Much to write about...and...per usual...I wait too late to post...and then it is already time for me to go to sleep. Sigh. Well, my art is posted to my recent works...and to my FB page....and I did update Instagram all weekend. The main thing to mention is...it's awake. That crazy, fiber fever is alive and kickin'. Jessie brought out a bag of vintage embellishments, appliqués lace and trims...and...I think I might have lost consciousness for a few minutes. Once I regained my senses, all I could do is stare and touch these new treasures and dream of all the projects that I want to create. I have always loved sparkly things...I remember dabbling in textiles and not even knowing that was what I was really doing in high school. I had made this batik...it was a mess. So I ended up stretching the piece of fabric out with some yarn and then hand beading two zebras on the fabric. I know I have a picture...somewhere, will have to find it. That was my first time beading. I wish I had that piece now. In undergraduate I really got into textiles after my first survey course...I ended up taking five weaving studios and I think about the same number of surface design studios. I loved everything- the texture of the yarns I used for dressing my loom...using my screens to create surfaces...dye work. I would usually add some kind of embellishment to anything I did, from really fine glitter to beaded details...and for a while I was more into textiles than drawing...oh, that was until I took Mr. Elmore for painting one summer, then I remembered I loved to paint, too... Sigh. So much that I love, so much art to make! ...in graduate school I rediscovered my love for beadwork. I made many beaded pieces, from abstract works, to narrative pieces, beadwork on my own digital images...and finally my beadwork on the surface of fabrics I hand dyed and fused together in a mixed media collage that I combined with my paintings on paper...below are some examples...and yes, every single bead is hand stitched on the fabric. Every....single...one. I am crazy, yes, I know. I haven't done this type of work in a while...I think it is because in the back of my head I know I start to obsess over it... Okay...let me reel myself back in....back to the back of awesome fibers that Jessie shared Saturday....on Sunday, after my weekly trip to Barnes and Noble to work on some fashion illustrations, I headed to one of my 'bargain spots' and found a dress for $10. (I seriously love this store, always find a ton of stuff) I think I will wear it to a wedding that I am going to in April...but...it needed a little more sparkle. So I started stitching the large blue appliqué to the center of the dress just to get it in place...going to add more beadwork...maybe some more appliqués...that I want to make from scratch. I actually did this, made my own appliqué I mean, when I was in college. I serious loved it. It was tedious work...but I really enjoyed it. For that gown, I will try to find a picture, I bought a simple navy gown at goodwill and then created a very detailed beaded and jeweld appliqué piece that I attached to the center of the gown. It totally transformed my thrift shop find. So that was kind of my thought process with the blue dress I bought today. Then...I saw the red vintage lace, with small sequins on it and I remembered I had a red dress in my closet I bought a few years ago and decided to give that a new look...and there are so many other thoughts going on in my head for things I want to make...I took a trip to Joanne Fabrics today...I think I was in the store two hours. It is a slippery, sparkly slope folks. And...I worked on my daily pieces...finished up those two Gucci illustrations...and made a new drawing based on a photo by Nathaniel Goldberg in the April 2013 Harper's Bazaar. The pose....just so striking. I love the angle of the figure, and the contrast of the fabric against the background...that is what caught my eye...so I drew it.
Ummmm...wow, I need to go to bed, I have to get up in a little over four hours! Aughhhh!
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Sparkle is a way of life. I have said it before and I will say it again...if lovin' sparkly thangs is wrong...I don't want to be right. And I mean it. And while I am sharing...headbands give me a headache, I love me some Avett Brothers, you can never have too many accessories, I failed two times at my attempts to take naps today, I bought two black sequinned cocktail dresses today for less than $35 (total!) and...I miss my husband and I am ready for him to get back from NC! Just some thoughts as I try to wind down. Now...here is a overview of my art from the past few days...three daily pieces...three fashion illustrations (Chanel Spring 2013, print ads), a piece I made to celebrate the Avett Brothers on Jimmy Fallon Friday night, a random lady in a bedazzled knit hat I saw on a magazine cover and... CED13-55, drying on my art table as I write this.
Where to start? Well, I wasn’t able to update my blog, but I did make my daily pieces over the past few days- even threw in some extra pieces. So…let’s back up, travel back in time... Thursday, Feb 7th… I went to the Armory with the Art Hive girls as press for the first annual Fashion ARTillery event. It gave me a chance to wear the super sparkly necklace I made on Wednesday night, to look at fashion/art creations and to hang out with my friends- all good things. One thing that was not…one of the main reasons that I was excited to attend the event was that Iris Apfel, fashion icon, was the Honorary event chair. Seriously, version of who I want to be when I grow up and I was so excited to have a chance to see her in person, or maybe even meet her via Art Hive official business. But alas, no Iris. At the start of the event they announced that she had been called back to NYC unexpectedly. I imagined her hurriedly packing some LV luggage, her rings on all fingers making a gentle clinking sound as she quickly folded silk blouses in vibrant colors, textured scarves, a motley crew of multi-hued and bejeweled bracelets and baubles…tipping her thick black glasses down as she did the once over and then dashed out, designer shoes clacking as she walked away. Yeah, it was probably just like that. Wait, where was I? Oh yes, there I was, in my black dress, crazy necklace, red heels, channeling my inner fashionista. Trying to fit in at this fancy event. Iris or no Iris, might as well make the most of it. So we did. The first look down the runway- literally, there was a gasp from the audience. This was my first runway event, I watch them all the time on TV, but I wasn’t prepared for the real-time reactions, and it made it that much more exciting. Literally- a gasp. The first look was a wedding gown made of coffee filters. It did not look like coffee filters- the artist had manipulated the material to have the hand of fabric. The piece really moved as she walked down the runway, and had the appurtenance of ruffles. I was in heaven. What a way to kick off the event. What followed was a mixture of looks, some more wearable than others, but each representing someone that had taken the challenge to create a piece for this event. There was an evening gown that included roving and felted wool, an AMAZING gown out of trash bags with canned soda tab embellishments, structures made of wire, and bodices constructed of ceramic tile pieces…hand dying…sigh. I was in my element. Jess and I vowed that next year we would make pieces for the show- and we will. Expect- sparkle and shine. Iris, please let me be you when I grow up. But again…no Iris. On my drive home I decided I needed to pay tribute to this lady who I had hoped to meet. So…as soon as I got in, I bolted to my closet, grabbed some chunky bracelets, layered on a few more necklaces and found a pair of black-rimmed glasses leftover from Jess’ birthday party…and…I did my best ‘Iris’ as John took a picture. This is the picture I posted Thursday night before I cried myself to sleep. Sigh. I.heart.Florida. Then, I rotated between finishing up my art piece for the day and packing for Orlando. Friday, February 8th…off to school to teach a half-day and then I was on the road to Orlando to judge the National High School Cheerleading Championships. This was my second time judging this event. The first time I judged NHSCC was back when I lived in NC, when John and I were in grad school at ECU. I remember taking a flight on a small plane out of Greenville (that was SO scary) and then after another flight I was in Florida, walking around in 75+ degree weather in February. They put us up in the same place, Coronado Springs resort, I can remember walking around by the water and talking to my husband on the phone and commenting that I could get used to living in Florida. Well, a couple of years later that’s what I am doing. Living in Florida. Funny how things work out. Umm…so…drawing by the water judges meeting…took myself out to a fancy dinner and drew while I waited…then came back to the room and got some sleep. That was Friday. Saturday and Sunday...a blur of sparkle, cheer and art. Saturday and Sunday were filled with cheerleading and whenever I had a minute- art. Add my own sparkly accessories and the glitzy uniforms and poms and all of my favorite things were in the same room- art, cheer and sparkle. The only thing missing was my husband and the cats, but they aren’t as into the cheer and sparkle, so it’s best that I enjoyed it without them. So..here are the pieces from the past few days. I made the work and posted the in-progress pics on instagram, but I just did not have time to sit down and blog and to take my final pics for the web and FB album. But..here…they…are. And this week? Wow. It is going to be busy. Two basketball games at IMS, parent/teacher conference night and another full weekend of judging cheer in Atlanta…and I need to take my husband out to celebrate the fact that he passed the first part of his dissertation defense last Friday…I am so proud of him!
CED13- 30 and CED13- 31 Last...two pieces of my January series. Finally posted early this morning. I have been working on both of these at the same time since Wednesday...wanting the pieces to 'end' my series but also have some sense of a flow between these two works. So I would draw a little. Erase. Redraw. Think. Look back at the whole body of work. Repeat. Maybe commit to going over some of it with my watercolor pencil or ink. Repeat. ...now, they are finished... CED13-32 and CED13-33 The new Creative Every Day theme is...light. I have my first two pieces finished, posted them this morning. Trying to stay away from my black watercolor pencil, watercolor, acrylic and india ink. I will allow myself some light rendering with a regular ol' black pencil and some skinny Micron lines- but that's it. Gotta keep it light. Light colors. Most likely jeweltones. Light touch. Going to try to to belabor the piece, keep it looser. Splats, drips, doodles, block rendering, extended life, welcome back into my life. How I have missed you. And note to self...geez, lighten up! Don't be so regimented. Got back to some sparkle and whimsy girl! And the day is young. Finished with my daily piece, but next I have an unresolved commission I need to contact and complete...some more pieces to show to a new friend in CA, hopefully these can push me closer towards my goal...got a second chance to turn in my sketchbook for the Sketchbook Project (long story short, I missed the deadline and was so bummed but I can still finish it and turn it in, YES!)...gotta work on my marketing materials...mail out some art...clean up? nah, skip that one...make some angels for future angel bombings...take a break to look at some sparkly thangs...oooooh, nap break for sure!...write up a final cheer newsletter...check my short/long range plans for what I am teaching for the rest of this year...finish up and post the Youth Art Month Flag slideshow...write up my new article for Art Hive...and, you know...maybe find some time for some fashion illustrations.Or a tattoo. Or both. Or all of it. ....ummmmm...stressing myself a little bit because I am not sure whether to go with my Creative Every Day numbering...which would make this piece CED#306...or with my Fashion Illustration numbering...which would make this FI #77...yikes. I dunno. I think I will sleep on it and decide tomorrow. Anyway...here is my art from today...not going to create an album FB page or formally post to my CED blog until I figure the numbering out...again...this is just me being all crazy...sigh. (Left)On this first day of November... Art Hive event at DeBilzan Gallery...(Top)artin' before the event, had to abandon it and head down to Delray...(Bottom) picking out something sparkly to wear...out on the avenue in Delray with my Art Hive magazine...(Right) and finally, late night...finished up my piece for day, now having an internal battle on how to number this piece... I did finally stop staring at my sparkly bracelet to stare at more sparkles...wait, don't judge me...at least these were on my artwork for the day! Below is a collage of CEDs #199-200 and my two latest Klimt-inspired pieces, my series within a series. I also included some close ups so you may view the GLITZ!
Ed and his fiancé Sarah, went back to New Jersey today. After a fun week hosting out of town friends, fourth of July festivities and general merrymaking...it is quiet here at casa de Gironda, except for the occasional meow from one of the cats. By the way...posting in purple in honor of Ed, a fellow ECU grad (Go Pirates!) Visitors or not- I still made time for my art, and I am proud of that. I just finished up CED #188, and now I guess I am deciding what to work on next.... Some things that I have been thinking about...
...so that is just me, kind of creating my little list of what I need to do...not sure what I will start on first... Literally, that is what I have been doing. Bedazzlin', bejewelin', sparklin'...making things fun. (Left) ...new sketchbook for 2012. Haven't marked on the first page yet, but I have been dragging it along everywhere I go, my first concern being the transformation of the outside of the book. I mean, if I am going to draw in it I need to be INSPIRED by it, right? So...sparkly black adhesive paper, check. Leopard duct tape sheet, check. (I love those, by the way) A sprinkling of jewels in different colors and sizes, check. Now, it is ready. Not sure for what, but it is ready. Another project for my night of sparkle...the box that I have using to store my CED works for January. It is a great box, very sturdy, large enough to accommodate the works, still room for the rest of the month. Silver metallic with black dots and pink trim...already on the right track. But...well...why not? ...Ummm...so I bedazzled and glitzed that as well. Now it is truly fit to contain my works for this month, in all of their jewel toned, whimsical, leopard and zebra glory. Now I can proceed.
Oh, and I finished my CED work for day #10. I am really starting to look forward to these. |
AuthorArtist and Art Teacher
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