2008 Weekly Mixed Media Project

Above is my 22nd Weekly Mixed Media piece. Below is what the back side looks like.


I have a lot of fringe, as described in an earlier post. Since this was an extremely busy week, I thought I'd use one of them to create this week's piece, because I thought it would be quick, and I wouldn't have too many steps to go through. Well, there were very few steps, but it wasn't quick. In order to get the fringe to show through the fleece, it required a lof time needle punching the fleece over and over and over. Here's how I did it:


Lay 8 pieces of fringe across a 10" square piece of yellow pre-felted wool fleece.


Lay a same size piece of orange pre-felted wool fleece on top of the yellow fleece and fringe.


With the yellow side up, needle punch if from the top down, from the center of the fleece sandwich to the outer edges (as per the photo above). Then, turn the sandwich over, and with the orange side up, needle punch it from the center to the outer edges, on the part that was not felted when doing the yellow side. Changing sides often, go over and over and over the fleece and fringe, so they fringe starts to show through both colors of the fleece.


When you have exposed as much of the fringe as you want to, or can, cut the piece in half, on the center line that divides the different felted sides.


With the top sides of your felt, meet the outer sides meeting in the center, and place a strip of green pre-felted wool fleece under the center. Make sure to pull the extra edges of the fringe to the top, so you can see them. Needle punch them in place, making sure to punch through the fringe and the green strip. Add another strip of green fleece if you think it needs more thickness.


The back side will look similar to this picture.

Using a 6" square template, choose which angle you want the green center to be oriented. Use a pencil to mark the edges, and trim to size.

Choose sewing thread that is as close to the fringe color as possible, and using a sewing machine, stitch lines alone one edge of the fringe, to highlight it.

You can see my 2008 weekly mixed media work (so far) on my website, and read about my process/progress here on my blog.

Public Art in Massachusetts

Radio Boston on WBUR, had a very interesting discussion today about "Public Art in Massachusetts." I heard about half of the show in the car, and I'm trying to listen to the rest online (if I can figure out how to do it). The part I heard was about public art opportunities (or lack of opportunities) in Boston, and there was a short comparison to Philadelphia, Chicago, and Seattle.

I went to Art School in Philadelphia, and was there for a visit in April. Philadelphia is full of art. It's everywhere. Every time you turn the corner, there's a mural or sculpture. Truly wonderful. Maybe some day, Boston, and other cities and towns (besides Cambridge) in Massachusetts, can offer a similar experience.

Clothing - Make or Buy?

When I was in high school in the early 1970's, I made my own pants, skirts, and bathing suits. After college, in the late 1970's and early 80's, I made my own pants, skirts, coats, and I also made my own wedding dress. When my son was born in 1985, and until he was three, I made his overalls, and most of his coats. Part of why I did this was because it was cheaper than buying them, and part because I could make clothing that was unique.

When asked why I don't make my own clothes anymore, I explain that clothing prices are cheaper than they were back then. It was with great interest that I read an article about this topic in today's New York Times "Flexing Your Buying Power - Dress for Less and Less," by Eric Wilson. Mr. Wilson's article compares clothing prices from the 1990's to now, but from my observations, prices are cheaper than two or three decades ago, not only one.

These days, I prefer to buy clothing at my favorite discount clothing, or used clothing, stores. Then I may decide to decorate or adapt my purchase. It's almost impossible to make a shirt, skirt or pair of pants for less than $20 in fabric (not including the time spent), but it's easy to buy them for that price or less. Hence my recent blog posts like this and this. A little ribbon, ball fringe, netting, and/or thread, can go a long way to individualize purchased clothing, and it's very inexpensive and fun to do.

Lovely As Lace

My 94 year old neighbor recently moved out of her house. When she was packing, she gave me many packages of white tissue paper, which I can easily find a use for. Included in the pile of tissue paper was this "Lovely As Lace" plastic tablecloth. One part of me would like to use it to do crayon rubbings or monoprints, and the other part of me would like to funk it up enough to use on the table on my front porch. Hmmm. What to do? If you have any suggestions send me an email.

Danforth Museum Juried Members’ Show

"Orange Construction Fence Series #50" will be on exhibit in the Annual Juried Members’ Show, at the Danforth Museum of Art, in Framingham, MA, from June 1 - August 3, 2008. The Opening Reception is Saturday, May 31st from 7-9 pm. I will be there, and look forward not only to seeing the show, but to saying hello to new and old friends who are also there.

This show was curated by Carole Anne Meehan, Curator, Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston.

Rubberband Balls - Old and New

Quite a few pieces fell off my family's rubberband ball since my last photos from two weeks ago. Above is the front side and below the back. I tried to touching it lightly to see what it felt like, and it's amazingly stiff, almost fossilized.


I try to post updates every two weeks or so. If you'd like to see what it's looked like in the past, click here.To see what the first picture I posted, in July 2007, click here.


Last night, I was gifted another rubberband ball. Above is the front side, and below the back. My mother-in-law gave it to me, but I think it's one of three that my father-in-law "grew". I now (reluctantly) have custody of it. (At least it doesn't need to be walked or fed.)


We've never named our family's rubberband ball, but I think we'll name the new one, so we can tell them apart for discussion's sake. Unless someone recommends a better name, let's call it "rubberband ball junior" (or Jr) since it measures 4.5" tall, and the first one is measuring +/- 6.75". I grabbed a lid from a refrigerator dish for Jr to rest on, though I might find something else for it later. At this point it easily rolls, but that could change soon.

I will probably not post about it every two weeks, like I do with the first one, due to time and the fact that Jr's rubberbands are soft and rubbery, and I don't think it's going to fall apart quickly yet. I'll decide that later. I have no idea how old or young Jr is, compared to my family's. I think ours is about 11 years old, or older. I'll try to get the history on Jr.

Critique

I am very lucky to have a nearby art friend who critiques my work (and I critique hers). We both have very different styles, but what is special is that we can both look at each other's work and offer suggestions about problem areas that need work. It's very hard to do this on your own, because when you look at something too long, you tend not to notice.

A few days ago I went to her studio, and she offered me valuable advise. She felt that some of the horizontal stitching in Orange Construction Fence Series #61 and Orange Construction Fence Series #62 needed to be more obvious. When she mentioned it, I had to agree with her. Below are before and after detail pictures, but I should note that it will probably not be obvious. Look closely.

She suggested that the horizontal stitching in the white sections of Orange Construction Fence Series #61, needed to be darker. Here is before:


... and here is after ...


For Orange Construction Fence Series #62, she thought that the horizontal stitching in darker section needed to be darker. Here is before:


... and here is after ...


I will see my photographer next week. When I get my images back from him, I will post the full images here on my blog and on my website.

2008 Weekly Mixed Media Project

Above is my 21st Weekly Mixed Media piece this year. Below is the back side




Here is how to create it. Position a strip of off-white pre-felted wool fleece vertically on a tan piece of wool felt fabric. On each side of the off-white, place a piece of fuschia pre-felted wool fleece, and place a piece of orange pre-felted fleece on each side of the fuschia. Then lay one piece of purple bridal netting, over the pieces of fleece. Place one piece of loosely spun brown wool yarn in the center on top of the netting, and another one at a 90 degree angle from first piece. Needle felt everything in place, from the top side down.


Place two strips of off-white pre-felted wool fleece horizontally across the now felted piece, above and below were the already in place purple netting. Needle punch them in place.


It will look similar to this.


Turn the piece over, and needle punch it from the bottom up.


On the front side, position the ribbed neck of a t-shirt in the center of the piece, and stitch it in place using a sewing machine and white thread.


Place four pieces of purple netting from the horizontal brown wool down, so they are on laying on top of the t-shirt neck. Needle felt them in place, through the wool felt section only. Don't needle punch through the t-shirt neck.


Using purple thread, zig-zag around and over the t-shirt neck (and the purple netting that overlaps the t-shirt neck). Repeat once again over lapping the neck, netting and the felt with the length of the zig-zag about an inch long. Then stitch straight lines from one end of the circle inside the t-shirt neck to the other. Rotate and repeat five more times.


The back side will look similar to this.

Using a pre-cut 6" template, position it so the t-shirt neck (circle) is off center. Use a pencil to mark the placement, and trim to size. Leave the extra purple netting, that's outside of the t-shirt neck circle, loose. There is no need to stitch in place, unless you want to.

You can see my 2008 weekly mixed media work (so far) on my website, and read about my process/progress here on my blog.

12 x 12 x 12 May 2008

I have many scraps of printed fabric from the past four Orange Construction Fence pieces I have been working on. I don't know if it was a good idea or not to use another scrap, after creating two other variations of my monthly series this year, but May has been slipping away, and I wanted to make something because the month is getting busier and busier each week.

So, I did use the scrap, along with a piece of black silk that I had monoprinted a while ago. With the two pieces of fabric, I made a collage, and then stitched and stitched and stitched, to create a lot of texture. The main reason I work with fabric is because I like the bas relief the sewing creates. If I didn't have that option, I would work only with paper.


If you want to know more about this series, you can read past posts about my 12 x 12 x 12 series here on my blog, or see all of the completed work on my website.

Orange Construction Fence #60 update

Last minute change (above) to Orange Construction Fence #60 before getting ready to stitch. Until Sunday morning, it looked like the image below. I think this change was a good idea. It pulls everything together.

Personal Rule, as an Artist

I have a personal rule, as an artist, that I have to start a new project as I finish one. The reason for that is it's easy to make excuses as to why a new project can't be started if the materials or motivation isn't there. By my always getting a new project started, in some way, if helps me avoid excuses and it's great motivation to do more work.

The picture at the top of this post is my blank design wall, which is a no-no for me. To avoid having the wall be blank for more than a very short while, I decided to take advantage of yesterday's rainy (Sunday) afternoon, and my husband attending the Boston Celtics basketball game, by printing new fabric for my next works of art.


I don't usually do this, but I pinned a piece of a green (as opposed to orange) construction fence on my wall for a few minutes, so I could look at it and decide which orientation I wanted to have the ovals for printing it on fabric.


Then I set up my printing space and materials, and I monoprinted the fence pattern on four large pieces of fabric. This process took a little more than two hours. As I finished printing each piece, I hung it in my drying area (my bathroom shower) so it could dry, and then I printed the next piece until all four were completed. I also printed an extra piece of fabric that is about 18" wide, because as I was tearing fabric off the roll to print, there was a piece that had a odd seam sewn through it. I decided to print it to possibly use for my June 12 x 12 x 12 series piece.

I'll pin one piece of the fabric up on my empty design wall, when I start stitching Orange Construction Fence #60 tonight.

2008 Weekly Mixed Media Project

Busy week this week, so I decided to start with some left over pieces of felt, from other projects. This is the result of my 20th Weekly Mixed Media piece this year. Below is the back side.




To create this, cut six left over strips of felt, from past projects, so they are 6" wide or longer.


Place them on top of a piece of tan pre-felted wool fleece, over lapping the top edges of each strip on top of another a small amount.


Needle punch the pieces, from the top down, so they stay in place. It's unavoidable that they will shift a little. Don't worry.


Place a piece of brown trim on top of the felt, near the upper top. On top of the trim, place a piece of off-white pre-felted wool fleece. Needle punch through the fleece, and the trim, from the top down. Go over this area repeatedly so that the trim can be seen through the fleece.


Because of shifting, the strips that are not overlapped will need reinforcement. To join (reinforce) the edges of already felted pieces, place a piece of off-white pre-felted wool fleece over the two pieces. Needle punch through the fleece from the top down. Go over this area repeatedly so that the felt below can be seen through the fleece.


Place a piece of brown trim on top of the felt, on a piece of felt near the bottom. On top of the trim, place a piece of off-white pre-felted wool fleece. Needle punch through the fleece, and the trim, from the top down. Go over this area repeatedly so that the trim can be seen through the fleece.


Join (reinforce) more edges of already felted pieces, by placing more pieces of off-white pre-felted wool fleece over the two strips. Needle punch through the fleece from the top down. Go over this area repeatedly so that the felt below can be seen through the fleece.


Because all of the needle punching was done from the top down, the top design can be seen on the bottom side of the felt, when it is finished.

Measure and trim to 6" square. Sew lines of yellow thread, connecting the top piece of trim to the bottom trim. Sew straight lines from the top trim triangle to the bottom triangle. Repeat for each triangle.

Note - Using left over scraps from previous projects did not save me any time, but it was fun for me to do.

You can see my 2008 weekly mixed media work (so far) on my website, and read about my process/progress here on my blog.

Art with Fiber - On Exhibit at the DeCordova Museum

Last night I went to the Opening reception of the The 2008 DeCordova Annual Exhibition, at the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, MA. The show is open through August 17, 2008. There are twelve artists who have work in the exhibit. I have chosen to only highlight the three artists whose work is fiber related.

I was immediately excited about the show when the first pieces I saw were Mitchel Ahern's fiber/printmaking pieces. Two incredible printed linen works, each 18 inches wide and 60 feet tall, are displayed vertically, right as you are enter the Museum. Many smaller pieces are hung on the wall that goes up the stairs. YEAH! It's wonderful to see fiber displayed in a contemporary art museum.

Seeing that "fiber" is a very loose term these days, I have to mention Niho Kozuru's rubber sculptures. I love them. The shapes and textures are great. I doubt the artist intended this, but the semi-transluscent colors reminded me of jello (and my grandmother's jello molds), and it warmed my heart.

Marguerite White's installation incorporated a little bit of fishermen's netting, but the main emphasis was a huge chalk drawing of the netting (on the wall) with vinyl cut-outs. I heard it took her many months to complete this installation on site. The picture on the link does not show what I'm referring to, so you'll need to go to the DeCordova and see it for yourself (if you happen to be in the Boston area this summer).

More Stitching

This is a detail of Orange Construction Fence Series #62. It's stitched and waiting for a critique, and then a visit to my photographer. I'll post the full image when I have a good photo.

Here is what it looked like in progress, before stitching.

I'll be stitching Orange Construction Fence Series #60 next. I plan on basting it shortly. Hopefully next Monday night. It might seem a bit unusual that I'm finishing #60 after I've finished # 61 and 62, but I worked on the three of them at the same time, but didn't stitch them in number order.

Vintage Fashion and Textiles Show & Sale

I went to the Vintage Fashion and Textiles Show & Sale in Sturbridge MA, with an art friend, yesterday. What fun!

Besides all of the antique clothing and shoes, there were a lot of fabrics, ribbons, trims, patterns, quilts, buttons, and etc from many different eras. I got an assortment of black trims, including some black, and purple, ball fringe for the next time I have a pair of pants to decorate. I also got a nice assortment of black netting with different patterns, some sheer black fabrics, and a piece of this black and white cotton fabric.


I must confess that the real reason I went was to try to find a pair of eyeglass frames, which I did for $20. I hope that my optician thinks they are sturdy enough to put prescription lenses in, because I have wanted vintage eyeglasses for a very long time.


The Vintage Fashion and Textiles Show & Sale was only open yesterday, but they'll be open again on Monday July 7th and Monday September 1st. I'm going to try to go again one or both of the next times.