Burned For a Purpose

This saga began almost a year and a half ago.  We were visiting NE Minneapolis art district for the annual Art-A-Whirl.  Some amazing art caught our eye.  Very ethereal....haunting almost.  Imprints of leaves mostly.  Breath-taking.  We asked the artist how she achieved this beautiful effect.  The answer....gun powder.  What????  Yep...gun powder. The prints she produced stayed with us all day.  As textile artists....and risk-takers in general....our natural inclination was...."I wonder what would happen if we did it on textiles?"  We didn't get to it that summer....but this summer we HAD to try it out.  We gathered our supplies.  Bought the gunpowder (I'm always amused by people's reaction.  These two women asking the clerk where to find gun powder. "What kind do you need?"  ummmmmm we don't know.  We are artist and are using it in our art.  "Ahhhhh"  - like that explains everything!!  Too funny!)  So anyway, after we found out that we for sure didn't want the kind that exploded....just burned, we were on our way.

We got one or two good pieces out of it....well, my friend did anyway.  We worked with the leaves...it was a windy day....enough said.

I've been so wanting to try it out myself and just waiting for a project that could benefit from this technique.  Then I had it. The 10 X 20 group - I still have 2 pieces to complete for this year.  One was due Oct. 1 so yes....I'm a bit behind.  The difficulty wasn't the gun powder bit....but finding an appropriate background.  Finally I found a piece of what felt like a twill.  Liked the subtle dyeing that had already been done to it. Only one problem....didn't think about what the fabric make-up was.  I mean I hardly have any textiles in my studio that aren't cotton or silk or linen.  So I go merrily on my way to experiment.  POOF!  The gun powder went off and the cardboard on top was burning a bit around the edges still....not uncommon.  I picked the cover up and the fabric itself was burning and melting.  Can you say synthetic fibers???? Put it out right away so no horrible damage was done.  But....as they say....you learn something new every day. 

Still...I got the results that worked for this particular project. There will be additonal experiments - on cotton - but I'm happy with the results for this time.  Below are photos of the process along the way and the final results, of course.

Screen printed clocks in Latte acrylic and ironed on the masks of freezer paper

Taped the fabric to the board and applied the gun powder

Set the gun powder on fire (and the fabric as it turned out)

Resulting fabric with masks removed (you can see the burned edges)

Another layer of screen printed clocks, this time in Lumiere Old Brass - and a few stamped clocks as well

Now to do the stitching.....and probably adding a few watch parts as well.  Hope to have it done by Monday if not before.



 

I Miss the Snow

I know I know....many of you will think I'm crazy (well this might or might not dispell that concept) but I LOVE the cold and the snow!! A bit strange for a Texas girl transplanted to the frozen tundra of Minnesota. But it is true.  This piece was born this summer when we had WEEKS of upper 90s. Thought I would die. Thank heaven for A/C or I just might have. I so LONGED for the cold and snow. I know it is a lot to ask of an art quilt...to bring back vivid enough memories of several feet of snow and temps below freezing to vanquish the oppresive heat...but I had high hopes. And to some extent it does give me hope. At least living in Minnesota (aka the Frozen Tundra) I know winter and cold WILL come eventually. I long for the first nip in the air, the promise that fall brings of the cold, refreshing winter beauty soon to come. So I wait..........


The background is white dupioni silk quilted in a snowflake pattern with silver metallic thread. The snowballs are circles of muslin with layers of scrim, lace, cording, knotted fabric and mulberry cloth hand-stitched onto it. Then the circles were appliqued to the quilt and then painted with White Pearl Lumiere and white acrylic paint. The finishing touch was to stitch some white iridescent beads onto each snowflake. Is it just me or is it getting just a bit chilly in here??????

I Miss The Snow

10" X 20"

I Miss the Snow - detail



It's been a full month!

So much to do with Wil here! A LOT of shopping.........eating out.......bread and cheese for dinner......etc.

But yesterday I got to work on a piece. It's not completed yet but here is the beginning.  Right now it is just on the backing.  Next comes the quilting! This subject was chosen because I so loved our wilderness camping trips to the BWCA.  She is traveling toward the distant shore with the sun setting just behind the island. To the right are sheer cliffs. And all is peaceful on a calm lake.

Back now - Hopefully!!

Yep dark days....survived to tell about it. THEN I get sick....yes....AGAIN!!  But now I'm back for what I hope is a good long time!!!

Time has not be totally wasted however. I've started on a new project that I am quite pleased with.  I was inspired by a couple of techniques a friend shared with me.  I modified them a bit, combined them and found that I really like the results.  The origianl idea is to use this technique for my individual manhole cover projects but I wanted to try it out first to see if it would turn out like I envisioned.  So, I had a series of little quiltlets that I had done for a class. Why not try it out with those and see what happened???

So here is my Fig Study series as I begin to complete them with these techniques. I was so excited and having so much fun that I didn't take photos of each step (drat!!) on the first one but I'm trying to do that on the second one. I do have one confession.....it was difficult making that first brush stroke with the paint onto the fabric!  But I'm glad I did!

First is the branch with little figs growing on it. It startes with the original quiltlet.

Fig - Branch (quiltlet)



Then I stitched it to the canvas (didn't get this photo).  Next I mixed acrylic paints to get the color I wanted and then painted the canvas.  Also extended the branch and the tip of the leaf. (I did later adjust the color on the leaf tip....looks much better later on.)

Fig - Branch (stitched on painted canvas)

Next I painted with acrylics to add an additional branch and leaves.  All branches and leaves wrap around the canvas on the sides as well.

Fig - Branch (completed)

One last step.  I added shading with pen and ink on the fabric as well as the painted leaves and branches. Just making little dots with the pen and ink. Here are a few detailed photos.

Fig - Branch (details of pen and ink shading)



So, that's what I've been up to lately. I just stitched the next quiltlet onto canvas and when that one is completed I'll post the photos of the steps on that one.

Faces Art Journal - page 2

My goodness this is fun!  Just completed page 2 in my Faces Art Journal.  Originally I had planned to do page 2 and 3. But I found that I really wanted the third face drawing and the original picture that I was working from on the same page.  So...here it is! 

The quote on the bottom of the page says: "The face is the index of the mind." -- Proverb

Faces Journal - page 2

Faces Journal - page 2 (detail)

Faces Art Journal - page 1

Well, I finally got to work on my actual journal page today.  It is the first page and the introductory page.  I had a lot of fun just experimenting with the look of this page.  While I THINK I want my journal to all go together, I'm not sure just what will appeal to me on any given day.  We'll just have to see how it all breaks down in the coming months. 

I'm working in 6 page signatures of 140lb. watercolor paper.  I chose this paper because I LOVE to work with wet dyes and paints and watercolors for the backgrounds. Wanted something that could stand up to the moisture and not fall apart.  Plus, I love the slight texture of this paper and the way it deckles (I might have just made a noun into a verb but - hey, it works!)

So, started out with a wash of diluted brown procion dye (leftover from a fabric dyeing session). Then I played with some pastel chalks.  Then I outlined the space for the two first drawings with a gold Shiva stick.  Some more painting with some acrylic and then some distress ink. Adhered the two drawings and then color washed them with the same diluted brown procion dye and added some more distress ink.  It really mutes the drawings -- which is just what I wanted to happen (they aren't very good anyway) but I at least got my first two struggling efforts into the journal.  You can still see them in person but not too well in the photo.  I then adhered two strips of metal painted with alcohol inks from another previous project (see, I try to re-purpose even the scraps!). 

Then I made a pocket with a wallpaper sample from a hardware store(also painted with a color wash which dried in an interesting pattern) and attached it to the page with eyelets.  Inside is a card which reads:  "In the beginning…I’ve never drawn a face before. Now is the time to challenge and stretch. So, here goes! These first two I drew on regular paper with a #2 pencil. Not easy to work with. But I felt I should include them anyway. I have a picture I’m working from but I don’t want to reveal it until I get closer to what I’m trying to accomplish. Where this will take me, I have no idea. I’m just planning to enjoy the journey!"  That card can be pulled out by the special ribbon I attached to the tag at the top of the card.

Is this exactly what I wanted?  Well, not quite but making an art journal is also a work in progress and I hope to learn a lot along the way. Without learning new things...I think life would be unbearably boring!!  So, now, as in the agreement with my friend Wil, I have one more page to get done by the end of September.  We are striving for 2 pages per month.  Today, however, is drawing to a close for me so this is it for now. But tomorrow is STUDIO  DAY!!  So be prepared for more to come!

Nuturing Creativity - Week 34 and NEW ATCs

I chose this card earlier and had planned to post it earlier but ended up with a weird week that vanished into thin air somehow!!

Anyway here it is:

Change Your Limitations

Work in another medium! Well, I think drawing experiments qualify for this one BIG TIME!  Oh, I haven't drawn my newest face yet.  BUT, I did sell some note cards so had enough to go to the art store and purchase some real sketching pencils and a pad!!  Now to get busy on that little past time!

Have completed a couple of ATCs this week and thought you might enjoy seeing them.  The first one is for the Birthday ATC swap for September birthdays and the other ones are for an Illuminated Alphabet swap.  I really enjoyed doing the research on that one. These are from historic manuscripts where they made rather ornate and interesting and larger first letters of the chapter, line, or page.  Had seen this technique before and found it very interesting but have never even THOUGHT about doing it myself.  Sounded like a fun way to get outside my comfort zone! The first swap is for A B C and D.

September is PIANO MONTH!!!  So here is the slightly blurry card for the September birthday people!!

Illuminated A, B, C and D

Nurturing Creativity - Week 33

I tell you...I have not idea WHERE time goes.  I picture some huge black hole that just sucks the minutes, hours, days, months deep into its core before you know what happened!! That's what it seems like anyway.  So, here it is Wednesday and I haven't posted my Nurturing card for this week yet.  But, like they say, better late than never.

Imagine You Can

This is interesting in its timing...what with the Faces Journal and all.  Concept is that even though what ever creative project you are working on, even if it isn't as good as the "professionals" in your field....SO WHAT!!  Those "professionals" started out once with as little experience as you have and they would not be where they are today if they listened to that voice that says we should stop because we will never be as good as .. (fill in name of professional here) ...  Lesson?  If you are enjoying your creativity discovery and journey...keep on going and doing what you love to do!  Who knows!! Someday you may be one of those "professionals"!! (If you are...please don't forget what it was like just starting out!)

So, I wish you all wonderful days of exploration and joy and fulfillment in whatever you are doing to make this world more beautiful!

S-T-R-E-T-C-H-I-N-G

I recently read in the Kemshall's wonderful publication - 3Fold - about a challenge journal they did and it excited me a lot!  I've lately felt a real desire to do something outside my comfort zone....to learn something new...try something I've never considered possible before.  Sure, I might fail miserably.  So??  I've done that before and lived to tell about it! So, I contacted my good friend and fellow risk taker, Wil!  It's always more fun to do these things together, right?  Well, she was on board to do that and we had several e-mail conversations about just what we wanted to do.  As you can imagine....there is only one rule!  NO RULES!!  We won't even be working on the same theme but will have a generous and very workable timetable just to keep each other accountable.  I'm SOOOOOOO looking forward to this! 

I know, I know.....it's not like I need more pressure or more to do, right?  BUT....there is something to be said about stretching oneself.  I think it keeps the creative juices flowing and enhances the other skills as well.

My challenge to myself -- a journal about FACES!  Mostly drawing but any technique is applicable and expected.  Depends on what "toy" grabs me when I enter my studio in the morning!

The next two paragraphs are rather philosophical so if you aren't into that.....just skip them!!

Now, in the spirit of true confession.  Drawing is an area of abject fear to me.  Comes mostly from a very fearful experience in elementary school about a drawn dinosaur whose feet didn't touch the ground when the picture was completed.  Can you say humiliation?????  That is one of the areas of challenge for me...to face that fear and deal with it.  That coupled with the fact that many people say that anyone can LEARN to draw.  OK, so let's put that theory to the test shall we?

The second confession is that I am going to take this journey publically on this blog.  Why?  Because that helps to reinforce my commitment to vulnerability with my art.  I had to give up the quest for "perfection" when I became an artist.  Not that I don't strive continually to improve and learn.  I just had to realize that it IS a journey and the first steps can't be expected to be "perfect".

In light of all that soul-searching and philosophical stuff.....here are my first attempts at drawing a head/face of a Roman statue.  I like starting here because the pictures are all gray-scale so I have more chance to get acquainted with light and shadow without being distracted by color at this point. 

Now.....with fingers crossed and eyes half closed.....I'll jump in this new ocean of discovery!!

I guess I am protecting myself just a bit.  I'm not showing the original picture I'm sketching from until I get at least a little closer to what it looks like. My goal now is just to be able to tell it is a human face!!! And the other caveat.....I'm just working with a #2 pencil at this point.  Haven't yet purchased actual sketching pencils.  Perhaps this week???  I sold some note cards so have some available art supplies money!

Face 1 - Roman Statue -- For this one I started with the eyes as suggested by one person.  Found it terribly difficult to find a point of reference that way.  But alas.....here it is. I know classic Romans had long noses but I think I got this one just a tad too long!

Face 2 - Roman Statue -- Started with the head shape this time and like it much better.  It is still more narrow than the original but I think a better proportion.  Although, the head is still a bit mishapen.

That's it for today kiddies!!!  Will post more when I get the next drawing completed.  Have a very busy day today getting some things done to meet deadlines and some other things in the mail.  Hopefully I'll get to it this afternoon.!!

Nurturing Creativity - Week 17

Computer hiccups yesterday. No reason why they started and no reason why they abruptly stopped. Just glad I'm back up and running again today.

It is going to be a hectic week at best. The twins (Justine and Joseph) turn TWO on Friday. Unbelievable! So, there is a lot to be done this week for that and just some annoying errands (like renewing my driver's license,etc.) So, I didn't get to pick my nurturing card until this morning. And the topic is:

Live Dangerously

OK, HAD to laugh at that one!!! That is pretty much a description of my whole life. You'd think this would be a no-brainer for me! The concept is to take risks! HELLOOOOOOO, no problem there! I wonder if something will come up that will require even more risk that I'm used to??? hmmmm. We'll see!

Thread Lace and an ATCs

First off.........I've just completed the April ATCs for the Birthday Swap. Since April is "Financial Literacy Month", I chose a money theme. The title of the ATC is "If Money Grew on Trees" It took me a little while to get inspired for April but when I found a stash of very tiny old foreign coins it all fell into place. The background is a commercial fabric of abstract trees. Then I added the coins and some organza with little shiny bits on it to put in the trees. The "ground" is some bits I had left over from another project with dyed fabric and scrim.

If Money Grew on Trees

In another group, we are working on several embellishing projects. Our current one is thread lace. I'd never done it before so I went in search of the supplies needed and actually found them. That's amazing because these are not things I use often. The first is water soluble stabilizer and the second is my embroidery hoop! I was supposed to start with some kind of grid...but well.....I'm not a grid kind of person really. So I skipped ahead and just did a free-hand tree! It didn't take very long and it was a lot of fun! When I was finished, I just cut out the area with the tree and soaked it in water for about 10 seconds and here it is! Oh and YES....I'll definitely be doing this again!! The brain is imagining all kinds of things I can make this way! The picture below is the lacy tree on a piece of muslin. It is not attached at all, just for a plain background.

Nurturing Creativity (wk 12) and A New Addiction

Yeh, like I really NEED a new addiction, right??? Well, I've got one anyway.........

But first, my Nurturing Creativity pick for the week --

Nurture Others

Kinda self explanatory really. And this is one I hope I do all the time.....not just for this week. I have received so much encouragement in my artistic journey that I love to pass it along to others. And the group of art friends I have?......it's not trouble really to be encouraging. They are all so talented!!! I just make honest comments!

As for last week's success.......I actually tried several new things and could possibly (probably?) do them wrong on purpose because I had no idea what I was doing. But I just plowed through and "did it my way!" (passing homage to Frankie!) Here are some of the results:

My New Addiction -- Zendoodles and/or Zentangles. I had to look it up to see what on earth it even was. Oh my goodness... Way cool stuff. HAD to try it. Here are my first attempts. These were all done for an ATC trade so the size is 2.5" X 3.5".

The great thing about these little fun projects.....they don't take up studio time. I have a stack of blanks and my pens where I watch TV. GREAT way to survive during the seemingly endless barrage of commercials!! More of these to come, I'm sure.

Nurturing Creativity - Week 11

A day late because the power supply on my computer FRIED!! I mean smoke and everything! Thankfully, I have 2 geeks in the family and one bought the part and the other one replaced the fried one. I LOVE having computer geeks living here!!

So, anyway, about nurturing creativity. Picking a card...................and the winner is.........

Do It Wrong

OK, the concept is to (at least for one time) ignore that voice that keeps saying "You're doing it wrong!!" and just go ahead and do it wrong! Then to discover that the world doesn't come to a grinding halt...and my favorite....that your passion for your art doesn't disappear! So what if it isn't perfect. Sometimes the imperfect things have a beauty all their own and some turn out to be awesome! So what have you got to lose???? GO FOR IT!!

This is perfect timing for this one for me. I do have one project that HAS to be perfect but others that I can just play with and the play ones have smaller parts that if they don't work out...well....I really haven't lost much time or supplies! And who knows just what I might discover!!!

Care to play along! Then DO IT WRONG.....at least once in your life!

Nurturing Creativity - Week 9

OK, they say confession is good for the soul, right???? Let's see if it is true............

I don't think I did more than ONE thing last week to further clear out my studio. Why??? Well, you will know if you read the posts from this week. I've been abstracted!!!

(Oh yes....I feel MUCH better now!!) LOL!!

Now to see what the coming week holds.

oh oh....this one could be a REEAAALLLL challenge for me. Why?? The challenge is.....

Be Really Silly!!!

This one is a big stretch!! How will I ever manage to accomplish this????? Honestly...I feel like I already did this one. I found working in abstracts a bit out of my comfort zone and really a lot of fun just to play with. But hey, I'm game to give it another week...THEN I'll get really serious again. I wonder though if being silly could be addicting and become a way of life??!! How horrible!! The idea on the card is to do something in a different medium - not trying to make a masterpiece -- just PLAY!! I COULD try snow sculpting!!!! We still have plenty of the white stuff around.

So, those of you who don't like to be silly need not check back in this week at all.....(somehow I doubt many "non-silly" people even read this blog....................... )

If you want to be silly this week... GO FOR IT!! Then drop back in and share your silliness. I hear it is contagious............

Is Abstract a State of Mind????

I'm not really sure but I'm certainly there at the moment. I think it is a break from everything being so exact. I did, however, find out that it is not as easy as it might look at first. But now I'm just having a blast in the studio playing with all kinds of things.

So, I've moved on (for the time being) from flowers to trees. Below are my first two attempts. Didn't start out to do a seasonal thing but fabric would catch my eye and I'd start playing with it. And I've always loved trees anyway so this seems like a good fit. For me, trees (more than flowers) evoke a visceral response. Some make me happy, some make me sad, some bring on a pensive attitude. You get the picture (no pun intended!)

My first tree is Autumn Beckons. The "ground" and "hill" are from a breakdown printing class I did a couple of summers ago. I LOVED the fabric from that class. This, sadly is my last bit of those pieces.......how sad. All the fabrics in this tree are my own hand-dyed fabrics.

Autumn Beckons

The next one could easily be the tree outside my studio window. Except that it is a bright sunny day here today. Still cold and white but at least sunny. This one is called Winter Solitude. It reminds me of one of my favorite Ansel Adams prints of this one tree out in the middle of seemingly nowhere. It seems at the same time to be lonely and content. Strange but there you have it! The background for this piece are hand-dyed grays that I cut into strips and wove together. One has a bluish cast and the other a purple-ish cast. The difference is very subtle but adds a bit of depth and interest instead of just one big gray piece. I think the mottled effect is sort of crystaline and cold feeling. The tree and snow are all from my commercial black and white collection.

You guys know how I feel about Serendipity. Well.......I didn't even realize it until I put the piece up on my design wall to take a photo. There is a shadow of the tree on the left side on the ground that was a natural effect of the hand dyed gray fabric!!! Cool, yes???

Winter Solitude

Have a few more ideas of abstract trees to work on in the coming week! So, check back in later to see what appears!

This Week I've Been Abstracted!

Previously I have not been one to particularly enjoy abstract art. Although, I do LOVE Georgia O'Keeffe. But I have been looking at quite a few pieces and found that I do like many of them much more than I would ever have thought.

So, I decided to take some play time and give it a try from my perspective. While I don't think Georgia O'Keeffe would feel threatened.................still, they are MY perspective, right??? And just playing for fun.

Here is the results.

Pink Peonies

Dance of the California Poppies

And Flowers is a Burgundy Vase

Next........I'm going to try some TREES!!!!!

Nuturing Creativity - Week 6

OK, now this one I can really get excited about. Just picked it out of the deck and haven't even read the description - just the title.....

Be Open to Adventure

This one HAS to be right up my alley. Gonna go read it and I'll BRB.

OK, taking risks (no problem - LOVE it!) Interesting that it is talking about summoning the courage to try something new! Falls right into line with the new group I participate in on a monthly basis -- Fiber Arts/Mixed Media. They have a group that for 2010 is doing an experiment each month with something you haven't tried but have wanted the excuse to do!! Or something like that. Pretty much my interpretation! Obviously, being February and all, this is only the second month. I have some "toys" I've never played with so perhaps the best thing to do is to just pick one out and PLAYTIME BEGINS!! And what if it is really ugly when I'm done??? That is the wonder of being a Mixed Media artist..........nothing ever goes to waste! It can always be overdyed, painted, cut up, reassembled....you get the idea!

So......LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN (this week will be an easy one!)

New FUN!

I just found a site called Fiber Art/Mixed Media by connecting to a link on another blog. AWESOME! And guess what I found there???? A group called "2010 Monthly Experiment"!! Now does that sound like something right up my alley or what??!! The idea is to stretch your creative horizons by experimenting with a technique or material you haven't used before. I LOVE that idea. So I joined.

For January I used this window protection film that we had left over from putting on our windows. It was one of those things I kept - "'you just never know. I might find a use for it someday!" It looks like metal but is a plastic kind of thing. So I decided that would be a good place to start experimenting. You know me......my first instinct is to ZAP it with my heat gun! It was VERY reluctant to react but it finally did. Took a good time longer than zapping Tyvek but it bubbled a little. Mostly it tightly puckered in spots with lines radiating out from that. Different but cool in its own right. I decided to do postcard sizes for these experiments....big enough to get a good feel for the material/technique and yet small enough that if it really isn't worth ever doing again....not much lost.

Here is the first one. I first Inked this one with my Adirondack inks, then zapped it. It was REALLY shiney so I adhered balck MistyFuse on top of it to tone down the shine a bit. Not awesome yet....maybe never!

This is the second one. I zapped the window film and then painted over it with a wash of two tones of blue acrylic paint. It reminds me of brain neurons (OH NO!! I've been hanging out with my husband too much lately!! This is a sure sign!)

Fractured Flower - Just Starting

YEAH! In an online group I'm a part of - we are doing a Fractured Flower quilt. I had seen these done a while ago on Simply Quilts and at the time thought that would be one of the most exciting projects!! Well, now I get to do one!

This one is meant to stay fairly true to color and design - read very precise (yeh, I know....but I'm gonna try anyway! LOL!) It is the picture of a flower which the hostess divided into four pieces. Each piece is to be treated like an individual quiltlet except that they should all match well at the areas that join together. When we have completed our four pieces, they are returned to the hostess and she will mix them up with the other three in my group and send me back one of my pieces and one piece from each of the other three in my group. Then I will sew them together to make one quilt!!!

So, want to go on this journey with me?????? Good! Here we go!!!......................

I just received my four pieces of the photo a couple of days ago. Isn't it a beautiful flower? I first started going through my hand dyed fabric stash to pull out oranges, yellows, golds, purples, greens, etc. I actually had more than I had thought I would.

Now to make all the tracings, master maps, etc. From what the hostess said....this is the difficult part. Below are my four pieces. I have traced out the major outlines with a Sharpie to make them easier to trace. One piece of advice...........don't drink a lot of coffee before you attempt this!

Now on to the next stage (probably tomorrow) - making the master map!

FULL TIME ARTIST!!!

Well, for better or worse..... I'm now a full time artist! Not even sure just what that will look like but I do know I'm excited about it. It is something I have wanted to do for at least a year and now have a chance to see where it will take me! (does this sound like it would fit in with the latest card in MY CREATIVE JOURNEY or what?????)

I'm dedicating the rest of this week to straightening up and reorganizing parts of my studio. It feels so for real now!

So, wish me luck, here I go!!!!!