Angel

"You are my angel
Come from way above
To bring me love"

(from: 'Angel', by Massive Attack)

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author. Songwriters: Horace Keith Hinds / Robert Del Naja / Grantley Marshall / Andrew Lee Isaac Vowles. Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group.

Remains

Today I took the below picture, and while looking for a suitable text to go with it, Tyler's poem presented itself to me. It simply appeared in front of me, tangible and naked, as if it had always been there..

"Oh what we 
could be if we 
stopped carrying 
the remains 
of who we are."

A poem by Tyler Knott Gregson.

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author. Poem copyright of Tyler Knott Gregson.

A rusty searchlight truck

Today this beauty was added to my collection of antique, rusty toys. It's a GAMA military tin searchlight truck made in West-Germany in the 1950's.

It's not complete and covered with rust, but that's exactly what makes it appealing to me! I've seen examples of this truck online in mint condition, but they do not come anywhere near this one in terms of charm and charisma.

I'll try to bring the searchlight to life, leaving the rest 'as is', which will give it a very special look, I'm sure! These pics are intended to present the rusty fellow to you. Measuring 29 cm (11,5 inches) in lenght, and with its searchlight standing 19 cm, or 7,5 inches, tall, one can hardly call it a 'miniature', but it has a lot of potential and that's all I care about!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

An old kitchen stove gets a makeover.. and a crate of wood to boot!

Recently I acquired an old, hand-made, metal kitchen stove. And although I liked the 'minimalist approach' of the artist who designed and made it, I thought the stove could use an extra 'bite'.

It's not meant for the attic project, by the way, I did it 'just for fun', and I'm sure I'll use it for something else in due time! So here's how it looked like:

This image: the original stove.

And this is what it ended looking like, after the magic was done:

This image: the stove after the 'makeover'.

Quite a difference, right? So what did I do? Well, there is actually nothing on this stove that remained untouched. For starters, I made the whole thing 'rusty' and worn out, just the way I like them! Then I added a 'steel' hob to the top, to make it look more realistic.

I also added four 'discs' to represent heaters, althought this is a very old school stove, fuelled by wood, not gas or electricity!

Then the main oven door got some attention too in the shape of a nice, long metal handle. Same for the smallest door, which I guess was a compartment for coal, or wood, or both... No idea, but for sure the little door looks very cute now with its handle!

Then a lion head was added to each side of the stove for decoration purposes. Remember that this is an ancient kitchen stove, probably used by Napoleon (who can tell..?), so it should have this type of embellishments to make it more 'archaic'.

This image: lion head on the left side.

This image: lion head on the right side.

 Below are some additional images showing the level of 'rust' of the stove...

This image: the back of the stove wasn't forgotten!

Finally, it was time to give the old lady a companion, for which I took a crate and weathered the heck out of it, to match the stove's appearance. I also added so extra details, including a label,  and stuffed it with real wood from the forests of Romania, courtesy of my friend Adela, who by now has become something of my official Romanian wood dealer!

So here are two pictures of the kitchen stove 2.0, together with his side kick the wooden crate. In all, it was a very successful weekend project, I should say! 

 Thanks for visiting and be well!!!


© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Jane's attic, update X: A coal kit for the stove.

As I continue working on a stove for Jane's attic, I just finished a coal kit and shovel to go with it.

The original kit was made out of 'lifeless' shiny plastic, with a load of 'coal' looking pretty much the same. Too boring an unrealistic to my taste! Hence I decided to breathe some life into it by giving it a typical "Rusty José" makeover.  

The shovel looks as if it has had a long, working life.

To give it that extra touch, I also added real coal to the kit, and even weathered that! I think it looks beautiful with its irregular surfaces, making it resemble a load of rough diamonds.

Real coal was added to the model.

Then I also built a platform for the stove, using stone slabs of different sizes, framed by wooden lats. Of course the platform itself was weathered too, as was the metal grill and the wall behind it. The coal kit is sitting on it now, but it will have to make way as soon as the stove is ready to claim its throne!

 

Of course, as the work of the damned is never complete, so you can expect some alteration to it as the project progresses. But that constant 'itching' for improvement is what makes it grow.

Thanks for visiting and be well!

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Jane's attic, intermezzo to update VIII: reflecting on the attic door.

A door both opens and closes, shutting out or welcoming, depending on which side of it you are. It's a natural thing, something one does not normally think about, but, in life, every action has its consequences....

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.

Jane's attic, intermezzo to update VII: a welcome arrival.

The pram rolled softly into the attic as if pushed by the wind, or an invisible hand. There, standing in the shadows of this secluded micro-universe, was the Old Lady, waiting.

© José Pereira Torrejón. All rights reserved. No part of the content of this blog may be distributed, published or reproduced without prior authorization from the author.