Friday, November 26, 2010

Black Friday to Cyber Monday Dark Art Sale

I'll be having a 20% off sale and offering free shipping on sculpture purchases of over $100 from 11/26 - 11/29 : BlacknickSculpture - Etsy On Sale Many of my fellow artists on Etsy's Dark Team are also holding weekend sales. They create a wicked selection of gorgeous dark themed artwork! Be sure to check them out if you have a free moment: Etsy Dark Team: Black Friday to Cyber Monday 2010 EDT Specials!

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

New Horror Artwork

After going without clay for several days I finally got my shipment! I was one happy camper. Nothing worse then being near completion of a piece and not being able to finish it!

This gnarly looking vampire was fun to make. In the near future we are having an exhibition of artwork by the Etsy Dark Team members. The theme will be non-sparkly vampires and this fellow will be my entry.

I wanted my sculpt to be a depiction of an average joe type of bloodsucker. Like if a groundskeeper or villager were to become one of the undead. I just listed him on my Etsy shop this morning: http: OOAK Dark Art Clay Vampire Figure by BlacknickSculpture on Etsy

Speaking of the Etsy Dark Team a number of our members are having great Black Friday sales. Some running through to Cyber Monday. If your looking for the perfect dark gift pop over to check it out: http://etsysdarksideteam.blogspot.com/2010/11/black-friday-to-cyber-monday-2010-edt.html

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Horror of horrors!

I ran out of Apoxie clay in the middle of a horror figure I'm sculpting. A sculptor without clay is a sad sight. A sculptor that fishes without clay and who is unable to fish is an even sadder sight. I'm watching out for the UPS man today and hoping my clay order arrives!

The ocean has been kicking up something awful the last week. This photo gives you an idea of the size of the wave compared to the surfer. Also notice the surge of water pushing back seaward in the left of the picture. It is colliding with the incoming water and erupting straight up.

There was also water flooding over the rock jetty to my left adding to the washing machine action of the water. I scratched fishing for another day and decided to snap some pictures of my feathered friend Wally.

He ( or she ) is a black backed seagull. My wife named him Wally after we came across him one afternoon with his legs tangled in braided fishing line. He could just barely stand.

She took to feeding him daily which was hard because even small seagulls were able to dominate him and steal his food. As I came to know him I realized besides being ensnared he was also blind in one eye.

Some how over the weeks the line came free. Then Wally went through his limping phase for about a week till he regained full use of his legs.

Now he is a living terror!

Blackback seagulls are aggressive by nature but Wally has raised it to an art form.

He savages any seagull that even comes near him on the beach. And forget it if he sees one of his own species! Sometimes he'll chase them 1/4 mile down the beach before circling back.

I'm thinking someone threw something at Wally to blind his eye. The reason I say that is if he sees you holding anything large he wigs out.

The picture of him lifting off is right after he spied the camera. Otherwise he is fairly trusting of me. Even walking alongside me when I go to the waters edge to check on conditions.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

A Lazy Weekend

I had planned to fish the outgoing tide Saturday and Sunday morning but things didn't work out. The new moon brought strong sweeps which I'd counted on. The stronger than usual current actually makes some fishing lures work better.

What I hadn't expected was tons of seaweed!It would have made fishing next to impossible. The surfers weren't bothered by the seaweed and seemed to be having a ball surfing the seven foot waves off Long Beach.

Instead my wife and I decided to take a beach walk and throw some stale bread to the birds.

These are mostly Ringed-bill gulls. They are pretty good at snatching the bread in the air but would come in second best to a fly off with a Laughing gull. Lucky for these little beggars no Laughing gulls were in sight.

I like how three seagulls are honing in on the piece of bread in the picture above!

When we got home I decided to paint some work I had started ages ago. I primed a fisherman and cod fish I had sculpted and got some painting done.

I have a wooden boat I built that the fisherman will be sitting in. The stick in the cod fish serves as a handle for painting.When it is all together it will show the fisherman unhooking the cod.

Monday, November 1, 2010

A Few Halloween Photos

We didn't see many trick or treaters at all on Halloween. We have so much candy left over!

Some kids would look at our house and just keep on walking.

My wife doesn't understand it. She says when she was a kid she would have headed straight for a house decorated like ours.

I think all together we had 22 kids come by. By the way she doesn't wear the mask to hand out candy if the kids are too young.

That's me in my surgeons gown and rubber apron.

I only answer the door if it is teenage kids. Three older girls got a kick out of my costume. The rest of the kids were too little for the full treatment.

And the Winner of the Vampire Bat Magnet Is!

The winner in the drawing for the Vampire bat magnet is Debbie Wright!

Congratulations Debbie when you have a chance email me your address I'll get this off to you.