I am not sure what is happening to me right about now. One moment I think I am feeling okay and getting over the vile flu bug that took me down two weeks ago. Then, I get a not so subtle reminder that I am not quite in control of my body just yet. The worst part is over and I am now just not feeling strong enough to do all the things that I normally enjoy doing, such as blogging, tweeting, playing in my studio or playing a rigorous game of peek and hide with Molly Cat. Seriously, this bug is ruining my life and I am about to go to war to regain control and get my life back on the gentle but enjoyable path that I try to follow.
I did manage to get out briefly today to pick up a few essentials but had to head home before a couple of hours had elapsed. No lingering over a coffee and a bagel, no stopping by to sniff at some fragrances, have a boo at some new metal wall art at another shop I love to stop by for a browse. I did not even stop at the kitchen supply shop to look at the white dishes that are on sale. As much as I love a good sale, my head and my insides told me that heading home for some tea and a nap was the wise thing to do. And so, Molly Cat and I joined ranks and curled up for a quick snooze before trying to put the studio in order for getting back to the business of making art.
I have not held a paint brush for a long time and the last creative thing that I did was to send in the exhibit piece in late August for the September show. I have since heard that I did not place and no one has inquired about purchasing the piece. I am not discouraged, nor do I feel that I need to stop making art. I make no apologies, my art is evolving much the way that I feel that I am changing with each day. Whilst I seem to be fighting an uphill battle at present to regain some semblance of normalcy and live life the way I choose to, I am going to commit to spending the better part of the upcoming week in the studio. The flu bug needs to get packing and move out of the premises pronto. I will not tolerate another week of lethargic movements, taking a few nibbles of toast to see if I can quell the unsettling feeling in my stomach. I want to be able to drink a few cups of coffee each day in addition to my usual quantity of tea and diet cola. I will even substitute diet ginger ale for the diet cola and did purchase said ginger ale again today. I picked up more crackers and bread to make into toast to quell the queasiness that seems to have made itself at home in my body.
The point of this little rant is to make everyone aware that we are heading into flu season quickly. Prepare yourselves now and keep essentials on hand just in case you are not able to get out of the house. Wash your hands frequently and keep hand sanitizers in your pocket for when you are out and about. Eat healthy meals, keep yourselves hydrated and well rested. Cough into the crook of your arm or into some tissues. Dispose of the tissues properly. And did I mention to wash your hands? Do not underestimate how important it is to wash your hands properly with soap and warm water. I am not being an alarmist, not in the least. Every year many people contract the flu virus and some are not as lucky as I have been. And, I have been lucky. Despite the duration of this bug, I know that things are looking up and I should be back to what passes for full speed in a matter of a few more days. I will see my doctor this week just to be safe and I will ask when he thinks the flu shots will be available. Likely not for another month or so, but I will be one of the first in line to get my shot. I have had a shot every year for many years now and I know that things could have been a lot worse even with this brush with unpleasantness. Not everyone is as lucky when battling the flu. An elderly neighbour told me that she also was down for a week with the same bug and is just now getting back on her feet.
Life will return to normal soon, of that I am confident. I will get back into the studio and get the paints out, start making the copious quantities of cards that I seem to go through, and work on some other artistic endeavours that are part of a project I need to get moving on to meet the submission date. I have so many things to do and I will be working on them this week. But first, I needed to let you know that I have been thinking of all of you and wishing I could once again be part of the cyber world where I have the best friends and meet new people all the time. The tweets will once again start flying out as quickly as I can queue them up. I will be back on Facebook
For now, I am calling it an early night and planning to be up with the birds tomorrow. After a quick run to pick up some fresh fruit and veg, I will do the daily tidy up and then go online briefly before heading into the studio for some quality time with my treasured supplies. Molly Cat will be her usual chatty self and we will spend several hours working on something fun. Mind you, I will make time every so often to play little games with my furry friend. Molly Cat has been be a trooper and has taken very good care of me over the past two weeks. I plan to return the favour and keep her amused and intrigued with little games of chase, peek and seek, and reward her with her favourite little treats. That is what fur baby parents do and I am no different.
So, for now, I am saying good night. But, I promise to be more of a presence in the various social media venues where I usually post each day. I will be thinking of all of you as I putter around the flat and work on artsy pieces. And I will be hoping that all of you to stay healthy.
Sincerely, Rutheemac
Monday, September 26, 2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Miniature pieces, but major effort!
Sorry for being MIA for the last while! Life got a little out of control and I had to stand back and let the chaos settle for a bit. I try to do too much at one time and consequently, put a little too much pressure on myself causing me to withdraw into myself and figure out what it is that is troubling me. There is something about the start of September that pulls my stomach into knots and I have to slow down to a crawl, get myself together again (mentally and physically) before I can resume a somewhat normal schedule or what passes for one in my life. Once again, my body has made me realize that putting too much pressure on myself to produce is not healthy nor is it productive. Lesson learned, I will slow down the pace and be creative when I am rested and feeling that I want to unleash the artistic self in me. Enough said!
I have been playing with the idea of making miniature art pieces for a while now and for the past week have been cutting, pasting, stamping, adding embellishments and so on. I have found that although the pieces I have been working on are tiny, the effort that goes into them is major. I am working on sturdy cardboard arches that measure 4 3/4" x 3 3/4 ". Finding images for such a tiny "canvas" and adding other elements to complement the main image takes a lot of time, more than I had ever imagined. Deciding on the colours to use in the background and for making the stamp impressions means doing test runs on scraps of paper and then try to coordinate a colour of washi tape to use as an accent before moving on to the actual piece of cardboard being used.
I have been thinking a lot about old photos, images of the past, stamps of antique light fixtures and days long past in general. There is something about the early 1900's that is appealing to me and consequently, ladies sporting fashions from around the 1920's have been finding there way onto my pieces. Finding decorative paper accents to work along side of the images is an endurance test because once you find the right paper you need to decide on how it will appear on the finished piece without taking away from the main image. In some cases, I find a piece of interesting paper for the background, add some other colours in the form of ribbon or tape before I actually decide on what will be the main focus of the piece. This sounds like a very backward approach to making a miniature piece of art, but, it seems to work for me. Once I see what the accenting colours and images are going to be, I can focus with a clearer mind on what I am trying to put down on the page. I use the word "page" loosely, meaning whatever I am using to build my mixed media piece upon. I guess in a way, you could say that I am making a collage of an earlier time. I picture this time as being dark and consequently use blacks, bottle greens, dark purple and some sepia or brown tones. I have put up three images to the side for you to have a look at.
The first picture is of a lady from the past with a very curious hair style and hat. The word "Haunting" appears on the right side of the piece. Some textured paper in blue and black with white outlines of petals making up daisy like flowers works in with the darkness of the piece. Black foliage works its way around the perimeter and an old fashioned chandelier is stamped at the top. But, there is no light in the chandelier and so the art piece is left in its darkness. Looking at this image, I feel haunted and try to discern a meaning to what I have put together and why. I suspect the darkness of my mood when I was working on this is making itself apparent to anyone who looks at this. Strangely, while my mood was dark, I cannot truthfully say that I was in emotional turmoil at the time. Frustrated, annoyed, introspective would be adjectives that more closely described my mood, but never fear, I had not gone to that dark place that we all have within ourselves. I was just not my usual complacent self. Is it not amazing how you can look at a piece of art and immediately know the artist's frame of mind when he or she was working on the piece. This miniature evolved over a three day period, taking many hours to think about and put together to my satisfaction.
On the flip side of the first piece, I have stayed with the dark colours and you see a bird sitting amongst various bits of greenery. The foliage is black and the stamping of the bird's image came out lighter despite my having used the same onyx ink pad. The background colour is the same as the first piece, a golden olive colour, drab, but at the same time giving a shimmering effect. The daisy pattern on the paper is brought through to this piece as is the bottle green washi tape. I really do not feel that this is a particularly cheerful piece, but that is the way life is in reality. We cannot be perpetually cheery or at least I cannot pull that one off successfully. So again, we have another bleak image, nature not showing its wonderful colours, but at the same time maybe I have put down an authentic depiction of what I was feeling when this came together a short while ago. I feel that the look of the piece is almost as if the bird is in camouflage, hiding itself (or me) from impending danger. Do not be alarmed, I am not in any way in danger of anything other than using my mood to help me put out a piece of art. Maybe my psyche is in turmoil because I should be making some decisions about how my life unfolds over the next few years. If so, I have got a lot of thinking to do and might as well use the well of emotions as subject matter in different art mediums.
The third piece is again done on an arch which is in the process of becoming an accordion book. Again, dark colours - purple, deep gold and black stamping. The background is from some paper that I happened upon that has lovely little sentiments from a love letter of many years ago, elegantly inscribed on ivory paper. The stamp of two little birds, obviously in love as depicted by the hearts, makes me smile. Both the birds and four of the hearts are done in black ink. The elegant flourish stamped at the top of the piece is done in black. I wonder if this is my inner self showing cynically how I feel about romance. I guess it is pretty obvious that while I will acknowledge that romance does exist in some form, it just has not made itself present in my life this time around. This is a statement of fact, not a cry of a wounded soul. I actually feel that romance does not have a place in everyone's life. So be it, get over it and get on with the life you currently inhabit. Maybe in my next life, there will be romance, but I strongly doubt it. Chaos seems to be a constant for me and something that I deal with rather well.
So, this is what I have been working on for the past two weeks along with a few other pieces that are still in production, but in many pieces scattered around my studio. I need to do a major tidy before I go any further with anything art related. Wiping down the flat surfaces in the studio might put some positive energy into the air and spark some bright colours to be coaxed out of their tubes. I have some lovely sandalwood incense that I can burn and hopefully that will permeate the air with a sense of anticipation of things to come. Autumn is here and although it is sad to say goodbye to the summer, autumn is a wonderful time of the year, special in its own way. It is up to me to find the excitement in the change of seasons and I will. It just might take a few days.
I hope you are all involved in amazing artistic journeys right now! Have a great week.
Sincerely, Rutheemac
I have been playing with the idea of making miniature art pieces for a while now and for the past week have been cutting, pasting, stamping, adding embellishments and so on. I have found that although the pieces I have been working on are tiny, the effort that goes into them is major. I am working on sturdy cardboard arches that measure 4 3/4" x 3 3/4 ". Finding images for such a tiny "canvas" and adding other elements to complement the main image takes a lot of time, more than I had ever imagined. Deciding on the colours to use in the background and for making the stamp impressions means doing test runs on scraps of paper and then try to coordinate a colour of washi tape to use as an accent before moving on to the actual piece of cardboard being used.
I have been thinking a lot about old photos, images of the past, stamps of antique light fixtures and days long past in general. There is something about the early 1900's that is appealing to me and consequently, ladies sporting fashions from around the 1920's have been finding there way onto my pieces. Finding decorative paper accents to work along side of the images is an endurance test because once you find the right paper you need to decide on how it will appear on the finished piece without taking away from the main image. In some cases, I find a piece of interesting paper for the background, add some other colours in the form of ribbon or tape before I actually decide on what will be the main focus of the piece. This sounds like a very backward approach to making a miniature piece of art, but, it seems to work for me. Once I see what the accenting colours and images are going to be, I can focus with a clearer mind on what I am trying to put down on the page. I use the word "page" loosely, meaning whatever I am using to build my mixed media piece upon. I guess in a way, you could say that I am making a collage of an earlier time. I picture this time as being dark and consequently use blacks, bottle greens, dark purple and some sepia or brown tones. I have put up three images to the side for you to have a look at.
The first picture is of a lady from the past with a very curious hair style and hat. The word "Haunting" appears on the right side of the piece. Some textured paper in blue and black with white outlines of petals making up daisy like flowers works in with the darkness of the piece. Black foliage works its way around the perimeter and an old fashioned chandelier is stamped at the top. But, there is no light in the chandelier and so the art piece is left in its darkness. Looking at this image, I feel haunted and try to discern a meaning to what I have put together and why. I suspect the darkness of my mood when I was working on this is making itself apparent to anyone who looks at this. Strangely, while my mood was dark, I cannot truthfully say that I was in emotional turmoil at the time. Frustrated, annoyed, introspective would be adjectives that more closely described my mood, but never fear, I had not gone to that dark place that we all have within ourselves. I was just not my usual complacent self. Is it not amazing how you can look at a piece of art and immediately know the artist's frame of mind when he or she was working on the piece. This miniature evolved over a three day period, taking many hours to think about and put together to my satisfaction.
On the flip side of the first piece, I have stayed with the dark colours and you see a bird sitting amongst various bits of greenery. The foliage is black and the stamping of the bird's image came out lighter despite my having used the same onyx ink pad. The background colour is the same as the first piece, a golden olive colour, drab, but at the same time giving a shimmering effect. The daisy pattern on the paper is brought through to this piece as is the bottle green washi tape. I really do not feel that this is a particularly cheerful piece, but that is the way life is in reality. We cannot be perpetually cheery or at least I cannot pull that one off successfully. So again, we have another bleak image, nature not showing its wonderful colours, but at the same time maybe I have put down an authentic depiction of what I was feeling when this came together a short while ago. I feel that the look of the piece is almost as if the bird is in camouflage, hiding itself (or me) from impending danger. Do not be alarmed, I am not in any way in danger of anything other than using my mood to help me put out a piece of art. Maybe my psyche is in turmoil because I should be making some decisions about how my life unfolds over the next few years. If so, I have got a lot of thinking to do and might as well use the well of emotions as subject matter in different art mediums.
The third piece is again done on an arch which is in the process of becoming an accordion book. Again, dark colours - purple, deep gold and black stamping. The background is from some paper that I happened upon that has lovely little sentiments from a love letter of many years ago, elegantly inscribed on ivory paper. The stamp of two little birds, obviously in love as depicted by the hearts, makes me smile. Both the birds and four of the hearts are done in black ink. The elegant flourish stamped at the top of the piece is done in black. I wonder if this is my inner self showing cynically how I feel about romance. I guess it is pretty obvious that while I will acknowledge that romance does exist in some form, it just has not made itself present in my life this time around. This is a statement of fact, not a cry of a wounded soul. I actually feel that romance does not have a place in everyone's life. So be it, get over it and get on with the life you currently inhabit. Maybe in my next life, there will be romance, but I strongly doubt it. Chaos seems to be a constant for me and something that I deal with rather well.
So, this is what I have been working on for the past two weeks along with a few other pieces that are still in production, but in many pieces scattered around my studio. I need to do a major tidy before I go any further with anything art related. Wiping down the flat surfaces in the studio might put some positive energy into the air and spark some bright colours to be coaxed out of their tubes. I have some lovely sandalwood incense that I can burn and hopefully that will permeate the air with a sense of anticipation of things to come. Autumn is here and although it is sad to say goodbye to the summer, autumn is a wonderful time of the year, special in its own way. It is up to me to find the excitement in the change of seasons and I will. It just might take a few days.
I hope you are all involved in amazing artistic journeys right now! Have a great week.
Sincerely, Rutheemac
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Holidays are on the horizon!
After finishing my piece and getting it sent off for the exhibit, I felt a sense of loss. It was as if there was nothing to look forward to with the completion of that piece. I wandered about the flat trying to think of something that would provide a challenge and be interesting to work on. It was not long before I thought about trying to submit a piece to a magazine to see if it had a chance of being used and then I realized that the holidays were not that far off and it would be wise to start prepping cards, gifts, and other tokens of appreciation along with pulling together the magazine submission.
With all this in mind, I set about putting the studio back in order and tried to put all the items I had been using, back into their rightful places. Making progress, I had some table tops cleared and a working area designated as well as an area where pieces would hopefully be safely left to dry. Molly Cat has a bad habit of thinking that she can roam at will where ever and when ever she wishes. While I am generally an easy going person, I do get a tad worked up when Molly starts moving my artwork around, especially if it has not completely dried. I am trying to break her of the habit, but it is going to take some time.
Truthfully, I really am not sure what I plan to make. At this point, I know that I will make holiday cards as well as a stash of generic ones that will fit almost any occasion. I feel comforted knowing that I can reach for a card at any time and write a brief message in it and send it off to a friend. So, between making the generic cards along with a few special birthday ones since I know of a few birthdays in the not so distant future, I will go full force and get the holiday cards designed and with a little luck, get the envelopes addressed. I got the idea that I would like to make some special cards out of chip board which would make them more of a keepsake. With that in mind, I found some interesting tri fold pieces that are reminiscent of an altar or little shrine. I have done one up with a generic theme, one that could be sent to a woman on her birthday.
The small shrine has been painted a light shade of blue and has some floral accents added to the front two pieces which open up to reveal the stamped images of ladies from years gone by accented with bottle green washi tape and stamped images of flowers on either side of the main image of the women. The caption at the top reads "To an amazing woman." I can think of many women that this would apply to and think it wise to make up several of these cards.
In addition to the cards, I have also been working on the template for a calendar to be given as part of a holiday gift. I do not have a completed one, but have included a picture of the calendar blank that I will be using. I have a stamp of a calendar page which I will use on the lower portion of the page and then stamp an appropriate image on the top page to coordinate with a holiday during that month or something seasonal. While the one I am showing you is made up of blue and green shades of card stock, I also have some blanks put together of more vibrant citrus colours, shades of pink, spring colours and one of reds, oranges and yellows that I hope to tie in with an Asian theme. I forsee a lot of work over the next month or two, but it will be time well spent and will hopefully get me in a position of being ahead of the game come the early days of December.
I have already tucked away a few gifts for the holidays, ones that I happened across unexpectedly, but knew that they would be perfect for the individuals for whom they are intended. I am gathering some recipes together that I will put together a little closer to the big day. Once again, I will do a few days of intense baking that will not only fill gift tins for friends, but fill up some containers for me to keep in the freezer and brought out when I hear of friends coming over for a visit. With all this in mind, it would be wise to start picking up items needed for these recipes, so best I go through the cupboards, organizing as I go and making note of what items I am going to need. I would like to make shortbread, but find that it is easier to purchase it. None of my recipes yield the perfect shortbread cookie and that is what I really long for during the holidays. The other treats are fine, but a shortbread cookie along with a cup of tea just makes the day seem more festive.
What are you working on artistically right now? Are you prepping for a church bazaar or charity sale? Will you be making something crafty or will you do some baking? We would all love to hear what you are up to as it will jump start our own thought process and hopefully bring to mind something that we can make. I will put up pictures of my own creative attempts to show you where I am heading artistically. Gift tags, cards, calendars and decorative place setting markers will all be in production over the next month. Hopefully, I will have enough of each item made that will carry me through the holidays with a few to spare. It never hurts to have a few extra items in the cupboard for an unexpected guest who arrives along with the ones you had planned for to attend an evening's festivities. The more the merrier and since I generally bake more items than necessary, the refreshment table will not suffer from a shortage of goodies. Suddenly, I feel much better about the impending season now that I have plans in place. Now, as long as I hold firm on my resolve to stay on top of things, not only will I get my submission ready for the magazine, I will have the freezer stocked with sweet treats and little gifts wrapped and ready to disperse. Now, that is a good thing! Even Martha Stewart would have to agree. ;)
Have a great week!
Sincerely, Rutheemac
With all this in mind, I set about putting the studio back in order and tried to put all the items I had been using, back into their rightful places. Making progress, I had some table tops cleared and a working area designated as well as an area where pieces would hopefully be safely left to dry. Molly Cat has a bad habit of thinking that she can roam at will where ever and when ever she wishes. While I am generally an easy going person, I do get a tad worked up when Molly starts moving my artwork around, especially if it has not completely dried. I am trying to break her of the habit, but it is going to take some time.
Truthfully, I really am not sure what I plan to make. At this point, I know that I will make holiday cards as well as a stash of generic ones that will fit almost any occasion. I feel comforted knowing that I can reach for a card at any time and write a brief message in it and send it off to a friend. So, between making the generic cards along with a few special birthday ones since I know of a few birthdays in the not so distant future, I will go full force and get the holiday cards designed and with a little luck, get the envelopes addressed. I got the idea that I would like to make some special cards out of chip board which would make them more of a keepsake. With that in mind, I found some interesting tri fold pieces that are reminiscent of an altar or little shrine. I have done one up with a generic theme, one that could be sent to a woman on her birthday.
The small shrine has been painted a light shade of blue and has some floral accents added to the front two pieces which open up to reveal the stamped images of ladies from years gone by accented with bottle green washi tape and stamped images of flowers on either side of the main image of the women. The caption at the top reads "To an amazing woman." I can think of many women that this would apply to and think it wise to make up several of these cards.
In addition to the cards, I have also been working on the template for a calendar to be given as part of a holiday gift. I do not have a completed one, but have included a picture of the calendar blank that I will be using. I have a stamp of a calendar page which I will use on the lower portion of the page and then stamp an appropriate image on the top page to coordinate with a holiday during that month or something seasonal. While the one I am showing you is made up of blue and green shades of card stock, I also have some blanks put together of more vibrant citrus colours, shades of pink, spring colours and one of reds, oranges and yellows that I hope to tie in with an Asian theme. I forsee a lot of work over the next month or two, but it will be time well spent and will hopefully get me in a position of being ahead of the game come the early days of December.
I have already tucked away a few gifts for the holidays, ones that I happened across unexpectedly, but knew that they would be perfect for the individuals for whom they are intended. I am gathering some recipes together that I will put together a little closer to the big day. Once again, I will do a few days of intense baking that will not only fill gift tins for friends, but fill up some containers for me to keep in the freezer and brought out when I hear of friends coming over for a visit. With all this in mind, it would be wise to start picking up items needed for these recipes, so best I go through the cupboards, organizing as I go and making note of what items I am going to need. I would like to make shortbread, but find that it is easier to purchase it. None of my recipes yield the perfect shortbread cookie and that is what I really long for during the holidays. The other treats are fine, but a shortbread cookie along with a cup of tea just makes the day seem more festive.
What are you working on artistically right now? Are you prepping for a church bazaar or charity sale? Will you be making something crafty or will you do some baking? We would all love to hear what you are up to as it will jump start our own thought process and hopefully bring to mind something that we can make. I will put up pictures of my own creative attempts to show you where I am heading artistically. Gift tags, cards, calendars and decorative place setting markers will all be in production over the next month. Hopefully, I will have enough of each item made that will carry me through the holidays with a few to spare. It never hurts to have a few extra items in the cupboard for an unexpected guest who arrives along with the ones you had planned for to attend an evening's festivities. The more the merrier and since I generally bake more items than necessary, the refreshment table will not suffer from a shortage of goodies. Suddenly, I feel much better about the impending season now that I have plans in place. Now, as long as I hold firm on my resolve to stay on top of things, not only will I get my submission ready for the magazine, I will have the freezer stocked with sweet treats and little gifts wrapped and ready to disperse. Now, that is a good thing! Even Martha Stewart would have to agree. ;)
Have a great week!
Sincerely, Rutheemac
Monday, August 22, 2011
The making of an exhibit piece
It is the start of another week and I have just now finished the art piece heading for an exhibition. This piece has been in the making for a long time. Prep work started in June when I was sketching out ideas hoping for one to capture what I hoped would be the best of the best in my sketch book. Time passed on and I knew that I had to get working on this lest I leave it down to the wire and barely get it submitted before the September 01 deadline.
Well, I finally decided on a simple Japanese scene that I titled "Serenity - A Zen Feeling." What I thought would be a simple piece to put together turned out to be anything but that. I started the actual piece last week after deciding on some modifications to the original design. By Wednesday I had progressed and had most of the background done. But, I was not happy with the way it was going together and I scrapped the whole piece leaving me with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Maybe I was not going to make the deadline, maybe I would not have a piece worthy of showing, especially at an exhibition with 200 artists all working on the same sized piece - 6 inches by 8 inches. You would think that with such a small sized piece of paper to work on, it would be easy to put together a mixed media piece of art. Well, it was not as easy as I had originally thought it would be, but with a bit of perseverance and a lot of labour, I have completed one of the most arduous pieces I have done to date.
Working with strands of embroidery floss, I painstakingly laid one piece after the other to form the scene. The background went down first and I thought I would never get my eyes to focus normally after that. Each piece of floss had to fit tightly against the previous one so that no paper could be seen. I spent at least 8 hours on that part of the piece alone. Then the trees were the next to be laid out. To make them look at realistic as possible, I use different colours of embroidery floss and built up layers of bark just as one would see on a real tree. I am quite pleased with the way the trees turned out considering that I had never worked with this type of mixed media prior to this.
After the trees were finally in place, the little bridge had to be put down on the paper. Cutting toothpicks to the size needed was interesting. I found that I had a nice little pair of cutters that could cut through the toothpicks nicely but found that I was chasing bits of wood as they scattered through the studio. Finally, I had enough pieces cut to build the bridge. Thank goodness I only wanted a small one, I am quite certain I would have gone quite squirrelly had I tried to build a larger one.
Now, I was making progress! I could actually start work on the cherry blossoms, the bush and last of all the geisha. The cherry blossoms went together quite nicely and did not take too much time. The bush was the easiest piece to put down on paper. Taking pieces of yellow and spring green embroidery floss I managed to pull them together at the base of the bush and glue that in place. I had really wanted to have three trees, but there just was not enough room on the paper. The main element was to be the geisha and I wanted to ensure that there was sufficient room to give her the proper placement so that she would stand out.
To put my lovely little lady together, I drew her on a separate piece of the etchu hagaki paper and started to form her kimono out of purple floss with a pink floss forming her inner kimono. The obi was made out of a lighter purple embroidery floss. The black floss made up her hair and white floss her face. The piece was finally done or so I thought. I sat looking at it for quite some time and felt that something was amiss. I just did not like the look of the kimono, it looked so plain. Rummaging through my stash of Japanese paper scraps, I found the perfect accent piece that I added on to the kimono. The difference this little piece of paper made was incredible. How could such a small piece of paper have so much impact? I think with all the solid colours laid down on this small piece of paper, the bit of pattern stood out and made the geisha seem more authentic. At least that is what I think and I am sticking to that theory. At this point, there is not a moment to spare for second thoughts.
I look at this small piece of art that I so carefully put together and have mixed feelings about it. While I am proud of it, happy that it was completed with plenty of time to get to where the exhibit will be held, I truthfully cannot say that I am totally happy with the end result. I know that I put a lot of effort and time into this small piece, but it still seems raw, not fully thought out and executed to the level that I had hoped to make it. Maybe I am being too critical, but there is always room for improvement in every piece. I will try some more Japanese scenes done on the same paper with embroidery floss with some paper accents. I would really like to make a series of these pictures and place them in a handmade album that I construct using some wonderful Japanese paper on the cover. The inner pages will likely be black cardstock in order to show off the pictures to their full advantage. But, that is a project I will start on another day. For now, I plan to tidy up the studio, bin all the scraps of embroidery floss, bits of paper that are of no further use and just generally get ready to start my next major project. That will be a story for another day!
Let me know your thoughts on my art. I am posting pictures here of the different stages it went through and then, the end result. I am open to all critiques, good or bad, as they will help me grow into a better artist and show me where I might have finessed the piece a bit more. You know how to hit the comment tab at the end of the post and it will open a window for you to key in your thoughts. I will be looking to see what you have to say. Be honest, be sincere, that is all that I ask.
Have a great week! Take some time for some artistic moments of your own doing.
Sincerely, Rutheemac
Well, I finally decided on a simple Japanese scene that I titled "Serenity - A Zen Feeling." What I thought would be a simple piece to put together turned out to be anything but that. I started the actual piece last week after deciding on some modifications to the original design. By Wednesday I had progressed and had most of the background done. But, I was not happy with the way it was going together and I scrapped the whole piece leaving me with a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Maybe I was not going to make the deadline, maybe I would not have a piece worthy of showing, especially at an exhibition with 200 artists all working on the same sized piece - 6 inches by 8 inches. You would think that with such a small sized piece of paper to work on, it would be easy to put together a mixed media piece of art. Well, it was not as easy as I had originally thought it would be, but with a bit of perseverance and a lot of labour, I have completed one of the most arduous pieces I have done to date.
Working with strands of embroidery floss, I painstakingly laid one piece after the other to form the scene. The background went down first and I thought I would never get my eyes to focus normally after that. Each piece of floss had to fit tightly against the previous one so that no paper could be seen. I spent at least 8 hours on that part of the piece alone. Then the trees were the next to be laid out. To make them look at realistic as possible, I use different colours of embroidery floss and built up layers of bark just as one would see on a real tree. I am quite pleased with the way the trees turned out considering that I had never worked with this type of mixed media prior to this.
After the trees were finally in place, the little bridge had to be put down on the paper. Cutting toothpicks to the size needed was interesting. I found that I had a nice little pair of cutters that could cut through the toothpicks nicely but found that I was chasing bits of wood as they scattered through the studio. Finally, I had enough pieces cut to build the bridge. Thank goodness I only wanted a small one, I am quite certain I would have gone quite squirrelly had I tried to build a larger one.
Now, I was making progress! I could actually start work on the cherry blossoms, the bush and last of all the geisha. The cherry blossoms went together quite nicely and did not take too much time. The bush was the easiest piece to put down on paper. Taking pieces of yellow and spring green embroidery floss I managed to pull them together at the base of the bush and glue that in place. I had really wanted to have three trees, but there just was not enough room on the paper. The main element was to be the geisha and I wanted to ensure that there was sufficient room to give her the proper placement so that she would stand out.
To put my lovely little lady together, I drew her on a separate piece of the etchu hagaki paper and started to form her kimono out of purple floss with a pink floss forming her inner kimono. The obi was made out of a lighter purple embroidery floss. The black floss made up her hair and white floss her face. The piece was finally done or so I thought. I sat looking at it for quite some time and felt that something was amiss. I just did not like the look of the kimono, it looked so plain. Rummaging through my stash of Japanese paper scraps, I found the perfect accent piece that I added on to the kimono. The difference this little piece of paper made was incredible. How could such a small piece of paper have so much impact? I think with all the solid colours laid down on this small piece of paper, the bit of pattern stood out and made the geisha seem more authentic. At least that is what I think and I am sticking to that theory. At this point, there is not a moment to spare for second thoughts.
I look at this small piece of art that I so carefully put together and have mixed feelings about it. While I am proud of it, happy that it was completed with plenty of time to get to where the exhibit will be held, I truthfully cannot say that I am totally happy with the end result. I know that I put a lot of effort and time into this small piece, but it still seems raw, not fully thought out and executed to the level that I had hoped to make it. Maybe I am being too critical, but there is always room for improvement in every piece. I will try some more Japanese scenes done on the same paper with embroidery floss with some paper accents. I would really like to make a series of these pictures and place them in a handmade album that I construct using some wonderful Japanese paper on the cover. The inner pages will likely be black cardstock in order to show off the pictures to their full advantage. But, that is a project I will start on another day. For now, I plan to tidy up the studio, bin all the scraps of embroidery floss, bits of paper that are of no further use and just generally get ready to start my next major project. That will be a story for another day!
Let me know your thoughts on my art. I am posting pictures here of the different stages it went through and then, the end result. I am open to all critiques, good or bad, as they will help me grow into a better artist and show me where I might have finessed the piece a bit more. You know how to hit the comment tab at the end of the post and it will open a window for you to key in your thoughts. I will be looking to see what you have to say. Be honest, be sincere, that is all that I ask.
Have a great week! Take some time for some artistic moments of your own doing.
Sincerely, Rutheemac
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
So many ideas, not enough hours in a day!
I feel like I am running full speed and not getting to where I want to be right now. My mind is overflowing with ideas, images, colours and so many other things that I am not sure which pathway I should follow. This is not as dire as it may sound since I consider it better to have a surplus of ideas rather than go through a dry spell when I am not able to muster up a single concept or idea of what type of art I should be pursuing. This past week was one in which I found myself flipping from one idea to another, from working on templates for an exhibit piece to making clay beads and pendants. Add to that a mix of ideas for something that will likely end up as a mixed media piece done on a fabric like burlap and intended to be hung somewhere and you might be able to understand why my mind is feeling like it is being jumbled about with an overload of images coming at me rather like laser beams or bolts of lightening causing me to move frantically about.
This blaze of activity both physical and mental is very much welcome since I enjoy working with a diversity of subject matter and art mediums. The only problem is that right now, the exhibit piece needs to be front and foremost, the tentative drawings need to be translated into the finalized version and done on the specified paper with the exacting dimensions of 6 inches by 8 inches followed precisely. I posted two of the unfinished samples in last Sunday's post. At this time, I am thinking that both the tree and the bridge need to be part of the final version, but that I need to inject a little more of Japanese culture onto the sheet of paper. How such a small piece of paper will allow me to put all my ideas onto it is beyond what I see in my mental sketchbook. It is almost as if there is a film running in my head with fleeting images of Japanese culture, the day to day life and zen like scenes begging me to put them down on paper. How can I possibly do justice to all these scenes? Then my muse jumped into action and made me sit still and think about what it was that I felt should be shown.
The concept of the portrayal of a zen like moment came to me as being what I should be striving towards in my work. Simplicity should be the key element of what I hoped to display. To put everything that I saw in my mind down on a small sheet of paper would be wrong on so many levels. Keeping the idea of creating a zen moment would mean that I needed to whittle away at all the "extras" that kept showing up in my sketches. I need to pick a key image and keep it simple, not overwhelm the paper with too many images. I still plan to finish the two templates that I showed you. But, I will keep them simple and true to what I hope to be simple, but elegant images. I know what I need to do to get moving on what I hope to be the final sketch that will be put to paper. But, will I know when I have captured enough of the spirit of a culture that I love so much without losing balance? Keeping it simple is much easier said than done. Knowing when too much is just that, too much, is difficult for me as I tend to want to put everything from my notes into play. Restraint is something that I need to learn artistically as well as in other areas of my life.
With all this in mind, I will proceed with caution, but not lose my enthusiasm for the project. All the extraneous material will not go to waste meaning that all the ideas that have come to me will translate into ideas to be put onto subsequent portrayals of Japanese life. The piece that is sent off for the exhibition will be one of many pieces that will come to be a series. With that in mind, I am thinking that I will make a special album to contain all my ideas and thoughts of zen moments in life. I will share these with you as they come to be, but know that it will take a while to capture all those moments. But, for now, the first piece has to be put to paper and the next few days will see me spend more hours in my studio than outside of it. I will live and breathe art, but saying that, I know that I will more than likely take little breaks where I will spend some time on my obsession with jewelry and other odd art forms that I have not previously given serious thought. The idea of wall hangings done on fabric is terribly tempting, but I will not start on such a piece until I have completed the exhibit piece and it has been wrapped and sent on its way. At least that is the plan as of now.
I do have to show you the jewelry that made it from just a fleeting idea to actually being made in the past few days. A few ideas for upper arm bracelets found me playing with paper which became the base for several pieces. For some reason, I felt that a collection of three bracelets worn collectively could be fun to make. A few single bracelets also were made, but again the idea of wearing them on the upper arm found me making them larger, having more impact than a delicate band might have. I have put up some pictures for you to see and I would really appreciate your thoughts on these. Would you wear this type of art? Would you rather wear a collection of three or just a single band? Realize that the bracelets have not been embellished with any stamping or wrapping of cording on them. They are pure naked pieces which will remain that way until I decide what I want to put on them. I realize that they still need to be refined quite a bit as they are very raw in their execution. But, I will refine the process and see if I can make the bracelets into a nice line of jewelry for gifts. At least that is my hope! I have also put up pictures of a couple of pendants that were made in addition to the two necklaces and the bracelets. Let me know what you think as I welcome all opinions both positive and negative and learn from them both.
Now, it is back to the exhibit piece! For the next few days, I will spend a great many hours in the studio working on this and with a bit of luck, it will be in priority mail by Saturday. I may not be a presence on Twitter, but know that I am thinking of all my friends over there. Julie Anne (@JulieAnneRhodes) has her daughter visiting, Cate (@shardArtist) is working on a new mosaic, Elaine (@elainefrenett) is always working on something fun in her journals or in the classes that she teaches. So many wonderful people to get to know and I hope you take the time to follow them and read what they post. Oh, I almost forgot to mention a lovely artist, Liza (@LizasArt). Liza does the most wonderful faerie art work and the resulting pictures are breath taking. Take a wee break to follow the faeries and they will steal your heart just as they have stolen mine.
That is my week in a nutshell! Once again, I have company for a few days and so, studio time will be stolen moments, likely far into the night. Teresa and friends will be heading north in a few days to spend time with relatives in Scotland. As much as I would love to join them, traveling is not something that I do easily. So, I will spend my time in the studio, working flat out to complete my project and so I shall!
What special projects are you working on right now? Will it be on display at a fair or competition of some sort? Send in a comment and let us all know what you are up to these days. We would all love to hear about it and maybe it might inspire some to try something new.
Here is to another productive week!
Sincerely, Rutheemac
This blaze of activity both physical and mental is very much welcome since I enjoy working with a diversity of subject matter and art mediums. The only problem is that right now, the exhibit piece needs to be front and foremost, the tentative drawings need to be translated into the finalized version and done on the specified paper with the exacting dimensions of 6 inches by 8 inches followed precisely. I posted two of the unfinished samples in last Sunday's post. At this time, I am thinking that both the tree and the bridge need to be part of the final version, but that I need to inject a little more of Japanese culture onto the sheet of paper. How such a small piece of paper will allow me to put all my ideas onto it is beyond what I see in my mental sketchbook. It is almost as if there is a film running in my head with fleeting images of Japanese culture, the day to day life and zen like scenes begging me to put them down on paper. How can I possibly do justice to all these scenes? Then my muse jumped into action and made me sit still and think about what it was that I felt should be shown.
The concept of the portrayal of a zen like moment came to me as being what I should be striving towards in my work. Simplicity should be the key element of what I hoped to display. To put everything that I saw in my mind down on a small sheet of paper would be wrong on so many levels. Keeping the idea of creating a zen moment would mean that I needed to whittle away at all the "extras" that kept showing up in my sketches. I need to pick a key image and keep it simple, not overwhelm the paper with too many images. I still plan to finish the two templates that I showed you. But, I will keep them simple and true to what I hope to be simple, but elegant images. I know what I need to do to get moving on what I hope to be the final sketch that will be put to paper. But, will I know when I have captured enough of the spirit of a culture that I love so much without losing balance? Keeping it simple is much easier said than done. Knowing when too much is just that, too much, is difficult for me as I tend to want to put everything from my notes into play. Restraint is something that I need to learn artistically as well as in other areas of my life.
With all this in mind, I will proceed with caution, but not lose my enthusiasm for the project. All the extraneous material will not go to waste meaning that all the ideas that have come to me will translate into ideas to be put onto subsequent portrayals of Japanese life. The piece that is sent off for the exhibition will be one of many pieces that will come to be a series. With that in mind, I am thinking that I will make a special album to contain all my ideas and thoughts of zen moments in life. I will share these with you as they come to be, but know that it will take a while to capture all those moments. But, for now, the first piece has to be put to paper and the next few days will see me spend more hours in my studio than outside of it. I will live and breathe art, but saying that, I know that I will more than likely take little breaks where I will spend some time on my obsession with jewelry and other odd art forms that I have not previously given serious thought. The idea of wall hangings done on fabric is terribly tempting, but I will not start on such a piece until I have completed the exhibit piece and it has been wrapped and sent on its way. At least that is the plan as of now.
I do have to show you the jewelry that made it from just a fleeting idea to actually being made in the past few days. A few ideas for upper arm bracelets found me playing with paper which became the base for several pieces. For some reason, I felt that a collection of three bracelets worn collectively could be fun to make. A few single bracelets also were made, but again the idea of wearing them on the upper arm found me making them larger, having more impact than a delicate band might have. I have put up some pictures for you to see and I would really appreciate your thoughts on these. Would you wear this type of art? Would you rather wear a collection of three or just a single band? Realize that the bracelets have not been embellished with any stamping or wrapping of cording on them. They are pure naked pieces which will remain that way until I decide what I want to put on them. I realize that they still need to be refined quite a bit as they are very raw in their execution. But, I will refine the process and see if I can make the bracelets into a nice line of jewelry for gifts. At least that is my hope! I have also put up pictures of a couple of pendants that were made in addition to the two necklaces and the bracelets. Let me know what you think as I welcome all opinions both positive and negative and learn from them both.
Now, it is back to the exhibit piece! For the next few days, I will spend a great many hours in the studio working on this and with a bit of luck, it will be in priority mail by Saturday. I may not be a presence on Twitter, but know that I am thinking of all my friends over there. Julie Anne (@JulieAnneRhodes) has her daughter visiting, Cate (@shardArtist) is working on a new mosaic, Elaine (@elainefrenett) is always working on something fun in her journals or in the classes that she teaches. So many wonderful people to get to know and I hope you take the time to follow them and read what they post. Oh, I almost forgot to mention a lovely artist, Liza (@LizasArt). Liza does the most wonderful faerie art work and the resulting pictures are breath taking. Take a wee break to follow the faeries and they will steal your heart just as they have stolen mine.
That is my week in a nutshell! Once again, I have company for a few days and so, studio time will be stolen moments, likely far into the night. Teresa and friends will be heading north in a few days to spend time with relatives in Scotland. As much as I would love to join them, traveling is not something that I do easily. So, I will spend my time in the studio, working flat out to complete my project and so I shall!
What special projects are you working on right now? Will it be on display at a fair or competition of some sort? Send in a comment and let us all know what you are up to these days. We would all love to hear about it and maybe it might inspire some to try something new.
Here is to another productive week!
Sincerely, Rutheemac
Monday, August 8, 2011
Japanese paper, jewelry, and firemen
Oh yes, it has been another day for Molly Cat and myself. I set the alarm for 6 a.m., determined to be up and taking on the day as early as I felt possible. Obviously, my muse decided otherwise or at least I am blaming her for the resulting chaos. Somehow, I managed to turn off the alarm when it went, rolled over and promptly went back to sleep. When I awoke somewhat later, confused and not knowing what time it was, I realized my folly and dove into action. First order of the day was to get Molly her bowl of kibble, a saucer of treats and nice big bowl of cold water. The next order of the day was to turn on the coffee pot so that it could heat up whilst I had a quick shower and dressed appropriately for a day in the studio.
Feeling somewhat annoyed at myself for wasting time, I got to the business of making art. Paper out, acrylic medium ready and then I started chopping up toothpicks. You must think that I have truly lost my senses and maybe I have, but the toothpicks were destined to become part of a bridge in my latest idea of something to try for my exhibition piece. My line of thought is that if I do up enough pieces to see what can be done on such a small piece of paper, then I can pick elements from each partially completed piece and incorporate the elements into the final piece which has to be in its final destination by September 01. I am committed to having this piece of art in priority mail no later than August 20, so I do still have a little time to play with ideas and see how the ideas transition themselves onto the etchu hagaki paper which is only 6" x 8". Trying to put an idea onto such a small piece of paper is not as easy as one might think, or at least I find it difficult to reign in my ideas and put just one down on the final piece. I keep thinking "what if this other idea turns out better and I can execute it better?" I have to leave the "what if" and move on to "this is what I am doing."
At this point, my flurry of activity came to a grinding halt as their was a loud knock on the door that echoed through the flat. This was not the knock of a neighbour wanting to borrow a cup of sugar, nor was it a tap to see if I wanted to join someone for tea. This was the kind of knock that makes you immediately start to worry and portends of trouble somewhere in the building. I got to the door and opened it to find a fireman in full gear with several of his co-workers all on the floor knocking on the various doors. I have to admit, I was somewhat concerned and already thinking of how I would capture Molly Cat and get her into her travel cage and then make our way down the stairwell. The fireman asked if I was cooking something, no I was not. He asked if I could smell the smoke in the hallway, yes I could. I was told to close my door and there was no need to evacuate as yet. The other firemen seemed to have found that the smoke was coming from a certain unit and were pounding on that person's door. There appeared to be no answer. I opened my door to talk to the fireman that had been questioning me as one other said that they needed to find a key for the unit. I volunteered that I had a key for the unit. The occupant had been ill a few months earlier and had asked me to hold onto a spare key in the event that I needed to get in to help her. Key in hand, the fireman unlocked the door to find something burning on the stove or in the oven, I am not sure which it turned out to be. The occupant was home, but had dozed off forgetting that she was cooking. Luckily, she was fine, the fire detectors had not been set off and it was another neighbour who had smelled smoke and had called for help.
So, a word to the wise - if you are cooking, it might be wise not to decide to get too comfortable and hence, fall asleep. Not only do you ruin your dinner, you make a lot of your neighbours nervous. As the fireman returned my set of keys to me, he said that the lady should be grateful that they had not had to kick her door open. I quite agree! Note to self, make extra sure when I am cooking to stay right around the kitchen in the event that something boils over or more water needs to be added to a pot of rice. I always set timers when I am cooking and carry the timer with me wherever I go in my flat. I know how long it will take to roast a chicken, bake a cake or brownies. I err on the side of caution and deduct a few minutes and check to see how my cooking project is doing. Burning down the flat just would not be something I would want to consider and so I am cautious, very cautious. It was nice to know that someone was on the alert and smelled the smoke and knew that it was not something to be ignored. I will have to find out who that person was and thank them. Evacuating the building with a cat in a traveling cage is not easily done for me and I am very grateful that it did not come to that today.
All week my thoughts have been jumping around from jewelry to paintings and then on to writing. Somehow, I need to incorporate all these elements into one. And, so was born an idea that I plan to execute which will satisfy all my needs into one very energy laden project. All the partial art pieces, that have been made to give me an idea of how they would translate onto the specified paper, will be completed once the actual piece destined for the exhibition is complete and on its way. These sample pieces will be part of a larger series, all with a Japanese theme and become part of a album of my works done using this theme. No bought journal would be what I need for the completed pieces and so I will make my own album using wonderful Japanese paper with each 6" x 8" piece on its own page. Hopefully, I will come up with a title for each completed piece which will be ever so carefully inscribed below the artwork. I am hoping that I will come up with at least 12 to 15 pieces of artwork all using the Japanese theme. A spot will be left for the exhibition piece in case it comes back to me. Artwork sent in for this exhibition will be on display for a month or so. Judges will pick a first and runner up to win a gift certificate. Artists are able to set a price on their submission in the event that someone wants to purchase it. That would be lovely, to actually have someone want a piece of my work badly enough that they would actually pay for it. But, let us see how the piece progresses before I even think about such an airy thought.
I love texture in my work and I really want to work some texture into my submission. I have two partial pieces to show you at this time. To the right of this column, you will see two pieces which I have been working on. I know that they look quite simplistic, but I was amazed at the length of time it took to execute each. The first piece shows a mature tree in the far right hand corner. I used various shades of embroidery floss to get the effect of bark on a tree. I envision some leaves towards the top of the paper, perhaps a lovely geisha strolling along a pathway with her paper umbrella ready to unfurl. There may be a butterfly or two in the sky with some flowers lining her pathway. That is the joy of being the artist, I get to create the story and plan how best to depict it using various materials besides my paints. I am not sure how the idea of embroidery floss came to me, but I feel that it worked out well when I was putting the tree together. One simple little tree took almost 5 hours to put together, piece by piece of the coloured floss, side by side and then on top of each other in places to build up the texture. The picture is a long ways from done, but I will get it done, along with all the others that I would like to see in the series.
The second piece of artwork shows a bridge with some trees in the background. The trees are all done in acrylic paints at this point, but will be covered with embroidery floss Monday morning. The bridge is made out of sticks with with one stirs their coffee as well as toothpicks. There will be a pond added to the scene along with water lilies, their leaves and maybe a curious little koi fish poking his head through the water to see what the day might be like above the water. This piece of artwork is far from complete, but I can see what I am imagining in my mind. My muse is quite clear about the colours that I need to be using. A few bright notes to catch the viewer's attention are required. I am adamant that each picture have bright colours, that the pictures are bold, in your face and not tentatively asking you if you might like to see them.
I am hoping that people will be drawn to my show piece and ask if it might be one of a series. The answer will be a resounding "yes" and maybe I will need to take pictures of each to send off to a prospective buyer. These are all dreams at this point. How cheeky of me to think that someone might be interested in a series of mixed media pieces all pertaining to Japanese life, but I still am hoping that people will be interested in what I have put down on paper and the different mediums used to bring life to trees, bridges, kimonos and all other things Japanese. I have a little trick up my sleeve for one piece that may or may not turn out to be an element in the art submission. I will have to see how it will turn out and if it is impressive enough that others might find it interesting. I have a lot of work to do over the next 10 days and I suspect there may be some late nights. But, I am up for the challenge!
Realistically, I just need the one piece for the art exhibit. The other partial pieces, plus the ones still to be developed can be done over the next month or two. I can work on other types of art in between each Japanese piece. I am hoping to spend a lot more time making pendants for necklaces, bracelet, beads to be strung for necklaces. I will be making cards, lots of them, for the holidays. But, I also want to make up extra birthday cards, cards for new babies, some with get well wishes and a lot of cards that impart the idea that someone sent the card just because the sender was thinking of the recipient. That is the best reason of all to send a card. I am hoping that others, maybe those reading this post, might take up the challenge to send more handwritten notes to those they care about. These days, we are more apt to send a quick e-mail to someone on their birthday or when they are feeling down. I remember the days when I would go to my mailbox and find that someone had taken the time to write a note in a card and send it to me. The feelings that came over me while opening the greeting are difficult to explain other than to say, I felt so happy, so very happy. I would love to send a card to someone hoping that they might capture that feeling. And so, that is why I make greeting cards.
This is the way the journey played out this week! I hope you had a wonderful week and got to do something that you normally would not have the time to do. Enjoy these last few weeks of summer. Summer never lasts long enough and so it is up to each of us to make the most of these last few weeks. A few more barbeques, time in the park to sit and read or maybe one more trip to savour a dripping ice cream cone. You decide!
Sincerely, Rutheemac
P.S. Whilst rambling around the internet looking at some of my favourite sites and looking at some new places, I found a great e-zine. Nuno Magazine is published digitally and has just put out their 4th edition. Go to http://www.nunomagazine.com/ for a taste of what you find in each edition. Nuno writes about craft work that you might want to take on with your children and other pieces that are strictly for the adults. The craftwork uses repurposed supplies you might have on hand or might find on an evening stroll in your neighbourhood. Have a look at the web site and see the sample craft for making a pendant and necklace. You can subscribe to the magazine for a nominal cost, well worth it considering the ideas you will get for other crafts. Digital magazines are the way of the future - trees are not cut down to make paper, you will not be looking to find where someone may have stashed the magazine since you just have to go to your computer, where you have downloaded the current issue. Check into Nuno and I think you will be excited to see what they are all about!
By the way, Omiyage is a fantastic place to do some browsing and shopping as well. I got my first shipment of goodies (stamps, origami paper, notebooks) and am dreaming of all their wonderful items. Marisa writes a chatty blog which she updates frequently. I do not know how she does it all! She has such amazing information and reading her blog will take you on a tour of many wonderful items. Check her out at http://omiyageblogs.blogspot.com/
Feeling somewhat annoyed at myself for wasting time, I got to the business of making art. Paper out, acrylic medium ready and then I started chopping up toothpicks. You must think that I have truly lost my senses and maybe I have, but the toothpicks were destined to become part of a bridge in my latest idea of something to try for my exhibition piece. My line of thought is that if I do up enough pieces to see what can be done on such a small piece of paper, then I can pick elements from each partially completed piece and incorporate the elements into the final piece which has to be in its final destination by September 01. I am committed to having this piece of art in priority mail no later than August 20, so I do still have a little time to play with ideas and see how the ideas transition themselves onto the etchu hagaki paper which is only 6" x 8". Trying to put an idea onto such a small piece of paper is not as easy as one might think, or at least I find it difficult to reign in my ideas and put just one down on the final piece. I keep thinking "what if this other idea turns out better and I can execute it better?" I have to leave the "what if" and move on to "this is what I am doing."
At this point, my flurry of activity came to a grinding halt as their was a loud knock on the door that echoed through the flat. This was not the knock of a neighbour wanting to borrow a cup of sugar, nor was it a tap to see if I wanted to join someone for tea. This was the kind of knock that makes you immediately start to worry and portends of trouble somewhere in the building. I got to the door and opened it to find a fireman in full gear with several of his co-workers all on the floor knocking on the various doors. I have to admit, I was somewhat concerned and already thinking of how I would capture Molly Cat and get her into her travel cage and then make our way down the stairwell. The fireman asked if I was cooking something, no I was not. He asked if I could smell the smoke in the hallway, yes I could. I was told to close my door and there was no need to evacuate as yet. The other firemen seemed to have found that the smoke was coming from a certain unit and were pounding on that person's door. There appeared to be no answer. I opened my door to talk to the fireman that had been questioning me as one other said that they needed to find a key for the unit. I volunteered that I had a key for the unit. The occupant had been ill a few months earlier and had asked me to hold onto a spare key in the event that I needed to get in to help her. Key in hand, the fireman unlocked the door to find something burning on the stove or in the oven, I am not sure which it turned out to be. The occupant was home, but had dozed off forgetting that she was cooking. Luckily, she was fine, the fire detectors had not been set off and it was another neighbour who had smelled smoke and had called for help.
So, a word to the wise - if you are cooking, it might be wise not to decide to get too comfortable and hence, fall asleep. Not only do you ruin your dinner, you make a lot of your neighbours nervous. As the fireman returned my set of keys to me, he said that the lady should be grateful that they had not had to kick her door open. I quite agree! Note to self, make extra sure when I am cooking to stay right around the kitchen in the event that something boils over or more water needs to be added to a pot of rice. I always set timers when I am cooking and carry the timer with me wherever I go in my flat. I know how long it will take to roast a chicken, bake a cake or brownies. I err on the side of caution and deduct a few minutes and check to see how my cooking project is doing. Burning down the flat just would not be something I would want to consider and so I am cautious, very cautious. It was nice to know that someone was on the alert and smelled the smoke and knew that it was not something to be ignored. I will have to find out who that person was and thank them. Evacuating the building with a cat in a traveling cage is not easily done for me and I am very grateful that it did not come to that today.
All week my thoughts have been jumping around from jewelry to paintings and then on to writing. Somehow, I need to incorporate all these elements into one. And, so was born an idea that I plan to execute which will satisfy all my needs into one very energy laden project. All the partial art pieces, that have been made to give me an idea of how they would translate onto the specified paper, will be completed once the actual piece destined for the exhibition is complete and on its way. These sample pieces will be part of a larger series, all with a Japanese theme and become part of a album of my works done using this theme. No bought journal would be what I need for the completed pieces and so I will make my own album using wonderful Japanese paper with each 6" x 8" piece on its own page. Hopefully, I will come up with a title for each completed piece which will be ever so carefully inscribed below the artwork. I am hoping that I will come up with at least 12 to 15 pieces of artwork all using the Japanese theme. A spot will be left for the exhibition piece in case it comes back to me. Artwork sent in for this exhibition will be on display for a month or so. Judges will pick a first and runner up to win a gift certificate. Artists are able to set a price on their submission in the event that someone wants to purchase it. That would be lovely, to actually have someone want a piece of my work badly enough that they would actually pay for it. But, let us see how the piece progresses before I even think about such an airy thought.
I love texture in my work and I really want to work some texture into my submission. I have two partial pieces to show you at this time. To the right of this column, you will see two pieces which I have been working on. I know that they look quite simplistic, but I was amazed at the length of time it took to execute each. The first piece shows a mature tree in the far right hand corner. I used various shades of embroidery floss to get the effect of bark on a tree. I envision some leaves towards the top of the paper, perhaps a lovely geisha strolling along a pathway with her paper umbrella ready to unfurl. There may be a butterfly or two in the sky with some flowers lining her pathway. That is the joy of being the artist, I get to create the story and plan how best to depict it using various materials besides my paints. I am not sure how the idea of embroidery floss came to me, but I feel that it worked out well when I was putting the tree together. One simple little tree took almost 5 hours to put together, piece by piece of the coloured floss, side by side and then on top of each other in places to build up the texture. The picture is a long ways from done, but I will get it done, along with all the others that I would like to see in the series.
The second piece of artwork shows a bridge with some trees in the background. The trees are all done in acrylic paints at this point, but will be covered with embroidery floss Monday morning. The bridge is made out of sticks with with one stirs their coffee as well as toothpicks. There will be a pond added to the scene along with water lilies, their leaves and maybe a curious little koi fish poking his head through the water to see what the day might be like above the water. This piece of artwork is far from complete, but I can see what I am imagining in my mind. My muse is quite clear about the colours that I need to be using. A few bright notes to catch the viewer's attention are required. I am adamant that each picture have bright colours, that the pictures are bold, in your face and not tentatively asking you if you might like to see them.
I am hoping that people will be drawn to my show piece and ask if it might be one of a series. The answer will be a resounding "yes" and maybe I will need to take pictures of each to send off to a prospective buyer. These are all dreams at this point. How cheeky of me to think that someone might be interested in a series of mixed media pieces all pertaining to Japanese life, but I still am hoping that people will be interested in what I have put down on paper and the different mediums used to bring life to trees, bridges, kimonos and all other things Japanese. I have a little trick up my sleeve for one piece that may or may not turn out to be an element in the art submission. I will have to see how it will turn out and if it is impressive enough that others might find it interesting. I have a lot of work to do over the next 10 days and I suspect there may be some late nights. But, I am up for the challenge!
Realistically, I just need the one piece for the art exhibit. The other partial pieces, plus the ones still to be developed can be done over the next month or two. I can work on other types of art in between each Japanese piece. I am hoping to spend a lot more time making pendants for necklaces, bracelet, beads to be strung for necklaces. I will be making cards, lots of them, for the holidays. But, I also want to make up extra birthday cards, cards for new babies, some with get well wishes and a lot of cards that impart the idea that someone sent the card just because the sender was thinking of the recipient. That is the best reason of all to send a card. I am hoping that others, maybe those reading this post, might take up the challenge to send more handwritten notes to those they care about. These days, we are more apt to send a quick e-mail to someone on their birthday or when they are feeling down. I remember the days when I would go to my mailbox and find that someone had taken the time to write a note in a card and send it to me. The feelings that came over me while opening the greeting are difficult to explain other than to say, I felt so happy, so very happy. I would love to send a card to someone hoping that they might capture that feeling. And so, that is why I make greeting cards.
This is the way the journey played out this week! I hope you had a wonderful week and got to do something that you normally would not have the time to do. Enjoy these last few weeks of summer. Summer never lasts long enough and so it is up to each of us to make the most of these last few weeks. A few more barbeques, time in the park to sit and read or maybe one more trip to savour a dripping ice cream cone. You decide!
Sincerely, Rutheemac
P.S. Whilst rambling around the internet looking at some of my favourite sites and looking at some new places, I found a great e-zine. Nuno Magazine is published digitally and has just put out their 4th edition. Go to http://www.nunomagazine.com/ for a taste of what you find in each edition. Nuno writes about craft work that you might want to take on with your children and other pieces that are strictly for the adults. The craftwork uses repurposed supplies you might have on hand or might find on an evening stroll in your neighbourhood. Have a look at the web site and see the sample craft for making a pendant and necklace. You can subscribe to the magazine for a nominal cost, well worth it considering the ideas you will get for other crafts. Digital magazines are the way of the future - trees are not cut down to make paper, you will not be looking to find where someone may have stashed the magazine since you just have to go to your computer, where you have downloaded the current issue. Check into Nuno and I think you will be excited to see what they are all about!
By the way, Omiyage is a fantastic place to do some browsing and shopping as well. I got my first shipment of goodies (stamps, origami paper, notebooks) and am dreaming of all their wonderful items. Marisa writes a chatty blog which she updates frequently. I do not know how she does it all! She has such amazing information and reading her blog will take you on a tour of many wonderful items. Check her out at http://omiyageblogs.blogspot.com/
Monday, July 25, 2011
Beadwork, necklaces, and pendants, oh my!
Depending where you are, I am posting this either very late on Sunday night or very early on Monday morning. It has been another crazy week with me running around trying to squeeze in some time in the studio amongst the errands, appointments, shopping and general prep work necessary to make my flat ready for some friends to camp out in over the weekend whilst they get over their jet lag and ready themselves for a two week holiday. My flat is just the start of their frolic and we have sat up late catching up on all the latest goings on in all our lives. Molly Cat, not to be outdone, has provided comedic relief to the point that we have had tears streaming from our eyes at various times. Truthfully, Molly was not the only cause for the tears. It seems whenever friends drop by and we start reminiscing, we laugh until it hurts and the stories we tell no longer resemble what really happened so many years ago. But, that is what old friends do. We embellish our stories, adding a little extra oomph here and there. Whilst there is no harm in what we are doing, I am sure anyone passing by the entry to my flat must wonder what was causing such mirth that they could hear a trio of ladies giggling like teenagers and then having the giggles escalate into deep belly laughs. Laughter is good for the soul and if this be true, then our souls are in very good shape for the next few months.
I did find some time to putter in the studio here and there through the week. Not the long periods that I usually enjoy, but rather an hour here and there. I played with the beads that I made last week and managed to put together a necklace. For a first effort, it is okay. I am not totally satisfied with it and will likely take it apart and try again. Perhaps I'll make some other beads to add to it for contrast. I did work with some clay and made a pendant as a focal point. Again, I really need to refine the process and try to make it a little less chunky, but still of sufficient substance so that it matches the weight of the beads that surrounds it. I have put up a picture of the necklace as a whole and then a picture of the pendant. It is not too clear, but the pendant has the outline of a Japanese geisha on it. I think that I might try dry brushing either some gold or black acrylic paint on it to make the figure stand out more prominently. I am not sure that I am satisfied with the size of the piece or if another figure might be more appropriate on the pendant. Perhaps this week I will be able to experiment a little more and see what I might come up with and try a few other methods of producing a necklace that is a wearable piece of art.
I made two other pendants while I was playing with the clay. One has the Chinese symbol for "joy" embossed on it while the other has the outline of some tree branches in bloom on it. I hope to do some paint work on these two as well in order to make the designs stand out. One of these will be the focal point of another necklace using the yellow beads which now have red threads wrapped around them. I seem to be drawn to bright colours right now and adding contrasting colours that will jump out rather than blend in with the main colour of my handmade beads. I am inclined to think that beads with less contrasting accents might prove to be more appealing. I have to admit that I do like bright colours, but I do not really like to be the one wearing them. Maybe with the right piece of jewelry, I could get past this and learn to enjoy something that leaps out to get the attention of others. If I start with something smaller, like a brooch, I might be able to work my way up to a wild and wonderful collection of colours all on one strand encircling my throat.
A painting is in the works and I am still struggling to put to canvas what I see so clearly in my mind. I have looked at countless pictures of capes and am trying to capture the luxurious folds and the way the cape would billow out when a breeze catches it just the right way. Maybe I need to read a few novels set in the Victorian era or go to Middle Earth and read the Lord of the Rings trilogy to find what my muse is whispering in my ear. I listen intently to what she is saying, but I just am not able to put her advice in the proper context. I suspect that what I truly need is to devote my mind to what I am doing and not be listening for the kitchen timer to chime announcing that the tray of cookies is ready to come out of the oven. I have done enough baking and I am determined that I will not bake any more cookies, brownies or squares until the next round of visitors is imminent. I will get back to my painting later today since I am determined to capture the flowing cape and the feeling that seems to permeate the scene. I want to say that the scene gives me the feeling of fear, a sense of loss or of searching for something. This is so confusing for me to explain that I can see why I am unable to capture it on the canvas. Until I understand what is happening, I am unlikely to be able to paint it and have the canvas tell the story. So, I need to sit down quietly and tell myself the story and fully develop it in order to paint it realistically. I hope that makes sense to you. As confused as this description is of my attempts to paint a cape, some scenery and other elements, I am sure that anyone who paints will understand what it is that I am trying to say. Until I can see and feel all the elements of "the story," I will not be able to depict them.
And so, with the start of another week, I am embarking on more challenges artistically. I have changed the layout of my studio to allow me to move about with greater ease. I no longer need to fear that I am going to trip on the flooring that was on top of the carpet. I thought the leftover lino from the new kitchen floor would be the perfect way to save the carpet in the studio from the dripping paint and splashes of glue and other mediums. However, the lino would not stay flat and I gave up trying to fasten it to the carpet with industrial strength duct tape. I found that the plastic mats found in the office supply shop, allowing chairs to wheel about office cubicles freely, to be the perfect solution. My carpet is protected, my chair is able to move safely from one area of the studio to another and I am not moving about the room fearing that I will trip and find myself on the floor looking into Molly Cat's worried face. Falling is not something that I like to think about and I think that I have covered my bases and made the studio into a safe place. Now, I need to work past the mental blocks that keep me from putting paint to canvas. I hit these roadblocks every so often and just need to keep working on the painting that is stubbornly refusing to be painted.
I hope your week brings you some challenges artistically and I would love to hear about them and how you plan to go about working with them. How do you get past your roadblocks? What is it that causes your artistic engines to stall out? I love a good story and would love to hear yours. I will post your comments and tales of your battles in hopes of helping all of us find ways to move forward with our own artistic endeavours. Your story might prove to be just the ticket to take us where we want to be.
Have a wonderful week!
Sincerely, Rutheemac
I did find some time to putter in the studio here and there through the week. Not the long periods that I usually enjoy, but rather an hour here and there. I played with the beads that I made last week and managed to put together a necklace. For a first effort, it is okay. I am not totally satisfied with it and will likely take it apart and try again. Perhaps I'll make some other beads to add to it for contrast. I did work with some clay and made a pendant as a focal point. Again, I really need to refine the process and try to make it a little less chunky, but still of sufficient substance so that it matches the weight of the beads that surrounds it. I have put up a picture of the necklace as a whole and then a picture of the pendant. It is not too clear, but the pendant has the outline of a Japanese geisha on it. I think that I might try dry brushing either some gold or black acrylic paint on it to make the figure stand out more prominently. I am not sure that I am satisfied with the size of the piece or if another figure might be more appropriate on the pendant. Perhaps this week I will be able to experiment a little more and see what I might come up with and try a few other methods of producing a necklace that is a wearable piece of art.
I made two other pendants while I was playing with the clay. One has the Chinese symbol for "joy" embossed on it while the other has the outline of some tree branches in bloom on it. I hope to do some paint work on these two as well in order to make the designs stand out. One of these will be the focal point of another necklace using the yellow beads which now have red threads wrapped around them. I seem to be drawn to bright colours right now and adding contrasting colours that will jump out rather than blend in with the main colour of my handmade beads. I am inclined to think that beads with less contrasting accents might prove to be more appealing. I have to admit that I do like bright colours, but I do not really like to be the one wearing them. Maybe with the right piece of jewelry, I could get past this and learn to enjoy something that leaps out to get the attention of others. If I start with something smaller, like a brooch, I might be able to work my way up to a wild and wonderful collection of colours all on one strand encircling my throat.
A painting is in the works and I am still struggling to put to canvas what I see so clearly in my mind. I have looked at countless pictures of capes and am trying to capture the luxurious folds and the way the cape would billow out when a breeze catches it just the right way. Maybe I need to read a few novels set in the Victorian era or go to Middle Earth and read the Lord of the Rings trilogy to find what my muse is whispering in my ear. I listen intently to what she is saying, but I just am not able to put her advice in the proper context. I suspect that what I truly need is to devote my mind to what I am doing and not be listening for the kitchen timer to chime announcing that the tray of cookies is ready to come out of the oven. I have done enough baking and I am determined that I will not bake any more cookies, brownies or squares until the next round of visitors is imminent. I will get back to my painting later today since I am determined to capture the flowing cape and the feeling that seems to permeate the scene. I want to say that the scene gives me the feeling of fear, a sense of loss or of searching for something. This is so confusing for me to explain that I can see why I am unable to capture it on the canvas. Until I understand what is happening, I am unlikely to be able to paint it and have the canvas tell the story. So, I need to sit down quietly and tell myself the story and fully develop it in order to paint it realistically. I hope that makes sense to you. As confused as this description is of my attempts to paint a cape, some scenery and other elements, I am sure that anyone who paints will understand what it is that I am trying to say. Until I can see and feel all the elements of "the story," I will not be able to depict them.
And so, with the start of another week, I am embarking on more challenges artistically. I have changed the layout of my studio to allow me to move about with greater ease. I no longer need to fear that I am going to trip on the flooring that was on top of the carpet. I thought the leftover lino from the new kitchen floor would be the perfect way to save the carpet in the studio from the dripping paint and splashes of glue and other mediums. However, the lino would not stay flat and I gave up trying to fasten it to the carpet with industrial strength duct tape. I found that the plastic mats found in the office supply shop, allowing chairs to wheel about office cubicles freely, to be the perfect solution. My carpet is protected, my chair is able to move safely from one area of the studio to another and I am not moving about the room fearing that I will trip and find myself on the floor looking into Molly Cat's worried face. Falling is not something that I like to think about and I think that I have covered my bases and made the studio into a safe place. Now, I need to work past the mental blocks that keep me from putting paint to canvas. I hit these roadblocks every so often and just need to keep working on the painting that is stubbornly refusing to be painted.
I hope your week brings you some challenges artistically and I would love to hear about them and how you plan to go about working with them. How do you get past your roadblocks? What is it that causes your artistic engines to stall out? I love a good story and would love to hear yours. I will post your comments and tales of your battles in hopes of helping all of us find ways to move forward with our own artistic endeavours. Your story might prove to be just the ticket to take us where we want to be.
Have a wonderful week!
Sincerely, Rutheemac
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