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How-To: 3D Thread Illustrations
By Wendy Tremayne
My friend, textile artist and blogger, Heather Cameron of True Stitches says of crafter Gretchen Elsner, "Writing about Gretchen is like trying to remember a dream that keeps slipping away the more you try to capture it."s
The dream that I am having of Gretchen Elsner is one populated by archetypal creatures. At the busy intersection in which Gretchen stands, she stitches worlds together. Strewn about are handwritten script letters that scratch out quick-witted phrases as they dance along colorful stuffed fabric. The letters are as bridges connecting a bounded reality to one not yet known. An eyeball, Victorian vanity, bird, slug, wooden shoe, they delight in crossing over. They are composed of heaps of thread, colorful, tangled, wild and free.
Gretchen, the one who gives them life, traverses an imaginary field wearing a textile pop-up book of her making. The story spills from it. Gretchen is the story. We are reminded that not all tales ought to appear in books made for children. "Come on in," we think we hear, "but careful or you might get lost." Just as the colorful fabric scenes seem to finally join together and resemble something familiar the dream slips away. It is just as Heather warned.
Idiosyncratic clothing designer, performance artist, electronics maker, mother, builder, and dream weaver (to name a few) you'd be hard pressed to separate artist from art in any of Gretchen's works. Today she whisks by to lend to us a quirky, fresh vehicle of self-expression that she stumbled upon and then nuanced. It is a way of creating image using cotton threads or whatever is lying about.
Gretchen recalls how she stumbled on the find, "I felt stupid throwing away all the loose ends of thread that are left over when you cut the piece away from the machine, they all looked so pretty all wadded up." When she began using the technique she laboriously hand sewed the wads into shapes, then she discovered a product called Solvy which modified the process into what she offers us today in the form of a DIY.
Crochet Teddy Bear Headphone Covers
These cute teddy bear headphone covers from Traci of Late to the Revolution make me want to dump my earbuds in the trash. You can find them over at Red Velvet Art. [via Mixed Plate]
Read the Full Story » | More on CRAFT » | Comments » | Read more articles in Bazaar | Digg this!Mini Deep-Dish Pizzas
Take a look at these delicious mini deep-dish pizzas from Michael Derr over on his blog, Made by Mike. He's cooking his way through every recipe of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food - if he needs some help eating those pizzas, I'd be more than happy to help!
Via Made By Mike
Read the Full Story » | More on CRAFT » | Comments » | Read more articles in Food | Digg this!what’s in your toolbox: annette joseph
It is a real pleasure to introduce the fabulous Annette Joseph! Annette is an Atlanta-based Photo Stylist and Producer, whose client list boasts some serious heavy hitters such as Better Homes and Gardens, the beloved and mourned Domino Magazine, Country Home magazine, and many, many more. Her most recent design coup is the home renovation for actress Gwyneth Paltrow’s Nashville apartment. In just 10 days Annette and her team transformed a bare, raw industrial space into a bright family home punctuated by artwork and industrial rustic elements. For more details chronicling Annette’s design work for Gwyneth, check out her feature in GOOP! To see how this savvy stylist manages to keep all her ducks in a row, read on guys and dolls!
1. Design*Sponge: What is in your toolbox? What are the tools you can’t live without?
Annette Joseph: My favorite tool is a tiny hammer; it is a hammer, a flat screwdriver, and Phillips head screwdriver all-in-one. It is available at most large hardware store by various manufacturers. Then of course I cannot live with out both large and small Martha Stewart scissors. Also I must include my linen apron! I bought it on a photo shoot in Napa 5 years ago and never take it off during a shoot. Of course, my iphone is the newest and most valuable tool. We use it for everything from photographing objects we want to use as a prop, to a gps in towns all over the country (and the world).
2. Design*Sponge: Fill in the blank, “When I am in my studio, I feel… light. happy. inspired by all the collected beauty.”
CLICK HERE for the rest of Annette’s interview (and her studio music mix tape) after the jump!
Cooking for Geeks DIY Book Tour
Jeff Potter is kicking off his Cooking for Geeks book tour tonight in DC! Be sure to catch him in your town.
HacDC is happy to be hosting Jeff Potter, author of "Cooking for Geeks" for a one night only presentation in DC on the finer arts of food science. Jeff's book has been featured on NPR, BBC and his presentations have wowed audiences of hackers & foodies alike. We're happy to have Jeff joining us for a hands on demonstration as well as book signing.But you don't have to take our word for it... here's what Jeff has to say:
Hi! I'm Jeff Potter, author of Cooking for Geeks (O'Reilly Media, 2010), and I'm doing a "D.I.Y. Book Tour" to talk about my just-released book. I'll talk about the food science behind what makes things yummy, giving you a quick primer on how to go into the kitchen and have a fun time turning out a good meal.
Depending upon the space, I'll also bring along some equipment or food that we can experiment with, and give you a chance to play with stuff and pester me with questions.
In the Maker Shed
Cooking for Geeks by Jeff Potter
diy project: ashley’s wooden spool photo holders
long time readers may remember ashley’s amazing wooden palette day bed from last year. i love the way her projects manage to blend a worn-in vintage look into a stylish modern setting. these adorable photo holders are no exception; the vintage spool turns the image into a little sculpture! you can swap the images out easily, prop them wherever you please, and best of all, you don’t have to buy any expensive frames. it’s a great way to have more photos around the house without having all of them displayed in uniform fashion, and these take about thirty seconds to make. CLICK HERE to read more about this project and see more of ashley’s beautiful photography work. thanks for sharing, ashley! -kate
CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!
How-To: Lego Minifig Cape
We are a big Lego family. My son is obsessed with them, and honestly ... so am I. I love this sweet and simple tutorial from Zakka Life for making felt capes for Lego minifigures. She's provided a downloadable template and instructions for whipping up a whole batch of them. I think our minifigs will be sporting new wardrobes very soon ...
Read the Full Story » | More on CRAFT » | Comments » | Read more articles in Kids | Digg this!Panda Knee Socks
When stripey knee socks just aren't cute enough, reach for your panda stripey knee socks. Hellz yeah. You can buy these at JapanLA.com.
News About Makers Market
A statement issued by Makers Market staff:
After a seven month beta test period, we're sad to report that we've reached a decision to cease operation of Makers Market and Boing Boing Bazaar. Although the concept of a marketplace for indie makers invited by the staffs of MAKE and Boing Boing received strong praise from sellers and customers alike, in the final analysis, it is not generating the kind of sales for our sellers that we expected, nor generating the revenue we need to "keep the lights on." Working in close collaboration with Boing Boing, we attracted over 150 wonderful makers with creations so magical, we frequently found ourselves pulling out our own wallets to buy gifts, and we successfully drove nearly 3/4 million visits to Makers Market and Boing Boing Bazaar through online promotion and editorial posts, resulting in 4 million page views. However, our model was predicated on a highly cooperative premise: that a marketplace of indie makers actively engaged in their respective communities would quickly begin to draw its own critical mass. In spite of our best efforts, this dynamic simply hasn't evolved. Too many sellers have confided in us that they are heavily committed to other projects or too pre-occupied promoting their own sites or preexisting stores to effectively tend to their Makers Market/Boing Boing Bazaar storefront. Which means that on any given day, the only product(s) that sell well are those that Boing Boing and MAKE have blogged that day. This doesn't bode well for the remaining sellers and is a less than exciting editorial concept for us.
October 8th will be the last day to sell products on Makers Market and Boing Boing Bazaar. Thereafter, we will keep the market open through November 9th to facilitate communications between sellers and their customers. We will publish a full-width graphical announcement on all marketplace pages explaining that the marketplace is closed, but that orders already placed are being fulfilled, and that customers can continue to access their account and order details and can communicate with sellers through November 9th. On November 10th, we will replace the marketplace with a static page with a message from MAKE and pertinent contact info.
Effective immediately, we will waive any new fees other than commissions for those sellers who wish to continue selling through October 8th. For sellers who continue to sell though Oct 8th, standard sales commissions will continue to apply.
We sincerely appreciate your investment of time and energy into Makers Market and Boing Boing Bazaar. We want you to know that we have spent countless weeks evaluating the underlying circumstances, talking with sellers, and analyzing various options. In the final analysis, we are unable to sustain the marketplace without many times the traffic we are generating. We welcome your comments and would be more than happy to answer any questions you may have. Please write us at help@makersmarket.com.
Read the Full Story » | More on CRAFT » | Comments » | Read more articles in Announcements | Digg this!diy project: recycled scrap paper notebooks
we blessing sisters have loved notepads, notebooks and all things paper since our first wide-rule pads we bought in gradeschool. we have trouble letting go of even a single sheet of paper, lest we find a use to reuse or recycle it in the craft room! this time, we repurposed our old faxes and paper scraps into notebooks and made them useful again. we pulled out old wrapping paper, books we didn’t mind ripping pages out of, and other odds and ends to make the covers pretty. this is quick and easy to do with what you already have at home, and you end up with a stack of handy, useful pads that might even give you a tinge of back-to-school nostalgia. –bbbcraft sisters
CLICK HERE for the full how-to after the jump!
Wednesday Indie Artist Fixx with Annika Salame
Love by boe. Seriously, LOVE. I own a couple of pieces and I’m pretty sure that I will end of owning more, before all is said and done. So to say it’s a real pleasure to be sharing my interview with Annika Salame of by boe for today’s Wednesday Indie Artist Fixx is a really big understatement. Love, love, love. Have I mentioned that?
Anyway, before I get drool on the keyboard, here’s my interview and some lovely eye candy from by boe.
What blogs and mags do you read and what shops do you shop at?
I am always reading Refinery29! I also love hintmag, 10 magazine, another magazine, and numero magazine. My favorite shops are Assembly New York, Maryam Nassir Zadeh, and Dear Fieldbinder.
What are your inspirations in your art and life?
It is hard to pin down…I think it’s life itself! All the visual things you run into on a daily basis while going about your life. And of course traveling, music, family and friends, books, movies, food (and wine).
What’s your creative process like?
A piece or collection usually starts with a feeling or mood and an attraction to certain shapes or materials. The pieces grow from experimentation, but it all starts with inspiration! Music is a big part of my creative process—I tend to gravitate towards indie rock (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, TV On The Radio, and First Aid Kit (incredibly talented sisters from Sweden). Nina Simone is a favorite, too.
Share something silly about yourself.
I would never, never sing karaoke no matter how much wine I’ve had!!! Although when I am home alone, I pretty frequently turn the music loud and dance around a bit crazy…it’s a nice stress releaser.
What does indie mean to you? You can give a literal definition, choose to be a little esoteric or a combination of both.
Free expression that is not bound to expectations or commercial value.
Is your home messy or organized? Which one do you think is ideal and why?
It looks very organized, but is a quite messy behind the closed closet doors.
When did you get your start and what made you decide to take the plunge?
I started with a small studio/workshop/retail space. I’ve been lucky, in that I have almost always worked for myself, one way or another.
What’s new or in works?
A STUDIO collection of jewelry that combines silk, wood, leather and metal. It’s a stark contrast to the regular delicate by boe jewelry, but it still has the same aesthetic. I’ve been dreaming of an edgier, moodier collection for years, and it’s so wonderful to realize these visions.
When you aren’t working on By Boe, what do you like to do?
I like to be in nature, go biking, spend time with my daughter and friends. Music is something I really enjoy, and I’m always going to check out new bands.
What’s been your favorite piece/design that you’ve ever created and/or your favorite project you ever worked on?
My favorite piece is part of our new by boe STUDIO collection—it will be released for sale soon! It’s a necklace made of gold and these great half-circles of dark wood. It’s a gorgeous statement piece, and I can’t wait to get it out in the shop!
mumbai city guide
illustration by julia rothman
today’s newest city guide comes from copywriter and food blogger mishti bhattacharjeewith. mishti grew up in muscat, india, attended college in india, received her graduate degree in england and recently moved to dubai after many years in mumbai (formerly known as bombay). she now shares her expert travel experience with us on this guided tour through mumbai’s eclectic markets and delicious dining. thanks mishti for this wonderful guide!–stephanie
*a quick note- many mumbai locals still refer to the city as bombay. but for our purposes, we’re using mumbai because it’s the standard use in most american publications
CLICK HERE for the full guide after the jump!
How-To: Salt Light
This cool salt light from Danny Seo is so quick and easy to put together, you could whip one (or more) up for a party this weekend or romantic table setting tonight.
Read the Full Story » | More on CRAFT » | Comments » | Read more articles in Home Decor | Digg this!I feel like I have something in my eye
Can you see it? Can you get it out for me?
Real fly leg eyelashes. I kind of want to die.
Gamer Wednesday: Space Invaders Pop-up Card
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Who wouldn’t want to get this adorable card in the mail? Just a few cuts, folds and bends and ceep made this little pop out Space Invader card. You can see the full thread here: http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=356650.0
You can see more great crafts by viewing the Space Invaders tag. |
falling leaves + temperatures: a fall roundup
this weekend while i was staring at the frat house that our apartment has become (i think every room has an empty water or beer bottle in it) i felt the need to wipe the slate clean and start fresh. because i’m something of an extremist, my immediate reaction was to look at aaron and say “we need to move.” that’s surely the easiest way to escape clutter, right? while we both agreed to finally get back on the market and start hunting for a new apartment i decided it was also time to pack away my summer clothes (goodbye, cut offs. i’ll miss you) and start thinking about a few new fall wardrobe choices. but because my brain always drifts right back to home design, i thought i’d compose a little shopping wish list of all of the fall-focused home and fashion pieces i’ve craving. i’ve tend to live my life vicariously through these roundups rather than actually buying any of these pieces, but this time i’m hoping i make it home with those boots and one of the gorgeous trays below. if we’re going to have bottles around the house, they might as well pile up on cute trays, right? hope you enjoy the roundup and cooler weather outside. here’s to fall! xo, grace
[image above: 1. safety pin wall plaques $35 2. pendleton throw $98 3. chesnut leaf earrings $38 4. eames hang it all in walnut $249 5. ticking flannel bedding $24-$88 6. acorn key ring $76 7. squirrel ring box $120 8. wharf table lamp $398 9. plaid lunet chair $698 10. welcome to nantucket doormat $42 11. aberdeen two-tone boot $198 (i am so making these my new fall boots)]
[image above: 1. plaid jacket $198 (a perfect early-fall jacket with no bulk) 2. plaid motor robe + carrier $98 3. bronze age flatware $36 (for a bronzy fall table) 4. acorn necklaces $85 each 5. night owls wall stickers by amy ruppel $65]
[image above: 1. sundry cafe tray $78 2. mexican agate ring $428 3. amber hearth candle $20 4. hexagon cloche $78 (perfect for flowers or displaying special jewelry)]
under $50: desktop organization + tech
good morning! i’ve been trying to get my desk in order all weekend so i thought i’d kick things off today with a budget-friendly roundup. i’m coming to the end of my guest blogging stint at mylifescoop and today i’m focusing on desktop organization and tech accessories under $50. if you’re like me and could use a little help getting things together on your desktop, i hope this roundup will help!
CLICK HERE for the full roundup on mylifescoop.
Mr X Stitch Presents: The Cutting (& Stitching) Edge – Rosie James
Welcome to the Cutting (& Stitching) Edge! I’m Mr X Stitch and I’ll be your guide to the best in contemporary embroidery. Each week I’ll showcase someone who is rocking the world of embroidery and textiles.
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Rosie James is a textile artist from Rochester, England. She captures human nature using machine and hand embroidery.
As well creating these fantastic works, Rosie is heavily involved in teaching textiles and is one of the artists in residence at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham. If you are interested in seeing some of Rosie’s work, check out her online gallery here
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Mr X Stitch is a manbroiderer, cross stitch designer and runs www.mrxstitch.com,
the number one contemporary embroidery and needlecraft blog on the planet.
He can often be found hanging out on the Craftster needlecraft boards, at the Phat Quarter on Flickr, or designing patterns for the MrXStitch etsy store.
a warm fuzzy non-wool cardigan
I find wool and most all animal fibers (yes even cashmere, tragic) too itchy to wear. As a result I've missed out on a lot of cozy sweater wearing in the past. Happily manmade fibers seem to have caught up and these days I'm finding more and more acrylic/cotton blends that are soft and fuzzy and, most importantly, warm. My most recent find is this wrap cardigan from Old Navy. I might buy two.
Future Heirlooms – Caroline Kirton
The first time I saw the work of Caroline Kirton was while looking through the catalogue of the Fiber Art International exhibit that we were both in. I immediately loved her work with its figurative and narrative elements. She approaches her work as a subtle, simple and gorgeous drawing all about the complicated experience of being a teenager, beautifully showing its vulnerability, beauty, awkwardness, and fear. All done with a very loving eye.
What drew you to embroidery as an art form?
Probably like most people who love textiles I grew up with a Mum and Grandmother who both sewed and as long as I can remember I made cloths for my dolls and sewed presents for friends and when I was older I my own cloths. When I was at school any time we could use a creative medium of our choice I would always choose textiles it was always where I felt most comfortable it never felt like hard work it was always enjoyable. When I first started to embroider it was self taught and by hand, I liked the fact it was portable and you could sit and sew anywhere.
Are you self taught or formally trained?
I have used other art forms while studying as I did an applied art degree, but I have always been drawn to textiles and embroidery because I just love the colors, pattern and textures of fabrics and threads they are so versatile and can create a mood or feeling. I also love to used vintage fabrics because it is lovely when people tell you that they once had a dress in some material you have used. For instance in My mum’s a proper weirdo the bench is made from a 1970’s duvet cover and lots of people who have seen the picture have told me they had the same duvet when they were children. I can never pass fabrics of any kind without stopping to look at them I am always looking in charity shops just in case I might miss the perfect fabric and I never ever feel I have just the right fabric I need at the time. One of my favorite presents I have been was given was a box of cotton threads, I loved to get them out and look at them for months before I could bring myself to use them. As my children would say “what a loser”
How does the choice of using embroidery, as your medium, affect the conceptual aspect of your work? I preferred hand embroidery for years – quite often if something needed to be sewn by machine I would get my mum to do it and I would do all the hand finishing. It wasn’t until I did my degree at university that I started to use free machine embroidery I had a tutorial with my tutor who showed be the basic principles of Free machine embroidery. I have taken a couple of short courses since then, but I am mostly self taught. I also use books and other textile artists for reference and inspiration. I think in some ways if you are self taught you can create your own style of working without being too influenced by tutors, but I also like to go on course and keep learning and to expand your knowledge and practice, its also fun to spend time with other creative people when you work alone. I would like to go a formal hand embroidery course it could act as a contrast to the work I do at the moment because I do like my drawings to be free flowing and its always good to have a challenge.
I wanted to create a sense of underlying vulnerability in the pictures, from the combination of the appliqued fabrics not always being exactly lined up to the sketchy quality of the black line I hope I have achieved this. Life is not perfect for teenagers so the imperfections created by sewing blind through the paper is also important. I make very deliberated choices in the fabrics I use to help create different moods and feeling in the pictures through pattern, color and texture.
Your work is based on the lives of your teenage children, can you talk about how you came to this body of work and how their lives inspire you?
I started this body of work when I was in my final year at university, at the time my girls were aged 15, 13 and 10. Anyone of my friends could tell you how demanding they are of my time, in particular my eldest who involves me with every minute detail of her life. This at times can be exhausting, so I was at a cross road trying to decide where to take my work when Emily had one of her many ongoing all consuming teenage crises. She had a very close friend who had moved from N.J to England four years previously, when he very suddenly found out he had to move back to the U.S. He used to spend lots of time at our house and we had become very fond of him, he only found out the day before he went back to N.J that he was going and told us two hours before he was due to leave. Unfortunately it was due to a marriage breakdown and he had no choice but to go with his Mother. He was very distressed at having to leave, and Emily was very upset on his behalf. He had settled into the U.K and made a new life and could hardly remember the old. One of the things he said to me that I will always remember was how he had no control over his life. So it was out of this situation that this body of work evolved it became a natural process to start documenting the ups and downs of the girls and their friends lives because there is always plenty of drama in my house. It would have been difficult to have been totally involved in another subject at this time. I have always observed human nature and once my children became older I found teenagers fascinating and amusing how they can be in the depths of dispare one minute and the next they are off out to a party and you are left at home feeling emotionally wrung out. I continue to be inspired by them all the time by the things they do and say, I am now well know for writing down all the things they say that I think are funny and amuse me I keep then on note pads and notes that I stick up around.
Can you discuss the experience of making work about youth and a time of such uncertainty while you are no longer in that phase of your life?
I think it is a hard time for young people today and they often get a hard time from the media, when in fact most teenagers are lovely and it is this that I also want to celebrate. But what makes me sad today is how children often have complicated family situations now and just have to get on with it, while at the same time trying to study for school and make choices about their futures. A lot of the teenagers, that I meet through the girls, struggle with the pressure that are put on them by society to make choices and achieve , when really they just want to be having a good time and sleeping.
What do your children and your friends think of your work?
I think the girls quite like my work, but like most teenagers they don’t show much excitement. I have to catch them in the right mood when they are not too grumpy when I want them to model for me. Then if I’m not happy with the shots I’ve got and want them to do them again I might have to wait a week for them to be in the right mood to do them again!! Their friends are much more willing models especially the boys, although they say “don’t make me look stupid!” I have just asked my thirteen year old and she said its alright which as I have said is about as much enthusiasm I get. I think they secretly like it though as they do bring their friends to see my pictures and I know they have told their teachers at school, because at parent’s evening they ask me about it..
My friends on the other hand are very supportive and quite a few of their children have been in my pictures.
Besides the obvious subject of your work how has the experience of being a mother affected your work and identity as an artist?
Being a Mother has affected my art practice in many different of ways the most practical consideration is having to be very determined and organized to get things done to meet deadlines, it would be so easy to be drawn into family life and never get things finished. When you have children you have to really want to make the time to devote to your practice. I have a studio in my home so it could be very easy to get involved with the children and not get on with work. I find it hard in the school holidays to get work done, so I usually spend this time looking into different opportunities, organizing my studio again, planning out ideas for new pieces of work and taking pictures. Luckily I miss the creative process so I can’t leave it very long before I start a new piece of work. Time is always a big issue with children as well, I encourage my children to have hobbies and all my girls dance so I felt it was unfair to cut back on their activities just because it didn’t suit me any more so I always try to work on an imaginary two week deadline, before the real one, just in case of any problems. Being a mother and and the maternal bond I have to my children is the most important thing in my life, but being an artist has made me look and analyze relationships in more depth, obviously mine with my children, other mothers with their children, and my children’s friendships. As an artist perhaps I dwell on peoples relationships longer than most, I used to think that most people had the same kind of relationship with their children as me, it wasn’t until my children became teenagers and lots of different children came into our life and home that I discovered that many of them had difficult home lives and were very emotionally vulnerable.
How has your work evolved since you first began working with embroidery?
When I first used embroidery it was only for embellishment, it was only when I started studying that I began to use it on a more conceptual level as a drawing tool. I like using free machine embroidery as it has a sketched line quality and it doesn’t look to formal or precise, If the line goes off my drawing and it is not perfect this doesn’t matter as life isn’t perfect either.
How did you begin to work with applique and how do you make the decisions towards what you applique and what you do not?
I began to work with applique after a workshop at university, and have been hooked on it ever since, I like the way that applique make instant changes and different materials changing the whole tone of a picture. Although the workshop was on more formal applique I never really liked working in this way and as my work was designed to be pictures the applique didn’t have to be very durable. I like it to be just loosely caught down. Deciding what to applique and what colors and fabrics to use is the most time consuming part of my pictures and the most important. If I’m not pleased with the results it really annoys me and I have redone complete pictures before because I not happy with the color choices. Once I have drawn out my pictures I take them to a photocopy shop and they enlarge my image to the size I want it. Next I decide on the back ground material as this determines the other colors I use. Then I pin the picture and fabric and start deciding about fabric choices for the parts I’m going to applique. I will make up a couple of color palettes and then decide which one I think works best with the images theme. However there are also other criteria that decide my choices, as the pictures are about teenagers I take into consideration current fashion trends i.e colors and types of fabrics or texture. Also I try to incorporate aspects of their personality for example in My mum’s a proper weirdo both Brad and Tom were wearing bright colors -so I wanted to reflect this in the piece. In my most recent picture Harry is wearing odd socks so I gave him odd socks in the picture. I also try to make the picture quirky by using some material in places that you wouldn’t expect to find them, to help create a sense of fun, i.e the bench in My mum’s a proper weirdo! Obviously the colors and fabric and where I use them, is very subjective, and I spend hours deliberating over the choices.
I have been thinking about your question how do I decide which bit to applique and which bits to leave out and its a a combination of trial and error because I cut out all the pieces first and lie them onto of the picture before I permanently attach them and them make the final decisions. I leave the the picture at this stage until I’m happy with my choices, sometimes I make for instance a bag out of several different fabrics I think would be ok and keep changing them around until I am happy with the result. A lot of the time it’s intuition and by leaving some parts empty its a suggestion of what could be there.
What is the next direction or step for your work?
I would like to make more of my own backgrounds for my pictures as using shop bought fabrics is often very limiting- even if the fabric is textured they don’t have much depth or tone, I have recently started painting brocade fabrics with emulsion paint and acrylics to make my own backgrounds, once painted it has a paper like quality and provides a good surface for silk screen printing. I would also like to experiment with other techniques to see what other effects I can achieve. I think creating the right background is very important as I like each one to reflect the subject of the picture. I am also going to look at different ways of incorporating text into my pictures as it is the titles are the starting point for the pictures in the first place.
Describe your studio and studio practice.
My studio is in an extension on the side of my house, it is crammed full of material, and big rolls of drawings and screen print acetates and home to my sewing machine and light box. I get so engrossed in a picture that it just gets messier and messier until the picture is finished and I attempt to tidy before I start the next one. As I need to work flat a lot of the time I open my studio doors into our family room and lay out my pictures on the floor as my studio isn’t big enough. ( much to probably everyone else’s irritation). I am saving up to buy a table that can go up and down and turn on its side when not being used, because having a big permanent table space is what I miss about university. When I screen print I hire the print tables by the hour at the university I went to.
What else do you spend your time doing?
When I am not busy with family and not working I like to keep active -my main hobbies are Yoga, and keep fit classes, my favorite is Zumba which has just come to the U.K. I also like reading but try not to get too engrossed in a book while I have a deadline or it might get forgotten. Since finishing university I also try to go to art exhibitions in London with some of my friends there. I find it important to keep seeing the work of other artists as they often inspire you own work and keep you thinking and questioning. It is also a time we spend discussing with each how our own art practice is going and encouraging and helping one another, as once out of academic study it is easy to loose sight of you work concepts .
Give us an idea of a day in the life of you.
For me a typical day starts once my children have left for school, I usually take a keep fit class or go to the gym every morning as it gets me up and motivated and out of the house then once I get back I can concentrate on answering emails, then starting some work. A couple a days a week the girls dance so work stops at 3.30 when I pick them up. On other days I work until early evening. If I am in the middle of a picture I don’t stop for weekends because it doesn’t feel like work I enjoy it so much. I still feel excited every time I finish a new picture and make all my family come and admire it whether they want to or not. One important point in finishing- whether I am physically working on a new piece or not I am always thinking about what I’m going to do next. I am always observing and jotting down ideas that I find amusing.
See more of Caroline’s work: here.
Until next time keep stitching!!
Joetta Maue is a full time artist primarily using photography and fibers. Her most recent work is a series of embroideries and images exploring intimacy. Joetta exhibits her work throughout the United States and internationally, and authors the art and craft blog Little Yellowbird as well as regularly contributing to the online journal Hello Craft. Joetta lives in Brooklyn, NY, with her husband, baby son, two cats, and a goldfish.
