Lady Bug Circus

REPURPOSED TIN ARTWORK WEBSITE

See available tin work by Jenny Fillius, click here to go to the website, thanks.

 

Universal Thought?

Someone once told me about the concept of Universal Thought. The theory is that ideas are just floating around in space and if you’re open to them you can tap in and get some inspiration for yourself. In the early 1980s I had a greeting card business. I released a card one year that was the identical premise as one that was released by Paper Moon (theirs was way better and a pop up card to boot). My card was a colored pen and ink drawing of a cat jumping out of a tiered cake and surrounded by other cats in a typical birthday party scene and so was theirs but with way better artwork. Another example is when MGM made a Capote movie at the same time Warner Bros. did. WB held it back for a year before releasing it so as not to be confused with MGM’s version. Why do I care about this theory? Well, it has come up for me again and this is why. Recently I have returned to  making metal cakes.(I made one 14 years ago) I'm semi retired and now have the time it takes . See below. Today my friend Grace sent me an article from News Artnet  about artists creating art cakes at an astonishing rate and essentially how in vogue it is. 

 

14 years between the two. See the video of the cake on the right.

 

The Kennel Club, if dogs ran strip joints by Jenny Fillius

The Kennel Club, if dogs ran strip clubs is reproduction of a funny gouache painting I did. Printed on archival matte paper, finished size is 10"x 12". I was thinking about side show barkers and it made me think of dogs being barkers. So I did a drawing in my sketchbook of a dog as a barker in front of a dog strip club. Then years later decided to make a painting of it.In this rendition the dog outside looks more like a crazed customer of the club. I posted an image of it on Face Book and 8 people wanted to buy the painting within an hour! So one person suggested having reproductions made. After researching the best printer I finally found one and decided to make them available to a wider audience. Click Here to purchase one or two.

Dave Yoas Website and NEW TINWORK!

 

 

What's that expression about the devil or God being in the details? Well, I for one have never understood that expression. But let's focus on the details for now anyway. Anyone who's familiar with Dave's work is aware of all the details that he puts into each piece he creates. They sit there quietly waiting to be discovered. It's part of the experience for the viewer. One of his tin works from across the room might look like a circus of color that beckons you in like a roadside carnival does for a small child. As you get closer the narrative begins to reveal itself. Take this piece for example, did you notice the jam jar lids or the traffic cops? One is actually face down in the jam! There is a warning reflector that says Accidents Spoil Fun ( These were little metal plates you could attach to the license plate of your car back in the 40's). Even in the log cabin quilt design there are humorous depictions of old cars. And yes the horns on either side actually work. Hum, a blue car and a red car dash on either side, is Dave making a political statement? The car in the middle says Learn to Drive and has a steering wheel that spins and is covered in sticky jam hand prints. I'll stop pointing out the details and will post a few detail shots here for you to delight in. Really the best way to see Dave's work is in person but you can always see his work at his website https://www.daveyoas.com/

New Video on Adding a 3D Element to Tin Art

 

Here are two ways you can add a 3D element to your tin work. These are the easiest ways I know how to do it. The video is less than 10 minutes long and free. Please be sure to like and subscribe. Thank you!

 

Tin Art in Progress

I found some tins that were in great colors and near pristine condition. I love the saturated colors for the background. This tin piece will have red and white striped tin on the edges when it's finished. 

Does tin art inspire you to make your own? Then get to it. Watch my Youtubes on how to do it.

 

New Tin Art with Classic Nudes

Entitled: Arthur Goes To The Museum, Repurposed Tin, Approximately 5" x 4" . Tintype is a reproduction

To see Arthur in motion, click here

New Series of Diminutin Tin Works

Follow me on Instagram as Jenny Fillius.

New YouTube in a Series on Making Tin Art

Using a pop rivet gun is fun and easy. Add 3D elements to your work or make free standing sculpture.

Tin Art in Progress

This is a work in progress. It's 3"x4" and part of a series I'm starting of Dimenutin ( Get it? DimenuTIN) pieces. This Cat one was challenging because I was trying to do it without the nails showing. 

 

Sara Longs to Free Her Pet Koi to the Wilds. Also 3" x 4" .

Once I have a stack of them completed,I will offer them for sale. Stay tuned.

New YouTube Video on Tin Art Hanging Hardware Suggestions

 

This is the forth video in a series of how to videos having to do with creating artwork out of tin containers. Next video will be covering pop riveting.

 

New YouTube on finishing the Edge of Your Tin Art

To see other "HOW TO" videos on making Tin Art click here

TIN TOOL TIPS ETC.

To start out, you really don't need very many tools. Some tins, a piece of wood, a hammer, an awl, some tin snips, some wire nails and a can opener is about it. If you decide you like making tin art, you may want to get some other tools, such as some Bonsai shears (available at Stonelantern.com) or an electric metal shear or... To see my tutorial  click on this link YouTube. 

Next tutorial will cover different ways to finish the edges.

Remember to like and subscribe, thank you.

Super Nice Interview by Create Whimsy

Thanks to the recommendation  of a glass artist friend, Carol Milne, I was approached by Chardel at Create Whimsy to be their Spotlight Artist.

Check out the interview here.

New YouTube Channel for making Tin Collage Art

How would you like to be making your own Tin Art Collages? Starting this month there is a new YouTube channel that will be covering the basics, such as...

Different types of tin, where to find it and how to deconstruct it.

Getting started with the best tools to use

Assembling your collage

And way more about finishing edges, adding 3D elements, and trouble shooting...

Start here 

Be sure to "Like" and Subscribe, thank you!

How to Make Tin Birds for Fun

In 2007 I did some experimenting and came up with a pattern for a bird. By combining cookie tins and soda cans I figured out how to make fun colorful birds that spin in a breeze.

Now that I have made and sold hundreds I'm ready to share my process. If you click here you can see how to make your own tin birds. The pattern and supply list is on my website  JennyFillius.com  then click on Tin Bird. Have fun and wear work gloves!

Supplies for Making Tin Birds

I came up with the design for tin birds in 2007, since then I have made and sold hundreds on Etsy and at craft fairs. Now you can too.

A pattern & supply list is available on my website at JennyFillius.com Click on Tin Bird to download a PDF. Soon a tutorial will be on YouTube for assembling them.

Supplies for making my tin birds

Did You Know You Can Mail Baby Chicks at the Post Office?

 

Okay, so I was at the Post Office the other day, standing in line, waiting. Trying to decide whether or not to gloat to the others behind me when it was my turn. That's right, I'm next, I'm the lucky one, it's my turn. The people seemed rather humorless so I decided against it. As I approached the counter I heard the sweet sound of baby birds chirping. It was louder than it would be from a nest in the ceiling so I asked the clerk if I was hearing birds, and you are not going to believe what she said to me, or maybe you will. She said, "Oh, yes, those are baby chicks that are being mailed." I said, "You can mail baby chicks?" She replied, "Sure, so long as they are packaged correctly and shipped overnight." I then handed over the package I was there to mail and asked, "What about snakes? Can you ship snakes?" She said "Sure, if they are packaged properly, that will be $7.80". Handing her a 10, I said, "What about lizards, can I mail lizards?" Without looking at me she said ,"Sure". Then I asked "How about elephants?", looking past me, she gave me my change and said "Next" .

I was a Removal Technician for an After Care Center for 10 Hours and 30 Minutes

My first day on the job...

Oh my god I saw so many dead people today. I handled them.They were so cold. One male body, late 20s early 30s, had blown his brains out. I saw old men with dried blue eyes wide open and their mouths agape like they were screaming. I had to move one on to a slab for embalming. I had to put I.D.s on the ankles of dead women, one reminded me of our daughter,Montana. One was too heavy for me to shove in the van. The stench of death and formaldehyde is stuck in my nostrils. One woman’s feet bent the wrong way because her bones had been removed from her legs as a donor making her jellyfish like and floppy. I saw one woman my age who had died clutching stuffed animals. She was still warm when we picked her up. She looked peaceful and I felt like I was taking care of her. I saw a body wrapped in plastic (actually called a plastic shroud, but it's more like a big plastic envelope) go into the retort (crematorium). I saw a 480 pound man in one of the coolers. 3 coolers have about 275 bodies and body parts total.There was a torso, a box of heads and  shelves of babies. A body was being delivered and the tech had to unwrap the bag to check the tag on the ankle. She unwrapped it and another tech said let’s have a look, I asked why and his answer was “morbid curiosity”. She had been autopsied and sewn up in a crude fashion and the fat underneath her skin was bulging out like dull yellow marbles, there was blood all over the plastic. One woman had been in some kind of accident and was sprayed with blood. I learned so much in one day.Seeing the first body was jarring. Then the next 3 or 4 all looked alike to me. Then I felt numb. Like I was in disbelief of what I was seeing and just acting in a movie and that it wasn’t real.

The person who was training me seems very level headed. They don’t believe in ghosts yet related two separate instances where they have seen them.

The next day...
I quit this job at 6:30 AM.It's not for me after all.

 

Editors note: The best thing about this experience is how much I learned in one day. I also know that I can die with peace of mind about how my body will be treated. The people who would have been my coworkers were kind, friendly and good natured. They carry out (pun intended) their duties with the utmost respect and dignity for the decedent and the decedent's family.

Random things I learned...

Obese bodies are cremated when the retort is first turned on because if a retort is already very hot a grease fire can in sue.

Muslim decedents are covered with a white cotton sheet rather than the plastic shroud. 

After a body is cremated the "ashes" are raked into a bin. The bin is then taken to a room that has a grinder. This turns anything that didn't completely disintegrate into power. If there was a titanium hip or knee the family is welcome to have it, otherwise it gets sent out to be recycled.

If a body has insect larva on it there is a symbol that gets drawn on the bag to let others know. No words for the larva are to be written on the bag out of respect.

 

 

I Went To The Price is Right

I did not get called to "come on down" at The Price is Right. This is a souvenir photo, and yes I am butt hurt over it. But then I am someone who when I buy a lottery ticket I'm sure I have the winning numbers, check them twice even though the first number is wrong and then scratch my head in disbelief. So small wonder. I tried for two days. Had a ticket for the third day but was too tired.

Basically it's a lot of waiting. You wait to get checked in, then wait some more. Then you get "interviewed" by a man who makes the decision on whether you are good TV material or not. His name is Dan and he spends about 20 seconds or less with you. "Where are you from, what do you do for a living?" I watched him as he was interviewing the group ahead of us and saw him spend a lot more time with one older gentleman in particular, I knew that man would be chosen and he was. You are told that you are being watched while you are in line and in the audience and that you never know who will be called. So naturally I was doing my best to look happy and engaging with all the people around me. That's the most exhausting part. I waited next to a woman and her sons, who had flown out from Iowa. She was so boring and I'm smiling and asking her questions about her minivan as if I was interested. It was almost painful. When I would try and interject something about myself she would look straight forward and not respond. So I'm pretty sure she thought I was just as boring. Imagine?!

So after more waiting, they take your cellphone away and give you a ticket to pick it up after the taping (another long line to wait in after the fact). Smart watches are to be left in your car, so don't bring one. You go through metal detectors twice so forget putting it in your pocket. Then you are seated, and contemporary pop music is being blasted to get everyone hyped up. I was seated next to a toothless, long gray haired, bearded senior in a ball cap and puffy jacket. He looked like he might be homeless. He said it was his 8th time being in the audience.

The studio is much smaller than it looks on TV. Monitors are on the ceiling so you can see what's happening on stage. Mostly the view is blocked by 5 cameras. One woman gives you signals when to stand, when to clap, when to make more noise, when to help contestants with bidding and when to be quiet.

The best part of the taping is Drew Carey who pretty much riffs off the contestants during the commercial breaks. He is naturally funny. He asked one person what they did for a living (I couldn't see them). Then pretending to smoke a cigarette he says "So you're a buyer? Hey, we're all buyers. Welcome to America bitch". It was hilarious to see him being more himself than he is when the cameras are rolling. Drew and the announcer George Grey have some pretty good banter, mostly lost on the majority of the audience. George said he's getting married in May to a woman ( I thought he was gay) that had been in the audience during a taping. She happened to be at a bar he likes and they ended up drinking together and became friends and the rest is history.

The next day I wore my hair differently, changed my glasses and tried to get more banter going with Dan. When he asked me what I did I said I had just quit my job as a removal technician for an after care center. He was ready to move on and I said "Do you know what that is?" He was already so done with me but said "No". So I said "It's picking up dead bodies, and after 10 and half hours I had to quit". This did not help my chances one iota.

 

Electric Sheet Metal Cutting Tool

This is a great Milwaukee sheet metal cutter. I used it once years ago and threw it in a drawer. A friend got a battery powered one and said they liked it for deconstructing tins. So I decided to dig mine out and try it again. Well, I love it!