Memories are what make our lives

I’m Back!!

June 24, 2009 · Leave a Comment

I don’t know how it happened but it’s already June and I haven’t posted in such a long time. I’ve been super busy and got lost in the world of graduate school. I’m happy to say that I passed my 45 hour review and finished all my classes!! (which is kind of a big deal!!) Now I have to work on my thesis research/paper/show and then I will be finished!! I still have a lot of work ahead but it feels good to say that I’ve finished all my classes. :)

I’m going to post a gallery of my latest work. I’m also in the process of finishing up my website and I’ll post the link when it is ready.

→ Leave a CommentCategories: Embroidery · Memory Work · Metal

Thanks

March 2, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Thank you to everyone who gave feedback on my last post. I really appreciate it. It’s finals next week so I’ll be posting an update about my work after March 13th. Thanks again!

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I need lots of feedback!!!

February 12, 2009 · 11 Comments

I would like feedback on the following images. What do these motifs/forms/objects/materials make you think of? Do they evoke any sort of thought, feeling, emotion? Do you want to touch them so you can understand more or is the visual enough information? I numbered each image so if there is a particular images that is your favorite please let me know what number and why. Just list the first things that come to your mind. You don’t have to know anything about my work at all, I just want to know what these things make you think of. If you can spare five minutes please give me your opinion. Also I know the pictures don’t portray scale so keep in mind that these objects are small (most of them are 2-4 inches). Feel free to pass this on to all your friends because I need as much feedback as possible, thanks!!! :)

→ 11 CommentsCategories: Embroidery · I need your comments · Metal · Winter 2009

Combining materials

February 5, 2009 · Leave a Comment

These are some of my first samples combining the technical processes that I’m learning in my metals & jewelry class with the processes that I’m using in the fibers department. Some of the samples are still in progress.

technical-research-1

Materials used: Copper, Enamel, Embroidery Floss, Hat Netting, Linen, and Distorted Silk Dupioni

technical-research-2

Materials used: Copper, Enamel, Embroidery Floss, Hat Netting, and Linen

technical-research-3

Materials used: Copper, Embroidery Floss, Linen

technical-research-4

Materials used: Copper, Embroidery Floss, Linen

technical-research-5

Materials used: Copper, Enamel, Embroidery Floss, Linen

technical-research-6

Materials used: Copper, Enamel, Embroidery Floss, Linen

technical-research-mtj-6

Materials used: Copper, Enamel, Embroidery Floss, Linen

technical-research-7

Materials used: Copper, Enamel, Embroidery Floss, Distorted Silk Dupioni, Linen

technical-research-5

Materials used: Copper, Silver, Enamel, Embroidery Floss, Linen

→ Leave a CommentCategories: Embroidery · I need your comments · Memory Work · Metal · Winter 2009

Winter Quarter…

February 1, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Sorry it’s been so long since my last post. I’ve been focused so much on my graduate work and before I knew it four weeks went by. This quarter I’m taking a metals and jewelry class in the hope of integrating new technical processes into my work. I chose to research casting, piercing, roller printing, precious metal clay, and color techniques on metal (enameling, resin, patinas, etc). You may be thinking, “WOW! Thats a lot of different processes to learn in ten weeks!” Yes it is a lot of processes and that’s why you haven’t heard from me is so long. :) So the past four weeks I’ve been exploring a bit of each process that I chose to research and decided which ones will be the best with my fibers work.

Wax Model for casting

Casting Sample

This is my casting sample. First I made a wax model and then during class I was shown how to cast my sample into bronze. I decided that this process doesn’t really fit in with my fibers work because the cast is to rigid and heavy. I want to still keep a sense of preciousness and delicacy while incorporating metal into my work.

Piercing Sample1

Piercing Samples2

Piercing

These are a few of my piercing samples. I used a jewelers saw to cut out some of the silhouettes that I drew last quarter. This technique is very successful in fitting in with my work. I will use it to create pattern and motifs with metal and still be able to incorporate it with embroidery. Some of the next samples with show you what else I can do with the piercing. :)

Roller Printing

This is one of my samples from roller printing. I put hat netting in between two pieces of annealed copper and put it through a rolling mill. It imprinted the texture of the netting onto the metal. I think this is my most successful roller printing sample. I really like the netting texture, but am not sure if I’ll continue using this technique. I can create texture in other ways that are more conducive to my work.

Precious metal clay - before

Precious metal clay - after

These are my precious metal clay samples. The top picture is before they were fired in a kiln and the bottom picture is after. Once the clay is fired it becomes 100% fine silver. This technique was really fun to experiment with because there are so many different things you can do with it. Most of the textures here are from some of my embroidery samples. PMC (precious metal clay) has definite potential as far as fitting in with my work because of the beautiful textures that I can create with it.

Enamel samples1

Enamel Samples2

Enamel Samples3

Enamel sample4

Enamel samples5

These are my enameling samples. This process is awesome and I will definitely keep using it! I can create textures with color and layering different enamels. I have so much more to explore because I’ve only started basic techniques, so stay tuned for more!

→ Leave a CommentCategories: Metal · Winter 2009

Yay for my birthday!

January 15, 2009 · Leave a Comment

Since yesterday was my birthday I want to share a few special gifts that I recieved.

My friend Erica made me homemade ice cream!! (my favorite kind!! and really good cookies!) We had cookie ice cream sandwiches yesterday, yum! Check out her blog to see lots of amazing things!
Birthday Ice cream! In the making img_0604

My friend Audrey gave me a beautiful embroidered cupcake girl! YAY!

cupcake

Check out Audrey’s blog to keep up with her graduate work and fun embroideries.

I got a lot of beautiful cards and gifts (and a little birthday party during our Seminar class yesterday!), thank you to everyone! I had a great day!

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Stitch Spectacular

January 11, 2009 · 2 Comments

The Stitch Spectacular show opened last night!

stichspectacular_poster_final_copy

The show was a huge success and all of the work was amazing!

Time Frames

Spring

This is the last panel that I finished over the break. Click here to see it on the Stitch Spectacular website.

Abby Johnson

Check out the website because they are posting all the work soon: Stitch Spectacular!

→ 2 CommentsCategories: Concepts · Embroidery · I need your comments

Sarasota and Stitch Spectacular!

December 8, 2008 · Leave a Comment

I’m back from Florida and got the good news that I made it into the Stitch Spectacular show! YAY! My hand embroidered piece called Time Frames will be in the show. I have to finish one more panel and then it will be complete. It will be at Dimensions Gallery in Savannah, GA during the month of January so everyone in Savannah has to check it out!

Time Frames

I had a really nice time in Sarasota, FL visiting family and got the chance to go to the American Craft Show. It was nice to see the work that is out in the craft field and what is popular right now. I gravitated towards the glass and jewelry at the show (which probably isn’t that surprising..haha). A few of the artists that I liked are: Nancilee Woodyard, Jessica Fields, Erica Zap, Gertrude Graham Smith, Genevieve Yang, Mary Darwall, and Laurie Thal. There was also a SCAD fibers alumni at the show, Jen Swearington. It was exciting to see someone who graduated from SCAD at the show. Overall I really enjoyed the American Craft Show and would like to go to future shows.

→ Leave a CommentCategories: Embroidery · I need your comments

Update on Fall Quarter Finals and more…

December 1, 2008 · 1 Comment

It’s been a while since my last post (sorry!!). I’ve hand my hands full these past few weeks with finals, Coco, and Thanksgiving. Now that things are a little bit back to normal and I am officially on winter break, I have time to write a long post about what I’ve been up to.

My finals in Studio Issues and Stitch, Object as Language went really well! I’ll start with what I did in my Stitch class. I finished three 12 X 6 canvases of embroidery. The title of the piece is called Time Frames and each canvas represents a season. I finished Summer for my midterm and then I finished Fall and Winter for my final. I still have to do Spring and am planning on having it finished by the end of December. As you can see they were very time consuming and I’m very proud of how they turned out. The seasons informed my colors and thought process for each piece. I did a lot of writing while I embroidered these pieces, but am only going to share a little bit of what I was thinking. My work is moving into the realm of collective memory so my personal memories are becoming obsolete for my viewers. I think writing about both personal and collective memory is very important to my work, but part of it is just for me.

Fall

Fall - I was thinking a lot about changes and how nature starts to change but at the same time the structure is still the same. The frames haven’t completely lost their shape, but have changed in a distinctive way. The forms are starting to hollow out and prepare for the next step. The colors aren’t flat and the same like they were in Summer. They are blended, vibrant and consistent. Certain colors are the same throughout all the seasons and I kept this the same in my embroidery.

Winter

Winter - This is where things are drastically changed. The structure is the most important and most seen element in the winter. This is where things start to distort and deconstruct. I thought a lot about a quiet still moment in the winter. The moment where the leaves are all gone and the branches finally get to be seen. Snow is sitting on the branches and it’s a perfect winter moment. There are areas of extreme change and consistency. If you look carefully you see an image of a face, but at first glance you aren’t really sure what you are seeing. Again, these colors are appropriate to the season but a few of them are in the other two seasons as well.

Detail of Winter

Here is a detail of Winter.

Time Frames (vertical)

This is where I need your feedback. I’m not sure if I should hang these horizontal or vertical. So when you have a change please let me know what you prefer.

Time Frames (horizonal)

Now moving on to my Studio Issues final. I worked on simple daily drawings as part of my thought process on how to start translating my work into metal. Since I didn’t have the resources to work with metal yet I did a lot of studies (paper and drawing) so that next quarter I will have a good idea of what I want to make. I also continued to work with my screen printing compositions. I decided to present them in shadow boxes and make a collage with different prints. I was thinking about dressers and vanities and how people put precious objects on them. Sometimes they put boxes with precious objects in them on either a dresser or vanity. I’ve been researching the Victorian era, mourning jewelry, and artists like Joseph Cornell and Anne Wilson. I’ve always had a fascination with tiny precious objects so that is the direction my work is going.

Daily Drawings

Daily Drawings

Daily Drawings

These are the last of my daily drawings which makes 70 (one for each day of the quarter). YAY!!!

Metal Studies

These are my metal studies. I cut forms out of paper and then painted and stitched them together. Next quarter when I’m in my metals and jewelry class I want to make objects like these.

Metal Studies

Metal Studies

Metal Studies

Metal Study

Metal Study

Screen Printing Composition

Screen Printing Composition

Final Presentation

This is my final presentation for my Studio Issues class.

Right after finals were over I went to the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC. It was a charming little art museum. I went to see Dale Chihuly’s Seaforms exhibition. It was set up as clusters of sea forms and some of his drawings were on display as well. The colors were beautiful and his compositions were inspirational. I was really excited that I got to see his work and hopefully will see it again sometime.

Seaforms

Seaforms

Seaforms

This week I’m going to Sarasota, FL to visit my aunt and uncle. I’ll also be going to the American Craft Show in Sarasota. I’m really excited to be able to visit family and see this show! I’m going to leave you with a few new pictures of Coco and I’ll post again when I’m back in Savannah.

Coco

Coco

Coco

Coco

Coco

→ 1 CommentCategories: Drawing · Embroidery · Fall Quarter 2008 · I have fun!! · Memory Work · Process Study · Screen Printing

Wuzzie Creations

November 19, 2008 · Leave a Comment

Check out Rebecca Crown’s etsy store. She needle felts really cute creatures and makes them into key chains, magnets, headbands, and Christmas ornaments. She just launched her store and I’m pretty proud of her!

Penny the Penguin Christmas Ornament

Katie the Koala keychain

Freddie the Frog Headband

Rachel the Raddish Magnet

So check out her stuff because Christmas is quickly approaching and these would be really cute gifts.

→ Leave a CommentCategories: I have fun!!