My New Etsy Shop

It was time to put my fabric boxes & bags out there. After some deliberation I decided to launch an Etsy shop. The leap has been made. I decided on the above image for my icon as most of my images that become stencils are inspired by nature. The name "Fiber and Pigment" was chosen to keep it in line with the blog name. Consistency is good right?


The big idea I want to get across is that I can custom make colors, sizes, shapes and imagery depending on what place in your home a vessel will live. The process engages me. The challenge of getting the color I want, then layering images is what I love.

When you put it out there the vibes start to happen. Two ladies from my Artist Trading Card group have bought and commented on my vessels seen on this blog before the store was live. I humbly request you share a link to the shop with all your friends.

Posts will be made to Instagram with available items. It's one of my favorite platforms. No ads, no unwanted junk. We artists tend to be visual and it delivers. Facebook will be involved as well.

 

 

If you have any questions or comments about the shop, my process, or anything you see here let me know.

A New Look

 Time to fill the cold grey days up north with projects. We have had a hand me down bed room furniture set that I couldn't part with. Blonde wood finish. My husband is great at refinishing furniture and was on board to go colorful.

 It started awhile ago with this paint job on an older dresser that was also a hand me down. It had seen 2 other paint colors & 2 other sets of hardware. We like it so much we decided to follow suit with the 4 other pieces, 2 night stands and two dressers, even though the style is completely different.

This is how they looked before the color upgrade.

 Once they were painted it was decided they needed hardware to define the drawers 

 and add a needed element.

This piece is my favorite. They all brighten up the space & unify the pieces in a great way. 

Travel Always Inspires

A recent trip to Asheville NC and the Biltmore Industries art community 

 provided some inspiration.  The message above says a lot. The link takes you to the site of

 Daniel Essig, a book artist I've admired for years. His studio in in one of the historical buildings. The history of the fabric, tailoring & wood carving that took place there in it's heyday is worth a read.

The car museum had wonderful specimens ripe for photos. 

 

 The Grove Park Inn was a masterpiece of Arts & Crafts architecture, furniture, rugs, & light fixtures.

We spent a day in Asheville in galleries, shops & eateries. In a gallery of  the now defunct Black Mountain College they had several pieces by Ruth Asawa.  I had recently learned of  her wire sculptures in an Improvised Life post & was enthralled with her work. To see them up close in person was a real treat!

I have been busy in my studio with more fabric vessels, being a vendor in a local art fair, & an attempt to stay engaged while recovering from a little foot surgery. Photos of the vessels and art fair comments to follow soon.

Contain Yourself

I am delighted to be one of the 22 vendors at the Merry Makers Marketplace at the Crooked Tree Arts Center in Traverse City on November 17th & 18th.  I will also be one of three artists doing a talk next Tuesday for "Coffee @ 10" as part of the promotion for the event. 

I have been in creation mode to get many fabric boxes done in preparation. 

I  refer to them as Functional Self Art, with the prompt to "Contain Yourself" 

on my tags & cards for the fair. 

 

  

 The process has multiple phases. From the first layer of paint on the canvas, then three or more layers of texture & stencils, covering the sturdy Pelon with a fabric for the liner, to the pieces being sewn to create the final structure. I truly enjoy the entire endeavor as well as coming up with my own patterns for each size & shape of container. 

Stay tuned for how this goes. It's my market research for the containers I've been obsessed with. 

I'm a Bag Lady

I can't help myself. Paint on fabric that becomes little bags. It's my thing right now.

 

Background layer.

The thought process of what colors, imagery, & in what order is what sucks me in. 

Then the decision of when to stop has to be made. 

Titan Buff ovals were the final layer. 

 This card from a friend was my inspiration.

 

  This little book is so helpful in mixing acrylics to get the color I have in my head. 

Although this book is for watercolor, it points me in the right direction. This is a 2007 edition. 

The link above is for a more current & inclusive edition for oil & acrylic. 

Then this happened.

 A new set of decisions to be made. 

I could have stopped here but couldn't resist the spiral I added seen in the finished bag. 

Photo Contests & Some Fabric Painting

The deck upgrade we did earlier this summer has been a joy! We spend so much more time there now that we can see the woods while sitting. The air movement is better, it just feels very different.  It was a great project. The company, Feeney,  who makes the "Rail System" we used has a photo contest, as does the company where we got new planters for the deck.  Of course I took the bait & entered both. We should be getting a kick back from Feeney as there are several folks in our Condo Assoc who want to do the same upgrade.

 

Now it feels like fall will arrive soon  & more time will be spent in the studio. 

A sneak peak at my current fabric project. Details to follow.  

Have a great Holiday weekend!

Stencil Mania

Here's one thing of what I've been up to, as well as company, concerts, visiting Chicago to say good bye to older son as he & wife head to London for 2 years. Guess where I'll be visiting. It's been a great summer. With Fall approaching more time in the studio is bound to happen.

Stencils!  Love making my own with card stock. Then embellish journal pages as well use them 

 on painted fabric. There has been quite a bit of that activity. 

The first image as a riff on this line drawing on the left. 

 

In progress

Finished product.

Then used on studio apron that needed some help covering up an awful graphic.

Plant motif I can use multiple times in one image. Flip, shorten, use a different angle.

These two frames correspond to a quarter page in my journal and an Artist Trading Card size. 

Containing ideas within boxes & frames works well for me.

More on things that make me ponder, inspirational stuff I've run across on the web in the days to come. parting shots of summer things I love. 

 

 

 

Does anyone know what the little black speck in the middle of the Queen Anne's lace is? Is it a male female thing. I've noticed some flowers have it & others don't.