In between Sleeping

This is all I seem to be doing lately, sleeping the meds off and fighting asthma fatigue. So not much happening lately. I have managed to start this embroidery.


and my daughter and her dear boyfriend helped decorate the christmas tree.

Fave Links
Skull a Day
Mr.Xstitch always highlights the coolest stitchery
Hand Embroidery Network which now has an online Needle Mag
Yarnbombing
WebUrbanist, just always cool stuff on there
Wooster Collective, amazing Graffiti from around the world
Artists Sketchbooks- huge collection
Art for Housewives-recycled and repurposed art

Idle Hands, NOT

It's getting cold, time for my virtual fireplace.
Okay so meds have made fine drawing difficult but my hands can't stay idle too long. I've been busy baking cranberry scones, and my hands don't tremble too much to use a sewing machine. I'm making cushion covers with this cool retro fabric called "feeling groovy" from J&O fabrics
(boy these guys shipped fast)


Off to the movies later to see
"The Men Who Stare at Goats".

Have a GREAT weekend everyone

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!

whaaaaaaaaaa! no fair. the meds make me feel better but my hands shake so much I can't draw let alone do fine embroidery, so I feel like my muttering evil words, arggggggggg!!!!

Sketchbook Doodles

Bronchitis & Asthma cling to me like leeches
each sucking the energy out of me
but
I am thankful for medication
even if it does make me
twitch

Wordless Wednesday: Robin

Missouri Botanical Gardens

Pity Party

She looks how I feel, grumpy!
cough! sleep! medicine! sleep! cough!
According to the urban dictionary pity party means
"an adult playing tea party with stuffed animals"
I got both

The Cheeky Penguin

Winter Scene on Xenia Ave 08, Yellow Springs, Ohio

I'm so happy to see the Chamber of Commerce using my photo on the cover of their Holiday Brochure. The Brochure is beautifully done by Bing Design. Not sure what it is about this photo but it makes me smile every time I see it. The penguin has an almost cheeky look to it.

Meanwhile in Jafabrit's Studio
Nothing!
sleepy! feverish! croaky voice! cough! snooze! cough!

It Mocks Me

"ha ha! I knew I would see you in the docs office na!na!na!"
It wasn't the coughing that did it, it was the listless disinterest in doing any art, even my embroidery that scared Mr.Jafabrit. So off to the docs I was taken.
Upper Respiratory Infection
Meds & ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

But just before the coughing and meds took hold
I did manage to get this done for my "shiny pretty things" Mdf board, acrylic paints, and epoxy resin glaze
After priming the surface I painted it orange, then cream white. After painting on the design I sanded it to give it a distressed look, then covered it with resin.

StoryBox Project

Our Jafagirls Box for Kevin's Storybox project
is
now in Israel.

Next Phase:shiny pretty things

I finished the hair using a couching method with string and white floss and padded the wings (one on the left looks like it needs a bit less). The next step is to paint the wood panel, then reattach the black fabric panel,stitch on the girl and then figure out what I want in the background(I have an idea but will share that another day).

Professional News
chuffed as punch :) which means happy
The Gallery Director at Mount Ida College contacted me and asked if I would be interested in being part of a group exhibit highlighting "contemporary art made with thread". in the Spring of 2010. They chose "cat scan", "bone of contention" and "teef".

Wordless Wednesday: Flock of Hands

Public art by Olga Ziemska

Jafalad and I (& maybe jafajane if she can stop making oven mits and bottlecap art) will be giving a helping hand to Olga for the final stage of her beautiful public art piece in Yellow Springs, Ohio

Building Up the Layers

It's slowly coming along, building up the layers and taking my time. I do a bit and then just sit with it until an idea of what to do next comes along. I added batting to the hands and arms to give some dimension, old bits of lace for the sleeves and neckline,a button on the eye and decided to paint the pelvic wings (oil paint). She needs hair next and then I think I want to cut her out of the orange fabric and attach her to something like this below.

I cut out a piece of mdf reminiscent of some of my gothic arched panels & attached some cloth just to see how it would look. This isn't the one I want to use but it gives an idea.
Not sure it will happen, but that is where I am right now.

Squeaky Was Here
Bill at Under Construction/Art Contemplations surprised me with a gift of one of his beautiful hand carved hand shaped stamps which is going to take on a life of it's own and make it's appearance on the Knit Knot Tree II. I adore my little mouse stamp: I think squeaky is going to make appearances in quite a few places.

Thank You

for the shout out at Mr.X Stitch Beefranck's


It's an honor to be included with such a talented pool of stitch artists.

Experimenting: Collage, Paint and Embroidery

I thought I should loosen up with my stitching a bit and so I'm playing with an old image just to experiment with. Figuring how to layer the paint and fabric etc was a little tricky. I painted the arms and then realized I needed to cut them out in white first and put them over the collaged black fabric. I embroidered the face after I added some black fabric for the nose and eye, cut it out, stitched onto the piece and then used acrylic colour wash on the mouth and face.
I went back to Aminah Robinson's exhibit and really examined her work and while my style and themes are so different, the concept of integrating fabric, stitching, embellishments, sounds, and painting/drawing is very much in line with what I am trying to do.

Beetoe Pees Here

JafaLad (namely Pierre), Karen, Teresa and I met up and yarnbombed today and I couldn't resist leaving this note in honor of JafaLad's Chihuahua Beetoe.

err, I did miss out one e, so Pierre had to squeeze it in , and then he added the arrow and yellow trail :) Karen sewed her quilted flowers onto my knitted/crochet patches, and Teresa added her beautiful knitting. So far I would say Knit Knot Tree II is looking BEAUTIFUL, even though I say so myself, but I can because the credit really goes to everyone who contributes.
THANK YOU

This is so Cool
Yellow Springs Chosen by Ohio Magazine
as Best Hometown In Ohio
"With its eclectic mix of shops, galleries and restaurants, Yellow Springs has an environment that attracts equally diverse residents. From the quirky, knitted “graffiti” adorning trees and traffic signs downtown......"

Haters

You know the types of haters, they have nothing nice to say or negate everything you do. It happens a lot when you're young, but even at my age I get it now and again, especially with any attention my work or public art projects get. I wonder if they ever realize how sad they look? I found this wonderful blog entry that I know is 2 years old but still very relevant called "Mean People Suck" and talks about professional jealousy.I also really like what Ricky Gervais said in this interview about nasty critisism.

How do YOU deal with it?

This is Diversity
Don't hate me because!
I was invited to become part of the global community of citizen journalists. I wouldn't call myself a journalist, but I do like to write about art.
Here is my first submitted piece about haters called
Sour Grapes about Yarnbombing.

I almost quit doing the blog a few months ago. I just didn't seem to get many visitors, or comments and then I thought heck with it, that isn't why I'm doing it and besides I have one very very important visitor
Page from Art House Sketchbook

Remembering

Sketchbook Studies
I decided to experiment in my sketchbook with an image of my current embroidery piece and rename it.

"be normal"
I was thinking of our troops, of war zones and wondering how one can be normal after all this AND what is normal anyway? Is your normal my normal? How can one be normal after one,two, three tours of duty in a war zone, to see your family shot at a checkpoint, to see children die, to see a loved one whither away because they couldn't afford health insurance or their insurers wouldn't cover lifesaving treatment, or you lose a body part.

The image in the sketchbook is a mixture of a photograph of my embroidery, and then acrylic painting around it, foil behind the mouth. I want to use a mirror in his mouth on the real piece so viewers can see themselves.

Yes I remember, all the time
As a mother of a veteran can I just share that saying thanks is nice BUT
Over 2,2000 Veterans Died In 2008 Due to Lack of Health Insurance

Semper Fi

The Queen of GewGaw: Aminah Robinson

You can see Aminah's World here and what an adventure.

Columbus, Ohio, artist Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson creates magical two- and three-dimensional works of art" using " traditional art materials with found objects and everyday materials such as buttons, cloth, leather, twigs, shells, and music box workings"

Aminah has an exhibit at the Springfield Museum of Art called "Along Water Street" and gave a talk on Sunday.

She said several things that resonated with me, particularly when she answered a question about the changes in the business of art since she attended art school. Her response is that she doesn't consider art as a career (she leaves the business of it up to the gallery that represents her) but as a way of life. You can certainly see that in her work which looks archeological in nature, not only in what it represents but the artifacts themselves seem to tell a story.

"Dad's Journey"
Image source: Aminah's World

She works on these pieces for years and wrote the term for them in my sketchbook

because they go on and on and on in the making,and the telling of an ongoing story of a life within our world.

If you are in the area you can see her commissioned piece for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati Ohio. Her chair is in the Columbus Museum of Art

Source:Cincinnati Enquirer
Photo by Steven.M.Herppich

I'm so glad I went, she's such a lovely person, and her work very interesting and inspiring. The Springfield Museum of Art did a beautiful job presenting her work, a must see.

G is for GewGaw

And thank goodness for GewGaws because I use them all the time in found art, assemblages etc. My fave was this glass glitter heart incorporated into my FAF Guerrilla Art piece called "Goldigger"

Hard to see but there are porcelain teeth inside the box.

Well I was going to say back to the grog and grind in Jafabrit's Studio but I'm seeing that in the USA it connotes something saucy. Arg! I can't say fagged out, feeling queer, or even chuffed now without it being taken the wrong way.
Oh anyways I digress. I am starting a painting.
YES a Painting.
either this or this

Adobe manipulations
I can't make up my mind and it is leading to procrastination,that evil curse. arg! Talking about procrastination, my fave street art sticker was published in this cool street mag called "i left this here for you to read" issue #39."I used to be indecisive but now I'm not sure"

F is for Flower

And I got this beautiful quilted flower from local artist Karen Russel for the knit knot tree II.

I made a crochet and knitted background for it.
I can't wait to see it up on the tree for all to see.

woo! hoo!
check out Discover Ohio ONN Yellow Springs News clip showing some of our Jafagirl Knit Graffiti
Our village was chosen by Ohio Magazine as one of the five Best Hometowns in Ohio.

Thankyou Debrina
at Altered Art Diary for the shout out

Ha Ha Pizza: YUM! YUM! YUM!

Helping Talitha hang her show at Ha Ha pizza today and of course have our FAVE anchovy/pepperoni pizza with whole wheat crust. Leadbelly boys rate the pizza here very highly too, and for GOOD reason, it is YUMMY!

Mural painted by Travis Hotaling & Jade Wolfe

Meanwhile A Knot Gets Another Knit
From Pierre Nagely
(officially recognized as a local J.a.f.a)

E is for Eye on Yarnbombing and Chickens

and it's all about eye's lately

The Knit Knot Tree is back and if you live in town or plan to visit then bring a piece of your knitting or crochet to put on the tree. The measurements for the tree are on the Jafagirl blog, so get clickety clacking with those needles or crochet hooks.

I love this eye

On a more serious note: I am delighted to learn that in the uk battery(factory) farmed caged chickens will be banned by 2012. I stopped eating factory farmed chicken after reading how it impacts chickens (abusive circumstances of their lives) and how said abuse produces unhealthy meat for human consumption.

D is for Discombobulated

My favourite American word is discombobulated which I seem to mutter frequently in the studio. It still stinks of dammar varnish which means I still have to demephitise the place for several days with my trusty hepa filter.
Art Studio Safety Guide

Meanwhile in the Studio
My dexterous fingers are still at it, albiet a bit ragged since I never never never use a thimble. I've used a leather thimble when quilting, but never with embroidery.

Wip: "checkpoint"
Embroidery translation from sketchbook and the inspiration for the painting called "dichotomy at checkpoint"

Studio Whinge
I am still in a flummox about my doll, not liking it.
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

Oh well, ta ra everyone, till next time.

C is for Credit

A pal and I got it in the credits for crafting yummy sandwiches for the actors and crew during filming of this short film adapation of "love conquers all" by Irish writer Mike McCormick, thanks Vanessa.

AND
unbeknownst to us until a couple of days ago the Knit Knot Tree was included in this book published in August
believe it or not
I am still surprised by the inclusion, but I guess us putting a sweater on a tree continues to amuse. It is listed in the chapter titled Artistic License (Page 187) and you know I have one of those LOL!


41 Extraordinary Knit Designs
from the Daily Green Website
thanks for crediting the jafagirls for the pic of Nancy yarnbombing

thanks to Craft Gossip
for the shout out for my skull embroidery

B is for Bovvered

and bovvered I was. My daughter shared this stress reducer after my disastrous efforts to save a jar of venice turp resin (very very very very very SMELLY) from crashing to the floor in my studio. In the process I knocked over my cup of tea and dropped all my papers on the floor, arg!!!!!! All was not lost though, I decided I don't hate my effigy doll as much since I added hair, so I left the studio feeling okay.
Not sure I want the head to slant so will fix that, and haven't figured out what to put in the background yet, and I am not sure about the tongue.
The eye on the box represents the evil eye.

Nazar Boncuks (evil eye stones)