When Pens Replace Needles
I confess: I am constantly thinking about textiles. I often try to hide my love for fabrics, quilting, sewing, embroidery, knitting, crochet, yarn, and wool. It is like I married paper but have a secret relationship with textiles. If you look at the collage, can you see it?
Creating Textile Inspired Art
When attaching the pieces on paper, I feel that whatever glue or medium I use, the pieces still look like that they are floating. Then I pick a pen and add a stitch line here and another there. And soon I am lost in the details!
When people try to find their own style, they often deny what they know best. It is probably too mundane, something they take for granted. Often, it is easier for other people to see where our strengths are. Anything genuine touches people.
I want to thank Denise who pinned the last week’s horse themed collage art to her Pinterest board called “Clever Stitch Artists”. I got curious about what she saw in the collage. She had written in the description: “Embroidery inspiration”. I tried to hide my love for embroidery but she saw it! So this week I decided to create a project that is a celebration of felted fabrics and hand stitching.
The concept is very easy. Just add some shapes on the painted background paper and then: take your markers and stitch your heart out! Here pens really replace the needles!
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Painting with iPad
My latest toy: ArtRage app for iPad. Only 5 dollars which is nothing considering the fun you will be having with finger painting! You can create mixed media in electric form: tubes of paint, pastels, markers … most of the supplies you can imagine are there.
It’s surprisingly easy to change the supply and its’ properties as well as picking color palette. ArtRage has also layers so that you can keep the flowers separate from your butterflies and work with each layer without messing up the other. Love it!
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Wait till the Painting is Finished
What’s the definition of art? For me, art happens when something unexpected is allowed to step into the creative process. Today’s story begins with the watercolor background that I painted without further thinking. Just had some fun with my favorite media. Watercolors are so easy, light and forgiving!
After the background had dried, I decided to increase the color intensity in some spots with color pencils. I did not mean to start doodling but those pencils spoke to me: “Come on, let us dance a little”. How could I say no!
At some point, I got deeper into my thoughts. I saw something happening in the painting.
The strokes of acrylic paint shortened. Some collage papers were added. The smaller the area I worked, the clearer the big picture looked. That phase was so exciting! Like opening the door and getting ready for the view.
Style Change
Once the painting was finished, I heard my own comment: “You’ve been there before. The colors, the atmosphere – nothing new here! Get your greys and paint it over!” And then, louder: “Jump, JUMP!” And while my left brain cried and right brain celebrated, I mixed the greys and painted how I felt and what I longed for.
I could have stopped at any phase and declare the painting finished. But after jumping from cliff to cliff I found something new: the beauty of blacks, the simplicity behind the decorative style! So, my advice is: when you think about tossing that art journal page or craft project, don’t do that. Step towards the unexpected and let art reveal what you have escaped from!
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Mixed Media Pie Party
Karelian pies – tears come to my eyes when I remember a childhood memory of my past mother making them. And her story of my grandmother who made a pile of those for her six daughters every Saturday. Just some water, flour, rice and butter was needed. Or well, that’s what I thought before I made some by myself after moving away from home. Patience too, I recognized!
I wanted to experiment with creating something not so serious. So I recreated Karelian pies. These mixed media pies are made of fabric, wool, lace, beads, buttons etc. And they look like baked after I added some fabric dye in the edges.
When making these I remembered the emotional connection I have for the Karelian pies. They represent caring and love for me. In the area where I grew there where no celebration nor funeral where Karelian pies would not be served. The finer the occasion, the smaller the pies – and there were a hundred of them!
I thought I would create a fantasy world with my pies, linens and fancy tea but my thoughts became more real than I had ever suspected. I became to think how important people from the past quietly fade away when the time goes by. And how we can bring them back to our minds. Like inviting them for a cup of tea, even only in our thoughts.
While taking the photos I remembered a small table linen that I had embroidered as a teenager. Back then I dreamt about the future and wanted to make something very traditional Karelian for myself to treasure. I was inspired by the stories of how young women made their linen before they stepped into the marriage. That embroidered piece combined with the Karelian pies really speaks to me.
Art is freedom. Give yourself the freedom to create! You will get something precious in return.
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