Wooden Toys doing Double Duty

Here are a couple of past projects using recycled plywood and fencing from a previous home project. I like designs that can serve multiple purposes. So, the Doll House was designed with floor heights that can be used as a book shelf once the dolls get put away, same for the Pirate Ship.

While they are Doll House and Pirate Ship, the kids have lots of imaginative fun.

Rearranging furniture

Front view, with lights on

Pirate Ship with Crew

Pirate Ship plowing forward

Struggling with Moonlighting

This whole idea about working a day job and moonlighting to sell art is starting to overwhelm me. I was reviewing the Etsy stores yesterday and noticed how polished each store appeared online. The artists on Etsy must spend lots of time and effort to make their art appealing to shoppers. They couldn't have done this as a moonlighting gig - could they?

To start myself off, the best option is to sell some of my existing work as prints. This is just to gauge the public's interests. I have an eclectic portfolio, not necessarily appealing, to the mass audience (Etsy).

A print of my cafe sketches, like this one, might (might) be desirable as a postcard or thank you card...

There's no way to know unless I try.

OK, onward.

CoWaBunGA!

From March 27th through May 1, 2015, I will be part of Art Jam's show "Surf and Turf" at EBMUD Gallery. The show information is here:

EBMUD Exhibit information

Added a website

Hi Folks:

Well, it was about time I added a website for the art and projects I've created over the years. Many friends have asked me over and over to see work in my portfolio. I always felt uncomfortable about self-promotion, but giving access to previous work might help me get feedback and potential sales opportunities.

Here is the link:https://sites.google.com/view/billjengstudio/home

Enjoy.

BJ

Mail Art - Art Jam Challenge No. 2

For Art Jam Challenge No. 2, the Art Jammers created mail art to send to one another. My mail art is recycled art made from CD cases, cardboard, wire, and leftover sculpy dough. Here are images at the Mail Art party.

Mail Art overview

Pieces with easel extended

CD cases and cosmic models

Detail of Cosmic model unleashed

Hollow Wood Surf Board

This is an old project that I completed in 2007, or abouts. It's a hollow, wood stripped surfboard. I rode the board for a while until I hit a rock, causing internal leaks. I haven't had time to track down the leak so it's on hiatus until I get back to it.

Under construction with solid wood nose

 Aligning the fin box

Completed board

Completed board

Completed board

Telescope Project

After visiting the Chabot Space and Science Center, Natalie and I decided to build our own telescope. We researched the different types, components, ease of construction and developed our own design. We decided not to grind our own mirror and purchased a 10-inch mirror from eBay. Here are some of the pieces to our Dobsonian scope:

This is the mirror-holder made of plywood, springs, and clip angles

This is the secondary mirror made of PVC pipe, hacksaw blades, and springs

The completed telescope in our dining room

Another view of the completed telescope

Photo of the Moon using our point-and-shoot camera through the eyepiece

This is the luanr eclipse on December 10, 2011

We had fun building the scope and learning about the various objects in our solar system.