Hot off the Press.....or sewing machine!

I have been working behind the scenes doing all kinds of stuff, but not producing anything in large quantities. I just finished two pieces for the next exhibit at LNHC Gallery Headquarters in January, entitled "Blue, The Sky's The Limit."

The first is Tiny Blue Visitor - a little bird picture I have had for a long time. I used my new-to-me enlarger to make the bird bigger than 1", which he was in the photo I have. I think it came out really cute.


The second is another good picture of what I call Blue Time, My Secret Garden which is the time the sun has set and it is almost dark,
the light reflecting off the snow turns everything blue. One of my favorite times of the winter day. This is a view from my kitchen window, with a secret garden out back.

Both pieces have painted backgrounds. I had a lot of creative fun with these too. :)

It's Reveal day again! CONTRAST is the word.

This is my rendition of Contrast. I chose the word, then I did what everyone else in this group probably does, just go blank and scratch my head in puzzlement. What am I going to make?

So I played around with the word….black & white is contrasting, so are a lot of other colors, but I wanted to make something totally different and out of the ordinary. I decided to do, my daughter Sarah, who has very light skin and dark hair = CONTRAST.

First I asked permission to use a photo she had which was a gift for a friend - well she is an adult and I didn’t just want to take her photo without permission.

Then I did some photoshop stuff with it, like change it to “posterized” which gives me about six colors to choose from, rather than look at the subject/colors all at once. It broke the tones up so I could see where to make transitions.

Because the original pic was square, I had to get this enlarged somehow, so I used the copier at work and did it in sections. (Since then a friend has given me an enlarger!)

I then outlined the sections and used a black magic marker to divide up the colors, and then numbered them. Luckily for me, I found a person who does fabric dying in all the shades I was looking for (skin tones) at the Mancuso show in August.

The piece is not sewn, but fused, and I framed it as well.  I thought it would look better this way. I did try some sewing, but it was very distracting and I just wasn’t happy with it.
Check out more fun work at Off The Wall Friday!

Searles Guard Tower

I always feel as though I am continuing a conversation when I come back here to write about what I am or have been working on recently.
Today I started a hat that has been waiting for a year. Just for winter, but you will get to see that eventually as right now it is drying and not very interesting as all.

So back to the guard tower. I finished it and am quite pleased with how it came out. My first "draft" of it had the top where you couldn't see through like you can in real life because of the angle I had created. Fixed that and then went onto other things to do to it.

It was a fun and interesting project and once the frame for it comes, then it will be really, really complete.
It has a printed and painted background.

I have also been working on my Material Mavens piece that is due to be revealed on October 15th! 

Searles Guard House Progress

It has been about a week since I have been playing around with this and have a few changes that I think has improved the piece, considerably.

I made the top parts so you can see through them, which helps lighten it. Then I put some walls up that angle away from the tower. Now I need to figure out how to make this look like it does (massive) in person.

Edward Searles and his castles

I happen to live in an unique area. Edward Searles was left a heap of money by his wife Mary Hopkins widow of Mark Hopkins of the Central Pacific Railroad, and he decided to indulge his fancy and build many grand structures, sometimes in collaboration with architect Henry Vaughn.(designer of the National Cathedral)

I decided that I would like to have recreations of a few of his structures. This is a rendition of the Guard House overlooking the pond that is at the base of his castle Stanton Harcourt in Windham.

To be continued........

Friendship - the challenge word this time.

So after racking my brain and doing way too many things in between, I came up with this scenario for Friendahip.
                                 Just a couple of gals having a relaxing time at the local French Bistro.
Really, I was stumped and it popped into my head and I liked it.

Hand dyed fabrics, purchased fabrics, from a drawing I did. TADA!

Catching up

with myself :)    I posted my last word challenge (SPRING) at the Material Mavens last week and am now catching up to my own blog.

So here is my Spring challenge.....

 This piece was accepted into the Living With Craft Exhibition/sale venue at the League of NH Craftsmen's Fair in August. I'm sure it will go to a good home.

I also did a makeover of my last piece, Double Arch Bridge. Here's the original mounted on a larger frame (14 x 14) which is fabric covered. This was finished a couple of months ago or so I thought.









And then the makeover which is mounted on a smaller frame (12 x 12) with the addition of a larger tree that hangs over the side and some dried leaves and rocks which also hang over the bottom. The blue background is just a wall :)