Inspiring: Marjolein Dallinga
About Marjolein Dallinga
Marjolein Dallinga is a hands-on person and her creativity from an early age on stems from her love of living things, horses and riding, movement and colors. She did training in graphic arts and painting at Minerva Academy, a fine arts institute in Groningen Holland, where she was born, but spent subsequent years doing mostly painting and drawing. She came to Canada in 1989, married and raised a family of three boys.
With the increasing demand for physical space at home, she gradually turned from painting to focus on smaller and less demanding creative things such as toys, during which time she met sheep and sheep’s wool and took a course in working with wool, particularly felting.
Felting is an ancient technique which allows unlimited freedom in the creative process which demanding very limited mechanical intervention such as weaving in a loom.
She also found it to be a medium in which she could express herself as she had done in her painting. Felting is also an activity which readily fits in with her lifestyle while caring for a family.
Initially she created handbags, hats, shawls and mittens which interested enough people to be asked to teach the arts of felting. Through the contacts she made in her courses she became involved in producing theatrical pieces when her work came to the notice of the Cirque du Soleil.
That developed into making things to order, but the most exciting outcome is the experimental nature of her work with the Cirque.
How far this will go will only be limited by material aspects, not by the creativity Marjolein brings to this exciting medium.
What amazing felt work. This makes me want to do some experimenting with felting and nuno felting.
Her Website: http://www.bloomfelt.com/home.html
Take a workshop: http://www.bloomfelt.com/workshop_ang.html
Marjolein Dallinga is a hands-on person and her creativity from an early age on stems from her love of living things, horses and riding, movement and colors. She did training in graphic arts and painting at Minerva Academy, a fine arts institute in Groningen Holland, where she was born, but spent subsequent years doing mostly painting and drawing. She came to Canada in 1989, married and raised a family of three boys.
With the increasing demand for physical space at home, she gradually turned from painting to focus on smaller and less demanding creative things such as toys, during which time she met sheep and sheep’s wool and took a course in working with wool, particularly felting.
Felting is an ancient technique which allows unlimited freedom in the creative process which demanding very limited mechanical intervention such as weaving in a loom.
She also found it to be a medium in which she could express herself as she had done in her painting. Felting is also an activity which readily fits in with her lifestyle while caring for a family.
Initially she created handbags, hats, shawls and mittens which interested enough people to be asked to teach the arts of felting. Through the contacts she made in her courses she became involved in producing theatrical pieces when her work came to the notice of the Cirque du Soleil.
That developed into making things to order, but the most exciting outcome is the experimental nature of her work with the Cirque.
How far this will go will only be limited by material aspects, not by the creativity Marjolein brings to this exciting medium.
What amazing felt work. This makes me want to do some experimenting with felting and nuno felting.
Her Website: http://www.bloomfelt.com/home.html
Take a workshop: http://www.bloomfelt.com/workshop_ang.html
Easter Weekend
Sorry, I am a little bit behind on posting about my weekend. We were away all day Sunday with family, which is normally when I get my posting finished. As a family we traveled to State College to see my Aunt and Uncle, counsins, and there kids. It's always a fun relaxing time when we can all get together. Here are a few pictures from the day.
My Work
I've really been trying to keep myself busy in my studio. I have a two day craft show in Lancaster coming up the beginning of May, and I really want to be sure that I have a lot of work. I'm also working on figuring out how I want to lay out my booth.
To create this piece I chain crocheted 4 different colors or yarn together, and made really long chains. I then took those chains and allowed some of them to be free, and braided the ends of them together.
I was also having fun playing with my camera and took some new photos of my studio. Most of the photos are actually of the ceiling in my studio.
To create this piece I chain crocheted 4 different colors or yarn together, and made really long chains. I then took those chains and allowed some of them to be free, and braided the ends of them together.
I was also having fun playing with my camera and took some new photos of my studio. Most of the photos are actually of the ceiling in my studio.
Malcolm Gladwell, Choosing Good Teachers
I've been doing a lot of reading on what makes up a good teacher. The hardest part is, that there really is not simple check list to go down, and then know that someone is going to be a good teacher. You actually have to watch them teach, see how they interact and relate to the studnets, and see how they present the knowledge that they have. Malcolm Gladwell wrote an interesting artilce in the New Yorker, about choosing good teachers. To read the whole article click here: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/12/15/081215fa_fact_gladwell
One of the most important tools in contemporary educational research is “value added” analysis. It uses standardized test scores to look at how much the academic performance of students in a given teacher’s classroom changes between the beginning and the end of the school year. Suppose that Mrs. Brown and Mr. Smith both teach a classroom of third graders who score at the fiftieth percentile on math and reading tests on the first day of school, in September. When the students are retested, in June, Mrs. Brown’s class scores at the seventieth percentile, while Mr. Smith’s students have fallen to the fortieth percentile. That change in the students’ rankings, value-added theory says, is a meaningful indicator of how much more effective Mrs. Brown is as a teacher than Mr. Smith.
Read here about the what happens if a child has a good teacher, and what happens if they have a bad teacher. We need to focusing on getting good teachers in our schools, and keeping them!
Eric Hanushek, an economist at Stanford, estimates that the students of a very bad teacher will learn, on average, half a year’s worth of material in one school year. The students in the class of a very good teacher will learn a year and a half’s worth of material. That difference amounts to a year’s worth of learning in a single year. Teacher effects dwarf school effects: your child is actually better off in a “bad” school with an excellent teacher than in an excellent school with a bad teacher. Teacher effects are also much stronger than class-size effects. You’d have to cut the average class almost in half to get the same boost that you’d get if you switched from an average teacher to a teacher in the eighty-fifth percentile. And remember that a good teacher costs as much as an average one, whereas halving class size would require that you build twice as many classrooms and hire twice as many teachers.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/12/15/081215fa_fact_gladwell#ixzz1KcTNQJMB
One of the most important tools in contemporary educational research is “value added” analysis. It uses standardized test scores to look at how much the academic performance of students in a given teacher’s classroom changes between the beginning and the end of the school year. Suppose that Mrs. Brown and Mr. Smith both teach a classroom of third graders who score at the fiftieth percentile on math and reading tests on the first day of school, in September. When the students are retested, in June, Mrs. Brown’s class scores at the seventieth percentile, while Mr. Smith’s students have fallen to the fortieth percentile. That change in the students’ rankings, value-added theory says, is a meaningful indicator of how much more effective Mrs. Brown is as a teacher than Mr. Smith.
Read here about the what happens if a child has a good teacher, and what happens if they have a bad teacher. We need to focusing on getting good teachers in our schools, and keeping them!
Eric Hanushek, an economist at Stanford, estimates that the students of a very bad teacher will learn, on average, half a year’s worth of material in one school year. The students in the class of a very good teacher will learn a year and a half’s worth of material. That difference amounts to a year’s worth of learning in a single year. Teacher effects dwarf school effects: your child is actually better off in a “bad” school with an excellent teacher than in an excellent school with a bad teacher. Teacher effects are also much stronger than class-size effects. You’d have to cut the average class almost in half to get the same boost that you’d get if you switched from an average teacher to a teacher in the eighty-fifth percentile. And remember that a good teacher costs as much as an average one, whereas halving class size would require that you build twice as many classrooms and hire twice as many teachers.
Read more http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/12/15/081215fa_fact_gladwell#ixzz1KcTNQJMB
Find: Of A Kind
I wanted to share some great new sites with you that I have found recently. Enjoy
I recently learned of a new website, and am really excited to share it with you. It's called Of a Kind, they work with designers and sell wonderful creations in lots of 5- 50 pieces, assuring that you will not see everyone walking down the street with the some great find that you have. Check it out and start shopping!
http://www.ofakind.com/
I just won my first givaway every! Cursive Design is celebrating her fifth year in buisness and created an amazing giveaway. She gave three fantastic pieces of jewlery. I can't wait for their arrival. You can find one of her wonderful creations on of a Kind.... http://www.ofakind.com/editions/13-FADE-OUT-NECKLACE
I was also doing a little bit of checking into finding someone to help with marketing my work. I checked out http://deluxe.com/marking . I don't think that the company is going to work well with what I do at the moment, but they were wonderful to talk with and really helpful. So I would recommend at least checking them out if you are thinking about expanding your small buisness.
I recently learned of a new website, and am really excited to share it with you. It's called Of a Kind, they work with designers and sell wonderful creations in lots of 5- 50 pieces, assuring that you will not see everyone walking down the street with the some great find that you have. Check it out and start shopping!
http://www.ofakind.com/
I just won my first givaway every! Cursive Design is celebrating her fifth year in buisness and created an amazing giveaway. She gave three fantastic pieces of jewlery. I can't wait for their arrival. You can find one of her wonderful creations on of a Kind.... http://www.ofakind.com/editions/13-FADE-OUT-NECKLACE
I was also doing a little bit of checking into finding someone to help with marketing my work. I checked out http://deluxe.com/marking . I don't think that the company is going to work well with what I do at the moment, but they were wonderful to talk with and really helpful. So I would recommend at least checking them out if you are thinking about expanding your small buisness.
Etsy: Fun with Felting
I"ve only ever experimented with felting, and have enjoyed it the few times that I've done so. But never figured out how to make cool pieces of jewelry like these. What a great idea.
Here's a sneak peek of an interview that Papaververt did with Etsy, to read the whole thing go here: http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/featured-seller-papaververt-11973/
To buy some of these great pieces and to see more of her work visit her shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/papaververt?ref=pr_shop_more
What first made you want to become an artist?
Hmmm.... I've never been too comfortable with the title of artist as I've always thought of myself as a designer. So on that note..... I loved anything musical and creative from a very young age. I remember sewing with my mom and sister as a young girl, digging Mozart when I was 6 and loving all my art classes throughout my school years. I studied fashion design in college, and worked as a store interior designer for many years, all the while knowing that there was more to come. I've never really been able to explain it and it's even hard for me to pinpoint when I thought that I would become a designer. I think after working so hard for several years for other designers, I had the realization that if I worked just as hard for myself, that the outcome could be really amazing.
Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.
I get most of my ideas really late at night, sometimes when I'm lying in bed trying to fall asleep around 1 or 2 am. I'm learning to be ok with this but sometimes it's hard to calm down when the ideas start to flow. At night, it's usually shapes and forms. I like thinking of something that already exists in say, ceramic, but translate it into a felted design with the same purpose. Or thinking of the flow of an 60's style chair and wondering how I can mimic those lines in a way that has a dual purpose other than just a visual object. During the day, I'm most influenced by colors and they usually pop up when I least expect it. Anything that causes an emotional response can just start all sorts of new things - seeing two colors next to each other in a magazine that clash beautifully, someone walking in front of me whose coat looks amazing next to a wall we just passed, or sometimes some of my yarn laying across another color.
Here's a sneak peek of an interview that Papaververt did with Etsy, to read the whole thing go here: http://www.etsy.com/storque/spotlight/featured-seller-papaververt-11973/
To buy some of these great pieces and to see more of her work visit her shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/papaververt?ref=pr_shop_more
What first made you want to become an artist?
Hmmm.... I've never been too comfortable with the title of artist as I've always thought of myself as a designer. So on that note..... I loved anything musical and creative from a very young age. I remember sewing with my mom and sister as a young girl, digging Mozart when I was 6 and loving all my art classes throughout my school years. I studied fashion design in college, and worked as a store interior designer for many years, all the while knowing that there was more to come. I've never really been able to explain it and it's even hard for me to pinpoint when I thought that I would become a designer. I think after working so hard for several years for other designers, I had the realization that if I worked just as hard for myself, that the outcome could be really amazing.
Please describe your creative process how, when, materials, etc.
I get most of my ideas really late at night, sometimes when I'm lying in bed trying to fall asleep around 1 or 2 am. I'm learning to be ok with this but sometimes it's hard to calm down when the ideas start to flow. At night, it's usually shapes and forms. I like thinking of something that already exists in say, ceramic, but translate it into a felted design with the same purpose. Or thinking of the flow of an 60's style chair and wondering how I can mimic those lines in a way that has a dual purpose other than just a visual object. During the day, I'm most influenced by colors and they usually pop up when I least expect it. Anything that causes an emotional response can just start all sorts of new things - seeing two colors next to each other in a magazine that clash beautifully, someone walking in front of me whose coat looks amazing next to a wall we just passed, or sometimes some of my yarn laying across another color.
Inspiring: Cursive Design
Over the last few weeks I"ve been seeing pieces of jewelry everywhere by Cursive Design, and I really love these pieces. Check out her blog: http://cursivedesign.blogspot.com/
She is also a great shop where you can purchase one of her one of a kind pieces: http://cursivedesign.com/
She is also a great shop where you can purchase one of her one of a kind pieces: http://cursivedesign.com/
My Week in Creations
I've been really interested in braids lately, I"m not really sure why, but they seem to keep coming out in my designs. I created a few new designs this week and I"m really excited to share them with you.
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