New Work

'Santa Fe" is finished

'Beached' has been 'framed' in a different way. The painted frame has been added after the piece was stitched on a fabric back ground. 

Jewelry piece of the month

It is summer, it is hot. So I chose a bright piece of jewelry with a water theme for my 'jewelry piece of the month'. Lava, coral and silver. 

Santa Fe

Here is my 'first layer' of the piece Santa Fe. I have done a lot of stitching but I realize it is not really visible at this point. I hope the next layer of stitching will more visible and add to the dimension of the piece. 

Whistler House of Art

Art Quilts at the Whistler IV

July 1 through August 15 2008

Southwest Inspiration

Our trip to the New Mexico and Colorado last and this month is for sure worth a new post in my blog. This is not the first time that I have visited the area, but it has been a first at this time of the year. The colors were just amazing and so different from my previous experiences. They might have had a wetter spring and early summer or maybe more snow then usual but it just seemed so much greener than I remembered the area. This could just be my impression but I for sure enjoyed it. Nevertheless my favorite colors were the reds, yellows and subtle earth tones and I am already working on my first projects with these colors. 

Besides the colors another highlight were the historic sites of the pueblo indians and the rockies. I could also mention the food, which is for sure an art by itself, but since I am a fiber artist the food  is not the main reason for writing about the trip. 

The first project I will try to tackle is going to be an adobe wall 'structure', inspired by numerous buildings in Santa Fe and Taos Pueblo. And from there we will see...

Jewelry piece of the month

I am still working with magnet wire. The goal is not really to create jewelry but it is nice to practice and experiment with the desired material and then actually have a result that can be enjoyed. My goal is still to add more depth to my fiber pieces. 

I bought the book 'crocheted wire jewelry' by Arline M. Fisch. I like the book very much. The information about materials, wire gauges, hooks etc is great. The projects look very interesting, some of them I like better than others. I was a bit disappointed that in quite a few pieces one needs to have more than just crocheting experience. Soldering comes in very handy so does bezel setting. I also think the descriptions could be a bit more precise. I consider myself to be a good crocheter. But I am quite sure that without my very profound knowledge of reading patterns and instructions I would not be able to use the book. Still I am enjoying the book and use it a a challenge in between my other art work. 

Oh before I forget. I think they forgot to mention that the most important tool in creating this pieces for people above 30 years old is a very very good lamp. My absolute favorite phrases in the descriptions are : " count the stitches often as you crochet. Dropping or adding a stitch will greatly disrupt the pattern of the chain". I certainly agree with that but I was never at any point able to count the stitches as you can see on the picture. Or how about that one:" The shape is clumsy at this point, but make note of the stitch pattern. You can open the loops with a scribe to count the stitches and see the pattern more easily". I started bursting into laughter when I read that one, 'clumsy. open the loops WHAT loops, I know they were there just WHERE', I am sure an expert is able to do so, and after I bought a lamp I at least saw traces of stitches.... my friend kept me going by promising cosmos if I finish the project. I LOVE my bracelet and will treasure it. And of course the admiration for the artists working in that field has grown immensely. 

Titanium Needle

It seems that I am discovering things that have been around for a long time, but I was simply not aware of them. For whatever reason I am for sure not one that keeps up with what's new out there. And there is no particular reason for this.

I guess out of desperation I went needle hunting. I really LOVE working with my Microtex 8. There were no wholes even in my most delicate paper area. But with all my fabric and paper layers I simply was buying needles in the same amounts I buy swiss chocolate. That needed changing, no not the swiss chocolate part. So I asked  my new mechanic for advice. He just sold me the Janome Gem Platinum my new travel companion. He did not flinch when I showed him my work sample, but it must have looked really strange to him. That's different was all he said. We all kind  know what that means. But his suggestion was a titanium needle. And long and behold I am on my third art piece and I have NOT broken a single needle. Maybe just luck, but I like to believe that I found a solution to my needle drama. Granted the titanium needle is also a little heavier but the size of the wholes are so far not a problem.