Crafting Chaos

Behind the scenes

I’m always curious to see behind the scenes details on art. So I thought I’d share some of mine. Here’s the back of The Portal:

This is my embroidery detail and sewing. Some of the chains in the waterfall are made out of acrylic yarn so I have to sew them down.

Add comment August 19th, 2010

More Portal progress

I’ve been working on the waterfall and opening of The Portal.

My thick and thin yarn crocheted up into a great textured chain.

I handcarded some fibers for the opening in the waterfall. I carded in some sparkly bronze bits.

Prana loves sleeping on my art.

I’m going back to it now. Time to do more embroidery.

2 comments August 9th, 2010

Portal progress

I’ve been working on The Portal. The waterfall background fleece is felted down and the cavern and rock yarn is finished.

My furry art critic likes my new piece.

A close up of the waterfall with Prana paws:

I’m knitting I-cord and doing a simple crochet chain for the ice.

I’m doing some embroidery details now.

1 comment July 17th, 2010

Portal progress

I’ve made progress on The Portal. This piece is turning out just like I’m envisioning so far. I’m really enjoying it.

Behind the ice waterfall there was a cavern that Helen and I climbed into. Here she is looking out:

2 comments May 15th, 2010

The Portal begins

Last month I started a new art project. My furry assistant helped me prep the canvas.

This piece will be called The Portal.

It’s based on a magical waterfall. Back in March my friend Helen took me to a beautiful ice waterfall. There was an opening in the ice and water was pouring down.

Looking at it I felt moved spiritually. I knew that I could walk into that opening and be transported into another world. The feeling was so powerful that I knew it was true. But then I started questioning it. Where would I go? What kind of world would it be? How would I get back?

As soon as I started questioning it the moment passed. The portal felt closed and I knew that if I walked into the waterfall I’d only get wet.

Still, the moment stayed with me. It was such a beautiful and sacred spot. For my art piece I want to capture that spiritual moment.

The ice waterfall was huge. I couldn’t get it all into the camera frame so I took two pictures. That’s Helen in the bottom pic.

2 comments May 4th, 2010

Making Cyanotypes

For my Green Man eyes I recruited Thebes photography skills. Here’s a test Cyanotype being made in the sun:

Thebes eventually made the prints indoors using a small tanning light. The light was super bright so he had to wear dark sunglasses. Here’s my man in black:

2 comments April 28th, 2010

Boxing up the mother piece

My Green Man is hanging on the wall but the mother piece is going into storage. Our friend Bert gave me some refrigerator shipping cardboard. It’s heavy duty and made a great box.

I was emotionally ok boxing it up. Though I was struck by how it seemed like I was making a coffin for the piece. Perhaps this means I’m burying the issue?

The day before the Beyond The Fringe opening Thebes and I drove to the gallery to drop off my art. I was holding the mother piece with the nails facing away and was staring at the back. As Thebes drove I noticed two hairs. Both were underneath my signature. One was sealed to the wood underneath the polyurethane coating. The other was barely attached at one end and dangled in front of my face all the way to the gallery.

Both of them were my mother’s hairs.

I coated the piece outside. How did my mother’s hair manage to get onto the back? It seems magical. She signed it with me. I got healing from the project and hope that she did too.

Add comment April 20th, 2010

Beyond The Fringe art details

Thebes took close ups of the Beyond The Fringe art. I uploaded bigger pictures to my Flickr stream under the New Mexico category. You can see even more detail in those pictures.

Kimberly Hamill
Boundaries

Kimberly Hamill
Poking Through

Nina Silfverberg
Upprivet

Nina Silfverberg
Solid

Nina Silfverberg
Nonamorous 2

Linda Berger
Reading in the Woods

Linda Berger
The House

Faith Welsh
Blue Burqa Sky, 3D

Faith Welsh
Blue Burqa Sky

Carolyn Hinske
Grandmothers-Step One

Carolyn Hinske
What’s Dada?

Twilight Kallisti
Green Man

Twilight Kallisti
Through Our Pain We Know Love

Linda Michel-Cassidy
Privacy Mat

Linda Michel-Cassidy
Legacy(Genotype)

Merce Mitchell
Current

Merce Mitchell
Spontaneous

Karen Wittwer
Untitled

Karen Wittwer
Angel Icon

Jana Greiner
Blood, Sweat & Tears

Jana Greiner
Huck this!

Mary K. Lyon
Companions

Mary K. Lyon
Tokens

Connie Fernandez
El Sufrimento De Rwanda

Connie Fernandez
Taos Reflections

Abigail Z
Mother/Daughter

Abigail Z
Merce

Louis Fernandez
Tribute to Iqbal Masih

Violette Alby
Face?

Violette Alby
Dead Hippie…Shroud

Louis Fernandez
No Way In

Add comment April 1st, 2010

Beyond The Fringe art

Here’s the art from this year’s Beyond The Fringe show. I’ve presented them in the order you would have seen if you’d entered the gallery, turned left and walked around the room. You can see larger versions on my Flickr page, in my New Mexico category.

Kimberly Hamill
Boundaries

Kimberly Hamill
Poking Through

Nina Silfverberg
Upprivet

Nina Silfverberg
Solid

Nina Silfverberg
Nonamorous 2

Linda Berger
Reading in the Woods

Linda Berger
The House

Faith Welsh
Blue Burqa Sky, 3D

Faith Welsh
Blue Burqa Sky

Carolyn Hinske
Grandmothers-Step One

Carolyn Hinske
What’s Dada?

Twilight Kallisti
Green Man

Twilight Kallisti
Through Our Pain We Know Love

Linda Michel-Cassidy
Privacy Mat

Linda Michel-Cassidy
Legacy(Genotype)

Merce Mitchell
Current

Merce Mitchell
Spontaneous

Karen Wittwer
Untitled

Karen Wittwer
Angel Icon

Jana Greiner
Blood, Sweat & Tears

Jana Greiner
Huck this!

Mary K. Lyon
Companions

Mary K. Lyon
Tokens

Connie Fernandez
El Sufrimento De Rwanda

Connie Fernandez
Taos Reflections

Abigail Z
Mother/Daughter

Abigail Z
Merce

Louis Fernandez
Tribute to Iqbal Masih

Louis Fernandez
Tribute to Iqbal Masih

Louis Fernandez
Tribute to Iqbal Masih

Violette Alby
Face?

Violette Alby
Dead Hippie…Shroud

Louis Fernandez
No Way In

4 comments March 30th, 2010

Green Man background

I’m always curious what the backside of paintings look like. And I like to see progress pics of sculptures being made. Here’s a picture of the wood background of the Green Man:

Thebes made me Cyanotype prints for the Green Man’s eyes. Those are his eyes. He set up his camera and walked me through focusing correctly.

Add comment March 24th, 2010