Lady Bug Circus

REPURPOSED TIN ARTWORK WEBSITE

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

 Also another good place is on Instagram. I usually post what I'm working on and when something is finished as well.

What Women Create magazine

Pick up your own copy at Barnes & Noble or order online from many different sources.

The Price You Pay

I don't think most people have a clue what it takes to make a piece of art. I really don't. Particularly if you work with tin. Painters can mix the color they want while tin artists need to "find" the color that is lithographed on the tin already. Hours are spent combing thrift stores, garage sales, flea markets and EBay. Hours! And being a tin artist is a commitment of time and space. You need a lot of it to create engaging  works which also means you need to have the space to store it. A painter's palette and paints can be carried around in a tidy wooden box that is the size of a briefcase. I know because I used to paint. Then I discovered tin and whoa Nelly there was no turning back, even I didn't know what was before me.

Now let's also take into account the years it has taken to become proficient at making the tin art which has been a circuitous route. 16 years of trial and error and innovation in tin. I've taken innumerable work shops and classes in drawing, textile dying, paper mache, mosaic, rug hooking, painting, assemblage, book arts , jewelry and beading and each has contributed to the ability to successfully work with color, patterns and layout. A lifetime of art making!

There's also the costs associated with my practice. Materials - tins and rare vintage broken tin toys, cabinet grade plywood and hardware, shipping materials and cost of shipping, advertising, studio space, insurance, utilities, parking, gas AND photography! It adds up fast. 

So when you see the price tag think about what went into creating that unique one of a kind piece of tin art. It’s so much more than what you see.

 

 

I'm in What Women Create magazine!

When I recovered from almost dying 10 or 12 years ago, I made a list of things I wanted to accomplish. One of which was to have my tin work shown in a national magazine. Over the years I submitted to many magazines including People Magazine. You've got to imagine that magazine editors are bombarded with submissions.
What Women Create and Where Women Create are two beautiful magazines that will delight  your eyes and inspire your creativity. The artists and craftswomen in What Women Create show their work and share how they do it.

I wasn't aware of the magazines until my friend (the artist in the studio across the hall), Patan, brought in a stack. I was wowed and instantly wanted to be in one.

I found a phone number online and called it. A man answered " Hello". I thought I misdialed, "Hello? I think I've made a mistake". Man says "What are you looking for?" Which was unusual because most people just say ok and hang up. "I'm looking for a magazine ", I said tentatively. So then he says " Which one?". He was so nice. " What Women Create". Then he says " That's my magazine " or something like that. Then we have a chat for a bit and he suggests I send images to the editor and if I don't hear back within 10 days to send them again. So impressive. Who does that?   

 

 

Tin Lantern Experiment for tin art

 

I've been thinking about little tin lanterns and how I could make some. First two didn't turn out as I'd hoped. The third one is closer to being okay. Trial and error, hours thinking about it and half a day trying to make something that is close. Tomorrow is another day.

Good Photography is important for Tin artwork

Look at these two photographs. Which one do you prefer?

The first one feels a bit washed out and the detail isn't clear. It cost me $250 for this image. The photographer for this image shoots commercial work, like small appliances.

 

The second photo is warm and the details are clear. It cost me $85. 

Photographing tin needs to be done by an experienced photographer because of all the shiny places (hot spots).The second photo was taken by a guy who takes pictures of glass on a regular basis. The photographer goes into their computer and "cooks" the photo by blowing it up and adjusting the image pixel by pixel. Talk about time consuming work! 

There are many reasons to have professional photographs of your tin work. Keeping a record of your work is important, having great photos for entering art calls, and having high res photos in case you may want to have a book made at some point. Unfortunately getting a small $300 tin piece photographed doesn't make sense. So I must try to photograph it myself which isn't so good.

 

 

 

Tin Art

Run Home  (8”x 5”) Lithographed tin and vintage tin toys. 

He’s got his lover on his mind and just wants to get home to her.

Accidents Spoil Fun (11”x 8” x 1.5”) Lithographed tin, tin toy gun, cookie cutter   and vintage bicycle reflector.

I think this would be a good gift for a senior high school graduate.

When my father was in the service he referred to his riffle as his gun. Huge mistake. He was punished by having to walk in a circle saying “this is my riffle, this is my gun, with this I shoot bullets, with this I shoot cum” all the while raising his riffle over his head while his other hand was holding his junk. Imagine! Or don’t. It was the first time I had heard that euphemism.

To see more tin art go to 

https://jennyfillius.com

 

Love You to Pieces Tin Art

Love You to Pieces  12” x 9”   Lithographed tin on plywood 

Very often you can end up with a bit of tin that’s too good to toss out. So putting them all together in a piece of tin artwork just makes sense. 

I’m so happy with the way this turned out that I want to make a huge one.

Gun Culture tin artwork

Gun Culture, 27" x 22" Lithographed tin on wood.

Have you ever thought about all the words having to do with a gun we use in every day language? Look at this on a large screen and read what is written to get an idea.

 

Don't Be a Duck tin art

Don't be a Duck or a dick for that matter. 

Lots of cool tin was used to make this piece. A vintage tin toy whistle, or at least I think that's what the duck was originally made as, tin doll house flooring, a toffee tin , an East Indian metal food packaging thing , part of a Japanese cigar box and  lots of other tins for the letters.

One of a kind original tin artwork. See it on Instagram or at Jennyfillius.com

Farmer John & his big Cock , Tin Art

 

 

Even though I'm a senior citizen I sometimes have the same sense of humor as a 12 year old boy.    I occasionally can't help myself from making a tin artwork that can be construed as a bit naughty. Nothing subtle about this one that's for sure. 

A few years ago I made a piece using the tin toy rooster and the text on it read " Everyone appreciates a big cock".  I put it in a one day art show at a retirement community. It got a lot of giggles from the residents and much to my surprised two of them wanted to buy it. I didn't feel I could sell it to them because it was on the postcard for a solo show I was doing a few days later and everything had to be for sale. I did suggest to them that they come to the show. It did sell pretty quickly but not to either of the residents. 

 

Best Friends, recent Tin Art

Sometimes a tin toy is just too nice to put a nail hole in. Or maybe a wind-up toy still works, it'd be a shame to take it apart. In these instances I use magnets to attach them to the substructure. Earth magnets are super strong and if I use enough of them everything stays in place.  

RYOR ( Run your own Race) Tin Art

Run Your Own Race RYOR 4” x 4” Repurposed tin and vintage toy part. 2023

There's all sorts of advice online and in books about getting your art into a gallery. The idea of making art and taking it to a gallery for the owner to sell, sounds dreamy. The third person endorsement is a great selling "tool". Imagine having someone, other than your mother, sing your praises and have the credentials to back them up. Also with representation the whole money thing gets taken care of and the sales tax and shipping if necessary is all handled by the gallery. They do earn their percentage! Not to mention insurance, rent, utilities, employees, advertising and working with artists. It’s not easy street! 

Once you sign on with a gallery you might get a solo show every two years and be part of a group show once a year, depending on the terms of your contract. There will probably be restrictions about selling any work within so many miles of the gallery or on your own. You also don’t know if your stored work is being shown to collectors. I had work in a gallery and dropped in one day to find my paintings wrapped up in paper and tied with a string. They may have as well said “ Don’t let the door hit you on the way out”(One of the paintings was later purchased by the comedian Caroline Rhea and she used it  in one of her TV specials). Another obstacle that is a huge problem, for me, is they want consistency in what you create. Oh for the love of god! That’s why some artists turn out the same work over and over. This is my definition of hell. It’s never been explained to me but I think it’s because the gallery owner knows what will sell. Or perhaps it’s a recognition thing, that when you see a painting of a purple elephant, that it was painted by Millicent Ticklefeather and that has significance, status or some associated measure of good taste. I’m not sure.

So for me, I am running my own race as I make my tin art. I make what moves me as I choose. I sell online. I handle the money, the shipping, and the advertising. I have overhead to cover by renting a studio, insurance, utilities, and parking. It’s a lot of work to create fresh original one of a kind artworks but it’s also a lot of fun and freedom!

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.