an etched antique champagne glass with clear crystal beads and mother of pearl buttons for my Snow Moon quilt for February collaboration...
a hand printed kitchen towel from the 1950's ...no one prints tea towels by hand for functional and beauty in use...
a new selection of wooden thread spools and hand crochet pot holders and snaps/hooks and eyes for 10 cents....
beautiful mother of pearl buttons for my moon and small glass crystal beads for snow embellishments...I also found wooden/paper dolls and a new Nancy Drew book for Maya Rose...these dolls are magnetized so the possibilities are endless...I plan to sand and paint them and maybe add photos of women I knew
Mea Culpa...Mea Culpa...Mea maximum Culpa.
I found a new publication from Stampington and Company today and though many projects were a little raw on the edges for me I found the continued interest for "from Trash to Treasure" to be a fluid starting point for my mind to explore while I wait for something to dry...something to cook... sorting and cleaning vintage fibers. Once again the excellence for presentation in this series of art publications does not let the viewer down in their expectations and inspirations. I have found myself evaluating my thread and paper scraps in a new appreciation...I think my new admiration for bits and pieces will continue to drive Ken batty but now he is seeing more artists examining possibilities. I have to give him a heads up about little collected specimens and describe to him how and where I will be using scraps with an artful flair...hopefully. There is an interesting article about creating leather jewelry from an old discarded leather coat. This whole repurposing energies has me estimating other avenues for using small bits of leather for maybe cuffs, embellishments for my assemblages and further evidence of stamped context words and clues. I have collected several small tins to be sanded and embellished in a presentation with clues or stories in a small sculpture. As you can see the A.D.D. is running wild once again tonight. I need to stand still and digest these possibilities. Several articles are different directions one might take when recycling an old woolen sweater with an emphasis on functionality. I got a free woolen sweater from the recycling box at Saint. Vincent's Thrift shop last week and have a felted purse in mind... with small woolen roving needle felted into designs on the outside with vintage buttons for an organic approach to felting. If you love the challenge and thrill of buying a forgotten item for nearly nothing and transforming this find into a wonderful new application like stationery or files or journals...you might want to check this new magazine out. No I am not being paid for this rural endorsement but today I found it to be enticing for trying new processes. Last year I was in a collaboration with many other artists about disintegration...and I was inspired to think about the possibility of "Zero trash" for our planet. Makes you think doesn't it...what if we had a unified movement?
This afternoon I washed the cotton materials and vintage items I had purchased earlier in the week. This step is often overlooked by others working with old hand created pieces but by washing I have been able to eliminate some stains...often before I add my own touches...and if the fibers fall apart I now know how sustainable they will be in the additional processes I want to use. It also gives me a chance to reevaluate and drool over my wonderful finds ... this slow process of collecting and sorting helps me to tell a story or reflect on a memory and develop an invitation for the viewer to come and take a closer look. Thank you all for checking in...our comments on each others stories is a serene thread of connection with others all over the world. You had my heart at hello.... whoops someone else already said that. Be sure to check out the Sunday Secrets at Seth Apter's blog The Altered Page. There are some pretty neat secrets we could all learn from. Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart
OH! I sooooooo lust after those wooden spools. Do you ahve any idea how many I got rid of when cleaning out my parents house after they died---in a zombiefied state---OH!!!
ReplyDeleteYou made a lovely haul. i've been shopping too of late, and I must quit. I need some money coming IN before any more goes OUT.
LOL!!!!! (we know that won't happen!)
XXOO!!
Anne
Lots of the older thread won't hold up. I saw a project where an artist had taken all the thread off spools, allowed it to drop on washable sticky paper. She created beautiful rainbow colored designs with the old thread. Sewed through it on her machine, adding bit and pieces of fabric. Washed away the sticky paper and used the "new thread fabric" in her art work. :)Bea
ReplyDeleteI would not think the threads would be strong enough to actually sew but you have a brilliant idea for employing the wonderful colors in a new thread fabric and maybe I will layer them over a transferred photograph...I will let you know if this works later. You are so kind to add your wisdom to my process journey ...I have had a very difficult day and just was able to get out of bed. Your healing hugs are working! Imagine and Live in Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart
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