New Photos and Pots!

Pit-fired

Pit-fired other side

Large Vase 30 inches

Large Vase Detail

So, more large vases are going to be fired and then glazed again. I'll have them up as soon as I get them fired!

Ben

Flower Pots!

So...I made some flower pots. The two tall ones are for my Moringa Tree and Peach Tree, the wide one is for my aloe plant that is massive and the little ones are for the peach/moringa seedlings. I can't wait to get them all going! I love having lot's of plants around the house!

New Knitted Hats up for Sale on Etsy!

Choose your size and color! 

https://www.etsy.com/listing/116278380/custom-hand-knit-hat-beanie-choose-your

Ben

Pit Firing

About 30 pieces under that fire. The pit was 4Wx3Lx2D. There was a cocktail of chemicals in the pit to make color changes on the pots.

After the fire died down a little bit, we added sheet metal to smolder it.

After cover the entire pit, we will let it smolder and burn out over the course of 2-3 days. Hopefully our pieces will turn out great!

I'll have pictures when it's finished!

Ben

Update on Pottery

Toad House!

My studio...been busy

A dozen soap dishes for an order

4 hours of carving to finish all these emblems...

Just showing what I have been up to. Enjoy!

Ben

New Pottery Pieces

Cone 6 Macro-Crystalline Attempt #1

Cone 6 Oxidation-Pitcher

Cone 6 Oxidation-Pitcher

Large Jar and Bottle-WIP

Just some new stuff I've been working on, I hope you like it!!

Ben

New Gloves, up for sale on etsy!

New Pair of gloves I knitted up yesterday, a little long for my tastes, but maybe some of you would like them! Check it out! https://www.etsy.com/listing/110796354/hand-knitted-long-fingerless-gloves

Ben

The Sea Maiden-Update

The Sea Maiden Update: WIP

I'm trying to fix the skin color, she's a bit more green than I wanted. We'll see how it goes!

Ben

The Sea Maiden Celtic Myth

Hey Everyone,

Here is the newest in the portfolio series.

The sea maiden is a celtic myth where a fisherman promised his first born son to a mermaid who improved his catch. When the son reached 20 he ran away from home and eventually married a princess after a series of events. Then the mermaid took him away, his wife played a harp to lure her in and get her husband back, then the mermaid took the wife. After catching a series of things again, the husband threatened to kill the mermaid by stepping on an egg that held her soul, got his wife back and killed the mermaid. Slightly tragic for the mermaid.

Title: The Sea Maiden

Size: 9x12

Media: Graphite (soon watercolor)

Time: About 2 hours

Ben

Prometheus Painting Inks

So, another piece for the portfolio, it's all inked up and ready to be painted!

Title: Prometheus

Size: 9x12 inches

Media: Ink (watercolor soon)

Time: About 3 hours

Hope you like it!

Ben

Little Red Riding Hood

Another piece underway, I'm still finishing up the inking, but I like it so far!

Title: Red Riding Hood
Size: 9x12 inches
Media: Ink (and watercolor soon)
Time: About 3 hours

Icarus Painting Finished

Title: Icarus

Size: 9x12 inches

Media: Ink and Watercolor

Time: Around 8 hours

So this one is finished, now onto the next one soon!

Ben

New Painting Icarus

This is a new piece, I'm working on an entire portfolio having to do with mythology and fairy tales. My message is that in our day and age, people strive to take the magic out of life and this is my way of bringing it back. Childhood is a wonderful thing and I strive to see the world like a child, making it worth living in every day! But on the flip side, because I am an adult, I deal with the horrors in my life and also the adult themes in my life such as sexuality, porn, murder, and others. So, let's see how it goes! All pieces will contain something adult, whether it be sexual or macabre and all will contain something child-like, a myth or fairy tale that children hear about regularly.

The first piece, Icarus.

Daedalus built wings for him and his nephew/son Icarus and sealed them to their bodies with wax. They flew up and away from the Minotaur's labyrinth and were flying somewhere far away because Daedalus had been exiled to the labyrinth by a jealous king. Daedalus fell asleep while flying, but not before he warned his son/nephew Icarus not to fly too high, for the wax would melt by the sun and he would fall to his death. As Daedalus was sleeping, Icarus wanted to see the wheels of the chariot (the sun), he wanted to meet Helios who flew the chariot from east to west each day and see the flaming horses, so he flew high up , trying desperately to see the chariot. Eventually the sun grew too hot and the wings melted from his body, casting his body toward the earth. Icarus's screams woke Daedalus just in time to see Icarus hit the sea and he watched the boy die before his very eyes and the sea swallow him up.

Not a very good children's tale huh?

This is just the inking, I'm still working on painting it as soon as I get a few done. Part one of the new portfolio!

Ben

Grad School

Hey Everyone,

So, I've started researching and setting up phone appointments with a few grad schools that I'm looking at. All the ones I applied to in December turned me down unfortunately, so I've knocked them off my list and I'm going with a different kind of education. I'm going to try a low residency school, which means that I'm going to be taking all my textbook classes online and then working on my artwork on my own while sending pictures and critiquing with my profs online or by studio visit. I'll only be spending 1-2months on campus and while I'm there I'll be taking intensive workshops and skill based classes with a lot of time in the studio. I had seen this kind of education before, but for some reason I didn't apply to it because I didn't think it was for me. But now, after being out of school for a few months, I realize how much I need to be able to have a life/job while I'm in school, I can't just pack up and leave for 2 years. I would have no way to live, pay bills, or get anything accomplished and that sort of education has already turned me down anyway.
With this new application process going on, I need to build a new portfolio. I'm disgusted with the things I'm making right now for some reason. I'm not saying anything, I'm just making stuff to please myself. I'm not expressing what I really feel, which is just rage and anger usually....I had to take myself off my medication for financial reasons (the medication I got when mom died) and so...I have to re-deal with everything now because the pills just sugar coated my mood. So, I'm thinking of new things to make and make quickly because the deadlines are in September and January!! Guess I better break out my spray-paint again and my stencils!!

So, that's what's up with me. I'm also still doing the pet portraits in digital, check out my last post!! 40% of the proceeds go to my local humane society!

Ben

P.S. Roommates make me want to do horrible things....so annoying having Shamu and the Fail Whale as roommates.

Taking Commissions for Pet Portraits

Doing some pet portraits, if you want one they are $35 and I'll send you the hi-res file for printing!

Email me at bcoffmanart@gmail.com if you are interested!

Ben

Postcards going out soon!!

Hey Everyone,

I have the postcards in hand, I'm just waiting on a few addresses and they will be sent out later this week or monday! They come with a Coupon code for 10% off your entire purchase on my Etsy site. http://gabrielsgrove.etsy.com. If you have purchased from me in the past or you have given me your address, you will receive one! Thanks for all the support!

Ben

Potion Bottles, Hand Made Books and Skulls up on Etsy!

All new Items up on Etsy! Check them out at http://gabrielsgrove.etsy.com

Ben

New Items on Etsy, Cauldron, Bowls!

New Items! Check them out here!! http://www.etsy.com/shop/Gabrielsgrove?ref=si_shop

Brown and Red/Purple Bowl

Green and Red/Purple Bowl

"Goddess Bless" Mini-Cauldron

Med Serving Bowl with Carved Cog-Steampunk

Ben

Another Batch of items up on etsy!!!

Ceramic Mug-14oz

Medium sized Teapot-about 8 or 9 cups

A couple new items up on etsy! Check it out!  http://www.etsy.com/shop/Gabrielsgrove?ref=si_shop

New Items up on Etsy!

Set of 3 Wash cloths

Back of 9x12 Blank Journal

Inner Pocket and Pages of Journal

Front Side with locking straps, 9x12 journal

Hello All!

New Items up on etsy! Check them out! http://www.etsy.com/shop/Gabrielsgrove?ref=si_shop

New Items up on Etsy!!

Blue Glossy Mug-Large

Hand Knit Wash Cloths-Set of 3

Large Mint Green and White Mug

Hand Knit Hanging Towel

Large Ceramic Mug

Check them out here! http://www.etsy.com/shop/Gabrielsgrove?ref=si_shop

Ben

New Items for sale on Esty

Set of 3 Washcloths, 7x7 inches.

Blank Hand Bound Journal-Blue Tie-dye-Coptic Stitch-100 pages

Blank Hand Bound Journal-1oo Pages-Coptic Stitch

Blank Hand Bound Journal-100 pages-Green Tie-dye-Coptic Stitch

Hey Everyone,

So, some new listings up on Etsy, check it out! http://www.etsy.com/shop/Gabrielsgrove?ref=si_shop

Ben

Betta Breeding Day 1/New Male Betta-Neptune

Neptune, new male Betta.

Neptune and Shiva.

Another great pic of Neptune. He has beautiful color!

Hey Everyone,

New Male Betta: Neptune

So, the other male, Fireball, won't blow a bubble nest, no matter what I do. So I went out today and got a new male, Neptune. He's a steel blue with green iridescence. He is absolutely gorgeous. I'm really excited to see how he works with Shiva, my female.

Breeding Day 1:

So I introduced Neptune into his breeding tank today and he started blowing a bubble nest right away under a piece of styrofoam I put in there for that purpose.

I put Shiva's tank right next to him and he immediately turned a darker blue and she developed stripes on her body and turned colors within 10 minutes. They have really taken a liking to one another! So I have her in a hurricane glass in the breeding tank and I'm leaving them there for tonight so he will blow a much bigger bubble nest. I'll be introducing them tomorrow to get the eggs in the nest. I'll keep pictures! I'm really excited to see the results of a red female and a blue/green iridescent male! Should be interesting!

Ben