A Root in Fiber

Hello to All….and Merry Christmas!!!

I’ve got a ton of stuff to post today.  The past few months felt like only a few weeks.  Since being super busy with school, I’ve dropped the ball on the blog.  It takes a ton of effort to document thoughts, ideas, and progress of the artist in me.  Along with this blog, I keep two artists notebooks…documenting everything.  I guess you could call it a scrapbook…but they are really extentions of me…on paper…or the computer.  Uploading, editing, posting, printing, cutting, and pasteing pictures is the core element that links everything together.  A photo can say a thousand words, right?  Anyways, I’ve got some cool stuff to show…so lets get to it.  I’ll try to keep descriptions short, but the list of pictures is long, so ENJOY!!

Back in September, I started the quarter experimenting a bit more with growing plants in fiber.  Here is a few transplant samples I made.  They lived about one month,  guess watering them with nutrient rich organic compost tea just wasn’t good enough.  Oh well, back to the drawing board. 

Ivy planted in yarn, loose fiber, and felted wool.  The word is that these plants died due to lack of nutrients and drainage in their glass containers.

Succulents actually work a lot better…they don’t need much water or nutrients.  These are planted in a layer of felt around a tennis ball.  Its actually the only one still living. 

This is actually a recycled cotton t-shirt.  I pulled the threads out and planted a cotton seed in it…and it actually sprouted.  Haha….cotton growing in cotton…talk about the circle of life. 

I even took some of the cotton threads and spun it in as an accent in this yarn made from left over wool.  How savvy!

A beautiful picture of some lovely plants floating in water.  I often catch the most interesting photos in the strangest places.  This picture was taken in the garden of a local Coffee shop here in Savannah. 

See this dog. His name is Lucky and he belongs to one of the girls in the fibers grad program here at SCAD.  She kindly collected a grocery bag full of his hair so that I could attempt to spin it.  Well……

It spun up real soft and fluffy.  I didn’t have to card it because the hair was so fine….it just slipped through my fingers like butter.  A whole bag of hair only yielded about 30 yrds of yarn.  So I ask you, if you will wear a sheep’s hair (wool), or a fiber made from a plant (cotton), why wouldn’t you wear your dog’s hair.  FUN Huh?!

So, I took a class with a guess artist that SCAD brought from New York this past quarter.  Her name is Cat Chow and she’s awesome.  The class helped bridge the gap between artist and designer and focused on helping us find where we stand in the world of art.  I learned so much about both who I am in general, as well as who I am as an artist.  For the final project we had to analyze our five favorite things, pull together our favorite materials, and make something we wouldn’t normally make….that means no yarn Jamie.  So here’s my five favorite possessions….

A patchwork skirt I bought in Asheville NC, my Rainbow flipflops, a pair of Express “Editor” jeans, a handspun and knitted shawl I made during my internship to Grenada, and a few pieces of jewelry made from natural elements.  I’ll save you the details about the analysis of myself.  The picture says it all. 

My favorite materials to work with….natural beads & shells, wire, thread, fabric, &….FIBER, FIBER, FIBER!!!  So this is what I made…..

A necklace made of natural elements of jade, shells, and cotton.  I also used felt and bits from recycled jewelry.

A shawl pin made from floral wire and a hat pin, with accents in fiber, copper, stone, and gold.  This project allowed me to cross the boundary from arts and crafts to the art of craft.  I kind of shocked myself with this one. 

On January 9th, 2009 an exhibition of contemporary fiber art will be held in Savannah at Dimensions Gallery.  This Stitch Spectacular event is hosted by two of SCADs fiber grad students, Karin Soderholm and Rubi Mcgrory.  I am very excited to say that one of my pieces has been chosen to be a part of this exhibition.  This is only the second time some of my work has been featured in a gallery show, so I’m very excited.  The piece I submitted is called “Peaceful Contemplation” and is inspired by ideas of meditation and spiritual gardens. 

This panel is 30″X60″ and made of various kinds of white paper.  The piece is simple; that’s the point.  Fern leaves have been cut from the background of the piece; the delicate leaves hanging from the front are cut from tracing paper and each leaf is stitched down the middle….they move in the passing breeze, with the sound of rustling leaves.  A nesting of rocks exists amongst evenly spaced circles to resemble the raked gravel of a zen garden.  These circles are hand stitched with white thread and their simplistic form allows the eye to relax.  Vertical stitch lines have also been made across the piece.  Here the absence of thread is what captures the eye.  The even spacing of the holes in each row suggests a stitched line.  Again, its the line in its most simplistic form that eases, yet captivates the mind.  The bottom right corner of the piece utilizes the transparent quality of acetate to resemble the wonderment of water…and lily pads.  The Chi (positive energy) just flows right in from the top, trickles down and around each line, and floats away across the water on a lily pad.  How relaxing, right?

In January, my older sister will be having her first baby, a girl!!  Since I couldn’t make it up to N.C. for the baby shower, I made her this precious little baby hat.  Its spun using merino wool, egyptian cotton, silk, and recycled curtain material.  I slip stitched in the round to form this hat, and then stitched a little felted flower to it.

At the beginning of this last quarter I was given tons of tiny succulent plants to play with.  For a long time I didn’t know really what to do with them.  They just kind of sat around in my studio as a constant inspiration I just couldn’t place. So I stitched into them, I took pictures of them, and arranged them into patterns.  I eventually got frustrated and this is what came of it…

A succulent planted inside its own image, which has been printed onto cotton fabric.  Yes, there’s a plant in there.

Who knows where this idea came from.  What was I thinking?

Well, as far as the most fascinating work I produced this past quarter…that’s it.  But what have I been working on over Christmas break you ask…

Here’s a hat I made, from start to finish.  Spun from merino wool, locks, alpaca, and tons of gold sparkle.  This hat is also slip stitch crochet.

Egyptian cotton, 60 yrds of pure luxury.  What do you want to be yarn?

A search for inspiration…

Do you remember the movie Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil?  Well, the Bonaventure Cemetary featured in that movie is located here in Savannah.  Its one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.  Recently I’ve been fascinated by the objects one keeps close to them for security and sanctuary. So what better place to find these things than in a cemetary.  I found all kinds of objects that people leave on graves for these purposes.  Jewish people leave rocks and marbles to let the loved one know they were there.  Christians leave flowers and tiny angel statues to watch over a friend or family member.  I even saw elaborate grave carvings, rosaries, and wind chimes. 

In Foresyth Park here in Savannah, we have one Ginkgo tree…and everyone talks about it like it is SOMETHING…let me tell ya.  But actually, its very neat.  So for your enjoyment…and mine too,  I made a little Andy Goldsworthy land art with leaves from both the ginkgo and Live Oak trees in the park. 

I’ve also been making like crazy.  I’ve been in need of a little extra cash lately (and who hasn’t), so I’ve been trying to sell me wares at local markets in Savannah. Here are some of those wares…

I will be setting up a website to sell some of these things online, so please stay tuned to future posts. 

And last but not least,

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

The past two weeks have flown by for me.  Week before last was spent trying to get ready for Greenfest here in Savannah, which was September 13th down at the Trustee’s Gardens.  School started this week and my brain has been jumpstarted with inspiration already.  So lets just get right to it, shall we…

Greenfest was a spectacular day full of green info & goods.  I had my ora cleansed and my energies aligned by specialists in reiki & reflexology.  I learned about water that is condensed from the air and purified into drinking water.  And I picked up some local fruits and veggies.  I could just talk on and on about it, but…naaa, lets just move on. Here’s some pics of the things I had for sale. 

This is a blanket I knitted from both left over yarn scraps & handspun yarn. I knitted it on these giant needles I learned how to make when I was in Carriacou studying with Sue Russell.

This is a collier scarf I also knitted on giant knitting needles.  I handspun the yarn from repurposed curtain fabric and yarn.

These are stickers I cut from recycled fabric and embellished with hand embroidery.  These are one of my most favorite little things to make.

I made $25 that day.  Woohoo, my first sales!!  Now…I am taking a class this quarter with an artist & designer named Cat Chow.  She is a visiting professor that SCAD has brought from New York to teach a class called The Artist as Designer & the Designer as Artist.  There’s gonna be some major growing in this class folks, so make sure to revist in weeks to come for my progression. 

This morning our class ventured to Keller’s Flea Market just outside Savannah on Ogeechee Rd.  This was my first time at Keller’s and may I just say…WAY COOL!!  Here’s some pics of the inspiration I gathered while I was there today.

This is Dusty’s Antiques & Collectibles.  It was, by far, the coolest antique shop I’ve been to in Savannah.  I managed to find the owner, Gene, and one of his employee’s, Joe, who were kind enough to let me take a few pictures to show you guys. 

This is part of the garden out front of the shop.  Flowers and plants are everywhere and tiny little treasures pop up everywhere you look. 

This is Miss Brenda.  She’s sitting in the garden.  I forgot to ask her significance, but I suspect she’s there to watch over the gardens and greet the visiters.  I said Hi!!

I love this photo, it reminds me of home in North Carolina.  Its so inviting in a way, isn’t it?  So much cool stuff with so much potenital. 

I was drawn most to collections of glass.  Again this kind of object strikes my fancy as inspiration.  What does this mean, where will it lead me?

More glass bottles.  I love their colors, the stories they whisper, and the characters they play.  Glass as a natural material inspires me for sure.

Shot glass anyone?

There was so much to see at Dusty’s.  Items hanging from the ceiling were just as indulging as those sitting on the floor.  I could spend hours and hours in this little shop.  I shall return. 

Its special photo ops like this folks, that you’ve got to keep an eye out for.  These antique Christmas ornaments have a brillant glow from the lights below.  What a unique Xmas card, don’t you think?

And last but not least, these are some of the cutiest chihuahua puppies I’ve ever seen.  There were tons of puppies for sale at the flea market.  I was excited to see a few, but there were booths and booths of puppies.  All I could think of is…PUPPY FARM:(  I felt so sorry for these puppies, and I wanted to resue them all.  What do you do in such a sad situation?

Anyways, hopefully I’ll be back a bit more often now that schools back in.  So stay tuned to see what cool things will happen next.

Oh, hello again….bet ya thought I got caught up in all that summer fun I’ve been having. But actually, its been work work work, and a bit of penny pinchin’ fun here and there. Some very exciting things have been happening though, and I have a lot to say, so try to keep up….’cause I fear there might be a lot of jumping around in this puzzle o’ pictures. When I last posted it was just after July 4th and I had returned home from a journey to Gatlinburg, TN with some fiber goodies from Smoky Mountain Spinnery. So here is what came of those goodies….

A gem toned silk/merino blend roving, beautifully dyed locks to match, and a cotton thread to wrap it all up.

I let the mauve thread pull from the cone and wrap around the roving just before entering the orfice on the spinning wheel. This allows the roving to twist first so the thread lays on top of the yarn instead of getting twisted up inside the yarn.

I wanted to knit it up myself, but I must save it to sell ’cause I’m in need of those bucks something fierce. If ya know anyone who might like to have this Puddle of Passion….it measures 52yds and I’m selling it for $25.

Now for what’s been eating up most of my spare time for the past few weeks. My friends Sara Bumgardner & Andrea Gray have been asked, along with myself, to be a part of the arts committee for the new farmer’s Market at Trustee’s Garden here in Savannah. This new farmer’s market is geared toward supporting local farmers, restaurants, and artists interested in natural, organic, &/or sustainable practices. We are super excited to be a part of the development of this new market, which we believe will soon spin off into something truely extraordinary. The market takes place downtown Savannah at the end of Broughton St. in the old Trustee’s Garden warehouse, which was originally used for America’s first imports/exports of cotton way back when. Anyways, there will be much much more about the Market in future posts. For now, here’s some pics of my friends & I at the market.

Andrea Gray and her screenprinted treasures….many printed on organic cotton. Check out her blog in my blogroll.

This is a market bag I crocheted for Andrea’s birthday last month. The aqua yarn is a merino wool single spun and the purple yarn is a double plyed silk/cotton luxury. I love this bag and I chose to show it in this light because you can see how the bag fades from one color to the other, as well as how lovely the two yarn weights compliment each other.

Sara Bumgardner with her quilted & embroidered lovelies. You can check out her blog as well in my blogroll.

This is a fiber plant I gave to Sara for her birthday, which was also last month. Its an exotic angel plant that I planted with organic soil and colorful wool locks in a repurposed glass I got from the thrift store.

Many more fiber plants to come….I’m so excited about it I can hardly stand it.

Me spinning yarn at the Market. I love how you can see the fly wheel spinning ’round. I was very suprised to see how interested the little kids were in what I was doing. I think they just like to see the wheel go around though.

This is the yarn I was working on at the market. Its a mustard, olive, & fuchsia single plyed with a white lace weight yarn that has fringe & gold sparkle. There is 80 yards of this yarn and it is super soft….selling for $30.

Here’s a close up. What a foggy mist of fluff….I just want to roll all in it.

This is my new business card, it show a picuture of my first successful fiber plant transplant. Its also planted with organic soil and colorful wool locks. I love it.

Thats all folks. Not quite sure when I’ll be back again, But please stay tuned.

I hope everyone had a wonderful July 4th holiday.  I wanted to drop a little note about my travels over the weekend, ’cause I got to visit a couple of really cool places.  For the first time in quite a few years, I got the chance to vacation with all of my 4 sisters, their families, and my father.  We ventured up to Gatlinburg, Tennessee for a little mountain retreat and I’d have to say that it was quite pleasant.  Before I set out on my seven hour journey from Savannah, I searched the web for where I might be able to find some fiber goodies in Gatlinburg.  I only found one place, and I’ll tell ya right now that it was quite possibly one of the best fiber shops I’ve ever visited.  The name of the shop is Smoky Mountain Spinnery and its located just off the main road that runs through downtown Gatlinburg in Winery Square. 

Here is the shop’s information.  Nancy is the owner and her husband owns the fly shop right next door.  So women, send your hubbies there while you shop because you’ll need plenty of time to take in all there is to see and feel. 

This is Nancy Thompson, the owner.  She is super nice and willing to answer any questions you have.  She even gave me a quick lesson on how to wash the locks I bought.  Thanks Nancy….it worked great!!

Not only did Nancy have tons and tons of yarn to choose from, she had more loose fiber than I’ve ever seen in one place.  There was lots of lucious locks, many different colors of wool roving, and even several different naturally colored cotton rovings.  I didn’t get any of this lovely cotton, and now I’m sort of kicking myself in the butt for it. 

This picture is from the Spinnery’s website, and shows a nice assortment of the fibers they offer.

Ooooooooo, cashmere!!  This was by far my favorite fiber that Nancy had.  It was the first time I’ve seen loose cashmere fiber, and it was ohhhhhhhhh sooooooo soft!!!   She also had several other somewhat uncommon fibers like buffalo and llama. 

I couldn’t quite pinch my pocketbook enough for the cashmere but I did manage to squeeze it enough for lots of natural and dyed locks, some mint and raspberry merino wool, and a silk/merino batt in a mixture of….you guessed it, the same colors.  So, how many of you tend to grab for the same colors all the time?  I just can’t help it, I love those jewel tones something fierce. 

For any of you craftaholics who may be traveling through the Gatlinburg area anytime soon, take it from me…you’ll find the best local handmade goods at Arrowcraft, a shop and gallery of goods from the Southern Highland Craft Guild.  Its located just in front of Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, a visual arts complex that offers two-week workshops in many craft fields.

I got these fabulous featherwood earrings at the craft shop.  They called my name from the corner when I walked in.  I couldn’t resist….they’re wood!!

Well, Hello Everyone.  Its been a while I know.  I feel like the past few weeks have just flown by.  I can’t believe its almost July already.  My last week in Grenada was full of fun and relaxation.  I hiked through the jungle, swam in some waterfalls, took in the scents of the spice market, and got a little taste of the local rum.  Oh yeah, and I made some wonderful friends at the Lazy Lagoon where I stayed.  But perhaps one of the most interesting places I visited in Grenada was a place called Art Fabrik.  This little boutique is located on Young Street in Grenada, one of the busiest and most popular streets for shopping.  Art Fabrik is a production based artist studio for making merchandise using the process of Batik.  Its an absolutely fabulous process which uses hot wax and dye to print fabric.  I was lucky enough to meet the owner, Chris Mast, and her designer, Lilo Nido, to discuss this process….and I even got to tour the studio.  So please allow me to show you around a little….

The process of batik starts with hot wax and a  paint brush.  This lady is painting a pattern onto stretched cotton with hot wax.  The wax will dry and when dipped into a dye pot, the wax will prevent any color from soaking in where its applied to the fabrik.  Once the fabric is dyed, it will be soaked in a pot of boiling water to remove the wax…which rises to the top of the pot and is skimmed off and recycled….I think that is so cool!!

Whenever possible, Chris and Lilo use beeswax from the local bee farmers in Grenada.  However, this has become increasingly difficult due to a few destructive hurricanes which have passed through Grenada in the past few years.  When the local beeswax isn’t available, recycled wax as well as paraffin wax are used. 

From the left…recycled wax, paraffin wax, & beeswax

These are design templates which are used to trace motifs onto fabric before wax is applied. 

This lady is using a tjanting tool (like a fountain pen filled with wax) to outline a design in wax with a thin lineweight.

This is Lilo and some of her batik fabric.  Both Lilo and Chris were just so friendly and willing to share their knowledge.  I must extend a true sense of gratitude to both of them for letting me step in for a little glimpse of the art they get to make everyday.  It was encouraging to see such a successful production based artist studio…as this is the kind of operation I hope to run some day.  Thank you Chris and Lilo!!

This is an image of washed batik fabric drying on the line.  It truly captures the essence of Grenada and the lovely environment hiding amongst the hustle and bussel of downtown.  I love this image and will hang it as inspiration in my studio for many years to come. 

Ahhhhh, handmade!!!!

Please visit Art Fabrik’s website for more information about batik and the range of products they make. 

Since arriving back to the States, I have gained a beautiful baby niece, found my lost cat, and returned to a full time job at the surf shop.  I’ve also got some exciting news of an artist co-op that I’ve been asked to be a part of.  It is in the very initial stages of development, but we already have some very innovative artists on the bill and a location we are all crossing our fingers hoping to get.  So stay tuned because as things start to happen I won’t be able to help but to blog about it…..’cause we’re all very excited about the opportunities it will bring. 

Oh yeah, and I have actually gotten a chance to do a bit a craft work since being back. 

These jeans belong to a very special fellow that I know.  I’ve had them for almost six months trying to find time to patch some gigantic holes in the knee.  I’ve never patched holy jeans before, but I thought they turned out pretty good.  It took me two days and $60 to fix them.  I dropped them off on this fellow’s doorstep in hopes of mending a friendship I f*#(^ up while I was gone.  I’m only sad to say that, I don’t think it worked.  Me so sad, but…. c’est la vie.

I shall reverse my sadness by doing a little spinning on a wheel loaned to me by our local Fibers Guild in Savannah.  Thank you Bonnie Carter.