Elizabeth H Yates

Foxtail Jewelry

2011-11-11T10:46:00.000-08:00

I've been hard at work:

I've created another site, www.foxtailjewelry.com

as well as an etsy page, www.etsy.com/shop/foxtailboutique

Whoo!

Trapezoid (Foxtail) is Born

2011-10-06T02:25:00.000-07:00

My mother, always offering me unwanted goods, gave me a belt of my father's yesterday. It's a good belt, made with thick, rich leather. I toyed with the idea of sizing it down to wear it myself, but decided to chop it up instead. This is the outcome of the first of its offerings:

This necklace was made with brass, brass chain, and oil treated leather,

Framed Bands Agate Necklace

2011-10-06T02:05:00.000-07:00

I bought about 2o polished agates of different colors, shapes, and ring qualities at the OMSI souvenir shop this summer. This is just one of them, but is one of my favorites. The wire frame in the first photo is meant to follow the contour of the stone's bands, and four prongs wrap around the other side to keep it snugly in place. There is no front or back to this piece, it is up to the wearer's preference!

This necklace is make with polished agate, hammered brass wire, brass chain, and green velvet cord.

STUDIO

2011-10-03T08:36:00.000-07:00

Shop People, my new creative outlet space! I am renting out this little corner by the month and have access to expensive tools that I'd otherwise be unable to afford-- and the 24-hour access is a blessing!

T a k i n g t h i s s t e p i s t h e f i r s t o f m a n y .

I plan to create an amazing little business for the creations I come up with... I have recently hammered, sawed, sanded and soldered for the first time in a YEAR AND A HALF, and it feels so gooood.

My metal-smith hands are coming back! Cuts, burns, blisters, scratches, bruises...

head in the clouds

2011-04-09T13:03:00.000-07:00

My head is constantly turned upwards, very often with camera in hand. I have taken literally thousands of cloud photos-- hundreds of which, the "best ones," are stored on my computer. One day, when I'm feeling extra ambitious, I will paint a Grand Cloud Series. Problem is, of course, that clouds are *extremely* difficult to paint well. Just thinking about a way in which to best capture the bright light, translucence, opacity, and the colors reflected faintly in fluffy gas is enough to scare me away from even trying. I've been too scared to try for years.

Photography is just so nice and simple in comparison...

One day I'll give it a shot.

"What the mother did, the daughter does"

2010-11-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

96 square feet of Mom

6 paintings, acrylic and pastels on canvas on board, each 4 feet squared.

My Product + Alberta Street Fair

2010-08-28T23:16:00.000-07:00

Last fall I took an Alternative Materials class through the metals department. Our final assignment was to create a jewelry production line of 23+ items to sell at the yearly, highly anticipated Cheap Jewelry Sale. The sale price of each piece couldn't exceed $15, so the challenge was to create an affordable yet desirable product using a less desirable ("cheap") medium.

Thus, a small business emerged. What started out as a school assignment has turned into my own small jewelry operation. Pictured below are my efforts over the past two months, displayed on 23rd and Alberta at the Last Thursday Street Fair. Click an image for a closer look.

The Layout:

My little striped cart on wheels:

How they wear:

Laser cut acrylic polymer earrings (in two styles) made with sterling silver post with sterling 2.5 mm ball, and paint. And, occasionally glitter.

Surprisingly light and very durable. $15/pair.

-Offered in purple, blue, red, yellow, green, turquoise, neon pink, neon orange, white, black, clear, milky white, dark red, frosted clear, glitter-covered in any color imaginable, or any combination of two colors listed. Color requests are also doable.

New styles and items are brewing, and there will be more to come.

My Fall 2009 Show - 15 works

2009-11-28T12:20:00.000-08:00

Pocket Locket: a precious preservation of youth (Ear, age 22)

2009-11-16T14:04:00.000-08:00

Silver, copper, copper mesh, plaster (2009).

Vacation watercolors

2009-10-31T13:19:00.000-07:00

Catalina Island, summer 2009 (Detail lies within a click of the image)

A Day at Sea, summer 2009

Redwoods in Stout Grove, Spring 2009

watercolor on watercolor paper, 8.5" x 6". (Detail lies within a click of the image)

Finger Rings

2009-10-21T01:10:00.000-07:00

Silver, coper, Silicone replicas of my fingers; life size.

Sketchbook concepts (above)

Gross suction cup cyst

2009-10-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

Exploring the concept of youth corresponding with growing older and how we relate to signs of aging, the relationships we have with our bodies as we age, and developing illnesses.

Silicone; 2" diameter.

Gross silicone experiments

2009-10-21T00:55:00.000-07:00

(Left) Silicone, white nail enamel; 3" diameter.
(middle) Silicone; 2" across.
(right) Silicone, human hair; 3" diameter.

Feather experiments

2009-10-21T00:48:00.000-07:00

Egg, pheasant feathers, super glue.

Copper, brass, brass tubing, pheasant feathers; 2" diameter

Three Peacocks and a Rat

2009-06-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

(Detail, below)

Oil on canvas, 3 x 4 feet.

BFA letter of intent

2009-05-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

For the last three years, I have taken numerous studio art classes, expanding my creative abilities and finding where my natural talent lies. In that time, I've become comfortable using an assortment of hammers, drills, hand saws, electric saws, blow torches, nail guns, staple guns, printing presses, paints, inks, chemicals, heavy machines, and computer programs. I've learned how to critique, solder, weld, rivet, hinge, patina, form metal, file, cast plaster molds, mix colors, sew, carve, monitor, archive, build stretcher-bar frames, stretch canvas over my own stretcher-bar frames, and make my own paintbrushes. However, through exploring various media, nothing has interested me like working in metal. It is incredible to me that I have already learned dozens of ways to manipulate the material, and still have endless techniques to investigate. Metal is one of the most stubborn and difficult materials I have worked with; still, I have found that the difficulties are what push me to overcome its fickleness. Creating something beautiful out of a material that is so difficult to work with is very rewarding.

My interest in metals is the material itself. I also enjoy the dynamic relationship between organic and synthetic materials (such as hair, feathers, and plastic) contrasting with metal. My current work is refined and yet intentionally “dirty,” utilizing rivets as cold connection whenever possible and really embracing what the medium is capable of. Initially I started working in copper, brass and nickel because it was cheap and available, but I have since grown to truly love their qualities. My work is also very process oriented. Often my original “plan” changes drastically throughout the creative process as I develop and discover more interesting ways to be original. I like to listen to the metal, responding to my mistakes or problem areas, and trying to gear my final piece towards resolving those areas, regardless of any original idea.

I am applying to the BFA in metals because I am ready for the challenge of using my knowledge as a metalsmith to create a year’s worth of conceptual, exploratory and concentrated work. I also hope to attend graduate school. It’s my understanding that completing the more advanced BFA degree will not only help give me an edge as an applicant, but will present exciting opportunities and require me to practice the independent work ethic I need to develop as an artist.

In the following school year, I would like to explore any of these concepts: 1) the relationship between people’s public and personal lives, 2) functionality, 3) definitions of beauty, and 4) process. Over the next few months, these ideas will be perpetually on my mind so that I can hit the ground running come fall term. I am sure my plans will develop and evolve over the next year through researching and exploring; the physical plans of my terminal project may undergo many changes, but that does not mean that the previous ideas and plans will not have been an integral part of the process.

Over the last four years I have developed a relationship with the University of Oregon and its faculty. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree will enable me to continue these relationships and to grow as an artist and as an individual. I very much look forward to taking my studies to a higher level.

That Hair There

2009-05-12T16:27:00.001-07:00

The assignment was to explore the idea of public and private by thinking about the relationships we have between the two, while also incorporating a hollow-formed locket.

I've recently been thinking critically about the way in which humans prepare themselves for public. My locket is meant to flip our ideas of what's public and private inside out. Therefore, tuffs of thick black hair protrude from skin-like bumps on the outside of the dirtied locket, while the inside is a clean and shiny.

Right-side view:

Top view:
Back-side view:

Inside view:

Bronze, copper, copper tubing, copper chain, liver of sulfur, human hair. Fits comfortably in most palms.

Selected images of past art journals (2006/07)

2009-05-10T03:07:00.000-07:00

Forgive me, the pictures are terrible. Pay no mind to the quality or composition of the images. Focus on content! Click to enlarge.

Blind contours

2009-05-10T02:56:00.000-07:00

These were drawn blindly (we were generally not allowed to look down at what we were doing) as an activity in class, 2006. Later, I went in and added pen and colored pencil. I just came across the photos and wanted to share.

Monster Hand

2009-05-10T02:51:00.000-07:00

Prismacolor pencil on colored matting paper, 9" x 12"

Split Personalities - Multifaced

2009-05-10T02:13:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas, 16" x 20"

Who, What, How?

2009-05-10T02:02:00.000-07:00

PNCA's dean of admissions asked me these questions at National Portfolio Review Day.

It's my impression that an artist should never stop striving to answer all three:

This little doodle was to be a personal reminder.

Divisi T-shirt design

2009-05-10T01:56:00.001-07:00

This design was printed on black shirts, and the shiny black ink contrasts well with the matte cotton.

Off the Edge

2009-03-12T22:27:00.000-07:00

Painted while listening to nothing else but Bjork's "Hyperballad" (the softer version) on repeat.

Oil on canvas, 35" x 35"

Catch

2009-03-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Painted while listening to nothing else but Bjork's "It's In Our Hands" on repeat. The more upbeat version.

Oil on canvas, 35" squared

Wipeout

2009-02-11T19:28:00.000-08:00

Assignment: paint using anything other than paintbrushes.

So this piece was painted with... tampons! UNUSED, of course. Tampons just happened to be all I had in my purse when my teacher asked us to get out the objects we brought to paint with that day.

Detail lies within a click of the image.

Oil on canvas on board, 4 feet squared.

Fancy Hat

2009-02-09T17:13:00.000-08:00

Detail lies within a click of the image.

Oil on wood board, 25" x 48"

Blind Contour Totem

2009-02-03T22:30:00.000-08:00

Donated for a silent auction at a benefit for the Marylhurst Early Childhood Center.

Oil on canvas, 22" x 45"

Blind Contour Jumble

2009-02-03T17:51:00.000-08:00

Oil on wood board, 27" squared

Maple leaf belt buckle

2009-01-27T16:34:00.000-08:00

Copper, brass and silver, 3.5" across

Portrait of Andy

2008-12-10T00:07:00.000-08:00

Oil on canvas, 16" x 20" Not finished.

I wish these both were 8 feet tall.

2008-11-13T23:30:00.000-08:00

[Above] A blind contour drawing of my left hand, colored and shaded later. [Below] Another left hand study. I used glitter and neon pens but the photo didn't pick them up....

From a sketch journal, about 6" x 9"

Doodling on the job

2008-11-12T20:09:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when no one comes in during my shift at work...

I wish the photo picked up the colors and individual pen marks better. Detail lies within a click of the image.

Marker and pen on paper, 5.5" x 8.5"

one-page comics

2008-11-11T12:16:00.000-08:00

Pen on paper, 7.5" x 11"

Double Cube

2008-10-30T23:52:00.000-07:00

This is the biggest I've painted yet! I keep saying that, but my paintings keep getting bigger..

Oil on canvas, 48" x 72" (4 x 6 feet)

A young portrait of my mother

2008-10-27T11:53:00.000-07:00

This is from 2005. It's been at my parents house and I finally got the chance to get some pictures of it to put up on here. Detail lies within a click of the image.

Prismacolor colored pencil, colored mat paper. 12" x 18"

Copper drawing

2008-10-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

Prismacolor markers on Copper, 5.5" x 23"

Drawn from a picture I took in Vienna, Austria.

Self-portrait, 2005

2008-10-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

Prismacolor colored pencil on colored paper, 18.5" x 15"

Props to Christopher Shotola-Hardt for suggesting I don't finish the left side of my face..

Copper airtight capsule

2008-10-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

Copper and brass sheet metal, copper tubing. Hours of slave labor.

Height 6", Diameter 2.5"

Lithography

2008-10-16T03:08:00.000-07:00

This is my first attempt at drawing on limestone with oil crayon. The signature and year at the bottom of the right butterfly wing is backwards for obvious printing purposes. Detail lies within a click of the image.

Litho crayon on limestone, 6" x 10"

Ring Around the Rosie

2008-08-21T14:31:00.000-07:00

A quick painting I did in Virginia Beach to pass the time. My pallet was limited (I only had five or six colors), but I sort of liked being forced to work with less.

Oil on canvas, 16" x 20."

Falling to Sleep

2008-08-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas, 45" x 60" (3.75 x 5 feet)

How Do You Like Them Apples?

2008-08-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

Many, many hours and a whole lot of Quinacridone Red and Cadmium Yellow Deep. Each apple is bigger than your head.

Oil on canvas, 30 x 45"

Abstract Bright

2008-08-06T20:06:00.000-07:00

Not yet finished, but what else is new.

Oil on canvas, 35 x 35"

Penny Ball Pendant and Penny Ball Brooch

2008-08-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

The beads consist of two pennies hammered into half-spheres and tube-riveted together. (While I only used about 15 words to describe how to make the beads, each took me upwards of an hour to make.) I ended up with about 15 beads, but only used 9 for the final brooch [Below].

Copper pennies (1979 and earlier), brass sheet metal, brass tubing, brass wire.

Canadian penny pendant

2008-08-05T20:40:00.001-07:00

Copper penny, copper chain.

Cardboard layered left hand

2008-08-05T20:38:00.000-07:00

Cardboard, hot glue. Height 10"

Pink Rope Puzzle

2008-08-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

The idea behind this piece was to have the pink rope appear as if it wraps around the surfaces in many different continuous loops. The puzzle is to count how many full circuits there are within all 8 quadrants.

Stay with me here... on just one side [as pictured above] there are 9 complete circuits (...1 four-quadrant circuit... 2 two-quadrant circuits... 4 single-quadrant circuits...) but there are multiple sides to the multiple plains.

So, how many total?

(Keep in mind that I have not yet gotten into the possibilities of twisting rope circuits.. that could get into the 100s.. let's try to keep this as simple as possible..)

Wood, wood glue, acrylic paint. Diameter 7"

Abstract Warm and Acid Rain

2008-07-15T00:51:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas, 17" x 14"

Oil on canvas, 20" x 20"

Clouds I think

2008-07-15T00:50:00.000-07:00

Oil on canvas, 30" x 30"

Due to some darker sections having glossy, light-reflective tendencies, the flash on my camera distorted the color a bit (mostly on the right half).

An homage to Vincent

2008-07-15T00:03:00.000-07:00

Acrylic on paper, 17" x 14".

Acrylic on paper, 23" x 17".

These were painted for my color theory class, this time mostly exploring color and value contrasts and how they effect the piece as a whole. I really enjoyed ripping off Van Gogh's style. It proves quick, pretty, and colorful, which is perfect for the one- to two-hour daily homework assignments.

Problematic Still-lifes

2008-07-04T12:38:00.000-07:00

Here, two in-class still-life "back-light, front-light, side-light" studies. They are technically not finished, but, like much of my work, I abandon them when I grow tired of struggling with them.

Oil on paper, 18" x 19"

Oil on paper, 15" x 23"

Color Theory

2008-07-04T11:49:00.000-07:00

Sad and Lonely Color, acrylic on paper, 17" x 14".

Bright Color Landscape, acrylic on paper, 13.5" x 16".

I am enrolled in two eight-week classes this summer, Painting 401 and Color Theory 408. From 8 am until 3 pm every Monday through Thursday, I am a painting machine. I have stopped caring that my forearms and fingernails are constantly stained blue and red with oil paint that refuses to wash off with an abundance of pink soap.

These are two of my homework assignments for Color Theory, where we have been exploring the use of color to express emotion.

Adam Corolla

2008-06-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

I took a road trip to LA with a diehard Loveline friend of mine during the summer of 2005. One Wednesday night, we camped outside Loveline studios to try to meet Adam Corolla and Doctor Drew, sneaking into the iron gated establishment and waiting like stalkers. We finally met the pseudo-stars, giggled, took pictures, and were invited back to watch Loveline from inside the studio the following Sunday when they heard we had driven all the way down from Oregon.

So, with almost 4 days to kill until meeting them again, I decided to make a little something for Adam. Here it is, a token of love, if you will. I think that the arm hair and the eyebrows really capture the essence of the legend. He claimed that it would stay staring back at him at his studio desk for good, but I wonder where it is now that he hasn't worked on the show for years.

Sculpey clay, acrylic paint.

Looking Down Stairs

2008-06-16T21:08:00.000-07:00

Assignment: drawing in perspective. Pencil. 18"x22"

Fancified Blind Contours

2008-06-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

I needed to step away from my anal-realistic drawings, so I made a series of blind contour drawings for an open ended weekend assignment.

I wandered around the bustling amphitheater at the heart of campus asking various lounging strangers if they would mind their portrait being drawn. No one turned me down. I later added color and ink (not blindly) to the individual's most prominent features. Here are my favorite 8.

Self portrait drawing assignment

2008-06-16T20:34:00.000-07:00

The assignment asked for

-a life size drawing

-multiple drawing styles and techniques

-the use of different mediums

-more than one piece of paper (as seen by the split photos)

-4-6 hours of work

Fork/Utensil Metals Assignment

2008-06-16T20:23:00.000-07:00

Here, a three sided non-functional fork. Copper. Not sure that it shows, but probably around 35 hours went into this piece.

Sasquatch Music Festival, 2008

2008-06-16T20:19:00.000-07:00

Drawn on the grassy hill looking out over the Gorge. I was extremely flattered when a 30-something man asked to buy it off me. It's not really "finished" (the bottom and lower left corner is still white), but I think i lost interest so this is how it stays.

I love power tools

2008-06-16T20:07:00.000-07:00

Sculpture 288, spring term 2008. This was a site-specific installation assignment. Our project's concepts were to explore a facet of construction sites. We were limited to the use of wood and the colors Orange, White, and Grey.

My concept created itself, and I'm still not sure what it really says or means. With no real plan, I went nuts in the wood shop testing out a few of the power tools I am not familiar with. After I came up with a half dozen drill- or screw-like wooden stakes (pictured centrally, jutting out from the center of the mass), I was determined to make these bizarre, carved experiments work in my final piece. I did my best to make it feel congruent with the wall, but I think the photos make it seem less static than it was in person.

I installed it over the hallway drinking fountain to make it difficult to access, which is comparable to annoying construction sight barriers or detours. Anyway, I didn't particularly like the final outcome at the time, but my teacher loved it and these photos are kind of cool.

Did I mention that I love power tools?

Sketchbook pages

2008-06-16T19:50:00.000-07:00

[Above] Welding notes and concept sketches of a "second skin" final sculpture assignment. I'm more pleased with my sketches than the actual finished project, which is not pictured here for a reason..

[Right] Concept sketches for an Impossible Triangle ring. This is a symbol I have been rather obsessed with for 4 or 5 years now. After slaving away for hours on a hollow-form impossible triangle using nickel, I decided against finishing this ring and went with the "ball and chain" concept [Below].

The Ol' Ball and Chain

2008-06-16T19:02:00.000-07:00

This assignment asked us to create a pair of wedding rings based on our ideas of marriage...

The smaller of the two fits my ring finger [below]. It has a working pin hinge and a decorative padlock. The ball [above] was crafted for a larger finger. It is a hollow sphere that has two equally sized holes for a finger to fit in to, so the ball forms around the digit.

Crafted for hours with blood, sweat and caffein..

Nickel, copper, and brass sheet metal, silver chain.

Self Portrait in Oil

2008-06-16T16:44:00.000-07:00

Here, an image of my first painted self portrait, made for my first painting class. I also learned how to build my own frames and stretch my own canvas (this painting is on the first canvas and frame I built and stretched).

Painted from a photo. Idea inspired by an MC Escher self portait. Ceiling light fixture courtesy of my grandmother's Florida condominium.

Note: I have not completely finished this piece, but I am unsure when I will actually do so, so I figure that it is done for the next little while. We needed to take a break from each other.

Learned a lot with this one. About 3'x3'. Sweat and oil.

Welcome

2008-06-15T22:44:00.000-07:00

Just stumbled across Blogger and wanted one for my own. I like its simplicity and am especially impressed with some other Blogger user's work I've come across. I'm excited to be a new member of the community.