Monday, November 17, 2008

more creature gestures

I've been researching and documenting (in my mind) gestures for years. Fancy myself pretty adept at reading body language which gets pretty interesting when there's no body. "Waltzing Asses" takes shape and when it's done I'm going to do a step-by-step of securing this one to a stretched canvas. I won't call it a tutorial because that seems to indicate I know what I am doing. That remains to be seen. When I started this piece I made the base sandwich about 15 inches square and basted a 12"x12" boundary inside to contain the design elements.

As you can see by the overlay of my trusty 12x12 studio assistant, I came pretty close to staying "in bounds" so there will be a little design dribbling off the sides of the canvas once this one gets stretched.

Charming, ain't he? He looks like my brother-in-law the Hunyak.

new presentations

I've just finished my first attempt at wrapping one of my finished pieces around a pre-made canvas and am quite pleased at the way it turned out. The best part is cropping by positioning the image to fit the canvas, in this case a 12"x12". This one and four others are destined for the "World of Imagination #2" at the APW Gallery in Queens, NYC, NY. The second best part is getting the canvases one by one with 40% off coupons at JoAnns.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Computerized Embroidery

This is my first attempt on one of our computerized embroidery machines, the Viking-Husqvarna Topaz 30, to be exact.

Now that I have the process down and know what the machines require of me (change the thread color and push the start button) I plan on investigating the limits of the software package that comes free with this model.

The software is supposed to be able import almost any digital image and convert it to a design that the machine can then stitch out...now, that intrigues me as much as duplicating the pre-set designs leaves me yawning.

Of course I tinkered with the color scheme offered with this hummingbird and you have the ability to mirror or flip the image but that's it.

When I go back to work on Tuesday I plan on seeing what the Topaz30 will make of my "Waltzing Asses"

Saturday, November 15, 2008

a note about the Bookstore

For those of you who have made a vow to buy useful holiday gifts, you can never go wrong with a good book, a good USED book! A note about the "Bookstore" link in my sidebar. I was lucky enough to be around for the sad downsizing of a major fiber and craft library. This is a link to my Amazon bookstore where I have an amazingly eclectic group of fiber, art and craft books available at the lowest prices on Amazon. Most of them are new, the rest hardly fondled. If you see something you like and want to negotiate the price, drop me a line.

Never mind the Great Pumpkin...

....it's the Great Ass of Gaffney, SC. Well if you are whizzing by at 70 mph it's an ass for most of the southbound view. The Leaf shows up better going the other direction but that new restaurant sign really completes the scene. Raquel snapped this on our way back from dropping Colin off in NC on his way to a job in NY. The things we have to do to make a living these days. Today, I'm taking my featherweight and whatever materials I can carry over to their house to wait on the cable guy. I'll see what "11 to 2" can come up with and post it here later. I've committed myself to a 5"x7" piece for the Byrdcliffe Guild in Woodstock and five (yow!) 12"x12" pieces for another show that's in January. Got to busy myself.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Still here, still stitching

Life and working for a living have sniped deeply into my "free" time formerly frittered away on the computer. I've been working on free piecing a small top so I can learn how to use the MegaQuilter that will be set up at work soon. You would think I could find a better, more creative way to take advantage of this amazing resource. I'll work on it. This could become a "creature" backdrop! I'm a bit stunned with lack of sleep. For unknown reasons I woke up in the middle of the night and started to watch "Windsor Castle - A Royal Year" on PBS....and couldn't stop watching. For those of you who might have a nodding acquaintance about where and how the British Monarchy does the day to day, check this program out.It was mesmerizing! To all my friends and readers in the UK. I was just astounded at the depth of pride in the tradition of service expressed by the people whose work keep things running smoothly at the Queen's favorite home. It was marvelous to see people costume and conduct themselves with such purpose, each pleat, fold and flourish having a meaning that reaches back into history.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Clearing the Decks

Everything listed on my Like Hotcakes site is priced to sell! All the bundles, all the single pieces are now $10.00 including postage in the US. All of these items are one of a kind so please email me for availability. Paypal to me at deborah@lacativa.com is preferred but, we can work it out, as the song says.

Saturday, November 08, 2008

I missed opening night!

...because I was home in the studio most of the day working on this piece, and I'm in Georgia. But I do hope someone scarfed up my portion of wine and cheese. When I have my first solo show I'm serving hard apple cider, raw cookie dough canapes and fried clams. If anyone got to go to this show, drop me a line. Two of my pieces, Exubera and Limbo are taking up a lot of wall space there. Prayers go up to all the gods that someone feels the deep urge to take one or both of them home, paid. ‘ART QUILTS XIII: LUCKY BREAK’ ON EXHIBIT AT CHANDLER CENTER FOR THE ARTS NOV. 7 – DEC. 31 CHANDLER, Ariz. (Oct. 16, 2008) – Art Quilts XIII: Lucky Break, a juried exhibition of contemporary art quilts, will be on display Nov. 7-Dec. 31, 2008, at the Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave. Admission is free. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday. An opening reception featuring many of the artists, and the music of jazz guitarist Pete Pancrazi, takes place Friday, Nov. 7, from 7-9 p.m. Admission to this special event also is free. “This year’s exhibition includes works of artists from four countries, the United States, Canada, Belgium and Israel. The pieces were selected to represent the very wide range of techniques and design solutions artists use today to create contemporary pieces. Those techniques range from painting and monoprinting to photo transfer and machine piecing,” says juror/organizer Diane Howell, a Chandler resident. “The image for our promotional postcard this year, Drawing on the Mist by Linda Colsh of Belgium, blends both new and old. It is machine pieced and quilted, but the surface design is made from computer images and screens created by the artist from her own photographs and drawings.” What’s the lucky break? The main image was an unexpected photograph caught while Colsh was photographing street pipes in Berlin Art Quilts XIII: Lucky Break continues the fall tradition of presenting fiber art at the Chandler Center for the Arts. It is estimated that approximately 10,000 people view the show every year, some of them arriving on buses and many of them out-of-state visitors. The Bernina Connection, located at 4219 E. Indian School Road, Phoenix, is sponsoring two prizes for the judged portion of the show. Cutting Edge Quiltworks, 1949 W. Ray Road, #33, Chandler, is sponsoring a third-place prize. Honorees will be named by an independent third-party judge. For more information about Art Quilts XIII: Lucky Break, call 480.917.6859. ________________________________________________________________

Friday, November 07, 2008

Shiny things and Sunny Days

I love it when the morning sun can make it through the cobwebs into my studio. In the chaos lurks creativity...somewhere. Until then, here's a little patch to go on the back of a quilt so when the quilt police come looking, there's something to see... And here my magpie brain takes delight in page after page of pretty things to wear. I'm not really a jewelry girl but if I go out without putting earrings on I always wind up grabbing my ears and muttering "NAKED EARS!". Gets me some strange looks and more personal space when I do it in the grocery store line. Reminds me to go buy a lottery ticket.

Thursday, November 06, 2008

day-late doodle

In the midst of this "creature" series I thought I would post this drawing that probably dates from sometime in the late 60's. I honestly don't remember, I've held on to it for so long (and have probably posted it in the recent past). It's usually up on my wall of "Things To Look At & Ponder" and now is insinuating itself into the fiber work. There is definitely a kinship to some of my 3D work which is being reconsidered.

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

running wild

Finally, I got back to some fiber and stitching. I think Big J somehow knows that I have been consorting with a variety of Vikings. There was some crankiness this morning that called for a big time cleaning but then we settled into some creature work and things are shaping up in an appealing way. Later...finished.

Oh Yes We Did!

There is much to say but much more to do. Right now I am deeply grateful to the American voting public who seems to have finally grown up, set aside fear and not squandered this opportunity to elect a leader with a different perspective on the challenges this county faces. Now, as a people, the hope is that we can put away childish things, thoughts and behaviors - the endless gluttony of self concern and self indulgence that has falsely driven our culture and economy - and work together to restore our country's self respect.

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

It's Done

What beautiful weather we are having for Election Day! One of the two hours I spent in line was standing in a light breeze and strong sunshine. Hope your day goes as well as mine - and remember, if you don't vote, you don't get to complain!

Friday, October 31, 2008

Halloween 1976

Yes, I've been fiddling with fiber a long time. Here's my darling in his prize-winning Mummy costume hand wrapped and spray glued by yers truly. He even went so far as to shave off his mustache so the facial Mudd would crackle properly all over his face. We won a bottle of champagne for best get-up! My "Bride of Frankenstein" costume was not quite as successful. There was not enough hair product in the world to get all my hair to stand up like Elsa Lancaster's did in the movie.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

new creatures

Pushing these silk scraps around to my bidding makes me think about pushing paint (again). I thought about giving them transparent wings but these are walking beings, stalking beings, not flyers by any means.

Humbug Halloween

Voodoo appears to be the soul of Halloween here. In fact, when people start knocking at the front door, he is usually already in hiding. I haven't really been able to get into the spirit of Halloween since my boys (um, 23 & 27) and the rest of the neighborhood kids have finally figured out that they are too old for trick-or-treating. Strangers seem to truck into my neighborhood to stand mutely on my doorstep holding out a plastic grocery sack with no clue as to the spirit of holiday. I fully suspect that my candy is being confiscated from them and resold in dollar stores all over the community in the coming year. No one seems to understand or care either "Trick or Treat" or "thanks!". I'm tired of ten year old girls who look like they will leave my doorstep and spend the rest of the evening hooking on the corner. I'm tired of boys pretending (all too well) to be thugs. We have a cat door that opens onto the entryway right where the kids stand waiting for me to open the door. I wanted to reach through the cat door and grab them by the leg!! but it was pointed out that more than one dolt would probably fall down the stairs and sue me for instructing them in the spirit of Halloween. Well, all this griping is moot because this year, I have to work, as in YES! a JOB! and by the time I get home the candles will be out, the candy gone and the spirit flown for another year. This year even Karma is singularly unimpressed with my efforts.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

wonders and delights

Never mind that mess on my design wall. If you look at nothing else on the internet for a while, take a look at this . Jude never fails to inspire me.

Back on the wall for now.

All that stitching and still there are design flaws. Value issues abound. There's a lack of focus. Something about the figures is annoying me.

You just get your nose down too close to the technique at hand and the big picture gets away from you every time. Something drastic has to happen here and, for the moment, it's escaping me.

Friday, October 24, 2008

just a few stitches

Although half my checked bag was taken up by sewing stuff and things to work on, there has been little time for the luxury of a few handstitches. Here's a little inspiration from my mother's blue glass collection. She used to be a wildly indiscriminate collector and would even hoard Noxema jars. This one I like a lot.

Happy Anniversary

Sixty years ago today my Mom and Dad were married at the Episcopal Church in Armonk, New York. Today I heard for the first time that they went to New York City for their honeymoon. There was dinner at Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe restaurant where a rye whiskey and soda was 11.28 (in 1948!) and Jascha Heifetz serenaded the newlyweds at their table. They went to Radio City Music Hall, saw a Hitchcock movie "Rope" starring Jimmy Stewart and stayed at the Clinton Hotel. This evening we celebrated together.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Sunday morning experiment

The bundles that spent the night in the dye container came out very underwhelming. Looking around you can see I have little taste or patience with pastels so they are on a back burner for the moment. While rooting around in the stash I found these two hot little numbers that had been mummified with soy wax just waiting for something exciting to happen. We'll see what transpires tomorrow.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

bundles lurking

Here are the bundles standing on their heads on a felt pad soaked in soda ash solution and sprinkles with some dye powder. I'll stay out of it for the night. Jackie thought they looked like bones. Hmmm. Now that I look back on them, they did. I have to roll some more tonight and see what comes of it. I made this jug in 20o3 at the Painted Potter and for the first time it's going to decant something delicious.

thinking ahead

I'm mentally packing some art to take with me on an upcoming trip. The blocks will be backgrounds for a new piece that will have some very different appliqued things along the lines of the recent sketches. The little bundles are in for a dye experiment this evening. I'm tired of coming home exhausted, feeding like a pig and then going to sleep. Unused to working for a living, I have been putting in very long days and console myself with the knowledge that my schedule won't be like this when I get back from NY. Tonight, some music, some wine and some Arting around.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Black Cover Contest!

Remember my cool new tool? I had a day long panic recently because I couldn't put my hands on and was afraid that it had slipped out of my bag and was LOST, but then I found it. I hate that I haven't been using it but the problem is that I can't find a suitable notebook. A hasty purchase turned out to be a disappointment but now Black Cover has come to the rescue in my search for a Moleskine alternative. I'll be thrilled if I win the set but if not, there's a Borders just across the parking lot from my new job. I think I'll go take a peek today 'cause I really want to get my hands on the large one. New ideas have been passing by and I've been jotting things down on scraps of paper that more often wind up in the wash. And thanks to MarieZ for tipping me off to this contest!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

hopey birthday

My hope won't measure or be confined, my hope is expansive and has a wonder filled full moon today, my birthday. I got up early because I wanted to steal some studio time from a busy day and make my own HOPE banner. I confess to not having read the rules or the mission or any of that stuff and it looks like something is odd here. I just liked the notion. Having hope means looking to the future beyond any troubles or concerns of the present. Before anything else, one has to have hope. I have a lot of hope for our future but I feel like, at this point in time, I have to protect it like a candle in the wind. I have to remind myself daily that a lot of people feel the way I do and it's not just the folks who put stickers on their cars or go to rallies and get on TV that get the job done. It's also the people who have HOPE. The translation from pixels to cloth continues to please me. As most of my stuff , it's a bit wonky but I thinking about mounting this one somehow so all will true up eventually.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

not just imagining threadpainting

Feeling much better today. Being recently under the weather gives me a good excuse to avoid big issues like pressure washing the pool. Instead, I spent most of the day working on making this come to life. Unlike Jude, I have no patience for silk's delicate sulkiness and am only too happy to pinch it, stab it into submission and then nail it into place with a million little thrills. Much related to my new job, I have a new appreciation for my Janome.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Laid Low

I have been knocked flat by some sort of domestic Montezuma's revenge. You don't want the details but there is no good way to lose ten pounds in two days. Now that I can sit up for fifteen minutes on a chair that is not porcelain and have the energy to thread a needle and pull a stitch, I've started work on what will be a very slow cloth. Something about the scope of my design mind has contracted but things that might have died on paper will get a second chance in cloth and thread.

Sunday, October 05, 2008

the Wheel Turns

I've been in a nesting frenzy for a few days, cleaning things that have given up waiting to be cleaned. Wanting to paint ceilings, beating carpets...all the things I should have been doing whilst essentially unemployed. That time is drawing to a close. In the meantime, there's some arting going on. These are some soft muslins that I dyed yesterday and a piece of cotton batting that did a little clean up work and turned into something quite interesting. Yes, more flings on the horizon and there's a slew of sketches for some smaller work. Seems like there's a market for some smaller, less pricey pieces. I have a pile of them squirreled away but I think they need to be mounted on canvas so they won't be mistaken for potholders. Any advice on mounting small works to canvas would be welcome. I've decided to upgrade my Trunkt listing to premium and will be listing some of my Flings for sale there. Might as well take advantage of all their marketing efforts. And here's my sewing chair cushion with the printed photo of Karma on it.

Friday, October 03, 2008

what's on the burners

No, that's not a cat in a basket, it's a picture of a cat in a basket that I printed on muslin three or four years ago with Bubble Jet Set. Something about the whole process left me cold and the printed fabrics found their way into the scrap tub. I'm still sorting through things and found myself building a pile of playmate fabrics around this print of Karma. I've started a slow cloth for myself. Something to hold and work on during the morning chill. I'm going to try some embroidery on it down the line. This dyed scrap will be incorporated into it. It's from a long ago find on the public beach on Naragansett, Rhode Island. The weather here in GA holds perfect and I put a batch of fabric into the soda ash pot yesterday. Once it warms up this afternoon I'm going to be dyeing a small batch of fabrics for some new directions. Got to get that Carnegie entry rounded up too.

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

Rejected?.... Next!

Jeanne Williamson has written a great post about her feelings and concerns around getting into (or not) a certain prestigious exhibit. Read it here.

threadpainting

...is not something I normally get into but Frank Ze's Scribbler lends itself so nicely to it. I go there from time to time to sketch. Too many times I find that when I put an idea to paper it stays there never to be hatched. Putting ideas into a computer program seems more like dreaming about something than actually doing it. Makes you wonder how many pieces get wasted .