Studio Clean Out
Projects: 13
Balls of yarn: 24
Cones of Yarn: 9
Spools if thread: 5
Beads: 10
Red Cowl
Studio Clean Out
Projects: 13
Balls of yarn: 24
Cones of Yarn: 9
Spools if thread: 5
Beads: 10
Strands of Life Woven Scarf
I haven't posted about my studio clean out for awhile, but I"m still working on it. To recap, since January I havne't allowed myself to purchase any art supplies. Everything that I create has to come from supplies already in my studio. I decided to do this for two reasons. 1. I tend to create better when I am under some kind of restriction, wheather that be time, supplies, or a specific problem to solve. 2. I love buying supplies, so I pick up random things, just because they look cool, and then then began to take over my house. So I'm trying to make myself use the cool things that I picked up.
Strands of life is an extra long scarf, but super fun to wear. It is 6 yards in length and 24" wide. There are many open, unwoven parts in this piece that makes it light weight, and easy to drape. My mind changed, I don't even know how many times while creating this piece. But I am happy with the final outcome. I was having a lot of issues with the loom while creating this piece, and several times thought about just cutting it off of the loom and giving up, but I restrained myself. I do really try not to abandon a piece completely, I try to make myself work through all of the problems, as a lot can be learned from mistakes. So this piece was on my loom for several weeks, because I had to keep walking away from it, but it paid off.
Studio Clean out
Projects: 12
Balls of yarn: 20
Cones of Yarn: 9
Spools if thread: 5
Beads: 10
Strands of life is an extra long scarf, but super fun to wear. It is 6 yards in length and 24" wide. There are many open, unwoven parts in this piece that makes it light weight, and easy to drape. My mind changed, I don't even know how many times while creating this piece. But I am happy with the final outcome. I was having a lot of issues with the loom while creating this piece, and several times thought about just cutting it off of the loom and giving up, but I restrained myself. I do really try not to abandon a piece completely, I try to make myself work through all of the problems, as a lot can be learned from mistakes. So this piece was on my loom for several weeks, because I had to keep walking away from it, but it paid off.
Studio Clean out
Projects: 12
Balls of yarn: 20
Cones of Yarn: 9
Spools if thread: 5
Beads: 10
Jewelry Making
I'm teaching a jewelry class this semester at school, so I've been making a few peices here and there. Here are the two most recent pieces that I've made. The pendant was created from clay, and then painted with rub and and buff. The other piece is created with wooden beads that were laying around my studio and I made the the fabric pieces from my wedding dress.
Velo Update
I haven't taken any photos of our animals lately. Yesterday that cat was sunning herself on the window sill, and stayed still long anough for me to take a few photos of her.
We adopted her a little over a year ago, with the hopes that her and our dog would be friends, that still hasn't happened. But we love having both of them anyway.
We adopted her a little over a year ago, with the hopes that her and our dog would be friends, that still hasn't happened. But we love having both of them anyway.
Vermont
Over the weekend my husband and I took a wonderful trip to visit some friends in Vermont. It was so great to get away from home, relax, and spend time with friends. We went for a nice long winter hike, if you have never gone hiking in the winter I highly recommend it. It's so much fun. We took sleds along, so that we could sled on the way down, it really speeds up the decent. Here are a few photos from the hike.
Louise Bourgeois: Inspiring
Sorry I haven't posted a lot lately. I hurt my back , somehow, which has kept me from weaving lately. I"m hoping to be back behind the loom next week. But in the mean time I was looking at the most recent work by Louise Bourgeois and Love it. I"m thinking about experimenting with weaving some of my own fabric and then cutting it apart and sewing it back together. We'll see, I have to think about it a bit more.
Here's a link to her recent exhibit : http://www.hauserwirth.com/exhibitions/743/louise-bourgeois-the-fabric-works/view
Here's a link to her recent exhibit : http://www.hauserwirth.com/exhibitions/743/louise-bourgeois-the-fabric-works/view
Wire Wrapped Cabacon Class
This class is open to all adults 18 years and older. Interesting in making jewelry, then this class is for you. Create your own pendant and chain. No jewelry skills necessary for this class, all levels are welcome. Learn how to make a wire wrapped Cabachon. In this class you will create your own cabachon from clay, and learn basic wire wrapping techniques to design your own personal pendant. Clay and glazes are provided. When you sign up for the class you will be provided with a supply list.
You will also learn how to make a Viking knit chain, so that you can create a complete necklace.
Class Schedule
The class will meet on 4 Wednesday Nights
March 16
March 23
March 30
April 6
Meeting Place: Sunflower Art Studio
512 Criswell Drive
Boiling Springs
Instructor: Amber Kane
4 classes
Time: 7-8:30
Cost: $65.00 ( includes some Supplies)
Email me if interested: amberkane1314@hotmail.com
You will also learn how to make a Viking knit chain, so that you can create a complete necklace.
Class Schedule
The class will meet on 4 Wednesday Nights
March 16
March 23
March 30
April 6
Meeting Place: Sunflower Art Studio
512 Criswell Drive
Boiling Springs
Instructor: Amber Kane
4 classes
Time: 7-8:30
Cost: $65.00 ( includes some Supplies)
Email me if interested: amberkane1314@hotmail.com
I decided to make this necklace last night, as I wanted some instant gratification. I used my Knifty Knitter to create a tube, and then placed wooden beads into the tube, and tied knots to keep them in their place. I didn't really think about it while making the piece, but this is similar to some of the work that I had looked at in the last few months created by Kay Sekimachi.
I'm working on creating some clay beads, and think that I might make more necklaces like this.
My Piece
Kay Sekimachi
Studio Clean out
Projects: 11
Balls of yarn: 20
Cones of Yarn: 4 (almost 5)
Spools if thread: 5
Beads: 10
I'm working on creating some clay beads, and think that I might make more necklaces like this.
My Piece
Kay Sekimachi
Studio Clean out
Projects: 11
Balls of yarn: 20
Cones of Yarn: 4 (almost 5)
Spools if thread: 5
Beads: 10
The Element: By Ken Robinson
Currently I'm reading the book The Element. This is a great read for everyone. The book discusses creativity and education, something that I"m extremely passionate about. But also discusses how each one of us needs to discover our element, what we are truely meant to do. Here's a link to listen the author, Ken Robinson talk about the book.
http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/sir-ken-robinson-hammer-lectures/e7646d745134064e852fe7646d745134064e852f-527772288067?q=the+element+by+ken+robinson&FORM=VIRE6
http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/video/sir-ken-robinson-hammer-lectures/e7646d745134064e852fe7646d745134064e852f-527772288067?q=the+element+by+ken+robinson&FORM=VIRE6
Chocolate and Vanilla Milkshake Cowl
Extra big cowl. This piece is double crocheted with two pieces of yarn at once. Wear it as a scarf around your neck or drape it over your shoulders like a poncho or shawl.
Studio Clean out
Projects: 10
Balls of yarn: 20
Cones of Yarn: 4 (almost 5)
Spools if thread: 5
Studio Clean out
Projects: 10
Balls of yarn: 20
Cones of Yarn: 4 (almost 5)
Spools if thread: 5
Anne Lemanski
I read about Anne Lemanski's work in American Craft Magazine. I find her work interesting, and enjoy seeing what materials she uses to create each piece.
About Anne Lemanski
Born in 1969 in Bad Axe, Michigan, USA. Currently reside in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, USA, where I recently completed an artist residency at the Penland School of Crafts. I'm in the process of building a studio using recycled shipping containers.
My work is inspired by current issues such as man vs. nature and politics. I combine vintage and original materials for my sculptures.
About Anne Lemanski
Born in 1969 in Bad Axe, Michigan, USA. Currently reside in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, USA, where I recently completed an artist residency at the Penland School of Crafts. I'm in the process of building a studio using recycled shipping containers.
My work is inspired by current issues such as man vs. nature and politics. I combine vintage and original materials for my sculptures.
Resin Jewelry
I've been playing with Resin lately, and been trying to use random objects laying around my studio to create pieces of jewerly. The resin is still drying on this one, but I"m excited to get it finished.
If you have never played with Resin before you should, it's really fun to use, and pretty easy too! I found some gold leaf in my studio today, and am thinking of how I want to incorporate that into a piece.
If you have never played with Resin before you should, it's really fun to use, and pretty easy too! I found some gold leaf in my studio today, and am thinking of how I want to incorporate that into a piece.
Wire Wrapped Cabachon
Over the summer I took a class on how to make Wire Wrapped Cabachons at Potomac Bead Company. I thought that this would be something fun to teach to my jewelry students, but instead of having them buy the cabachons we made them out of clay. They are really easy to make, and it was fun to play with different glazes. Here's one that I made as an example.
Teal Crocheted Puff
I've seen several photos of these and have been wanting to make one. So I finally sat down and did it. I crocheted with two pieces of yarn at once to make the crochet a bit tighter, I then stuffed it with all of the scraps of yarn that I have left over from weaving. When weaving on a loom, there is always some yarn that is wasted, I can never bring myself to just throw it out, so I collect it in a box and hope that I'll think of something to do with it. Well this project almost emptied the box. Yeah!
Studio Clean out
Projects: 9
Balls of yarn: 14
Cones of Yarn: 4 (almost 5)
Spools if thread: 5
Studio Clean out
Projects: 9
Balls of yarn: 14
Cones of Yarn: 4 (almost 5)
Spools if thread: 5
Daydreaming, Why It's Important
Great Article by Clive Thompson on Daydreaming, check out Wired for more great articles. http://www.wired.com/magazine/tag/daydreaming/
Your mind will probably wander while you read this article. Don’t worry, I won’t be offended.
Our modern info-culture lionizes those who possess laserlike focus, particularly at work. Drifting off into a reverie is considered the enemy of productivity, which is partly why some companies control employee access to the Internet. They don’t want the Doctor Who Wikipedia page to trigger a 15-minute woolgathering session.
But what if we’re wrong about daydreaming? What if it’s crucial to solving problems in our personal lives and at work?
Brain scientists are beginning to suspect that it is. And if they’re right, we might need to rethink the way we work — perhaps even develop tools that actually encourage mental drift.
For years, brain scientists viewed a wandering mind as merely a lapse in cognition. But recent studies have found that we lose concentration shockingly often. A 2007 study by Michael Kane of the University of North Carolina found that our minds drift away from our tasks fully one-third of the time. And this suggests that daydreaming can actually be useful — because if it were such a bad thing, it’s unlikely that we’d do it so often.
Why do our minds wander? Brain-scanning technology has uncovered some clues. It turns out that when your mind drifts, your temporal lobes — which are associated with processing long-term memories — become busier. So when you float off into a reverie, you’re actually doing important data-storage work.
Daydreaming isn’t just the mind’s way of processing information, though. Other scans have found that the wandering mind also utilizes the prefrontal cortex, the part of our brain that’s involved in problem-solving. The upshot, says Jonathan Schooler, a professor of psychology at UC Santa Barbara who is studying this area, is that your idling mind is likely doing deeply creative work, tackling your hairiest long-term tasks — projects you’ve been trying to address for months, the arc of your career, the state of your marriage. “Mind-wandering is actually a very involved task,” Schooler says. “You leave the here and now and focus on more remote concerns that nevertheless might be more important. We’ve been focusing on the downside of this, but we need to think about the upside.”
Indeed, Schooler suspects that research like his explains why so many “aha” moments occur when we’re drifting — like Archimedes in the tub.
If he’s right, we ought to think about redesigning the way we work. Modern productivity software is made to minimize mental drift. We ruthlessly track our progress on each task, click off to-do lists, design our workdays with Google-Calendered five-minute-increment meetings.
How about designing software that optimizes daydreaming? For example, one problem with drifting is that we’re often unaware we’re doing it. We can hit upon a cool idea but never even realize it. Imagine an app that randomly pings you to see if your mind is wandering — and if it is, lets you record what you’re thinking about. “It’d be like a personal shrink,” Schooler jokes — a way to strip away the crud of daily work and learn what your brain’s real priorities are.
Granted, most scientists think that if you really want to let your mind roam, you need to engage in a nondemanding task, like going for a three-hour walk.
Most jobs don’t allow that, of course. That’s why I’ve begun to think that the “social” Internet has become a rough substitute. If your boss is trying to force you to focus on PowerPoint and Word documents, you might gravitate to mentally discursive, floaty experiences — the idle surfing of Facebook updates, Wikipedia entries, YouTube videos, casual games like Bejeweled. Maybe these things aren’t so much time sucks as desperate attempts by our brains to decouple from the go-go-go machine and head off on its own.
It’s just a thought.
Your mind will probably wander while you read this article. Don’t worry, I won’t be offended.
Our modern info-culture lionizes those who possess laserlike focus, particularly at work. Drifting off into a reverie is considered the enemy of productivity, which is partly why some companies control employee access to the Internet. They don’t want the Doctor Who Wikipedia page to trigger a 15-minute woolgathering session.
But what if we’re wrong about daydreaming? What if it’s crucial to solving problems in our personal lives and at work?
Brain scientists are beginning to suspect that it is. And if they’re right, we might need to rethink the way we work — perhaps even develop tools that actually encourage mental drift.
For years, brain scientists viewed a wandering mind as merely a lapse in cognition. But recent studies have found that we lose concentration shockingly often. A 2007 study by Michael Kane of the University of North Carolina found that our minds drift away from our tasks fully one-third of the time. And this suggests that daydreaming can actually be useful — because if it were such a bad thing, it’s unlikely that we’d do it so often.
Why do our minds wander? Brain-scanning technology has uncovered some clues. It turns out that when your mind drifts, your temporal lobes — which are associated with processing long-term memories — become busier. So when you float off into a reverie, you’re actually doing important data-storage work.
Daydreaming isn’t just the mind’s way of processing information, though. Other scans have found that the wandering mind also utilizes the prefrontal cortex, the part of our brain that’s involved in problem-solving. The upshot, says Jonathan Schooler, a professor of psychology at UC Santa Barbara who is studying this area, is that your idling mind is likely doing deeply creative work, tackling your hairiest long-term tasks — projects you’ve been trying to address for months, the arc of your career, the state of your marriage. “Mind-wandering is actually a very involved task,” Schooler says. “You leave the here and now and focus on more remote concerns that nevertheless might be more important. We’ve been focusing on the downside of this, but we need to think about the upside.”
Indeed, Schooler suspects that research like his explains why so many “aha” moments occur when we’re drifting — like Archimedes in the tub.
If he’s right, we ought to think about redesigning the way we work. Modern productivity software is made to minimize mental drift. We ruthlessly track our progress on each task, click off to-do lists, design our workdays with Google-Calendered five-minute-increment meetings.
How about designing software that optimizes daydreaming? For example, one problem with drifting is that we’re often unaware we’re doing it. We can hit upon a cool idea but never even realize it. Imagine an app that randomly pings you to see if your mind is wandering — and if it is, lets you record what you’re thinking about. “It’d be like a personal shrink,” Schooler jokes — a way to strip away the crud of daily work and learn what your brain’s real priorities are.
Granted, most scientists think that if you really want to let your mind roam, you need to engage in a nondemanding task, like going for a three-hour walk.
Most jobs don’t allow that, of course. That’s why I’ve begun to think that the “social” Internet has become a rough substitute. If your boss is trying to force you to focus on PowerPoint and Word documents, you might gravitate to mentally discursive, floaty experiences — the idle surfing of Facebook updates, Wikipedia entries, YouTube videos, casual games like Bejeweled. Maybe these things aren’t so much time sucks as desperate attempts by our brains to decouple from the go-go-go machine and head off on its own.
It’s just a thought.
David Hockney painting with technology
Interesting article from VAnity Fair about David Hockney
IT'S AN iHOCKNEY!
Ithough David
Hockney practices what probably truly is the world 's oldest profession-the
art of painting-he has always zealously embraced new technology. In the
80s he produced original prints using home copiers and telefax machineshe
even fed one enormous, 144-page composite drawing, Tennis, via fax to
a British gallery in 1989.
In 2008, when the artist discovered his iPhone's Brushes application, he
found his ideal idiom for the Digital Age. Wielding only his right thumb-which
he sometimes reflexively "wiped off" on his clothing, so keen was his illusion of
handling actual pigments-Hockney would lie in his Yorkshire bed, capturing
the dawn as it unfolded outside his window. Or he'd create intimate, vibrant
backlit stililifes of flowers, some blossoms imaginary, most of them real. "Beam·
ing light is an interesting subject because you're already working in a luminous
medium," Hockney explains. " It's amazing-with an iPhone there's nothing to
clean up! No pencils, no water-it is completely self-contained ."
Hockney would e-mail 10 or 20 of these exuberant, freehand compositions
a week to 30 or 40 friends and relatives. " Everyone opened my e-mails first,"
he says, " because they didn't contain any demands or requests-only pure
pleasure. My flowers don't need water, but they do need batteries! "
In 2010, Hockney advanced to the iPad, slightly more challenging, he says, be·
cause on its larger surface (upon which he draws with his index finger) "you can't
fudge it." About the same size as the sketchbooks he carries, the apparatus fits
neatly into the "poacher's pockets" his tailor sews inside the jackets of his custom
suits. " I realize now I've made quite a body of work," Hockney acknowledgesmore
than 1,000 images to date. He is thrilled that the art establishment-a con·
federation he sometimes calls the I.C.S. (I nternational Crooks and Swindlers)-will
have a hard time figuring out how to convert this oeuvre into cash. He's likewise
amused that "you can only view these high-tech drawings one at a time. To see
a group of them together you have to go back to an old-fashioned exhibition."
Starting on October 20, Hockney's unassuming little pixel masterpieces will in
fact be shown, on iPhone and iPad screens, at the Pierre Berge-Yves Saint lou·
rent Foundation, in Paris. "This is the most important work being done right now
by a painter," notes Berge, who sees parallels between Hockney's and Saint lau·
rent's prismatic palettes. New images will be poured by the artist into the installa·
tion's devices on a regular basis, which is why the retrospective is titled "Fleurs
Frakhes" (Fresh Flowers). The pictures could also conceivably be streamed simul·
taneously into various museums around the world or collected into an app avail·
able to millions. "The art is subversive," says Berge, but "creation is subversivealwavs!"
-AMY FINE COLLI NS
IT'S AN iHOCKNEY!
Ithough David
Hockney practices what probably truly is the world 's oldest profession-the
art of painting-he has always zealously embraced new technology. In the
80s he produced original prints using home copiers and telefax machineshe
even fed one enormous, 144-page composite drawing, Tennis, via fax to
a British gallery in 1989.
In 2008, when the artist discovered his iPhone's Brushes application, he
found his ideal idiom for the Digital Age. Wielding only his right thumb-which
he sometimes reflexively "wiped off" on his clothing, so keen was his illusion of
handling actual pigments-Hockney would lie in his Yorkshire bed, capturing
the dawn as it unfolded outside his window. Or he'd create intimate, vibrant
backlit stililifes of flowers, some blossoms imaginary, most of them real. "Beam·
ing light is an interesting subject because you're already working in a luminous
medium," Hockney explains. " It's amazing-with an iPhone there's nothing to
clean up! No pencils, no water-it is completely self-contained ."
Hockney would e-mail 10 or 20 of these exuberant, freehand compositions
a week to 30 or 40 friends and relatives. " Everyone opened my e-mails first,"
he says, " because they didn't contain any demands or requests-only pure
pleasure. My flowers don't need water, but they do need batteries! "
In 2010, Hockney advanced to the iPad, slightly more challenging, he says, be·
cause on its larger surface (upon which he draws with his index finger) "you can't
fudge it." About the same size as the sketchbooks he carries, the apparatus fits
neatly into the "poacher's pockets" his tailor sews inside the jackets of his custom
suits. " I realize now I've made quite a body of work," Hockney acknowledgesmore
than 1,000 images to date. He is thrilled that the art establishment-a con·
federation he sometimes calls the I.C.S. (I nternational Crooks and Swindlers)-will
have a hard time figuring out how to convert this oeuvre into cash. He's likewise
amused that "you can only view these high-tech drawings one at a time. To see
a group of them together you have to go back to an old-fashioned exhibition."
Starting on October 20, Hockney's unassuming little pixel masterpieces will in
fact be shown, on iPhone and iPad screens, at the Pierre Berge-Yves Saint lou·
rent Foundation, in Paris. "This is the most important work being done right now
by a painter," notes Berge, who sees parallels between Hockney's and Saint lau·
rent's prismatic palettes. New images will be poured by the artist into the installa·
tion's devices on a regular basis, which is why the retrospective is titled "Fleurs
Frakhes" (Fresh Flowers). The pictures could also conceivably be streamed simul·
taneously into various museums around the world or collected into an app avail·
able to millions. "The art is subversive," says Berge, but "creation is subversivealwavs!"
-AMY FINE COLLI NS
Tangerine Woven Scarf
I've been wanted to make this scarf for awhile. I did a broken twill pattern, but really spaced out the warp threads to allow for some open sections, where there are only weft strings. I then had to sew along the edges to ensure that the weave wouldn't come on down. I love this color!
This scarf is extra long and really warm, and so much fun to wear. I"m still deciding if I"m going to sell this one or add it to my personal scarf collection. What do you think?
Studio Clean out
Projects: 8
Balls of yarn: 12
Cones of Yarn: 4 (almost 5)
Spools if thread: 5
This scarf is extra long and really warm, and so much fun to wear. I"m still deciding if I"m going to sell this one or add it to my personal scarf collection. What do you think?
Studio Clean out
Projects: 8
Balls of yarn: 12
Cones of Yarn: 4 (almost 5)
Spools if thread: 5
White and fuzzy Cowl
Studio Clean out
Projects: 7
Balls of yarn: 12
Cones of Yarn: 4
Spools if thread: 2
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