Pick Up Stix

 Whenever I walk in the woods I pick up sticks or interesting pieces of bark, or anything else that looks like it will have either an interesting texture or a wonderful pattern or shape. Many of these become textile pieces further down the line.  But some are just so lovely as they are that I have created a group of them called Pick Up Stix.  I take the original piece of wood, clean it well and then coat it with a graphite solution made from powdered graphite, denatured alcohol and shellac.  You paint it on (usually 2 coats) and then rub it with another stick or a coin to get the graphite to take on that beautiful gray sheen.  I have added gold paint into the cracks for contrast and definition.There is something so satisfying about the feel of these pieces.  

When I was in design school in the 60's!!!! we had  a project in our first year to make a "feel good". You were given a hunk of metal and then you had to cut, file and sand it until it felt good in your hand. Let me say that sticks are easier then metal.