What's Cookin'?

More likely than not, it is fiber of some sort (as in silk fabric or wool roving, as opposed to a high-fiber dish)  I've been busy in the kitchen cooking up silks for nuno felting and experimenting with space-dyed wool roving.  The beauty of dyeing for felting, is that it doesn't have to be  perfect.  The fabrics are even prettier when imperfect-I intentially let portions of the fabric bubble up to the surface where they don't get as much dye--the uneven color looks great for nuno felting and adds another dimension to the design.

Looking at these photos reminds me of all the kitchen things I use for fiber arts (I love repurposing items).   The list includes: a stock pot for dyeing, hot dog tongs for handling hot stuff in the dyepot, whisk for mixing dyes, salad spinner for drying fibers, electric knife for slicing felt,  pasta maker for clay and a toaster oven for clay.

Nuno Felt Class this weekend!

Ok, it's been waaay too long since I've last posted. January-March is generally my "rest-after- the-holiday-rush" and "research and development" period (playing around with new designs). Lots of fun new designs to introduce--right now I'm working on taking photos of everything.

In the meantime, I wanted to let you all know about my nuno felt class this weekend at the Fine Line Creative Arts Center. I'm always amazed by the work produced by the participants--come and join us!

Jury Photos

This is art show application season--the rush of the holiday season is quickly followed by the rush of due dates for most of the major shows. While I'm grateful that the digital format is taking over from slides, I'm not as keen on the online application format. These systems are all about the photos, with little or no room for information about the artist or previous awards/recognition.


My jury photos are 4-5 years old and my work has changed so much in the past few years, so I am in desparate need of new ones. I have used Guy Nichols in the past and really like his work-thanks to his shots, two of my pieces were featured in the Crafts Report. But I know that there are others out there who specialize in jury shots with models. And now that I'm doing larger pieces like shawls and capes, I think I may need to pony up for more jury shots with a model.

Anyone out there have any recommendations for photographers in the Chicago area specializing in wearable art?

Best Christmas Photo Ever!

Ahhh, the Christmas of '87, also affectionately known in the family as the "Karate Pajama Christmas". This was the Christmas right before I left for the Peace Corps, so the whole family was home--14 of us, with sleeping bags all over the place. Note the awesome shag carpeting and gold velour couch. And yes, if you were to venture into the kitchen, you would find avocado green appliances....

My Mom in all her Grandmotherly wisdom decided to get all 5 nephews karate pajamas that year. This photo was taken at probably the only moment that they actually stood still--I'm still amazed that it isn't blurry...With five guys under the age of 6, there was a whole lot of kicking, chopping and "hiyAA-ing". Good times....

Wishing you all memorable holidays with family and friends!

-Laura

Last show of the Season!!

This Sunday will be the last show of a busy season for me! Come on out to the Architectural Artifacts Holiday show on Sunday, 11 - 5:00. For those of you who haven't been there, it is an amazing environment and everything in their showroom will be on sale, as well!

Mention this blog and get $5 off your Felt Inspired purchase!

Strange Brew

I'm all for recycling, I really am. I reuse boxes all the time, especially for sending out packages. So do some of my wool suppliers. One supplier in particular has a penchant for liquor boxes.

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I have ordered from this wool supplier fairly frequently in the past weeks and have received whiskey boxes, rum boxes and now this one. I hesitate to imagine what my neighbors are thinking....

Fine Art of Fiber Right Now!

Well...I meant to write this post several days ago in anticipation of my biggest show of the year. Instead, I was coughing up a lung due to my seemingly annual bout of bronchitis which struck early and at a verrry bad time this year. So much for trying to replenish inventory from the previous shows. I did to a certain extent, but not nearly as much as I wanted to.

So I'm making up for it now, midway though the show. The show started just last night and I'm already out of all just a few of my shawls and Flamenco scarves. I'm certainly not complaining--it's a good problem to have! Thanks God for coffee and Diet Pepsi....

The weather for this weekend is supposed to be gorgeous, just like the past two days. Even though mostof the leaves are on the ground, the Chicago Botanic Garden is still beautiful at this time of year.

Stop on by!