caulk and stamps

I spread caulk on some non stick foil and stamped amd wrote into it with my symbols ...I want to be able to peal this off when it is dry and add to the journal...I have never tried this before and have no idea if it will work...not sure if it will be dry by the time I leave for portland tonight ...so you will have to probably wait till next weekend to see the results of this....


 

journal as of now!!

I thought the front of the journal was finished ...but it wasn't...I added the "wheel" today and the envelopes inside the front


 

more symbols

I cut stamps out of foam meat trays and used this neptune symbol "in the round" I want to use this as the basis for a mandala design....broken down the neptune symbol has mutiple meanings part of which is .... the worldly (the upside down cross ) and the spiritual ( the upward arms)


this is the symbol for "leo" and it is on an envelope ( recycled ) that I had painted with black then over painted with COLOR...but I laid a plastic cut out of the symbol down first and then pealed the plastic off when the paint had dried.....I did this for all the symbols and then pasted the envelopes in the inside of the front page of my journal...I just took photos and need to upload those


this is the spirituality part of the neptune ...cut into ...instead of out of... a meat tray and printed

 

Alexander Bennett Henkel born 7-8-79

Here I am the day we brought Alex home...two weeks after he was born ...he came 6 weeks early and weighed 5lb 6oz but when he came home he was a pound less than that!!!
Here is is now...27 years old...we had a nice ham and pasta salad dinner...watched the candles blown out...and opened the presents....you can see that he grew up just fine!!! 

meat tray printing plates and acrylic floor wax

this is a printing plate that I have carved out of a clean styrofoam meat tray
here is a piece of cheap lining fabric printed with the meat tray plate and acrylic floor polishing wax
ans here is the fabric after the wax has dried and with a wash of red fabric paint applied...I am not sure I am happy with this yet...but I think it needs more paint
here is a page from a magazine that had been coated with white gesso...then amsking tape had been applied and torn off leaving some "worn" bits then the floor wax ...then a wash of paint...I like this better... 

art how?

I have enjoyed the first 2 of a series exploring how art influenced the making of our world...last night was an interesting topic about early art being a reflection of halucinations induced by rituals and mind altering substances....turns out scientists think there is a part of our brain that "sees" color and pattern when certain conditions are present.....very interesting...here is the link to the pbs site for this show...check it out... http://www.pbs.org/howartmadetheworld/

journal cover and base pages complete

this is the front of the symbols journal...all done....you can see I have come up with enough bottle caps.....not all beer...shame on you for thinking so....I am going to start the exploration of the first symbol...it is the scandanavian rune for love called....fehe.....you can see it here...

http://www.symbols.com/encyclopedia/54/5434.html

this is my greatest aspiration...to learn to love.....so I'll be looking for ways I can image this over the next few days and adding to the journal....

symbol journal progress

this is one of the pages...big blocks of color...laid on with a roller and acrylic paint

these are the symbols I am going to explore this month...and record in the journal...
this is the attachment for the binding...I am using bottle tops with bolts and nuts...need to go open another!!!


 

flag alphabet

The Alphabet in Nautical Flags

look what I found...an alphabet in flags...can't you all think of great ways to use these in textile art??

evolution

it started life as a container for beer bottles and is becoming the cover for a very important journal....first I covered it with black shoe polish...then gesso.....then acrylic paint.....then a foam meat tray that I have carved into a vine pattern was painted and printed...it even looks different now!!! I'll update tomorrow.... 

gatherings and potential

I am the "artist-in-resideance" in the "village"...that is the "expression village" on yahoo....I have been wanting to explore symbols as a way of expression so these seems like the perfect opportunity...I always learn the most when I am in charge of the presentation of the subject...so I decided I would make a journal of some symbols that speak to me...I am going to use recycled junk to construct the body of the journal....here is the beginning of the pile...I believe I will use that bottle holder as the foundation...stay tuned we are on a journey that will take up at least the month of July..... 

"Tropical Fire"

"Tropical Fire",
originally uploaded by hummingwoods2.

remember this??? I posted this quilt a couple of months ago...I decided to entry it into a juried show so I had my Dad photograph it with his great set-up.....he has been working hard ( and spending some money) to get a studio photography system up and running...he wants to be able to digitally photograph art and print for re-sale or digitally enter shows etc......even offer the service for some income.....he is really getting good at my Mom's art and now I am pushing him to deal with the intricacies of textiles...we learned alot with this one and I think next time we will try some different lighting techniques....what do you think can you tell the difference ????? this was my original photo with just my little camera

HENKEL TROPICAL FIRE

HENKEL TROPICAL FIRE,
originally uploaded by hummingwoods2.

improved photo

HENKEL TROPICAL FIRE DETAIL

HENKEL TROPICAL FIRE DETAIL,
originally uploaded by hummingwoods2.

new and improved

"Tropical Fire"

"Tropical Fire",
originally uploaded by hummingwoods2.

original detail

nutcracker cont

allrighty then we have lift off......the first bits are getting fused down...what fun to choose the fabric and decide on the placement ....I cut these freehand till they look right ...lots of the detail will be added with stitching later on



this is the first act ...in a simplyfied form...I simply cannot put every thing on this quilt that is included in the ariginal story and then there have been lots of embellishments throught the years as various ballet companies created their own versions so I am going with the "dummies guide to the nutcracker" version....all the important visual bits ( at least to me) will be there
still part of act 1 ....I need to add the bed above these guys ...and they need swords!!!
and a bit of klimt inspired small work that I am doing for a swap...as a bonus 

process

I like to see the process of creation more that I like the finished product...it's not that I don't like the product ...just that I am more fascinated by how it comes to be...so I am going to show you my process...at least in this creation's case....I am creating a quilt for a challenge off of the quilt art list...the challenge is to create a quilt based on a children's story....I grew up in a ballet school...my Mom was a dancer and my sister and I spent the better parts of every day in the ballet studio....we used to be able to go and talk to her when the class transitioned to "the center" from "the bar"...we were so little I can't believe we were usually so good...even my Mom says so...anyway...every year the big production was "the nutcracker" my Mom was usually the "mother" in the first act and the spanish dancer ....you would think I would just hate the thought of the whole thing but I don't....I love the story ...so we will see if I can capture it in textiles.... this is where I started...making notes of the pieces and parts of the story...did you know the the dances are all based on "party foods"
some thoughts about the battle scene....
choosing the background...this was harder that I thought ...but here it is ..the "batting" will be the wool...I like the subtle plaid you can see under the main fabric
now I am cutting out large shapes to "block" the general scene....top left will be the party...and then the bedroom to the top right ...then middle right will be the battle ...and the whole lower 2/3 will be the palace scene with all the variations ( that's what all the dances are called ) will be..this is a good start I think..... now I am off to my work week.... more next weekend!! 

I made my Mom a small quilt that I mounted on stretcher bars covered with fabric ...I had done some rubbings way back last thanksgiving .....onto fabric I had dyed...then I hand stitched and FME'd etc....I like the way it changed the look when mounted....
then my daughter made me
this....fresh berries and whipped cream...yum