09 October 2009

I took a photograph of my wire sphere in the sunlight and was taken by the way the wire reflected the light- it is black. So I altered the photo a bit further, saturating the color. I also love the unintentional shadow of myself at the bottom of the photo.

I am hoping to create some more wire sculptures today. Not sure what....

I also have a felted project which I began, but have been uncertain how to finish. I am thinking of embellishing with wire. I'll be certain to post results.

08 October 2009

Wire wrapping and sculpture

I have been working very small with 26 gauge wire, knitting & crocheting. I decided I needed to move on and go BIGGER! But I really had no idea what I wanted to do... So, i went online and started looking at wire sculptures from other artists. Inspiration! I have a roll of baling wire- it's thick, malleable, perfect for bending and holding a shape. I decided to do a face, starting with the eye and then on to the nose, ear, and the rest using only 1 piece of wire. I remembered when a high school class exhibited their 3D fish sculptures of baling wire at the Art Center. They were fabulous! Really creative, simple, and excellent when hung from the ceiling.

I had always wanted to try my hand at wire sculpture, but just never got around to it until now. This 52 weeks project definitely keeps me moving in new directions. And it's gloriously fun!

I also made a wire ball, wrapped like a ball of yarn. I intend to enter it in the Art Center's Small Works Show. Working with wire is instant gratification! Good for us impatient sorts.

07 October 2009

a beautiful fall day

cool morning. a perfect day for working and feeling the sun.

i am readying for the studio tour. began to set up outdoor tables and think about layout. because i love to move furniture so much (really), i want to change my studio around a bit. first, i am going around the room discarding, sweeping, finding new homes for stray items. it seems there is always piles of unfinished projects - not necessarily a bad thing, but seeing the same old projects unfinished can be demoralizing or a call to action. i did finish a wind chimes that i began when i first started fusing glass; completed it and hung it up! that really juices me up!
i'm ready for more!

finished another knitted wire band. also managed to crochet a bit of wire, just simply, as well. want to create a piece with these, but no ideas yet...

06 October 2009

it is about time! week 10

it's amazing how fast time flies by when you are trying to adhere to a schedule! i am not a disciplined person; i find it difficult to follow a set routine. boredom? undisciplined? i prefer to think of it as the wacky way of the creative personality! however, this project is my attempt to learn to work consistently while also exploring and expanding my boundaries. this is certainly challenging.

of course, life does affect the keeping to the challenge: i have spent almost 2 weeks out of town in september.

week 9 and part of week 8 are lost... i hope to make up those 2 weeks, or perhaps this is part of the experiment? life happens. ipart of the time was spent drawing zentangles (just a few). on the last trip i made no artistic efforts other than to deliver my felted lollipop flowers wall hanging to my sister-in-law and her new husband! also, how can one possibly work with an adorable granddaughter around?

can work hard in my studio, but life holds other experiences that make the accomplishment of portions of this work nearly
impossible to complete. that is certainly a valuable lesson.

Week 10 is a meshing of work i have started in the past and not completed with some wire work with which i hope to finish these projects and perhaps begin some new ones. i love to needle-felt wool and have made numerous flowers to use as bracelet/cuffs. the problem was making a band which was adjustable.
i began with a felted strap held closed with velcro for some room for adjustment, but wrists just vary too much to make a band one size.

my daughter, emi, suggested i crochet the strap and use a button to slip through the stitches to close the bracelet. brilliant idea! my crochet skills are very limited. my knitting skill is a bit
more elevated: i can knit. i did want to use a more durable material than yarn, so i used a 26 gauge wire. i have wanted to play with wire knitting and crocheting after seeing some bracelets made of wire and beads. the work becomes lacy and weblike, yet strong.

i will try to do some crocheting- wish me luck!
i will continue also to clean and tidy the studio for the studio tour on the 17 & 18 of october. it's a wonderfully busy autumn!