april 9 2010 - spring forward!

Ok.  I'm done worrying about the popularity of my work.  (not really, but I'm trying!)  My show is up at the Lodi Art Center.  I had a wonderful turn out for the First Friday Art Hop reception.  Lots of Art Hop regulars and artist friends.  I felt so unsure of the show: a combo of old and new work, featuring the use of color.  An interesting combination of techniques and projects:  felted hangings, paintings, metal embossed and collage mirrors, masks bursting with color, a collograph, jewelry...

So... on to the next thing.  I have been reading Embellish, Stitch, Felt:  Using the Embellisher Machine and Needle-Punch Techniques, by Sheila Smith.  Such an inspiring book!  I am particularly inspired by the layers of wool and fabric which are needle felted and then, wet felted or stitched.  She uses layer after layer to create a wonderfully unique cloth for use in 3D objects, journal covers, wall hangings, etc.  The embellisher is a needle felting machine, which allows the user to needle-felt large areas in a shorter time.

I am drawn to the use of multi-layering in collage, painting, and fabrics.  You can make a thin needle-felted and/or wet felted pre-felt, then use this as a layer in another piece.  You can add fabrics, stitching, embroidery.  Play with color, texture, pattern.  Felt is an excellent medium for layering techniques.

During my shift today at the Gallery, I begin work on needle-felting some pieces (without an embellisher), for use in multi-layered pieces with fabric and stitching, as well as felt.  

I have also decided to focus on developing a project I can work on, to help me in my journey towards strengthening my spiritual practice through my work.  Exploring my thoughts and emotions with my work in a more directed way.

the next 13 weeks...FELTING

Finally, after 3 months I was able to attend to the cleaning up of my studio. It was a mess, so it was easy to tidy. The papers everywhere situation has been delaying my clean-up; I have wanted to sort images and pattern and types of paper. But I have been reluctant to begin this big reorganization. I finally realized that perhaps I am not yet ready to do so: not sure how to organize. So, I just tucked papers away in drawers and VOILA! they are off the work table! I still have several projects around the table: Wooden bases for mirrors - a metal embossing project of which I have completed one fabulous mirror! Misc. chaff all over.

Anyway, the cleaning up has begun enough to start my newest infatuation: wet felting. I have 2 new books: UNIQUELY FELT, by Christine White and EMBELLISH, STITCH, FELT by Sheila Smith. Both books have inspired me AND given me the tools I need to explore the medium of felting more intensely. I have begun at the beginning of Christine White's book with experimentation and simple projects: cording, nuno felting, felted balls. Wet felting is hard on my back, even tho I am trying to be correct in my posture.
But, I am so thrilled with the materials and the results, I can't wait to try the next "thing"!

To add to the studio clean-up, I have managed to, finally, clean out some cabinets downstairs that began as my first storage space for my artistic endeavors with my children and myself. I was cleaning up to ready for my youngest daughter's visit, when I just decided to JUST DO IT. 3 hours later, the garbage and recycling bins were filled up and a new pile of materials were added to my studio. Of course, these are still in boxes, bags, etc., on the studio floor. But, I am so happy to have accomplished the big clean out.

This does seem to be the year of cleaning out old stuff...what do i really need to save? After over 20 years in a house, all the small objects and piles that are saved and hidden in drawers need to be cleared out to make way for the new!

yes, it is the end of week 3!

whoa! the last 2 weeks were spent struggling with the sewing of paper to fabric and to paper. paper to fabric is more difficult, unless of course the fabric is not too thick and is stiff. i discovered that machine sewing paper to paper can be fun and have wonderful results. i did have trouble with free form sewing on the machine.... i didn't drop my feed dogs! must try doing this today.

my project for week 4 will be the creation of a mask out of stitched paper affixed to a plaster life mask. i believe i now have a few skills to be able to accomplish this.

thursday already?

i thought i had written in the blog in the last couple days, but i guess i just thought about it! i was very frustrated with my green fabric and paper stuffed collage project. i let it sit a day and then decided i could fix it by cutting off a piece. here is the unfinished, as yet green collage and 2 cut off pieces. i made atcs from the small cut offs. i am going to try to fix the filling and iron the piece to see if i can "straighten" it out.

monday afternoon

i did figure out the poor green paper/fabric collage. i cut off the end where the fabric seemed bunched, took out some stitching and re-stitched. am getting ready to iron and finish the sides and back. yay! it seems that i do best when really having to overcome a project that has gone awry. it certainly is a good way to push myself beyond my usual stuff and creating something new and exciting. if maybe not always fantastic, the process is transformative.

i have taken the smaller piece of this piece i cut off and cut it into 2 pieces, zig-zagged the edges and will mount them onto an atc blank. cool.

saw some fabulous fabric atc cards on sanna's blog: transferred photos on fabric, then embellished, felted, bejeweled. more inspiration! thanks, sanna. (sannasartmind.blogspot.com)

purple paper sewing - week 2

this is the first of the projects for this week: sewing paper! i sewed the papers onto a rectangular piece of fabric by hand, added the batting (sp?) layer, and another fabric on the back. folded over frayed edges onto front and sewed with machine, then did a bit of machine quilting to create more texture and cohesiveness. it is approximately 6" x 12".

sewing regular scrapbooking type papers is not fun and they get creased and really show the mistakes! the paste paper and tissue paper i used was fun to sew, although i get very impatient: i want to go faster! i must remind myself to take a deep breathe and relax.

i spent several hours this morning cleaning out a corner of the studio to create a sewing area. found a spot for fabric, a sewing table (had to move my stamping and embossing stuff to the big desk). this is the second part of my 52 weeks: further organizing my studio, refining material selection (throwing stuff away!), making the space more user friendly. after all, the studio space is filled with many years (34?) of accumulated materials of all sorts. i can't use materials if i cannot find them! so i did my final machine sewing in the studio.

i have some fabric and paper cut out for a green mixed sewing piece. will start tomorrow as i must get ready to go to sacramento in an hour.

yes it is week 2!

i have decided to pursue some more paper projects and techniques: weaving and sewing.
the first project which i have started is a monocolor paper on fabric strip collage. i have several purple patterned papers, tissue paper, and some paste paper from another time. i have torn and "glue basted" in place the paper onto the fabric. i will be sewing this piece by hand. off to work!