Sunday, December 23, 2018

More explorations

One of the things on my "Try this" list has been silk fiber vessels... something I have seen on Pinterest which really intrigued me.  So I finally gave it a try recently, using a square of hand dyed silk draped around a glass vase:

I put an LED tea light inside, and have since bought some votives which are a little larger.  Makes a nice glow, and the vase can also be used for floral displays.  Here's another one I made, using a fish-bowl shape:

The one below combined hand dyed silk with various fibers, and I removed the glass bowl after the vessel was dry.


I have ideas for more of these, and may even try making some with silk fibers, instead of the silk fabric.  

On another note, I recently saw a video by Liz Kettle, artist, on 15 minute stitch meditations and it caught my fancy.  The idea is to just stitch, with no outcome in mind, to just relax and enjoy the process.  I have done a few 4" x 4" squares so far, using scraps of fabric and various threads... I love making these!



I have wanted to get back into doing hand work for quite awhile, and just never seemed to be able to transition into it... kind of like a block.  Now I have a daily exercise to get me to put needle to thread and play, and it's helping me find my voice again, stitch-wise!



On the gallery front, sales have been brisk this month... the hot pads and mug rugs have all sold, most of my Pine Cone ornaments are gone and several bowls are going to new homes, along with some shirts & tops.  I have 2 more shifts at the gallery for the year, then the slow-down period will be here and I plan to bring my stitch meditation squares with me to while away the hours in the next month or so.
Happy Holidays to all, and hope you find time to feed your creative muse during the winter days ahead!



Friday, December 7, 2018

I've been busy!

Nothing new there, but I have had lots to do this past month, and I feel like I'm breaking new ground for me again! 
Of course, there's been the push to make items for the gallery... holiday shoppers have been making the rounds ever since Black Friday, and items are being scooped up, leaving gaps in my inventory to fill.
  


In addition to creating more inventory, I have been starting to learn wet felting techniques.  I have found some tutorials on line, but also signed up for an on-line course from UK fiber artist Jackie Cardy, who makes fabulous wet felted work, and has created a 12 lesson course that is very informative and easy to follow.  In addition to wet felting techniques, she demonstrates how she uses machine embroidery and hand embroidery to create her beautiful work...  here's an example of her lovely work:

Isn't this amazing?
I'm in the process of working on a small wet felted piece that has been machine embroidered, and is now in the process of being hand embroidered.  I'm sure at some point, I will be adding some beads, but for now I'm working to highlight areas with hand stitching, something that has been on my list of things to get back into:

While I have been following her course, I have also been trying my hand at wet felted vessels, something I really want to learn.  I won't show the first 2 attempts... totally learning pieces, but the third one came out pretty nice:

It's pretty small, only about 3 1/2" high by 5" wide, but it is a good start, I think.  Again, I found a great tutorial by a gal at Living Felt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fm6qmoxSgis&t=906s.  It's actually a 2-part video, well worth the view for anyone wanting to learn how to make these.

And that's been what has been keeping me busy this past month!  



Thursday, November 8, 2018

Holiday gift items

I've been busy of late, beefing up my Holiday gift items for the gallery.  Here are some recent items that will be in the gallery soon:

Pine Cone Ornaments


Devore Cutout silk/rayon scarves



Coiled fabric hot pads


Mug Rugs, back by popular demand


Fringed silk/rayon cut velvet scarves

If you are in the Flagstaff area, I hope you will stop by the Arts Connection Gallery at Flagstaff Mall and make us your "go to" place for holiday shopping!  If you are out of the area and interested in my work, please contact me via e-mail (see my profile).  

Sunday, October 21, 2018

October Show and Tell

This has been a busy month for me!  I am working to build up my inventory for Holiday shopping.
Silk Scarves

Trivets in 3 sizes
I also taught my first Lids, Handles and Embellishments bowl class on the 13th.



I had 5 lovely gals in class, and they took off running with these new techniques!

And I have continued to add items to my Artfire Store, for those who are not in the Flagstaff Area.

Weather-wise, we had our first snowfall of the season:


I stayed home and thoroughly enjoyed watching it come down... love the changing seasons!

Last week, my friend Cinde and I took a day trip through Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona and ended up in Jerome, a quaint art colony located in an old mining town.  I didn't get shots of the town, but did get a shot of the San Francisco Peaks in the distance:

So with just a couple of weeks until the Holiday Expo show November 3, I'm busy working on what I will bring to sell.  The show will be at the Flagstaff Mall from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, and there will be a number of Artists' Coalition of Flagstaff Artists there to show and sell their work.  If you are in the area, I hope you will stop by!




Tuesday, September 25, 2018

Welcome to Autumn!

I love all the seasons, but have a special place in my heart for Autumn.  Some of my favorite early memories are of me helping my mom decorate for Halloween, and loving the autumn leaves as they turned glorious yellows, oranges and reds before falling from the trees.  Over the years, autumn leaves have been a recurring theme in my work, and this year is no different.  recently, I custom dyed an Autumn Leaves batik shirt for a dear friend:
And as I have done in past years, I decorated a couple of my coiled fabric bowls with fabric autumn leaves:



I actually made up a number of leaves before making the bowl and lid above, so I have lots left over for other projects!
Several years ago, I did a couple of Autumn Leaves batik art quilts, and still have one hanging in my office:
I made a few coiled bowls that I plastered and painted, with Autumn leaves themes:
And a few years back, I made some framed Autumn Leaves pieces:




Now I'm looking at ideas on pinterest for other ways to use autumn leaves in my work... obsessed?  Maybe!  But they have been a strong influence on my work for many years now, and will probably continue to crop up in my art.  Can't beat Nature for inspiration!





Sunday, September 9, 2018

My class on bowl making

Yesterday, I taught my class on how to make a coiled fabric bowl, to 9 students!  That's a record number for one of my classes, but it worked out well.  All were anxious to learn how to make the bowls, and by the end of the day, each student had made a bowl to take home with them, and they were enthusiastic about making more!  Here are some photos I took during class:

Students working diligently on their bowls

Barbara working on the last few rows

Carla and Jeanna making great progress

Sue and Marla, with their colorful creations

Karen's bright, cheerful bowl, almost done

Karen with her finished bowl

Sharon, focused on her project

Sherry, with her colorful bowl

I was so pleased that all of the students seemed to have a fun, productive day, and hope they will continue creating more bowls.  My next class - Lids, Handles & Embellishments - is scheduled for next month, open only to students who have taken my basic bowl class, and there are at least 2 from this class who plan to sign up.  I will post pictures of that class afterword.  Happy bowl-making, ladies!

Monday, September 3, 2018

Summer's end

This year's Flagstaff Open Studios Tour was a smashing success!  We had record breaking crowds, good sales, and a fun weekend with 8 artists at our location:

Here are some shots of my booth layout:




By the end of the show, I was pretty worn out, what with breaking down, then bringing my wares back into the gallery the next day to set up.  But all that effort was worth it, and I'm looking forward to brisk sales in the coming months leading up to the holidays.

Meanwhile, I decided it was time to re-open my online shop on Artfire - see the tab above.  I have pulled my Easy Breezy rayon dresses from the gallery, and have them listed in the Artfire shop, and will add more items over time. 
 This way I have two outlets to offer my work, one local and one available to shoppers all over the U.S.  That should keep me busy!  Be sure to check out the shop, and tell your friends!

Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Getting ready for Flagstaff Open Studios Tour

It's that time of year, and as usual I'm busy getting my inventory ready, going through my "to do" list to have my displays, supplies, etc. all in order for the big weekend!  I "auditioned" some of my mixed media on a grid rack to see what will fit and how they look together:


I think this will work.  And of course I will have a rack of clothing - here is a recently dyed Rayon waterfall jacket, an example of the items I will have available:


And I will have many new fabric and thread bowls on display as well:





For those of you who plan to attend, remember that at location 19 where I will be, there are 8 artists who will be showing there, so the short drive to our location will be well worth it!
For those who will be attending, we will be at 9815 E. Townsend Winona Rd. Saturday, August 25 and Sunday, August 26, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm.  Look for the rainbow banner that says "Open Studio".  See you there!