New Felting Kit

After almost a whole year I have decided to start making new felting kits again. . I originally had 4, but dwindled it down to the one polar bear kit on my etsy shop that seems to have been pretty popular. I plan to create several new kits, with the first one being a small wall hanging of an American Goldfinch. I've been inspired to create this from the large flock that appears in my back yard every night around supper time (which reminds me, I need to fill their bird feeder). Their one of my favourite birds. In addition to the wall hanging I am going to put together a small kit to make the actual bird for those who like to create figures in 3 dimension. I may get to work on that tomorrow, but in just two short days I will be returning to teaching for another year, so time will be hard to find. With everything that goes on in life it's often hard to make creating anything a priority. Something else always has to be done. For me it's taking care of two boys, pets, a house, and anything else that comes my way. I do make some time though, because if I am not doing something artistic I often feel lost, as if I am missing something important. It's almost like therapy. You'll have to stay tuned to see if I can keep it up!

Finally Finished Felting

Today for some reason I have been inspired to get a lot of artwork done. Perhaps it's because I am against the clock with work starting up again in 6 days. Why is it that we always leave things to the last minute? My sewing machine has been buzzing all day as I managed to thread paint and quilt my latest felted piece. This piece was of a butterfly on my lilac bush that I took a picture of earlier this summer. I was on the way into the van and just happened to have the camera in my purse, so I was able to get a couple of good shots. In this piece I also skipped the wet felting step after I finished the needle felting. This was a bad idea, as I needle felt with a single needle by hand, and this means the wool stays a bit puffy instead of being hard felted. This puffiness was FOREVER getting caught in my darning foot on the machine, which is what I use for free motion quilting. I think it practically doubled the time it normally takes me at the sewing stage. When I wet felt it pushes the fibers closer together and I get a hard flat surface, much like the felt is that you buy at the store. The lesson for today, skipping steps rarely saves time. Tonight after I serve my family a gourmet meal (not really) I plan to work on 3 kerchiefs that I have made for friends. They are already painted and cured, and now I have to do some free motion stitching with some funky variegated thread. I gave them to them for free, but told them if anyone likes them to send them in my direction. Can't beat free advertising.

Finding Inspiration

Making art usually is not something that comes to me like divine intervention from above. It is not always romantic (in fact rarely) where I get up in the morning full of energy and fabulous ideas, then create the perfect works of art in a beautiful studio with no worries of the mortgage or other bills. In fact, it's not like this at all. Inspiration comes in bits and pieces and sometimes in the most unlikely of places or times. For instance, I've been feeling inspired lately to create at a time when I have to go back to work, my son is leaving for university and the army, and my credit card is trying to run from me. Sometimes the hardest of times can create the best of art, perhaps because emotions are running high. A few years back I created a series of paintings based on cancer cells. Not exactly uplifting. I was at a time when I had lost my grandmother to cancer and several friends as well. It seemed to be everywhere, and as a result I reacted to the sadness by painting . I have talked to other artists who have had similar experiences. Inspiration can also come on a walk, at the grocery store, anywhere. It helps to get out and have a wide variety of experiences. I am at a stage lately where I am painting and quilting on fabric. I have been sticking with whimsical themes, but the self critic in me thinks that this work is not "deep" enough, that somehow painting pretty things isn't serious art and won't be accepted by critics. I am probably correct, so it helps to develop a thick skin. I'm not quite there yet, but hope to be someday.

So what is serious art anyway? I always think of it as something that has a message, depicts emotion, is well crafted. I also believe that you can be an artisit and be self taught, although in the art scene there is great predjudice against those who have not gotten the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Correct me if I'm wrong.

What's Old is New

As many of you know, what's old is new again. This is certainly true when it comes to the traditional arts, such as quilting, sewing, knitting, and embroidery. What's new about this though, is that the trend is mixed media, which means a combination of things together. I have been drawn to this in particular with quilting, specifically the art quilt, which is not what your grandmother did. I prefer to take felted pieces and machine quilt them, then add highlights with thread. After that I might embellish with beads or yarn. Anything goes. I also draw on fabric with oil sticks and embellish these drawings in much the same way. Lately I have made several kerchiefs and have gotten a lot of positive comments. Far from being frumpy or "granola", these kerchiefs are fun and funky ( and not bad for hiding a bad hair day!). In the pictures I have included I have used organic cotton fabric ( pre-washed), painted on the daisies with oil stiks, then thread painted small leaves using variegated thread and free motion stitching. I hope to post a few on my etsy store to see what happens. Later tonight I plan to draw on 3 kerchiefs that I sewed this afternoon. They will have to cure for several days before I can do the stitching. If I am feeling really energetic (not likely) then I hope to do some felting and some art history work. In reality I will likely crash in front of the TV around 9 and spend the rest of the evening tuned out. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Heatin things up

It's pretty hard to be creative when you are roasting in the heat. I don't know about anyone else, but the heat tends to suck the life right out of me. I admit I haven't worked on my felting in about 4 days, due in part to the temperature, and in other part to the fact I am in or by the pool trying to cool off. I have however been working on some art history, studying Baroque, NeoClassiscism, and Romanticism. When you look at these periods in history its amazing how much of it influences art and architecture today. Take for instance the American President Thomas Jefferson in the early 1800's. He had his house remodeled in the classical style, complete with pillars and a dome. Roman and Greek art were emulated all over the world. As I said in an earlier blog, you need to look back to see how you got to where you are.I can think of the Dominion Public Building downtown in the small town where I live which has a distinct Greek Architectural front. Looking at the past can also give artists great ideas for their own work. I recently saw an art quilt modeled after variations of the Venus of Willendorf, which was a small statue made by ancient man, possibly a fertility symbol. Inspiration is everywhere. As an artist it is vital to expose yourself to a wide variety of experiences, which is like the fertilizer that helps a plant to grow. In the widely popular book "The Artist's Way" the author suggests that people go on a weekly artist date by themselves to expose themselves to new things and to the art of others. Not a bad idea.

OK, so I know this is an artist blog, but I can't help telling you about my latest "thing". Those who know me know I am a total greening freak, much to the dismay of my family. Suddenly I have been inspired to take it up a notch, and am trying to eat only local food for a week, organic and fair trade when possible. I have also been growing some of my own food this year, and hope to double my garden next year. I've attached a sampling of what I picked today, and I can't wait for the tomatoes to start. Oh, and by the way, everything I make has to be made from scratch. This could be a long week. I guess gardening is kind of artistic and creative, and I admit I find digging around in the dirt to be peaceful, much like I find working on my artwork. You are also creating something from a tiny seed, much like you take an idea and turn it into something artistic. After writing this, I realize I have done an art post today.

Here it is as promised. This piece, which is an image of a clematis from my friend Allison's house, is composed of oil stiks on Muslin, highlighted with thread painting and machine quilting. I have totally fallen in love with art quilting as I mentionned in an earlier post. I use the thread for highlighting and for quilting around the edges of the flower and the leaves. I'm pleased with how it turned out and plan to include it in my solo fibre exhibit at the Amherst town hall in October as part of the NS Fibre Arts festival. My next piece is going to be another felted work, likely something to do with butterflies. I tend to gravitate towards nature in the summer as I have it all around me, especially in my numerous perennial beds. This fall I am leaning towards doing some portraiture work, both on canvas with oil, and perhaps some felting and art quilting. I'm learning something new every day, which means I am always trying something new. I hope I am not becomming the jack of all trades and the master of none!

Eco Felt Find

I'm back from my R&R, and I have to say that horseback riding on a trail through the woods is a very peaceful experience. Getting off the horse several hours later is a very sore experience. Loved it anyway. While I was reading one of my many textile magazines today I came across a great product, eco felt!!! Now normally I am all for organic , back to the earth, real deal, fresh off the sheep wool. However, I am also for recycling and re-using. Eco felt, which comes in many colors, is made from recycled plastic bottles. Go figure! It is also machine washable and won't shrink like the real deal. Now, for die hard felters like myself it might not be a great product to try to felt with. However, for those who use felt for craft purposes or as garnishes on hand sewn items, I think it's a good alternative. To find a supplier just google eco felt. I may try some as a background for some of the felted "paintings" that I create.

I know I had hoped to post a before and after of the clematis picture that I have painted and stiched, but it just isn't finished yet. Unfortunately I ran out of the color green thread I needed for the leaves. Crossing my fingers I can post the pictures tomorrow.

Back to my R&R. I was able to slip away to a great wool shop called Mini Mills. They have every color of wool imaginable and also have their own line of yarn. Needles to say I loaded the van with several colors, felting needles, pre-made felt (unbleached) and a new knitting book. Like a need another knitting book. This one however was full of the most beautiful , and unbelieveably difficult, patterns I have seen in a long time. Maybe this winter, after I finish knitting several xmas gifts, I may tackle the knitted coat. Beautiful.

Artist R&R

I'm heading out today for PEI in search of some rest and relaxation at the Brudenell Resort. Going horseback riding, hiking and biking. I'm hoping the weather will be coopertive. It's good to have a change of scenery because it can give an artist a whole new slew of creative ideas for work. I also get to check out the work of other local artists which is the best part. Sadly I am missing one member of the family this year. My oldest son has joined the army and is on his way to Quebec as I write this. He'll be home in time for me to move him to university which the military is picking up the tab for. Hopefully a change of scenery will take my mind off it for awhile.

Last night I did manage to get some work done on my clematis that I spoke about yesterday. I'll have to finish it up when I get back. I've got two cameras packed for the trip in case I see something interesting. I may bring my film camera with some black and white film as well, and maybe a sketch book. One highlight of my trip is going to be a trip to mini mills for some felting supplies and wool. I only get there about once a year, if that, as it's off the beaten trail and almost a 2 hour drive from home. Can't wait!

Good morning. I just got a cool email from Knitting Daily, a group I recently joined. If you become a member (no fee) then you have access to 50 free knitting patterns to download. I love anything free, especially knitting patterns. You can sign up if you go to the interweave.com site. They are responsible for magazines such as Fiber Arts (my personal favourite), Quilting Arts, Studio and Cloth Paper Scissors, to name just a few. I downloaded a knitted slipper pattern today that looks super easy. I haven't been knitting much lately due to it being the summer and because I am busy with felting and quilting lately. I was almost done a summer sweater then realized I had knit the back twice! Argh!!! How did I do that? What took about 15 hours to knit took just five minutes to rip out. I love to knit as a stress release. I admit I am a bit of a yarn snob, meaning I love the high quality, tres expensive yarns. I have 4 big bags full of yarn I have bought just because I liked them. The Lion Brand Yarn site also offers hundreds of free knitting patterns. Sometimes I even dye my own yarn, like I recently did with stewed blueberry juice. See the picture above this blog. I called it Blueberries and Cream.

Art History

Well, after dropping the car off for its inspection and my five year old at the babysitters I find myself with a whole 5 hours of peace and quiet. What to do, what to do. I have to admit having a nap looks tempting and going in the pool even more so on this hot day, but there's work to be done. I am now three months behind on my latest art history course assignment. I have no excuses except to say I sometimes procrastinate. Now things are coming down to the wire. I have to write the rough drafts of two small essays today, and the focus of this unit is the Renaissance period in Italy, 1400-1600. Luckily I am somewhat familiar with this era as I teach it as part of grade 10 visual arts. I actually enjoy art history as it gives my own work more context and meaning, and gives a better frame of reference when looking at other works. The trend in teaching art history is to focus on the most recent 100 years, however I still believe going back to the beginnings of art history has a lot of value. How do we know where we're going if we don't know where we've been?

If I have time I also plan to grab that art quilting project of the clematis that I have been working on. I've already painted it on fabric in oil using Shiva Paint Stiks and let it dry for several days . Maybe I'll be able to post the before and after on the blog tonight. Stay tuned.

Examples of needle, wet felting

My first day blogging

This is my first day blogging, so please bear with me. I'm going to talk about my art, the art I see of others, my job teaching art, and of course my life as I try to live as an artist.

Let me start by saying that everyone is creative in their own way, and just because you think you can't draw or paint does not mean you aren't creative. Maybe you're an awesome cook, perhaps you come up with great ideas to keep your kids occupied during the summer months, maybe you are passionate about the environment (I'm with you on this one).

I also want to start out by saying that making a living as an artist is not romantic. I do not live the bohemian lifestyle (much as I might want to), I do not eat granola (too fattening), I do not dress weird (well, at least I don't think I do), and I do not think I am eccentric ( even if my students say I am). I am not rich, nor do I ever think I will get rich as an artist. It's a lot of hard work, a lot of low pay, and I have to teach to make ends meet. I like to make things that I like, not what I think people want to buy (Perhaps this is part of my problem?). Still, being an artist is who I am, I would be lost without it, and I struggle every day with it.

Ok, enough of that. I want to talk about the direction I've been going in lately, and that's fibre. I LOVE fibre and all things fibre. With this medium I can do anything, and it provides a great way to combine painting, sculpting, design and textiles. In particular, I am "painting" with felt, thread, wool, yarn and oil paints. Instead of just felting images I have been going over them with thread, quilting, yarn, and whatever else I can find. I'll post a couple of pictures to let you know what I mean. I have a solo exhibit I'm getting ready for in the fall as part of the Nova Scotia Fibre Arts festival. Check out the website at fibreartsfestival.com. I also have one of my pieces in the festive issue coming up this fall in the Canadian Publication of "A Needle Pulling Thread".

My job today (besides cleaning the house and doing laundry, VERY romantic) is to pull out the thread and start working on thread painting an oil on cotton work. I think I am keeping the thread companies in business lately.