Whew!

Open Studios is over, and I had a great time talking with all the visitors.  Most had never seen "painting with fiber" before, and wanted to know all about wet- and needle-felting.  The Ashland Library volunteer art curator has asked me to do an exhibition, and is booking about 14 months out -- that should give me time to get enough pieces complete, as he needs 15-16.  In between visitors, I was working on my current piece, and between then and this week when I'm on vacation, I've gotten a lot accomplished.

I've added some needle-felted detail to the lower right side, with suggestions of vegetation.

I needle-felted in the rocks and cliffs so that the waterfalls are defined.  Added some striated cliffs.  Still more to do on this for the first fall at the top.

Filled in more of the sun-glinted water and the sand bars.  Needle-felted some rocks in the river.

Worked on the waterfall and rocks as well as the elevations to the river on the lower left.

Next I need to work on the wrinkles on the upper right, to define them, and then finish up the sun rays at the top left, and the remaining detail.  I'd say I'm about 60% done right now. 

Looking forward to being in the studio on Friday afternoon and all day Saturday!

This is it! Open Studios!

We're open Saturday and Sunday from noon until 5p at 1602B Concord Street in Saxonville, Framingham.  Gallery 2B is open with a completely new group exhibition, and all of the artists' studios will be open, too.  Plenty of parking off Watson Place.  This is a free, family-friendly event!

Hope to see you there!

For directions, flyer, and more info:

http://www.saxonvillestudios.com/NEW/openstudios.html

Prepping for Next Weekend

This weekend I spent getting things organized for Open Studios next weekend (11/12 and 11/13 from noon to 5p).  Unlike last year, I'm not going to stage educational stations -- it's going to be my working fiber studio, warts and all (although some of the warts are hidden behind a screen).

Hope you can come!  1602B Concord Street, Framingham, MA.

20 / 20

Anothre 20 hours of embroidery and stitchery, 20 new spools of thread (my gosh, have you seen the price of thread lately?!?!?) ... can you see progress?



More, more, more...

Last Saturday was more quilting of the wrinkles.  This Saturday will be more quilting of the wrinkles.  This project will last at least through my lifetime.  My mother had a hooked rug that was her lifetime project (waiting in her attic for me to take pity upon it and try to finish it), and I think this is mine.:)

Of course, the real wrinkle is that we're expecting a hurricane on Sunday.

Oh, and don't forget to pick up a copy of the Metrowest Daily News on Sunday - there should be a short profile of me and my fiber art in there.

Here Comes the Sun

Another weekend, and I decided to start on some of the sun rays and background.  On day three of a head cold, I thought it might be too tedious, but time flew.

I laid in two of the sunrays (thanks to Donna for finding the right color), and started stitching along the wrinkles that I worked into the felt when it was wet.

The wrinkles are highlighted in copper, bronze, gold, and antique gold threads.

Detailing the Waterfall

I got tired of putting in the background stitches, and decided to do the waterfall area in detail.  So that's what I worked on today.  Although you can't see it unless you click on the image to expand it, there are all little specks of gold, green, copper, and blues in the waterfall.  I've started filling in the water flowing to the falls with other blues as well as the glint of gold where the sun hits the water.  I needlefelted in some rocks above, and then needlefelted the striated rocks on the right of the falls with embroidery to mark the fissures in the striations.  The falls end in a froth of needlefelted white wool.

What do you think?

Stitchin' (and bitchin')

I managed to get the temperature at the studio down from 100+ to a "comfortable" 85 so that I could work on Grand Canyon Sunset these past weeks.  Working on felt in these temperatures is not always pleasant!

So I've been stitching and stitching and stitching the past weekends, and it's starting to look like I've actually been working on this project!  :)  Size 30 and 40 thread gives lovely detail, but it's tediously slow.  It was much faster with the size 12 turquoise thread in the waterfall.  Even so, I suspect this piece will take at least my lifetime.

My sister came down to work on her jewelry (actually to shop my beads is more like it!).  It was nice to have the company.  She has a show coming up in the fall, and she'll have her things at the Saxonville Studios Open Studios event - save the dates for either November 12th or 13th.  This year, instead of having educational displays up, folks are going to see my "real" studio - a working studio.  Hope to see yout there.

Also, one last bit of news:  Julia Spitz is going to be doing a "What's Your Talent" series in August, and I will be one of the featured people.  I believe it will run in the "A" section of the MetroWest Daily News.  I'll post the publication date when I find out.

Weekend Progress

Last week and this weekend I spent couching yarn onto Grand Canyon Sunset, and laying in the first layer of embroidered sewing thread for the suggestion of a river (not pictured).

Here are some in-progress photos.

International Freeform Crochet Guild 2011 Challenge

The INTFF 2011 Challenge book and website are released!  The challenge theme was Mythologies, Stories & Fairy Tales, and I have to say that I've never seen such a terrific display of freeform... ever!

Check it out!

http://www.freeformcrochet.com/

Grand Canyon Sunset

Between a bout with bronchitis, I've managed to start a large new piece.  I've wet-felted the background, and now I'm going to have fun embellishing it. 

I've got some gorgeous eggplant-colored silk yarn, and I'm going to use it to suggest the cliff-tops and mesas.  I'm laying it out, and then I'll couch it onto the felted background.

Above you can see me playing with following some of the felt colorway with the eggplant silk.  And below, I'm needle-felting on various yarns to highlight the top of some cliffs with vegetation on the right.

I'm thinking of suggesting a river, far below, meandering through.  Will post this in progress as I work on it.

Getting Organized...

Was getting organized yesterday for some upcoming submissions.  I'll be submitting for 6x6, the INTFF 2011 Challenge (for which I need to write something up describing it, and which I can't show you until after it's published!), and Peace Felt.  And starting to get piles of things together for Elegance in April. 

Neal worked on his ship and put together a couple of display easels for me for EinA.  And Donna came by to work on some charity items for her crochet group.

I was noodling around with some roulags of wool, and had a glimmer of an idea on a possible piece using them.

So really, the studio looks like a wreck, but there is some method to my madness!

Moon Kissed is done...

"And still of a winter's night, they say, when the wind is in the trees,


When the moon is a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,

When the road is a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,

A highwayman comes riding— "

-  Alfred Noyes, The Highwayman
 
 

 

It's hard to tell in the photos, but the tree branches reach forward, out to the viewer.

 

This piece will be submitted to the Danforth Museum's Off the Wall juried show.  I'm hoping that they can see the dimensionality in the 3MB file.

Anticipation...

Looking forward to a day at the studio tomorrow!

My sister's coming by to work on her jewelry (she'll be at Elegance in April with me on the 30th at St. George's in Framingham), and I'll be photographing stuff for various submissions and finishing up Moon Kissed.

I'm thinking of submitting Moon Kissed (and two others) to the Danforth Off the Wall juried show this year.  It was so fantastic to be juried into last year's show and such a great experience, that I want to do it again!

Elegance In April - 4/30/11

An evening of artistic and cultural wonders for your review. So break out your fancy attire and be swept into the world of local artists as you meander garden paths of paintings, photography, fiber arts, stained glass, book and poetry readings. And all surrounded by soft music, samples of wine, cheese and various culinary treats to accent your journey.

Like what you see? Make a purchase and take the elegance home.
A silent auction is also available.
When: Saturday, April 30, 2011

Where: St. George Parish Hall, 74 School Street, Framingham
Time: 7:00 to 9:00 P.M.
Cost: $25 (early bird $20 - March 20 to April 10) - no tickets at the door.
Proceeds: To help defray the cost of St. George Youth Ministry team's pilgrimage to Madrid, Spain in August for World Youth Day.

For tickets:   Leslee Willitts willitts at rcn.com 

Moon Kissed

Although I'm not able to post a photo of the freeform crochet piece I'm working on for the 2011 International FreeForm Guild's themed show (fairy tales, stories, myths), I have also been working on a wet-felted piece with needlefelted detail that I'm calling Moon Kissed.  I finished wet-felting the background of wool and silk yesterday, and today I started on the three-dimensional needle-felted detail.

It's a tough one to take a photo of, because of the dark colors, but I hope this gives you an idea of the background and the three-dimensional tree.

My goodness!

I really haven't meant to ignore this blog, but life has gotten away from me.  You know how it goes.  Sick me.  Sick Neal.  Sick critters.  Root canal.  Neal in hospital.  Neal in surgery.  And then you look up and it's been weeks and weeks since you've blogged... or gotten to the studio.

Had a great time at the Danforth, showing the teen docents how to needlefelt.  They had fun, and I think I've created new needlefelters.

Am also working on some items for the Elegance in April event at St. George's.  My sister (with her jewelry) and I with my needlefelt will be there.  Should be fun!

The primary piece in progress is for the International Free Form Guild's theme show.  It's due in early May, and I can't show you what it is -- it's unveiled at the online show, and published in a book that comes out in the summer.  The theme this year is Myths, Stories, and Fairy Tales.  I'm having fun planning and executing my idea.

I've got this coming Monday off, so I'll be in the studio all day Monday instead of Saturday.  Or perhaps in addition to Saturday -- not sure yet.  But if you're in the area on Monday, stop by (10a-3p).

I was excited to find that the book, 100 Artists of New England, shipped before I thought it was going to from Amazon.  E. Ashley Rooney has put together an interesting collection of emerging artists.  This collection includes my bud, Lynette Haggard (p110) with her fabulous encaustic.  The book is organized by each state in New England, with luscious full-color images of the artists and their works.  It's a visual dessert of a book. 

-Perry-