of Flying High over a River of Tears....

I have been working away on a few things....

My Watch Me Fly cloth is complete- I think!  I’ve decided not to add a backing as I like the way the old damask linen falls. Here it is hanging in a window in my studio; I like the way the light is coming through the clouds and how the weave of the fabric is visible. I've enjoyed making this!

Watch Me Fly

This next piece is a piece of brown paper with an iron on vilene backing. The paper was crumpled and reironed giving it a wonderful texture to work with. I loved the way the light caught each crumple! This piece is inspired by my River of Tears journal pages. The photo shows some of the double page spreads from my journal photographed and printed out together.

The sequined piece that I used for the River has been in my stash forever and is originally from my Mum who was a dressmaker. The rocks at the bottom are reverse appliqued using sari fabric from yarnahoy ;the smaller rocks are made with fabric marker stitched over with straight stitch in a variegated thread. I forgot to take a photo of the finished piece... oops but I have continued the smaller round rocks along the top edge of the river and stitched orange trumpet bugle beads and a few Swarovski crystals in the river.... It all has meaning for me. I have taken the piece into work to get framed.... as I think it will work best as a framed piece. I want to experiment a little with framing some of these smaller pieces; and maybe put them in my etsy store or hang them at home!  I envisage doing a series of these....

Full Moon over the River of Tears

Finally, this is a piece of PaperCloth that I experimented with some time back. I wasn't really impressed as I think I use too much  PVA in the process of gluing tissue paper to muslin and the piece was left shiny and stiff. I had done some free motion stitching in white but then left it.

I came across it in the studio the other day and started to hand stitch into it. It really is quite brittle in places but I am loving the effect of the variegated thread stitches. I'm using a single strand of black as shadows between the flowers; sketch-like... I may end up cross hatching to make the shadows even darker. I wonder what will happen if I go over the finished piece with clear gel medium? Mmmmm...

Ranunculuses or Ranunculi

I'm so happy and excited that I'm going to be doing Jude Hill's SpiritCloth online course!

It starts in a few weeks... I've never done a course of any type online

 and look forward to learning lots and being guided by Jude!

Watch Me FLY!

Just a quick post... have been absent from blogland for a bit. Work… Visitors…. Family…. Real life

I completed the pieced top for the Hubble’s quilt. It looks amazing and is HUGE! Well, larger than anything I’ve made before... 2.5m x 2.3m! It’s off to the quilting lady tomorrow!

I’ve also been working on ‘Heart with Wings’ … It’s actual title is “WATCH ME FLY’ . This comes from my journal of 8 or so years ago when I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life…. I used the journal to vent and then gradually through the course of an entry I would get more and more positive until I came out of the other end happier; if not, more understanding and accepting of the place I was and of the feelings I was having…… It served me well... This piece represents me rising above and overcoming the situation I was in.

...of Dragons and Hearts with Wings!

I found some beautifully dyed variegated threads at Cottage Garden Threads... I came across the name on a blog, did a search and now I'm in looooooove and need to order some! I've been using mainly the DMC variegated series but have also used a few of the Anchor threads (which I've not liked as much because the colour changes tend to be too short and not as subtle!) The Cottage Garden Threads are available online at: Orange Daisy.. Yum!

Yesterday's sunset in the Dungowan Valley

What a wonderful week it has been already! I raced all over town today; finally changing my name on the last few bank accounts and a few other official things that had slipped through the net. (We've only been married 5 years! Can't rush these things!) I've been procrastinating because I thought it was going to be much more difficult than it turned out to be! Thank you to the lovely girls who helped me do this almost effortlessly today!

SOLD!

I did my grocery shop and had the most wonderful surprise when I arrived home! My Green Eyed Dragon that I listed on Etsy has sold! I'm so pleased! The buyer sounds just lovely and assures me that he is going to a loving home!

The week isn't over yet and is only getting better and better! I arranged insurance for my new car which arrives on Friday! (Lucky, Lucky me!)

To top everything off- I've just had a call from work and they don't need me tomorrow so I have a full studio day! YAY! (Not that I don't love work- it's just I love being here too!)

Here's a little look at some pieces I've been working on....

 Two pieces of hand dyed silk

woven and stitched together

Red Silk and White cotton strips

Woven and stitched together

The red and white checkerboard and the blue squares are my experiments with Jude Hill's fabulous slow cloth fabric weaving technique at SpiritCloth. Here's a link to her video tutorial blog entry... which is serene and educational all at once! These little pieces were sooooo much fun to make! The blue squares are about 1" (2.5cm) square and the R+W about 3/4". 

The blue and white piece on the right is a hand dyed piece of linen from my last dye batch 

the heart with wings is from my River of Tears divorce journal...

I want to put all these components together; but may need to dye some more fabric or at least play around a little to make it work. I am going to add a few words but don't want to pre-empt them just yet. They are words I used to pump myself up at particularly trying times when going through a pretty yucky divorce. I had to work hard to get there; but they helped once I got to the point of being able to say them! Stay tuned!

November WIP, Collage Inspiration

I'm working on so many different things at the moment and not feeling disjointed about it! I'm actually enjoying the contrasts and similarities between the different genres as I work between them!

2012 Olympic Pennant :Quilts 4 London

I'm working away at my Australian Pennant; Chain of Ponds

WIP- 'Chain of Ponds' Pennant.

Sampler at top, Binding Fabric top right and Backing Fabric bottom right

WIP- 'Chain of Ponds' Pennant

Detail showing French Knots

Journal Pages

I'm still enjoying working on my 'River of Tears' (divorce) journal. I'm impatient to start a new artist's journal but want to get these existing journals finished first! [I know myself just a little too well! Once I start the new one these won't get a look in!]

'River of Tears' Journal

All that remains... Blue tissue paper, white tissue, and threads from the small container I use as a mini bin on my sewing trestle (Of course I don't throw the threads away - I knew I'd find a use for them!), tiny lettering stickers

Starting a new life from the threads of my old life... Red tissue paper, white tissue, stickers and threads...

Original Entry reads:

Thursday 6.25am 28th Feb 2002  A sunrise is the promise of a new beginning - maybe that's why I enjoy them so much!

Collage on Stretched Canvas

WIP Pear

This has got to be the most monotoned piece of work I have ever done!!!! I have a little more tweaking of tones on top of the pear but think I'll get the basics in first. Since I took this photo this morning I have put in some lower background. I have been playing around with collage for a little while now and remember doing some with just coloured tissue paper at an art class I went to in NZ (about 15 years ago!)

I am trying to exclusively use the rusted papers I made with an art friend last week.; hoping that the colours will help to unify the whole. I am loving the process. I'm using Impasto Gel Medium instead of the PVA I've used previously and am loving it!

I want to share the most amazing collage work with you:! The artist is Elizabeth St Hilaire Nelson (click to link to her blog) Here is a link to her Gallery. Her work is amazing and so inspirational!

Dry Felting (Needle Felting)

I've seen this mentioned in articles and tried looking up the technique on the net a few times - even tried to find the felting needles at the local craft shop (to no avail). A couple of days ago I had to get some more linen thread for my pennant and was adament I wasn't going to look at anything else! Well I ducked down an aisle to get to the checkout and what did I find? Dry felting needles (one size only) and merino tops etc... Well, I did what any other hot blooded artist would do... I succumbed!

Now, you're not to laugh.. here's my first attempt. The base is a piece of tannin dyed recycled felt, the pot is a piece of the same, undyed, the tree is made up of two colours of merino roving -the cream was very cleverly felted into a spiral (TIC)- which can no longer be seen! I sewed on buttons and embroidered a trunk and leaves... I know. It's a bit twicky twee but was just a trial to see how the needle thingy worked! I think I'm going to like this! Must hurry up and find a shearer for my sheep (6) and alpacas (3)!

I need more colours and more techniques... OOOooohhhh I'm going to love this!

First Attempt at Needle Felting!

Back to 'work'! ; )

Blissful Journal

Here are a couple of detail shots of 'Bliss'. I'm liking her more and more and am really enjoying working on her now!

Blissful...

These wee daisies were fun and I love the variegated thread!

                                    

Bliss' Dress Detail

Bliss' Bouquet Detail

I love the unexpected colour combinations that some of these small works create.

I found some Letraset in my filing cabinet... Don't laugh but it must be over 20 years old - 8 years of which it spent in New Zealand! There's not a lot of it but I will use it in the River of Tears journal!

hope - lift your face to the sun........

...with some added Letraset

Alive but Trapped

Another journal page... I love the way the sun caught this!

More Joyous Journalling.....

Here is the stamped watercolour, (that I wrote about in my last post) on it's own journal page... I love the extra dimension the stamped text has given it. Not 100% complete.... and some of the actual journal words may still be a little too clear..... This process is still giving me so much joy!

Hope for the Future: River of Tears Journal Vol I

Once these divorce journals are done I want to continue either a daily or at least weekly page in a BRAND SHINY NEW JOURNAL...!!

This art quilt is changing as it grows; I go through stages of liking it and then disliking it immensely! I like it -not love it - at the moment!

Bliss

Sneak Peak WIP

Here’s a sneak peak at my latest WIP (work in progress)! It’s mixed media on stretched canvas and inspired by my River of Tears journal. It is such great fun……. I want to add more elements but I quite like it’s simplicity as is. I originally designed it this way up….

But have been working on it this way up.

Now I’m not sure which I like best. Maybe the original? Comments greatly appreciated! Which orientation? And does it need more elements?

Last year I was given a selection of gaudy but oh so beautiful irises……… They are starting to flower! I'm so excited as I can’t for the life of me remember which colours I planted where! I leave you with this image of these two toned ones which are the first to open!

River of Tears Journal - more pages!

I’m continuing daily with my journal: The River of Tears.

Here are a few more pages that I’ve been working on. These aren’t finished yet. I still feel there are some over-drawing and text to add to most of these. I'm still enjoying the process immensly and am almost consumed with it at the moment!

I've found some old artwork from that dark time and have incorporated peices of that as either torn up and collaged fragements or cut up sections. They no longer represent the original idea (in some cases thankfully!)

The River of Tears Artist's Journal Volume I

Almost exactly 8 years ago I was going through a very icky divorce. (The worst type). After the initial shock, disbelief and anger I started to keep a journal. (I think it was initially an idea given to me by my counsellor, who I started seeing because I was afraid of the degree of anger and overwhelment I was feeling.) It was never intended to be read by anyone else and was more a way of me venting my feelings than as an actual record of what was happening.

                                     

The River of Tears

I used a blank artist’s visual journal/sketchbook and wrote with the bright gaudy colours of kids textas/markers. At that time it was little things like colour that I used to cheer myself up. Being an Interior Designer, colour was always my thing; but I found I needed colour and started wearing bright colours too. The journalled words are of pain and anger; but also of small and wonderful happenings. The entries would often begin almost frantic or desperate and end more calmly and more accepting of what was happening. I used it as a way of changing my thought process from unworthiness and despair to a more positive pattern of empowerment and freedom.

All up I have 2 volumes and another that I started to fill with the poetry (of sorts) that just kind of fell out of me at that time.


So, here I am 8 years later, blissfully married (5 years last Saturday!) and living a lot of my dreams. I still have some issues and baggage but I guess that is normal and natural. Occasionally it bubbles up to the surface but mostly I am happy and more positive than I’ve ever been before. I’ve stopped running- I don’t need to run to mask the pain any more!

Pieces of Gold in the River of Tears

I've recently met a small group of artists and am privileged to be meeting with them once a month at our various homes. We chat, coffee, show and tell, lunch, tell some more, share books and WIP's etc. They are a lovely group and I've learnt so much already!

I always thought I would burn my journals one day- A little ceremonial burning and cleansing session with or without my hubby. I also have a lot of paperwork from those first few years on my own that I haven’t looked at since. My friends have suggested getting the poetry published – I don’t know that it’s good enough. They’d make pretty potent greeting cards but I’ll just hang on to them for now.

Inspiration hit me like a sledgehammer at our last little artist’s get together. A couple of them have been making artists books of various types. One of these artists, Babs showed us an artist's journal/book WIP and it so touched me. I knew then that I could do something with these journals of mine and that they would become the framework for my artist’s journal! I was so excited and couldn’t wait to start!

I have been doing a little something on this nearly every day, and am enjoying it sooooo much. It really is like Art Therapy. I’m sort of reliving some of the emotions as I read and cover and smudge and add colour and layers and layers and layers. I’m leaving some words visible and adding others and covering up a lot of the pain. It feels sooo good. Another round of good has come of these rantings!

There is no pressure; they are just for me. It is coming to me intuitively and I am loving the freedom and looseness of it. I am frustrated at only being able to do a double page spread at once and have had pages stuck together as I attempt to work on more!!! It is such fantastic fun!! I’m collaging with teabags, tissue paper, leaves, onion skin, feathers and anything I have at hand. There is no great pre planning or arrangement. The pages are just happening! The best sort of art! Spontaneous, intuitive and fulfilling!