"A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it."
~George Moore

Monday, February 27, 2012

Award

My piece won second place in the 5th Annual Arts and Sciences Art Show


I won a kindle touch!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

UofL SAL

The University of Louisville's Student Art League is featuring me as this week's artist! Oh Yeah!!
Check it out:

The introduction with a photo is up right now and three posts with work are to come.
Paper work
Knitting
Ceramics

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Tom Lundberg at UL


On Tuesday we has the privilege of being critiqued by this semesters guest fiber artist Tom Lundberg. He is also giving a lecture on Thursday evening in the Hite Galleries at 6pm.

Kiln Shot

 Preview into my next ceramics project. My grandmothers' cedar chest filled with lovely knits(slip dipped and fired, of course) paired with my great-grandmother's antique sewing box filled with yarn and knitting/crocheting supplies(also ceramic). Thinking about mixing in some actual knitted items into the chest and some yarn and crochet hooks into the sewing box. 

 
*fingers crossed they all come out okay!

UL Arts and Sciences Student Art Show

I hope everyone stops by to check out the student art sale this year!!

 Transportation
 


 A little upset they put my work on chairs instead of pedestals but trying to move past it..




Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Re-purposing Yarn

 This light gray handspun yarn was originally put on a loom as a warp, but was not all used. I decided to tie it all back together ans knit a cowl with it. One lacy pattern and many weaved in ends later...


lace on top
seed stitch variant on bottom


The thing I love most about the fabric that is created from lacy patterns is the look of them with light shining through them. (not a very good photograph, but you get the point)


Thursday, February 16, 2012

Prep for UL Student Art Show

Mannequins make good company.

Missing Home Sweet Home

The first lambs were born, both rams(male). One is white the other is black. 

 Photo from JoAnn Adams

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Prehistoric Textile Fabrics

Pottery with impressions of textile fabrics.

Found at Etowah Mound, Georgia, is part of a larger textile made from either nettle or milkweed fibers.
Slightly resembles slip casted fabric.

Other Artists exloration of slip casting fabric

The Flower Girls
Suzanne Mauro



Monday, February 6, 2012

Hound Dog Press Internship

 I start on Friday at Hound Dog Press as an intern and could not be more excited!!!




Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Ceramics Project

Knitting in progress

Drop Spindle


Different Yarn Skeins


 Bobbins

Our assignment(loosely) for the project was to pick a topic that is represented in the media, 'ripped from the headlines.' However, if we had another idea or direction we wanted to take, we were encouraged to follow it. I wanted to do something that has significant personal relevance. My initial thought was to make a piece that represented some sort of change in womens' roles in society, relating directly to crafts that I practice today. I wanted to speak of the idea that crafts such as knitting, spinning, weaving, sewing, etc. were once required/expected of a woman. During the industrial revolution, the first decline in these crafts, expectations switched to women getting factory jobs that ran the machinery that machined these items. At this time they were still the ones responsible for producing the clothing. And later during the women rights movement, the next significant decline, these crafts were protested in order to avoid a particular social normality. We are coming to a point in our society that the practices are being accepted again and we are seeing the first significant rise since the industrial revolution. Now the crafts are no longer required and women are established enough to feel like they are not being held back by doing things they enjoy simply because they are typical. Not only are knitting, spinning, weaving, sewing, etc. accepted widely in our society they are becoming revered, and have now become a form of protest against the modern technology that devastated the value and appreciation of handcrafted items. There is a call for return to handmade, the personal touch is being recognized and artisans are taking a stand. It is natural in the sense that it is not machined in any way but also that is genetically coded into us. The pieces also represent the unspoken direct connection to our ancestors. Traditions such as knitting, spinning and weaving are passed down in families generation to generation. There is something personal and comforting to be carrying on a craft that was practiced by my fore-mothers.