RedBarn Studios

I was telling a friend only yesterday that I have to figure out why I’m not blogging as much lately. It bugs me to no end but can’t seem to get the drive.

That’s not to say that I haven’t been doing art…oh NO!  I decided not to do any challenges or have any extraneous commitments for pieces that have hard and fast deadlines….at least not until the new year. I needed to relax a bit (took that to an extreme here I guess). Instead, what I have done is stuff that I consider “ME” stuff.

I told you already that I signed up for the Fibre-in-Form online workshop and I am loving it. In this first part I get to get messy with molding paste. It was like playing in the mud making mud pies. I got that stuff all over my hands. Who the heck needs gloves!

These first pics are the different substrates I used: muslin, canvas and artist mounted canvas (for the life of me I can’t find the piece of Timtex I played with.  If I find it I’ll post it later).

First, I gessoed the pieces to create a smooth surface then either slapped on some molding paste or pushed the paste thru a stencil. I AM LIKING THIS!!! For the first pic I pressed some sequin waste into the paste and got this cool honeycomb-like pattern; for the 2nd one I pressed a flower rubber stamp into the slathered paste (not really a good photo, sorry) and on the last,  I used an architect’s circle template on an artist canvas as the stencil.

What happens now is I get to add colour to each one but that will come in a later lesson. Although……………………I just couldn’t resist. I got carried away and painted the artist canvas…..painted a few of the circles different colours then swooshed the bright red across the surface with a squeegee. Playing for the sake of FUN. How fun!

Love all the raised areas. Molding paste, if put on thinly can be sewn on the machine so I will attempt to sew the two fabric pieces I did…….on my old Kenmore for sure. My stitch reg Bernina will not see this mess…..just in case.

Now I am working on some pieces with embossed wallpaper and couched threads. Because I am working small, no larger than 8x 10 for now, these new textural techniques I’m trying are fairly easy to get done. Last chapter in this lesson has us working with Tyvek. Yum!

See ya next time “in the Hayloft”,

Tags: down time, fiber art, mixed media, my muse, surface design, working small by k grace howes
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examples above from fiber-in-form website

I signed up for the very, very  cool online workshop, Textured Surfaces, offered by Carol McFee and Lynda Monk of Fibre-in-Form.

I have been wanting to experiment with using other media in my work but, you know how it is, every excuse in the book comes to the forefront instead of just getting stuck into it. So thru this wkshp I get to use molding paste, gesso, tyvek, scrim, canvas, any manner of paints, inks and dyes and…..have some well deseerved fun while doing it.

I got into this cause a friend emailed the Fiber-in-Form link to to me (a few days before the start of class I might add) and I just couldn’t get the darned class out of my head. It’s just what I needed to push me a little further in my art.

I’ll take pictures as I progress and hopefully you’ll get to see most of my efforts. I am sooooooo excited!

See ya next time “In the Hayloft”,

Tags: Art, fiber art, mixed media, surface design, working small by k grace howes
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My art group decided last year to come up with a different project for us all to work on…we all made dolls.  Now I never played with dolls growing up (I kid you not…my mother still has the only doll I EVER played with for 3 short months she says).

So this was a chance for me to bring out the inner child. Well, come to think of it, I’m always trying to do that when I create, let my inhibitions fall by the wayside and work intuitively.

I picked a LARGE doll to make (pattern was impulse purchase at QBL last year..why oh why???) and the poor girl has sat on the sidelines more than she’s been worked on. Now I love the splendiferous dolls that are made by doll artists worldwide, especially the over-the-top beauties by Arley Berryhill (his dolls zing with bling), but nothing was happening, I just couldn’t get my mojo going on this at all.

The deadline for her completion loomed near and I still wasn’t feeling her vibe. I took her down, sat her on my sewing table and just looked at her.

Nothing! Still!

Sometimes when I need inspiration I turn to my regulars…those blogs I read regularly and invariably end up checking out the links on their sidebar.  I saw a box that someone was showing off on their site and it hit me…

……she’s a water goddess of the woods…. and her name is BE!

She isn’t finished.

I still have to paint her face and I plan to add some silk leaves and beadwork to her body. I did add a billowing skirt made of strips of fabric and tulle just tied onto her waste.

Finally…..

…she’s ALMOST done. Okay, maybe not. She did make it in time for the deadline but, alas, she was not completely dressed….the little hussy!

She will sit high on a pedestal (that I still have to make, paint and drape) and she will look out over her water in the woods and say….

“Ahhh……LIFE!  (took her long enough)”.

When she’s completely done, goddess attitude and all,  I’ll post her true unveiling. Until then,
See ya next time “In the Hayloft”,

Tags: Art, fiber art, mixed media, my muse by k grace howes
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A Little Backtracking.

You know I am ALL about the dyed fabric now…….can’t get enough of it (and feel sad that I might not be able to continue when the temp changes in a few weeks).

One of the things that is recommended by workshop instructors, among others, is to find out what iconic images inspires you. There are certain images I gravitate towards, those that hold meaning with me in my work and personal life.

A few of the ones that I find resonate with me are:

• leaves (especially falling leaves in Autumn)
• the sun (in all its powerful strength)
• circles and swirls
• mandalas (its meditative  and healing qualities)
• the word “goddess”. Not in the sense of worshipping per se but really more about it having to do with a woman’s inner soul and well-being AND treating ourselves and other women as the goddesses we are.

The Point of My Rambling

A little while ago I dyed a piece of fabric using Golden Yellow dye powder. I absolutely love the colour it produces and, can you wonder why….it’s the wondrous and beautiful colour of the sun.

When I opened the fabric to iron it I found this:

Goddess Fab

Isn’t it amazing? I don’t know how I did it or what kind of folds in the fabric produced the “goddess” face but I certainly wouldn’t mind duplicating it.

You all know that I have to find THE piece to put this in. It has to be used whole (would be blasphemous to cut it up don’t you think) and I’m determined it will just sit in my dyed stash till then.

See ya next time, “In the Hayloft”,

Tags: ponderings by k grace howes
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I am pleased (tickled bubblegum-pink to tell you the truth) to announce that my quilt “Mother Love” got into the challenge exhibition organized by Fiberarts Connection of Southern California.

The theme “My World in Black and White” had participants stripping down to the nitty gritty and ONLY using black and white fabs  to complete our pieces (greys and silver could pop in there as well).

Of course, I cannot post a photo of it but….

…I GOT IN!! Yippeeeeeee!!!

And more good news…

…….my quilt got Judge’s Choice award. How fantastic is that?????

I am on cloud 9 (pardon me if I float for a little while) as this is the first time that I have ever sent any of my pieces to be juried.

What an honor!

See ya next time, “In the Hayloft”,

Tags: fiber art, working small by k grace howes
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