Sunday, December 30, 2012

Vancouver Flea Market


Today...and yesterday, I was trying to get back in the groove of things.  The holidays make it difficult to get into the studio, but one way to jump start sluggish artistic motivation, is a bit of junking.  So off to the Vancouver Flea Market I went.
My first stop is always the same...I head to Perry's booth.  He's located on the North Eastern wall of the building.  Opposite of the entry.  He's got lots of goodies...  

Not to mention creepy dolls galore...


This time he just got in some nifty typeset...the cool thing is that they are not letters, but designs...




 As for me I was in a Pez hunting mood (getting ready for my Pez Dispensing Totem Class) so I wandered a few doors down to Todd, who specializes in vintage toys.  I have to admit I was a bit nostalgic with his collection of GI Joe toys...
He even had the deep sea diving Joe...I loved that toy as a kid...if I recall, originally it came with an octopus.  I grabbed a bunch of Pez, including a Joker Pez...

which will probably not be altered...he looks perfect as he is.  

Probably one of the coolest finds was also something I won't use in art.  It was a collection of Monster Paddleball toys.  
 They did give me an idea.  Perhaps I could series of altered paddle balls...big dolly or cyclopian faces on the back....could be fun.

So now I'm ready for some serious art making...






Thursday, December 27, 2012

A Holiday Lizard Texture Recipe...Yum!

Hope you had a great holiday!

So as a little post Xmas treat I thought I'd share a  recipe. It's using Kroma Crackle and I've been showing it to folks in classes for the last few years. My use of it is a bit different from it's recommended use in that it's a bit more immediate. I hate to wait...so this is what I came up with...a little bit different from what you achieve using Kroma's instructions but still pretty cool. (if you want to know the recommended use go here: http://www.kromacrackle.com/about/Create-unique--organic-textures-with-Kroma-Crackle)
Me and Kevin hangin' at Kroma.

I should also mention that Kroma is considerable easier to get these days since Dick Blick started carrying them. So if you can't find it at your local art store try here: http://www.dickblick.com/

Anyway here's a little article I did for Kevin and the gang at Kroma:

deMeng's deMented Derma
Looking for a nice lizardesqe skin? Who isn’t? If you’re like me you might find yourself in a situation where you need a nice cold-blooded-critter skin as a surface. Look no further I have just the thing for you, using Kroma Crackle.

I followed all Kroma’s instructions and got some really amazing effects. The only problem was that I wanted to teach with it and it took a couple of days to get the effect. I knew this would be a problem for classes that were only one day long. Was there a way to may this process speed up? It was time to get out the mad scientist gear and experiment.

Experiment after experiment failed. I was pretty certain that I would not be able to get the instantaneous effect I sought…I was pretty certain…until….

I was working on a little shrine and set it on a gunked-up work surface to dry some acrylic paint with a heat gun. As I dried it I noticed that the surface below had a bit of wet Crackle medium on it. Then I was amazed. Before my very eyes the Crackle started to crack with the heat gun. This had never happened before, so the question was: What made the Crackle crack with a heat gun on this particular day, while every other instance failed in my tests? What in the world was different?

It seemed pretty obvious to me that the only thing it could be was something with the surface the Crackle was on.

I don’t have a CSI lab in my studio so I couldn’t test the molecular components of the work surface, but fortunately I remembered that a day earlier I spilt some Elmer’s Glue on this surface, which mixed with wet acrylic paint and then dried. This had to be what did it. I knew that there were some very, very simplistic crackle effects created by using white glue and acrylic, so my hypothesis was that this somehow expedited the Crackle medium.

Now I needed to reproduce the effect. I covered a surface with Elmer’s Glue then while it was still wet I added a tiny bit of acrylic paint (just enough to tint it). I then dried it with a head gun. Next I slathered a nice coating of Kroma Crackle on…not with a brush, but with fingers. Okay…now was the moment of truth. I took out the heat gun and sheepishly started to dry. At first, nothing. My heart sank. But then I noticed the Crackle turning bright white, and then: Eureka! Big crocodilian cracks! Not quite as delicate as the original Kroma recipe and much more complex as the Elmer’s/acrylic combo. A very unique reptilian texture…best yet it could be done in five minutes.



Recipe:
You’ll need something you want to be lizard like (canvas, book, doll, etc., Elmer’s White Glue, acrylic paint, and Kroma Crackle Medium.

1. With a brush cover the desired surface with glue. Don’t be stingy.

2. While the glue is still wet add a bit of acrylic paint to the glue. This will be the color between the cracks.

3. Dry with a heat gun, but don’t let bubble up. Oscillate.

4. Apply a liberal dose of Kroma Crackle. Don’t use a brush…I use my fingers. You want it about 2mm thick (like icing on a pop tart.)

5. Dry with a heat gun. Don’t be afraid to heat this layer. Cook until it turns white and crackled.

6. Apply a layer of 50% Acrylic Fluid Medium 50% Water and dry

7. Apply washes of color to tint

8. Viola! Snakes alive!


Tips:

1. You can tint the Crackle but don’t add more than 5% pigment to the Crackle otherwise it won’t do its lizardy effects.

2. If you don’t get the desired cracks, you MUST start from the beginning. Don’t just add more Crackle. So remember, glue, paint, and then Crackle Medium.

3. After you get the effect you can enhance it by dry brushing over it and adding washes of color.

So, you wanna iguana? Get to it!

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

Bond, James Bond


I am a James Bond freak…ever since I remember I've been watching Bond movies.  My very first memory of seeing a Bond movie on the big screen was a double feature Thunderball and You Only Live Twice.  Since then I was hooked.   In fact I used to have an annual James Bond Marathon in my high school years.
Started on Friday night and went to Sunday.  Had a bunch of friends over and we watched every single Bond movie in order of appearances.  Back then, of course, we only had to make it through 13 to 14 (depending if you count the original Casino Royale with David Niven and Peter Sellers).

Like Bond, James Bond, I do have very definitive tastes.  Here are my favs:

The Best Bond:  
Sean Connery hands down…gritty yet charming under fire.  Not afraid to get mussed up and still can look good in a tux.
   Roger Moore seemed like he was nervous about getting his shirt wrinkled. Pierce Brosnan I had the same issue with.  
 
As for Timothy Dalton…a bit low on charm and high on cynicism.   
I do love the  reboot with Daniel Craig…not quite smooth…less of a vodka martini and more of a single barrel bourbon…yet but an excellent reinterpretation.  


Best Bond Movie:  
For me nothing beats Goldfinger.  
A great story, a henchman with a hat that decapitates, a cool car, but most of all it has a nice pace and really sets the tone what a Bond movie should be.

  Best Bond Henchman:  
My favorite henchman…Baron Samedi…from Live and Let Die.  The voodoo dude with skeletal make-up (go figure he would be my choice).  You may remember the actor Geoffrey Holder from the 7up comercials… "Never had it, never will" 



Best Major Villain: 
It could be because of my affinity for vampires, but Christopher Lee, as Scaramanga  in the Man with the Golden Gun is pretty impressive. 
Bond Meets Dracula.  Actually the reason I like this guy is because it seems like Bond is pretty evenly matched…and a duel in a fun house…loved that part.

Best Gizmo 
This goes…by far…hands down…to the Aston Martin DB5.  It's got machine guns, oil slick buttons, and an ejector seat.  Everything a secret agent needs.  By the way Skyfall has a nice homage to this vehicle.

Best Femme Fatale.  
This goes to Fiona Volpe in Thunderball…villainous yet beautiful agent of SPECTRE.
Bond:My dear girl, don't flatter yourself. What I did this evening was for King and country. You don't think it gave me any pleasure, do you?
Fiona Volpe:But of course, I forgot your ego, Mr. Bond. James Bond, who only has to make love to a women and she stars to hear heavenly choirs singing. She repents, then immediately returns to the side of right and virtue. But not this one. What a blow it must have been, you having a failure.
Bond:Well, you can't win them all..
Best "Bond Girl"  
I'd have to give this to the beautiful Jane Seymore as Solitaire, the Tarot reading psychic in Live and Let Die.  
Is it a coincidence that my lovely wife Andrea also has an interest in this method of divination?  By the way…Andrea has the exact outfit…she usually wears it when we are going out for a casual dinner.

Best Bond Drink
…duh…my favorite as well.  Vodka martini….shaken not stirred.

Best Opening Music
  this is tough because I think the best guest artist Bond Song goes to Paul McCartney and Wings for Live and Let Die (certainly the most memorable of all the songs) but accompanying video is less interesting….though that could be because it's bit dated and the music video era hadn't kicked in yet.  
So for visuals it is a tie between GoldenEye with Tina Turner (very nice post Soviet imagery) and Casino Royale with Cris Cornell (a sort of a MadMen meets player card imagery)
A runner up from a not quite a true Bond category is Herb Albert and the Tijuana Brass doing this jazzu little number from the comedy Bond,  Casino Royale.

After seeing SkyFall the other day, Andrea and I have been on a James Bond kick.  Our on demand cable network has a special Bond channel now.  Hard to resist.   We just watched Live and Let Die the other night, which was fun because I have been teaching workshops in New Orleans for the last few years, and I had forgotten how much of the film takes place in the Big Easy.  Nice to see some of the locations and a bit of Voodoo.   Here's the assasination scene from the film on the corner of Chartres and Dumaine.  Apparently not a good place to watch a funeral march.
Here it is then
 and here it is now

Wandering the cemeteries in NOLA  I half expected the Baron Samedi character to pop up and give what I consider to be the best laugh EVER.  

So if you're looking for something to do during the winter months…perhaps you need Bond, James Bond.


PS is you're interested in hangin' out with me in NOLA this February.  I'll be on the corner of Chartres and Dumaine watching the Dixieland Bands go by.



Friday, November 16, 2012

PEZ Dispensing Totem Online Class! Registration Begins!

Okay gang...start collecting those PEZ dispensers!  We are going to wierdify those little dudes!  
PEZ DISPENSING TOTEM ONLINE CLASS STARTS 1/13/13
REGISTRATION BEGINS NOW!!!!

BEFORE
and 
AFTER

Here's the scoop:
In my toy collection I have about a hundred PEZ dispensers, ranging from Gandalf the Grey  to Darth Vader.  The problem is that the collection is getting smaller...the reason being is that I get tempted to alter them into strange goody giving totems.  I try to avoid using the really good ones but...sometimes...it can't be helped...and a Sponge Bob Pez must be sacrificed for the sake of art.  So grab a handful of Pez candy dispensers because we are going to transform them into in the most unusual ways.   I will show you how to deconstructed, reconstruct, paint, and weirdify these little bits of pop culture.  And you want to know the best thing...they will shell out sugary treats when your done.

Question you may have:

  • How much does it cost?   $89.99 until December 21st.  After that date: $99.99
  • When does it begin? 1/13/13
  • How long does it run?  The class will be available for 2 months
  • How does it differ from live class?  Online classes allow for a bit more in depth explanations of techniques etc.
  • Will there be video?  A: Yes.  I have about 180 of minutes of protected video that only students will be able to access.
  • Will it be live?  No.  I will not be doing live video, but I will be setting up a Yahoo Group where I will be available to discuss your questions.  However I each week I will record a video responding to all the questions posed in the Yahoo group.
  • Can you tell me more about the Yahoo Group?   Students can access this anytime and discuss issues with other students.  A gallery is also available for students to share current and past works. 
  • Is the class segmented or do I get everything at once?  I have designed the class so you will have access to all the information at once and can play with it as you like, at your own speed.  New weekly videos will pop up with additional tidbits and tips.
  • What kind of site is being used to host this class?  I'm using a protected TypePad account.
  • How will I access the TypePad account?  When class begins I will send out passwords and usernames to all the students.  
  • What else will be on the blog?  Along with the Videos I will be posting the major questions as they come up, and the solutions.  I will also do weekly video addressing these questions.
  • Is this for Beginners or Advanced students?  It's for everyone.  I've made it so it is information that can be used by all levels.
  • Will it be entertaining?  Geez, I hope so.  I will try and make it very un-dry and fun.
  • How will  you accept payment?  PayPal
  • What will happen after I sign up?  I'll send you a confirmation to say "howdy" and then just sit back until I start the Yahoo group.  At that point  you'll get an email inviting you to join prior to class and meet some of the other students.  Then on January 13,2013,  I will send out the TypePad site, codes, etc.
  • How do I sign up?  A: Click the little button and you're off and running. WooHoo!
Pez Dispensing Totems are but a click away:

Pez-anormal Activity

Thursday, November 08, 2012

The Scrolled Retablo in El Diablo

Hey gang....I'm changing my workshop at Hacienda Mosaico in  Puerto Vallarta...
It's transforming into a duo class with my beautiful wife Andrea Matus.
So...here's the Skinny:

The Scrolled Retablo in El Diablo
A workshop with Michael deMeng and Andrea Matus deMeng

I remember hearing a Mexican folktale about a beautiful young woman who disobeys here parents and goes to a dance.  She meets a “muy suave”, well dressed dude who sweeps her off her feet for the entire evening…that is until she notices his feet.  One was a hoof and the other was that of a chicken.  At this point she realizes that this was no man…this was el Diablo, the devil.  Being discovered the Devil disappears in a poof of smoke and an odor of sulfur.  Meanwhile the girl is left unscathed, except for a burn mark on her back in the shape of a handprint where el Diablo held her while dancing.   A wonderful little metaphor of the dance of darkness and light, don’t you think?
With this story in mind my wife Andrea and I decided to put together a little class that explores a bit of this same dichotomy.   As many of you may know, my work tends to explore the shadier side of the street, while Andrea’s a touch more ethereal.  So the result was collaborative workshop where Andrea will guide students to create a painted and collaged retablo on a scrolled canvas.   Meanwhile I will be have a bit of fun with students assembling found objects to create the fiendish frame to house the angelic retablos.  A true marriage of Heaven and Hell…or shall we say… beauty in the beast.


P.S. It make take a few days to update on the Hacienda website, so don't be surprised if you see a different workshop listed

dates: 1/27 - 2/2/2013
click here for more info:

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Pez Dispensing Totems ONLINE CLASS!!!


My Pez Dispensing Totem class is heading online.  That's right, I've retired it this workshop from the teaching circuit so now it's heading to your homes January 13, 2013.  Here's the class description:
In my toy collection I have about a hundred PEZ dispensers, ranging from Gandalf the Grey  to Darth Vader.  The problem is that the collection is getting smaller...the reason being is that I get tempted to alter them into strange goody giving totems.  I try to avoid using the really good ones but...sometimes...it can't be helped...and a Sponge Bob Pez must be sacrificed for the sake of art.  So grab a handful of Pez candy dispensers because we are going to transform them into in the most unusual ways.   I will show you how to deconstructed, reconstruct, paint, and weirdify these little bits of pop culture.  And you want to know the best thing...they will shell out sugary treats when your done.

Stay tuned for more info soon...and a commercial.
Sign Ups Begin: 11/16/12




Saturday, October 13, 2012

Synchronistic Santas

Well, as it turns out I'm not as clever as I thought.  Many of you are familiar with my cyclopian creations, and you may have seen one in particular I made a few years back that I called "Santa Clops"
....a name I thought was quite original...In fact I'm doing a class with this character in the title in at the Art Clinic in Solvang CA this December 1 and 2. 

Well... guess what...unbeknownst to me... Santa Clops was invented about twenty years ago by a fellow named Gig Wailgum.   
Gig has recently published a book that features the exploits of this single sighted Santa entitled: A Visit From Santa Clops or The Fright Before Christmas.  Here is the book description:
"A Visit From Santa Clops or The Fright Before Christmas is a monstrous take on the holiday classic The Night Before Christmas. In this new adaptation, Santa Clops, the beastly one-eyed cousin of Kris Kringle, stops by a slumbering family's house on Christmas Eve to put some coal in the stockings of the children that live there."

You want to know the really weird thing, is that I was unfamiliar with Gig's character, yet...there were some really fascinating similarities...when I was creating my little assemblage dude, I was imagining him to lead a group of nasties called the Polar Opposites from the South Pole.  As it turns out the Santa Clops character in "The Fright Before Xmas" is also from the South Pole with a sleigh driven by penguins (nice touch by the way)


I had a shark/skull dude sleigh:

Now I've only just met, Gig, though, not in person, and he is currently living in Connecticut...which is where I just left only a week ago.  Bummer that I only just made his acquaintance...it would have been great to have met for a coffee or a beer.   I'm sure two cyclopian inspired guys like ourselves would have had plenty to chat about.  Hopefully, next year...when I'm back in CT for Art is You.  

I humbly bow to cleverness of Mr. Gig Wailgum.  Nice job...wish I beat you to the Santa Clops idea...but huzzah for you!  

Check out Gigs website here:
http://www.gigwailgum.com/
Check out Gigs book here:  
http://www.santaclopsbook.com/


Perfect gift for Xmas...bwa ha ha!





Wednesday, September 26, 2012

It's beginning to look alot like Xmas…hmmm

You may think it is early to discuss Xmas themed workshops…but I tell ya…it ain't.  As some of you know I had to reschedule my dates for Solvang…the Danish village in Southern California.  So…I decided to do something that I have only done a few times…a Xmas themed workshop.  I know, I know, you're saying: "WTF!?  deMeng in December?!!!  Halloween…yes...  Day of the Dead…yes…but Xmas?"   Well, yes it does seem out of the norm for me…
but there is a catch….

Orna-deMenti
Two Classes…One Weekend!
Where?  
The Art Clinic 
in beautiful Solvang CA.

When? 
 December 1 and 2

Class #1 Santa Clops and the Polar Opposites
 Well “Ho Ho Ho” and all of that stuff.  It’s beginning to look a lot like Xmas,but then again it was looking that way in early August when the Holiday itemsstarted to go on display at Michael’s Craft Stores.  Now it’s really on the way and I have to tell you a little secret…move a little closer…move a little closer…I’m not much of a Seasons Greeting kind of guy, now if it involved vampires and werewolves I’d be all in…but cute little snowmen singing Burl Ives songs just never flipped my cookies.  This got me thinking…I can’t be the only one who wouldn’t mind a bit of subversiveness added to the Holidays.  So I’m proposing something Polar Opposite of the North Pole, something a little off kilter.  A class of making Orna-deMents using found objects, weird thingies and discarded toys.  Sounds like fun, doesn’t it?  Get ready for Santa Claws and his friends…bwa ha ha ha ha….  bwo ho ho ho ho! 



Class #2 LightbulbOrna-deMents
Ever wonder what to do with all those old lightbulbs? Well, the lightbulb has just popped on over my head.  Holiday Ornaments…or Orna-deMents if you prefer. Using a burnt out lightbulb, you will create hanging art pieces,not only by adorning the exterior of the bulb, but inserting imagery inside the glass bulb as well... sort of like a ship in the bottle…but much easier.  All this will be done using a mixture of collage, painting, and assemblage. You’ll never look at a burnt out lightbulb the same way. See the light?


see you there...