Wonderful Wednesday Feature

Today's Wonderful Wednesday Feature Artist is brilliant and not my usual . I didn't find him on Etsy...as a matter of fact I can't remember how I found him.  I am just glad I did.   I really don't know a lot about him but I do know that I just love how his mind works and the results there of.

He is simply amazing. 

His name is Andrew Chase and he has art everywhere.  This only one site and a fraction of his work.

He works with metal parts to create wonderful sculptures.   If you click on this Link it will take you to one of his page's and show you where to find him, his blog and whatever else you might need.  His art is everywhere so do a google search and you won't be disappointed.

I love his work so let's show him a little artistic love and support.

Periwinkle and White Cotton bag completed

Well I finally figured out how I wanted the closures to work and finished up the Periwinkle and white piece (tote).  I created a bag out of it.  It looks bigger than it really is because the sides are simply blanket stitched together.  In other words I didn't put any strips for side walls in it so it is flat. 

I like the idea of my bags being pretty much self contained, very little finish work.  I simply sew up the sides and develop a closure and it is complete.  

It doesn't need any lining as tapestry and a boardy kind of fabric that nothing can fall out of or through.  The straps so far have just be large braids fashioned in such a way as to make them adjustable.  That way you can wear it diagonally, as a shoulder bag or even in hand bag tradition.  I am considering doing some Peruvian finger weaving for straps in the future.  This would let me put sidewalls on the bags.

The closure on this one is a draw string that also looks decorative in the front.  At first a 13 in bag seemed too wide, but once I put something in it my estimations for the size were dead on.  It is only 8 1/2 in tall as I ran out of the periwinkle yarn.

Because the bag is flat, i.e. no sides, it needs to be wide or it would be too small.  For myself I like my bag a little roomy.  Anyway, I am going to carry this one for prototype purposes.  The white one was the one I really wanted for myself (still might use it if it doesn't sell) but it was a little small.  

I will definitely let you know how it works out.

Here are the pictures.  Don't forget I spun the cotton for this one also.  My kid will definitely call me a hippie now.

Oh yeah, I definitely look forward to feed back, including suggestions.

Complete front view.

Close up front view.

Closer still.

Back view.

Inside.

Inside close up.

I just love it when a plan Comes Together

Who says pencil is boring.  All that's left to do is tweak it a tiny bit and maybe put a background.  Then again maybe not.  I love when the piece just speaks for itself. 

This is all me folks.  My design, my coloration. 

Next I try a Pano...handkerchief art.

Newest Pandula drawing

So I decided to go with graphite pencil.  I love working with the gray scale.  I like to see just how many shades I can produce with just one medium.  I like it so far...how about you guys.  Muse silk painting I thought you might like this one.  LOL

Self expression

I have been reading on the blog "Art is FUN" and a lot of what she has to say is about making sense of chaos with her art, getting lost in the process and other philosophical aspects.  On contemplating this I would have to say that I agree.

I find my art 'mind freeing'.  Often I get so involved that I lose all track of time.  I have even read about this in many art books.  It has something to do with the right brain left brain thing.  It seems that there is also the fact that I produce more art that I am pleased with when I am in this 'other' state of mine.  I do realize that it is a form of escape, however we all escape in one form or another.  I just happen to find this one enjoyable and productive.

At night I often have trouble 'turning off my brain' and that little voice in my head goes over and over and over the same things.  Don't forget to call the bank tomorrow, oh yeah and its garbage day too, so and so's birthday is next friday, etc...  Often if I write these things down it will quiet down.  Maybe because then I know they won't be forgotten.  So why is it if I get up and work on the art it also helps?

And then there are the times when the art just doesn't come easily and IT is one of the things running around in my head at night.  There are also times when the newest idea, or design starts to form and I can't think about anything else because IT is circling around in my head. And then there is that feeling of...WOW!, and wonderment and the ultimate question of "I did that"?

Am I hitting close to home for any of you?

Back to the Drawing Board

Well I have to tell you girls and boys, things are really slow in the art world.  

I thought that if I made useable and  functional pieces of art, not just pretty things to look at, that something would sell.  Not so my friends.  I am getting tons of views but no sales.  Not even a nibble.  Combine that with the fact that I have been a weaving fanatic lately, I think I have burnt myself out on it nicely.

So I have decided to go back to drawing.  I have had this line drawing (i.e. design) ready to color in since I went to Jacksonville to visit Kraftymax a couple of months ago.  There is a picture of just the line drawing below.  Trying to decide whether to do it in color or just graphite.  All opinions are welcome by the way.

I still have the looms set up, but I am going to take a break and do something different.

I think this will also free my mind a little from some of the other pressures in life I am dealing with.  For those of you who know me I think you understand.  I may even spin a little yarn.....nothing more mind freeing or relaxing than spinning.  Unfortunately then I feel pressured to make something with the yarn.  But I digress. 

So here is a picture of the very start.

Gecko weaving

I always have to learn things the hard way.  

I started my Gecko...and once again I have decided I hate following a pattern.  

I prefer to let the yarn and the loom breathe and take life under my slow and steady hands.  I have never been disappointed this way.  Somehow, I just keep thinking I should be able to do pictorials...I often feel that because I can't (or more to the point don't) enjoy doing pictorials I am an inferior fiber artist.  

I feel the same way about drawing.  I keep thinking that I should be able to do photo realism.  

My friend Carol says not many people can just pick up a pencil and let their imagination do what mine does. Not many who listen to their inner voice without censorship and get acceptable results, and sometimes great results.  That not many people with no formal education can pick up a few balls of yarn and create the things I do.  That it is a gift, as I rarely, if ever, have bought yarn and said I will do this design in these colors in this size and accomplished this to the end result.  I have always been on a budget and have used what I have on hand, I even went to the cotton fields and a man gave me a whole trunk of ginned cotton when I found buying the roving expensive.  I have always been encouraged, but I have also always had to husband my supplies.  

Somehow it has always worked out.  I have produced nice pieces within these limits.  Persevered against limited education and funds.  Am I an artist???  Some days I am just not sure.  Guess today is one of those.

Wonderful Wednesday Feature

Another Wonderful Wednesday Feature Artist.  I just keep finding more and more "  wonderful"   talent on Etsy and  facebook.  Her Etsy shop is called DJsArt and she does whimsical fantasy art in rich vibrant colors!  I have included her Facebook link, just click on it, and then you will find info on where to locate her blog and other sites.

Please go and visit her to show our support.  Do favorite her, like her, convo her or buy some of her lovely pieces.

I think the pictures below will say more about her than I ever can with words.

New weaving! Gecko design

I have finally gotten around to starting a "  pre-determined"   design.

This one is a Gecko drawn by a friend of my step daughter's, Tara.  I can't remember the young man's name so I will be keeping this one.  

It is being done on my large 32" tapestry loom.  The weaving is 15" wide and I have a 47" warp on the loom.  It is warped at 6 ends per inch. (6 epi), with unmercerized  8 ply 100% cotton.  So far I have a 3 1/2" bottom border, 5 rows of Soumak (about 1/4") and 1/1/2" more inch of border, totally 5 " before the design.  I am using #10 mercerized cotton crochet thread in two shades of green double stranded for weft for the background.  The soumak is in the same shade of moss green as the warp.  I am just about to start the design of the gecko and I will start with the head.  

The plan, so to speak, is to create a "  tote"   for myself.  The last two efforts were not exactly what I need for my own use, even though they started out to be for me.  The white one is already for sale on my artfire site, and the blue and perwinkle one will also be listed there as soon as I complete a strap of some sort.  Watch for pictures of the listing.

The 1st picture is of the design itself.  As you can see from how tattered it is I have been holding onto it for about 10 years.

So there you have it folks..."thats "  What's on the loom!"    

Looking at the colors I have chosen as my background I think you can tell it kind of reminds you of a Gecko's skin...kind of verigated, mottled...at least a little like a Lizard I hope.

What's on the Loom????

I worked on the pot holder loom yesterday.  Kind of set a goal for myself to do one quick and small project in between each large one.  This loom looks like it would be easy to use.  Deceiving. 

Like most weaving there are pro's and con's to each process.  I am still trying to get a piece I am happy with.  Trying different yarns and such.  

I want to try to sell cotton handwoven dish/bath cloths.  Well, the only one so far that I felt was good enough to sell went to my friend Kraftymax for her birthday.  It was the white one for all who follow regularly and have seen it.  Funny thing though, I did a few years back and I don't remember having this much problem.  Or maybe I did, and that is why I went back to what I am good at, Tapestry weaving.

Any who here is a picture of the first one I did yesterday.  I have a yellow one on the loom right now that I will finish later today. 

I will also finish the strap for the completed Periwinkle and white, homespun cotton, "  tote" , and list it on my artfire site.  Those are my "  HAVE TO'S"  ...for today.

Then comes the fun of getting back to my Gecko weaving over the weekend.   I have only done one charted design before.  At the time I found it incredible boring and tedious to follow someone else's design.  Like coloring inside the lines of a coloring book.  This design is close to my heart and something I have hung onto for about 10 years, so I am very much looking forward to the challenge of it.

I started these last three tapestry weavings with the thought in mind of making myself a handbag/tote...each time, although they have turned out very nicely they have not been what I wanted for myself.  

I would trash a white bag in no time.  The perwinkle and white one is a little smaller than what I want, as I ran out of homespun cotton.  The gecko is done green on green and I have plenty of yarn.  It is 15"   wide and I want it to be large enough to hold a project or even a book/magazine.  

Wish me luck.

What's on the Loom????

Here is a picture of the completed weaving before I made it into a "tote".  I still have to make the strap and take pictures and then I will post it.

I have also decided that I will do one small pot holder loom weaving between each of whatever other projects I am working on.  Here is a picture of the current one.   

I am also working on the large Gecko project.  No pics yet but they will be coming soon.

Wonderful Wednesday Feature

It's Wednesday Etsians and you know what that means!!!  Yep it's another Wonderful Wednesday Feature Artist.  

You gotta love this one.  Her site is called "  Stupidcats"   and her work is marvelously cute (and I'm not even a cat person).    

I also follow her on Face book under the same name and I think you should too.  Her work is whimsical and wonderfully silly, just as cats are known to be.

Please visit her and like, convo or purchase. 

  

Periwinkle and white Cotton weaving progress pictures!

Internet has been so flipping quiet that I have been immersing myself in the weaving.  This one measures 13 1/4" by 14" so far...it will be longer when I finish so this will be a larger tote style instead of a "Purse".  

I even have both looms warped up at the same time.  If you look closely you can see the big one behind the little one...it has green warp on it.  I am going to try to do a Gecko on that warp.  

I got a commission on a bracelet and two drawings so I may have to complete those first.  You know, its a money thing.  

Here are the pictures.  Enjoy!

 

Submitted my handbag to the Weavolution projects page

I am on Weavolution...or at least my soumak handbag and my periwinkle and cotton beginning hand bag are.  Check it out!  http://www.weavolution.com/all_projects

It has basically doubled in size!

Since I posted this morning I have basically doubled the size of the weaving.  Silly RSS feed blew up.  This is what it looks like right now.  Just a little update.

I definitely have the Weaving BUG again!

After the white on white soumak bag I see to have the weaving bug again.  I am hoping this one turns out to be a bag also.

I have a gecko design that a friend of my stepdaughter's, Tara, did for me years ago.  We were having a bon fine and a cook out while all of us ladies worked on our craft projects.  This teenage boy sat down and graphed it out for me so I could bead weave it...somehow I never got around to it.  I have had this piece of paper, with all of its stains and such, for over ten years trying to figure out how to do something with it.

Long story short I was going to weave it into this piece, but the graph calls for more warp threads to the inch (up and down threads) than I can use on this loom with this thicker cotton yarn.  

Sooooooo, it is one of my "  wing it, design it as I go"   things once again.  It happens that's what I'm best at anyway.  

So here is the beginning.  Let me know what you think.  

Marci, I thought it was blue...but it is more purple than blue......periwinkle????

 Oh yeah, the weft (horizontal threads), I spun that cotton myself!  How cool is that?

White on White Handwoven Eco friendly Envelope Hand bag / Tote

I am totally dumbfounded that his bag has turned out so well.  I feel like a proud mama who's child just rode off without her training wheels.  It has been listed on my artfire , and I would love to know what each and every one of you think of it.  Here are some pictures but the listing has all of the details.

Ok, here are the progress pictures of my handbag!

Please keep in mind that I had no idea, as usual, what I was going to make when I warped up the loom.  Not to mention I have been in something of a creative slump lately.  Anyway here are some of the pictures when the weaving was done, just before I took it off of the loom.  Front and back.

Tomorrow you will get to see the pictures of the completed piece!!!

Some of my work!

These are a smattering of little things I did for my friend Marci of KraftyMaxOriginals.  Just something to look at...you will some me featured in several spots on her blog if you scroll down a little ways.  

New listing coming up soon of new handwoven handbag.

Wonderful Wednesday Feature

Its time yet again for a Wonderful Wednesday Feature Artist!

This one I found while looking around on Etsy .  The site is called Aranwen's Jewelry and she does Victorian, Goth and Renaissance jewelry.   I love the steampunk.  What I would give for one of these watches.

Her work is very inspiring and imaginative. 

Please go and check her out, don't forget to convo, click, "  Like" and/or purchase.

My babies

I really hate the way things drop off of Facebook so I am posting the pics of my puppies here too!  Enjoy!

The little brown one is called Wiggles, she is almost a year old.  The white one is Lacy and she is my old lady dog at 12 in August.

Wonderful Wednesday Feature

Now we get to look again at a new artist on the Wonderful Wednesday Feature!  This is one I found on facebook , she calls her site Bent Realm Studio.  She also has an Etsy site of the same under Aurey Sorrow.  She does Fantasy art and I just wish I could do the same.  

I can't wait to see what she does next!

Don't forget when you go to visit her site to click, convo or purchase and help further out kindred artists.