So, back in 2014, I was approached to do another commissioned guitar that I’m going to share with you today.
Why am I only posting about this now, you may ask?
Simple.
I was asked to keep it on the down low because it was for a company that was, at the time, in the final stages of app development and would be launching a beta version soon and hadn’t made an official public announcement yet.
So, I kept it Hush-Hush.
Until today, that is, as I see they are fully up and running and downloadable.
Now for the details.
Last October, I received a message from Andy Altman the now CEO of Gig Town, in San Diego, California, asking if I could do a guitar for him as he had seen my other pieces online and thought they were “awesome.” *Yay!*
He wanted it for the headquarters of his new biz and asked that it include their logo (another reason I couldn’t share pics ’til now).
Of course I agreed because I love a challenge and I love painting, so it was a win-win. Plus, it gave me one more piece to add to my Colour of Music series.
After working out all the boring details & layout, I was given free rein to start work on the piece.
A few weeks of serious painting later, (from which I’m still finding paint splashes in my studio) I was finished and ready to ship in early November.
Without further ado, here is Wild Orange–Gig Town’s Commission.
Also, here are a few pics that Gig Town has used.
I’d love to hear what you think of the piece! 🙂
Also, go check out Gig Town and Download their App to explore lots of awesome musicians!
I picked up this Gallery style canvas of a flower at a yard sale last summer (that somebody had bought at one of those home decor places) with the intent of recycling it into a painting that wasn’t mass produced.
Like most things I stash away in my studio with grand ideas of Artistic Expression it sat there for over a year.
But the other night, I wanted a break from my “Tree of Knowledge” painting since I’ve been working on it pretty steadily so I grabbed my Liquitex Acrylic paint markers and just started painting.
When I began, all I knew was that I wanted to use Teals & Blues and next thing I knew I was painting an Abstract expression of Baptism and from there it turned into a very meditative piece.
It’s rather fitting actually, washing away of the old mass produced into something new and unique.
I plan on adding gold elements to it at some point but here is how it’s sitting at the moment.
So not terribly surprising but I fell off the posting wagon again.
I need an app that let’s me just think my posts into existence lol
So what’s new?
Glad you asked.
I spent most of January off, took a trip down East to visit family and of course spent scads of time doing year end & inventory so that sort of justifies my lack of presence 😉
I’ve been more active on Facebook so you should like my page to keep up to date on my Etsy sales and current jewelry creations, & upcoming venues. A Milke Custom Art & Jewelry
I’ve also been working on scads of projects, some old and some new including picking up work on my Tree of Knowledge 4 foot painting which I thought I would update you on the progress of in this post.
When last I posted about this piece this is where I left off.
I’ve spent the last few weeks working on it and I’ll post the progress gallery below but essentially what I did was build up lots and lots of texture and layers using a variety of products including Golden’s Pumice Gel, Glass Beads, Heavy Gel, Fiber Paste and other acrylic mediums.
For the “Good” side once my layers we built up I painted that half of the tree with Golden’s Pearl paint and highlighted in silver and outlined in Gold. This gave it a gorgeous iridescent effect that is awesome in person but hard to capture with my cell camera. Once it’s all done I get proper photo’s take.
For the Snake I based with glass beads which gave a very nice smooth but bumpy snakeskin feeling and highlighted with gold flecks.
And for the “Bad” half I used heavy gel to give pointy texture and pumice for the roots that gives a rough sandy feeling and highlighted with a metallic dried blood colored red for the tree outline, I had originally based that half of the tree in black with gray highlights but I found the detail too dark so I later reversed them and am happier with the outcome.
I’m hoping to finish it this week but I like to let things mellow for a few days so I can step back and get of feel of what I want to do next or call it good.
Well that’s it for today.
I promise I have a few more posts coming this week so check back with me.
Amanda Milke 