New Work -- Blueberries

This is a detail shot of my newest piece designed around blueberries. Love the many colors on the berries that are in many stages of ripening.

Friends shared photos and specimens with me for inspiration. I am beginning a new series on berries, fruits and buds of trees and plants. Gallery curators see my series "Seed Play" as ideal for a winter exhibition. Now I want work for spring and summer.

What is your favorite berry or bud? 

Nancy

What are These?

 Made an interesting find yesterday going through my dear MIL's boxes that we stored after her death. Found a delightful kit that she used for small embroidery projects - take-along work.

You can see many of the contents here. Love the padded bar at the center for storing needles with thread on them. A package of needles was 25 cents.

But the most interesting find were three little balls. They were a type of firm foam about the size of garden peas. I have no idea what they might be or what they would have been used for.

Anyone recognize them or know what they are and what they were used for?

Thanks for any suggestions you have.

Nancy

New Work Getting Underway

Martha Ginn furnished me with a couple of really nice photographs of blueberries. This photo will be inspiration for my next piece. Thanks, Martha!

If you have a plant bud, berry or seed that I should consider, please send me a photo. I work primarily from actual living specimens, but photos are great inspiration. 

Love the way blueberries ripen and show their colors a few at a time, so the artwork can be more interesting than if they all ripened at the same time. That also makes for great additions to cereal over many mornings. I tried growing them in pots on my deck, but it was not successful. The flowers that were on the bushes when I planted them made wonderful berries, but the next crop was frozen out and the plants died out pretty well afterwards. No point trying to plant them in the garden here, we are over run with deer. Or venison on the hoof and I would prefer them.

Thanks for reading,

Nancy

Give Away - Baby Dresses

Going through boxes in our garage, I found four charming little baby dresses.

They are delightful, white cotton, much hand stitching on them. Some have lace, several have either hand smocking or hand stitched pin tucks. They are fragile from age. They would make interesting additions to a collage or assemblage work.  They are free to a US artist interested in using them.

The first person to leave a comment and their contact information, will get them.

As we go through former treasures, I will pull some to give away on my blog. Stay tuned to see what I discover.                                                                                

 It seems we spend the first half of our lives acquiring, and the last half DE-acquisitioning. We are at that second stage, Big Time!

Leave a note and acquire these lovely pieces. 

Nancy

Workshop with Jane LaFazio at Random Arts

Sketch and watercolor of beets

Had a great time with Jane LaFazio and my classmates at Random Arts on Sunday. Learned some techniques for making stamps of stylized designs. The black design is from the stamp I created in the workshop. Love the contrast of the green leaves and the red veins and stems.

Small Things for Sale at Eat Your Art Out!

 Carmella Jarvi is the curator for the gallery at Packard Place in Charlotte NC and invited me to display art for sale this Saturday night.

In addition to a selection of my most recent art work, I created a half dozen small works based on the pine cone and needles that work as a group or individually. Four are 8 x 8 inches, and two are 4 x 4 inches. I will also have some of my small sketches that are the designs for my textile art.


I am trying for a range of price points - from $12 for small sketches to $2800 for the largest piece in the exhibition.

It was fun trying to capture the shape and form of both the needles and the pine cone.

 This piece shows the dense echo quilting and a branch of pine needles.  This specimen is from a pine tree that grows in our side garden next to the meadow and shades the blue bird box.

If you are in the Charlotte area Saturday night-- 5:30 - 8:30, I hope you will come out and support this fund raiser (tickets are $20 ahead of time, $25 at the door and children are free with a paying adult).  Tickets cover 2 beers, and 2 food samples and entry to seeing lots of art from over 20 different artists in a variety of mediums.

Nancy

Making Wire & Bead Jewelry Review and Giveaway

Janice Berkebile and Tracy Stanley have written a delightful book full of techniques and 500 how-to photos to create jewelry with simply executed techniques with wire and beads. These two well-known teachers in the field start at the very beginning with information on tools and materials, wire working and finishing.

Being a fiber artist not a metal worker, I was amazed at the sophisticated results possible with wire working. I particularly appreciated the Tips sections that provided the details needed to do a job well. 

If you would like to be considered to win this book, leave a comment and a way to contact you by June 9 and I will published the randomly selected winner by June 12. 

Nancy