May 2010 BJP AMD

Welcome to my May exploration of colour, boundaries and emotions. Why did I pull out the red, black and white acrylic paint? What made me use those colours? How can I change the mood? What about adding lime green? A theme is born!

The paper bead has no real meaning except in a recycling sense. It was torn out of a damaged work of fiction, called "Everyman's Library", originally published in 1906. The author's name shows as Adam Bede by George Eliot. Curious! I think it cost me a buck at a church garage sale. It reeks of wood smoke, but the cover is a lovely red leather with gold stamped flowers. It's falling apart, but I love it and will recycle the components in future art pieces. The red disks and tarnished end cap (flower like, to the right of the paper bead) have also been repurposed.




Old buttons from the button jar and a single strawberry earring that mysteriously appeared in my jewelry box. If someone gave it to me, I'm sorry because I really don't remember where the heck it came from. But where is it's match? Another curious thing......



A small white stone that I was gifted at an artist lecture a couple of years ago (drilled so that it could be used as a bead). More paper beads (sliced and standing on end) and a never worn, right angle weave bracelet. I learned how to make the bracelet, made twenty or so and then decided to make a black one for myself. I got carried away and made it way too long. I wouldn't rip it out and couldn't throw it away! It sat in the jewelry box, mocking me! A reminder of techniques past.



Do you remember hooks and eyes on the back of your dresses? People must still use them, but this is an old one from the bottom of the sewing drawer.




More buttons, recycled necklace components and a vintage pair of embroidery scissors. Tarnished and dull, but still very beautiful. BTW, I couldn't bear to glue them down, so they're stitched on with embroidery thread.



A challenging task! The landscape was a stretch and I was a little uncomfortable with the colour pallette! I stared and puzzled and then let it sit until it started to talk! Eureka! The colours and lines reminded me of strong emotions and the Canadian prairies. Imagine a harsh landscape after the rain! It softens, just a little and if you pay attention, you will be able to see the echos of time, imprinted on the well ploughed fields. Memories, but not always pretty....

sweat
toil
birth
death
till
fallow
rebirth
sadness
loss
lush
fertile
rich
poor
fresh
life


The focal started out as a house shape, but I decided it was too boxy. A little pencil play and the shape was reborn. I don't know what to call it! I think that it looks faintly oriental, but Kaite insists that it's a "pixie house". What do YOU think?

Acrylic paint monoprint, free motion machine embroidery, hand embroidery and heat distressed plastic wrap. Bead stitches - peyote, stacked stitch, back stitch, boucle/bocce stitch and couching. New and recycled beads and found objects. Shapes and sizes vary.

a bjp collage and how to work intuitively

annie_anne52 left this comment on my April Bead Journal photo (the blue one - see post below) in the Cloth Paper Studio Yahoo group, so I thought I would give my response on the blog, just in case others are interested:

"This is absolutely beautiful!!!! Just a couple of questions? What is the finished size? How do you get started on a piece like this? I LOVE IT!!!!

Thanks, Annie!

The finished size is 6" X 6" and it's constructed on peltex. Peltex is a heavyweight interfacing, originally used for the brims of hats. It can be purchased as fusible one side, two sides or not fusible at all.

This series of pieces (the blue one for April is my latest) starts with the serendipity landscape or seascape. It's an acrylic paint monoprint. Very simple to do and just involves tube acrylic paint, an old credit card, freezer paper (or a sheet of glass) and some recycled fabric.

-When the print is dry, I baste or fuse the monoprint onto peltex (or fast-2-fuse which is lighter) choose an area that looks roughly like a landscape and enhance it with free motion machine stitching. I basically torture the thread to get it to do what I want (tighten the top tension, loosen the bottom - or pull sideways to distort the stitch). I also add hand stitch and may even go back into the piece and machine stitch over the hand stitch. If the work is going well, I enter a "flow" state where time is lost and all that's important is the work. Warning! Sandwich the print between two sheets of parchment paper before you use the iron AND work in a well ventilated area. I'm not sure how toxic heated acrylic paint is, but it does give off a distinctive order, so please be careful! You do this at your own risk!

-I cut out the shape and baste it to the 6" X 6" square of peltex.

-Then I bead, bead, bead.......

I gather up my beads and then peyote stitch the bezel around the focal shape. After that, everything else is intuitive! It's an explorer/gatherer type of thing. You bead for a while.....get an idea for something odd to attach and then bead around the shape......jump to another area.........search for something interesting........bead some more........run to the bead store &/or thrift store.......repeat until you're finished.........

The most important part of the process is to have fun!

Bare Naked Postcards

I thought that you might like to see a collage of the Bare Naked Postcards that I swapped with some members of the Fiber Art Mixed Media, Ning group. The object was to make arty postcards (4" X 6" format) and mail them out "Bare Naked" (without an envelope) to their next destinations. Two of these were swapped in Ontario and the rest to the U.S. A fun swap, but I'm still still waiting for four to return to me. I love receiving exciting mail! As soon as all 7 arrive (8 including mine), I will post another collage.

One of my new favourite techniques is a serendipity type of acrylic monoprint that I used on these PC's. They include angelina fibres, painted stitch witchery, free motion machine embroidery and hand embroidery. A colourful series of landscapes!

Enjoy your Easter weekend!!