions for searching for sea glass. The beach is mercifully pretty much clear of plastics, and aside from tumbled bricks and pottery, is sand and shingle. Finding tumbled glass shards in amongst pebbles and slate chippings is tricky, but so rewarding. Here’s an arty shot of the two pieces I found before it started getting too dark to search…

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3D Printing: Karaoke Cuboidroid

Posted on 9th January 2018 by perfectly4med

I made this chap a while back, and he’s been crooning away on the desk ever since waiting for the flashbulbs to go off. His five minutes of fame have arrived, his gigs in the pubs and clubs paid off. May I present my karaoke cuboidroid?

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