Friday, May 30, 2008

Working style

I'm getting really frustrated that I cannot scan my work as I've been drawing a tremendous amount just lately. Oh well, I have to be patient until my IT person (my husband) is less busy .

Just when I start to fall into a funk of wondering if I am wasting my time with my art, someone posts that they love my work, find it inspiring and that it makes them smile. I ultimately make art for myself and because I HAVE TOO! (Otherwise, I'd be even more crazy than I am now!) But, it is always nice to know that what you are doing actually matters or makes a difference to others as well. So thank you! I don't really think that I shouldn't be making art but sometimes I question how much time to spend on it or on which kinds of pieces or projects I should focus my attention. And, I feel really guilty about how much I go through in terms of paint, paper, fabric, etc. I tend to be a bit obsessive and if I start drawing it turns into a week of drawing and 3 pads of nice paper later I have a stack. Or, painting on fabric. Rather than working very focused on one piece, it will turn into days of just having to splash colors about and see what kind of effects I am able to achieve. Then, 10 yards of fabric later and only a few pieces I'm happy with I think, was that really a good idea? And, the answer? Most of the time I am able to remember that is an emphatic YES!!!! Of course, not everyone can afford to go through so much material and have so many mistakes. I choose to use nice paper and nice fabric because I never seem to know when something will be just a sketch or keep me so entranced that I must turn it into a piece of art. I very rarely sketch and then proceed. It is a somewhat wasteful way to work but it works for me. I am able to feel as if I am practicing and making my mistakes and creating things I am satisfied with all at the same time.

How do you work?

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Computer Crashed

I'm bummed because I can not scan or post images today. My computer crashed a few days ago and my husband has somehow set me up temporarily so that I can use email and the internet. But, I have no hard drive and I can not scan or print.

What have I been up to? Mostly I've been back to pen and paper drawing. With being a bit under the weather for about 2 weeks now, it's just been the easiest way to be creative. Today, now that I'm feeling better, I started moving my art supplies out of our home office room to the kids' playroom. My husband is going to be working from home and until we have some time and money to finish our basement space he is taking over the my office/our home library/formal living room (yea right!)/art storage space. I've managed to move about half of it out today. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with things like my files, finished art on canvases, art books, etc. I'll start tackling that tomorrow.

Hopefully sometime in the next 2 weeks I'll get my act together and complete a few of my pieces in progress. My Fiber Art Fusion group has a show coming up in Marietta at The Art Place, Transformation. I have to complete my piece by June 10th. AAH!

Well, since I can't post any pretty colors, I'll try inspiring you by telling you to get busy and send in a submission for the National Small Art Quilts Exhibit (my next goal in meeting an exhibit deadline). Deadline is June 6th or 7th, just around the corner. What's great about this exhibit is, it's for small art!!! Right up my alley! And, there are no picky rules (showing my bias here) about 3 layers, or bindings or quilting through the back. It is for art that involves fabric/fiber and stitching.

Hhhm, what else can I do? Oh, I can point you to some great Etsy shops or other websites. Here is a fun Etsy shop to look around. Great little felted and fabric critters to see, 425 Square Foot Art. Let's see--Have you visited my friend Rebecca's blog lately? Did you see that she had TWO articles published in the last Altered Couture AND some of her work in the gallery section as well! Way to go!! Seriously, you should pick up a copy.

Well, back to organizing my art supplies. Tomorrow I hope to also figure out how to get the train table out of the playroom (don't ask me what I'm going to do with it, haven't figured that out yet) so that I can set up a craft table.

Kids are getting hyper and hungry. Catch ya later!

Heidi

Friday, May 23, 2008

Oh well, better luck next time

My quilt wasn't chosen for Art Quilts Lowell. At least the process was very fast! Never had that fast of a turn around before. Leaves me free to enter it somewhere else. :)

Congratulations to those whose work was chosen!

Heidi

Monday, May 19, 2008

You Can't Win

Okay, well, some miss the black background with white letters. I have to admit that I liked that better myself. But, I'd rather have folks be able to read it than to have it look "cool". So, here is my compromise for now. I'll probably keep playing around with colors and my header box, so don't be surprised if it keep changing for a bit. Again, thanks for all the input!

New Look to My Blog

I hope you all like the changes that I have made. After looking around for a good way to keep track of stats on my blog (#visitors and such), I posted a question to the fantastic QuiltArt email group to ask for suggestions. Well, I received several great responses on stat programs, but also had many folks tell me things I needed to change on the "look" of my blog to make it more readable. THANK YOU!!!

So, I've made some changes, such as no more white words on a black background (was making some people see double!), and I have made the text bigger and lots of other minor changes. So, I hope you like the new look!

And, for those of you who have asked when you will see the full photo of the piece I submitted to Art Quilts Lowell...probably sometime after it is accepted somewhere (hopefully!), or I just decide to post it for sale or whatever. That is unless you are local. I've been showing it for Show and Tell lately. :)

Have a great Monday! Off to Music Class with my daughter and Field Day with my son. Fun, fun!

Heidi

Friday, May 16, 2008

100th post! And, yippee, I finally did it!

Wow, 100 posts! I can't believe I made it to this point.

And, the yippee is because after over 9 months of not entering a juried exhibition, I got my package in the mail today for Art Quilts Lowell! They extended the deadline and I pushed it all the way to 5 pm today! I don't even care if I get in. Well, okay, I do a little bit, but my goal was to really focus on entering a show. I have had so many deadlines on my calendar that have just whooshed right by. PArt of that was a conscious choice on my part to focus more on family and get away from the stress of trying to finish pieces on a deadline. I decided to just work and if I had completed a piece in time then enter. Well, I'm not a finisher, so without a deadline really looming and real commitment to make it work, that just didn't happen. That is still my goal however. To work on my work, regardless, and then if I have the work for a show then enter. I'll keep trying.

Here is a small bit of what I entered:




I started it about a year ago and then pulled it out of my tub of half way done pieces while away on the Focus on Fiber retreat. I hand stitched it like crazy. It gives me a sense of calm and peace when I stitch by hand. I call it Free Woman Dancing in celebration of the freedom I felt while on the retreat and the glorious women I was with and the wonderful dancing that occurred. It was definitely a time of new beginnings and growth for me.

So, keep your fingers crossed for me.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Lots of classes are coming!

Well, the summer schedule for my classes is now complete. The class information is all up on Fiber on a Whim's class webpage. Here is the short version:


Friday, June 13th, 10:30-1:30 Wet Felted Vessels $35.00
Saturday, June 14th, 10:30-1:30 Sunprinting $35.00

Friday, June 27th, 10:30-1:30 Watersoluble Wax Pastels for the Fiber Artist, $35.00
Saturday, June 28th 10:30-1:30 Stamp Carving (Make Your Own Stamps), $60.00 (which includes a kit fee of $25.00 for materials)

Tuesday, July 12th, 10:30-1:30 Needlefelting $40.00 (which includes a kit fee of $10.00 for wool felt fabric)

Saturday, July 16th, 10:30-3:30 w/ lunch break Monoprinting $40.00

I can't wait! I'm having so much fun completing the class notes and trying out the projects and ideas for the classes. I hope to see lots of you there!!

heidi

Monday, May 05, 2008

Yippee!

Both of my pieces sold today on the first day of Collage Mania II!! Yay! About 90 pieces sold today! Which means that Virginia Spiegel helped raise at least $7000 so far, (hopefully some generous donors gave more than the required minimum of $80.00). I can't wait to hear the final total.

So the good news is, that means there are still over 100 pieces to be purchased tomorrow!!! And, the minimum donation drops to $40.00 tomorrow! A lot of my favorites are sold, I'm not surprised, but there are many, many fabulous pieces yet to be acquired. So get your email ready and hit send at 9 am tomorrow with your choice of artwork(s)!!!

What I've been up to



Mostly playing around with project ideas and writing up notes for upcoming classes. I taught two classes in April at Fiber on a Whim, watercolor pastels on fabric and wet felted vessels. They are both being offered again in June. And, I'll also be teaching Sunprinting, Needle-Felting, Stamp Carving and Monoprinting. Still working on the dates and I'm still writing the notes and finalizing the projects, but I can't wait for June to get here! Once I have all of the dates I'll post the schedule here. I really enjoy teaching and sharing my passion for the fiber arts with others.

I'm obsessed with the monoprinting the last few days. I've done it before and really enjoy the process, but wanted to try out some ideas I have for the class. I made a "plate" (or a collagraph in printmaking terms) using a sheet of foam paper. I glued to this lentils, bits of foam, textured paper, tape and tin foil. I then played around with applying paints, misting with water, dry fabric versus wet fabric, using a brayer versus not, etc. so I would be able to answer all the questions that I will inevitably get! This process has just reaffirmed for me that you have to practice to get better at anything. And, practicing is the way to discover your own style and the little tricks. Here is one of the better ones from this practice session. I added a bit of colored pencil to highlight the edges of some of the collaged pieces.

Love to hear what you think! :)

Happy creating!
Heidi

Friday, May 02, 2008

My other piece in Collage Mania II


I just realized that I never posted my other piece that I donated to Collage Mania II. Here it is, Rearranged Continuation:

Just a few of the fabulous......




....pieces of art available through Collage Mania II! Get ready because I'm sure they will be selling fast on Monday. $80.00 for an original piece of artwork is almost unheard of. First come, first serve! Prices go down to $40.00 on Tuesday, but your favorite may be gone by then! AND, it all goes to the American Cancer Society. Every single penny!!! None to the fabulous organizer, Virginia Spiegel, who I know must work at least the hours of a full time job on her fundraisers, all in the name of a cause she supports. So here are some of the beauties I'm featuring today, just a few of the 235 available. I almost hesitate to post these as I might be bidding on some of them myself.

Some of these pieces are part of a series and you could purchase all 3 or 4 to make a stunning wall arrangement of art!!!

All of the details about the pieces are on Virginia Spiegel's website on the pages of Collage Mania II. The artists of the pieces I have listed here today are (in order from the top): Liz Berg, Jane Davila, Terry Stegmiller, Rhoda Taylor, Cynthia St. Charles and Karen Stiehl Osborn.







Please search through all of the others, there are so many fabulous pieces!!!