Weaving demo

The weaving demo for the art guild went well. I think for a group of fine artists (and not craftsmen), they asked some good questions and enjoyed trying the spinning wheel. One woman in the group was a knitter so she understood a lot of the lingo. Another man in the group was a basket weaver. After the demo the guild gave me a check and the weaver gave me this awesome little palm frond basket... I felt like it was Christmas all over again!

I have to say, I thank God everyday that I'm weaving again. I was so afraid I was done for. And I still have pain and probably always will, but nothing as debilitating as before. So that being said, let me introduce you to my newest little friend, Mr. Inkle

I'm finding that inkle weaving is a lot less time consuming to set up than card weaving. Love that. I'm looking through The Weaver's Inkle Pattern Directory by Anne Dixon. She has a nifty little thing printed in the front of the book; The Craftsman's Creed:
All of the fine traditions and the skill
are mine to use to raise
my craft renown
and mine to teach again with
reverent will.
Thus do I love to serve,
with fingers that
are masters of the tool.

Thought that was pretty boss.

paper stuff

We had a printmaking class last week. I had bought styrofoam sheets for this program but you can use the styrofoam trays that fruit and veggies come in. You draw your picture out in pen and then go over it pressing hard.

Then you paint on the styrofoam sheet and lay the paper over the sheet and press. Ta da!

Love the rocket ship!

Here's the little Mirrix. I've started a piece for the demo I'm doing on Thur. This little loom weaves like a dream! I have the 22" Zach model. I highly recommend this loom. Also my inkle loom should be coming today.

Here's a little tip I'd like to share. While warping the Mirrix, you can use a small roach clip with a heavy bead or weight of some sort to hold the warp in tension if, you know, nature calls or something. In other words, you don't have to get 'er done all at once. You can tell what era I'm from, right. Roach clips. They are awesome little tools.

New Year ... I hope

I feel like I should have some New Year resolutions. There are a few of them playing around the back of my head, but I really wonder if I'm just the proverbial dog who can't learn new tricks. I know from past experience, that if I make these resolutions, I'm just setting myself up for failure, and in the words of Sweet Brown, "...ain't nobody got time for that!"

But, the one thing I really do need to do this year is get more organized in the studio. I realized that this morning when I could not find the spring reeds for the Mirrix loom. I did find a few other things that had been lost while looking for the reeds but this is ridiculous. Everytime I go to look for something I have to hunt for it. That's not good. So if I can do that one thing, organization, I'll be happy.

Ok, I've got $150 in Christmas money. Part of that will go to St. Jude's. The rest goes to either a new cell phone or an inkle loom. Yeah, another loom. I'm mental. But check this one out!
 Isn't it cool...doesn't it look complicated? Do I really need another loom? Well, the answer to that is obviously no. But I'm not a phone person really. Mine acts up but I think I can live with it and I have a backup phone if it dies. Ok, I talked myself into the loom.

Here is the sloooooow progress on my painting. This is a mixed media collage. Not finished yet but almost. Still need to add a few details.

Here's a New Year laugh: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gesm2CiVbuo&list=HL1357157685

Santa Stars

This past week we made Christmas tree ornaments...Santa Stars YAY!

My daughter Che made one when she was 4 years old. It's still hanging on our tree at home and she's 22 now, so they are pretty durable.

You need: red poster board, oak tag, black construction paper and felt pens, green glitter, cotton balls, and white school glue.

Make an oak tag star template then have a teen volunteer trace them and cut them out. I luckily have a bevy of teen indentured servants, who if they want to graduate from high school, must be at my beck and call. HA ha! If you don't have a teen handy you'll have to do it yourself. Ouch. You must also cut out little construction paper belts long enough to go across the star's belly. Then decorate!

 This is mine... it looks like a deranged June Taylor dancer

We had a lot of fun making these little star people and I hope they will be hanging on these kids trees for 20 years or more.

I would like to say that my heart goes out to the parents of the 20 slain children in Newtown. Being a parent, I know how heartbroken and lost I would be. And the fact that this tragedy occurred at Christmas ... the ultimate children's holiday, is even sadder still.

I am so happy to work with children. I love their art and their happy faces when you tell them how much you like what they've made. I'm grateful to have the chance to do what I do.

10/31/2012 Booooo!!!!

My blog has taken a dark turn, boooooo..... a new look and a new outlook.

Our paper mache program, part 2, went very well.

The kids did a really good job with the molding of the masks and the painting part. I was really impressed because trying to get the flour paste newspaper to mold around the balloons wasn't all that easy. They did great!

10/8/12

Here's Mr. Oogly Moogly with his nose and lips on ...

...and here he is with color and yellow freckles!

He's not heavy but I'm thinking string to tie onto the kid's heads will not hold. I'm thinking maybe strips of cloth or something. Have to think on it.

10/5/2012

This is a paper mache mask that I started as an example for a paper mache class I'll be teaching on the 13th. I just blew up a balloon and started layering newspaper strips coated in flour water over the balloon. I used plastic water bottle caps to make the eye holes. Note: take the plastic caps out while the paper is still wet. It was hard to get them out when dry. So I'm now going to add a nose, some warts and little horns or little eyes on stalks (Halloween mask) once again using newspaper and flour water.  

I have not been weaving on the big loom and probably won't again. I've been diagnosed with arthritis and stenosis and warping the Big K has just become too much for me. However, don't cry for me Argentina... I am still planning a tapestry piece for my small Mirrix loom and I have gone full circle back to my love for collage and water color, so I'm happy.