arlee

Indigo Dreams, Jam Day, Moons, Not so ordinaries

a jam and jelly day

Posted on October 4, 2016October 4, 2016 by arlee

The Big Work is chugging very very slowly in the background, and i decided to show less of that as i go through the making. How many shots of two more inches done can i show and keep anyone but myself captivated? 🙂

In the meantime, i am playing with smaller pieces, no pressure, no grand plans, just embroidery for the sheer fun and joy of it, a Jam Day.

Wait until you see what’s going in the middle of this one though 🙂 (And sorry–REAL camera battery is charging, and phone camera is pain in the bazotski as usual…)

I’m also making grape jelly today, from 25 pounds of grapes i scored for a riDICULOUS price from a local gardener. And keeping me company is Mr SixToes (Cosmo), a good sign as he’s spent most of his time so far, under my stoodio table. He’s also quite a pig about food, so that’s another good sign that his mouth is healing nicely!

And Greyman is such a chicken. So far, he hasn’t told his mother that Cosmo is NOT coming back to her house. Instead we are “keeping him for a couple of weeks so he can get all his meds and check up properly.” She doesn’t deserve him, he’s MINE now, with his growly little meow and quiet ways.

Indigo Dreams, Moons

September Moon

Posted on September 27, 2016September 27, 2016 by arlee

Waxing full 🙂

And possibly the last pick from the gardens, as Monday has S*** predicted!!

Deliberation--do something you don't do--or haven't in awhile, Moons

skeevey brights

Posted on September 26, 2016October 6, 2016 by arlee

Lurid, ain’t they? None of these are numbered, or named, something Prism doesn’t seem to care about, hence the added numbers in the photo 🙂

The Prism tie dye threads are what they are..a yellow, chunk, a blue, chunk, a pink, chunk, no blending except for an iota where they meet. These are the threads people hate, who hate variegateds. No subtlety, no sneaking in that bridge of green, orange or purple.

That being all said, they are kind of fun, definitely hippie and pop. The stitch used obviously makes a difference, a spiderweb reminds me of the old Ojo de Dios we made in the 70’s, wrapping hideously coloured synthetic yarns around wire coat hanger frames 🙂 I can see some really nasty stuff happening with these threads in the future. They are a bit coarser than DMC, Anchor and the like, coarser even then the original Prism line used to be.

For 4.99 a package for 18 solids and 18 variegateds, i ain’t gonna complain too much! March 2013

I haven’t touched them since i made that entry on my old blog. The J&P Coats colourway 0250 though isn’t available anymore (used on the Pop Moon in the previous entry), which is too bad since it was a great blended rainbow effect, so again, use what you have.

I’m definitely feeling the need for some colourwork again. Maybe because the summer garden this year has bloomed so late–my Mexican Torchflower FINALLY has a blossom at three feet high (they’re supposed to get to 6-8 feet…), and with the exception of the sunflowers everywhere, nothing was fantastic this year, despite all my efforts. (Gardener’s rule: NEXT year will be better/different/easier/sunnier.) Awhile ago, i culled my fabric stash and kept a few loud 70’s and 80’s prints, and with the recent re-discovery/re-opening of the bead vault, i should be set for a few good sessions 🙂

~~And by the way, this one is available in the shop now, shipping included, and at our low Canadian dollar value 🙂 😦 :~~ EDIT: SOLD

I’m working on more naturally dyed moons as well, and maybe some new approaches to the Alberta Rose series (2013) again.

Deliberation--do something you don't do--or haven't in awhile, Not so ordinaries

a little bling never hurts—–and neither does some true caring

Posted on September 25, 2016September 25, 2016 by arlee

When i re-organized my galleries, i realized i used to use a lot of beads, sequins and metal bits in my work. I still have drawers and drawers! No point in saving them for the coffin, unless someone volunteers a good big glue gun, because i doubt anyone has enough time to stitch them all on, before i go underground…………………except i want a green burial, so that’s not gonna work either, millions of itty bitty plastic, metal and glass thingies getting tangled in the roots that grow over me 🙂 So use ’em!

I’m not going to suddenly start encrusting everything in sight though, and certainly a lot of the work i do does not need orange sequins or blue crystals! But it might be fun to add unexpected ingredients or components.

Previous work, some of which was heavy on the beads 🙂

While i’m stitching on more indigo and naturally dyed moons, i also pulled out some vintage brights as well, a late 70’s rayon:

This can definitely carry some Bling 🙂

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And our newest rescue! My MIL has had “custody” of Cosmo for a few years now, but with her refusal to admit he has a health problem–really really bad teeth, due to her really really REALLY bad care of him–and her denial even after a vet appointment, that there was anything wrong with him (she even refused to give him the painkiller prescribed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), Greyman went over on Friday night and pulled him out of there. He is now OURS, period. We got the expected hypocritical phone call “Oh i can’t sleep worrying about him” after the fact, but as far as i’m/we’re concerned, if you can buy several new couches in a year, new stereo equipment and those stoopid Franklin Mint “collectables”, and then plead poverty at the mention of the bill for the dental work needed, you can go &^%* yourself. We may not be the richest, but we WILL take care of our babies.

Cosmo is brother to our other white cat, Elmo (Mo), in the inset photo. Cosmo is partly polydactyl, front feet only, Mo is normally toed on all 4 feet, and there was a third brother who was completely polydactyl, Leo, who unfortunately passed away several years ago. Cosmo has spent the last two nights with me, but has now settled on my stoodio worktable, ignoring and being ignored by the other animals (Mo, Slapshot, the cats and Nessie, the DogFaced Girl)–except for the occasional drive by hissing and swinging Slapshot. Cosmo is of course, rather grouchy right now, but still a sweetheart, and we know after his teeth are fixed, will settle in more comfortably.

I know a lot of people think i am a nasty, crusty, people hating bitch (and maybe rightly so, because i don’t like most people 🙂 ), but when it comes to animals, don’t screw with me.

Day Job at the fffFlower Mines, Probably talking to just myself

lost and resting

Posted on September 21, 2016September 21, 2016 by arlee

The slumps are here again. Two exhibits in the same time frame, and as always after intense periods of productivity, that means i don’t know where to go next. You’d think i’d be happy, energized, excited, but i always feel at a loss after finishing. My life is good, i like where i live and what i do at the Day Job, but in the time after the current work is completed, there’s always that feeling of something missing in the stoodio, that search for the Next Big Thing. I wish i could grab back some of the verve i had when i first started blogging 12 years ago: 4 posts a day, tons of enthusiasm, experimentation out the hoo-hoo, “WOW, OMG, HOLY SHIT, THE WORLD IS SO EXCITING”——— where’d that girl go?

But this time i’m going easy on myself. There’s no race, no competition. I’m enjoying what’s left of my garden outside, admiring the indoor jungle, note making for C***mas at the fffFlower Mines, and not doing much of anything but observing and thinking.

The beauty of old roses:

Orchid cactus:

Funk of the week at the fffFlower Mines, Leonotis leonurus:

Odontoglossum orchid:

A sad sad Medinilla! Lost most of its leaves this summer, but valiantly blooming again anyways:

The Orchid Cactus blows me away:

And the very little i have done with needle and thread, the start of a sixth indigo moon:

….The art of the breakthrough is the practice of figuring out all the ways to not do it on your way to an insight….We find our way by getting lost. Anything other than that is called reading a map. Seth Godin

"OPINIONATION"

cell phones vs Real cameras

Posted on September 20, 2016September 20, 2016 by arlee

I had to finally upgrade my poor old abused flip phone to a newer model. The 20 year old technology won’t be supported after Jan of next year. While it’s still a better camera than my old phone had, it’s still a pain in the Bazotksi. No focus capabilities, bad light, no anti vibration setting, no subtle nuances to lighting or the actual colours.

Here’s the best reason for using a REAL camera to photograph work with. Left is cell phone (Samsung), right is NikonD90. I had to enhance the cell phone shots, and they’re still crap, but the camera took perfect shots right off the bat. If you’re proud of your work, photograph it properly as well.

Cell phone case made from one of my FrankenStitch class samples 🙂

I find it sad that so much work is posted in groups that just looks awful, because the camera photo will never be as good as a real camera. The shots are dim, out of focus, no ambiance. If you can afford to stand in line for umpteen hours, just to get the latest overpriced model, that will be obsolete next year, just so you can say you have one, forget that, and go invest in a good brand of DSLR. Your exhibit and publication entries will thank you!

Contextural Fibre Arts Co-operative, Leighton work

the Mark, the Thread, the Hand at Leighton Art Centre

Posted on September 14, 2016March 10, 2020 by arlee

This is at the Leighton Art Centre, near Millarville, Alberta. Our theme was based on responding or reacting to work done by Barbara Leighton, and Marion Nicoll from the Leighton archives, work done in the 70’s by these two talented artists.

For the contemporary fibre artists of Contextural, the experience of creating fine craft is an important element to understanding it. Our constant experimentation, planning and preparations allow us to rework ideas and techniques – and “the hand of the maker” becomes evident in each step along the way. It’s during this making process that we learn about ourselves, and how to bring out the best in our chosen media. Our time, effort and passion leave a personal mark that is an integral part of our work.

The large piece in the centre of the third photo is a large, graphic batik by Marion, the one that struck me for inspiration. I love that moon and the crackling around it caused by the batik process, and responded to that.

And apparently, though you can’t see them in the photos, there are Red Dots by some of my work, always a lovely thing 🙂

EDIT: Nice write up by one of the smaller local papers, the Western Wheel. Note though, our group name is “Contextural_ and we are textile artists, not “textural” artists 🙂 (Though some of us do have more texture in our works…)

Days of Honey

Half Past Autumn

Posted on September 13, 2016September 13, 2016 by arlee

I trust in nature for the stable laws of beauty and utility. Spring shall plant and autumn garner to the end of time. Robert Browning

"Rosehips", Collision: the work begins

choosing choosy chose

Posted on September 6, 2016September 6, 2016 by arlee

Of course, the Chosen don’t always make it in 🙂

Some of those corals and oranges are dibbydabs left over from long ago, brands or dye lots that i haven’t seen in ages, so we’ll see who makes it to the final round, and who gets thrown off the island.

The fabric is two different “filler” fabrics i made during residency.

"Rosehips", in progress

signs of Autumn

Posted on September 6, 2016September 6, 2016 by arlee

Sigh. As a gardener, summer is never long enough, and this year the tomatoes have proved it. I’ve had to do some drastic pruning to encourage the fruit that has formed, to prevent the plant from trying in vain to produce more, and to get what little sun and heat we’ve had on the fruit, to make those poor babies ripen. I’m hoping we get some of that, enough to start the ripening before i have to pick and bring inside to finish……

But, really, that’s not what this post is about.

While i’m not “stuck” with progress on the winged figure “Rosehips”, i have been ruminating about what she means. Autumn definitely, her browns of seed and stalk, the deep violets of twilight, the greys of shade and old nests, her faded features only glimpsed by outline and shadow. Autumn is both a joy and an overwhelming sense of sadness, lost or set aside dreams. There’s a sense of fecundity in the harvest, but also an end to the fruitfulness of long days.

In every seed though is new hope. Those samaras above are so perfect, so evocative of the season for so many. Thanks to good ol’ photo editing, they work perfectly for addition to the current piece:

Time to go through the threads again.