Studio Help

Or not so much. Oliver waiting in his kennel, he goes in there when I'm working at my drawing table on projects.  Actually I'm really glad he likes his kennel!

Angel is still with us, I thought for sure she was done for a week ago as I hadn't seen any evidence that she had been eating, etc.  Well it turns out she's been shimming under the gate and has been eating the cats food.  So I raised the gate up a bit so she wouldn't have to shimmy as much.

Red-winged Blackbird Coopers Marsh

Altered in Photoshop CC2014 using the dry brush filter.

2014 Goals

I know, I know 2014 is 8 months old now, but up until tonight I was hesitant to share my goals list with the world.

But as I was thinking about my newsletter this evening, the Natural Surface Academy, what was working and what wasn't I decided no guts, no glory!

You can read about the changes I've decided to make on my other blog, which is also another change that is going to happen for 2015, I own seven blogs.  That's right seven blogs!  I let public opinion sway me and my blog activity about seven years or so ago and divided up my posts to different blogs.  I had people bitching because I was posting about my pets too much, or I was talking about gardening too much, or who cares about canning food we're here for the natural dyeing.

Well peeps, that comes to and end tonight!

Courage is my word for 2014, so it's time to step out in courage!!!  No guts, no glory!

I'm Bored, Therefore it's Time to Change Things!!!

My 'word' for 2014 is Courage, so I'm going to go out on a limb and share where I'm headed for 2015!!!

In the coming weeks I will be making some changes to the Natural Surface Academy and blog.  To be honest, keeping the Natural Surface strictly about natural dyeing is not only boring the hell out of me, but it's also stifling my creativity.

While I do work primarily with natural dyes, I also work with fabric paints, shiva paintstiks, digital printing, discharge dyeing (yes you really can discharge dye natural dyed fabrics), and more. 

Shiva paintstiks and crayon on indigo dyed cotton fabric.

I will be adding video links (YouTube) to some of my adventures that are for Academy Members ONLY! 

My dream is to license my designs, have my own fabric lines, etc., so with this in mind I am changing a few things here at the natural surface and adding in a bit more information, etc., I will be sharing my adventures in creating digital designs, licensing, etc., with Academy Members through our Facebook group. 

My 2014 Goals List that I made to use as my screen saver, I have to admit putting this, my goals list, out there scares the snot out of me but as some of my friends have told me in the past "go big or go home!"  

So here's to going big!

Angel

She's not doing so well now that she's pushing 15 years or so (she was a rescue we're not really sure how old she is other than 14+ years), she's gone from looking at the bridge to now running towards it, I figure we have a few more days left with her tops.  I made her some food from scratch tonight and she gobbled that right up, so at least she has a full tummy.

Copper Crow

I added a copper crow to a bundle dyed silk crepe de chine scar,f I dyed sometime ago, using my Three Crows Stencil today.

I like the results enough that I plan to try this on some other scarves I've dyed.

Not Your Mascot.

Crow Panel in Progress 
24x32x2 inches ~ I think
Acrylic on Raised Panel Frame.

In Other News:  Working on a new series called "Not Your Mascot".  Since it's such an honor and priviledge, or so us NA's have been told, to be a mascot I've decided to turn this onto it's ear!  More to come!!!

More Crow Panels in Progress

If I counted correctly there will be a total of 26 panels in this new series, and once these are done I'm off to rework some encaustic pieces from a few years ago to include my crows, Queen Anne's Lace, and the marks I've been putting in these pieces.

I wasn't sure how these pieces were going to come out, while they have similar colors they are not exactly the same... but where's the fun in everything being the same, right!

I've allowed the distractions of the past few weeks beat my confidence levels down, it doesn't help that I've had a nasty head cold, or that my dad has had ongoing health problems.

I did get to see my brother last Monday, the first time since my mom died in 2005, they visited for a whole hour and forty five minutes before they had to leave again. 

So tomorrow it's back to drawing and painting crows, ravens, and blackbirds and if they are horrible then they are horrible.

But, the secret to mastering anything is to keep at it until... until well you've mastered it!

With that said I've decided to seriously edit the information I've compiled for my Natural Dye App, and just create the app!  A simple app that is accurate and usable is much more enjoyable than one that doesn't exist!!!  Feet of clay, I think that's the name for this syndrome, the whole "what if they hate it???"

There will always be haters, and they are not my audience anyway... so onward I will push this week!

Stitching Again

It feels good to be stitching once again, whilest awaiting layers of drying paint to cure.  This piece is about 8x10 inches in size, machine stitched with green Aurifil thread, wool batting; I also used my Black Birds in Tree Stencil with acrylic paint onto fabric painted cotton cloth.

I shall stitch a few of the birds next, to bring them forward, and add a few beads and then this piece will be done.