The wonders of Whiskey

Meet the gorgeous 'Whiskey'. A Border Collie who was very much loved.
And who wouldn't love such a gorgeous dog with such a knack for sleeping up doorways! I am wondering if there are any doggie chiropractors out there?
If only I could have sculpted a doorway to go along with this piece.

Whiskey is no longer around although his memory now lives on in his very own metal tribute as he is my latest 'Sculpt my Pet' sculpture. And even better.... Whiskey is a Christmas present from a very loving grand daughter to her grandmother, Whiskey's human!

I am able to share this with you as Whiskey's human isn't the internet type... otherwise the surprise would have been spoilt! I cannot wait to hear how Whiskey is received from under the Christmas tree.
I am sure he will be a nice surprise - I certainly know that many people in the family have gone to a lot of trouble to find pictures of Whiskey, his collar and get me as much information as possible without the secret getting out.

It is always difficult hearing about the pets I sculpt that have passed away as I can truely understand what pain there must be when a fur-family member goes over to Rainbow Bridge. I hope this sculpture of Whiskey brings joy into his human's lives and reminds them of all the good times they had together.

For more 'Sculpt my Pet' sculptures - click here.

Gidget gets im-metal-ised

Meet the gorgeous, demur Gidget.

She is the cutest of cute... but don't I say that about every dog I sculpt?  They are all very special...

Gidget is a Staffy x Bull Terrier and has a lot of love in her life ~ which is lucky as she has lived a lot of life. Gidget recently became a centenarian (in dog years... in human years she turned 13).  Appropriately Gidget celebrated her century at Centenary Park with some of her other fur buddies. 

So Gidget, being retired, spends a lot of her time lazing in the sun and sleeping. Her ball chasing days are over but she has always loved to chew on a bone and still does. Her method is similar to my dog, Bart's, method - a paw either side, a bone in the middle and life is pretty sweet!

It has been a pleasure to sculpt Gidget. She knows my work well... here she is pictured almost 2 years ago with a sheep that I made that now keeps her company in her back yard. 

So once again another little spot in my heart taken ~ this time with a girl named Gidget.

To see more of my 'Sculpt My Pet' sculptures click here.

Gracie the Labradoodle - my latest 'Sculpt my Pet' commission

I do love to doodle... so I was lucky I got the opportunity to doodle a Labradoodle!

Recently I finished a commission for the gorgeous Gracie (pictured). Gracie is a 6 year old Labradoodle who has had health issues almost all her life. She has been very lucky to have found such a loving home as her 'pack' will stop at nothing to ensure she is happy and comfortable. Her mum even gave up her job so she could look after her - as a result the Natural Pet Store was born after Gracie's mum sought advice in natural therapies for Gracie's illness.

My CEO (and part time pet dog), Bart, has had the privellege of eating from the Natural Pet Store online store and he is very happy about it. Before finding the Natural Pet Store the postman was just fuel for a lot of barking and growling - now Bart sees that deliveries can sometimes be beneficial when food and treats arrive!

So back to the sculpture..... Gracie, due to her illness, spends a lot of time resting. So this is where the starting point had to be for me. I studied pictures of her sleeping and lazing about - this was hard as Gracie's mum also supplied some great pics of Gracie at the beach which HUGE smiles on her face! So the two came together - that gorgeous smile in a relaxed position. I hope this portrays all her beautiful characteristics.

The sculpture has ended up approximately 60cm in length and will be finding a place in Gracie's garden - the outdoor dog that Gracie's dad always wanted (as now Gracie is more than an indoor dog let me tell you!!!).


Gracie has a special place in my heart, as do all my 'Sculpt my Pet' commissions. I love to hear about their lives, albeit sometimes tough, what they like to do and how they spend play time. Its funny how many of these dogs I get to know have similar cute and funny habits as my boy Bart. Gracie and Bart both share a dislike for walking on wet grass... something that was also shared by a previous 'Sculpt my Pet' Gypsy! Aren't pets funny things? They certainly keep me amused!

I hope you like my version of the metal Gracie. I would love to hear your thoughts!

Teangi

See more of my work here.
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Guest Blogger - Robyn from Focus on Art

Today I am doing something a little different... sharing is caring afterall and us artists need to stick together!
The wonders of facebook have allowed me to find Robyn from Focus on Art. I love Robyn's creations and I think you will too. So enough from me... have a read about what Robyn does, what inspires her and just a little about who she is. This is just a snippet of what Robyn has to say - if you would like to read the full blog click here.

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Robyn, what is it that you do?
I make assemblage sculptures, combining household objects, with a particular interest in kitchen objects, to create owls. In recent times I’ve begun to break the owl monopoly (I’ve now made over 400 owls!) and have added a couple of elephants and a cat (clock) to my repertoire. You can expect to see more and more of these over time. Apart from the unique feel they lend to each piece, using the discarded and obsolete gives me the satisfaction of helping to extend the life of items no longer needed for their original purpose rather than creating something from newly made raw materials — our planet only has so much it can give up.

What inspires you?

I love all things round. I love repurposing items and, in most cases, try to use items I salvage ‘whole’ in my pieces. I somehow prefer that — possibly as it’s more of a challenge or perhaps because the options are then more limited (as a Libran too many choices can lead to non action.) And metal. Metal has great properties, particularly when exposed to the elements, but also in interior situations. Those outside continue to evolve and surprise: who knew that shiny tray would rust so irregularly, or that dull silver would hold it’s finish so well? The ability for a little water to do so much damage to something so solid over time is somehow magical. Water seems so gentle, harmless.

How is it that you make these designs?

For the most part I select the various body parts for my works from an array of features spread out around me. These have been collected from trash & treasure markets, garage sales, op shops, and even the side of the road.

I can often be seen in various places around our suburb (at kids’ swimming lessons, doctor’s surgery) assembling the pieces using wire and pliers. There’s nothing like the curiosity of people with nothing else to do but wait! I find it’s great exposure and I love talking little kids through what I’m doing. They are generally fascinated and like to ‘help’!

To read Robyn's full guest blog read on by clicking here.
You can also find Robyn and Focus on Art on Facebook or at her very own blog! Or.... email Robyn!
To purchase any of the sculptures in the ‘For SALE’ albums in Facebook just click on ‘Contact us’ under her profile picture.

It's a wrap - the ABC Gardening Australia Expo 2011

Between the 19th and 21st of August I was lucky enough to be involved in the ABC Gardening Australia Expo. What an experience!
I have done markets in the past but this was like walking into another realm.

It took me four and a half hours to set up my humble little space. It looked nothing like any of the other 'professional' stalls with their glossy photos, big displays, lighting and alike. My little stall oozed homemade-ness.
 
Set up was exhausting.... and that was followed by a night where I tossed and turned. I had never set up my stall and left it overnight before - I was worrying about all my little creatures out in the cold. Not helping was the huge winds and rain that pelted down at my place - I had visions of my tent flying through the expo in the middle of the night and destroying everyone else's displays!
I had no idea what was going to meet me on the first morning...

But Friday morning, the first day of the expo, came and all was ok!
Queues of green thumbs stood at the turnstiles waiting for the gates to open - and then the onslaught began! Bus loads of people arrived and my frown turned to a smile.
And so did everyone else's - I always love how when I take my critters out and about people walk past my stall and smile, some even laugh. Its nice to create such a reaction in people.

So the three days of the expo became one big blurr. 'Sculpt my Pet' was pretty much what everyone wanted to talk about; how they can get their pet 'im-metal-ised'. Gypsy, my model dog, was pulling in the crowds and doing a great job of just being cute. I have to say she did very well not to bite the many children that doinked her on the head!

The other talk of the stall was my croc (a big hit with the men when they saw the bottle tops!) and the kookaburra.
The croc was well behaved, not snapping at anyone as he was also the target of a lot of head doinking! One child even straddled him as if to ride him.... hmmmmm.

So Sunday afternoon came. Feet sore, lips cracked, head jumbled...
It was all over. Such a huge feat - not only the 4 days in setting up and being at the expo but the months of work that lead up to it. It was a huge experience - not something I would do every month, but well worth it all the same.

And to boot I got to meet a few of the ABC Gardening Australia presenters, had a laugh with them. Unfortunately they were out-starred by Shaun the Sheep and Bananas in Pyjamas.

 

A huge thank you to everyone who popped by to say hello... some I knew, some I had sculpted for in the past, some I will be sculpting for in the future. It's always nice to meet people in the flesh!
And an even bigger thank you to my fantastic helpers... you know who you are. Without you it wouldn't have been possible and no way as much fun!

I can fly higher than an eagle.....

Remember that song? Makes me cringe a little!

Hopefully this Eagle won't make you feel the same!
This guy has just lost the wind beneath his wings and is what I am calling 'just landed'.

I wanted to show his wings outstretched and I love the way that Eagles come into land with all their legs and talons stretched out .... almost how I look skiing actually! Then again that would be them landing on their bums!

Seriously though they are amazing creatures.
When I was in year 12 (yes I hear you say... many, many moons ago) I won the year prize for art and biology. I thought they were polar opposites back then... oh how little did I know the two would one day marry into one? Anyway the gift I got for the art prize was a book titled 'Impressionist Women', the book I got for the biology prize was titled 'Birds of Prey'. I haven't used them much... until a couple of weeks ago and the Birds of Prey book certainly, even in its faded and dusty state, came in handy.
I never really realised how different all the different raptors are and how majestic they all can be even when hunting. Its been a nice journey and who knows... with the multitude of different raptors out there I may embark on another one day. Watch this space!

In the meantime... I will probably go a little quite on this blog as far as 'revealing' sculptures go. This Eagle is my last project for a few weeks as I prepare for the upcoming ABC Gardening Expo which is on in Sydney on the 19th - 21st August. I will be taking this little fella with me to show off to all those green thumb-ers but I wont be creating any more newbies.
I will, however, be working really hard on my backlog of commissions for my 'Sculpt your Pet' project which has had an influx of orders thanks to the Waggle Canine Adventure Gear blog 'All things Dog' where my CEO (and fur child) Bart was a guest blogger.  Have a read here.

For more images of my work visit my website or become a fan on facebook for a more 'casual' sculpture relationship!