SooZeQues Arroyo Junkers and Other Resurrections: metal leaves

My art is an infectious need for me, sometimes a burden but most often a blessing.

This blog is about me and my obsessions, my loves, my need to create and my need of JUNK. I'm addicted to thrift stores, estate sales, flea markets and all roads leading off the beaten track to discover that perfect piece of junk. I recycle old license plates, old shovels, wheelbarrows, saw blades and anything else that's funky using my hand held plasma cutter. I love working with steel, sculpting, photography, watercolor painting, stained glass, and turning everyday utilitarian objects into art. Junked cars ~ I will always veer off the path to search out the beautiful wrecked Arroyo JunKers throughout Arizona, New Mexico and anywhere else the road may lead. When I'm not searching for those JunKers

I ~ RESURRECT ~ STEEL

www.SooZeQueDesigns.Shutterfly.com

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Playing with Leaves

My friends... other than baking I've done nothing that I should be doing. Starting tomorrow I'll have to get real busy creating some more Dragonflies for the upcoming show!

However, before I went on vacation I posted on my "Gifts from Down Under" that Barry Smith sent me. Well, his leaves were so beautiful they inspired me to see if I could also make them. So, I did a little research of how to achieve this and of course Youtube is always an informative site for making things. So, here is my attempt at making a few leaves.

They certainly don't compare to Barrys, but they sure are fun to make. For my first one I used very thin roofing metal that is always available at the hardware store, cheap and I had some laying around. As you can see the first attempt at heating the very thin metal was too hot or rather too long heating it up. I sort of singed the edges. The other sort of brassy leaves were of the same material. Next I moved on to some scrap steel. Those turned out great and then I sprayed them with a little vinegar and you have instant Autuum rust. Now all I need is another 1000 so I can make a tree! Wouldn't it be cool to hear the wind blow thru them making the slight tinkling sound of metal sort of like the breeze thru the cottonwood tree. One of my favorite sounds.