Tag Archives: beer

Arting for 365 Day 163: Repetition, Design, Bottle Caps

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Day 1163 (10/8/12): Repetition, Design, Bottlecaps

13.5 x 7.5 (including frame) Bottle caps, ink and paint

Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

We had been collecting bottle caps for some friends of ours to use. They had planned to decorate costumes with them for an event that takes place here in September, but as the date of the event rolled around, they ended up not needing them. Upon realizing I had a collection of bottle caps to use to my liking, I brainstormed ways to incorporate them into one of my daily works. This piece is what I came up with.

I started with the caps and a bad framed art print that I had picked up from a box labeled “free” in the hood one day. After gluing each cap onto the glass, I painted a layer of white over each. Initially I created whatever design I felt like, but as I looked more closely, I noticed that my paint application had created interesting patterns. I immediately switched gears and began to create designs based on the natural patterns in the paint.

While I think I would leave more of the bottle caps showing next round, I do really enjoy this piece. The repetition of the caps draws me in and because each design is unique I want to continue to look at it. I think the misshaped bottle caps packed tightly together within a frame that is a bit gaudy and 80s looking is odd and humorous. I definitely want to create another one of these, which means I will have to drink more beer. Oh the sacrifices I make for the sake of art.

If you like this piece, you can buy it!

Arting for 365 Day 114: Utilizing the Amazing Breweries of Ft. Collins

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Day 114 (8/20/12): Utilizing New BelgiumGoal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

It turns out that our lovely little city of Ft. Collins is a bit of a mecca for microbreweries. In fact FoCo – as it’s known by some – has the most microbreweries per capita in all of Colorado. And seeing as how Colorado is a major player in the craft brew industry, this seems like a pretty big deal.

New Belgium Brewing is a top notch brewery here in town and the most recognized of the bunch. Their beers are tasty – sours being my favorite – they give fantastic tours, and they have some pretty fun coaster designs. Realizing that I needed to start supporting the locals with my coaster adventures, I swung by New Belgium yesterday and picked up a fresh batch.

Using the original coaster designs as a jumping off point, I painted these three brightly colored little gems. I worked to keep the paintings very simple and playful.  The first, a Shift Rocket; the second, a strange and fun little scene involving a tricycle; and third, a cat tail, fish, pitcher still life of sorts.

An endless supply of fun coasters: Just another perk of living in a beer town.

Arting for 365 Day 104: My Art/Craft Project Felt More like a Science Experiment Gone Awry

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Day 104: Art/ScienceGoal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

Yesterday, after spending a big chunk of my day on a painting I’ve got in the works, I once again turned my attention to coasters. But this time, instead of painting them, I thought I would use my x-acto to cut out patterns and shapes which would then be used to make earrings. -A clever idea, I thought.

I cut out about eight different versions. The boyfriend asked how I planned to finish the cardboard earrings. I quickly and smartly informed him that I would be using a resin to keep them sturdy and protected. I just knew the resin would look super cool, it had to be pretty easy to use, and would be a great finishing touch to these lovely little accessories.

I went to Home Depot and picked up a jug of the stuff. As soon as I began mixing it, two things crossed my mind. 1. The resin was a bit brownish – not at all clear like the resin I’d seen other people use. 2. Holy crap its fumes were toxic smelling!

As I dipped the earrings in the mixed resin, I realized I had nowhere to hang them. I grabbed a cardboard box thinking I could hook the metal hooks from it. Wrong. The earring hooks were too flimsy to pierce through the cardboard. No problem, I thought, I’d just lay the pieces on the cardboard for now and pick them up to hang as soon as I was done dipping.

This is when I encountered my next problem. The resin, whose label told me it dried in 15 minutes, seemed to be drying much, much more quickly. I got through dipping most of the earrings, but forced a set into what had become a snot-like substance (see result below).

It suddenly dawned on me that if the resin was drying this quickly in the little container, the earrings had to be drying and sticking to the cardboard. Sure enough. My attempts to peel the little guys off were relatively fruitless. Many tore and as I worked to peel each off, I could not help but get my sticky, grubby fingers onto every metal hook thus making them not something you’d want to poke through your ear.

All was not lost though! While I don’t see myself wearing these particular earrings beyond the picture taken below -due to the horrible fumes, I do have plans to make more. Perhaps the second go round I will implement some sort of a game plan prior to jumping in. I’ll be sure to share the results.

Arting for 365 Day 71: Pinks and Oranges

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Goal: To create one piece of art each day for 365 consecutive days

I happily dug into my stash of Sierra Nevada paper coasters, again, to create day 71’s work. To begin the piece, I taped the coasters together, similar to day 48. I’m a fan of this process for a few reasons:

1. When you lay the finished squares together, you see a larger work

2. Each individual square is its own little work of art

3. I really, for some odd reason, like the leftover marks from where I pull the tape off.

This coaster making go-round, I opted for a bright pink and orange color palette. Using my trusty ink pen I drew some foliage, and added a smidge of green to complete the piece. I really dig the work and think beer pints are going to feel right at home on these bold little guys.

On a somewhat separate note, I found out that coating the coasters with varnish is a great way to make them last. So I am making a bunch of new sets, which I’ll have to share when I get finished. I’m also starting to make prints of the originals. The slideshow has an example of one of the prints on a ceramic coaster tile – although it’s a wee bit hard to see w/the glass on top of it…

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Original piece available for sale at https://www.etsy.com/listing/103992812/pinks-and-oranges-mixed-media-originals

Coasters using prints of this design also available https://www.etsy.com/listing/103999594/pinks-and-oranges-printed-coasters

Arting for 365 Day 34: A Place to Rest Your Beer

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Day 34 (6/1/12): A Place to Rest Your BeerGoal: To create one work of art each day for 365 consecutive days

Friday’s may become my official coaster creation days. It seems the perfect day for it. My brain is working its way toward weekend mode  – thinking about the time I will get to spend with family or friends, time spent outdoors, with perhaps a summer beverage thrown in for good measure.  Basically, I typically feel like creating something fun.

Day 34 was filled with simple, bold designs using bright colors and cut up envelopes. I once again used old Sierra Nevada paper coasters to build on. When finished, I did my due diligence, ensuring that they work by testing them out with a glass of beer!

Day 34: A Place to Rest YOur Beer Detail 1Day 34: A Place to Rest Your Beer Detail 2Day 34: A Place to Rest Your Beer Beer Detail

Work available for purchase at https://www.etsy.com/listing/101166161/handmade-acrylic-and-envelope-beer or by emailing me at micah@azzlsoft.com

Arting for 365 Day 20: Bottle Cap Canvases

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Day 20 (5/18/12): Bottle Cap CanvasesGoal: To create one work of art each day for 365 consecutive days

I didn’t realize that I liked beer until I actually tasted some that had flavor. It was a lovely experience – I guess I kind of liken it to tasting really good chocolate. So as you may guess living in Fort Collins, a microbrew mecca, has been a pretty enjoyable experience. There are lots of new, flavorful beers available to taste, tours to take and beer festivals to attend. We’ve been collecting bottle caps for a few of our friends who plan to adorn themselves with bottle cap clothing for one festival. Yesterday I stole from the stash in order to create day 20’s piece.

I used the cap’s original design to guide my direction. Similar to day 13’s project, I aimed to keep the mini art simple and colorful. While I like the caps grouped, I plan to present each as individual works.

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Work available for purchase at http://www.etsy.com/shop/OriginalsByMicah or by emailing me at micah@azzlsoft.com