Backwoods Creations: Living Life Creatively

city-haze- art quilt

2009-09-20T18:10:00.001-05:00

city-haze
Originally uploaded by backwoods creations

I have been very busy with ....with life. I have started this piece several weeks ago. I had looked at it off and on. Then I got this wonderful book by Rayna Gillman. WOW! What an inspiration. She has a blog too!

I trotted myself to http://www.prochemicalanddye.com/ just like she suggested and ordered some new cool stuff to try. Deconstructive screen printing here I come! She also has a really lovely looking chapter on soy wax batik. So I ordered piller soy to try that out with. I had to! Besides I was already going to order some one shot dye for some wool I want to make into a braided rug.

But for this piece I have some ideas. I want to get some raised pieces to add to it. Maybe a stumpwork like branch coming down across it somehow. Anyways that is what has been going on in my little world creatively.

city-haze [Flickr]

2009-09-20T15:52:43-07:00

backwoods creations posted a photo:

Mixed media art quilt stage one.

leave-pin-3 mixed media pin [Flickr]

2009-09-10T18:35:23-07:00

backwoods creations posted a photo:

Closeup detail of brooch/pin.

leave-pin-2 mixed media pin [Flickr]

2009-09-10T18:35:17-07:00

backwoods creations posted a photo:

Brooch/pin made from mixed media fabric sewn around wrapped wire base.

Maine Team Monday - Folk Art Tree

2009-09-07T12:14:00.006-05:00

Pam McFarland is a primitive lover who runs two shops on etsy - Folk Art Tree and Folk Art Fandangle. Folk Art Tree is a wonderful showing Pam's addiction to making the new look old. Folk Art Fandangle is to accessorize yourself with vintage bits made into contempory unique pieces of jewelry.

1. Would you please share some brief details about you such as location, upbringing, school etc?
I grew up in Ashland, Maine, lived on various military installations with my husband over 15 years and eventually moved back to my hometown when my children were ready to enter school. When I was a child, my father made sure we left Aroostook County frequently to expose us to the rest of the world. We spent our summer vacations exploring historical places like Gettysburg, Valley Forge and Washington DC. While the tour guide was reciting dates and facts, I was imagining the people, trying to comprehend their lives without electricity and running water and grocery stores. The day to day items they used were fascinating to me, and as I got older, objects that were worn and patinaed with age became pleasing to my eye. When my husband and I were stationed in Germany, I found the German people celebrated their history and it is vibrantly relevant to them. I was enchanted with their castles and the Kristkindlmrkts at Christmastime and their ancient walled cities (Rothenberg is still one of my most favorite places!). I felt like I had been transported back in time. This experience only reinforced the appreciation I had for relics of the past, inspiring my inclination toward primitive.

2. What motivates your creativity? Any interesting bits of info about your process (like you only work in your studio to Liberace music)?

Yard sales, Mardens, the dump. It is an invigorating challenge to reinvent someone else's trash into a fabulous piece others envy! I found a piece of furniture at the dump that looked like a failed shop class project, but with a little bit of moulding, wainscotting and paint, I transformed it into my desk I use for shows. People are always asking to buy it!
Nature -sometimes the color combinations just take my breath away.
Life -I try to pay attention to the details that most people brush past, unaware, and challenge myself to really appreciate the beauty and simplicity of everyday things.
Other artist's work -the Somerset Studio range of magazines is filled with inspiring work from amazingly talented artists.

I don't have a regimented process. Once an idea germinates, I may be able to work out the design in one sitting, while other projects can be several day design experiment. Some pieces evolve and materialize as I work, while some need to be sketched and resketched to flesh it out. Creating occurs primarily in my 2 workspaces. My studio, on the second floor of my home, is where I go when I don't want any distractions and is where I sew, sculpt, paint, and make dolls. I have another workspace on the first floor of my home where I create jewelry and papercrafts. These are the projects I can work on and not be grumpy if I get interrupted. I also have a travelling basket which I fill during the day with any handwork I need to complete so I can watch the Red Sox or Celtics with my husband during the evening. While I work I sometimes listen to music ( Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Bach) while some days I love the solitude and silence.

3. When you are creatively exhausted how do you rest up and refill the creative well?
I need quiet time to rejuvinate. One hour of silence in the morning while nursing a steaming cup of coffee and basking in the sunshine streaming through the window is all I need to make my day productive and creative. Once I am peaceful inside, the creativity just comes.

4. The business of selling your work is far less enjoyable to most then the actual making of product. What have you done or would do differently in being someone who must deal with the business of selling work?
I have had to continuously educate myself about marketing. I began doing craft shows 18 years ago, and learned through experience and research about display and packaging and pricing. Once I discovered Etsy and began selling online I found I needed to learn new marketing skills to optimize online selling . I have sought information through taking online marketing courses, participating in marketing webinars, and searched blogs and forums for tips and techniques about the business of selling. At first I resented the time I have to spend on the computer to sell online, and soon realised I MUST take some time out of my day to be on the internet as it is essential to growing an online business. The web is always changing, improving, and growing, and as a seller, I need to be aware of and implementing new technology in order to reach my target audience.

5. Where do you see your work taking you?
I would love to have my work represented in a magazine or book. Perhaps I should get busy with those submissions?!
I would also love to own a brick and mortar primitives shop with a studio in the back where I could create. I am also working on patterns of my original designs to sell online as pdf downloads. Lots and lots of ideas spinning in my head, so I am not worried I will be bored any time soon!

6. Any particular websites you visit regularly?
www.Etsy.com
www.stampington.com
google analytics
Etsy Maine Team Chat and Business threads
Primitive artists websites
Twitter
Facebook
How-To websites

7. What are your 3 top favorite foods and why?
Lobster- divine indulgence
Fresh ground Arabica coffee- warmly invigorating
Salad made with baby green leaf lettuce, tomato, onion, feta cheese, dried cranberries, chicken, and apple topped with a balsamic vinagrette--fresh and zingy

Thanks Pam for participating in the Monday Maine Team Feature. Good luck and I hope good things are just around the corner for you. For the rest of you please check out FolkArtTree and it's sister shop Folk Art Fandangle. Pam also has a blog.

PASTEL-WALLET-7 [Flickr]

2009-09-07T06:16:42-07:00

backwoods creations posted a photo:

made from mixed media fabric paper. Wallet/small clutch.

Pastel-wallet-5 [Flickr]

2009-09-07T06:16:37-07:00

backwoods creations posted a photo:

made from mixed media fabric paper. Wallet/small clutch.

BROTHER-WALLET-6 [Flickr]

2009-09-07T06:16:27-07:00

backwoods creations posted a photo:

made from mixed media fabric paper. Wallet/small clutch.

brother-wallet-5 [Flickr]

2009-09-07T06:16:13-07:00

backwoods creations posted a photo:

made from mixed media fabric paper. Wallet/small clutch.

monoprint-fabric [Flickr]

2009-09-06T16:57:02-07:00

backwoods creations posted a photo:

The effects of a quicky tryout of using freezer paper to do a monoprint on fabric with. Blogged here

monoprint-plate [Flickr]

2009-09-06T16:56:55-07:00

backwoods creations posted a photo:

Freezer paper base used to do a monoprint on fabric with. I didn't have any gelatin to make a gelatin plate. Blogged here

Life in the Creative Lane - Monoprints and Corgis

2009-09-06T13:21:00.010-05:00

A new day, a new month, a new opportunity to make stuff, eat new food and generally experience life to the fullest. I have alot to be grateful for. This year has been especially hard for me healthwise and I am just beginning to feel normal again. But I don't want to dwell on that. I want to make sure that I open myself to the universe and all that it has to offer. So as I start on this positive new adventure I thought I would share a bit more about the behind the scenes me.

To start off with this is what I normally see as I go up the stairs to my studio. This is Rudy. Rudy is Mr. Laidback, where's the cheese, don't touch my butt with your feet under the covers kind of guy. Unlike his co-conspirator who is not

laidback, runs his life and tries to run ours aka Cleo Barkalotta. I always have company in my studio of either dog or both. The exception being if it is a really

nice day out and Steve is outside. Then they will be outside. Both are wonderful companions taking their dog chores quite seriously.

Both were with me when I had the eureka moment of using freezer paper as a printing plate for monoprints on fabric. Now I am sure someone else has thought of this. But for me it was a sudden inspirational moment. No making up gelatin. No looking for plexiglass or having to have it cut to a specific size. All I had to do is tear off a piece. I can't wait to experiment somemore. I did this just once and as a lark. I do think I will be doing it again. I printed on some vintage linen hankerchiefs that were my great grandfathers.

Here is the plate after a pull. I could wipe the surface off and repaint, ink or do whatever to it to transfer to the fabric.

I should have ironed the hankerchief before laying it down. I didn't! This was an experiment. No desire to be thorough the first time around. The next time definately will iron. The finished product can be seen here.

I really like the brush strokes were picked up on the fabric. A wonderful start to further embellish and alter.

Maine Team Monday - Speciality Wedding Keepsakes by Shellscapes

2009-08-31T18:20:00.010-05:00

ShellScapes a Maine based artisan business is run by Catherine. Catherine creates beautiful keepsake cake toppers and other wedding accessories and embellishments. The concept for each piece is the time honored tradition started by sailors at sea who created shell art for their loved one left at home on the mainland. Below is a beautiful example of one of the items Catherine does. This headpiece was created for her own wedding.

Catherine, the creator of all of these beautiful keepsakes works with white and pearlized shells in a variety of shapes and sizes, coral, starfish, sand dollars, pearls and Swarovski components. The cake toppers are made to fit on the top of a 6 inch cake top. The base is made from nontoxic clay that has been given extra "sparkle" to mimic a sandy beach on a sunny day. Building further on traditions handed down each one has "something blue" by having a blue Swarovski crystal as part of the design. Catherine does special custom orders and all toppers come with a ivory colored organza bag for storage.

Thank you Catherine for sharing your beautiful designs. Below is more about Catherine and her thoughts on creativity and being a business owner.

1. Would you please share some brief details about you such as location, upbringing, school etc? I was born in Maine and brought up in Vermont; my parents are from Aroostook County. I went to the University of Vermont for an Art History degree, spent a year in Norway studying folk art and culture, and then moved to Maine to get a degree in Marine Biology and Oceanography. My “day job” for the last 30 years has been with the Maine Department of Environmental Protection as an Environmental Specialist monitoring air pollution in southern Maine. I love the ocean and live in Scarborough with my husband James who I married on August 8, 2008. I have two sons; one is in college and the other is a senior in high school.

2. What motivates your creativity? Any interesting bits of info about your process (like you only work in your studio to Liberace music)? I have always needed to do some kind of art / craft to temper the science and math side of my life. I have tried my hand at many different kinds of crafts. Working with seashells came about as a result of my own beach theme wedding last year. I designed and did everything myself. I really believe that if I can see how something is constructed I can make it myself. I love starting with parts and pieces and just seeing what I can create. Unfortunately for my husband and sons, when I am working on a project I have the ability to focus so completely that I am unaware of anything going on around me. I love music – Brazilian Jazz - but don’t really hear it when I work.

3. When you are creatively exhausted how do you rest up and refill the creative well? I look. Studying Art History taught me to “see” the art in nature. Photography has always been one of my creative outlets; I have loved photography since my first brownie camera when I was 7. I have been lucky enough to have one of my photos published by Flickr in their book: “24 Hours of Flickr 05/05/07”and another used by the Philadelphia Zoo. Both photos can be seen on my Flickr “Maine Wanderer” site -

Published! and Rhino

I love art museums and galleries. I love books – big coffee table books with wonderful photographs and illustrations. I love glossy magazines.

4. The business of selling your work is far less enjoyable to most then the actual making of product. What have you done or would do differently in being someone who must deal with the business of selling work? Actually I find “selling” to be a creative challenge itself. I read a lot on the Etsy website about branding your business and I think that is the most important part of setting up a business. I can make terrific wedding items but if they aren’t packaged carefully and “pretty” I won’t get good feedback or a growing customer base. Branding sets you apart from potential competition. My online presence is everything until the item reaches its destination. I am not featured in any “brick and mortar” stores. This is where my photography skills have really helped me. I don’t want a customer to be surprised when they receive an order and I want them to remember exactly where they made the purchase. The best compliment I can get is that the item actually looked even better than its picture when it was removed from its wrapping!

>
5. Where do you see your work taking you? I would like to expand into hair jewelry – headband and combs. I made my own headband for my wedding. I love putting shells together with semiprecious stones and pearls. I also enjoy collaborating with other Etsy artisans.

6. Any particular websites you visit regularly? Just like glossy magazines, I love looking at wedding blogs, design blogs, and cooking blogs. Here are some of my favorites:

snippetandink
absolutelybeautifulthings
sweetpaul
Stylemed
whiskblog
chow

7. What are your 3 top favorite foods and why? Only three favorite foods? Ok…shortbread, spanakopita, and coffee. Coffee should be first and in capital letters!

Be sure to check out Catherine's blog also called Shellscapes.

Thanks for stopping by.

Maine team Monday - CozInk

2009-08-24T21:12:00.005-05:00

This Maine Team member, Grace, has a lot going on and a spectacular paper goods shop on etsy which goes by the name of CozInk Cards and Paper Goods. Beautiful one of a kind monoprints, cards and photos make up Grace's shop. Her gift cards are taken from monoprints so no two are ever exactly alike. Everyone gets something special!

Grace was very kind to participate in my Maine Team Monday feature. Thanks Grace! Read on about CozInk's creative force of nature named Grace.

1. Would you please share some brief details about you such as location, upbringing, school etc?
Well, I’m 24. I’ve been married for 5 years and we have one daughter together, and right now that’s my job; I’m a stay-at-home parent. I grew up in a very rural area of Maine, and I think that's probably had a big influence on my printmaking. The vast majority of my prints and cards are made with stuff I find in the woods, and I think that inspiration probably comes from my childhood out in Woodstock. I lived for awhile in Wyoming, too, and I miss that a lot sometimes. Something about the flat prairie and the high elevation made me aware of a kind of claustrophobia when I came back to Maine. I live just outside Augusta nowadays, and I really like it here. It's not right in the city, but close enough that it's easy to stay involved in the stuff going on in Augusta or Lewiston/Auburn.

2. What motivates your creativity? Any interesting bits of info about your process (like you only work in your studio to Liberace music)?
I am really mostly motivated by the process itself. Printmaking is an awesome way to have an afternoon that is both lazy and productive at the same time. I stand at my workbench and print for 2 or 3 hours, then spend several hours (usually broken up over a couple days) cutting prints into cards or bookmarks and packaging them up to sell. It's really relaxing. New ideas motivate me- new colors of ink, new plants, (another Etsy Maine Team member, PsAndQs, just mailed me leaves from her husband's Japanese Maple trees, and I'm really looking forward to printing with those), or new craft ideas. I also just ordered a custom stamp from another Etsian so I can start making printed book plates, so I'm excited to make the first few of those as well.
I guess the only interesting bit is that I’m usually working with a kid and a dog at my feet. I have a very curious three-year-old and probably the most clingy dog ever. Neither one leaves the room when I print.

3. When you are creatively exhausted how do you rest up and refill the creative well?
It's probably going to sound awful, but shopping helps. A trip to the art store usually gives me a lot of ideas, even if all I buy is paper.

4. The business of selling your work is far less enjoyable to most then the actual making of product. What have you done or would do differently in being someone who must deal with the business of selling work?
I would take more time to settle on prices, and put more thought into it than I originally did to begin with. I realized I was selling some stuff that left me feeling negative about it- I had let it go for too little, and I needed to start considering the time I put into making each card, and the fact that each one is an original print, and convince myself that they were worth a bit more than I originally thought they were. It resulted in me changing my prices two or three times before I settled into a groove I was comfortable with, so I would sit down and really think about what it costs in materials, time, and effort to make my product.
Get support. The first couple craft/art shows I’m doing, I’m sharing space with more experienced folks, and that has taken a huge amount of pressure off.

5. Where do you see your work taking you?
I'm trying to get my paper goods up in more brick and mortar shops, and I hope that I can get established in a few of them and have long relationships with them. I’m starting full-time college in January at UMaine Farmington, so I’m really hoping this could eventually be something that earns money for books and day care and all that.

6. Any particular websites you visit regularly?
I visit Plime.com daily, for news and discussion. Etsy, of course, and the Etsy Maine Team threads, specifically. I’m also on a forum for pit bull owners, called Pits & Pets.

7. What are your 3 top favorite foods and why?
My favorite winter food is beef stew, because I remember long afternoons of shoveling snow as a kid and it was soooo nice to come inside and smell that cooking on the stove. Turkey and stuffing, because it’s just one of those meals you don’t make all that often, but it’s always so damned good. Pancakes and maple syrup. Best. Breakfast. Ever. Every once in awhile we make breakfast for supper in our house, and it’s usually pancakes and syrup and scrambled eggs.

Thanks again Grace!

Maine Team Monday - Indigo Crow

2009-08-17T18:01:00.004-05:00

I had to skip last week because I did not have internet access. Sorry! This weeks Creative find is Indigo Crow of etsy aka Kirsten. Kirsten works in several different mediums of clay and linoleum prints with a bit of jewelry thrown in here and there. I especially love her block prints. But then again there are those lovely tiles or plates to create a wonderful backsplash or other accent area in the home.

1. Would you please share some brief details about you such as location, upbringing, school etc? I live in a small house on a lake in southern Maine. I grew up in Northern Maine where I was inspired by nature and the beauty of animals, and my surroundings. I always loved art so I went to college and received a bachelors of fine art degree.

2. What motivates your creativity? Any interesting bits of info about your process (like you only work in your studio to Liberace music)? My creativity is motivated mainly by nature. It inspires me everyday. Seeing other artists work also inspires me.

3. When you are creatively exhausted how do you rest up and refill the creative well? For me its going on a hike or a kayak ride that gets me going again. Getting out of the day to day rut, and back into the quiet and beauty of the fresh natural air is very inspiring.

4. Where do you see your work taking you? I just do it for fun. I would love to create full time and have it sustain me financially, but I'm not sure that will ever happen.

5. Any particular websites you visit regularly? Etsy

6. What are your 3 top favorite foods and why? Tacos, macaroni and cheese, and a good steak on the grill. I love tacos because they are easy and you can do different combinations, macaroni and cheese because my mothers is the BEST! and I love cooking out and that great grill taste.

Thanks Kirsten! Click on the pictures to be taken directly to the etsy storefront of Indigo Crow.

Catching up on Favorites

2009-08-15T10:45:00.001-05:00

Catching up on Favorites
Originally uploaded by backwoods creations

I am back from my week away. I had a glorious and intense time with a training for work. I will be posting another Maine Team Member interview tomorrow. But for right now here are some favorites off from flickr. Click and explore and enjoy!!

Catching up on Favorites [Flickr]

2009-08-15T08:35:21-07:00

backwoods creations posted a photo:

1. Hail Holy Queen, 2. Tattooed snails 5/33 and 6/33, 3. "Summer Garden", 4. Anatsui at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 5. hooked birds, 6. painted fabric birds for a project, 7. Beagle marionette, 8. emma, 9. sedimentary layers #1

Created with fd's Flickr Toys

Packing it in Before I Head South

2009-08-08T15:19:00.005-05:00

I am gone starting tomorrow until next saturday. I am heading down south to Columbia for work related activities. If it is to humid I can stay in the building and not go anywhere. All I can say is thank heavens for AC. But that being said I have had a really full week of creative activities. I will just do the highlights though.

Yesterday I spent all day dying samples with my friend, Heather Kerner. Heather is a felter and she is part of the Maine Fiber Arts weekend. Heather does wonderfully felted hats and other stuff. You can find her work at Spiralworks. She invited me to come to her day long demo and schmooze fest. We were going to make it into a play date and dye some stuff we didn't like. I had these rolls of precut wool fabric that my mother had done 5 plus years ago. She was going to make a braided rug. I hated the colors and wanted to see how they dyed up and just to do something new and different.
I should have brought my camera with me. But I didn't. We had a blasts. She dyed yarn she didn't like and felted up some nuno pieces. I came away with some samples of colors. The precut wool had a pattern and tone variations throughout so I got some pretty interesting stuff.

Pretty wild going from one to the other. I think I will have to go buy dye for all 5 colors and do a rug. I love the red and orange gold color. But both can be really overpowering. Can't wait to do it all!

The next project was a quickie one I did today. I need a small purse to carry the bare essentials in, the license, a credit card or two, a couple of bills etc. Nothing bulky or heavy could be carried in it. All I have is my runaway bag. That I can take as an overnight bag with a change of clothes. I had to have small. I took some of the fabric paper I had made. Cut it to the three fold size I thought would be good. I then made a lining out of material with a light interface to help with keep it sturdy. Stitched it all together and added a vintage button closure and crocheted handle/shoulder strap.

This will work perfectly for my needs when I don't have pockets to keep those things in. This worked up so easily I just may have to make a few more.

dye wool rugmaking braid fabric collage purse

Monday is Etsy Maine Team Day

2009-08-03T15:27:00.010-05:00

Maine has some amazing talent living within its borders. Being part of the Etsy Maine Team has introduced me to the work of others that I may not have ever had a chance to see. One of those people is Dorothy Winchell of Winchell Clayworks. She has an awesome etsy shop that has a whole slew of clay items to wear or use in your own creative endeavors. She very nicely agreed to this interview.

1. Would you please share some brief details about you such as location, upbringing, school etc?

My name is Dorothy Winchell and I started selling as Winchell Clayworks in 2008. I am a lifelong Mainer, raised in North Berwick, educated at Berwick Academy and the University of New England (in Biddeford). I now reside in Acton with my husband and nearly 3 year old son. I am the youngest of five children in a family where we were encouraged to create; at 10 my father signed me up for art lessons and I haven't looked back since. Those art lessons gave me the building blocks to try out whatever arts and crafts strike my fancy. At this point I've tried just about everything, but as the family joke goes, "I don't knit. I leave fiber arts to Joan" (my sister).

2. What motivates your creativity? Any interesting bits of info about your process (like you only work in your studio to Liberace music)?

I used to work with the radio on, but since I had my son I relish a few minutes of quiet. I try to work during his afternoon naps now. I finally got my studio set up this spring, so now I can just go in and work, which is a blessing; before, I would have to set up and pick up, eating into my "free" time.

I'm still working on getting a rhythm to my production process, but it's not easy when there are so many things you want to do in so little time. I try to do similar things at once to streamline production (ie all textured pendants at once, all glazing at once, etc).

I decided this spring that rather than beat myself up over what I wasn't getting done, I need to just do what I can and be happy with it. To that end I have a sketchbook where I jot down ideas, and a large envelope where I stash magazine clippings of designs, color schemes, textures, etc. Maybe someday I'll get to it all....

3. When you are creatively exhausted how do you rest up and refill the creative well?

The best thing for me to do is just sit down and work. I might not get anything good made (and one of the benefits of clay is you can mush it up and put it back in the bin), but more often than not, I'll get an idea while I'm plugging away, then I'm off! Other times I'll read about a new technique in a book or magazine, and I'll try to incorporate that into my new work. There aren't many books on ceramic bead making, so I draw a lot of inspiration from polymer and metal clay books. For those days when I don't have a chance to get in the studio, reading keeps me fresh. It gives me a well of techniques and ideas to draw from when I need them.

4. The business of selling your work is far less enjoyable to most then the actual making of product. What have you done or would do differently in being someone who must deal with the business of selling work?

I had hoped to sign on some wholesale accounts this spring, but I found that with my son I just don't have the time to put into it (I'm thankful I realized it before I sent packages out to shops). For awhile I was beating myself up about it, but I then decided that I'm human, I'm young, and I can always expand the business in the future.

If you hope to make Etsy a full time business, I strongly suggest you read some business books, especially some that cover basic accounting. One of my degrees is in accounting, and that has made it so much easier for me to figure pricing and to make business decisions. Write out a business plan. It doesn't have to be formal, and it's not set in concrete, but it does give you some direction.

And if you find you're not cut out for selling, there's nothing wrong with that. You have to make decisions that are right for you.

5. Where do you see your work taking you?

I'm not sure right now. I'm just enjoying the ride. It helps me immensely when I'm dealing with a temperamental toddler; clay is way cheaper than therapy!!!

6. Any particular websites you visit regularly?

I recommend Modish Biz Tips for the wealth of business information provided.

For ceramic artists, I recommend Ceramic Arts Daily --lots of free downloads, videos, and more. Great for new techniques and inspiration.

I'm on Flickr a lot, checking out what other people are making. Sometimes that's enough to spur me in a new direction, or it tells me I'm on the wrong path and need to backtrack. Although I'm not terribly interested in fashion, I'm not naive enough to think that it doesn't matter to me; if I want to sell what I make, I need to be aware of what is out there.

7. What are your 3 top favorite foods and why?
At this point, anything that anyone else cooks for me! I love a good ribeye, whoopee pies are my biggest weakness in the sweets department, and baked potatoes with lots of sour cream and butter. Hey, you didn't ask for healthy!

Thanks Dorothy for sharing with us your work, inspiration and tips.

Interested folks can also check out her blog

clay ceramics winchell+clay+works beads bisque

Personal Vocabulary

2009-07-29T07:05:00.005-05:00

Sometimes I run across people I have known from years ago. Their work and life seems so much bigger and better then mine. I have to remind myself that I took a different path then they did. My work and my choices are not any more valid or invalid then theirs are. I am just not very political with my work. I am not avant garde and I definitely am socially awkward. Some would find that hard to believe, yet it is true. It comes down to searching for and trying to find my voice and vision and valuing that. It is a hard process. Sometimes it feels downright impossible. However I do think that when I look at my current work it is much stronger then it was a year ago.

The process speaks to me in a much more personal way. It is not just about techniques. It is about my own creative vocabulary. What shapes seem to be reappearing now. What forms for these pieces are about the history layers I have been speaking about. What connects these forms to my life and to others lives? Leaves, birds, flowers, cotton, green, and all sorts of things go through my brain and come out of my fingertips.

This is a start of some new fabric paper. I have been thinking of spirals and mandalas. The circle of life and all that jazz. I have to go back into it with some contrast and vary the tone a bit more.

My work is about my connection with my surroundings and my history. All are about things that are slipping away naturally or not so naturally. How to keep them safe from the world as it changes? How to inspire people to view their connection with their immediate and not so immediate surroundings. Dreams, visions and other areas that connect humankind.

Maine Summer Challenge -Etsy Maine Team

2009-07-15T07:24:00.008-05:00

The Etsy Maine Team to help each other promote and get our butts in gear does a themed challenge on a regular basis. Since I have not been really with it for the past six months I have no idea what the ones in the past have been. Sorry guys! But in order for me to ease my way back into the swing of things the Maine Summer Challenge sounded perfect.

These are my current Maine Summer Challenge offerings. True they have been done for awhile but I think the chickadee (what could be more Maine then that?!) and the bird bobbing, in the previous post, on a branch spell outdoors and nature which to me is Maine at its best. These are perfect home accent pieces to bring the indoors inside.

Either can be found in my etsy shop or ask for something special I do custom orders all the time! Look for others participating in the challenge by typing in MaineSummer in the search box.

Beauty in My Eye

2009-07-11T11:13:00.001-05:00

Unparrelled Beauty in My Eye
Originally uploaded by backwoods creations

What a week it has been! I am officially home and everything seems to be healing up quite nicely. A big yeahhhhh! on that note. I have spent the morning poking around flickr to see what I have missed. I love some of the new favorites I have found. Organic forms in rich colors and textures.

Now I am off to take a nap. Don't want to overdo!

Bobolinks and Red Winged Blackbirds

2009-07-01T19:06:00.003-05:00

I think anyone who follows my work knows that I love birds. I have started doing these table top birds. The redwing blackbirds and the bobolinks out back of my home was the inspiration.

I love how it looks and that there is some slight movement capable from a breeze. It is sturdy and not tippy at all. I have a couple of versions that I want to do. Right now they are just on paper. The fabric on this bird is vintage check with an overlay print of cherries. It is from a dress of my mother's. She made it when she was in her late teens, possibly early twenties. She would be 79 now.

The fabric collage used in these pieces gives them their underlying layers of meaning. Fabric, paper, words, paint, images and all of that is tied up with an internal personal history. Manmade pieces that incorporate natural forms and shapes and images. I live rurally and sometimes crave things that I associate with the city such as gold and fancy fabrics. Layers of history, layers of meaning, layers of texture is all about life. It really does mix and peek through here and there.
Fabric and mixed media really caught my interest because it has all of those elements.

The fabric bowl has started the wheels turning and given me lots of ideas. I did try being more structured with the bowl. I am not sure if "structured" is the right word. Less freeform is perhaps what I am looking for. I started and it just didn't feel right. It didn't move me. I wanted the ripples and waves of a nonconformity. So I am stitching and collaging other pieces of fabric to see if I can get more control without showing it.

Mixed Media Paper Mache based Fabric Bowl is Finished

2009-06-25T19:21:00.004-05:00

I did manage to figure out how to edge my fabric collage/paper mache bowl last week. It all started here. It took some doing but after a couple of false starts the orginal raw edges were softed by a padded one. Wire wrapped with batting sewn to the edge was the solution. I ended up using a combination of glue and thread to attaché it. I then used some heavier colored cotton thread (perle) to attach it further. The inside then got a final coat of red tissue for contrast and strength.

I definitely learned some process things along the way. My next one will incorporate a few of those ideas. In fact I think I may end up doing an outside skin and an inside skin. I will have to do a sample to see how well they fit together.

While I do like the wild and wonderful unsymmetrical shape of this I want to have more control. I want it to be less free form or less willfully freeform. But that initial trial phase things tend to take on a life of their own. Who knows I may end up wanting to get that back. (After further experimentation and a much more evenly shaped form I think I like the freeform much better.

Overall I do think it turned out well. It is not water safe (duh!) and it it can hold many different things from balls of yarn, potpourri or maybe some fruit.

Green Thumb

2009-06-21T05:07:00.006-05:00

My challenge for the past several weeks has been to keep the garden going. Even with all the rain we had to keep going to get it set up and protected. The last bit that has gone up is the 7 foot deer fence around it all. OH did I mention all the rain. I hope the tomatoes don't get blight. I hope that the six inches of standing water on the right end gets sucked into the soil.

In that process we did manage to really discover where the foundation was for the barn that was on this property years before we came. All along the right hand corner is stone. We hit the edge of it when we rototilled the new area added on from last year. This does mean that now to get bigger means moving back not to the side. If I want to get bigger that is. I think I do. But that means reclaiming more field. Raised beds are the answer. I just have to make enough compost and soil amendments to make that feasible for the size we want.

The other protection was from the massive amount of slugs the rain has made comfy. Well that and the help of the black plastic construction clothe I laid done to keep the weeds down. It does work to keep weeds down but it also assists in the moist environments that help slugs live long and prosperous lives. We even have SNAILS!! I haven't seen a snail in eons. I have tiny little snails carrying their homes on their backs. Need more beer traps! Heineken apparently is the beer of choice. It makes them turn their little slug heads away from the plants and crawl as fast as they can to slurp down all that beery goodness. They die happy.

One the other hand the rain has made the beautiful fuscia Steve bought me very happy.

The hummingbirds also find it quite lovely. They don't seem to mind the rain at all dashing back and forth from the feeder to where ever their nest is. The hard rain does make the blossoms drop off. I find my back porch littered with these beautiful blossoms that are from another world.

What if I did this and this Stitched Bowl

2009-06-07T06:26:00.005-05:00

The break from "having to create" and just doing something for me (see sock post) seems to have paid off. I went into my studio yesterday and just started to cut up and sew without any real plan. Just opening myself to the flow and to see what would happen, knowing full well that sometimes it just doesn't work out. This time, at this point, I think this is working out.

I started by cutting up some pieces of my "fabric paper" into blunt end wedges and stitching them together. I chose some of the fabric paper that by itself I was not that fond of. But as with all things layered and cut apart and tossed back together the fabric papers started to be more acceptable. At first it was just a fan shape that then became the basis of a bowl.

The only criteria I had is that I wanted not to alter the surface to much with paint. Embellishment could happen. But it must be embellishment that was stitched, or bradded or glued and stitched. Paint could happen but not as a major source of altering the surface. I did break one needed during this. But it was not a heavy weight leather needle. Sewing needles break which is why I keep a decent supply around. I have been known to break 3 needles in a row.

I finished adding the cut out leaves, brads and some buttons to the still flat piece. I stitched up the side so it was free standing. The next step was solving the "what do I do for a bottom?" I cut to circles out of stiffed fabric. One went on the outside and the other on the inside. The wedges at the bowls bottom had been folded inward by about 3/4 of an inch. Everything was glued. The inside of the bowl was covered with the same fabric and strips of tissue paper.

It was then left to dry before doing anything else. If it is dry enough today I will work some more on it. I do have a cool idea (I think) for an edge embellishment. Can't wait to get back to it.

Just for Me

2009-06-02T04:05:00.005-05:00

I thought it was about time I did something just for me. After the spring rush of planting and getting the grounds presentable (still working on that) I wanted something that my tired fingers and mind could handle to do. Now some my think I am crazy because knitting socks started to frequent my dreams and called my name. It is true!

I haven't knit in years so why would I pick socks? Because it did truly feel like a project just for me. That the only one who would reap the benefits from time spent knitting would be me. I think I have been feeling a bit stretched and neglected so this is a way to nurture and take care of myself. What kind of socks am I "mothering" myself with?

I mastered the magic eight cast on stitch in only...drum roll please... two nights of peering at this video.

I found it much easier to turn the sound off for me. It really is quite magical as it says.

The socks made are from wool from my friend, Sama, who is a knitting fiend. The wool is a lovely soft alpaca and acrylic blend that she told me to double up on and I did. Here is where I am at right now. They are not perfect by any means. I had to refresh my memory on how to increase.

I was given a pattern but also pulled the pattern for the Lifestyle Socks no Swatch Needed. I am knitting on size 4 needles because I did double the yarn otherwise I would be on size 2 needles and get way to frustrated. Of course I am already planning my next pair, which may be knit on smaller needles. I will have to find a set of 40 inch size 3. I don't think I want to get smaller than that. These are perhaps a bit to thick. But I am not ripping them out because they will be the perfect weight for winter.

Knitting socks toeup magic+caston alpaca

Fish Embroidery and Pattern

2009-05-24T21:06:00.004-05:00

I have been so busy with the garden and a commission that my plans for handstitching and offering a pattern every now and then had been postponed. I still don't know how to make them look all pretty. So any suggestions are welcomed. I still am really busy with the garden and the commission work so this is a sneak preview.

Would love to see what others do with it. Yes it is simple. I used buttonhole stitch, french knots, bullion stitch and outline stitch for the one fish I did. Embellish at will. But please do share! Both can be also found on my flickr photostream.

Mosaic Madness

2009-05-14T19:21:00.004-05:00

My creation
Originally uploaded by backwoods creations

1. Heart you, 2. flight detail, 3. quilt story collage finished, 4. #5 Ocean View Circle, 5. from my 'scrumble a week blog' - #9, 6. Acer, 7. Sketchbook page, 8. Three Blind Mice, 9. Great Work Ethic_070509

Again I have come across some amazingly talented people on flickr. Quirky senses of humor, delicious color and just an awesome selection to see.

blue striped mini mew

2009-05-12T20:35:00.002-05:00

I haven't made any of these in quite sometime. I found a handful of these mini mews (kittens with pizzazz) in a box I had set aside after a craft show. I decided to start listing them again since I don't have a lot of time. They are adorable if I do say so myself.

blue striped mini mew
Originally uploaded by backwoods creations

Cool Creations

2009-05-06T21:34:00.001-05:00

Cool Creations
Originally uploaded by backwoods creations

I did some some additions to my favorites from flickr. I love the nine patch format. It appeals to the fiber/quilter that lives in me. The number six one is done by Diane Thorold. She does these lovely kalidascope images as well as other mixed media items. But the crispness of this one really caught me. Each of them have some a unique flavor and make me so much more aware of my surroundings. But isn't that what art is supposed to do?

Handwork that has Followed Me or a Bushel and a Peck

2009-05-03T12:36:00.006-05:00

My studio has been moved. I am still trying to set things up to be able to sew and do all the other things that go into my work. I did manage to start working on some ideas. I call it working through the lull. The lull comes after having a really intense busy time. Lulls are there for a purpose. The lull is to regroup and refill the well. This lull has just come to an end, I hope. Sometimes lulls can stretch out longer then they should. But I have several ideas to work myself out of this one.

A while ago I had found the lone piece of redwork I had done years ago (maybe 10 or 15 years ago). The intent was to do a quilt top. However that was quickly dashed. White anything, I do mean anything, and I do not mixed. I have some white shirts that I can wear only under sweaters or strategically buttoned coats because of the blotches caused by coffee, red sauce or soy sauce. Basically anything that will leave a stain will find its way onto my chest. I am a stain attractor. Doesn't matter what I am doing if I have white on I will drip or spill some staining element on myself. Redwork is worked on white cotton cloth. White cotton cloth would not remain white in my house. Hence the short lived thought of doing a quilt.

But looking at this redwork did give me some ideas. I really should see about drawing up my own embroidery patterns to offer as freebies. This piece was based upon a little song my former spouse and I used to sing to each other. It went like this:

"I love you a bushel and a peck;
a bushel and a peck:
a barrel and a heap; a barrel and heap;
and a kiss upon the cheek
I think I'm losing sleep...over you.

Therefore we have a bushel and a peck of apples. It is grubby with age. But it still holds value to me in many ways. Memories of a good relationship that ended on a good note as well as the fun aspects of creating the piece. Now my only dilemma is figuring out how to do the pattern so people can get it. More internet research to take place I guess.

redwork embroidery pattern free handwork

Inspiration

2009-04-23T20:28:00.002-05:00

Inspiration
Originally uploaded by backwoods creations

Once again I have found plenty of inspiration from those on flickr. I also seem to have had a real favorite thing going with Dancing Crow I think there are 3 of her pieces. (Numbers 3, 5 and 8). SharonB of Pintangle starts the mosaic. She runs fantastic challenges for us who like handwork and embroidery. I haven't been able to participate like I want to but may for this month I can get it together. The stitch she has picked to explore has some great possibilities that I could see for my work.

Apples and a Bird

2009-04-20T17:38:00.002-05:00

bird with apple mobile 3 backwoodscreations
Originally uploaded by backwoods creations

I seem to like the fruit theme with these mobiles. That is fine! I love how they are turning out. Both the pears and the apples give me more ideas of other ways to work with this kind of hanging mobile. I think cherries may be next.

The making of the leaves have also given me some ideas for some art quilts. I like the 6x6 inch format currently. I think because if I get 4 or 9 together I am back to the patchwork quilt look. I also am always looking at different ways to market my work. I think the 6x6 inches will allow people to buy individually and do their own mix and match.

Marvelous Handmade Creations

2009-04-17T20:54:00.001-05:00

Marvelous Handmade Creations
Originally uploaded by backwoods creations

Once again the marvels of flickr come through. I seem to want to stick to the 9 patch presentation of these mosaics. I am so enthralled with each little square. Do click on the links to get a closer look.