Renaissance Steampunk!

I first got the idea for these 5x7" panels last October  at a workshop with Anne Bagby.  We did clowns, but even at the time I thought it would be fun to try some with other themes.

The steampunk plan came to me a couple of months ago, and I figured on using Victorian line drawing faces as the substrata for the clusters of ephemera.  But after much searching, I didn't find anything that spoke to me.

Just last week, I had one of those lovely "A-ha!" moments and decided to use Renaissance portraits.  My all time favourite (I use her constantly) Raphael's La Fornarina", Leonardo's Ginevra Benci and the man with the unfortunate nose the Duke of Urbino by Piero della Francesca.

I printed out the pictures and then adhered them to the panels with matte medium.  I covered the backs with decorated paper and then rubbed the edges with rust coloured ink.  I then used a very small amount of gesso, dry brushing over the surfaces of the pictures to give them a softer look.  A length of Tim Holtz tissue tape was added to one side of each panel.

Then the fun began - delving into my stash and pulling out lots and lots of steampunkish embellishments, arranging and rearranging them on the pieces and finally affixing them all with heavy gel medium.

We all know that feeling when we've had a picture in our minds what a finished piece will look like and then it doesn't quite.  But we all also know how glorious it is when it turns out just the way we imagined.  This was one of those times and I couldn't be more pleased.

These will be available at the Paso Robles Festival of the Arts 

on May 25.  See you there!

Steampunk Sheep

This is a project that I did for my older daughter, who loves steampunk and, since she's a weaver and a knitter, loves sheep. It was her Christmas present a year ago and when I finished it I forgot to take pictures before I wrapped it up to mail off.

Well, she was doing some rearranging in her house and remembered that I needed an "after shot", so she sent me one. I adorned it with gears, old alarm clock bells, a Scottish cloak clasp,a number plaque, and rusty wire. No everyone's cup of tea - but the two of us were quite pleased with the outcome!

Dickens Steampunk

One of our favourites at the Dickens Fair was the Jules Verne/ H G Wells-esque explorer-scientist room. Enough steampunk for everyone - even me!


My fingers were itching to get a hold of some of the wonderful old ephemera.

Giant gears,

Giant bugs,

And all with the Victorian touch.

Present - Before

My daughter asked for an interesting Christmas present this year. She wants a sheep skull. Since she's the one who's into spinning and weaving and dreams of having a small sheep farm someday, this makes sense.


But the cool thing is, she wants me to "steampunk" it. Add gears and goggles and such. It arrived from the on-line skull store (yes there are such places!) a few days ago and these are the before pix. After the holiday I'll show you what I will have done to it. (And let you know what she thinks of it too.)

221 B Baker St.

221 B Baker Street 8x10"

My daughter has a good friend who is crazy about the new Sherlock Holmes series on BBC. She asked if I could do a steampunk piece using the actors from the series, so she could surprise her friend with it at Christmas.


Here's the result - I used a shot of Sherlock and Watson in front of their door with that famous address. The photo was coloured but I turned it sepia and printed it out on parchment paper. Copper acrylic is stenciled on top. Various steampunk elements are attached with wire and heavy gel medium and include gears, a pen nib, rusty paper clips, a magnifying glass, a violin bridge and a wall of HO bricks along the bottom.



If you haven't seen the series - check it out. A very ingenious mix of Victorian and modern Technology, and you can't get more steampunk than that!

Copper Clad Steampunk

Rose's Fan 6x6"

Two more 6x6" reverse canvas with copper cladding. I painted the sides and back of the canvas in dark brown acrylic, then attached distressed copper around the opening with upholstery tacks. I made xerox copies of the back page of the London Illustrated News for Feb. 18, 1860 and fitted them into the openings.

Charlotte's Time 6x6"

Embellishments were affixed with heavy gel medium and wire and include Staz-On distressed brass stampings and a cameo, a metal fan, a frozen Charlotte, a sewing bobbin, a fabric button and a Tim Holtz watch face.

Two more for Open Studios, coming up in just a week.

31 Trafalgar Square

31 Trafalgar Square 6x12"

A vintage etching of Trafalgar Square, dotted with Mary Beth Shaw stencils covers the 6x12" canvas. Distressed copper sheeting caps either end. Embellishments were affixed with heavy gel medium and include old watch parts, wooden (Small Studio) and metal (Tim Holtz) gears, a number plaque (also Tim Holtz), a vintage escutcheon and an antique military cap badge.

Another Steampunk entry for Open Studios!

Copper-Clad Wonders

Debra Jurey's In a Tuscan Olive Garden - earrings

A few weeks ago my friend Debra and I were getting our pieces ready for Arts Obispo's 6x6 exhibit. We will be sharing my studio space for the upcoming Open Studios this October. She's a maker of exquisite jewelry and was turning in a pair of earrings and wondering how best to display them. I came up with this idea - the inside back of a 6x6" canvas. The earrings featured lovely copper seed beads, so I covered the back edges with distressed copper.

The Watchmaker's Tale 6x6"

Well, she loved it. Everyone who saw it loved it. And it was one of those "AHA!" moments. If I could do it for her earrings - I could do it for tiny assemblages as well.

Concerto for Viola and Bassoon 6x6"

Here are the first two results - The Watchmaker's Tale and Concerto for Viola and Bassoon. Copper sheeting, distressed and affixed with upholstery nails lines the edges. The opening is painted with dark acrylic. Embellishments, including a vintage organ stop, bassoon reed and string peg, and watch parts and glass vials are attached with heavy gel medium and wire. A double wax seal tops each small vignette. Two more for Open Studios in October.

25 Highgate High Street

25 Highgate High Street 6x12"

Stepping into Highgate Cemetery is not only stepping into another time, but another world as well. Over the centuries greenery has reclaimed many of the monuments and gravestones, tree roots wrap around statues and fog shrouds the mausoleums.


In this piece I wanted to capture that nostalgic poignancy. A collage of several different pictures of the cemetery covers the canvas, stenciled with one of Mary Beth Shaw's and daubed here and there with light green acrylic to simulate mossy overgrowth.



A silver cross, tarnished with Staz-On, a rusty iron cross and a ceramic bit of tombstone sweep down the piece in a loose diagonal. The number plate (Tim Holtz) and bits of paper tape (7Gypsies) complete the picture. Another for next month's upcoming Open Studios.

82 Charing Cross

82 Charing Cross 6 x 12"

A wall of distressed bricks (HO layout supplies) anchors the bottom of this piece while beaten copper runs across the top. The canvas is covered with a xerox copy of a Victorian engraving, stenciled and embellished.
Old watch parts, a frozen Charlotte, vintage water tap, wooden (Small Studios) and metal gears (Tim Holtz and 7 Gypsies), sealing wax, the number platte (Tim Holtz) and an ivory piano key top are affixed with heavy gel medium and wire. A string of swivel clasps (Tim Holtz) holds jewelry parts and more gears.


This is a companion piece to 14 Brick Lane and will be on offer at October's Open Studios.

15 Rose Lane

15 Rose Lane 6x6"

Steampunk in Stepney. A 6x6" canvas covered with a xerox of a Victorian engraving, stenciled and stamped. A strip of copper anchors the right hand side and is decorated with sealing wax, a copper earring disc and a large watch gear. Funky ring trim flanks it.

A large rose button centers the piece and is attached with wire. Wooden gears (Small Studios) are topped with mini wire mesh roses. A number plaque (Tim Holtz) and a cameo disc complete the work.

I am really enjoying this series. It's quite fun picking out the various bits and bobs to embellish with and, research geek that I am, I love finding the London street names - my best source has been the 1891 Streets of London. This piece available at October's Open Studio.

14 Brick Lane

14 Brick Lane 12x6"

Another steampunk creation - to the East End for this one - 14 Brick Lane, in the Spitalfields area of London. I started by painting the edges of a 12x6" canvas in dark brown acrylic and then adhered the xerox copy of a Victorian engraving with matte medium. A sheet of distressed copper, attached with decorative thumb tacks tops the canvas and is strewn with sealing wax.


My favourite Mary Beth Shaw stencil provides accents in a muted black acrylic. Embellishments were affixed with wire and/or heavy gel medium and include metal gears from Tim Holtz and 7 Gypsies and wooden gears from Small Studios and a piece of piano key ivory topped by a copper leaf stamping. A frozen Charlotte, cold water faucet handle, and the #14 (Tim Holtz) add bright spots of white.



A chain of swivel clasps (also from Tim Holtz) swings down the left side and holds various metal bits. A small slab of tumbled tile serves as a mounting block for vintage watch works.
Available at Open Studios next month.

Cigar Box Wednesday

Steampunk Lamp from Michael Pusateri on Vimeo

When is a cigar box not a cigar box? When it's a way cool steampunk lamp! Visit the link to see how Michael made this wonderful creation. Who knew you could use a cigar box for something other than holding your stash of art stuff?!