Halloween Countdown: Ghost Painting

Here is a simple project you can do with your kids that of course I saw on Pinterest...a spooky footprint ghost.

I used a 5X7 canvas that I had on hand and painted it black.  Then you just paint the bottom of your child's foot with white paint and press it onto the canvas or paper.  Then using black paint, add some eyes and a mouth.  Super simple!

I also added the word 'boo' along the bottom in glitter.  Cute!

Click the links below for more fun things you can make for Halloween using foot and hand prints.



*CANDY CORN FOOTPRINT

*FOOTPRINT BAT

*FRANKENSTEIN FOOTPRINTS AND HANDPRINTS

*FOOTPRINT SCARECROW

*HANDPRINT BLACK CAT

*HANDPRINT SPIDER

An artsy/craftsy Blog Hop!

I was tagged by the lovely Sophie from Threadhead to join in on a crafty blog hop.  I just have to answer a few questions about my crafty habits and tag three other bloggers to play along.  I love this kinda thing, it's such a great way to 'meet' other artsy/craftsy bloggers. So here goes!

1.      What am I working on? Right now I’m working on some swap pieces so I can’t really show photographs for fear my partner will see.  It’s a Halloween swap so there’s lots of spookiness going on.  I am still working away on the Quilty Stitches and Gingerbread Lane as well….a bit behind but still plugging away!

Gingerbread Lane by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery

Quilty Stitches by Little Miss Shabby

 2.      How does my work differ from others of its genre? Honestly, I’ve been feeling lately a bit ho-hum about what I’ve been doing.  I’m not sure what it is….a creative rut maybe?  I’ve been doing a lot of cross stitch lately and I enjoy it but I really miss making my own things.  Not that there is any ‘wrong’ with stitching patterns.  I enjoy that very much and frankly, it’s what been keeping my needle moving.    Not to get too blah, but I’ve been feeling down about not having enough time for myself. I miss painting.  My easel has been packed away since my son was born. My sketchbook hasn’t been opened either.  I keep telling myself that I’m going to just do some small-scale mixed media works.  It will keep my creative juices flowing but having difficulty finding inspiration.  So for now, I will keep doing my patterns and swaps.  The swaps especially at least keep me making things and challenge my brain to come up with things for my partner.  I’ve missed swapping and so glad I’ve gotten back into it. But I miss painting and expressing myself in that way.

3.      Why do I create what I do? I am a maker.  I studied fine art in college focusing on fiber arts, painting and photography.  I love using my hands to make things.  I feel better when I’m creating something—whether it’s a painting or a holiday wreath.  I enjoy it immensely, especially when trying a new technique or trying to make something I’ve never made before.  Plus, it’s fun! 

4.      How does your creating process work? For my mixed-media pieces, I usually start with a story or a memory.  My work is usually auto-biographical.  I like to throw on bright colors of paint and then white wash over them and then layer more bright colors and white wash over them again. I love the effect it creates. I normally layer fabric and embroidered pieces on the canvas to create the full story.  I truly enjoy it. 

"A Place to Be" 2011

So I'm going to tag the following folks and see if they would like to play along. 

1. The amazing Olisa over at cocoa eyes the stitcher. She's an amazing artist and stitcher who does fascinating mixed media pieces with explosive and graphic quality.

2. QuirkieCraft--she does Ah-ma-zing embroideries.  Please go check her out.  I'm fairly new to her blog so I'd love to know a bit more about her!

3. Let's see if Bascom will play along.  He stitches amazing redwork, paints and welds.  He's a regular jack-of-all trades. 

And please remember to check out Sophie at Threadhead at the top. She's an amazing embroidery artist.  Thanks for tagging me!

Art show: Stitch Fetish 2

I wanted to make you all aware of an amazing art show filled with stitched delights!  The always provocative Ellen Schinderman has done it again, putting together a fantastic collection of stitched, knitted and sewn erotic works.  If you happen to be in the LA area, I strongly suggest checking it out.  I sure wish I could!  For more information please visit the facebook event page here or The Hive Gallery's website here. 

This page on Ellen's blog lists the artists involved with links to their respective websites.  

Do check it out!

Opening: February 8th, 2014, 8-11:30PM
Show Runs: February 8th- March 1st

A place to be...

I have finished this painting finally....exploring the pull of places, particularly home.  Places hold memories so strongly, at least for me they do.  Some happy, some sad.  Either way, I like to think about those memories sometimes...and think about where I am now in relation to where I was then.

Acrylic, fabric, embroidery

I embroidered the fence on this lovely fabric I've had for a while now.  The fabric itself brings its own history memory to the piece.

embroidered and stuffed window

On to the next.

In process...

I finally worked a bit more on my latest painting.  I'm liking the direction it's going. 

I have this rather large piece of fabric hanging from the bottom that I can't decide if I want to cut it or not.  I'm going to think a bit more on it. Still more to do...but it sure felt good to work on this again. 

Inspiration: Eva Hesse

I first discovered Eva Hesse in college taking my Fiber Art classes.  Her work is beyond compare: so tactile and raw.  She had a wonderful sense of materials and space.

"Contingent" 1969

There was always sensuality to her work that I just couldn’t quite put my finger on.

 As a female artist ( and a sculptor at that) working in the 1960’s, I can only imagine the struggles she had, especially with some of the materials she chose to use, like fiberglass and rope.

"Repetition Nineteen III" 1968

To say I’m a fan of her work doesn’t seem like enough praise—she transcends that for me and is a true inspiration.

"Right After" 1969

This is a great video about her work.  If you'd like to see more of her work please go here. 

Inspiration: Julianne W. Sterling

I was strolling through etsy like I usually do when I'm a bit bored and uninspired and came across a wonderful artist, Julianne W. Sterling.  She has some amazing work in her shop. Her artist statement is fantastic:

"I paint about the realities, complexities and absurdities of life as a woman.  With some bittersweet humor I explore the place where I rub up against the gender conditioning of my youth and the expectations of being a woman, wife and mother.  My paintings are about little secrets women keep to themselves.  As Cornelia Otis Skinner said “...Women keep a special corner of their hearts for sins they have never committed.”  I’m drawing from the rich history of portrait painting with this work, creating a likeness but also musing on cultural norms and ideals of women.  My subjects are drawn from the women and children in my life."

She obviously is concerned with the "Princess" culture of girls and her "Pushing Fairy Tales" series explores that.  

"Waiting for Snow White..IV"

"Waiting For Snow White"

The "Mommy Assassins" series is another fantastic commentary on modern motherhood and identity.

How amazing are the tinker-toy guns?

"The Mommy Assassins III"

"The Mommy Assassins II"

I love her layering.  The subtle colors and layers leaving something just under the surface.  And she draws damn good figures.  I've never been that great with the figure so I'm always jealous of those that are. 

"How To Live With A Man"

"Slip"

Really fantastic pieces. Please check out her other pieces on her site

and read through her bio. I'm so glad I stumbled across her work.

Inspiration: Emily Stout

While flipping through the new issue of "New American Paintings" at the bookstore, I saw something so amazing I just had to post about it...the work of Emily Stout. Particularly this piece.

The Mermaids  Charcoal drawings, Quilted tails

I was blown away by this imagery and the combination of the drawings with the patchwork quilts. Absolutely amazing. I'm so intrigued by these words from her statement:

Enchanted forms such as the mermaid, are symbols of the unexpected or unknown in my work. I frequently work with hybrid forms that violate natural law or more specifically contemporary scientific explanation. I am interested in the classic depiction of the mermaid in folk tales and legends as beautiful yet monstrous creatures. They are outcasts; abnormal curiosities. They are neither this nor that, they lie between, questioning the logic of natural order.

Further explorations of her website brought me to this piece:

Destructive Reconstructors  Mixed media

I want to see this in person so badly. The legs of the male figure seem to be three-dimensional but made of what?  Stuffed fabric, lighting trickery?  Agh I must know! 

S witch Board Apparition Theater Mixed media, Wood, Quilting, Paste-ups, Paint, Telephone Receiver Speakers

This piece was listed under "Puppet Show". If it was indeed used for a puppet show, I'm very curious what the show was about because the theater is quite remarkable. 

I hope you've been just as blown away as me with Emily's work. I know I'm going to keep an eye for whatever she has planned next. 

Rediscovery

While going through some of my old things, I found this handmade book I made back in college.  Man did it bring back some memories.  It was a very personal piece, I guess it still is.  But seeing this again, made me remember the creativity I once felt--the feeling that I could really make something and the freedom of it.  I made this in a pinhole photography class, the photographs are of toy horses, the larger one I've had since I was a child.  The prints are cyanotype, a beautiful blue print.  The papers are handmade and everything is hand-stitched, there's pieces of fabric incorporated also.  I do miss having the space and resources to do things like this--make my own paper, access to a darkroom.  Just a bit more inspiration for myself--I have been really dragging on this new painting--feeling very unmotivated and time is ticking away.  So these sparks of inspirations I'm finding are really helping me clear my creative block. 

Hey Man...

I have finished a new piece using another Sublime Stitching artist series pattern.  This time an amazing Michael Sieben design.

I also used another textile that I found at the thrift store.  I love the crochet work on this one.  The delicacy of it is a great juxtaposition of the embroidery  itself--heavy stitches and color. 

I've pretty pleased with my fill stitches though I still seem to have a bit of a problem with tension causing the fabric to pull.  I don't know if that will just happen or if it's something I can prevent.

I tried to give some depth with colors in the hair.  I like doing hair with split stitch becuase it gives texture.  You can check out Michael Sieben's artwork here. I really like his work, it's very colorful and expressive.  At first it seems quite simplistic, but it's heavy in content.  Here's a few I like.

Lighter Or Darker
9" x 9" acrylic and pencil on panel

Need To Talk
9" x 9" acrylic and pencil on panel

Discovered
12" x 12" acrylic and pencil on panel

Look familiar?

Whats New
9" x 9" acrylic and pencil on panel

**In other news: Jenny Hart featured me on the Sublime Stitching blog!  Color me excited! I am a big fan of Jenny's embroidery--check it out here!  Also, the amazing Connie asked me to put this cross stitch on about.com's cross stitch page--pretty cool.  She's doing a great job with the cross stitch page and has tons of free patterns if you want to give cross stitch a try--she's a great resource.  I'm starting a couple new stitches and working on my painting--trying to stay busy.  The weather is getting warm and everything's in bloom!  We are heading to Florida in a couple weeks and I'm really looking forward to the down time. Til next time!