Cool Blue Studio

The Creation of "Bella"

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Mon, 12 Apr 2021 13:16:00 +0000

"Bella Il Maré-Determination"

Currently on exhibit at The Small Favors 2021 show

in Philadelphia, PA

The creation of "Bella" went through a wild transformation. I started documenting her creation and early on hit some snags. From measurements being incorrect, to the paper armature giving me issue in the muzzle, she quickly became a difficult piece to work on and I was determined to see her to fruition. In the end, I was extremely happy with her final outcome. Her acceptance into the "Small Favors 2021" exhibit was amazingly exciting for me.

As this exhibit is coming to a close, I wanted to share the documentation. She was very much like a mare throughout, but she eventually gave in.

She was sculpted using cone 6 white stoneware, which is a very lovely and creamy clay for both hand building and wheel throwing. I have used both Amaco and Mayco commercial glazes on this piece.

Here is her transformation:

Starting to build the clay around a paper armature.

Getting things in their proper place.

Adding bone and muscle structure.

Very excited about the idea and flow, so I

added a mane prematurely.

At this stage I have captured the "spirit"

of the drawing, but thinsg are off so I start

taking measurements and they are very off.

Off with her muzzle!

It took many tries, but the piece

started to feel and look better.

Refining all the changes.

Adding seashells and a windswept mane to

the bottom. The piece was now at the "leather hard" stage

and I could carve and smooth to my heart's content.

The finished sculpture.

The other side.

Close up of the glaze effect around her base. I was thrilled when I opened the
kiln and saw this all came out as I had envisioned

Rock It!

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Tue, 02 Feb 2021 14:43:00 +0000

Dot painting warm ups Sooo.....

It's day 2 of NaMoPaiMo and you're watching everyone sharing their first layers of paint on their ponies, but you're still staring at your prepped pony. You're physically ready, but mentally something has it's grip on you. You just can't seem to start. How do you combat this mental struggle?

Rock it....or craft it....or just doodle it out!

Sounds silly at first, but if you were a musician, even a beginner, the routine of warming up with playing simple scales would be the very first thing you would do with your instrument. If you were competing in a sporting event the very first thing you would do before the competition would be to stretch so your muscles would warm up and be fit and ready for the sport.

Creating art is no different in that you need to warm up your mind and hands so they are working together for you. Some days, they just don't want to work together and they need a little push. The simplest way to give your instruments of art the push they need is to just doodle with paint or a pen. The act of pushing around paint on a surface that has no emotional value to you, gets juices flowing without any expectations.

Simple paint lines on paper. Warm ups

Now, you may find that after 15 minutes of pushing paint about on paper hasn't done a thing for you. That's ok. Some creative blocks take patience and consistency to undo sometimes. Come back the following day and create your lines on paper with no expectations. Start adding paint to inanimate objects like found rocks. The paint lines or dots are a commitment, but the object isn't pulling at your heart strings.

For me, the dots on rocks helps a great deal and I find I get lost in the joy of the process. This act of "doing" usually results in wanting to do more as the creative juices fire up in the brain. The moment you feel your brain "fire up" is when you should jump in and begin your horse.

Ultimately, it's about enjoying the process and we have to warm up first and remind our brains that the process will be fun.

Cheers to a great month of NaMoPaiMo fun and discovery! Go forward and rock it!

Oh NO! They Are Out Of Soup!!!

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Sun, 22 Mar 2020 23:12:00 +0000

Prepping the ends of a cabbage
for the "freezer bag".
I had the great fortune of spending most of my summers with my grandmother who was a teenager during the Great Depression. I spent endless summer days with her learning how to plant and weed a garden. I learned how to turn a little bit of flour, water and egg into noodles and pierogi dough and she showed me that the simplest of items could turn into amazingly yummy desserts with just a little elbow grease and love.

These lessons proved to be helpful during my college years, and during the "working in the rat race" years and now, the lessons she taught are coming in hand as the world is experiencing a virus that is halting so much of our lives and what we take for granted.

In the last few days I have read more than a dozen people expressing their nervousness online about the lack of canned goods on the store shelves. In particular, they were stunned by the lack of soups and soup stocks for sale. The cans and boxes had all been purchased leaving the shelves bare and in hearing the panic in their posts I felt maybe it might be useful to share what I learned from gramma.

I will be honest with you, the thought of buying canned soup from a store shelf is a horrid thought to me. Spending hard earned money on boxed stock is a NO GO for this gal. For me, its homemade or nothing.

Ok, I heard a few groans as I mentioned the word, "homemade" in the last paragraph. I know, no one likes to fuss, and anything "homemade" seems to have a fuss about it, but this soup stock isn't fussy, and as we have nothing but time TO fuss, why not give this simple veggie stock recipe a try. Honestly, you already have everything you need to make it. Sadly, you're probably throwing all that you need away.

Huge freezer bag full of veggie
scraps that are ready for boiling.
Big bag of veggie scraps.

Every potato you peel, every carrot you cut the ends off of and every celery end you want to toss, needs to go into a big freezer bag. That freezer bag is then placed in your freezer and every time you peel a carrot for a salad or peel potatoes for dinner all the peelings go into the freezer bag and held till the bag is full. Once that bag is full you can slowly boil all those peelings in a 8 quart pot of water for a few hours which creates a nice veggie stock.

That's it!

Seriously, that is how one makes vegetable stock. After about 2-3 hours of slowly simmering the peelings will be mush, but all the nutrient and taste will be in the now veggie stock. I like to add a little bullion cube (either chicken or beef, but veggie bullion can be added) just to give the stock an added boost of flavor.

After 2-3 hours of slow simmer the veggie peels can be removed and discarded. You'll be left with a delicious vegetable stock base for pretty much any type of soup you'd like to make and an 8 quart pot goes a long way. The liquid can be frozen and used later. From this point, the stock is the base for amazing soups. Add meat, add noodles, add more veggies for a wonderfully full and delicious soup.

So don't waste those peelings. Let them work for you in a delicious and easy veggie stock. If feeling adventurous, save shrimp shells (yep...dont discard those!) or lobster or clam shells in the freezer too and when a bag is full boil those up to make an amazingly homemade seafood stock. From there you can make an amazing bisque!

Did you buy a huge froze turkey cause that's all they had at the store the day you went looking for meat? Bonsai! You not only have enough meat to feed a small army you now have a turkey carcass which will boil down using this method to a simply decadent turkey stock soup. If you are throwing away your carcass after your meal you are seriously missing out on good food.

It all starts with the stock.

8 quart soup pot with colander
works great for making stocks from discarded peelings.

If you feel the stock needs a little "boost"
just add some bullion. One or two is perfect.
Me and my beautiful grandma
on my graduation day from Pratt Institute.

Old School Shoes

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 02:24:00 +0000

Solder wire of varying thickness
can be used for the project.
In preparing this article I realized that it's pretty simple to click a button and instantly buy a set (or several sets) of horseshoes for your model horses in a flash from an online source. Horseshoes aren't all that expensive and I would imagine they come pretty quick with shipping times being spot on these days. But, what if you don't want to wait for an order or more importantly, don't really have the money to buy them or you don't want to spend money on shoes?

This a good time to go old school.

Trace the horse's hoof
on white paper.

Bend the wire around
and onto the traced hoof outline.

Way back in the day we didn't have online sources to buy cool model horse...everything. We had to use whatever our dads or moms or caretakers had lying around in a cellar, work space, or kitchen.

I learned pretty early on that I loved seeing my studs with shoes on their hooves and I snagged a spare roll of my father's solder wire. As a matter of fact, with that worn out "Radio Shack" label on the one pictured here, you can tell Im still using the SAME wire I used as a kid! This stuff is fairly cheap and it goes a long way.

Where do you buy it? Check your local Walmart or Home Depot. Home supply stores will definitely have this item and I like to use the thicker wire and then cut or sand the shape down later.

Using a hammer and a brick
hammer down the wire.
Overall, the process is pretty simple.

1). Trace your horse's hoof shape out on a piece of paper.
2). Bend the wire over the tracings (this will also help you keep track of which shoe goes to which hoof) and cut.
3). Hammer the wire on something very solid like a brick. Do this carefully.

This wire will really flatten! You can see that in the photos, and it may be off-putting to many, but on this Halla custom it doesn't matter that there is excess on the bottom because it won't be seen. Now, if you do have a horse whose leg is raised and the underside of the hoof viewable, you will have to get creative and Dremel shape into the shoe. But, don't let it discourage you, this wire is very soft and it won't take long to get what you want visually.

4). After the shoe is flattened, use a glue such as Crazy Glue or Sinbad glue and adhere the hoof to the shoe. NOW, at this stage I let the shoe rest overnight, or at least for a few hours before Dremeling. If the glue hasn't set the shoe will pop off from the vibration.

The wire hammers easily
and flattens fast.

Glue the flattened shoe onto the
hoof using Crazy Glue or Sinbad
(as pictured).

All four hooves have
very large shoes.

Carefully Dremel the excess down.

Lastly, Dremel away all the excess. You can see I left a lot of excess, but I prefer to work this way so that the shoe is nice and flush against the hoof. Yes, the hoof may get damaged in this process of sanding, but it's easy enough to repaint. Lastly, add some nail heads and shine up the hooves with a gloss medium.

Your horse is now shod.

The end result looks lovely.

Time Warp

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Thu, 27 Feb 2020 01:39:00 +0000

I think I went through a time warp. Last post here was from a year ago. How awful. Life has just been busy and my writing adventures have been done in private and quiet without public appearances. The one writing project is a hefty one weighing in at well over 20,000 words. That's a lot to say on paper. This project is also the main reason for me staying away from my blog. My silence probably have left those wondering if I had up and left for good or had gotten swallowed up by the fates. Neither. Ive just been real busy.

And....We're Off....With Instant Issues!

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 14:49:00 +0000

It's tradition here in my studio to start my NaMoPaiMo horse 2 weeks after the start of the event. I'm a bit of a procrastinator with my own projects and this one is no exception.

Part of my procrastination is not only gathering my thoughts on what I'm going to do and how to do it, it is also mixing the color in my head before I start, and clearing my work bench of pressing items so I can enjoy the process of creating my NaMoPaiMo horse.

My belief is if one isn't "in the moment" with art and enjoying the process, no matter how difficult a time it may be giving you, why is one doing the art? Seriously, one must always ask themselves that question if they are not having fun making art.

As is tradition, I started "Cerberus" 2 weeks late and as is also tradition I immediately had issues. The moment I put the first layers of acrylic on his body I saw I missed two areas while prepping. These were areas that needed attention quickly. In the past I've ignored such prep issues thinking I'd get to them "later" only to have them become bigger issues later. These were in crucial spots and they needed sanding. Once sanded, I was left with two huge white patches of exposed resin.

Two prepping issues sanded and smooth now.

So, you're probably asking, "Now what?"

A few of you might be in a similar situation and the first step is not to panic, but to remind yourself that as long as you can match the color you can cover it perfectly and hide the boo boo. This first step is key in hiding such a mark. Match the original base color and you'll never know.

For Pastels:
I water down gesso and apply to the sanded areas. Two or three smooth coats. If you find there is tooth left then take a very fine sandpaper and gently sand down just the gessoed areas to make it smooth. Wipe dust clean and then begin the process of pastelling from light to dark just in the marred areas till you reach the color of the rest of the horse. Keep adding dust till it eventually blends. This process is fairly lengthy with pastels, but it is totally doable. Have patience and don't give up.

For Acrylics:
The first thing I do is seal what Ive already painted in acrylics. Seal that good color up....boos and all. It's ok, remember, you'll be covering up the boo boos in no time and you want to protect all the good stuff you're already painted. Spray it and let it dry fully.

After everything is dry start mixing the base color and apply it directly ON the area that is good. (Remember the horse was protected so if the color you mixed isn't correct you can use a 50% rubbing alcohol to wipe the test brushstroke away without doing any damage.) Do this so you know you have an exact match of color. You may have just started painting and haven't mixed much of any color which makes covering even easier, but, if you are well into the painting production you will need to test match the color.

Once you have found the exact match then start covering up your boo boos. Start with light layers. The first layers won't cover. You will most likely need 10-15 layers of acrylics to hide the unwanted marks. If you are hand painting you will need to keep the layers watered down so strokes don't form.

The process will take a long time, but keep adding those layers. Eventually all the boo boos will literally disappear into the background. To speed up the drying process in between all those layers of paint, use a hair dryer.

Boo boos all covered and
the piece is ready for the next layer of color.

Dappled & Broken

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 14:32:00 +0000

Breyer's new "Malik"
sculpted by Sarah Mink. Customized and for Sale.
It's been a very busy week in my studio. Dapples have been the main focus this week as I completed two pieces. One dappled piece, a new Breyer Malik, is a grey dapple with lots of fading dappled areas. The other, a "Abrantes" resin, is a mulberry grey. Both were challenges and I walked away feeling as if I learned something new about color and patterning from each piece. One offered lessons on fading while the other offered lessons on individual hairing of the dappled pattern.

Malik is for sale. Click HERE for more info.

Abrantes Resin all dolled up.

More views of Abrantes.

Commission books are open.
Email at jenndanza@gmail.com

The other time spent this week was on restorations, especially this foal. She was in a state of woe and it took about two weeks total to get her back together. This is probably the most breaks in one piece Ive ever encountered in the studio. The most difficult part of this restoration was figuring out what broken piece to adhere first! She is all better now.

Japan china before restoration.

Same china after restorations

Although my restoration books are currently closed they will be opening back up at the end of the month.

For more information you can visit my restoration page on my website: Restorations by Jennifer ODonnell Danza

NaMoPaiMo 2019

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Tue, 05 Feb 2019 16:42:00 +0000

Brigitte Eberl's "Cerberus" resin
waiting to get painted.
NaMoPaiMo 2019 has begun!
This is the model horse industry's time to come together and paint a horse and share their journeys! It is a time of being together as collectors and artists. Even if one has never painted a model horse before, the celebration of NaMoPaiMo is the time to start! Participants pick one model horse, a color, and they determine what they would like to achieve and then they start in on their project.

This year I have chosen another one of my nakid resins from my personal collection to paint and to explore color theory with and on. The Cerberus resin has been in my collection for a long time and I have always envisioned him as a dappled bay with very dark points. I never dove into painting him for two reasons. One, I never seem to have enough time to paint my own pieces and two, I was afraid Id mess him up. I had envisioned these lovely dapples running throughout his barrel and on his neck and I could never figure out how to make them look the way I was seeing them in my head. There aren't too many of this mold around and messing him up would be upsetting. But, NaMoPaiMo is about diving in and just doing it and learning. So, off I go....

If you'd like to learn more about NaMoPaiMo and join next year, check out the official Facebook page.

Restorations & Repair Studio: CLOSED

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Fri, 25 Jan 2019 18:13:00 +0000
Piece visiting the studio
for full out restoration.

RESTORATION & REPAIR STUDIO
CLOSED until end of February 2019

Why?

THANK YOU all so much for your enthusiastic response to my restoration and repair services. At the present time I've had to close my studio to all new restorations and repairs for a short spell. I am doing this so I can properly focus on all that has come into my studio within the last 2 months and so that I can do an excellent job on all the pieces that need restoration.

I am currently being inundated with a barrage of emails, tweets, instagram messages and facebook notes from people about their restorations and repairs and I do appreciate all that is coming through, however, I cannot seem to get to all of them fast enough for people, nor can I keep straight where everything is coming from as many are sending the same note to me multiple times on multiple platforms and this is causing stress for me.

I want you to note that.....
I keep a pretty tight and disciplined schedule in my studio as I do have another job outside the studio which requires I quit all studio work by 2pm. Some days working from 7:30 am till 2 PM is just not enough time to create and although I try to answer emails on Mondays and Fridays, some Mondays and Fridays the creative bug just hits, or a tricky restoration gives into me and I continue working. I try not to let that happen as I know answering correspondence is very important. Being reminded that Im not doing a good job of this from potential clients in emails or PMs causes stress and closing the books until I can handle emails properly and handle what has come into the studio is best for me, for my current clients and for my potential clients.

Many don't understand that if I spend my entire mornings online answering everything and reviewing all the images that have come in from everyone then I have that much less time to paint commissions and restore. That in turn makes those waiting for their things to get finished and come back to them angry. So basically me trying to please everyone all at once is just making someone mad at me and making me miserable. :(
I am a one trick pony here. I have no assistant. No one else but me cataloging all coming in, fixing/painting, contacting, invoicing, quality checking, packing, shipping and then corresponding once again with tracking numbers.

So please understand I am closing the restoration books so I can catch up and not fall grossly behind which makes everyone stressed, even me. I anticipate reopening the restoration books the third week of February and my news members will receive notification of these openings first.
And if you were wondering, yes the image is of a Japan china that arrived broken in several places . This particular piece will take well over 2 weeks to complete. At the present time I am three days into just attaching the pieces and have one more piece to attach then I can start the actual restoration. Each piece is set against gravity then requires 24 hours to cure. Thats only ONE broken piece. I show you this piece so you can see how complex many of the pieces I receive can be. I cannot stress enough that if one wants super quick ASAP work then I am not the restoration artist for you. Its not that I am lazy or incompetent. I am thorough and each piece is handled like the fine art it is and some pieces, like this one, naturally require more time to complete.

Thank you for your time and your understanding.
~Jennifer

Huge issues with this piece.

Restoration once completed.

Happy New Year

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Sat, 19 Jan 2019 15:56:00 +0000
Goodbye Old Site
Happy New Year!

Every new year there are resolutions and promises to one's self. Promises to change aspects of life that aren't quite going as planned. For me, 2019 prompted a very heavy and serious decision about my online presence. Although Ive had a website online since 2000 the entire site went dead during my divorce and eventual move to a new state around 2010.

I had spent countless hours up until that point creating my site and updating it, continually tweaking the html. Then, life happened and the site fell very silent. Not having the time nor the means to update the site properly started to weigh heavily on me. Another year went by and another promise was made to myself and another resolution broken, but I kept promising myself I'd update the site. Then, the years just started to fly by and pile on...

2012, resolution broken.
2013, resolution broken.
2014, resolution broken.
2015, resolution broken.
2016, resolution broken.
2017, resolution broken.
2018, resolution broken.

Finally, in December of 2018 I was done breaking this promise to myself and took the issue firmly in my mind and hands and propped it right into the fire and started working on fixing this once and for all. I literally worked for four days straight turning this promise into a reality.

New site. Opening page
Visit: JENNDANZA.COM

New interior pages

Although I will miss my old site because it was my creation 100%, it served its purpose well and its time had come. The new site is lovely and so easy to update and its all mobile friendly! So many things have changed in the world of website creation since 2000 and one needs to stay on top of such things in the world of art, even if its just art on little model horses.

Overall, I'm very thrilled to unveil it and the best part is that every aspect of art that I dive into is in one spot. All my ceramics, all my landscape painting, all my illustrations and all my equine art are all on one site.

So if you get a chance definitely head on over to

jenndanza.com

and check out all the different portfolios!

And, to end this first blog post of 2019 I'd like to say my final farewell to an old friend......bye good friend. Thanks for all your help throughout the years.....

Last glance at the interior pages

Reworking Pieces

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 18:42:00 +0000
New changes on a custom
It is very rare that I rework an idea, but this piece kept speaking to me from his little corner of the studio room. He kept whispering that he was unfinished. So, after trying to unsuccessfully ignore him I finally decided to rework him a little.

I believe he was correct. He needed a little more time spent with me at my desk.

Full view of the new changes

What he used to look like

Its Like This....

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Mon, 06 Aug 2018 18:44:00 +0000
Ouch! Sometimes Life is Like a skeeter.

It's like this....

.....one day you're cruising along fine with all your ducks in a row and the next, you're being pelted by skeeters and you flail and then scare all your ducks loose.

I've lost all my ducks it seems. Well, the row they were in is askew and for a while I sorta liked seeing them spaced out a bit. There is something satisfying in letting things just become unorganized because you gain new perspective.

I have been writing, just not for the blog. It's stuff that has skeeters in it and I kept questioning if I were heading in the right direction creatively. I asked for a sign. I guess you can say I got one. This juicy gal reaffirmed that I'm on the right track creatively this past weekend. Even though I can't share some of what I'm working on, I can say my ducks are slowly getting back in line.

Full Force

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Wed, 25 Apr 2018 12:40:00 +0000
NEW Reveler resin by Sarah Rose
Currently taking offers. EM: jenndanza@gmail.com.
These last several days I've been off and running with work full force. Getting sick as a freelancer puts such a crimp in things. The worst part was having to lie in bed all day and do nothing while my body recovered. Stopping or lounging is such a foreign concept to me. I am thrilled to be back working overtime.

Here are some of the pieces that were recently finished. The new Sarah Rose "Reveler" is for sale and I am currently taking offers on him until this Saturday, April 28, 2018.

Detail of Reveler's head.
Sarah did an amazing job sculpting this guy!
PACKED with details!

Sarah Rose "Jezebel" resin.
Commission. My commission books are open.

Head shots of the Sarah Rose resins.

Maggie Bennett micro lounging

Had fun with her spots.
My commission books are also open to micros!

Welcome News

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Sat, 21 Apr 2018 03:15:00 +0000
Photo © Christie Richardson
Reserve Champion Mini Gaited Breed at
Rocky Mountain Spring Fling
This week I received such welcome news from the other side of the country. There were many horse shows being held last weekend across the country and I'm thrilled that two piece I had painted did well for their owners.

I enjoy hearing about the horse's careers and when the good news comes after being sick and down for a while, it's even nicer. Thank you owners for sharing!

If you are curious to see more photos of both these horses you can find many photos at the following links:

RCH Mini Gaited

CH AR Workmanship "Strawberry Jam"

Currently booking commission for May. Please contact. jenndanza@gmail.com

'
Champion AR Workmanship
Lemmonade Live
Photo © Tim Justice

Eighteen Plus

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Wed, 18 Apr 2018 22:57:00 +0000

Felt like a crumbled cookie.
Eighteen plus days...that's how long this sickness has held onto me. Where it came from I have no idea, but it sure is a stickler. I've never had an illness last so long, nor have I been away from my studio desk for such an extended period of time. It wasn't fun. I couldn't do much of anything, but lay in bed.

Now, of course, there is the catching up on commissions and repair orders and the overwhelming feeling that I'll never catch up. Where to start? Just start somewhere and keep moving. Onward and cheers to better health!

Broken Chaney resin visiting my studio.
Photo © Chris Wallbruch

He repaired nicely!
Repair books are open.
Contact: jenndanza@gmail.com

More "Old" Talk

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 12:13:00 +0000

My latest painting that
did very well in the show ring for it's owner.
Now, don't get me wrong, I love good competition! Just recently, a Bacchus resin sculpted by Emilia Kurila that I had the glorious opportunity to paint, did extremely well in the show ring. That was exciting to see in person! The new resins and customs that have hit the show rings, as of late, have been amazing! They have propelled our industry into new and exciting heights. Artists are being pushed to do more and be their very best. To see the human spirit excel with their talents amaze and inspire me.

Now, I hear an artist had a real horse scanned and those scans have become three dimensional. As exciting as that is (and yes, I won't lie, I will want to paint one) I don't know what that will do for all the current pieces. How can a judge NOT pin the scanned horse as the winner of all? After all, sculpt tops workmanship in halter in our world right now. That resin will be as close to Godly perfect as possible.

And I guess this is all well and good cause it causes a happily little frenzy among collectors, onlookers and artists. And that is always sorta fun for a while. All of us vying to get their hands on the latest piece. But, in all this frenzy there are holes being created. Gigantic holes. Where do we go and what do we do with these enormous holes all this frenzy has and is continuing to create?

Now, I won't lie. I've been constantly thinking of how much fun it would be to hold a vintage type show. Something old but new and something just....fun. After much discussion on my Facebook page (The Healing Heart Art ) after the last blog post, I'm coming to learn that many out there are not only yearning for such old fashioned shows, these shows are slowly becoming reality and are being exceedingly well received. VERY well received.

And now, my mind turns even faster on this idea!

More of my personal show string
that are out of show circulation.

It's Just Too Old

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 15:30:00 +0000
Most, if not all, too old for showing.

I was thrilled in February of this year, thanks to the inspiration of the NaMoPaiMo Event, to have finally finished my "Utopia" resin. Putting on the English tack, that was made specifically for him over a decade ago, felt great and I was excited for his official studio photo shoot.

He came out wonderful! I was so happy with his color and the saddle truly did look marvelous! Being absolutely thrilled, and dare I say, even feeling as giddy as I remember when I was a kid, I popped the photos up on Facebook to share with the event group. Many lovely comments came in, but one stood out and still resonates with me as I pen these thoughts today. "Oh, that's an old one!"

Yes, I suppose the "Utopia" resin is an old one. I'm embarrassed that it has taken me well over a decade to even GET to painting him for my own personal collection. I have many "old" ones in the stock room that have yet to even be thought of for painting. Just not enough time to paint them all. But where did the time go? How did so many of these pieces, that were so sought after and "hot", become so "out of fashion" so quickly? Where have we been? Where are we going? What has time done to our hobby?

Between the realization my "Utopia" was indeed too old, to a recent blog post by Sarah Minkiewicz-Bruenig, to a shared experience with my own younger cousin at a live show, I too, have begun to stop and question what is happening in our hobby and where this is all leading us.

Now please understand, I have no solid answers to any of this. I'm an old boat trying to stay afloat in new waters that seem to change as quickly as the wind. This old boat knows what the green ribbon epoxy feels like in the hands and how utterly impossible it is to sculpt with. I know of the promise Milliput brought to young customizers back in the day, but it too failed us and our needs. Firing up a stablemate's appendages with a candle flame in order to move it is now a tale of folklore.

"Did you REALLY do that to customize?" Yes. And, collecting ten dollars for a model was just as hard as trying to collect $375 for a blank stock horse resin today. That part seems to have stayed the same. I doubt one will feel as if they have enough for their acquisitions. Too many horses, not enough money. That will never change, no matter how much the horses are, but it's the "where we are heading with our attitudes" that make me take pause.

Where ARE we headed? I questioned this fully after I took my younger cousin to her first model horse show. She never came back.

First enormous customizing attempt.
Circa 1986 Stock Horse Stallion.

The Green Ribbon Epoxy
was all I had back in 86.

My young cousin fell in love with my models and a few of the newer Breyers I had in storage became hers. That spring we got her new stable residents named, gendered, and assigned breeds all for the start of a show career. She dove into all of this happily and couldn't wait to attend her first novice show. I was thrilled.

On the morning of the show I presented her with a new model. He was a surprise and I couldn't wait to gift her the most beautiful Man O War #47 mold I had ever seen. He was attained in a body box from a friend and he was certainly prettier than the one I attained in 1987 as a child. His chestnut color had so much shading and the light spots were just perfect! Some worker at the factory the day he was made was in the zone having one hell of a good day.

It was love at first sight!

Man O War #47 from the 1970s-80s

As the day progressed I sensed her disappointment. Shows can be disappointing when the steeds aren't in the top three, but she wasn't even close to 10th place. She had new stuff and the breed assignments seemed spot on. I quickly realized that there was no way in hell she could even place with her stable of new horses. How could a novice show against a OOAK Peter Stone OF? A Breyerfest model has no chance against a Breyer special run of 20.

Even though the novice tables at this particular event were always smack dab in front of my repair table I never paid attention to what was ON those tables. Amazing OOAK pieces, specials and highly collectable factory pieces all being shown by children. Their tables were filled with amazing collections and it was obvious that a young shower, just like a seasoned shower, had to pay to play.

What was worse was that there were no new connections made. All these young model horse lovers and she made not one connection. I had hoped she would, but competition in the novice ring is as fierce as in the Open ring and everyone was far too busy with show strings to make new connections. I understand that, but it still saddened me. Looking back I have to wonder what we were thinking bringing a Man O' War to a show. But he was beautiful and back in the day we all couldn't WAIT to connect with someone, ANYONE who loved model horses just like us.

Man O' War didn't even make it into the ring that day. I suggested she just enjoy him at home. He stood zero chance against the selection of OFs in the Thoroughbred class at this event. In reality though, he stands zero chance anywhere in today's hobby. A beautiful piece that has no chance because, let's face it, even with his beautiful coat he has zero fashion sense in today's world.

Where do these horses go to show? How many beautiful but "unfashionable" pieces stand in collections? How many other young potential collectors and showers have decided to just give up because they just couldn't afford to keep up and they haven't made real solid connections in the hobby? What brought us to this "keeping up" stage of our hobby? Where are we going and who is driving?

I'm afraid I have no answers. I only have this feeling that somehow something is missing. It has all changed right before our eyes. The excitement of seeing a blank Moody "Utopia" resin for sale has been pushed aside for the excitement of newer resins that will one day, perhaps even by next month, be pushed aside for the newest of the new resins. The days of just loving a model cause it resonated with you in your heart, as my Utopia had for decades, seems to be somehow...do I dare say....vanishing. I realize its changing drastically every February when our community comes together during NaMoPaiMo and we collectively celebrate our love of model horses.

What one needs to know is that your February in NaMoPaiMo was how us veterans enjoyed our hobby. That was our normal. That feeling of togetherness and artistic exploration, no matter what the skill level, was always vibrant and healthy. And in today's world that ends on March 1st.

Perhaps these old eyes just can't see that all this change is all just a natural progress. It happens all around us daily. Maybe our hobby lost it's innocence and grew up and now all we can do is visit our childhood rooms every February. I honestly don't know, but I can tell you for certain that we are all missing out on something great.

Old Fashioned Porcelain

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 13:50:00 +0000

China painted porcelain box
For an artist in love with china there is nothing like an old fashioned piece of porcelain. Better yet, nothing like getting to paint up that old piece of blank porcelain.

This particular "first tooth" box required about six firings to get the finished look. That's quite a bit of electricity to be honest and one of the many reasons why hand painted china's can get pricy. It's a layering process that requires special pigments and oils. I prefer to use lavender oil when painting. It's smooth and holds the color well. This time around I chose to color the entire piece, including the inside, so the white of the baby tooth stands out once it's placed inside.

I hope the recipients find it to be a timeless keepsake all around.

Deciding to put the
baby's name on lid or side.

Painting the gold on
is the best part!

Firing Up The Kiln

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Mon, 26 Mar 2018 03:43:00 +0000
Limerick Custom Glazed
Currently up for Offers
See LINK
During the month of February and the NaMo activities in the equine model industry I felt very compelled to paint up my bisque earthenware Limerick. Up until that point I wasn't ready. So much uncertainty in laying down the special paints for glazing. So much worry while firing the kiln. So many hours getting the piece just right. Many hours means many firings when using overgrazing techniques.

I'm happy to say though that the uncertainty, the worry and the hours all came together nicely. I'm thrilled to share the finished glazed Limerick with you!

Offers being taken until this Friday, March 30, 2018 9:00 PM (Est).

NaMoPaiMo 2018

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 19:21:00 +0000
Utopia resin finished with mixed media.

NaMoPaiMo

Which stands for "National Model Painting Month" and is held in the Equine Miniature Industry every February. This year was the second year and I believe well over 400 people signed up to participate.

During this event model horse enthusiasts paint one horse. During this month though, we also share the ups and the downs of painting, the painting techniques, the new and old products and we enjoy just talking "model horse" with one another without any news, politics or outside frustrations getting in the way. It's our month to be crazy model horse artists with like minded individuals.

For one solid month our Facebook newsfeeds are filled with positive and happy news about model horses. Near the end of the month it's a deluge of pictures. So many amazing photos to view of the finished pieces everyone signed up to complete in one month's time!

For me this event is about all those nakid beady little eyes on my own shelves that stare me down continually. They all ask the same question, "When will you paint us?" Many of these pieces have remained unpainted for over a decade because I just can't get to painting my own stuff. February's event helps me truly focus, with other like minded artists, on one of my own pieces.

This year I chose a Utopia resin that I must have acquired back in 2002. I had a beautiful saddle created for him by Jessica Friedman of Tack Without A Doubt in 2003 and I've had that saddle around hoping to one day get my Utopia painted so I can show off the saddle....or at least play with it in the secret of my own studio.

I have always envisioned my Utopia painted in a chestnut. A plain ol' run of the mill warmblood-like chestnut. The kind of color that is in every stable, equine lesson and show event.

Chestnut.

I felt a chestnut with nice purples would compliment Jessica's work fully. I'm thrilled today, February 28th cause I finally finished my piece. Today, I present my boy "February Persuasion" all dolled up with his J. Friedman saddle.

Oranges and browns are
complimented by lots of thin purple layers.

Detail of a Jessica Friedman saddle.
Circa 2004

Seeing Stripes

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 13:19:00 +0000
Custom Zebra.
Latest pieces out of the studio.
I'm seeing stripes this week!

Leah & Zee are up for offers until
Saturday, February 24, 2018 10:00 PM Please see the following link
for full info and current offer status: Leah & Zee Zebra

So many projects and commissions strewn about in the studio work space. Some days I can focus on exactly what's on the workbench. Other days, I look at something and automatically get sidetracked!

This time around my little Leela sculpture side tracked me hard! I couldn't get the vision of her as a zebra out of my head and decided to run with the vision. Well, once that ball started rolling down the hill it went crazy and blew into a vision of a mama zebra made out of the G1 Arabian mare and a full base and so forth and so on, until Leah & Zee were fully created.

They are my latest creation and I learned so much from this one project that I'm rejuvenated for older, lingering projects. See, sometimes we must get off the path in order to gain perspective and insight. Those experiences help with every day issues and work.

My older issues that awaited me in the studio were two commissions I had been putting off and I didnt know why. I just couldn't work on them. After Leah & Zee however, I am now almost finished with the one and have jumped in full force with the other! Going off the path is good and much needed.

More photos of Leah & Zee

Current offer status: Leah & Zee Zebra

.

How I Got To This

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Thu, 25 Jan 2018 13:48:00 +0000
Strawberry Jam resin completed
with layering technique.
Color is amazing. Color can be used straight from the tube or color can be mixed together to get a desired result. Sometimes, the color can be mixed and layered right onto the model to get a certain look.

In the case of this "Strawberry Jam" resin, the client wanted a chestnut with some minimal white markings. How I got to this chestnut was with a "layering" technique which requires a pretty drastic start. The very first layers required, what I like to call, a firestorm orange layer.

Primed pieces waiting for their first layers.

Almost all the pieces start off primed white and then they make a drastic shift to a brash color. For a chestnut color that first layer would be a strange and vibrant orange. What makes this color pop so drastically is the use of a cadmium yellow.

I've found no better "pop" than cadmiums and the tube of yellow and red are my constant "go to" that I use in many pieces with this layering technique. This cadmium vibrancy will continue to show though every layer. If you look closely you can still see the orange showing. It's no longer brash in the final product, but rather, a soft glow from beneath.

In upcoming blog posts I plan on discussing this layering technique and color a little further as I've chosen a "Utopia" resin from my personal collection to paint for the NaMoPaiMo - National Model Painting Month that is held every February in the Equine Miniatures Industry. I'm very much looking forward to participating again this year.

Brash color compliments
of cadmium yellow medium.

Glow from beneath seen in face.

All around cadmium glow complimenting
the chestnut color.

Good Morning. Some Finishes

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Sun, 14 Jan 2018 15:04:00 +0000
Sharing a few finishes that were completed recently. If you have been searching, to no avail, for a finish work artist please note that my books are open. Just email! jenndanza@gmail.com
Oh, and I prep! No need to send your piece to several artists. Just one stop and you're done. Thanks!

Hello 2018

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 14:48:00 +0000
Inspiration from my woods.
We’ve all asked the question, “what is happiness?” Is it a feeling? Having stable circumstances in life? Or is it something that’s deeply personal and can’t be defined?

Well, according to Buddhist master Thich Nhat Hanh, it’s simply a way of being.

As the first morning of 2018 is in full swing here, I'm excited at the possibilities of this new year. Each year holds a balance of good and bad. Each year brings new people into our lives. Each day offers new lessons.

The past year, although not the greatest, held one undeniable fact. It prepared me for this year. Without the lessons of last, I could not move to the lessons presented in the next 365 days. So, with coffee in hand, I'm off to the studios to be in the presence of "lesson one" of the year 2018. I'm happy to report that so far the boiler is holding in this cold with a small, but dwindling water supply.

Here's to a great new year!
Happy New Year!

Dear 2017...

noreply@blogger.com (~Jenn ODonnell Danza~) — Sun, 31 Dec 2017 16:25:00 +0000
Water, water everywhere...

Dear 2017….

I’m glad you're leaving.

It’s been a very long year with you 2017. Each month you brought bad juju and baggage into our relationship. Each month while I tried to create, you meddled and demanded my time and hence my creative fire became neglected.

The little breaks around the studio, the big breaks around the house and even the car wasn't left out in your selfish demands. You were non stop with your wants and kept me away from my studio for days. I struggled to attain lengthy creative stays at my desk, but upon reflection I’m not sure I had one straight week to work quietly this entire year. Was time alone too selfish a request? I’ll be happy to see you go out the door for good tonight.

From bathroom tiles falling off magically, required a full regrouting of the bathroom which took a week away from studio work, to the broken washer which remains broken because the protocol and politics involved in a warranty are lengthy, numbing and tiring. Your demands broke my spirit.

Yes, you were a tiring mate that brought not one water main break into our home, but as I sit here typing my goodbye to you, I’m dealing with another that just may create a serious issue with the furnace on the coldest day of the year thus far. Perhaps this is your final parting action and words for our relationship 2017?

Promise of a new year.

I wont lie, my eye has been held fast on another. Two thousand eighteen looks handsome and elegant all dolled up for the “ringing in festivities” tonight. 2018 seems to have a gentleness and understanding about him that may very well heal me. I think he “gets” that I need my creative time cause I suspect 2018 is a creative too.

Oh, no, don't worry two thousand and seventeen, I wont be going out tonight. Oh, no no no! I must sit vigilantly by the furnace making sure it doesn't shut down and if it does I have to be prepared to keep the house and pipes from freezing. So no, I won’t be having fun while you're lining up your twelve month accolades and achievements on your mantle. Sip away on your champagne while you reminisce. I’ll be keeping watch with the furnace tonight.

So, good bye 2017.
And to quote Forest Gump, “And that’s all I have to say about that.”