New Piece in the Good Earth Series

No pictures to go with this yet as I'm in the composition stage of this second piece. I put the foundation together last night, stabilized it and gathered my threads. Now I get to scrub through my bead and oddables collection and find the base components.

The theme of this one? Mother lode - the alchemy of gold into object as reflected in our eyes. Power, wealth, privilege and excess.

More to come on this later.

Geode I is Finished!

Geode I 9"X21" Textiles and
Gemstones Mixed Media $3250



Finally finished the edges and final details on Geode I while I dog sat for Martha. I will put it on the back of a cradle board with Velcro before it goes in a gallery show or sells. I also decided that Velcro will help it be hung in any orientation as is pleasing.

You can tell the progression from the first pictures I posted. The binding/backing is a silk linen weave with a heavy slub that reminds me of the texture on the outside of geodes. The little pocket on the side was an afterthought that turned out well. I like the idea that it can be in the process of growing.

I'm really pleased how it turned out. There are multiple amethyst gemstones including light pink Cape Amethyst, grape amethyst cabochon, faceted amethyst beads, loose diamonds and a diamond tennis bracelet, druzy, quartz, tourmaline, tanzanite, fluorite, some lapis, fiber optic cat's eye, glass beads, vintage rose montees, opal, fire opal and opal glass, leather from a fashion belt, vintage beads from my stash of 1800s jet and rocailles, vintage sequins, hologram sequins, carnival beads, mirror, Swarovski crystal, hand dyed brocade from Cindy's stripper costume, square bent silver wire, ivory salt water, gray and peacock fresh water pearls, iridescent blue rhinestones from a 1950s cocktail dress, and a lead crystal cube.

I know I'm OCD.

Maggie Field's ACEO Challenge

I've completed the first challenge for Maggie's Monday Musings, Margaret Fields' membership challenge site. The pictures were awful and I just replaced them so a bit more detail and color could be seen!

The subject is PARISIENNE and this is my interpretation of it. I have to do mine with lint and beads don't you know! To be a Parisienne means many things, but I kept mine to dance, Bardot and the 'City of Lights'.

'Le Tango', Degas' ballerinas at the barre, and the two Folies Bergère dancers give nods to the vivid entertainment and night life of Paris. I used beads and laser sequins to mimic marquee lights. And of course, brocade for the enduring fashion industry.

Had lots of fun with this one and can't wait for the next!

Look Who's Coming To Dinner!

This old lady is one of the wild critters that I feed on my three porches. I call her Connie. Apparently feeling slighted that there's been no food left out for the past few nights due to social obligations, she invited herself into the house to protest.

I was at the computer and kept hearing glasses clinking. Thinking that it was Baby licking the dab of cream cheese I gave her on a spoon because she's such a garbage disposal and begs for anything I'm having. So when I hear other rooting around noises, I get up to see what's going on because Baby can get into things, you know.

So I round the corner to the kitchen and I found Connie helping herself with Baby sitting there watching. She had gone through a pile of things headed for Goodwill sitting in the corner by the utility room. She wasn't happy when I shooed her with a bag towards the back door but took her own sweet time. Then she waited by the back door for me to deliver her bowl.

She found her way around to the water side porch, walked in through the door I left cracked open so the cats could get outside for some air and mosied into the kitchen through the length of the house. I took the bowl out to let her finish it and put down some fresh water with her waiting right there for the food.


I've told Connie if she'll call her order in, I'll have it ready for her next time.

And Baby Makes Three

I have lots of news to catch up on since I've been away from home most of the last week or so taking care of Jim and Martha Marshall's home, dogs, and cats. I am their legal animal guardian and second mom to kids and pets so I spend the week there doing my best to make things run smoothly.

Since there's so much to let you all know and so many things to show you, I'm going to do this in bites as I get inspired and to keep me focused.

My first bit of news is that I now have a new kitten. I already told you all about Charlotte and posted a picture of her. She is the kitten who was deserted on the side of my road with an inadequate box for 'shelter' and an empty bowl. Charlotte is doing very well. After a dose of flea meds and tons of food, she's thriving. She still has a raging case of worms and over the counter isn't working so the vet is the next step in her recovery for well kitten shots and treatment.

Our newest member is Baby, a tortoise shell kitten. The name 'Baby' stuck for several reasons. She truly was a baby when she dumped here. Barely five weeks old, you could fit her in your hand. IF you could catch her! First she cozied up to Charlotte who was closer to her age and size. Then she cozied up to the food and clean water bowl. And finally, she cozied up to me.

To distinguish between Charlotte and her, I started saying 'baby' to get her attention so she didn't identify with Charlotte's name. And because she started to identify with 'baby' and had no preference for another name, she became "Baby". My friend Linda Conner swears that cats will let you know their names and I've found it to be true. Just as Charlotte let Cindy Miller-Ray know hers, and the neighbor's white cat let me know he preferred 'Sam' to 'Snowball', Baby IS Baby.

These pictures were taken last week. Shes' been here a bit under two months, loves to be sung to and purrs so loud you can hear her in the next room. She's a lap cat and silky soft. I wish you could see the whorls of color on her and the harlequin patterns.

Margaret Field's New Blog

Maggie Field is an incredible and totally irreverant Brit with a penchant for creative art dolls, ACEOs, and off the path assemblages. She's starting up a new blog strictly for weekly challenges for artists to make ACEOs/ATCs and is calling it 'Maggie's Musings'. You can trade or not, help with the suggestions for the week's challenge. Go to the link just above to sign up for it!

This would be a good way to motivate yourself to do work, be inspired, add to your collection, schmooze with other artists on the planet and spread your person around 'out there' a bit more. Maggie's Rules are fairly straightforward:

• 1. Each week a theme for an ATC will be chosen either by myself (Maggie) or by suggestions from yourselves.
• 2. When you make your ATC to that weeks theme, post a picture of it on your blog, and then link us to it, via the comments on MMM (Maggies Monday Musings)
• 3. HAVE FUN

I've signed up. Hope you will, too!

Other news: Finally got Ms. Sheree Rensel's art beret off in the post. Received the replacement buttonhole foot for my Brother sewing machine so I can quit making them by hand. Got flea junk to put on the cats (I'll tell you about the second new one I acquired later!). Started a new mini project on a repurposed 1960s Abercrombie & Fitch dress which I'm positive will offend someone. Still loving me some Josie and Apatx Latorre for the gift of the magnifying glass! Also started a purple cotton beret inspired by Sheree's hat. Have Jeannie Taylor's wedding gown here to photograph and will try to get it done before the cats discover how fun it is to play tent under it. I have a forest green Medieval style robe to make. Still working on Sky's 1930s costume for her wardrobe - or, I should say procrastinating on it. Talked to my Other Chile Darla Nunnery and will make her a few hippy skirts for her new art administrator position. They told her no jeans and flip flops, but. She is an artist after all. I finally got a regular person's night sleep! Went to bed at 9:00 and got up at 7:00! That was 9:00. P.M. At night!

(ed. note: The photo above is the incomparable Margaret Field. Ain't she a hoot?)

Arte y Pico Award

Vikki North nominated me for this and I'm so flattered to have been chosen by her for it! That is what I realized is truly important about getting this. I mean, who wouldn't want to be singled out by a world class artist with a vitae that reads like a Hollywood novel!! Who doesn't want to let other creators know that we appreciate their work. Having seen it appear on other artists blogs including Beate Knapp, I searched for the origins of it and found somewhat recent, obscure beginnings. I like the little statue, too.

It apparently hasn't been around very long. It operates like a chain letter and this is the first part of it I want to party poop on. I have a very long list of people I think are creative. To honor one would be to agonize over not having chosen the others -truly Sophie's Choice as Vikki said. So I am going to nominate either with abandon, or not at all. Some I won't give the Arte y Pico to because they've already gotten it, don't believe in the amount of time needed to give it along, or don't care to get it one way or another because they've told me. And I would like to give it back to Vikki to let her know that I honor her, her art and her opinion as well. So. Vikki. Consider yourself nominated for a second Pico by me. Think of it as getting a second Oscar only I say you don't have to nominate another five unless you want to.

It really puts you in a sticky spot, that five nominees part.

The other part that is difficult with this is the guilt of choosing other creative people to pass it along to with all the links back and forth and work and time consumed with doing it. It's a little like a costume contest during the hippy days where I spent an enormous amount of time on a costume to be a beaded and feathered roach clip and ended up not able to enter the contest night of after we were told we could because I worked at the same place having the contest. I could have put yellow rubber gloves on my feet and wore a feather curler cover turban and gone as a turkey.

It also speaks to something many artists have hidden in a box somewhere - our desire for recognition. It's a very human thing, recognition is. We want to be thought of as good. "What a good girl and boy you are!" I think that's why we like contests, the Academy Awards, and Tony's and SAG awards and beauty pageants and races. It reaffirms our need to be suitable and accepted. THE best at something! Appreciated and getting something tangible to say so.

I really didn't mean to get all heavy on you all! So I'm going to put my Pico y Arte up on my site and I'm going to lighten up. I'm just happy that Vikki North let me have an 'in' to what I'm sure will be a true piece of Internet kitsch some day.

Anniversary

June is one of my hardest of the year because I mark several sad anniversaries during it. But June 22nd marked another kind of anniversary for me this year. It's the second anniversary of this blog.

That's remarkable for me because of the short lives of many of my projects like the time it takes to make a Dream Coat or to finish this latest piece I'm currently absorbed by.

It's good to have constants in your life. I'd like to share another constant with you when I blog next. It's about patterns, friends, and the incredible magic there is in life. I'm too tired to tackle it tonight.

Tomorrow, I ship Sheree's beret over the bridge to St. Pete.

(And what other kind of cake would a girl from Mango, Florida serve on her anniversary but a Flamingo Cake??!!)

New Amazon Store

Finally took the leap and added an Amazon Store to my blog. All of my recommends are geared towards fiber, mixed media, quilts and fabric manipulation. All but two of the first 35 selections are under twenty bucks in deference to artist's budgets.

I'll be reviewing these books along with photos of them. If you're a mixed media artist of any stripe or an artist that does ACEOs and ATCs, you just have to have "The Art of Manipulating Fabric" by Colette Wolff (Paperback - Oct 1, 1996). She teaches every possible combination of folding, pleating and manipulating fabric in the Universe and many techniques are transferable to paper for artists that use texture in their work.

My Copy is absolutely loved over, bent, written in stapled with cloth and shreds of paper. This is my fabric 'bible'.

I've almost finished the Geode piece. Some ends to tie up and then I'll do the finish work and frame it. Will share jpegs then.

And The Geode Part of 'Hat and Geode'

This is an update on the Good Earth Works piece I'm working on. As you can see from the photos, there's lots more work done on the canvas. I'm still not sure what to do with the blank white corner. It may be something that has to ferment for awhile.

So. Here are the views I have. As with Sheree Rensel's summer beret jpegs, I haven't the benefit of a photo editing program so they're rough. But I think you can see the real gemstones: Cape amethyst (lighter shades of pink and lavender), diamonds - including a broken diamond tennis bracelet, real pearls, druzy quartz with a tormaline on top, silverwire, the large dark purple amethyst cabochon seated on a chunk of sugalite, and large faceted amethyst beads, faceted white topaz, fire opal, flourite, Swarovski crystals and onegorgeous lead glass cube.

On the small round mirror, I anchored a princess cut pink tanzanite and a diamond. My friend Carol, a jeweler told me the glue to use. Look for the pointed quartz wand, the iolite, and carnival glass beads with copper wrapping.

I was telling Martha that the most sparkle amongst all the high dollar glitz comes from the sequins - inexpensive glitz! I love the 'river' of magnesium green sequins that unites everything and pay homage to the fact that amethyst gets its purple color from the interaction with the magnesium atoms present with the silicates.

One of my fave repeats are the hologram glitter sequin and beadv 'fans'. And my secret in this piece is that most of the ground under and atop the canvas comes from the brocade I dyed for Cindy Miller's Tesse Tura stripper costume. A fitting tribute to one of my angels! I'll think of her every time I see this piece!

Next issue: Framing and presentation. I need me some Martha Marshall advice for this.

Beret and a Geode

I finished Sheree Rensel's glorious little summer beret! Her request was that it be light and airy. I 'wore' it on my knee for about 40 minutes this afternoon in a room without AC. This is the most scientific experiment that I could muster. But. No sweat. And best of all, no weight. As she is just a tiny little sprite of 4'8", she needs nothing to make her more dear to the Goddess Gaia than she already is.

This has always been my theory on small beings and animals. The more the Earth loves you, the smaller and closer you get to be, ergo, closer to Her. Diminutive people have always had something of the Fey in them to me. I've never known one to be totally world bound. Instead, they always seem to be a little bit in a place none of the rest of us can go.

I used to sew for a tiny woman named Sherry Lucas. You only just needed to see her to know that you were in the presence of faery folk. When Sherry smiled, Ireland would light up. When she frowned, it would rain. The Goddess blesses little beings of all ilk.

So. Sheree's beret is done. I adore the pin that I made out of scraps for her. There are glitzes and blings and sighs of yarn. The hat and pin look like they're made of moth butts and butterfly haloes. You can't see how airy it is. The pictures are courtesy of Windows without any editing so the color isn't true either.

I'm happy. I feel complete with it. I hope she does as well. Or. I'll be making another one more to her taste.

Yes

Geode 1 Mixed Media Fiber, Gems, Silver 20" X 7"

I'm here. Still arguing with my computer about settings, malware, cat hair, etcetera. If not a total win, I'll persevere so that I can at least use it efficiently.

I have pictures to share which I will as soon as I find the software for Corel to reload or learn to use Photoshop Elements, whichever occurs first. I've taken pictures of the first Good Earth Works piece I've started. Hard to photograph because of all the sparkle. Here are two unedited views I took about a week ago. The ground is 20" X 7". I'm almost finished covering the entire canvas now but am a bit stuck.

I have one area that I don't know whether to cover with brocade and stones or leave blank. It's the bottom left on the whole view canvas above. This is where I suppose an art course or two would have helped with design principles. So I'm sitting on it for a bit to work on something totally different.

Almost finished a summer beret for artist Sheree Rensel and wanted you all to see that before I give it to her. Just working on a chapeau pin for decoration and then I'm done. Very pleased with it. Sherree chose the yarn in the bottom right corner - a multi stranded, very light weight and airy blend in 'amethyst' called Moda Dea Gleam.

It has a bit of sparkle to it, weighs next to nothing and I used a size "N" aluminum hook for a lacy and open fabric. I think she'll be pleased with it. I'm told Sheree has a reputation for eclectic and artsy dressing. If so, this will be an anchor piece for her wardrobe. I'm calling it "Summer Beret With Wild Hair".

I'm all for kissing the toes of Josie and Arpatx Latorre for their wonderful gift! The Ott-Lite magnifying glass has been used daily and extensively as I've sewn on beads, set gemstones and unraveled fuzzy yarns! Thank you both once again!!

I'll make a stab of putting up some photos without the tweaking.

Project

Told you about the new series of textile works I wanted to do. So. I just had to start one and have been working on it non-stop when I should be doing stuff for Sky and Cindy. She'll understand. She's artsy, too.

This first piece is called Geode. Chris' discussion about amethyst being his birthstone inspired me to start on this work first. I've sewn, set, manipulated and glued gems and beads and fiber to a large base for the last four nights until I'm stiff as a board. Woke up with a crunked neck, shoulders and hands. I told Martha that mama used to say, "You have to suffer for beauty", as I plucked my lush eyebrows. I never expected to suffer with my art, too.

I've a pile of amethyst, other precious gems and every style and description of glass bead and crystal in purple and silver tones I could lay hands on. I have an armature to build to give it shape and to drape on. Maybe that by the weekend.

(The picture above comes from the Gem Color Society.)

Quickie

Just a quick flybye to let everyone know I'm alive and doing well. Very busy and trying to reconstruct my computer which has been on the blitz for over a week - one of the reasons I haven't updated Deepwater Journal. The repair cost me $2.64 for a can of techie air. Note to all: If your fan is running overtime and your computer screen just goes to black and shuts down, try pulling off the access panel and cleaning out the felt pad of cat fur and dust which is choking it. Saves destroyed records and docs. I lost all of them trying to play Mr. Wizard and 'fix it' myself.

Finally got over to visit Apatz and his wife Josie. What beauties! Wonderful art and a gorgeous sanctuary of a garden in back of their townhouse! I came away with a great Ott magnifying lens to do my close up work and tried a wonderful Italian wine.

We talked art, politics, spirituality nonstop.

My biggest joy is my son Chris. I think we've started to mend our hearts once again by agreeing to leave the past in the past. He made the first move which I felt was his right so he could set limits with me. We've burned up the phone lines talking for hours. Feels like it did long ago when I told people that even if he wasn't my son, that I'd like him as a person. I'm also proud of the progress he's made in his life choices. He's going to college, works as a deputy for his county, and is a solidly good man. I can die happy now.

I'm starting on a new fiber piece when I should be working on other commissions. But I just have to do this one piece or at least, get it started.

(The flying jack rabbit photo is by Desert USA. I just love it.)

Missed

So. I've had two blue days. I missed a wonderful evening of conversation and wine with my friend Apatx Latorre. Now. I've told you about him before. I met him at Gala Corina in the Fall when we both had works displayed. I told you about how taken I was with the womanist symbology in his painting "The River".




He wanted to show me a commission painting completed before it went to its new home in Puerto Rico. We were supposed to get together this past Saturday to share wine and ideas. I have a car. It is a free car. The story is too long to tell except that it has been a good and dependable car. Up until about 3 weeks ago.


Overnight it develops this burp fart car thing when I try to start it. Sometimes I'm lucky and can get it to run so that I'm not totally a home bound agoraphobic. Most of the time it's a dud start out of the gate. So I missed my evening with Apatx after 40 minutes of cussing and pleading. I didn't get to see his new painting in person. I didn't get to uncork my most favorite red wine I bought for us to share, Rex Goliath pinot grigio.

So. Here is Apatx (isn't he gorgeous??!!), his paintings including The River and the new one that miraculously turned up on my computer in an email that wasn't there before (aren't they just stunning?), and a picture of the bottle of Goliath I bought to go share with my wonderful friend this past Saturday when the rice rocket wouldn't start. I figured if I shared it with all of you, I'll get over the black ass that ensued when I couldn't see him and share one on one.

The fancy wine glasses are from my altar. They are ritual juggernauts that I use to invoke creativity, The Quarters, Passers-by in the Cosmic Cotillion, etcetera. Mostly etcetera. The heavily beaded one is mine. The simple gold leaves and stems with vines was done by Natalya Kashalova Shanahan, my one and only ever apprentice taken on in all the years of design work I've done, my little Bear from Belarus, my Talika. I used that to represent Apatx and his soulful paintings. Symbolic digital wine sharing.

I'm in the cups. Can't bring myself to open the Rex but wanted to show Apatx I was sincere. The rice rocket goes into the shop tomorrow. I don't dare reschedule with the Padowan Artist again until I can follow through with plans to get my hands on him and his art with a car that works when the keys go in.

I also have a vase of rooting plants for him for his garden. All of it will come together sometime soon.

Shameless Plug For Cheap And Uppity Craft Supplies

Found this Save On Crafts place online and am still drooling and oggling every item and every page! I want one of each! Warning: Totally addictive purchasing may follow out of control inspiration!

I am swiping some of their classy pictures of items to show you. I don't think they'd mind the free advertising!

Beautiful items, incredible prices and classy layout - An artist/crafter's paradise!

Oh! I need some of dese, and one of those, and yes, definitely several of dem.......

Off In The World

Maman Brigette Veve 3 1/2" X 5" ACEO Fetish Series #1 of 6 and the Veve' drawn on the ACEO face SOLD

#4 New Orleans Blues Fetish
5 1/2" X 8" Fiber Hanging
SOLD

Two of my fiber pieces sold while I was busy costuming. I'm happy to see them go to their new owners. This has prompted me to get back to art in between beads and cloth.

As I sat here sharing a cup of coffee with a mosquito I thought of another avenue I'd like to explore. I'm newly back in love with airbrushing and also love the colors and grittiness of rust and dirt dyeing. Maybe I'll combine all of them with some stones and see what happens. I wonder if you can airbrush tea and coffee?

New Project

Believe it or not, I'm still tweaking Cindy's stripper costume and working on another: A 1930s dress and hat for her daughter. But I also had something new come in the door. Her name is Charlotte.

Cindy and I found her abandoned on the side of the road. She's skinny, wormy and has conjunctivitus but is a sweetie. A little on the blonde side, though. If you set her down somewhere, she'll stay until you come and get her -- including the cat box. She's a toe sucker and will dive under covers to find them. She has her own method. She must put as much of the toe in her mouth as she can and then she nips. You can see how thin she is from her protruding leg and hip bones, but I'm fattening her up. She's also been wormed and I'm putting antibiotics in her eyes. I don't need another cat! Especially since all of the neighborhood cats have decided that my place is the Sandals Resort and hang out here.

I will be starting a new textile series of work soon. I'm excited!

Final Construction Pictures

Slid into home with the costume at 5:00 Friday afternoon. About 2 hours before the performance. My life as a dare devil, adrenaline stunt junkie. I started this project about March 15th and have been working steadily since then. These final two weeks have been hectic!

This is basically just a gallery of pictures from the last week of construction. I'm too tired to do much more. I sewed two feather boas together....

And added a beaded tassel to the ends for the piece that Tessie hands Gypsy in the final act as Gypsy goes on stage for the first time.

I sewed two springs each on the bra butterflies and stitched cord elastic on either side of the skirt butterfly like struts. This really makes them move like crazy when Cindy dances as Tessie. One of them broke during dress so I reattached it by sewing through the length of the spring from the butterfly to the bra.
This is the finished headpiece with ends trimmed and finished in the brocade, edges beaded and a bead piping to hide the join of the leather to the brocade.

Here's a closer picture of the headband edging and beaded piping.

This is the Flexifirm or Trimtex backing on the skirt that supports the 2 pounds of beads and the heavy butterfly. I stitched it to the inside top of the skirt at the waistband, stitched through the butterfly with a heavy duty leather needle pulling it through with pliers. The thread is doubled, waxed heavy polyester Guterman. The picture was taken before I attached the two side struts of elastic.
I airbrushed some markings on the wings and hand painted others. Embellished with gold and silver foiling and crystal stones. Covered the glue boogers up with Guterman microfine glitter. You can never catch enough lights.

See them stones! See them glitters! See the mess I made?

Back view of the wings. I put bias godets at the center back to fill in space. They look terrific when they move. Note on sewing silk gauze. Save yourself some headaches. Set your machine to a close and wide zigzag stitch and zigzag the finished edges as you roll the edge of the silk in front of the feed dogs. If you pull on a bias edge, you'll get this fluting as seen in the picture below. The seams end up being about 3 mm wide and almost disappear!
This is the outside wing shape. Lighter areas of violet are airbrushing - not finished. Not shown are the silk skirts on the back of the bra and the cascades on the brocade skirt.

This week I work on an extra 1930s dress and cloche hat for Sky. I will do a bit more embellishment on the silk to finish the costume for Cindy. Hope to have a picture of Cindy in full regalia shortly.

Greetings From My Planet

I truly have been working hard on the costume rushing to get it finished and on Cindy by performance this coming weekend. Altered a skirt and blouse set for Cindy's daughter Sky to wear as one of the Hollywood Blondes in Gypsy. Got that done early this morning and then went back to work on Cindy's.

I've backed the butterflies with purple felt, chalked out the wing design on the silk, put the placket and the elastic in the skirt, and cut the Firmatex backing that will support the butterfly and beads on the skirt. Now I'm working on the headpiece.

Cindy found this leather belt with silver glitter on it and I applied it over the brocade on top of a padded headband. The antennae are made of three ab chenille pipe cleaners that I twisted together and beaded with crystals. I pushed the ends through the belt weave and twisted them in place and applied a ton of glue.

Use 527 Multi Purpose Cement from Bond to glue leather and fabric to any plastic or wood surface. I will glue and wrap the edges down after I've done the beading and finish the ends of the leather. Bead tassels will go on the ends. Tonight I airbrush wings and skirt fabrics with butterfly markings.

Cindy and I talked about how many costumes I've made that I never thought to take pictures of or was too rushed to do them. Maybe some will turn up in someones archives somewhere.