Gifts from the Heart

And here is some of my latest work....smaller scale, lower priced and wearable. This was my first attempt at a batch of felted brooches and I must admit I am pleased with how they turned out. I made these for the upcoming winter exhibition, Gifts from the Heart, at LUX Center for the Arts. This is an invited exhibition that I am pleased to partake in.

I began with some sterling silver discs that I shaped into domes for the base (in order to hold the felted piece). Next I soldered pin backs pieces and shaped the pin to curve around the domed base. Be aware that when soldering onto the dome shapes...place the pin backs at an angle so they connect completely. I found working with silver to be a bittersweet relationship ...both for better and for worse. I found that yes, silver melts fairly
quickly and then there is no coming back. Although the destructive appeal to the melted silver parts makes me want to experiment further. For these I stuck with making pretty, non-melted brooches - I figured these would be appealing to the mass. The silver creates a beautiful frame for the felted centerpiece.

Although the silver is clean, I have only ever worked with copper before this point, and I would really love to see more of it. I just need to find copper bin back pieces. The larger brooch has a copper dome base that looks beautiful against that mixed cranberry color. The copper has a more subtle appeal, which I always enjoy.

Anyways, the felted pieces have a touch of embroidery with small french knots. These are all made with felted wool - which I haven't been working with lately. The thread is bamboo and next I am planning on felting a few with soy. I don't want to to venture out too far away from my plant fiber phase, but I wanted to start out easy - with a fiber I knew I would have no troubles with.

These can be found for sale at the upcoming Gifts from the Heart wintershow at LUX Center for the Arts or on my etsy shop. Be on the lookout for my other artwork for this show as well as some earrings that are underwary!

It's a bird...it's a plane...it's...sidewalk chalk? Really?

Sidewalk chalk art from the Art of Rock Festival - artist unknown

So over the summer there was a great outdoors music festival promoting a local youth music school - Academy of Rock - Along with it, came 50 artists who each spent the afternoon creating a masterpiece on the sidewalk with regular, washable, sidewalk chalk. Amongst many who were lost with the chalk in their hands (myself included), there were a few who quietly stole the show. This piece simply captured me. Not only is it film noir-esque, not only is it something straight out of Superman, not only is the costuming impeccable, but it is utterly remarkable! I was half expecting/hoping to have Phillip Marlowe walk up beside me, smoking a cigarette, and ask me if I needed any help...well Humphrey Bogart as Phillip Marlowe to be exact. I wanted to share this with everyone so you can all enjoy this work of art that lasted for exactly 48 hours, before the power washes came to destroy all evidence of this public art.

Something Worth Fighting For

Resources, 20x6, Hand-woven; dyed; felted bamboo & soy, 2010

This is another piece from my Sustain exhibition that depicts Nature's resources...not so subtly either. Conservation remains to be the theme behind my work for now. I have been so interested in taking something that is depicted as beautiful and fragile, then transforming it into something that appears captured and uncomfortable. This concept of us trapping and suffocating Nature as en entity, has relayed itself into most of my recent works. I like the use of different techniques here to achieve my message including knitting, felting and double weave. Now it is time for move on from this concept...maybe delve into something more subtle.