Woodland Imp

Wire armature of my Woodland Imp

I was trying to put a couple of mediums together to create a female form.   I made a wire armature, covered it and then made a head and face with air dry clay and some beads for eyes.   I think its a fact that some people are gifted and/or skilled in working small to miniature.  I'm not one of them!  Note to self - work bigger! The face came out decidedly masculine.

I put it aside for a while and picked it up the other day and decided to just play a bit.  I used what was close to hand and wrapped  the arms and legs with overdyed thread, used a little paverpol and acrylic lace and created a vest.

The loin cloth is a scrap of silk gauze I purchased ages ago from a very small boutique dress shop that had a hand written sign saying "Quilters will be surprised".  I went in to discover offcuts of delicious bits of silk - this is the last remaining scrap.

The hair is more like a turban and made from flower thread.  The best use I can find for it as it is very fine and not what I like to stitch with as a rule.  The bit of wood I picked up at the beach at Cabarita Park. (He is nailed to it if you were wondering).  I often find lovely bits of worn wood that has been tossed around the Parramatta River for quite a while and of course I always come home with some shells.

This little guy is definitely not my best work  and I see heaps of faults in it but, despite all of that, it has a charm that comes from being created by hand.  And I have had the satisfaction of using those bits and pieces that I had been hanging onto for way too long.  A sort of destash in reverse - I have used my materials but now I need a place for the end result!   Cheers

sea shells

Been playing with the shell theme again. Have been lusting after a paint stick or two and finally bought myself a set of fabric crayons which are a good way to start playing. I rubbed a sea shell using the crayons and fabric and got started playing with the marks. In the course of my working I almost obliterated the crayon rubbing and what is visible has sort of crept into the background adding added texture and letting the embroidery prevail. I added beads and a shell to the embroidery. This is my first piece - a postcard. I learn a few colour lessons in the course of doing this and will try a more expanded rubbing/stencil/appliqued thingo. Its on the back burner: I will post when I get to that stage.


I will also post this on the 6 X 4 Lives site.

still looking at sea shells

This wonderful image is from the site created by Des Beechley, Senior Fellow at the Australian Museum. There is a fantastic collection of photos and information about sea shells of New South Wales. I have added a link here and on my "other links".

I am still working on sea shells (or bones of the sea) as an idea for some embroideries and art quilts.

Sea urchins and sea shells -more drawings

I have been continuing to work on my drawings - the first is yet another sketch of a sea urchin (in charcoal), the second is pen drawings of a few shells. I am still playing with how I can express the shell form in stitch without creating a replica.

The shells are mostly white with a few markings so I find them difficult to draw.

I have just finished reading an interesting, small autobiography by a painter, textile designer and manufacturer Bernat Klein called Eye for Colour (Scotland and Collins, London 1965). I was particularly interested in looking at the paintings and how Bernat Klein interpreted the colours in his woven fabric.

In his book Klein attributed the following quote to Klee:

The object of a painting is not to reflect the visible but to make the invisible visable.