Crocus-a work in progress

The ground is stirring.  Spring is on it's way!

Work in Progess - Dried Lotus

There is quite a bit more to be done, but here is what I have so far.

Pins for The Glenwood Sunday Winter Art and Craft Market

edit April 10th, 2012: I now have an Etsy account if you would like to check it out here!

I made 50 pins so far for the Craft Market this Sunday alongside the Farmer's Market. I still have magnets and earrings to do so I don't know why I am blogging right now. :0 )

New and Finally Finished Piece

Gourd 2, it is 37x13 inches and made of fabric and paper.

This was the entire process for this piece. A lot of piling heavy items onto it and waiting for it to dry. This image was the final step. Cut out fabric, glue to paper, cut paper, glue to paper, cut paper, and finally glue to illustration board...it's hard to decided when I should no longer cut and glue. :0 )

There were two tiny onions on my counter that started to grow so I put them in my empty pots to see what happened and now they are growing wild and crazy. It's fun to watch. 

More Fabric Cards

I have decided these fabric cards will be a regular thing for me. I enjoy making them because they are a relief from conceptualizing...and I still feel productive.

Color and Shape Study of Rosa Bianca Heirloom Eggplant-Finished!

In September I posted some water color studies I did of two Rosa Bianca Heirloom Eggplants and my plans for those studies. I finished the piece today. Here is a link to the post with the studies.

I had finished all the eggplants and started sewing them onto a big navy blue fabric. I got pricked so many times that I was about to give up. It is still shocking and unsettling every time I get pricked. And even more frustrating when I get pricked three times in 30 seconds.

I laid out the eggplants on the fabric to see what larger shape they would make.

Here is the piece finished. It is 32 x 28 inches, all fabric and thread. I think the title is Color and Shape Study of Rosa Bianca Heirloom Eggplant or just Rosa Bianca Heirloom Eggplant. I like the first title because it gives a bit more of an explantation of what the viewer is seeing, but it makes the title long and calling something a study makes a piece seem like it is not a final piece. Then again, I could use a different word than study. Or maybe it is obvious enough what I am trying to do when I simply call it Rosa Bianca Heirloom Eggplant. I have two more pieces similar to this and I go back and forth with the two sorts of titles.

And a close-up of an eggplant.

I am glad to be done with this one. Always near the end of a piece I get antsy to start another with completely different materials. I don't think I could ever do just one media over and over again. I need a break from fabric and sewing machine, so I am going back to sculpture to create a piece about the disappearance of our honey bees.

Rosa Bianca Heirloom Eggplants

In the middle of August I went to start an eggplant inspired piece when I received a phone call that made me realize I had two shows coming up and that I had so much to do. I put it aside and haven't had a chance to get back to it till now. The shows are done...and I am relieved. I can rest and make artwork again. I will post images from the BFA show in my next post.

These are two beautiful Rosa Bianca Heirloom Eggplants I bought from the farmer's market back in early August. I was so surprised by their shapes and colors. Right after this picture was taken they were sliced and made into vegan eggplant parmesan.

I knew I only had a matter of time before they went bad so I did as many watercolor paintings I needed to do to make sure I captured everything I saw in the eggplants. I was interested in their silhouette and their creamy yellows, many purples and that great brown shape in the middle (not sure what that is called).

So this is what I was up to today. I am using the water color studies to make these abstract fabric eggplants. I will make many and then sew them to something...I am not sure yet. First I have to make many of these before I decide what to do next. It is a lot of fun to be free of copying an eggplant from life or photograph. Instead, I use my memory of what I enjoyed most when I looked at these eggplants and the result is something new that slightly resembles the eggplant but also creates a new perspective.

I am so happy to be using fabric completely for once instead of mixing it with other mediums. I was greatly inspired by Rebecca Ringquist when I saw her work at the Packer Schopf Gallery in May. It was a lovely way to start my internship.

These crazy eyes are the result of a hectic last few months. Maybe now I can pick up the apartment...

I have had a great summer and I am excited to be experiencing fall for the first time in 19 years before school got in the way.