Getting Started with Natural Dyeing

now available in my store

Getting Started with Natural Dyeing

I spent the day rewriting some old workshop notes on getting started with natural dyeing.  They are now available in my store for $1.99

Redid the studio last night, we moved my sewing table to the west side of the studio space where there was better lighting especially during the daytime, the east side of the studio has a cave like feeling.

Lots of lovely natural light!

Some natural dyed WIP's on my sewing table.





Corn Silk Project

Sample that I made several years ago from constructed cloth and osage orange dyed silk organza.

Auditioning fabrics for the corn silk piece, osage orange to the far left, madder root in the center, and compost dyed to the right, silk fabrics.

18x45ish inches silk chiffon that has been compost dyed.

WIP - Bin

WIP - Stitched up this small bin piece after I rearranged the studio this evening.

Mark Making with Nature DVD &

eBook Christmas Special!!!

Mark Making with Nature DVD and e-Book Combo Pack

Retails for $89.00+$4.95 shipping

$60.00 + $4.95 Shipping World Wide!

 

For 48 hours only!!!

Sale Ends on Christmas Eve at 6pm

(US Central Time)

Mark Making with Nature DVD & eBook Christmas Special!!!

Mark Making with Nature

Christmas Special!!!

Mark Making with Nature DVD and e-Book Combo Pack

Retails for $89.00+$4.95 shipping

$60.00 + $4.95 Shipping World Wide!

For 48 hours only!!!

Sale Ends on Christmas Eve at 6pm

(US Central Time)

Silk Carrier Rod Stream Update

After reviewing my last live stream, the one where I was constructing a silk carrier rod cuff, I've decided to redo that stream.  Why?  It's just too painful to watch!  This time I plan to record it and not worry about doing the recording live, and it may come in multiple segments so that I get the camera in the correct position.

More later from the wet studio :-)

Pasta Salad

Made pasta salad for John's holiday party at work, hope they like it.

The Wall

As an artist have you and your artwork hit "the wall" yet?  More thoughts on this one tomorrow.

Some Thoughts on Teaching 120811

The reason I teach technique only, instead of teaching exactly how I create, is so that the students vision is extracted into the work, NOT mine.  The approach I have taken to teaching has led to frustrations in my classes and workshops, I just recently realized this from a discussion with a former student, because many do not realize that their inner vision deserves a voice.  She revealed that she took the class, a mixed media 3D class, believing that she would basically be creating a replica of  one of my works "Pet Cemetary".  Instead what she got was a class where she was encouraged to draw upon her own vision, creating her own original art.  The result was after much contemplation she quit her job and is now persuing creating her own art full time. Once the inner vision was revealed it could no longer be kept silent.

So on behalf of those of use who have barely influenced you, we may have influenced you far greater than you'll ever realize.  The teachers I've had, in the past be it at the university, in workshops, etc., that I now respect the most are the ones that demanded that I draw on my own vision, not theirs.  The teachers I respect the least are the ones that demanded that their way was the only correct way.

Is it All the Same?

If you have stopped recently and suddenly realized that everyone else around you is creating works that are similar or almost identical to yours remember this:

There is nothing new under the sun, only your interpetation of the sun makes it different. 

Others may be creating nearly identical but their intent will NEVER be the same, the true art lies in pushing a piece as far as you can and knowing when to stop.

Barn

“There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who... transform a yellow spot into the sun.” Picasso

More about this later I have some thoughts I'm compiling about teaching, and why I teach the way I do - I teach techniques and I teach the student how to bring out their inner vision, I do not teach students how to create artwork just like I do through those techniques.

More Trees

WIP's more Ghost Trees

Tree Inspiration

Avocado Dyeing

I've created a discussion on the topic of Avocado Dyeing over at The Natural Surface Network Come on over and check it out, share your experiences if you too have dyed with avocados!

Constructed Cloth from Silk Carrier Rods

I'm thinking of reshooting this video!

Constructed Silk Carrier Rod Cloth - Video

It's blurry and the color is off, however, I streamed a how to video on creating cloth using silk carrier rods.
Constructed Fabric from Silk Carrier Rods

Solo Show Installed

For some reason I forgot to take a photo of the entire display, will try to remember to do so when I take the show down the end of January 2012.  Over all I'm very happy with the way the pieces look, I have to give credit to Diane Hall for hanging the pieces, I would have hung them in a straigh line and well that's boring!

I See You!

Snowy Owl at the Grimes Farm Conservation education center, Marshalltown, IA.

Rivers and Trees Solo Show

And decided to take my three Wild Flower pieces along with since there will be extra space in the display case at the education center.

Mark Making with Nature eBook Package - Cyber Monday Sale

Mark Making with Nature eBook Package

Cyber Monday Sale

$30.00

Package consists of my three books Mark Making with Nature, Rust and Clay Dyeing, and Compost Dyeing

Mark Making with Nature eBook Package - Cyber Monday Sale

Mark Making with Nature eBook Package - eBook

Cyber Monday Sale

$30.00

Progression - Poppie Sketches

Now to add a little bit more background color and texture and then to finish the edges.  As you can see I need to update my sketchbook sketch of the poppies as well.  I started this small piece way back in 2009, I may finish it yet.

WIP - Poppies

From this...

To this... the flowers need more stitching.

4x6 inches

painted timtex and natural dyed silk fabrics

free motion embroidery

Bins in Blue No. 1

Available in my store.

Rusted Silk Carrier Rod Cuff

Rust dyed silk carrier rods made into a constructed cloth cuff, now to add embellishments.

Hello World

I can see, I can see!  I am a newbie to the world of bi-focals!

Bi-Focal Adjustment

It's taking some getting used to, today I put on my cheater glasses thinking things would be much better only to discover how bad those cheater glasses really are!  I officially have "Elder Eyes".

WIP - Untitled Vine Piece - 112311

I finally figured out what it was that was bugging me about this piece and I concluded, this morning that I was getting way to literal with the vine interpetation.  So back to the drawing board and time to remove some stitching. 

WIP - Untitled Vine 112211

The hand stitching to the far left is bothering me, am setting the piece aside and will pick it up again in the morning, maybe I won't feel so froggy in the am.

WIP - Untitled Vine Piece 112111

Now with more stitching, I'm thinking I seriously need to go dimensional with it though using coils, etc.

WIP - More Vines

Lots of hand stitching needing to happen now.

Vine Piece

From this

to this.

Now to dye some more threads and yarns tomorrow for additional vines. 

Dinner 112011

Dinner: florence potatoes (named after a woman named florence) home canned green beans, pickled beets, and honey orange marmalade ginger glazed smoked ham.  Here's the ham sitting atop my 1952 kenmore stove, even though we baked it out on the grill.

Not Convinced

I stitched the flax down and now wish I had not done so, I was hoping to capture a creek here locally that has several ox-bows coming off of the main stream.  I may cut some back, may add some hand stitching not sure yet.  Thinking.

Window Trim Colors 111411

There are three colors adorning the windows, ruby red for the crowns, a dark sage for the outer trims, and a very dark blackish sage for the inner window trims.  We'll finish the storms on the second story next spring, as the metal will have to be primed first to accept the paint.

House Update 111411

And now with more trim colors!

My clematis trellis has been removed so John can scrape, prime, and then paint the soffit on the west side of the porch.

The east side of the house still needs another coat of paint and for all of the trim colors to be added.

Almost done, one more week and weekend of warm weather is all we need to finish this part of the porch!