Birdart III and Organizer Art

I went out to the garage studio this morning-I am so loving to have heat out there so I can work even when it is cold!  I decided to give the birds a coat of gesso as I did not like the burnt sienna wash on them.

Which is what I did.  They are a lovely pinkish white now.

I don't like to use gesso or any other media out of their containers as I feel like they get contaminated which can cause them to dry up or curdle or something.  So I pour a bit out onto a the pallet that is most handy and use the media from that.  I always have a bit left over, don't you?  Well, I keep an altered book or altered journal handy where I am working.  Ones that have pages that need a coat of gesso or a wash of color you know?  So, when I was finished with the birds, I used up the left over gesso and cleaned out my brush on one of my books.

When it is warm I have a utility sink on the back porch which drains out into a container so I can wash my brushes and such and not worry about stuff getting into the drain system.  But, right now, I have to clean my brushes in a bucket of water which I take out side to dump cuz it is too cold.  So, I keep a bar of soap in a little dish and a small bucket of water on my art desk for cleaning.  I can just twirl my brush around on the bar of soap, then swish in the water, and give it a pass over the wire grid I have leaning in the bucket, to make sure all paint is gone.  I save many brushes by using this method.

And, since I am in the paper mache mode, I decided to make me an organizer today for all the "stuff" I like to keep on the table by my evening tv viewing/reading/art chair. lol.  I use foam core board, old book covers, anything ridgid that can be cut with a craft knife for the form. Then covered with one coat of basic paper on all corners to reinforce.  Then, scrap papers and old art efforts as finish.

Hopefully, this mess will be no more, once the new organizer box is dry!  Yeah, my phone, my phone book and reading book, my camera, my note pads, pens and pencil all in their own little nooks.  No more digging down to the bottom for the note I wrote two days ago, lol.