I love old things...and the stories that they tell...
Some people see a pile of useless junk...I see a former life, a past event, a fleeting thought, a momentary wish...
Sometimes I let my imagination run ahead...and spin a tale...pulling the thread of the story...seeing where it may lead...
Last week I participated in the 7 vignettes challenge on Instagram. Sponsored by Interiors Addict, there's a list of 7 prompts for you to follow and post your photographic inspiration. I had such a grand time chasing down my story that I thought I would share with you here...
Day One - Blush
I can't say exactly what prompted me to pull out these things...most likely it was the large spool of linen thread in a dusty pink color sitting on a shelf that caught my eye...and then the photo on my inspiration board behind my computer screen...it was the start of the tale...
"blush...the color that rises in a young girl's cheeks when an admirer notices her in all her beauty..."
Day 2 - Bloom
"the fresh lilac blooms brightened her outlook that spring had arrived on this first day of April"
Day 3 - Light
"and so she had a thought...an inkling of an idea...perhaps this young man who made her blush...and brought her such lovely blooms...was the one...her face lit up with anticipation..."
Day 4 - Soft
"she felt like she could soar...her heart unfettered...but if she fell, she knew she would have a soft place to land...is this what one calls love..."
Day 5 - Easter
"rebirth...a new awakening...a fresh start...could this be the direction she sought...the path to follow...her heart guides the way...
Day 6 - Weave
"she remembered him hanging around her father's auto shop...never saying much but always tinkering...papa passed away while she was away at nursing school and now he had taken over the shop...their lives had been intertwined at the edges for years...perhaps it was time to strengthen the weave..."
Day 7 - Gold
"tied up with hopes for the future, a home filled with love and a promise of time eternal, the circle of gold on her ring finger signifies, not a closed chapter, but a new beginning..."
Pulling the thread of imagination, you never know what you might find...
joining with others over at kim klassen's Friday Finds...
and I invite you to follow me on Instagram, you'll find me as four corners design...
let me know if you're on IG, I'll follow back
As I started in my last post, I was at a loss for a creative spark...
naked plaster of paris eggs...sat in a carton in my studio the last two years...
but then I was brilliantly inspired...and went to work...
Using my trusty bristle brush, I glued delicate feathers onto the eggs...
being careful to gently keep each strand smooth and not become a gloppy mess...
I also experimented with a little tissue paper; knowing that the tissue would be light and translucent as it dried...and a bit of french ephemera...because really, isn't everything a little better with a bit of french flair?
After the glue was dry, a little light sanding and a tiny bit of wax...
and finally a springtime vignette...
the contrast of the dark feather against the white plaster brings out all the details...
and highlights how delicate each feather is.
I like how this egg with the tissue paper layer resembles brown transferware ironstone.
And the partial shell that I created holds a tiny treasure...
Joining the group over at kim klassen's Friday Finds...
where my find is the inspiration and spark that I discover among the bestill52 artists...
Thank you Dutch Barb for the spark!
also joining up with Funky Junk Interiors weekend Party Junk...still more inspiration over there...
Within this first month of the new year, I'm trying hard to stay true to my words for the year - dig deep
To look beyond the surface...to explore new avenues...follow a different path...
I've been pretty surprised by my efforts...
discovering a few skills and abilities that I didn't know I had...or had merely forgotten...
Taking a different approach...not relying on the tried and true...
In my year-long Photoshop artistry class, AWAKE, I have surprised myself by taking photos of images that normally would not interest me...and then editing them in new and different ways...leading to an end result that I liked more than I thought possible...and revealing an insight that broke free from my standard artistic view...
The assignment was to take several photos of an object, each from a different angle...I merged this assignment task with another assignment, which was to focus on how we saw our artistic life...as I took my morning walk, I was struck by the row upon row of boxes of this apartment building...and how I would hate to live in one of those boxes...as I combined two of the views of the building, I struggled with how to make each stand out yet blend together...exploring some of the blend modes in Photoshop that I never use (hard light for example) yielded the effect I wanted...masking, blending, and layering helped to bring the entire composition together.
going off in a different direction...sometimes the best way to go...
joining the group over at kim klassen's Friday Finds...where my find is the exhilaration of taking new trails and leaving the path behind...
and speaking of new trails...did you read about that I'm taking the Art Party on the road...to Portland, OR...
want to know more? get all the details here...
Just before christmas, I visited an old friend...of the metal persuasion...
my mint green cast iron Singer sewing machine...
I really hadn't seriously sewn in quite a while...part of the reason due to the fact that my sewing table was piled high with stuff...unfinished projects, garage sale finds, leftover materials, etc, etc, etc...
I had a few projects in mind...so after spending a couple of days of clearing off the table completely, I was ready to go...
I love to sew...I have sewn since I was a young girl...my mother was a seamstress and my grandfather a tailor...there is a certain calmness that I feel from the rhythm of the stitching, the hiss of the steam iron, the satisfaction of creating a functional item...
So it probably comes as no surprise that sewing paraphernalia is one of the things I collect...
The past week I participated in a monthly "contest" on Instagram called 7vignettes...sponsored by Jen of Interior Addicts, it is a daily photo prompt that occurs the first seven days of each month, with the objective to photograph whatever your interpretation of the word prompt is for that day.
I had dabbled in past month's competitions but really hadn't given it my all...this time I thought I would commit to all seven days...and with sewing on the brain, I thought I would give a creative thread to all of my vignettes centered around sewing...the quest for items began...and I was quite surprised by some of the treasures that I unearthed...
Day 1 - the theme was sparkle
nothing more sparkly than rhinestone buttons,
coupled with the sheen of metal and the shimmer of pearl...
Day 2 - the theme was yellow
I had no shortage of yellow measuring tapes on hand...
Day 3 - the theme was blue
the gigantic scissors that the Southern Man's daughter brought back for me when she was in Turkey was an instantaneous choice for blue...along with my vintage mattress ticking that I am hording...
Day 4 - the theme was green
colored dressmaker's pins on white linen...simple but classic
Day 5 - the theme was pink
I adore silk thread...especially when its wound around old wooden spools...
I was quite surprised that I had so many spools of pink thread since its not a color I use...
Day 6 - the theme was rainbow
there's something very nostalgic about rickrack...had to supplement with seam binding for the orange and the violet...but the mnemonic of ROY G BIV stuck in my head all day...
Day 7 - the theme was black and white
digging deep into one of my metal storage baskets I found a treasure trove of notions I had totally forgotten...
this compilation features many of them...which I will keep out so I can incorporate them into a future project...
Having now cleared a space and become reacquainted with my old friend, we will be back together creating...
linking up with kim klassen's Friday Finds...where my find is what was hiding in my own studio...
I just had to re-discover it for myself...
and by the way...I'm having way too much creative fun on Instagram...you should join in...
and follow me...find me as fourcornersdesign...
If a man does not keep pace with his companions,
perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.
Let him step to the music he hears,
however measured or faraway.
Henry David Thoreau
My old kazoo from college days...when hearing a different drummer was all the rage...
I did not mean to sound so desperate in my last post...just an off day...back on track now...
keeping pace with that different drummer...
Joining the group over at kim klassen's Friday Finds...where my find is getting back on track,
listening to that drummer...thanks to the kind comments of blogging friends...
yesterday was my birthday...
a quiet affair but that's just fine...nothing big or fancy
I like the simple...
this quote posted by a friend were the wisest words...
inspired a little photo play
joining the group over at kim klassen's friday finds...my find are these wise words...
Its only been in the last couple of years that I finally had the gumption to call myself an artist...since I'm not working in traditional mediums (watercolor, oil, pastel, ceramics...whatever else you want to add to the list...) it is a stretch for some of what a definition of an artist is...
Today I am delivering 12 of my multi-media collages to be displayed in a two person show in a private gallery...there's been some prep on my part to get all of the pieces "gallery ready" Three of my "temporaries" series are in the group...these are intricate collage compositions that are rather free-form...sewn in place with a dab of glue here and there, it truly emphasizes their ephemeral quality. I displayed each of them on a board with a bulldog clip, ala clipboard fashion...the gallery director was concerned that they might be damaged and wanted them secured or framed...
I hesitated...framing was the antithesis of my intent with these pieces...I wanted them to be touched...examined...
I needed to figure out an alternative...
And don't ask me how such ideas come to me...which was asked of me earlier in the week of how I compose a collage...I didn't know how to answer...other than it just comes to me...
I removed the bulldog clips from each of the three boards...in place of the remaining hole, I attached a pearl button in one...a decorative tack in the others...then I took the paper composition and loosely sewed it onto a piece of kraft cardboard to increase its sturdiness...
then I nailed it to the board...not necessarily in the corner...but wherever it made sense and would adequately secure the collage...
I breathed a sigh of relief...problem solved...with artistic intent intact...
Earlier this week, I received a package in the mail...a wonderful gift of ephemera from Sandy of Quill Cottage....as I opened it, I could not believe the content...such exquisite tones and textures...from one collage artist to another, she knew that her package would be well received...I immediately went to work comprising impromptu compositions...
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| the complete package |
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| a collage quartet |
and I couldn't resist just a little PS play...
Joining the group over at kim klassen's Friday Finds...
where my find is gifts in the mail...and the understanding that I am a different kind of artist...
and appreciating that understanding...
