OK, you know how I LOVE to rust fabric?!?! Well, just check out this amazing artist named Cal Lane. A friend sent me this link and I have to say I was drooling a bit. The art in itself is so wonderful.....but I kept thinking about what fun it would be to put a piece of vinegar soaked fabric on there!!!
Hope you enjoy this as much as I did. (click on the first picture that shows up and you can see the series of photos)
http://www.callane.com/works.html
Again...it never ceases to amaze me where you can find art!
This blog is about all the art subjects that interest me: fiber art, mixed media art, inspiration art, my creative journey, artists that inspire me.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
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.
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
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 SolitudeHave a few more ideas of abstract trees to work on in the coming week! So, check back in later to see what appears!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Congratulations are in order!!!
My friend, Wil, is celebrating her 333rd post!!! If you haven't visited her blog you are in for a treat! Beautiful fabrics and quilts and artwork! Now is a good time to drop by and leave a comment on her 333rd post. She is giving away one of her beautiful snow-dyed pieces of fabric! Since the Netherlands is "enjoying" more snow than thay have had for many years, this is a momentous piece to have since it is made with REAL Dutch snow!! Here is the link to her blog:
http://wilopiooguta.blogspot.com
Don't forget while you are there to leave a comment to spend a little time browsing around!!!
Congratulations my friend!!!
http://wilopiooguta.blogspot.com
Don't forget while you are there to leave a comment to spend a little time browsing around!!!
Congratulations my friend!!!
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
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!!!!!
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!!!!!Adventures in color and design
A friend posted recently on her blog about a color study she was doing. What fun!! Of course, I had to try it out for myself! I really like Destiny by Waterhouse so I decided to reinterpret that in fabric. (LOL! Now you see why as a rule, I don't do people!)
Then I tried the same fabrics to do an abstract piece. Found that I REALLY like doing abstracts. They are harder than they look. Since there is sometimes not an obvious subject, a lot depends on balance and color.
Now I am in the middle of working on a landscape. A bit abstract. Most of it is just laid out on the fabric at this time. I'm having to walk away from this for a bit. I need a new perspective on it before I make some final decisions on just where it wants to go. It is called "Red Barn in the Sunset".
While I have never ventured into many other genres of art like abstract (although I LOVE Georgia O'Keeffe!!) I am finding that there are many other types of art that I am learning to appreciate! You gotta LOVE the journey!!
Then I tried the same fabrics to do an abstract piece. Found that I REALLY like doing abstracts. They are harder than they look. Since there is sometimes not an obvious subject, a lot depends on balance and color.
Now I am in the middle of working on a landscape. A bit abstract. Most of it is just laid out on the fabric at this time. I'm having to walk away from this for a bit. I need a new perspective on it before I make some final decisions on just where it wants to go. It is called "Red Barn in the Sunset".
While I have never ventured into many other genres of art like abstract (although I LOVE Georgia O'Keeffe!!) I am finding that there are many other types of art that I am learning to appreciate! You gotta LOVE the journey!!
A New Addiction!
OK, like I need something else in fabric to be in love with right???Well, some things just can't be helped!!
This is a new technique I had never tried before. First, I take a piece of fabric that is a bit larger than the size I want to finish with. I use MistyFuse to back the whole piece with. THEN I cut it in strips but not quite all the way through at one end. (Looks like really long fringe when I'm done!) Then I take another piece in a color that will compliment the first one and do the same process except I cut it all the way through.
Pin a backing fabric (I used a fairly thin muslin) to a board. I used my 12" squared that is a cutting board on one side and an "ironing" surface on the other. I pin the muslin to the ironing side. Then I pin the "fringe" piece at the top of the board over the muslin.
Then I weave in the contrasting color fabric, being sure to snuggle it up really close to the strip above it. A stilleto is great for this but a toothpick or a pin could work just as well.
Since both pieces are already back with a fusible material, I just iron the whole thing so it is fused together!!
For this piece, I cut the green piece of fabric in straight lines but with varying widths. I cut the gold contrasting fabric in wavy lines. (NOTE: IF you are cutting wavy lines, be sure to keep them in order as you weave them. I did this by not cutting all the way through but leaving about a 1/4 inch still attached. When I was ready for the next strip, it was easy enough to just rip it off and start weaving.
I think it needs something now on top of it.
Have you ever seen some of Vasarely's work?? This kinda reminds me of a few of his pieces.
Here's a link to one in this period of his art.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Nurturing Creativity - Week 8
An interesting one today......
Soak It In
The idea is to plan a day (or a week) where you can just be creative in your art. A time where you are not interrupted by a schedule or put in just a few minutes to paint, sew, sculpt or whatever you do. But to really become immersed in it. Give the creative juices time for the trickle to become a torrent!! Sounds awesome!
This would be a tricky one for me. I could probably plan a day where I can MOSTLY be in my studio. I'll try that out and see how it goes. Weekday or weekend??? That is the question. It would have to be a day where lunch could take care of itself. And everyone in the family would have to understand that I (and my studio) are OFF LIMITS!! Wish me luck!!!
Soak It In
The idea is to plan a day (or a week) where you can just be creative in your art. A time where you are not interrupted by a schedule or put in just a few minutes to paint, sew, sculpt or whatever you do. But to really become immersed in it. Give the creative juices time for the trickle to become a torrent!! Sounds awesome!
This would be a tricky one for me. I could probably plan a day where I can MOSTLY be in my studio. I'll try that out and see how it goes. Weekday or weekend??? That is the question. It would have to be a day where lunch could take care of itself. And everyone in the family would have to understand that I (and my studio) are OFF LIMITS!! Wish me luck!!!
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