Opus Seventy Six has new page and pictures
In preperaqtion for the First Friday Show last week I moved OpusSeventySix outside at Rembrandt’s Coffee in EAgle Idaho. I wanted to add a few pictures. I think this piece looks great outside Let me know what you think.
Click on Image to see more pictures of OpusSeventySix at Rembrandt's
Arte Soiree at Silverstone Plaza in Meridian, Idaho
It has been a crazy week end and I have not had a chance to catch my breath. I have been running non stop since Thursday morning at 7 am when I took off to Boise to Install my art in preparation for the Arte Soiree show at the Silverstone Plaza Gallery belonging to Gallerie Belle Ame.
Melissa and I at the Arte Soiree March 2010
Artee Soire night at Gallerie Belle Ame in the Silverstone Plaza
The show was a great sucsess and I had a lot of fun. The response to my art was great. People where exited and had never seen anything like what I do. I thought the turn out was good but the “Art Divas” at Gallerie Belle Ame would have liked to have seen more (Over achievers never feel happy even if things go well LOL)
I love this picture because of the dancers in front of my piece it gives such an air of grace
I now have three pieces up at the Gallerie (until they sell) I also have a few pieces at the main Gallery in Eagle and three large pieces at Rembrandt’s Coffee also in Eagle.
Change of Plans for OpusSeventySix
After I was done with the blog post about OpusSeventySix I wrote to Kaycie from Gallerie Belle Ame and sent her the link to my newest blog post. I wanted the “Art Divas” (their name not mine, though it is very fitting) to see what I can create . I was realy proud of the piece and wanted to see if they liked it and would want a piece like that for their location.
I got this email back from Kaycie at 4:27 pm today .
“Hey Dennis,
“I love, love, love the new piece. And have to admit that I’m jealous that it’s going to another gallery and not to us!! LOL. Congratulations, it’s really cool. I read the blog and really like how you explain the process.
“Drive carefully and we’ll see you Thursday. Can’t wait to see our pieces.
~Kaycie”
I then recieved this email from Melissa a few mins later.
“I would like to see some more sculpture work. Rembrandt’s has requested outdoor sculpture asap. Amber’s work cannot be moved to accommodate.
“Dennis: What do you think? We can place sculpture as a more permanent gallery and then add your wall pieces in June/July.
Cheers, Melissa”
Well what am I suposed to do…As an artist I need my representatives to be exited about my art so I changed plans and will be taking OpusSeventySix up to Boise with me this week.
P.S. Kaycie and Melissa, I hope you can sell my art to others half as well as you sold me on moving this piece to your inventory. Thanks for the great work!
The Making of OpusSeventySix (A Story in the Making)
I started creating this piece for a gallery deadline. I have been working on it since March 8th 2010. This piece is huge it will stand about 7-8 feet high (Depending on the size of the rock base) I took a picture with my Palm Pre (Super cool phone) today and tried to text it to my wife. This is the first time that a pic I took on the phone came back as “File too big to text” I guess this piece is just that big? LOL
I started out making a paper outline so I knew the size it would have to be. I then grabbed pieces of scrap that worked for the horizontal strips in the weave.
Click on image to see more pictures of OpusSeventySix
OpusSeventySix Step One
Once I was done with the horizontal strips I had to make the vertical strips. I first heated them so that the color showed on both sides then
Vertical strips before I aplied the Chemicals
I added a chemical to one side so that it was a dark shiny brown on the one side and bright colors on the other
Chemically Treated Vertical Strips
. I laid out the heated copper on Saturday morning while I spoke with my siblings. We live all over the world now so we try and keep in touch with Skype Sibling Calls.
I worked for hours weaving this piece (It is huge about 7 feet by 12 feet. I started to notice that the pieces of the puzzle where not going together right any more. I spent about an hour just looking at the piece when all of a sudden it hit me that there was a missing piece about 3 feet back in the weaving. I could not figure out how I was going to fix it so I laid it out on my Driveway and changed the design instead of taking the bad piece out.
This Missing link. Strange how one small piece can change the entire thing.
I got done with the weaving and could not find anyone to help me stand it up for the first time. I decided like a head strong type “A” personality I would just go ahead and do it by myself. BIG MISTAKE! I got the piece up but since it is like a weaved fabric it ended up ripping. I had to just stop and come back to it later. When I started back this morning it looked like a total disaster.
There it sits all torn and riped in two. I was a little on the upset side when this happen but as you can I I got it fixed up.
I spent a lot of time trying to strengthen this part of the piece and I think I did a great job. The piece looks great as it stand in my front lawn right now. It will eventually have a stone base so that it will be more portable.
Opus Seventy Six as it stands on my front lawn
Soon this will have Water and a water proof base to make it the perfect garden decoration.
Click on Image to see more pictures of OpusSeventySix