I-Beam Collage

I call it an I-Beam because it is shaped like a capital I....hubby says it is a floor joist. When we did our remodel last Spring the carpenter mismeasured and had to cut 1 foot off every joist and was going to toss them...so, I snagged them with the thoughts that they would make great free-standing base for all types of mixed media techniques.
Recycle....and another cool thing, it can be reverseable or viewed from both sides if you choose. And if you don't have any lying around, you can get them at the lumber yard cut to size, if you take a whole beam, at about 2 bucks a foot... much cheaper than canvas.


I also wanted to mention that the barbwire is one of Tim Holtz's Masks and I used the throw-away waste and used it like a stencil.

Annie Oakley....Get yer Gun!!

Little Miss Wing-Shot....and I thought it was Sure-Shot!

Here's what I found out about this western charactor. She really wasn't western, just very skilled with firearms and horseback riding. It was only through the promotion of the Buffalo Bill's Wild West Exhibition, she became the archetypal(prototype/stereotype) of the western woman. As the girly-girl who created the genre "cowgirl", Annie projected an image so feminine, ladylike, Victorian and unique that most people found themselves drawn to the version of a strong, acheiving woman....viewers cheered her onward just to see and believe that women, even of the western variety, were fully capible of manley feats and daring exploits.

Her Motto:
Aim at a high mark and you will hit it.
No not the first time,nor the second and maybe not the third.
But keep on aiming and keep on shooting
for only practice will make you perfect.
Finally, you will hit the bull's eye of SUCCESS.

(Maybe she was a womens libber...because I don't think she was just talking about shooting)

As I am working my way through the 'Taking Flight' book by Kelley Rae, I did this 13 x 13 picture of Annie with alot of influence by another favorite artist named Thom Ross.

Once one has viewed the art of Thom Ross, one never forgets it. His work is best described as "mod historical western genre and figure painting." Ross is best known for his accurate and extremely whimsical portrayal of events taken from the Wild West era. His paintings are bright, bold and refreshing in their style, yet accurate in their history.
He has had a life long interest in American History and the "folk hero" who is a product of that history. His emphasis however is focused on the historical "folk hero" as compared to the mythical "folk hero". (An example of the historical folk hero would be Jesse James, a mythical folk hero would be Paul Bunyan; one actually existed while the other is a product of tall tails.)
His desire is to produce a work of art that requires the viewer to re-examine either what he knows about history, or what he thinks he knows about history.
His work is seen at Visions West Gallery..CLICK HERE or by searching Thom Ross.

Do you think the two styles can be blended together???

"Buffalo" Bill Cody

Lil' Cowboys....
There's a show in town!
Read all about it!

When this lil'cowgirl was 8 or 9 or so...she used to play basketball in the huge loft of Buffalo Bill's barn. The lower level still housed the horse stalls, the tack plus various old farm implements, but the loft was clear of hay and was big enough for a full size court and two hoops. What stands out in my memories were that the barnwood walls were papered with the huge posters of the Wild West Shows. These posters were glorious and I would go from one to the other just like in a museum. Some were in color and some in black and white with names of towns and cities from all over. I'm sure I had no idea of the rich history and how lucky I was to run and play and explore the barn, buildings and home of the famous Bill.
The 'posters' are what inspired the 3 collage canvases below.





A few years later the family turn the homeplace over to the State for restoration and it is now Scouts Rest Ranch State Park, in North Platte, Nebraska. This was the headquarters and resting place for Bill and his family as well as the troupe between all the shows....thus the name.
"http://www.richgros.com/Cody/scouts_rest_ranch.html"