Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Ivory Boot Book

Well, being in the wild wild west does make an impact and now that the Olympics are over, I am back to claying, trying to incorporate some of the surroundings into my work. The scenery here  is a real potpourri.  It's not uncommon to be driving in the city, go over an overpass on the freeway and you see a herd of cattle or a couple of riders on horseback, and then a half mile on, you're back in the midst of strip malls, schools and other urban sites, and minutes later you're awestruck by a pastoral scene of mountains, saguaros and other cacti. 
Because the terrain is usually not grass but rocks and bumpy things, wearing boots like this is not uncommon, even if I don't ride horses.  The boots being sturdier, prevent the rocks underfoot from digging into my soles.  However, with the days warming up, they do get a little warm and so unless I am out on a hike, it's usually sandal time.
The book is filled with watercolor paper and has five signatures.  The watercolor paper, thicker than the usual paper I use, makes for a bit of a challenge in folding and cutting, but my edger is working well, and that takes care of that issue.  I antiqued it with a mixture of burnt umber and black, making for a little deeper shading than what I normally do.  I also incorporated just a hint of coppery-dust in the boot section...hey they may be closing down the Lost Dutchman Park, but there may be some useful metals in them thar hills!

1 comment:

Violette Laporte said...

Ca c'est un beau livre. Chanceuse d'être au chaud dans le sud ouest. Va voir mon blog pour voir ce qui m'est arrivé lors d'une visite en Arizona...
vio