Art Over the Atlantic, Part 2

Egads, I hit the swapping jackpot in the latest Phat Quarter Swap.

Full Fathom Five, 2013, by Bridgeen Gillespie.

Check out this gorgeous artwork I received from artist Bridgeen Gillespie. The theme for this swap was simply the number five, which I selected to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Mr X Stitch web site.

A fellow poetry enthusiast, she took inspiration from Ariel's Song from The Tempest.

Side view. Photo by Bridgeen Gillespie.

Full fathom five thy father lies;

Of his bones are coral made;


Those are pearls that were his eyes;


Nothing of him that doth fade,


But doth suffer a sea-change


Into something rich and strange.

An illustrator, fabric designer and all-around creative goddess, Bridgeen lives in Northern Ireland and is the owner/director of the design company Cherry and Cinnamon.

I adore the texture of the layered fabric and the wrapped coral.
Photo by Bridgeen Gillespie.

As you can see, her work is utterly unique. For instance, I've admired the way she creates depth of texture with the layered, raw edged fabric and the rich, wrapped coral. (You can read about her process for the piece here on her blog.)

Images of Ireland by Bridgeen Gillespie.

As a phrase,"full fathom five" means that something below five fathoms of water. That is, drowned. Lost to sea. I see oceanic inspiration in Bridgeen's work, most obviously in this gorgeous post card from her "Images of Ireland" collection that accompanied Full Fathom Five on its journey across the Atlantic to me.

Stitched Selfie by Bridgeen Gillespie, from her website.

Indeed, the sea is "rich and strange." As is so much of Bridgeen's artwork. As is so much that I find beautiful in this world.

Art over the Atlantic, Part 1

Honeycomb Five, 2013. 

Making art and exploring your creativity can be surprising. When 2013 started, I had no idea that I would be so taken with stitching into watercolors on heavy weight paper. Now I'm totally fascinated by this combination and I can see myself exploring and layering the two mediums for a long time to come.

Honeycomb Five recently made its harrowing journey to the U.K. 

Here is the piece I made for the fabulously talented Sophie Tomlinson for the most recent Phat Quarter Swap for Mr X Stitch. The theme of this swap was "five," to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the Mr X Stitch website and community.

Isle of Wight, 2012. Sophie Tomlinson.

I've been hosting the Phat Quarter swaps for about a year. Sophie made on of my all time favorite pieces, the Isle of Wight, which I received as part of the 1970s-themed swap.

WIP, Honeycomb 5.

I'm beyond pleased (and relieved) that Sophie likes the piece I made for her. I so admire her work... it was a little scary to make something for her.

Thank you for all of the encouragement and kind comments and emails when I confessed my blueness last week. I'm not sure what was going on, but things are much improved. Sunshine helps.

Sketching and painting new images to stitch.

Back to my creative life. I would may start adding new textures and imagery onto the watercolor pieces. In particular, I'd like explore layering in image transfers. But for now, more stitching and experimenting with these two elements.

My boyfriend loves apple cider donuts, so I baked him this
apple cider donut cake. Yum! Not art, but creative, edible love.

Next, I'll show you the amazing piece I received from Bridgeen Gillespie (a.k.a. the creative goddess behind Cherry & Cinnamon) that crossed the Atlantic to find me. It's amazing!

Blues

From my back porch. Buh Honeycomb, 2013.

Feeling a little meh these days. A little more isolated and alone than usual. Fighting the blues.

Buh Watercolor, 2013. Watercolor, paper, hand embroidery.

I finished another watercolor and stitching piece. This one with more muted colors. I like the way you can see the texture of the work when there are fewer colors to take in. It's a little more stripped down.

The limited color palette lets me see more of the texture.

The blues slow me down.

Work on progress.

But I'll rally.

Inspired by Nat Uhing

It's been a week since it ran, but I'm still so thrilled with the interview I did with the Nat Uhing of Smallest Forest for my Inspired to Stitch column on Mr X Stitch.

To say that I'm inspired by Nat... this is an understatement. She lives so fully and creates with such passion. Damn.

And she was incredibly articulate and generous with her responses. She really gives you a window into her creative process and a gorgeous account of what it's like to live as an artist.

One note: In the States I think we have a different way of expressing ethnicity. She describes herself as a Filipina-America, which I would take as an American of Filipina descent. (For example, we would say that a Mexican American is an American of Mexican descent, etc.) But that is not how she uses it. (She lives in Australia.) I find it strangely comforting that the world is not that small after all, despite claims of globalized culture, etc. We still use so many terms in entirely unique ways.

Spend some time with Nat's work on her website and flickr stream. This artist is beautifully hardcore!

More WIPs, more life

A glorious spate of sunny, warm weather. Delicious meals and conversations with friends. (If you live in the Triangle, go to Piedmont in Durham for some farm-to-table bliss. Trust me.) 

Painting and stitching.

WIP. Stitched Hardscrabble postcard.

 

A few works in progress.

WIP. Buh Watercolor Honeycomb, Watercolor, paper, hand embroidery.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I received some advice about using color from a painter who is incredibly skilled with color. I'm taking her advice to heart and trying to use what she calls "buh" colors, which are more muted, in my honeycomb watercolor stitching. So far I like where this is going.

Received a wonderful compliment today: Fellow fiber artists told me that my watercolor stitching looks much better "in person" than it does in photos online. They said that they can appreciate the color and texture so much more. This made me insanely happy.

As if Durham needs more whimsy!

I'm still experimenting with the stitching on my postcards. Here is a WIP of my first attempt.

I'm not sure where this is going... but I'm on board.

Chin up, girl

WIP, Stitched postcard.

So, the market wasn't what I'd hoped, but that's OK. I'm not entirely sure I'm a craft fair kind of girl, but I will explore other market options.

Painted shutter display for Hardscrabble & Wondrous sale.

Ultimately, it was a gorgeous, sunny day, I met interesting people and spent fun time with my parents and friends. So I can't complain.

WIP, Stitched postcard. Spider wheel in the sky.

It was only a matter of time until I united my Durham cards with stitching. Lots of possibility for fun with this. I kind of like this work in progress.

I will spend some time on this.

Goofy hostess selfie keeping my chin up.

And I will have friends over to my tiny home and spoil them with good conversation, food and drink. And I'll keep my chin up, no matter what.

dTown Market!

About a year ago I began taking iPhone photos of my beloved, adopted hometown of Durham, NC. Mostly, I took them to entertain myself while driving back and forth to bootcamp in the early morning hours.

I started posting the photos on Facebook under the album name "Hardscrabble & Wondrous Durham." (The title came from a casual description of Durham that my boyfriend wrote in an email. It was perfect and I insantly loved it!)

Lucky Sky, Durham. 2013.

Friends told me they like the photos, so I made little cards from them and launched a tiny etsy shop.

Hardscrabble & Wondrous Durham.

Now I'll be selling them in public for the first time at the dTown Market, this Saturday, 9/28/13, from 12-5 pm, at Motorco in downtown Durham.

If you're in the area, come on out and say hi. The weather is supposed to be beautiful, there will be lots of other vendors and beer. Big yes!

Making merch

Getting happily settled in my new home and getting ready for the dTown Market at the end of the month. I'm making merchandise!

Honeycomb 3, WIP. Watercolor and hand embroidery.
Not selling my handmade work.

Sunday morning newspaper in my happy new kitchen.

Sounds so weird. I've never been that interested in selling what I make and here I am making cards, framing prints and making magnets from my little Hardscrabble & Wondrous collection of Durham photos.

Making merch -- magnets!

As odd at is is to make so many duplicate cards and prints, it's kind of fun, too. And I'm designing a little selling booth on which to display my merchandise. This is an entirely new experience for me.

Painting an old shutter to display my prints for the dTown Market.

And I finally have time to get back to stitching. Working on some honeycombs in different kinds of paper.

Wonky honeycomb experiment on a loteria card.

Feeling super fine.

First selfie in my new digs.  I finally feel HOME.

The eagle has finally landed

Yes, I know that the disruption caused by moving is not the worst thing in the grand scheme of things, but still, it's a beast.

The view from my sofa. With my visitor, Luna.

Spent the last few weeks preparing to move, moving and then trying to settle in. 

The good news: I adore my new place. It's a tiny, duplex apartment, with high, white walls and orange painted floors. The backyard is a riot of mulberry trees and shade. And I'm sandwiched between my dear friend Kate and my new friend Martin, my landlord. I can walk to the shops and restaurants. What a different life from the grim, lonely, isolated, soulless apartment complex I lived in for the last two years!

Detail from Sliding Grid, 2013.

Slowly getting back into stitching. I finished another watercolor stitched grid. I will paint up a new batch of ground paper tomorrow. I received excellent advice from a painter whose work with color is amazing -- she suggested mixing in some more muted hues. I'm starting to experiment with that.

Framed Hardscrabble & Wondrous prints!

I'm also getting ready for my first public sale of Hardscrabble & Wondrous Durham cards and prints at the end of the month at the dTown Market at Motorco Music Hall. Something entirely new for me: Designing a display booth. A daunting prospect!

Sliding Grid, 2013.

And I was so happy to publish my first Inspired to Stitch column for Mr X Stitch last week. I interviewed the amazing Iviva Olenick about her narrative embroidery artwork. 

Iviva talked about her source material in my first column.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed my conversation with Iviva about her process and sources. Please read it and let me know what you think. Is this the kind of piece you enjoy reading about textile artists?

All paws. Luna on a stepping stone in my back yard.

Finally, this weekend has brought the temporary return of precious Luna, the world's sweetest living creature. I've been babysitting her for my ex-husband. She goes home tomorrow and I'm already so sad. I'm trying to just enjoy the little bit of time that I have left with her, but I feel this great crack happening in my chest.  I won't let it overwhelm me. I'll rally. It's just that saying goodbye to her again reminds me of hard times... I don't want to ever feel that kind of pain again, the pain of my life falling apart, the realization of what one can lose. 

Detail from Sliding Grid, 2012.

On to happier things. My new place, my new artwork, my loving friends and family. 

I may be profoundly sad and lonely sometimes, but I can take anything. I'm stronger than I look.  

Scenes: From my blooper reel

Q:    Is there such a thing as too much color and too much pattern?
A:    YES!

Fresh set of holes poked, ready to stitch. Looks like Braille.

My pile of "not quite rights" is growing. But that's OK. I'm learning. The piece below doesn't quite work. I threw in too many colors and too many patterns. I was trying to work in more of a scene, with foreground and background activity. But I piled it on too high and it's simply too busy and not unified.

Blooper! I think it fell apart with the blue stars. Among other things.

So on to the next piece. Simpler grid. Simpler color selection. Trying to strike a balance between wild grids and doodles on a luminous colored base and composing different areas of focus in different places.

Brand new grid. Keeping it simpler. 

Perhaps I've dialed this one to too simple. We'll see.  Not much time to work on this this week because I'm moving on Thursday. Moving is a beast! But I'm very excited about my funky new duplex and the next phase of my personal life.

Ok, back to packing...

Scenes: Making marks with paint and thread

More scenes from my recent work with watercolors, pattern, colors and threads.

Honeycomb 1 (2013) Watercolor & pearl cotton thread.

WIP: Honeycomb 2 (2013) Watercolor & pearl cotton thread.

Right now I'm playing.  

Honecomb 1 (5" x 5"). 

Sketchbook grids.

I'm teaching myself how to do this. Several have gotten messed up. I have piles of drafts.

Playing with paint at my table. 140lb watercolor paper.

Honeycomb 2 (2013). This one got a little messed up. Oh well.

I know it's right for me because I'm having so much fun with it. 

So many colors, so many grids

How did I not do this before? I love the saturated colors of watercolor paints. And I love the texture of pearl cotton. And I love layering these with various grids.

Grid 1, 2013. Hand embroidery on watercolor painting.

Right now I'm playing and experimenting with painting simple backgrounds and grids.

Hex grid 1, WIP. Hand embroidery on watercolor paper.

And fortunately there are soooooo many options for both!

Detail, Grid 1, 2013.

In my non-art-making life, it's been a difficult week, filled with transitions and strange medical news. But so many good things and good people.

I'm about to move to a new, very sunny, funky duplex in my favorite Durham neighborhood. And to top it off, it's right next door to my sweet friend Kate and her husband Chris. Kate has amazing, sick skills in the kitchen and at the sewing machine. I will be learning so much from her! She has already taught me a lot about baking, preserving and serging.

I feel sad and full of passion, joy and life at the same time.