I have a table at the Twist Craft Fair this Friday and Saturday. Twist is held at the Northampton Center for the Arts in downtown Northampton, MA. I enjoyed the fair when I participated last November, and look forward to seeing the other crafters who will be there this weekend. If you are in the neighborhood, stop by!
Thanks to all who left such thoughtful comments on my last post. I really appreciate them!
I finished the flamingo over the weekend. This burst of pink is now sitting on a shelf in my work room and I am enjoying it very much. It is made from hand-dyed wool, linen, and cotton and stands about a foot tall.
The process of designing and making this bird was a pleasure. I would say that I was in my creative "zone," that place in which my creative spirit is made manifest in the piece I am creating. The experience of making something that truly expresses me - my style and vision - is powerful.
I see so many beautiful, creative, and clever things online. At times I have wondered how I could ever find my own unique style with so many images of other people's work clouding my mind. Because I am self-taught in my craft, the internet (as well as art and craft books) have become my school. I have had to learn to take from what I see: technique, use of color, thematic ideas, materials, and meld it all into an expression of my own. My craft is what emerges after and apart from the inspiration I find online and in books.
In making my soft sculpture, I have been inspired by these artists: Lemmikkiapina, Abby Glassenberg, Jennifer Muskopf, Abigail Brown, Ann Wood, Stephanie Congdon Barnes, Tamar Mogendorff, Mimi Kirchner, and many others I'm sure. I honor their work and thank them for their inspiration. But, I need to do the hard work of making my own craft.
If you have a reasonable level of skill, it is easy to copy someone else. But, is that honest? Does that ultimately feed and satisfy your creative soul? Does it make you feel joyful? Having a creative vision and manifesting it is hard work. It does not happen overnight. You have to practice, make mistakes, rethink your ideas. You have to try and try again. The work is worth the effort - as you begin to see yourself in the pieces you create.
I have been sewing and painting this year. I paint a little each day (on my calendar) and sew on and off throughout the week. I can see many connections forming between my paintings and my sewn sculpture. The way I relate to color, shape, texture. I can see hints of this cohesive style as well when I embroider or crochet or make a collage. It is through repetition and everyday practice that I learn about myself and experience the joy of being in the moment of creation.
I am thankful for the opportunity to make things. My life is so much richer for it.
Another thunderstorm with hard rain this morning. I was out walking my brother's dog while he and his family are away. We took shelter before the height of the storm.
So many wildflowers to see now: red trillium, trout lily, and spring beauties. Also skunk cabbage and fiddleheads. We hope to hike on Pine Cobble this weekend. There are many, many ladies' slippers there, although it might be too early for them.
Do you like the flamingo so far? Wings, eyes, and legs today.
The wildflower paintings are from a very large, old guide book I found at the library book sale. The paintings are quite nice, particularly in the large format.
My daughter changed the quilt on her bed. I love the blue and white. Her room is so quiet. I hope she will always be able to have such a retreat.
Warm temperatures. Thunder storms. Daffodils in the garden. Wildflowers along the trail in the woods. I think spring is settling in.
I purchased this Peterson's Field Guide to Birds' Nests at the library book sale last week. I am enjoy looking through the pages at the wide variety of nesting that birds do. What a leap of faith for these birds to leave such fragile packages among the branches of trees and brush, or even on the ground. I guess it is the same leap of faith that we humans take when we have a baby. I believe that pregnancy and parenting are such practices in letting go. Letting go of control. Letting go of preconceived notions of how things should be. These are not always easy lessons. And they can bring both great joy and terrible heartbreak.
I made a couple more linen and wool wading birds. I think I will make a flamingo next. I have some beautiful pink hand-dyed wool and pink linen. I am also working out some patterns for butterflies. I see the wings as opportunities for embroidery. These are my spring projects.
Thank you all for your nice comments about the birds I posted earlier this week.
I just finished this bird. It is a wading bird. Long legs, long neck, long beak. I am very happy with its sturdy elegance.
I will be listing some new things, including birds, in my etsy shop. I will let you know in this space when that happens. Also, if anyone would like me to make a bird in a particular color, I can do a special order for you. Just let me know. I have many colors of hand-dyed wool just waiting to be turned into a lovely creature.
I finished these new birds last week. I am very happy with the bright and cheery colors. The hand-dyed wool is so nice to work with. I especially like cutting and stitching the tail feathers.
It was 77 degrees here yesterday. The resident birds worked themselves into a frenzy of song. I can hear them out there again today. I expect we'll be seeing baby birds before too long. I also heard the frogs peeping last evening. That is a sure sign of spring. The peepers are one of my earliest childhood memories. I remember my mother holding me as we stood outside in the growing dark. She told me that the peeping sound that enveloped us was the frogs awaking to spring.
What is it that makes early memories? An experience with strong emotion surrounding it? An experience reinforced by repeated retelling? An experience of something so new that it deeply embeds in our mind and heart?
Wednesday is pink at Poppytalk!
I am loving the new group of birds that I finished over the weekend. This pink one is a preview. I'll post the others soon!
Everything is still gray and brown around here. Even a bit of grungy white snow on the north-facing slopes near the house. I suppose this neutral landscape is what sent me looking for color in my work room over the weekend. I pulled out a bag of hand-dyed wool and was amazed to find such luscious color within. I had somehow forgotten I had such treasure hidden away. The fabric reminded of the watercolors I have been using for painting.
I am working on a new collection of wool songbirds. I sold all of the ones in my etsy shop during the fundraiser for Save the Children earthquake relief in Japan. I want to give everyone who participated in this group fundraiser a huge THANK YOU for helping out. Because of your generosity, I raised $148.50 from sales in my shop. I know that the other crafters involved were very successful as well. I am honored to have been a part of this effort.
I'll be back with some finished birds before long. I am working out a new bird pattern for spring as well. It feels good to be doing some focused sewing after a spell of primarily painting and knitting. I am participating in the Twist Craft Fair in early May, so that has given me focus as well.
{I found some color in my daughter's room as well - her violets are blooming like crazy.}
Be well. XO
The Crafting for Courage sale begins today! I hope that you will consider making a purchase to support the Save the Children earthquake relief efforts in Japan. You can find the blog which showcases all of the items for sale with links to the shops here: Crafting for Courage
I am offering 3 hand-dyed wool songbirds and an original watercolor painting of a girl gently supporting a bird as it prepares for flight. 100% of the money made from the sale of these four items will go to the charity. I will donate 25% of all other sales from my etsy site as well. You can find my shop here: Lovely World Handmade
Dear Snow, You took me by surprise this morning. The tree branches are hanging low from all your heavy, wet weight. You have come down in white out fashion throughout the day. I thought maybe you had lost your interest in us and were preparing to rest until next year. I guess not. I should know better. I have seen snow like this in April. Love, Me
At least the kids are on holiday break this week and did not lose another day of school to the snow. There has been a whole lot of relaxing going on around here. I have been sewing. I made some linen baby shoes, which are very satisfying to make. I hadn't made a pair in a while.
Last night I awoke in the wee morning hours and thought - I need a new rhythm in my life. I have been thinking about going back to work as a midwife in some capacity. It is so difficult to manage a family if both parents have a demanding job (which would be the case if I worked full time). But, I have worked part time in the past and know that this might be a possibility. I feel that I need to look at this seriously. Being home is wonderful in many ways, but it also makes me feel anchorless and unfocused at times. Has anyone else felt that anchorless feeling?