Saturday, September 27, 2008

Watercolor pastels on fabric


playing around with a piece of fabric with my watercolor crayons today. really layered them on thick and starting to get some of the kind of results i was hoping for. now i just need to figure out to make sure they are permanent without messing it up. i can't wait to see how it looks with some stitching on it. this is about 1/4 of the entire piece.

Arts Festival Photos






Thought I'd share a few photos of my booth at the Creative Arts Guild Festival last weekend. Unfortunately, I took these on Sunday and a couple of my larger original pieces sold on Saturday. I had just completed them the night before and never got any photos of them. Oh well. That person will have two of my pieces that will never be seen on anything else (magnet, card, etc.).

Friday, September 26, 2008

What do cockroaches have to do with art?






Last night was the last night for my son to put together a submission for the PTA Reflections art program at his school. He is a procrastinator like his mother. He had said he wanted to enter the photography category and took several photos last night, including one of a dead cockroach in a plastic cup. Well, bedtime came quickly and there just wasn't time to put the photo together for a submission (had to be printed, but on a board or foam core, etc.). So, I couldn't resist and just had to play around with the photo myself. Not that I turned it in as a submission. I just played around with it for fun. I became, yes, obsessed with the darn thing and here is one of the results. I know have at least 20 different versions of Cockroach in a Cup. Hhm, maybe a series? I don't know. Not my usual cup of tea but then again I do like to be different and unique.

My son saw these and now wants to make his own digitally enhanced photo so one day when there is some extra time I'll show him how to use Corel Paint Pro (he has used it to make a few things before, including a magnet in my Etsy shop) to make his own Cockroach in a Cup.

I taught monoprinting today to three fabulous ladies. We had lots of fun printing, stamping and screening. I especially liked the effects they all got with gelatin printing. And, one print with a piece of yarn that really showed all the nubby little bits of yarn. We spent a good part of the time making collagraph plates to print from later in the day. Collagraph prints on fabric is probably my favorite surface design technique of late. I hope they continue to experiment and have fun letting themselves play and be creative.

Take care,

Heidi

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Art Quilts XIII Happy Dance!

Wow, I think it's the longest it has ever been without a post for me. Life just got really busy there for awhile. I had a decent show this past weekend at the Creative Arts Guild Festival in Dalton, GA. I didn't sell as much as I would have liked but I also sold more than I expected given the state of our economy. And, I had a great time seeing my sisters, my mom and step-dad, my aunts and a few other friendly faces. I grew up in Dalton, GA.

I came back home to some good news and some sad news. Good news is after several "non-acceptances" I am going to have a piece in Art Quilts XIII at the Chandler Center for the Arts in Arizona. Happy dance, happy dance, happy dance. The list of artists in the show is here.

The sad news is that Fiber on a Whim, the shop where I sometimes teach, will be closing it's brick and mortar location. They (the shops owners, Jan and Kristin) have given me so much these past three years. Their shop, their guidance, the teachers they brought in, their support of my endeavors including allowing me to teach in their shop have all been the key factors in my journey becoming an artist. I owe them so much. They will still have an online shop and you will see them traveling the shows (look for them in Houston!) to continue to support fiber and altered art and artists. The closing date of the brick and mortar store is not until sometime in October. I have a couple of classes still on the calendar for September, but after that I'll be looking around for a new studio space for teaching. I have a few options in mind but nothing settled just yet. I'll keep you posted.

Life is busy again with school, homework and PTA. I'm once again co-chairing an Arts Day at my son's elementary school and have spent most of that time this year learning about grant funding and artist in residence funding. I'm hoping that I can kill two birds with one stone, writing some grants for the school and also learning about possible grantor residence funding for myself.

I've also been spending countless hours watching the news, listening to the radio, reading the internet all in efforts to stay on top of the election this year. I'm working really hard on understanding and finding the facts and that is a job in itself. I won't get political on my blog, well, not today anyway.

Do something fun today, even if it's only for 5 minutes.

Heidi