Monday, February 16, 2015

Ames Community Art Council Member Showcase



Come check out local Iowa Artists, Musicians, and More this Saturday!


I'll be participating in both the Showcase and the Market!



WIP - Bjorkboda

Found while cleaning my sewing studio this afternoon, buried in a pile o UFO's (Unfinished Objects or in my case Projects!)


I remember now why I put it away, I started attaching stuff to the surface and then got stuck.  I may have to rip it all off now and try something different.


The techniques I used to create this piece are covered in my eBook Rust and Clay Dyeing which can be purchased here.  

Thursday, February 12, 2015

Studio Redux Part 2

Otherwise known as the overflow area!


Vintage dresser that's stuffed full of art supplies such as paints, etc.


Another view heading into my sewing studio, Oliver is not amused with all of this moving around.


This old chicken coop hutch divides my sewing area from the over flow area, as you saw in the previous post the backside of this hutch is where my extensive thread collection lives.  I want to get rid of the chicken coop, or find another place for it to live, but if I do so then I need to come up with a better way to keep Oliver out of my studio.  He's a thread, fabric, and paper thief, amongst other hobbies he has.


Cubbies filled with "stuff", an old Duncan phyfe table, my loom, several dress forms, deer antlers, skulls, and boxes and boxes of fabric.   You get the picture.


Shelf that holds painted papers, artwork, and the like, and the plastic drawer units?  Filled with silk, wool, cotton, and linen fibers.

More tomorrow, there shall be fiber kits assembled and ready to find new homes.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

Studio Purge Part One

Over the next few days I will be posting not only images of my studio spaces, for accountability purposes, but also to let you know what is available.  I will be selling some items check out the studio purge tab for daily updates, and others will go to new homes for the sole cost of shipping!


In thinking about my "brand" I've had to make a decision as to which mediums and colors I will be working with and "why"!  This wall here contains beads, findings, and all sorts of mixed media objects that is and should be heaven for most artists.  Well this was true until today when I got into the last fight I ever want to have with myself over studio space EVER again!

Yes that is right, you know every time you scream in frustration because you can no longer move in your studio space, or find that book you need to finish a project at the last hour, you are fighting with yourself!

Stop fighting with yourself!


More beads, jars of silk cocoons, buttons, bells, baubles, and all sorts of nummies.  The crates above are filled with mixed media papers, findings, Angelina fibers, pine cones, silk carrier rods, and who knows what else.  Well I'm planning to start excavating tomorrow so we will soon find out what else lies within those crates.


Far shelf, more beads, findings, jars with little bells in them... you get the picture.  Foreground that's supposed to be my sewing table and right now it's loaded with drawing and painting supplies.


The other side of my sewing table.  The plastic drawer stuff (to the south of the table) are filled with vintage, antique, and somewhat modern laces, threads, buttons, ric rac, you name it, oh and a ton of handspun yarns from fibers I carded and dyed myself and in some cases even acquired from local sheep I used to sheer.


The wall of thread!  And those little plastic drawer organizers, if you guessed filled with beads you'd be correct.  And they are also over flowing with embroidery floss, pearl cottons, and the like.



More thread, and those plastic tubs are filled with... if you guessed vintage and antique trims you'd be correct! Two of the tubs are also filled with natural dyed wool, silk, and cotton fabrics.  All of those baskets and tubs on top are filled with more fibers, more threads, and more mixed media objects, seeing a theme here  yet???


And sweeping past the entrance to my sewing room... More threads under the clock.


More fabric, more threads, more fibers, and no place to put finished artwork!  This is the north wall in my sewing studio and I want ALL of this stuff to go bye bye, with the exception of the shelf (you see the side of it here) with the clock.  My goal is to put my drawing table and new flat file cabinet (that hubs is building for me) on this wall.


Finally the corner where I started, the NW corner of my studio.  Again more fibers, more threads, more fabric, all dyed with natural dyes.  Oh and a ton of knitting supplies and latruador that I'm never going to get to in this life time.

Stay tuned for Part 2 tomorrow the area of my studio known as the "overflow" area.