Humming Along Sunday, Jul 5 2009

Mixed Media Monday’s first July challenge is “Beads.” As luck would have it, I have been working on a wall hanging that just happened to include some beads.

A new facebook friend of mine, Jo Ann, took the time to meet me in real at my Mellwood Arts Center.  Jo Ann not only took the time to meet me, she came with gifts of fabric (sweet!). One of these fabric pieces was a beautiful airbrushed hummingbird on black fabric.

I took this lovely piece of fabric as my focal point, and added some soft cream fabric with text as a first border. I then added some of my hand-dyed fabric as a second border. I played on the iridescent colors of the hummingbird, painting a copper line and adding some floral and bird stamps.

Adding some machine quilting really made the fabric pop. Then, the bird needed a bright red flower, some copper-colored buttons balance the two moon charms at the top.

Finally, the bottom of the piece was trimmed with some really lovely red bead trim I found at the Dollar Store. I’m very pleased with the piece. Thank you, Jo Ann, for the lovely gift and inspiration. (Please click on the thumbnails to see larger photos.)

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Shibori Lessons Saturday, Jun 13 2009

This year, QSDS is offering a two-day and a five-day shibori program. I am enjoying the two-day program this weekend. The instructor, Susan Cavanaugh, is teaching mokume, ori-nui and maki-nui in the two-day program. The five-day program (beginning on Monday) will teach these techniques and add karamatsu and kumo.

This is my first quilt symposium, and it has provided me with opportunities to see wonderful art and meet some amazingly creative people.

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My first quilt symposium Sunday, Jun 7 2009

Next weekend (June 13-14), I’ll be in Columbus, OH, for the first quilt symposium I have ever attended. The Quilt Surface Design Symposium (QSDS) is one of the biggest quilt conferences devoted to art quilting.

I’ll be taking a shibori class while there, taught by Sue Cavanaugh. I’ll also have an opportunity to go through the vendor mall, see demonstrations, meet other quilters.

I can’t wait!

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Branching out Monday, May 18 2009

The final project in my silk painting class was to create an item of clothing from scratch, painting the fabric before the pattern was pieced. Because I am cautious by nature and have limited skills in making clothes, I chose to go with a muslin fabric rather than silk. And, instead of the jacket suggested, I thought a simple vest would be a good first try.

The fabric was dyed golden yellow (procion dyes, low immersion). The fabric to be used for the front panels were then painted with Dye-na-flow thickened with no-flow. Once those designs hade been set, I added soy wax as a resist over parts of the fabric and then did a second procion dye low-immersion process, this time with chocolate brown. The chocolate brown was close to dark chocolate (aka black), and turned the yellow into this brownish olive. Not what I had expected, but I think it’s very attractive.

Front panels include free-hand painting and stencils.

Back is limited to dye and soy wax resist

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First Commission Tuesday, May 12 2009

A good friend of mine has taken an interest in my work. She asked me to create a silk wall hanging, 4 foot wide, 3 foot  long. It was both a terrifying and an exhilerating experience to create to spec and to honestly be creating something for sale.

I call the piece Kuiper Belt, because the basic design came to me as I read Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Pluto Files. The piece is painted in a light ecru, the lines and circles are edged with resist, and the design was painted with Jacquard Dye Na Flo. Once the piece was finished, heat-set and the resist rinsed out, The entire piece was covered in soy wax (crackle! crackle!) and the piece was covered in burnt umber. (This was the scary part–how well did the wax resist?)

Once the paint dried, and the wax was removed via iron, this is the result:

First Commission

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Mellwood Figurative Collective Open House Wednesday, Apr 22 2009

The Mellwood Arts and Entertainment Center has a great opportunity for artists and visitors alike on this FAT Friday (April 24).

Drink & Draw with members of the Life Drawing class.  From 7-9:00 pm  in Life Drawing Studio (2nd Floor).

The event is free and open to the public.  Easels and costume model supplied, You bring your drawing supplies, and anything else you may need.

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Mermom Sunday, Apr 19 2009

Mom in 1960

The Mixed Media Monday challenge this week is mermaids. I often panic or go blank when presented with the week’s challenge, but the gods were in my favor this week. A friend of mine had asked me if I might create a “mami wata” piece for her. Since one of mami wata’s incarnations is a mermaid, I had already been thinking about the image.

I had also been going through family photos, and found one of my mom in a bathing suit.  I loved the photo and thought that perhaps I could use her photo in the composition. After all, as do many children, I considered my mom rather magical and fantastic when I was a child.

So I made a copy, pasted mom’s top on a canvas, painted in a tail and sea scene, added some “pearls” and aquatic life, and there you have it:

Mermom

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Here Comes the Sun Sunday, Apr 12 2009

It’s a beautiful day this Easter Sunday. The sun is shining brightly, and the birds are singing with joy. Mixed Media Monday asked us to go with an Easter theme for this challenge, but the sun has so been on my mind of late that all I could think to do for the challenge was a silk painting of an Aztec sun: joyful, benevolent and promising spring and rebirth. I know it’s a stretch, but I’m going with it.

Silk with Dye Na Flo paints and a water-based gold resist.

Here comes the sun

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New Site, New Challenges Saturday, Apr 4 2009

I’ve officially done it: become a company. I’ve informed the government, I’ve given my company a name (Louisville Rag and Bone), and I am ready to start selling my art and my wearables.

This is a frightening venture. I have grown comfortable creating scarves, wall hangings and other pieces that I have given as gifts to friends and now have even sold some of my work. But now I need to be a business. Keep track of sales, inventory, supplies … It’s a whole new ballgame.

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Two heads are better than one. Thursday, Mar 26 2009

My birthday was this month. My husband agonized over what to get me (I am not an easy person to shop for.) Ultimately, he came up with some great gifts: a printing plate for an old root beer ad. The guys at Hound Dog Press are going to run a copy of it for me, so I can see how well it prints before I try using it on fabric.

He also located two very personable mannequin busts for me to display my scarves and jewelry. I haven’t gotten the girls decked out in my wares yet, but I had to show you guys my new scarf models. These photos are from 2023 Antiques, where he first laid eyes on them and decided he would help me get ahead. (Sorry, couldn’t help it.)

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