Day 305 ~ Transform a piece of advertising so that it has a new message.

I cut this ad from a back page of the latest New Yorker Magazine. Changed the name of the artist to yours truly and the listed the title, medium and date for my masterpiece.

The masterpiece, created by me, is another monoprint. I liked working this way for the Day 297 project and thought I'd try it again. It measures 1 3/4 " X 2 1/4 ". I used acrylic paint to make the print.

Day 303 ~ Use reptiles as inspiration. + Day 304 ~ Make chimes.

Chimes out of reptiles. Snakes, in fact. Little green snakes made out of Super Sculpey clay, baked in the oven and painted with acrylics. I got their twisty shape by wrapping them around a wooden dowel. They are suspended from a wooden block, which was spray-painted gold, with black sewing thread. The tongues are made with copper wire and red glass beads. So they don't have forked tongues. Artistic license! They don't chime either, by the way, they just quietly clatter, the disadvantage of polymer clay over ceramics.

So, I'm all caught up. I've completed the 304th project on this, the 304th day of the year. I rather enjoyed combining the days, actually. It was fun, sometimes more challenging, sometimes it gave me more to work with. So I'll kind of miss it. But I do intend to make the 60-some projects that are left, one at a time.

Day 301 ~ Pick a random day in history, research what happened that day and make something inspired by that event. + Day 302 ~ Work with a food package.

The random date I chose was by birthday 100 years ago. 

Sergei Sergeievich Korsakoff, the first great Russian neuropsychiatrist, according to Wikipedia, was born on January 22, 1854. 

Korsakoff is known for his studies of the effects of alcoholism on the nervous system, so I’ve created a label for his own brand of non-alcoholic Sparkling Cider.

Day 299 ~ Make something with silver materials. + Day 300 (!) ~ Make something which involves the sense of touch.

For the most part, I haven't needed to go out and buy anything much for making any of these 365 projects, but I really wanted a specific material for this one. Furry, silver yarn to wrap around the core of wadded up newspaper and masking tape.

He's 8" tall and joins the stable of the other 'horses of another color', similarly created over this year.

I know, he looks more like a silver Airedale terrier, than a horse. I was going for the 'touch' component.

Hi-Ho, Silver!

Day 298 ~ Do an activity in reverse order.

I couldn’t do this project. It’s just so totally against my nature to do anything backwards, or differently from how I carefully plot things out. I’m an obsessively methodical person and this was too far a stretch from my modus operandi. The best I could do was list my typical day’s schedule…backwards.

Read in bed until I fall asleep.

Take a shower.

Bring the horses in, feed them their evening mash and tuck them in.

Watch something from Netflix.

Eat some supper.

Clean the litter boxes and feed the cats.

Do some work in the studio.

Groom and exercise the horses (normally, not with bruised ribs). Turn them out into the big field.

Do some work in the studio.

Check on the horses.

Eat lunch.

Run errands or do some work in the studio.

Bring the horses in and feed them their morning mash.

Do computer stuff, like check my email and/or post my daily project on my blog.

Eat breakfast.

Take a shower, if necessary (!)

Do my exercises (normally).

Go for a walk (normally).

Take care of the horses and turn them out into the big field.

Write in my riding journal about yesterday’s rides (normally).

Clean the litter boxes and feed the cats.

Day 297 ~ Use glass to create something.

I used a piece of glass to make this monoprint. Here's how ~

• Apply a thin layer of acrylic gel medium to a sheet of glass.
• Paint a design over the medium, using a thin application of acrylic paint.You can also scratch into the painting with the pointy end of a brush to produce pattern and texture.
• Cover the painting with a dampened sheet of paper. (Here I used a piece of watercolor paper that already had a wash of gradated blue to yellow. You can see the yellow half coming through at the front of the horse.) 
• Use a brayer, rolling it in one direction only, to transfer the paint to the paper and pull the paper away from the glass.

I went over the print with a charcoal pencil to strengthen it.

If it looks windy, I think I'm anticipating Hurricane Sandy! In fact, if you don't hear from me for some time next week, it's because we are without power. But then, some of you might be, too.

Day 295 ~ Write a letter to a fictional character. + Day 296 ~ Create something where you normally wouldn't.

More of a prayer than a letter, I guess. Rhiannon is the Welsh goddess of horses.

I wanted to create this letter on horseback, not ever having done anything terribly creative there, I'm sorry to say. But, to be honest, I only created the photo. The letter was created in my studio. However, I would like a little credit for actually tacking up YoYo and getting on her. The bruised ribs and arm and big welt on my leg the shape of a horse hoof are keeping me from my normal range of motion.

Yes, this is YoYo that I am on, not Bela. I'm not a complete nincompoop.