Jam Day – Page 4 – albedo too

still hexing in my mind

Posted on August 14, 2016August 14, 2016 by arlee

Above, a couple of years ago, i thought of making a small “traditional” “quilt” using these ecoprints. That went by the wayside and i did sell the pieces as packs, but i’m looking at things in a new light and getting excited about plans for work after the current piece is done.

Looking at older work sections as well, and loving the textures and soft colourways:

Now i admit, i “plan” a lot of work, get all dithered up, and then when it comes time, realize the idea is not ripe enough to work, or in execution does not please me after all. (A lot of that going on this year for me, for whatever reason….) Those plans get stuck on my work blog, sometimes re-appearing, sometimes cannabalized, but often dismissed and forgotten deliberately.

However…………this time, since i have been wanting to Return to the Machine, even if for only a bit, i can see my lovely new hex work done this way as well. Pulling together past work sometimes sparks new ideas that can be integrated into one piece. It’ll be abstract, rather than pictorial as most of my work has been recently, but it’s not always about the recognizable, the tangible object that gets my juices going.

As i was cleaning my stoodio yesterday, i found a leftover piece from “The Difference Between a Plum”— and look:

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Now i see hexes used in this colourway and feel:

Soluble lace, machine work, hand stitch, shapes, woven sections (thanks to Jude for that wonderful class), natural dyes and soft colours. Of course, nothing can happen until the current piece is done for the Aug 28 deadline!

But, this one could be, will be, next.

a collusion of ideas, Jam Day, Residency 2016

res day 7, at home

Posted on June 21, 2016June 21, 2016 by arlee

Somehow i ran out of cotton last week, and have to replenish the stock! In the meantime, i thought i’d play at home Monday, and see what i could do with one of the faces from the first week, kind of a ResJam day 🙂 (Those of you who followed the first albedo blog will know that a Jam Day is a time to just futz around and make messes, colour and joy, refuting the White Queen’s “Jam yesterday, jam tomorrow, but never jam today” statement!)

Choosing threads this way sparks the design too. Not all will be used, and i never decide on which stitch where until i load a needle. A mix of weights and twists, the proper colours and stitch types will fall into play as they will themselves to. I do know already that my original intent to recreate the face as a Dreamscope interpretation will fall by the wayside, as the piece tells its story the way it wants to. Dreamscope is fabulous for spurring ideas, and i have no doubt i could “copy” those results, but for now, this one at least will be its own master.

Based on this one below, from an original piece done in 2007, the first face above will be quite different.

I’m mulling over ideas for adding additional colour to the background of the next one to be “inspired” by the above Dreamscope manipulation. I realized i don’t want an exact interpretation into thread and cloth, but it certainly stirs the imagination!

Creative Strength Training with Jane Dunnewold, Deliberation--do something you don't do--or haven't in awhile, Jam Day

stretched, and done

Posted on February 17, 2016February 17, 2016 by arlee

Done.

Not that happy with either photo–i need mid afternoon light to do it justice–that’s when the true colours and texture are best! Will probably repost then.

So. What did i learn? Colour didn’t kill me. Even though the last few years have alternated between colour pieces and naturals, the colours were usually monochromatic (with the exception of “All the Gardens Dreaming”) . I can use what i have and not have to buy more–not that i have deliberately bought any fabrics other than white in a long long long time. I can work a background, then turn it into something without a lot of pre-planning. Hand embroidery CAN be cut up. Scale can become an inspiration or an issue–i’d be happier to see these figures *much* larger–and in neutrals 🙂

Though i am not as pleased as usual when i’ve finished something, i’m still quite happy with it, as an exercise and as a finished piece. I have no emotional attachment to this one, and THAT is what means to me that something is meaningful art. I’m sure however, that i could do something this way, in colour or not, that would be psychically linked. And i think *i* stretched a bit with this as well: colour, “story/subject”, time line. (15 days from initial idea and layout to completion.)

I have a lot of ideas in the sketch/notebook about how and where i can do this type of work in my more “serious” work. It definitely WAS a break for my brain though, not worrying about concept, what fit with what design wise, and no size or theme limitations.

Along with Jane Dunnewold’s current class, i have been reading other “thinking” blogs. I may not agree with all said there but this particularly bitey fangy post made me laugh and nod my head.

And now it’s time to get back to the other stuff: Leighton plans, translations of current lessons learned, and yes, still more “Screwing Around, With Intent”.

Creative Strength Training with Jane Dunnewold, Deliberation--do something you don't do--or haven't in awhile, embrilting, Jam Day

almost done

Posted on February 16, 2016February 16, 2016 by arlee

top portion done

missed one teeny line on one of the figures, so will have to fix that and then on to the final stretching on canvas. Started on Feb 2 and finishing tomorrow. Fastest project in hand embroidery ever in this stoodio!

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

a clamour of colour

Posted on February 15, 2016February 15, 2016 by arlee

“They” say the more often you have sex, the more often you will *want* sex. 🙂 I’m thinking it may be the same with colour!

(The two blue machined lines are basting only.)

The pictures i previously posted were taken early AM, so below is a better shot in late afternoon that shows the textures better:

I started this bright piece Feb 3 and figure it will probably be done this coming week. Not bad for someone who was resisting using colour again! I’ve even been digging through the more saturated threads and pulling aside possible colour combinations, not for this one, but for other “Maybe’s”.

Now lest anyone think that i am ONLY going to the Bright Side, my sketch/notebook is fast filling with ideas for my beloved neutrals and naturals. The little Prima Vera figures especially have lots of potential on a larger scale and in a slightly different treatment. With a lot of free association going on as well in my vasty head, i have also decided finally on work that will reflect the Leighton piece that drew my attention last year, and that is to be in an exhibition at the Leighton Art Centre. I do still want to finish “Body of Water” as a companion piece though, again with intention from recent thinking and diagramming 😉

Crayons full speed ahead!

a collusion of ideas, Creative Strength Training with Jane Dunnewold, Deliberation--do something you don't do--or haven't in awhile, Home Cookin' the Cloth, Jam Day

colour prompts

Posted on February 13, 2016February 13, 2016 by arlee

We can all agree that usually FB is a colossal waste of time, gets our blood boiling with some postings, or makes us want to puke with the schmaltzy canigetanamendreaminspirethislittlegirlwillamazeyouhavethepowerchangetheuniverseyouarethequeenoftheuniverse memes, but i do find it handy as a prompt also! I think of the old history programs, when FB kindly reminds me that “on this day, you posted this” and shows you what happened each year on that date–assuming anything did happen 😉

On Feb 8 of 2009 i posted this:

WOWZERS, look at that colour saturation and look at that texture! Now WHY am i not still doing this? I have the tulle, i have the metal (remember those stacks of things in the stoodio that rarely get used???)–what am i saving them for? (I’m NOT getting rid of stuff like this i admit, in the interests of honesty and Purge.) And you know what else? I COULD, CAN, WILL do this with the naturals and neutrals too.

The recent lessons with Jane Dunnewold’s Creative Strength Training class are paying dividends: colour, new designs, deep thinking, writing exercises, i’m getting it all.

A playful piece, the colour of this is rich and saturated. There are ideas here that will go into more “serious” work. I still can’t merge fun and “serious work” from those labels, these colours and techniques……Working on it! I DO believe you can do serious concepty work and still have fun—pleasure is subjective (metaphorically maybe!)

And there is still scissor work slated for this one.

Jam Day

pukey week, with colour

Posted on February 11, 2016February 11, 2016 by arlee

On the weekend, we had our car’s driver side window smashed, so that the vandal could steal a whole dollar and Greyman’s driving cushion. Monday morning my computer was invaded by something and crashed badly, losing years worth of files which can’t be found anywhere, and necessitating the reloading of all software. Yesterday i started feeling sick, possibly/probably with the flu–in Valentine’s week, which has my boss AND ME, freaked about time and pressure at the fffFlower Mines. I was supposed to see Karin last night who i miss desperately, but that didn’t happen with all the puking, heaving, snarfling and whining. I’m scared to face another gallon of lemongingerhoney tea.

(Sideways because of viewability! Right is actually the top.)

I hesitate to label this post as a JamDay because of all the shit that has/is happened/happening, but at least there’s colour. Now to take the scissors to it.

Jam Day

a glass brightly half full

Posted on February 8, 2016February 8, 2016 by arlee

Posting photos of work in progress can be boring, i admit, *I* can see what’s been done, you may think “sheesh another inch? whoopee….”

Actually this is almost half done! This is the top 9.5X11″ of the whole 23ish, and i am at the point of considering what the next “layer” will be.

I have several options, all of which would work (and i could do more like this to accommodate each), so the next step will be to choose either a figure, botanicals or body parts (!).

Jam Day

spring pointillism

Posted on February 6, 2016February 6, 2016 by arlee

It doesn’t look to you like much has been done, but *i* know it has 🙂

All variations on backstitch, there’s some lovely crunchy texture happening again. I didn’t set a rule that this stitch was the only one to be used, but i’m finding it enhances, blends and delineates the colour well enough without being intrusive, that i may just stick to it for the entire piece. (10×24-ish?) I do plan however on adding another layer of stitch on top of the whole, so keeping the background minimal (except for the juicy colour) is the best approach.

Since Calgary is mostly brown right now with only a few dots of snow (LOVE those Chinooks!), this work is welcome to my eyes at the end of the days.

Every day i work with flowers at the day job, and most of them are heavy on lots of colour and texture. When i come home though, this is what i like: simple, small, clustery, ornithogalums and tulips, in a terra cotta frosted glass “belly” vase.

Simple. Keeping it simple.