Art Spirit

Rug hooking again....

2009-07-15T11:23:00.000-07:00

This is the fun tote bag that we received from Teesha at artfiberfest. I sewed some of the pins that were traded and given to me onto the front.
And I am back at work on this rug with all the fun houses and flowers to hook. Still a long way to go....I decided to hook some of the background so I could see how it will look.

A Summer treat...

2009-07-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

I made this berry crisp for my boys using blackberries and raspberries. Topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream-Yum! Tonight some fresh white corn and maybe bar-be-que.
Justin and I went down to Art From Scrap on Saturday to see the Circles show that I'm in with most of my friends. Lots of fun stuff. Above is Susan Buchanen's piece-she has 2 bids already!
More pieces from the Circle show...Penny's is the lower center piece with RED...love it!
Carol Kemp and Colleen Darling's pieces-upper left and center, more fun stuff!
This one is called "Fire Story" and is made from stuff scavenged from the latest fire.

A few things...

2009-07-09T13:00:00.001-07:00

Lori Seavey-Christian brought these wonderful embroideries to Artfiberfest for us to purchase.
They are from the Wodaabe tribe in Africa and they sell their work to provide some of the bare necessities of life. Lori also collected embroidery thread to send to the Wodaabe to help support their stitching. I bought four pieces similar to the ones above....love the fun colors and tiny stitches. I think she still has some to sell....ask her...her blog: http://artand play.blogspot.com/

Hooked this little pumpkin the other night just because I wanted to get hooking again! I still am working on my big piece "Flowerbox" but wanted something simple to get me going again.
And this great little book just arrived from Amazon. Very Inspiring!
And my copy of STUFFED! arrived and I have not 5, but 1 piece in there....the very last one...my little bug pin cushion...

Monday Night Rug Hooking

2009-07-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

We had our monthly rug hookers meeting at Fran's art filled dome. A small but lively group of 6 showed up. Katie's "Ode to the Music Industry" rug is above and we all loved it! It is quite large-4' x 5' and coming along nicely. She has worked in the music business in Los Angeles for years now and knows what she is talkin' about. Can't wait to see more next month.
Maren finished up her wonderful "Home" piece and worked on it at the meeting. It will be a pillow for their vacation home. Love the soothing soft colors.
This is a rug that Fran made a few years ago. I love the wavy edge which she said was not the most fun thing to finish off.
One of Katie's pillows that combines hooking and proddy flowers.
Fran has a wonderful collection of folk, contemporary and outsider art and these are a few of the Memory Jars that I spotted.
Another fun piece of folk art....

Here's our group, visiting and working on projects and enjoying a warm summer evening amongst the avocado and orange trees on Fran's Rancho.

Weekend in the Eastern Sierras

2009-07-06T11:34:00.001-07:00

I stitched and cooled my feet in the stream while Dennis fished upstream for trout.
Some of the many occupied bird houses hanging from a tree outside the little general store at Lundy Lake Resort.
A funky but fun place to relax and enjoy the Sierras, our family has been visiting Lundy Lake for years. We spent one night here and the next night we found a great little campsite at June Lake where we spent the 4th of July. There was still some snow on the mountains even in July and the lake and streams were full of cool mountain spring water.

A quick post...

2009-07-03T13:06:00.001-07:00

I bought this wonderful print by Jill Mayberg on our way home from artfiberfest at the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery in Salem. Jill lives in Vancouver, WA and had lots of other wonderful paintings at the gallery.
These odd and wonderful ceramic pieces by Kim Murton spoke to me and I had to bring them home to mix in with my eclectic folk and contemporary art. The gallery had many more of her pieces....some very large heads overlooking the gallery to smaller size masks and heads.

And this is how Mary Lou wrapped up my pieces! I guess they really were a present to myself!
And now my hubby and I are off on another adventure. He decided he needed to see the Sierras this weekend and so off we go this afternoon to his favorite lake to fish and hike and read and (me) sew. I plan to work on a stitching sampler inspired by Pam Garrison who was inspired by another blogger as well as one of my favorite stitchers, Jude Hill over at Spirit Cloth. We'll see if I get any actual stitching done. What I really want to do is just sit by the stream and take a nap.
I still haven't unpacked everything from artfiberfest, but that will have to wait.
So wishing you all a Happy 4th of July and see you next week!

Artfiberfest Adventure

2009-07-01T22:18:00.001-07:00

The car is packed to the gills with kits and supplies for classes and goodies for vendor night.
After a full day of driving we spend the night in Yreka and make it to Ashland for breakfast at our favorite spot, Morning Glory. Delicious as always and ready to check out some of our favorite shops in Ashland.
Syd checks the map for the days travel plans.
Sweet little garden and bird bath in front of Morning Glory....
One of our favorite stops is Websters...full of yarns, roving, books, wearable art, jewelry and buttons.
Colorful Noro yarns from Japan...
Fleece and roving...
Needle felted animals in a basket....
Interesting scarves...
It was a warm day and on the way to the car we put our feet in the stream to cool off...
Onward to Portland...a stop at Multnomah Village for visits to the yarn store, fabric shop, shoe store and brunch at San Marco's cafe. Before taking off we got a cool lemonade at Fat City Cafe.
Lory from Canada in my first day of classes with her wonderful hooked bird.
At vendor night with some of my fiber creations....
Lisa Kaus came to vendor night and left with three of my hooked creatures. Thanks, Lisa!
Emily's hooked bird in progress.
Nancy got hers finished up.
Love the colors in this one, bright and cheerful...Linda does it again!
Carol's sassy robin...
Tammy Gilley's wonderful bird....this is her third hooking class with me...always fun to have her enthusiastic spirit in the mix. She taught a great class this year on fabric bird nests that came out really wonderful.
Carol's finished bird with long legs and cool party hat.
Lory's finished bird and felt collage from the next day of felting.
Lory's wonderful felt scarf made from pre-felt..
Close up of Lory's scarf from show and tell night...
Here are the ladies sewing up fiber charms in my third class "Charm School"...Kari on the left, Pam in the middle and Cindy on the right.
Kari made a sweet necklace and a cuff...
Deb made a cool fiber charm necklace and some little house charms...
The famous Nanci Drew holds a little felt house she stitched up and wears some of the circle trade pins from Artfiberfest. She always makes the best trades and gives them to everyone.
Pam Garrison models her charming necklace. I love the soft colors and textures she picked out. She showed us how to make a rick rack flower that looked really cool on her necklace.
Pam's workspace.....love the colors and the charms she made for the one and only fiber mobile made in the class.
Pam and Charlotte Lyons, who came all the way from New York to teach, kept us laughing every spare moment. Here they are packed in the back of Syd's car for a trip to the airport to pick up their rental car afer a quick cruise around the neighborhood looking at the yard sale goodies.
"Sassy Art Goddess", Carol surprised me with a rug hooked "Bird in Hats" piece at show and tell that she found at a local thrift store. I think Ty and Marcia toted it home to Canada with them!
Thanks, Carol!!!You rascal....
Some of the girls relaxing at the end of fiberfest.....Traci, Nanci, and Sarah..
More folks visiting at the end of fiberfest
Charlotte, Pam, Me and Syd at Show and Tell...we stayed up late laughing and sharing funny stories...I think we had way too much fun!
Saturday night we went to Hawthorne St. for some Mexican food. A fun neighborhood to explore. Everyone was out and about on this warm Portland summer evening.
Syd and I took off and made a stop in Salem and found the Mary Lou Zeek Gallery on State St.
Mary Lou and her husband were painting the front room for a new show but let us in to look around. We managed to find several really cool things to buy before we left. If you find yourself in Salem, be sure to visit this great gallery of local artists......
We stopped in Mt. Shasta for dinner at Lily's. Great food. They made us some blackberry creme sodas that were cool and refreshing. We drove on to Red Bluff for the night.
Outside Lily's in Mount Shasta....
A vist to Sausalito for a stop at Pine St. Papery. Across the street the Caffe Di Vino had the best little cookies for the trip home.
Back home now after a wonderful trip up to Portland and Reed College where we met for Artfiberfest this year. A great group gathered to share our love of all things fiber. We had a fun kick off meeting and then 3 full days of classes. Mini demonstrations by Pam, Charlotte, and Reenie were an added bonus. So fun to get together with friends, old and new to learn new techniques, share stories, and gather new materials to play with. Loved all my students and they made the most amazing things. I know I took more photos of the felted things but have no idea what happened to them! Anyway we had lots of fun creating and I loved everything that every one made. I will try and get a flickr set made for Artfiberfest 2009 soon. As always, Teesha and Tracy created a wonderful retreat and were always on hand to help us move things about and take care of all the details that make Artfiberfest such a uplifting and creative adventure. Thanks so much you two for all the work you do to make this happen for all of us.
On the way home, Syd and I were already talking about possible classes for next year.

Happy Summer Solstice Everyone!

2009-06-21T10:46:00.001-07:00

These dollies are coming with me to Artfiberfest and are looking for new homes.
This basket of creatures will be coming too....
Two brand new mushrooms made last night....
And I made it to the Festive Summer Solstice Celebration in downtown Santa Barbara on Saturday. About 50,ooo people or more lined the streets. We have an annual parade...all of the floats are made by hand, no motorized vehicles allowed. It's a great community celebration of creativity and a fun day for everyone. Dancing, art, food, crafts followed in the nearby park. I somehow left my camera in my car and had to take these from the Sunday paper....

The fabric animals...now painted....
The two kitties asleep on a rocking chair.
And my ole pal, Tiger totally relaxed on an antique quilt.

I leave tomorrow for Portland, Oregon....so this might be my last post for a bit....Thanks to Marie, Sheri, Jude, Chris, Tara and all you others who stop in for a peek...I appreciate your comments and visits!

Busy week...

2009-06-18T18:08:00.001-07:00

It's been a busy week here with the boys out of school and getting ready to travel to Portland with all my class stuff. I did manage to get these two dollies finished up and the ones below are needing to be painted some more. We shall see if I can get them done in time for our trip.

On Wednesday we had a fun little felting day here at my home. Barbara, Kate, and Cindy came up the mountain and we felted with prefelt and had fun making things and trying out new techniques. I made these little circles for pins for my felt collage class, Barbara made a cool "Welcome" sign for her home, and Kate made a sweet little collage piece before heading off to Montana.

Looking forward to Artfiberfest...and busy getting all my kits together....just a few more days and we will be heading North!

New Cats!

2009-06-15T11:07:00.001-07:00

I finished up these two new cats last night. And the girl on the right is wearing my new "Susan Skinner" bug-found object necklace. I decided I had to have it when the numbers were the same as my birthday! (2-3-48)
I am trying to finish up dolls and hooked things I have been working on for Vendor night at Artfiberfest, my best art sale of the year. We leave for Portland, Oregon in one week!

And Good News! Syd and I will be teaching at Artfest next year!!! There is an incredible bunch of teachers coming (Tara, Jill and more) and it will be fun to take classes and teach. The hard part is deciding what to take out of so many choices. I hope you can join us!
And other news....I will have several cats and mushrooms in the new issue of STUFFED! coming out this July 1. And in the Autumn issue of Haute Handbags one of my felted totes will be included.....making me happy and good for the ole self esteem!

Kuba cloth and a visit to Ojai

2009-06-14T23:32:00.001-07:00

My friend Cindy and the musical bamboo....
Some Kuba Cloth from the Congo was hanging outside a store in Ojai called Verandah. Wonderful textiles and ethnic art inside, a visual delight.
Woven bags outside the main doorway....
Cindy is visiting from Kona, Hawaii and we took a little day trip to Ojai where a jewelry artist that I love was having a trunk show at the Human Arts store. Susan Skinner lives in New Mexico and makes fun, whimsical silver jewelry using found objects and semi precious stones inlaid into silver.
I bought a necklace and earrings and got to share some fun time comparing stories of growing up in the Los Angeles area and going to cool music concerts in the 60's and 70's. Ojai was having a Music Festival at the same time so we crossed the street where there was a Pottery Show and sale and other fun stuff going on. There was a solar powered bamboo music project that was fascinating. I'm not quite sure how it all worked but it made some interesting sounds as the bamboo went up and down in the tubs of water.
This solar powered disc had something to do with the musical bamboo....a bit other worldly!

Spirit Cloth

2009-06-12T21:21:00.001-07:00

Here is the beautiful "Spirit Cloth" from Jude Hill. It is called "Persistence" and you can read more about how she made it on her blog, "Spirit Cloth", at the top of my Links list. I still can't believe that I have it in my possession, it is such a treasure!
Close ups of some of my favorite parts.....we have exchanged fabric and messages for quite awhile now and it is so fun to see bits and pieces of fabric show up in her creations. I like to play a little "I spy" game with myself when I see something that I think came from the West Coast.

Cuffs

2009-06-12T21:11:00.001-07:00

Added a bit more to the cuffs or bracelets.....these are fun and easy to make.

Visit to Napa Valley...

2009-06-11T20:43:00.001-07:00

A Celebration of Life decorated bicycle on the streets of Calistoga...
A visit to the Castillo Amarosa near Calistoga. It took 15 years to build this copy of a medieval castle, complete with a dungeon and large dining hall. And a gift shop filled with wine in the back...
On the way up to the Castle, lots of pretty flowers. There were sheep grazing nearby and 100 year old olive trees.

Flowers next to the Calistoga train station...
There are some wonderful shops in St. Helena...loved the vintage bird cage in this one....
and Vintage Home always has an interesting window...didn't have time to go inside...
this one was fun...a giant papier mache pair of flats in a shoe and clothing store specializing in "flats".
And my rug hooking friend, Katie recommended this wonderful bakery in Yountville. We got tarts for my relatives in San Mateo and some cookies for our trip home. Delicious!!! Heavenly!

Opening my mail when we got home, I received the sweetest surprise:
my very own "Spirit Cloth" from Jude Hill!
I am beyond thrilled, I love her work so much. Thank you, Jude! What a generous spirit.

Totes and Chalk Paintings....

2009-06-06T21:39:00.001-07:00

Made these little totes yesterday and finished them up this morning. The bird fabric is from Japan and I loved the fun colors and it is sort of like oil cloth with a vinyl coating. I think these would be good to put little fiber art projects in for weekend trips...like the one we are taking tomorrow.
We are off on a short vacation to No. California...to our favorite little place- Calistoga- where we soak in the hot springs and go out to dinner and take daily hikes in the mountains.
Both boys are out of school so they are coming too.
So I be back around Thursday...in the meantime here are some photos of the chalk paintings that cover the ground in front of the Santa Barbara Mission every Memorial Day. It is called" I Madonarri" and hundreds of folks come to see the artists create their temporary works of art. I usually take the boys to see all the paintings a few days after the crowds are gone and before the chalk art disappears. These are just a small sampling of the many creations.

Have a great week~!

and now, more circles!

2009-06-05T11:54:00.001-07:00

More hooked circles that will be pins or flowers. This group I hooked on burlap, trimmed and glued the sides to the back. Next I will cut a felt backing and sew on a pin back.
The group I posted yesterday I hooked on monk's cloth...I like using both backings and tend to use whatever is on hand.
Today I am in "Fiber heaven"! Both boys spent the night at friends' homes, Dennis is at work and it is quiet and raining! I have fabric on the floor, cutting out little totes from some very cool oilcloth that Colleen and I bought in Ashland, Or and now I am finally using it. NPR on the radio, Piano Jazz, a cup of hot tea...I'm a happy girl.

New stuff....

2009-06-04T17:00:00.000-07:00

A little fabric collage I just finished up for the Circle theme at Art From Scrap.
All made from kimono silk fabric that I collected from the bins at AFS. It is 8 1/2" x 11".
These are hooked circles that will turn into flower pins for my hooking students at Artfiberfest.
The cat on the left is the only 'new" addition to the cat family, but I like to take group shots.

Rug Hooking at Penny's

2009-06-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

We had our monthly rug hookers meetings at Penny's wonderful home Monday evening. Nine of us showed up and there were some fun rugs being worked on. Above is Barbara's rug based on a Deanne Fitzpatrick design. Love those colorful houses!
And this is Jean's little sheep rug made from a purchased pattern. It came out so lovely..with the fleecey white wool used on the mama sheep.
Jean was the only one to bring her hooked vessel. It's about one half done. I think the rest of us have sort of given up on the project for the time being.
This one is a close up of Anne's rug for friends who lost their home in the "Tea Fire"..It's called "Hot Donna" in honor of the chicken who survived amidst many who didn't. Hot Donna is her real name and she has a new home closer to the ocean.
Penny has started a great new series of rugs...this one is a close-up and reminds Penny of pineapple upside down cake.....yummy colors!
Penny loves red (can you tell?) and this one is still being worked on. The bottom two are completed and ready for finishing.

Girls and Mr. Bird

2009-05-31T11:47:00.001-07:00

Three sisters from a recycled sweater ....finished except for arms.....
And Bird guy got wings and spots....
Off for a beach walk with my boys, a little grocery shopping and back home!

Flower Pins

2009-05-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

Felt, fabric, fake flowers, buttons, yarn, silk, and a few of Colleen's yoyo's came together to make up these funky flower pins. I got in a "stitching" mood last night while watching the "Blues Brothers" on TV. I made my son come in and watch the funny dancing parts....they always make me smile! Hard to believe it was made in 1980!

What's new...

2009-05-28T19:34:00.000-07:00

Worked on these guys last night...the little owl got tiny "ears", the one on the left got eyes and ears, and the bird on the right got new eyes....don't know why he looks so worried in the photo...still needs some wings and fabric patches here and there.
After I take my son to school on Thursdays I always try and get in a beach walk. Today it was a nice low tide and there were lots of rocks to look at on my walk towards the bluffs. These are a few of the ones I picked up today.
And here is what I am reading or rather finished up last night. I really enjoy this series even though I read it out of order. We all share our favorite books and pass them around to one another....this will go to Colleen or Pepa next. Can't wait for the next HBO episode....they are so fun, especially if you've read the books.

Fiber rings and things....

2009-05-27T11:39:00.001-07:00

I stayed up way too late playing around with these little felted wool rings and cuffs, but I had fun...and may add some more buttons or beads on the bracelets.

Two little owls

2009-05-25T16:04:00.000-07:00

These two little owls are all made from recycled fabric samples and thrift store finds.
Beads and buttons for eyes.

Funny faces...

2009-05-23T19:47:00.001-07:00

worked on these two last night....still deciding if they need arms or not....the ears are made from a piece of antique quilt....I love the tiny quilt stitches...
and here is a basket of mushrooms and mushroom caps awaiting their stems....

Teesha and Tracy visit!

2009-05-22T17:13:00.001-07:00

What a fun time spent with Teesha and Tracy Moore on Thursday! They came down to California to teach a workshop and stopped by Syd's Art Clinic and Susan Halme's Solvang Bakery on Wednesday. And on the way to Santa Barbara and the coast they stopped by my little mountain top home for juice and cookies. We got to visit and check out the ancient Chumash Painted Cave near our house. Teesha and Tracy are two of the most creative and wonderful people you could ever meet. They put together Artfest and Artfiberfest and have given so many artists the chance to share their love of art and creating with each other....lives have been changed, wonderful friendships have blossomed, new art directions have taken root and sparked new ideas and inspired new art forms and opened doors for so many of us who heeded the call. Now there is a new venue called Journalfest for art journalers and who knows what else will be next. I will be forever grateful for the chance to teach at Artfiberfest these last few years and hope to come up with a class or two for Artfest for next year.
If you are not familiar with Teesha and Tracy's wonderful art and art retreats, go visit their website for a visual treat: www.teeshamoore.com They have zines, rubber stamps, prints and all kinds of cool art supplies!