I've been like an ugly girl on her honeymoon..... busy busy busy!

Well guys - I just finished the last nursing class I'll probably ever take. Getting an A in a Pharmacology class that'll never matter was a bitter sweet way to end that chapter of my life. The next chapter starts with a newly established commitment to redefining/reinventing myself as an artist, and with a financially driven need to go old school and MAKE some christmas gifts - I've been out in the "shop/studio" quite a bit lately.

So I thought I'd share a couple of the things I've been working on...

This is an easy one, it's a 4' x 6' dry erase board with a stained wooden frame that I also made for it:


So then I had the dilema of buying a new tool - an air eraser - to help fab up a secret project - but needed to practice on something first. So I figured why not use this opportunity to try to make something cool, so here's a mirror project at it's halfway point and held up to the light...


...... and no, I didn't turn gothic. My thumb was black from overspraying black paint.

I liked it like that, and thought it would be super cool if I could backlight it - but that wouldn't have supported the project I was practicing for, which was the point of it - so that said, here's how it ended up. That wagon graphic is a foot across, so I think it'd be a pretty cool piece of garage art. It's actually etched and painted on the back side, so the front of it is still smooth glass. I'm pretty encouraged about how it turned out.


Then there's the mailbox I recently did for the theraputic sake of doing it:




So I shared that mailbox on my faceypage, and within 10 minutes a friend of ours asked me to make one like her husband's car for her to give to him for Christmas.

I said I'd try..... first of all, here's his car.


.... and here's a autozone mod he put on his hood:


Anyway, here's how that project has been coming along....
I went with satin black with red, like his car - and used a 70 beetle emblem painted red - like on his car - for the flag side:


Without the flag crowding the other side, I went with a little fiya at her request:


If I had a brain, I'd have quit - but I couldn't help but to think how cool it'd be if the mailbox door handle actually was a 70 beetle door handle - so I gave that a shot too:


Oh yea, here's my corresponding autozone mailbox mod for him:


and while I was waiting for some paint to dry, I tried the eraser on an ornament for them too,


Anyway, that's what I've been up to, among other things that I can't show till later - and I still have to custom etch a matching set of 16 pint glasses and completely refurbish a 6' long display case in the next 2-3 days.

So as you can see, it's been a pretty busy week for me.

Also worth noting is that next month I'll not only be taking my first college art class at UM for drawing with pencils and charcoal - but outside of UM, I'll also begin taking a series of airbrush classes that are being taught by a guy who's gonna make me into an absolute BEAST at flames, including true flames. By the time the snow melts, I'll be putting fire on anything that don't move, and a bunch of stuff that does.

Thanks for the look and I truley hope you all have a very Merry Christmas,
John

That stuff is all way cool, John! Kick ass work!

Morning John and I am glad to see you persuing your artistic side as it looks like you have a good eye and a steady
hand.The etched mirror is great and wouldnt mind one of my own someday.Sorry about your failed nursing career,
but maybe thats for the best.Having dated more than a few nurses I know it takes a lot out of you and is both
rewarding and depressing at the same time.However if being a nurse is your calling dont let anyone stop you or tell
you to try something else.
I took care of my mom the last 3 years of her life and it was satisfying as well as exhausting.Keep doing what makes
you happy and things will work out.
John have a Merry Christmas and a productive,safe and satisfying new year.
Take Care
Jim Gordon

Nice to see your enthusiasm and positive outlook john,.i personally think you'll be much more content creating art, as opposed to pain and sickness and the depressing atmosphere of the medical profession,(unless you worked in obstetrics)..if you can continue to create, and pay your bills, you,ll be far happier than most people.
Santa in a flamed sleigh? wearing a flamed santa suit? I really love flames, i have flames on two of my cars, both shitty jobs, but none the less i look forward to the day i can get some original bewbz flames done on something. Or mebbe learn how to do my own,.
Merry christmas to you and the family.

nick

Good work John, would love to have one of those mirrors in my garage someday

Thanks guys!

I really did love the nursing experience. I didn't find it depressing, etc. at all because I loved the science of how to heal the human body and making people feel better. I lost a lot of sleep studying, but at the end of the day - I never laid awake at night losing sleep about how to heal the sick. I did however lose lots of sleep about certain flame layouts - or projects I wanted to try with glass, mirrors, steel, toilet seats, mailboxes, toilets, refrigerators, station wagons, etc.

Anyway. Maybe I'll give nursing a shot again later on, but at this point - I feel like I need a vacation from that failure and I owe it to myself to quit suppressing my artistic side and at least give painting and customizing things a chance.

I was a designer for about 10 years and loved it, so this move is really more in line with going back to what comes natural to me - creating and designing.

Oh, and I'm not married to the mirror. I'd sell it as it is, or even make someone a new one if they wanted one customized with thier name, or car specs, or their wife's name - whatever. Same goes for the mailbox.

There's a couple more tools I need to be alot more dangerous, but I'm not mad at where I'm at so far with what I've got. Things are turning out the way I envisioned them and people have been very complimentary, including you guys here - which I really appreciate.

Thanks again for the kind words and encouragement. I'll post more when I can, and if you ever have an idea of something you'd like to see done up as a personalized gift for someone or whatever, keep me in mind. It might be something we can make happen.

Peace,
John

I'm doubly upset about John's epic fail at nursing. I was looking forward to going to the nursing home where he was going to work at (when operation "total senility" reaches completion) so as to have him not scald me or bitch slap me or steal my money while he carries me from bed to dinner table to bed, etc. Oh well, plan B, I guess.

I'm with the others on how well your autistic side is blossoming, John. Too bad there aren't any high dollar car customizing shops in the Flint area. I'm sure that you and your cool ideas would sell well. You DO have a sign at a place on a main road that you could showcase your talents. You know, get the word out on the street somehow for the discriminating buyer who wants something different.

Very cool stuff. Man that's a talent there!

-Mike

jimbeau wrote:

You DO have a sign at a place on a main road that you could showcase your talents. You know, get the word out on the street somehow for the discriminating buyer who wants something different.

Your flames are way better

Hey John "Midwives help people out", I am still laughing my butt off.That is hilarious and true at the same time.
Sometimes its the simple phrases that are the most funny,wonder how long its going to take for the others to
get it.
Merry Christmas
JimGordon

problem is, they spend the rest of their lives trying to bet back in.......

Krzdimond wrote:

problem is, they spend the rest of their lives trying to bet back in.......

A lot of us just want to dine at a reasonable facsimile of Mom's Restaurant.

Back to the VW Mailbox..........

ISN'T HE GOING TO MISS HIS DOOR HANDLE!!!! YIKES... REMIND ME NOT TO HAVE YOU MAKE ME A MAILBOX WITH AN IMPALA THEME!!

jimbeau wrote:

Krzdimond wrote:

problem is, they spend the rest of their lives trying to bet back in.......

A lot of us just want to dine at a reasonable facsimile of Mom's Restaurant.

Yes, the original "happy meal"

BigBlackBeaSSt wrote:

Back to the VW Mailbox..........

ISN'T HE GOING TO MISS HIS DOOR HANDLE!!!! YIKES... REMIND ME NOT TO HAVE YOU MAKE ME A MAILBOX WITH AN IMPALA THEME!!

Haha, I got the handle and emblem off of a fellow volksrodder, who is a mutual friend. His car is intact.

I actually just handed the mailbox over to his wife last night and she absolutely LOVED it, which was an awesome feeling.