Group Exhibition at Pine Camp Arts and Community Center, 4901 Old Brook Rd. Richmond, VA 23227

"Isn't She Lovely" 

A multimedia exhibit focusing on African-American female beauty featuring artists from the Richmond, Baltimore and Washington, DC metropolitan areas.

Opening Reception is scheduled for Friday, February 13th, 2015 at 6:30PM.

I, Unicia Buster, will have two art pieces on display at this show.

Please join me in celebrating all of the amazing talent featured in this show. 

"Field of Afros" by Unicia Buster.
Textile art, hand and machine stitched 100% cotton fabric
62" sq. quilted wall hanging
I finally finished this piece. Four-five years in the making.

From a drawing/sketch to a quilt. What a journey.

"Urban Beauty" by Unicia Buster
Archival ink on paper

Detail of "Urban Beauty" by Unicia Buster

Gallery event flyer.

"Who Are You?" by Unicia Buster - A New Echo Line Drawing (incomplete)

January 21, 2015 "Who Are You?" by Unicia Buster

This is my latest Echo Line Drawing. I feel like I'm still finding my way with these drawings and that I need to push them even further. I'm not quite sure how yet. I can see my earlier influences on my art. When I was young, I used to study anatomy drawings and artwork by MC Escher (http://www.mcescher.com/) and Dennis Winston (http://denniswinston.weebly.com/). I also used to draw a lot of line and shape drawings, what people are calling "Zentangle" (www.zentangle.com). I was doing these in the early 1990s. I'll post a few from my earlier sketchbooks. At any rate, those earlier influences are coming through my art now but still continue with my love of texture and design. I also see that I need to work on developing my shading and portraiture. But I believe practice makes perfect so I will continue drawing (as well as complete this one). MORE TO COME!

My early influences:

Artwork by Dennis Winston, woodcut print

Zentangle art from www.milliande.com, but before it was called zentangle of course.

"Sky and Water I" 1938 woodcut by MC Escher

On the JOB - Arts in Healthcare

 We had two successful events during the month of November that turned out  very nicely. We celebrated Arts and Health Month at the VCU Medical Center by having an Arts and Craft Sale and an Arts in Healthcare Day. We also celebrated Native American Heritage Month by inviting Native American dancers to perform.

Vendor table I set up for the Arts and Crafts Sale. I had the following on display: art quilts, echo line drawings, photography, hand-painted pillows, portrait pillows and a couple books of my work. 

Doing arts and crafts with a caretaker during the Arts in Healthcare Day.

Native American Dancers performing in the Gateway Building on the ground floor.

Fabric Handmade Dolls - popular!

Since the dolls I made, thanks to www.makeit-loveit.com, are so popular, I've decided to create my own pattern to make for selling. Not sure how I will do it but it will be a cross between a cabbage patch and a raggedy ann doll because I definitely like the facial details over the button eyes as well as the thickness over the thinness. We shall see.

Doll for Julia with real hair from her locs she cut off right before her chemotherapy treatment. I used fabric paint for the face and gave her a necklace. Makes a great legacy doll.

Third doll I made. I was a bit more lazy with the face this time, opting to buy stick-on eyes and drawing the lip with a fabric marker. I also got ribbon happy and decided to name her Unique. I also gave her "highlights." Currently, I'm working on her brother.

First doll I made in which I hand stitched (embroidered) her entire face. She has button decorations on her shirt and skirt. This doll was given to a cousin for Christmas who had just had a baby girl.

Echo Line Drawings by Unicia Buster

How to Do Echo Line Drawings

by Unicia Buster

Materials: Fountain pen, drawing paper

How to:

Start with a line, the ends of which go the edge of the paper. The line needs to be wavy, curly, zigzag or a combination. Straight lines will not give an interesting effect.

Echo this line by outlining as close to the original line without touching it. Do this on both sides.

            

Continue echoing the newly drawn lines until the paper is filled. Make sure to fill in any loops created.

            

Our lives are like these lines. We each have one beginning (birth) and one ending (death). But rarely are our paths in life straight. We experience times when things are hectic, or when we feel like we are going in circles or when it’s smooth sailing. Along the way, we interact with others whom we affect or we have an effect on. Sometimes people we meet have a negative effect, thereby creating a ripple in our own line. These drawings can be made elaborately or simple. Try adding shapes, color or multiple lines. Like in life, sometimes you have to see where the road takes you.

URB

uniciab@yahoo.com

Gallery

"Sealed"

"Spoon Fed"

"Hold My Hand"

"Alone in a Sea of Curls"

"Renewal"

"Love Song"

"Rhythm Waves"

"People Unite"

"Web"

"Flower Garden"

"Pretty"

For purchasing information, please email uniciab@yahoo.com. Prices range from $55 - $75, including frame. Sizes are 7.5" x 9.5" (drawing) and 15" x 12" frame. Price does not include shipping. Thank you.

You can download and print this instruction sheet.

Almost Halloween! Facepainting Time!

Update: Below are the face painting I did for 2014 during the week of Halloween. I had a blast!

I did something a little different each day of Halloween week 2014. Monday, I did The Lorax; Tuesday, I was Cookie Monster; Wednesday, I was a unicorn; Thursday, I was a peacock; Friday, I was the Bride of Frankenstein and later that evening, Medusa; and Saturday, I was Harley Quinn. I also did quite a few other faces at the hospital, co-workers and patients, as well as at my church - eyes on eyes, Hello Kitty, puppy, Winnie the Poo and Olaf. Until next time....

One of the things I love about my job is the versatility I have when doing art activities with patients and their visitors. As in years past, I will be doing face painting in the lobby and in a few of the clinics. Of course, I can not post pictures of patients/visitors but here are some pics face painting I did on myself (one for each year that I've been working here at VCU Medical Center) and one on my roommate. I can't wait to see what I come up with this year. I think I'm going to make-up my face each day of the week of October 27th.

Myself as a tiger, ice princess and carnival-reveler and Shanaye as a forest nymph (2011-2013).

Fabric Doll and Hand-painted Pillows

I absolutely love making these dolls that June Lily's blog Make It and Love it (http://www.makeit-loveit.com/pattern-pieces). This is my third doll.

This is nine small pillows stitched together. I hand-painted the pillow fronts with black 3D fabric paint and fabric markers in silver on one and black on the others (the text). I was continue the line art idea with a different medium than the drawings I'd done.