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Archive for the ‘Surface Design Techniques’ Category

RAIN…

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

I am taking part in The Sketchbook Project. Each participant selects a color and a theme. I chose red and “This is not a sketchbook”, for the theme. You can read more about it here. Mine arrived in the mail yesterday.

The sketchbooks are sent back to the Brooklyn Library of Art in January and will then go on tour.

Every day, (or most days!), I will come up with a word, idea or inspiration for the day and create a fiber sketch to interpret it.

Have I complained about living in a rain forest lately? It was pouring rain again today. We finally saw a bit of sunlight this evening around 6 pm. Sooooo, today’s word is rain.

I am leaving space at the bottom of the page to document the date and the theme for the day.

I hope I can keep up with this. It would probably be easier to actually sketch since I can take it with me.

A couple of weeks ago, I was playing with making prints using actual leaves. I learned this technique from the Carol Duval show on HGTV, years ago. I paint the backs of leaves, using a foam brush. Then, you carefully place it on fabric. Next, take some folded tissue paper (4 layers) and larger than the leaf and place it over the leaf and pat, pat, pat. The tissue paper picks up the stray paint and you get a nice impression of the leaf.

This afternoon, I had to get out of the house so I went out in the yard and took some photos of wet plants.

What a Day!

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

I awoke early because Mr C was taking my Lexus in for service at 7:30. I had several mundane tasks to accomplish — 3 loads of laundry, inventory for the show next week to be sent to the show computer guru, an inventory for a guild project and hopefully, some time in the studio.

I accomplished everything and managed to lose a front tooth. I am so bad about using my teeth to tear open a plastic bag — this time, my tooth disintegrated. Fortunately, I have an appointment tomorrow for cleaning and so they will give me a temporary cap until we figure out what I need to have done.

I decided to perk up some of the plainer scarves with some printing. I used a stencil  and black screenprinting ink for the rust dyed scarf, above, and the blue shibori scarf that I dyed a couple of weeks ago.

Another scarf that I did back then was also kind of boring so I did some copper printing on it.

Here is a detail. I used corrugated cardboard.

Not sure how much I will get done tomorrow since I am spending the morning at the dentist.

Artistic Food

Thursday, October 8th, 2009

tomatozucchinitarts

Aren’t these gorgeous? Reva made them for our Stash meeting lunch. They are puff pastry with a savory cheese base and tomatoes and zucchini. They tasted great, too. For dessert, she made a beautiful plum tart with plums from her backyard tree.

revaplumtart

Before lunch we sat around and caught up on our comings and goings and carved rubber stamps with some instruction from Terry.

terrydemonstrates

I carved a small prototype of Aspen trunks that I want to carve on a larger piece.

aspentrunkstamp

aspenstamped

I obviously was having some inking problems, but overall, I am happy with the image. That was all I managed to make. It was a very relaxing time. I love spending time, laughing and chatting, with this group of friends.

Fusion Fun

Sunday, September 13th, 2009

fusiononeside1

I am so exhausted and my darn hip is causing pain so I am not sleeping very well. There is so much to do and yada yada yada — you don’t want to know all that do you.

I managed to complete 4 fusion pieces in Laura’s class. I forgot to take my camera yesterday so I just got around to photographing them. The top is a fusion of wool fibers with bits of thread an ephemera thrown in. You can click on these for a more detailed look. Here is the other side and a detail:

fusiononeside2

fusiononedetail

I will probably be adding some more marks to this with paint and stitching and maybe some beads.

This is the second piece; this one has tea paper on the bottom side.

fusionthree

fusionthreedetail

The third piece is black, red and white roving and thread on cheese cloth. I don’t know what I will do with this one. Here are the two sides.

fusiontwoside1

fusiontwoside2

The last piece is made with luscious roving with lime green and purple that one of the other participants traded me for some cheese cloth!! I added some skeleton leaves and bits of lime green curly yarn.

fusionfourside1

fusionfourside2

Laura also showed us how to make the folding book sculptures like these. I plan to make one for our next High Fiber Diet show. Bird’s Eye View.

Yesterday, my son arrived to help get ready for the festivities that start on Thursday. Today, Mr C and I drove out to Erath vineyards to pick up some wine for the Friday night dinner. Then, we went to the first night of puppy school for Scooter, sans Scooter. We have to do some work with him this week before he can go to class. I have to go out and buy a clicker and special treats and Tuesday, we will start the training. I really need something else to do this week!

Fun With Laura

Friday, September 11th, 2009

Laurasetup

I am having such a good time hanging with Laura Cater-Woods – the very talented and generous Laura. Here she is setting up for the lecture yesterday at the guild meeting. Most members of the guild did not want her lecture to end, they were enjoying it so much. We had a long, chatty lunch with Terry Grant and then Laura and I went to the Coldwater Creek Spa for our massages – ahhhh!

This morning, after a nice breakfast, we arrived at the Mill Ends Store for the first of a two-day workshop, titled:A Sampler of Techniques and Off the Wall/Onto the Page.

lauraworkshop

Today we did fusion fabric/paper, using roving, stuff, fabric, threads with soapy water and white glue and water.

Here are my pieces wet. I forgot to take photos after they were dry.

wetfusion

fusion2

fusion3

We had a layer of plastic wrap, piece of tulle which is big enough to wrap over the fusion, then you make 3 layers using paper, silk hankies, plain roving, fabric, or paper on the bottom and top and dyed roving, ribbon, paper bits, Angelina fibers, whatever – as the middle layer. The tulle comes over the top and soapy water is brushed on both sides to help with the fusing. Then white school glue, watered down, is brushed on both sides. Set it out to dry.

fusiondrying

Voila, you have textured fusion fabric or paper. I really love how mine look. I will take photos tomorrow.  I promise.

Tonight, I am enjoying the company of Karen Miller who is taking the workshop and can’t drive because she recently had back surgery. Her husband brought her up and will come back and retrieve her tomorrow.

I am sort of living life in the fast lane and don’t think it will stop soon. My son arrives tomorrow. His partner, Jayme, will arrive on Tuesday. On Wednesday, the whole fam-damily starts showing up for the 3 days of festivities which start on Thursday.