TIF May: The Colors and Inspiration

Once again, I am calling myself "a grateful artist" - to Allison Aller for being my mentor in this crazy quilt thing - I have been motivated and inspired by her work for way over a year - and have done some of my best needlepoint design in the attempt to "replicate" her art crazies. I've been involved in other designwork in the last few months, but have really missed playing around with the CQ - so this one started with the colors for May, which remind me of morning glories and other spring flowers - and then I saw her little picture of what we call in Texas the "Evening Primrose" - an indigenous wildflower, which a few weeks ago looked like a pink blanket all over every yard and field around Austin. I took the picture this afternoon in my daughter's back yard - but the flowers are fading, besides having been hit last night with quite an unusual storm - even hail! Anyway - to start such a project, I was able to make an excursion to the local needlpoint shop to pick out threads (which I never mind doing) - but also had a few in my stash. I have ordered some 7mm silk ribbon in both the morning glory color and the primrose pink - but meanwhile, this is what I have for starters - both new and from my formidable stash. Incidentally, if you haven't seen this gorgeous ribbon - look at the Riversilks site! To start, I drew the heart on canvas, but haven't yet marked off the "patches," as I have to play around with drawings on paper first to get the best arrangement of the elements. I'm thinking, at this point, that it will have to be larger than the heart I drew, as I want to include many of the charming elements of this crazy quilt patch - with it's leaves included! - so stay tuned! Hopefully this will be a good one. I'm sure I will thoroughly enjoy the stitching of it, and am grateful once again to the "crazy quilt" community for the eye candy I see each morning as I cruise the blogs to get my brain primed for design in needlepoint. BTW - I did, of course, buy some new beads, but didn't include them in the picture. They are little "pearl" seed beads, which just seemed right for this. I really really like the orange leaves, and will most likely include them, as I believe they are necessary for the color scheme - but am not sure at this point how that will be handled - or what thread or stitch will be used.

Beads and "Jeweled" Trims

This is another binge which began with my playing around with the laces and trims again, and trying out new effects with threads, metallics, and beads. These pieces are worked with a minimum of elements - just the Kreinik metallic, YLI ribbon floss, and Sundance beads - only the crystal clear #250 hexagonal. As the individual "bracelets" and chains are counted, I put them onto canvas first with a Pilot drawing pen - makes it much easier! I wanted a strong vertical element to offset the horizontals, so worked the ribbon floss up and over three threads. (Another happy accident: after the vertical lines were drawn, I realized the count was even (6), which made it possible to do this stitch.) It's absolutely amazing how different the ribbon floss looks. It is exactly the same thread from the same spool - on each the red and the white ornaments. Basketweave darkens and dulls the look, and the longer, flat stitches reflect the light in a way that lightens and brightens the area. I wanted the beads to be a subtle accent to add a bit of sparkle to the ornaments, so used them on the backgrounds as well as every other stitch on the vertical lines. The clear beads were applied on the red piece with red cotton floss. I am not pleased with the green "jewels" on the red ornament, as I think they add too much texture - but I'm short on patience for ripping out! I probably should have used the Renaissance Shimmer, as I did on the white one to make "turquoises." The effect of these threads, etc., is stunning - and brings to mind so many different things that could be done with them - rearranging, etc. on other shapes. I have now drawn a heart and an egg, as well as starting a set of napkin rings and a few more bracelets. The round one will probably go the "kissing ball" way. I have no idea what a kissing ball is, but the diaper pattern ornament was finished this way - over a styrofoam ball with shirring (moire) around it. The red one will, of course, have a beautiful tassel hanging from the bottom. On the diaper pattern ball, the red flowers are beaded, and you can see, again, the effect of the light on the YLI ribbon floss. Amazing! This little project will probably go on for a while before I get totally tired of it - as I can see also small things like scissors fobs and keyrings! Now - on to creating more patterns with "laces and trims."

A Day at the Beach

While I'm busy painting things I don't care for (business is business) and dreaming of Florida and the assorted islands in the Gulf, my friend Cindy - actually of Sanibel Island (seashell heaven) is painting this sort of thing. She has a new blog, - so do check on her (here) from time to time. Her canvases are simple and colorful and delightful to behold - happy designs! Now I need a beach house for total escape and decompression with "Claude" and his lady friend - probably to be named "Dolly" - residing on a wicker sofa on a screened porch. Day dreaming is good for the soul. I would love to find time to stitch these - and due to the nice, broad and colorful areas, beads would do for wonderful enhancement and sparkle.

Talavera Mini-stockings

The "Acoma Pot" finished!

A few days late - but it's finished! What do I call myself? The generator of big messes - out of chaos comes art ??? Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this, despite the days I spent wallowing in self pity because my back hurt and I couldn't work. Or play on the computer.
For this canvas, I didn't want the shape of the pot, but rather the pattern elements and the glorious colors of the mid 19th century piece - so the challenge was to try to arrange them in an attractive way without losing the "feeling" of the pottery. I will put it away and look at it again tomorrow or the next day, as I always find whatever needs fixing after not looking at it for a while. My main purpose, besides using the beautiful color palette for April, was to create a needlepoint canvas for use of beads - to illustrate that they needn't be just sparkly Christmas things. This design is far too busy to accomodate decorative, textured stitches, which would ruin it by being very distracting to the eye. However, it needs something to add a bit of interest, and the beads (without sparkle) are the perfect thing, I think. I have no idea when I will have time for this, but maybe it will motivate me to hurry and finish what I am committed to now (and show some good sense about overextending my energies and hurting my back again.) At the present time, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the books I ordered on Pueblo pottery - good study to begin!!!

TIF May: Artists and Morning Glories

One of my favorite "sayings" states that the artist sees the world through different eyes. We don't just look at the world - we SEE it, and the images imprint in our minds to surface later for use in a visual creation of some sort. I have found that all of Sharon B.'s color schemes for the Challenge have immediately evoked a response in me. In this case, it is the Morning Glories I have loved since early childhood. My grandfather used to awaken me on summer mornings by laying one on my pillow - (the "Heavenly Blue" variety, which is still my favorite.) Coincidentally, I have just re-drawn a morning glory pillow in needlepoint, which includes shades of the colors for this month - which to me are morning glory colors. (also colors for other lovely spring flowers, as I see hyacinths, periwinkles, and hydrangeas here.) The picture is of the gorgeous Gerbera Daisy, which I photographed when we were noticing "details." Anyway - what do I call myself? I am an artist/designer. I have several friends with whom I have discussed these things lately, and we have found that we share many common traits - as we can "see" images in our heads in full color. (I thought until recently that everyone could do this.) We seem to be born with this ability, and it comes with a sort of compulsion/obsession/driven thing in wanting to create art in our respective chosen medium, and to learn all we can about others. (My children's word for this, when applied to me, except for two of them who share the gene, is "crazy." I rather prefer "eccentric.") The word "craft," at least in this country, has come to mean "making things" it seems - but usually things created by others (designers) and put out for sale through craft stores and shops for others to make and enjoy. (Many exceptions, of course - as the making of fine furniture is a craft - but done by artisans who are, after all, artists) Crafting is very therapeutic, and needn't be limited just to those who are able to design and create the projects - which is what I have so enjoyed about my needlepoint design, as I can share the "craft" of stitching with others. It isn't generally understood that painted canvas needlepoint design is "ART" - as it takes more skill putting a well drawn, shaded flower onto canvas in a way to make it look gorgeous and realistic, but at the same time, divided into areas that make it easy for the stitcher to know exactly where to put the stitches. It goes way beyond just painting a pretty picture. The needlepoint designer must know, for example, how many values of certain thread colors are available. The decision has to be made whether to put it on small, medium, or large mesh canvas to be the most effective - and on and on. One could paint an animal's face onto needlepoint canvas to look quite lifelike, but if it isn't done properly, the stitcher will have great difficulty in making it look right. Some of this may not be making a lot of sense, as I haven't quite figured it out either - but what I'm trying to say is that sometimes people look at me strangely when they ask if I'm an artist - then when I say I do needlepoint design, they shrug as if it really doesn't qualify. (Just let them try it!!) So - I am an artist - and I design things for others to hopefully enjoy crafting in making wonderful accessories for their own homes, and enjoy the benefits of the activity while doing so. Now I'm off to paint the canvas with the April colors that I swore I would do yesterday. My back was hurting - so I loafed. (artists make good excuses, also. It's called "creative avoidance.")

TIF Challenge: Colors, Acoma Pottery, and Change!

An idea - this is how it begins: An image! (Needlepoint is slow to stitch, so I won't get this done, obviously, by tomorrow - but I can get the canvas painted.) When I first saw the colors for April, my immediate thought, was the Australian Aborigene art and the old Amerindian pottery - mainly the Pueblo pottery of New Mexico. I first saw this beautiful ceramic when I was about 7 years old, and visiting Santa Fe with my parents. At that time, of course, it was the color and form I liked, with no thought to how it was made or where the colors came from for the decoration - or the meaning of the decorative motfs. It wasn't until I enrolled in a pottery class at the local art museum several years ago (something I have always wanted to do, but had no time for in college) that I realized what a wonder these things are - they are totally coil built! Amazing how uniform the shapes are, and how smooth the surfaces. The study of the flora and fauna and other shapes and their symbolism is an area I want to get into, and have now ordered some books - so interests change! (Last year it was the exuberant and flamboyant Mexican Talavera-style ceramics) The illustration is an Acoma pot from the mid 19th century - from the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. I browse there often just to look at these wonderful works of art. The Mimbres pottery too is a great source for design, as it is more conventionalized in pattern - so quite mathematical, which is what I enjoy. The next step in this process, happily, was to go to the LNS for threads and beads to use in the stitching. (I always love a valid excuse for spending money on these things). I had a bit of trouble with the golden/orange, so had to opt for the Splendor silk with some beads a bit more subdued, which will, I think, get the mottled effect of the color on the pot. The Sundance beads, fortunately, have many colors in the finish that isn't glittering or sparkling -so will just add some textural interest to the piece. The simplicity of this work would not be suitable for doing textured "fancy" stitches, but it does need something to jazz up the needlework a bit. I have already made a rough sketch of the motifs on the pot, and now just have to rearrange and clean it up a bit - and with artistic license, create a wonderful decorative accessory for my home! Tomorrow, which is the last day of April, I will show the painted canvas!