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Friday, February 13, 2015

INTRODUCTION


Hello everyone.  My name is Dana Blume.  This is my first blog so I thought I would introduce myself, tell you a little bit about me, my art and how I got started.

I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 33 years.  We have 3 daughters, 2 son-in-laws and 11 wonderful grandchildren, 1 dog and 4 grand dogs.   We are currently all living in the same small town in Kansas. I'm sure you will be hearing more about the family members along the way.

Through most of my life, I never thought I had much artistic talent.  As my mother used to say..."I can't even draw a stick figure".    My mother and my grandmother took an art class when I was in highschool.  They both discovered they had plenty of talent with painting.  My mother now paints oil portraits.  So...I thought maybe I could learn too.  I wanted a new hobby.  I was a killer with a glue gun, but I wanted more.   I began surfing the youtube videos on different art.  I tried jewelry making...too expensive to get started, painting.... no talent there, crocheting...I liked it but that much, paper mache....loved it but struggled with the detail. Then I discovered polymer clay.  My life has not been the same since. It has become my passion. I love the feel of it in my hands and the fact that you can make a clump of nothing come to life.  I started with simple things like hearts and simple animals.  But once I discovered how to make all the facial features, I knew I was in the right place.  I looked up every video, book and tutorials, I could find.  I joined groups on facebook and met many wonderfully talented artists and learned from them. I slowly improved.

Here are a few of my beginning projects......

Victorian Mother with Antique Buggy


Witch Blair










Raggedy Blair

Professor Alfred

Not bad...but definitely lacking detail and the body proportions are way off.   I think I had potential at this point, but I needed more guidance and much more practice.

I began experimenting with different media...using rocks, wooden spoons for the heads and sculpting on glass or framing the piece.

Red the Elfin - wooden spoon head.
Check out the horrible body proportions and large hands
Rockabily rock family-
Creative, but not much detail
Peek - a - Boo Pete
Sculptured scenery on glass
Beautiful but not all the designs held up over time.  The thin pieces cracked


I needed more help...more advice.  So I took a quick online session with Jack Johnson. I made a pretty good cowboy.  with all his advice, my work began to improve by leaps and bounds

Cowboy Bob
Amish Elder-Ezekiel Yoder



I began to focus on the details...


Victorian Cage Doll- made on a candle lantern 
Rock Witch


these are a few of my current pieces.

Gothic Cross with snake
Mammy Art Doll
Wall Plaque
Sculptured Acoustic Guitar
Altered Wooden Cigar Box


I have settled in with a more definite style of my own.  I love the dark arts like skulls, bats, creepy Halloween pieces.


I hope you enjoyed getting to know me and my art.  Next time I will work on WIPs and some blog hop games with prizes.