House of Trouble

Mythical Poseable Felt Creatures have returned to House of Trouble

2011-02-24T17:20:00.000-08:00

I have missed making my little mythical friends. Hoping people will return to order some. Available in black, white, and red, with or without bead embellishments. Hope to see you visiting the shop!

PRINTS are here!

2011-01-06T19:02:00.000-08:00

I finally got to it . . . prints of past works (and current work) are now materializing in my shop! More on the way as I get my proverbial "stuff" together again, artistically speaking. For now, hit my Facebook Fan page to get a 10% discount coupon code and grad a print from the shop. Click here.

Proud new 'Vog owner!

2010-10-10T15:16:00.001-07:00

Just went to Seattle yesterday. It is officially in my "top five favority cities" list. Of the many reasons it is: the Fluevog store. I have been covetting a pair of Fluevogs for nearly 2 years now. They are everything they are cracked up to be and more. I'm certifiably addicted.

Reubicación

2010-09-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

I have missed my little blog a lot lately, but have been so busy moving. Yes, we are now in the great Pacific Northwest and loving it! I'm about to embark on a new adventure artistically as well, mainly pursuing my craft full-time. Our new place has a sweet little shed out back that will make the perfect hideaway studio . . . a real-life "House of Trouble" where Percy can clatter about and experiment without disrupting our tranquil house. I hope to be up and creating in a few weeks here.

I have grabbed some little snatches of time to sketch but nothing is coming to life as yet. So, until I start posting pics of my studio space and the artwork it coaxes out of Percy and I, here are a few little ACEOs I produced for my Etsy shop a month or so ago.

You Think I Won't . . .?

Oops!

The Taste

ACEO stands for "Art Cards, Editions and Originals." Tiny works of art 2.5" by 3.5" (6.35 cm x 8.89 cm) All three above are ink on acid free Bristol. Buy these and several others for the price and shipping listed OR convo me to trade for it with your own ACEOs or similar artwork.

An Homage to my Grandmother

2010-07-13T07:37:00.000-07:00

My grandmother turned ninety back in April. She is about as quintessentially "grandma" as they come - she loves roses, birds, and the color pink. Hence the more-than-usual frilliness of the silhouette I created for her.

She is also an artist. An artist for over seventy years . . . and still painting.

I created the silhouette above in her honor, as she is a rather remarkable woman. Rather than try to distill all her "remarkableness" into a small blog post, I hope to take her auto-biography (currently being written) and her prodigious amount of artistic work and create a website dedicated to her.

The Feeding

2010-03-31T04:59:00.000-07:00

Another little entry in my mini-sketchbook, started about the same time as "the Blessing", and finished just before it. Curious to know what you guys may think it means. I'm not sure myself.

And here is a little completed-in-two-minutes-collage-exercise, inspired by my current Mania of the Moment, Joseph Cornell. My husband and I collaboratively whipped it up from bits and bobs around our house. Every piece has a story - some are unknown - but they all add up to a small part of "us."

The Blessing

2010-03-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

The Blessing

I have recently returned to my little Sketchbook project. I started this particular silhouette some months ago but didn't finish it until last weekend. A rather emotionally harrowing experience over the weekend made this piece suddenly come together, as if it were almost prophetic. Sometimes we must put down our weapons and walk into the lion's den. We know we will come out missing a limb, but the horror is still as potent when it actually happens. And then you realize it was for a reason . . . maybe one you'll never witness for yourself . . . but a reason none-the-less. And you are transformed into something you did not imagine was even possible.

A few more new pieces will be posted soon. And here is a new poseable soft-sculpture in my Etsy store.

Grace and adventure to you all today!

Uliana Lopatkina

2010-03-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

Exaggerated as this may sound, it is true: I have, in my thirty-three years of life, actually experienced nearly everything I could have wished, and some things I did not wish, but cannot regret.

Everything except one: learning ballet. I never had ambitions to being a ballerina, I simply wanted to know how to be a ballerina - to be able to create moving, elegant, precise, and emotional forms with my own body as the medium.

I am well past the prime time (about 25 years ago would have been ideal) to have subjugated my joints to the ludicrous flexibility ballet demands. I have found some measured contentment in unearthing my buried talent in yoga. Forget the strength and health benefits! I strive for as much "grace and line" as my frozen joints will allow and my heart is placated for the time being.

Oh! the way this prima ballerina moves . . . ! She makes me weep with mingled delight and regret. Not only is she an otherworldly talent, she came back from a serious injury, a childbirth, and a two year furlough, to conquer her body and the stage again.

The Offering

2010-03-05T05:04:00.000-08:00

Hello, dear blogosphere friends. I have been away attending to some freelance work for the past couple of months. I don't have much to report on that, as it's still in the developmental phase, but things have calmed down on that front so I'm returning to my little blog for a bit.

I do have some independent new work to share. My latest embossing, "The Offering"

From Philotechnical

I'm still trying to pinpoint what causes some areas to stand out more than others despite using what feels like the same amount of pressure. For example, compare the torso to the horse body below: the horse's hooves popped out wonderfully. Though I love the detail and delicacy of the human torso, I would like him to be as prominent as the horse body.

From Philotechnical

I was very pleased with the delicacy of his wings and feathers overall. A lot of experimenting went into the final effect.

From Philotechnical

That's all for today! Have a lovely weekend!

Merci mes amis!

2009-11-18T07:16:00.000-08:00

I actually have some new artwork to post, but alas! it is buried in the rubble heap that is my new apartment. It will turn up soon.

I wanted to do a special post for a few precious followers who have been so kind and supportive lately with their comments. Tara, Renee, Sherri, and Ruthie . . .

And here are some bits and bobs I thought you might find inspiring.

First "Danse Macabre" conducted and arranged by Leopold Stokowski and recorded in 1925. Listen to it here.
Via Morbid Anatomy and Dinosaur Gardens.

And a scene from a masterful Russian animated movie, Konjek-Gorbunok from the studio Soyuzmultfilm. Byzantine Russian palaces, firebirds, magic horses . . . I grew up watching this fluid, sparkling gem. Enjoy!

Catalysts

2009-11-10T07:32:00.001-08:00

KIRSTEN HASSENFELD - traverse more of her worlds here. Reminds me of Tord Bjoonte.

And this is already all over the internet but bears repeating:

Wataru Itou - via Dark Roasted Blend

My own attempts at paper sculpture are entirely dwarfed by the above paper or paper-like engineering feats. Truly, these have inspired me to try again.

Circumspectively returning to virtual life . . .

2009-11-05T08:48:00.000-08:00

The Martyrdom of Saint Cecilia, Stefano Maderno
© Rémi Jouan, CC-BY-SA, GNU Free Documentation License, Wikimedia Commons

In my art blog-wanderings today, stumbled across St. Cecilia - patron saint of music, as well as that of musicians, composers, instrument makers, poets, and the blind - who reportedly continued to sing despite her severed head. Hmm. I'm not so sure it couldn't have happened.

The months that have passed since I last posted anything in the virtual world have been full and heavy indeed. So many things have "died" of late - metaphorically and literally. But I sit on a deep hoard of hope. Not the desperate hope that clings to having everything resolved according to my demands, or the wishful kind of hope that expects to win a lottery, but the kind of hope that rides through the storms of life and gives life and joy.

My heart still sings despite its severed state.

I hope to be creating and posting artwork again soon and to finally get my revamped Etsy store stocked. Until next time, have a wondrous day!

A beautiful embroidery

2009-09-07T10:53:00.001-07:00

Angelo Filomeno. Death of Blinded Philosopher, 2006. Embroidery on silk shantung, linen, and crystals. 42 x 122 in. (106.7 x 309.9 cm). Collection of the artist; courtesy Galerie Lelong, New York. Photo: Michael Bodycomb

Found via http://www.we-make-money-not-art.com/archives/2008/03/pricked-extreme-embroidery.php from the exhibition "Pricked" featuring contemporary embroidered art at the Museum of Arts & Design in New York

Elsa Mora - my artistic hero

2009-09-02T06:17:00.000-07:00

So I finally come to posting about my favorite artist: Elsa Mora. She is quite possibly one of the most successful artists around when it comes to leveraging the internet. She has three blogs and an Etsy store: one that follows her personal life as it relates to her artwork, one for showcasing her personal style, and one devoted to the art of paper-cutting and sculpture. Visit them here:
Elsita
All About Papercutting
The Hidden Seed
Elsita on Etsy

"Elsita" is so intriguing because she is so intensely personal and open with her life and experiences. She has done everything from fashion, jewelry, and papercutting to porcelains, paintings, and photography. I have included two of her flickr sets to whet your appetite but don't miss out on the rest of her extensive and amazingly varied work - many more sets here.

Almost everything she produces tugs at my heart with a kind of dreadful, delightful "urgency". Have you ever felt this? What artists do this for you? . . . create a painful, wistful feeling in your heart that such touching artistry or sentiment cannot be held for more than a moment?

2009-08-28T06:40:00.001-07:00

Great advice: useful for professional artists

It's been a while and I apologize - I have a large project going on and have had to shut down all other artwork, including my Etsy store, to stay focused. However, today my husband shared an excellent article with me "Client Red Flags? Ask These 4 Questions." By Steve Tovak.

Some artists seem to have as long a list of "bum" clients as "good" clients. Sometimes the bad list is longer. I know I often feel obligated to take any and all work that comes my way, sometimes despite my gutt reaction to the client, because, well, I need the work!

I'm comitting these four questions to memory for the next new client who contacts me.

Medival Market or Fair. Artist unknown.

Have a great weekend everyone!

The Wishing Well

2009-08-10T08:38:00.001-07:00

Here's a little project that is no more. I've been trying my hand at paper-engineering. This is the beginning of a sculptural version of the well that also features prominently in another project. Unfortunately, I was using paper that was too heavy-weight and rubber cement as adhesive. As soon as humidity set in, it started to fall apart - rather elegantly, like a rose, first leaning and drooping (as you see it doing here) then quietly losing it's petals - but falling into oblivion none-the-less. Also, the rubbercement yellowed and collected dust in all the crevices. It was pretty forlorn in the end.

However, I learned a lot and Percy has some new tricks up her sleeve we'll have to try.

Notes to self:

Try a light Canson paper

Good ole Elmer's glue

Work from ground up - not top down. Seems obvious, I know, but remember my background is in costume and clothing is usually draped or "sculpted" top-down.

We'll see what happens next!

An Old Favorite and A New

2009-08-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

The old favorite, and an all-time favorite forever, is Elsa Mora or "Elsita" (right); more on her in another post. The new favorite is Carlos Estévez. He and Elsa Mora are opening together in a show called "Laboratorium" in Los Angeles. Both are Cuban artists living in the US. Their artwork touches my soul; it somehow manages to capture much of my emotional memory of Ecuador and Colombia, even though they are from Caribbean Latin America. I long to be able to capture such feelings in my own work.

A post on a new piece I created will be coming up in a few days. Until then, enjoy these other beautiful pieces from Carlos Estévez.

A New Embossing

2009-07-31T12:24:00.000-07:00

These photos were taken before I put the finishing detail on; and I forgot to photograph the completely finished piece I was so eager to get it in the mail! Wish I had because the last item I added really brought it all together. Oh well, here it is in almost finished state.

It is about 4"x5" in overall size. The challenges to embossing a human subject, on this small a scale, are numerous and probably obvious. I have learned quite a bit, especially about leaving depressions instead of flipping the work over and depressing from the opposite side.

Most of embossing is done on the reverse side of the paper, pressing hardest for the areas that need the most loft: cheekbones, shoulders, brows, nose. Once I've completed the fuller impressions I flip the work to the right side and use a very fine-tipped point to define edges and details. The hardest embossing decisions revolve around small detailed areas such as eyes, lips and hair. They require a delicate play of impression next to depression. The first impression is usually the finest - repeated impressing in the same place wears out the paper, can look "deflated" or collapsed and won't take fine details - so getting it right the first time around small, detailed areas is imperative.

Anyway, the person for whom I made this piece is a very unique and talented one. May beauty bloom in unexpected places!

Etsy Handmade Moment Contest

2009-07-22T05:59:00.001-07:00

So I desperately want to make a little stop-motion animation using one of my poseable figures and enter this contest. Of the myriad reasons I have not done so yet, the most legitimate are: 1. that I have no completed figures in stock and 2. I have non-Etsy commissions to finish.

So I'm simply going to give a shout-out to my favorite entries thus far:

Watch all the entries here.

Three favorite things

2009-07-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

Not much to post this week as I have a lot going on in my day job. Three things for which I have a great appreciation:
1. Tim Burton artistic vision
2. Colleen Atwood's costume design
3. The red, black, white color palatte

All three combined in the following promotional pics from Tim Burton's upcoming Alice in Wonderland. Behold the White Queen:

Images via The Costumer's Guide to the Movies which has the most comprehensive image collection of film costumes I've yet found on the internet.

I "heart" a new artist: Jennifer Khoshbin

2009-07-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

I "hearted" the artist Jennifer Khoshbin on Etsy a while ago, after only briefly perusing her items. Today, I went over to her site and what a tender treat! Her work is so intimate, delicate. She reminds me of paper-cut artists Jen Stark and Su Blackwell,but she has built upon their innovations by adding sound. Don't miss her lovely "intonation" pieces: books outfitted with music box parts (with soundclips available), "transformation" (scroll down to the beetles), or her magnificent machine-embossings and paper carvings in "illustration".

Visit her Etsy store here.

Ooo, she just makes me want to head home and create all kinds of new things! But alas, must attend to the work at hand.

A Special Dedication

2009-07-08T06:15:00.000-07:00

Percy secretly called during my little hiatus a couple weeks back and I quietly mounted up for a ride. Sometimes deadlines for other work must be put off for things of the heart. I created these as a gift for my parents, who have been tremendously supportive to my husband and I recently.

The Harpist

My mother is a wonderful pianist, runs her own piano studio, occasionally composes sweetly yearning pieces, AND owns a lovely Andean folk harp she acquired while we lived in Ecuador. She only had a few lessons on it before the rest of life took over and the harp was put to slumber prettily in our living room corner. I hope that someday she will take it up again. The harp in this silhouette is modeled - loosely - after hers.

The Harpmaker

My father tunes pianos for a little extra income. As the provider of my mother's pianos, and mechanic to them, he inspired me to create a harpmaker. This piece was quite a challenge to compose. I decided to use an ancient Egyptian harp as the basis for the composition so that I could keep everything oriented horizontally - the Egyptian harp lends itself to horizontal lines because it is visually heavier at the bottom, unlike more contemporary harp shapes. Every time I sketched in a contemporary harp on it's side the composition felt awkward and overly complicated. I also like that it is in keeping with the general theme of ancient art that inspires most of my silhouettes.

I have plans for a new take on my silhouettes when I create a piece inspired by my Grandmother. But these will have to wait until I get back to and meet my current deadlines for commissions, etc.

Thanks for peeping in again! Have a lovely week!

La muse s'appelle . . .

2009-07-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

Persephone - "Percy" for short. For many reasons - which Wikipedia lays out much more concisely than I ever will.

Here's my favorite reason to call her this: Plato calls her Pherepapha (Φερέπαφα) in his Cratylus, "because she is wise and touches that which is in motion".

Thanks again for all your suggestions!

Here's the embossing I created for the winner of the drawing, Renee. The actual figuring in the peice is probably no more than two inches wide, which made her face a bit of a challenge - it's only a few sixteenths of an inch! Overall size is about 3"x4".

Discoveries

2009-07-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

How many times have you wished for an undiscovered manuscript, composition, or painting by your favorite dead artist to magically be unearthed?

Well, I've had several little "unearthings" this week: two by one of my favorite Fin de Siècle illustrators, Kay Nielsen, and one of my own sketches.

I'm assuming these Nielsen illustrations have been known to others much longer than to me but this steals none of the magic from my own emotions upon finding them on the web.

I found these via Golden Age Comic Book Stories, which has wonderful, wonderful images from many classic children's book illustrators, comic books, and pulp fiction.

As to my own lost sketch:

Today I send "The Embroiderer" off to a new home. As I turned her over to inspect, voila! there on the back of the Bristol is a light sketch of some lanky, ornately encrusted, medieval princess I did while working up roughs for The Embroiderer. The ink from the finished piece on the other side seeps through so that the sketch is not very discernible; it did not photograph or scan well enough to post. But what a fun remembrance for me and what a nice "extra" for the new owner!

Next post, you will finally discover my muse's new name and I'll post pics of the prize I created for Renee. So come peep in again soon!

Feeling like a Color Goddess

2009-06-30T12:54:00.000-07:00

So things are struggling along but today I felt I had the energy to work a little on some commissions and therefore decided to post a little something just to remember my muse (name to be announced soon) is still alive and kicking even if I'm feeling a little like death-warmed-over.

Go check out Colourlovers.com if you have some free time. Too much fun!

Color by COLOURlovers

Color by COLOURlovers

Color by COLOURlovers

Sadness . . .

2009-06-22T10:19:00.000-07:00

I had plans for several posts that have not been realized due to some private matters. Please have patience with me as I navigate some new emotional waters. I hope to be back soon with some progress updates on work and other new and interesting ephemera to share.

Theo Jansen

2009-06-16T05:10:00.000-07:00

Theo Jansen is one of my favorite artists of all time. Two years ago, while living in southern Vermont, a friend took me on a day trip to the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA). (It's strangely situated in the middle of Nowhere, Massachusetts but it is worth every minute of the long journey.) I saw this stunning creature there.

I have been obsessed ever since. The graceful, skeletal forms, monochromatic palette, simple and melodious engineering - they take my breath away.

Because there is so much out there on Jansen and his work, I'm going to link to a fellow blogger who compiled a pretty concise and comprehensive list of images and videos.

I want a strandbeest for a pet.

Tomorrow, another of my favorite artists . . .

The winner of the personalized embossing is . . .

2009-06-16T04:40:00.000-07:00

Renee! (Sorry I took so long posting your winning - husband had to monopolize the computer last night. Please don't hold it against him - he was working on his Graduate paper.) Send me an email here with your mailing address. I'm hoping to create a little Bosch-esque mermaid for you - let's talk about how I can personalize it for you!

The Garden of Earthly Delights - Detail, center panel. Hieronymus Bosch

Congratulations, Renee! And thank you for being a part of the naming process.

Apologies

2009-06-15T08:58:00.001-07:00

I'm so sorry some of you are having trouble posting your comments. I don't know how to correct the problem as I have done everything on my end to make it as easy as possible. I will be posting comments for some who have contacted me directly and will enter you in the drawing.

Seven Sacraments, Roger Van der Wayden

Again, my apologies!

Naming the Muse: An Embossing Give-Away!

2009-06-04T06:25:00.001-07:00

I would like to invite you to participate in a very important decision: a name for my muse. To honor this sacred event (a little snickering as I type that) I'm going to do my first give-away. The prize will be a 4"x4" embossing which I will create for the winner.

To participate, please make your name suggestion by commenting on this post. A little exposition on meaning or why you think it's the perfect name would be welcome.

*Gentle Facebook Readers, please go directly to the blog to comment if you would like to be entered in the drawing. (Click on the title and you should be taken directly to this post.) Facebook comments will not be entered in the drawing for the prize but the names suggested will certainly be considered for the muse.

The winner of the personalized embossing will be randomly selected from all comments that suggest a new name. So the more new and original recommendations you make, the better your chance of winning. Comments about an already suggested name will not be counted. Comments must be received by 5:00 am EST, Monday, June 15th. The contest winner will be announced later that day. Whoever wins must then contact me about your embossing within 48 hours. If I do not hear from the first winner, another name will be drawn. Instructions for contacting me will be on the post announcing the winner.

As to the name I actually choose for my muse . . . wait on. I see another give-away in my future.

Now, for your consideration - this muse's characteristics:
Willful, deeply loyal and oddly fearless but very slothful, insanely fun to ride, wiry, aloof, illusive, distracted, mercurial, original but not witty, vaguely annoying but deeply endearing

A Bit o' Thanks

2009-06-02T05:55:00.000-07:00

. . . to Nothing Elegant for including me in her post Things You Never Knew You Needed Until Now... Tara is one of my favorite style bloggers. If you're into a mesclun of whimsy, fairytale, and retro tossed with a dash of the macabre you'll enjoy Nothing Elegant.

She also sells neat vintage apparel, shoes, and accessories in her Etsy store, A Single Charm Vintage.

Returned and Reconciling . . .

2009-06-01T08:09:00.001-07:00

I've actually been back in my sweet Falls Church home for a few days but was so exhausted (from trekking all over Atlanta to see old friends) that I have had to spend these few days recovering. Now I'm ready to start back to creating. My muse and I are not exactly reconciled - I suspect she's just repressing - but no matter, that's her problem. We are speaking and co-habitating again . . . the rest will come. It helped immensely that our last customer was overwhelmingly delighted with her little felt dragon. My muse is a praise-monger - to a fault.

One thing we are agreed on is that calling her "my muse" is getting tiresome. I hope to include my wee list of followers in the naming process shortly so be watching for an upcoming post on this. It will include a special treat.

In other news, inspiring me today:

Laberinto en la Guitarra by Ensamble Continuo

My mother's Ecuadorian folk harp - I am missing my family today. (OK, I think it's actually a Paraguayan folk harp. But she bought it and learned to play on it while we lived in Ecuador so it is erroneously burned in my brain as "Ecuadorian.") She rarely touches it now, being busy with her piano studio.

I am also missing my Andes Mountains today. Specifically Pichincha - though not the most beautiful of Ecuador's stunning volcanoes, it was Pichincha's craggy, gloomy slopes to which I awoke every morning for many years as a child. I remember vividly - down to temperature and smell - trooping through the wind, clouds,and/or intense sunlight that crowned its head.

The Disagreement

2009-05-15T05:47:00.001-07:00

Kay Nielsen

So my muse and I are having a row. She's got all these wonderful ideas she wants to pursue. I, on the other hand, have some commissions to complete before I leave on vacation next week. She is being very obstinate and refusing to help me with the commissions. In fact, she is slowing my work down by assaulting me with fabulous ideas I don't have time or energy to pursue. Don't know how long it will be before we're on speaking terms again. I'm going to whine a little now: why do I always have to be the "adult" in these situations? So wish I could just indulge her.

Medieval Meandering

2009-05-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law is on her way to Paris later this week and I'm so excited for her. I have yet to visit France but I have my list of "must-sees" ready for when the opportunity presents itself. On this list is the Musée de Cluny or Musée National du Moyen Age. The above well, located outside the museum, has been an inspiration in several of my artistic endeavors. Look here to see one of these.

If you'd like more information Sacred Destinations has wonderful images and clearly presented, concise, useful information.

Speaking of inspirations . . .

And here's another fairytale-ish element that's becoming a go-to inspiration. Look for it in up-coming posts.

Mozart + Reiniger = Delightful

2009-05-07T05:45:00.000-07:00

The color-palette of this lovely Lotte Reiniger film is delightful. To see more about how she created her wonderful paper-cut animations, see "Escapism" in the bottom margin of this blog.

In Between

2009-05-05T06:23:00.000-07:00

In between illustration commissions and Etsy orders I've been stitching away at my own version of an embroidery sampler: my own rendering of "Death and the Maiden." I plan to work in every kind of stitch, floss, ribbon I can find and learn. (Needle'n Thread has a wonderful video library of how to perform many different stitches.) I am obsessed with white-on-white in most things I do; finding this obsession quite a cleanliness-challenge - I'm not succeeding at present.

I learned many of these techniques as a child but have only recently revisited this craft. I've found I love embroidering - so calming. Making lots of mistakes and stumbling upon little tricks now and then.

Fine artists are also taking this craft to a new level:

ELIN
http://elintm.blogspot.com/

Rosalind Wyatt

Jenny Hart

Animated Embroidery

"Everyone We Know . . . " Progress Report

2009-04-28T05:57:00.000-07:00

From House of Trouble

More work on my traveling project http://houseoftrouble.blogspot.com/2009/03/project-that-can-travel.html. The first image was done in pencil and the second in ink. Would love to hear your thoughts and ideas about what these mean in the comments below.

Louise Bourgeois at the Hirshhorn

2009-04-20T05:42:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we took a warm excursion to Union Station, the Hirshhorn, and the movies: Union Station was grand and graceful (and worth the trip despite the retail stores and the atrocious breakfast we had at a restaurant there), the movie was underwhelming . . . but the Hirshhorn, ahhh . . . the Hirshhorn is now in my top five "favorite places in DC" list.

Louise Bourgeois is being exhibited at present.

I was overwhelmed by the emotional power of her installations - there is simply no way to do them justice in writing or pictures. If her work comes to a museum near you, you simply must go and commune with her work in person.

Louise Bourgeois: The Spider, The Mistress and The Tangerine - Look for it on youtube.com. Embedding not permitted.

"The Wind-Up Bird" Embossing

2009-04-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

I recently finished a wondrous read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami. It was loaned to me by a friend and I made this little "thank you" note to send back with the book.

Philotechnical

2009-04-16T05:39:00.000-07:00

From Philotechnical

The Spinner

From Philotechnical

The Weaver

From Philotechnical

The Embroiderer

"Philotechnical" means "love of the arts" and these ink silhouettes are my homage to Craft, beginning with the crafts nearest my heart. As a former costume designer and fashion illustrator, textiles are dear to me. I have a deep admiration for/fascination with the processes that bring textiles into being.

I was inspired to create these silhouettes after admiring some of my favorite papercut artists. Looking for subject matter to make this style my own, I decided to peruse the internet for ancient Greek red-figure pottery. The graceful, precise lines, fine details, and beautiful balance of positive and negative space on these vessels captured my imagination and the depiction of rituals, stories, and daily tasks started me down my creative path. So I also have some ambitions to make silhouettes of musicians, calligraphers, sculptors, cooks, and on and on . . .

The originals for "The Weaver" and "The Spinner" have already been sold but "The Embroiderer" is still available in my Etsy store, and I hope to have prints made of the others soon.

A Sketch for an Embossing

2009-04-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

Hope to emboss this soon for my wonderful husband - who inspired it.

Pleat-Love

2009-04-07T06:27:00.000-07:00

An out-of-the-blue illustration opportunity arose last week which is taking me away from my personal projects for now. It's a more "fashionista" job, referred to me by some fashion illustration clients from a few years ago - so I'm in a fashion-y mood. And when I'm in a fashion-y mood a few clothing elements dominate my favorites list. First of these is pleats. I love pleats. They must be handled with such skill and trained with utmost care and when they are treated with respect, perform amazing visual and tactile stunts.

Inside my disorder

2009-04-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

I have been fighting a losing battle with my ancient camera. Thanks to House of Trouble's modest revenues, however, I now have a shiny, new, tiny, awesome, RED camera on the way. I will soon begin posting progress on personal projects.

In the meantime, I've been wanting to post some original work; my last few posts have been just visual meanderings around the web. I needed something that would scan decently and thought my personal art journal might work nicely.

So here's a sampling of where my creative process starts. I was rather surprised, myself, at how much writing I do. I have to be careful about sketching ideas - I unwittingly end up doing the best version the first time I put it down and then can't recreate it satisfactorily in better materials. Too many of my favorite sketches are on the backs of bulletins and work memos. So I describe my ideas to myself in my journal.

I tried to cover up the most personal stuff, for my own sake. If you're afraid of TMI, may I suggest not zooming in.

Have a bizarre day!
Catherine

A Little Something to Make Your Day More Bizarre

2009-03-26T05:24:00.000-07:00

Found via one of my favorite blogs, Dark Roasted Blend and right in line with my general train of imaginary wanderings this week.

Animation Meditation

2009-03-24T08:19:00.000-07:00

I have been thwarted at every turn artistically this week. The congestion in my ear and head have conspired to keep me napping despite some very inspiring ideas. I find this ridiculously frustrating. Time for a little calming therapy. Enjoy "The Merry Circus" by papercut artist Jiri Trnka

2009-03-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

Already behind on posting . . . . I do have a legitimate excuse, though. Bit o' cold brought on by too many late nights with an old friend over the weekend. Some Etsy orders have been coming in this week - this a relief since I thought my shop had been entirely forgotten in cyberspace! Here's a few things I've been musing on this week; have been on a bit of a carnival-kick lately. Hope to post some updates on my work soon.

From top to bottom:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/12/photogalleries/sea-animals/photo5.html
http://www.madphotoworld.com/2008/04/circus-arena-at-night.html
http://www.anthropologie.com/ - gladiator bird, raven
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sfduggan/62199231/

A Project That Can Travel

2009-03-06T06:13:00.000-08:00

This originally began as a piece to submit to The Sketchbook Project http://www.arthousecoop.com/events/5-the-sketchbook-project. Essentially, Art House Cooperative sent each participating artist a tiny moleskin sketchbook, a theme and some very minimal boundaries, and in return the artists made artwork out of the sketchbooks and submitted them to the show to tour around the country. I didn't make the deadline for submission and rather regret it. We won't get into my lack of discipline today.

The up-side is that this is the perfect purse-size project. It is more focused than my art-journal (another sketchbook I tend to keep with me at all times) but less bulky. I'm sticking to silhouettes and drawings in ink, embossings and paper embroidering. So, depending on the page I'm completing, I can throw in either my pigment pens, my embroidery floss and needle, or my mini embossing tools.

At present, I'm only working on silhouettes so it's my pigment pens going for a ride in the purse. I'm not as big a fan of these Staedtler pens as I am of Pigma Micron pens, but these came in a nifty case. I'm a sucker for nifty cases.

The theme for the show was "Everyone we know . . . " Here's a sampling of the parts I've finished or begun. More pics posted as I fill more of the book. Would love to hear your thoughts on them.

Thanks for rambling by!

Adventures in Daydreaming

2009-03-04T11:34:00.000-08:00

Alexander McQueen from 2006, some lovely hand-tooled book covers, and a wonderfully mono-chromatic medieval illumination. These are the elements inspiring me this week.

Making an impression . . .

2009-02-27T09:24:00.000-08:00

How to make a striking and memorable impression with my first blog post? Hmmm. How about taking that a little more literally?

I'm currently in the throws of remaking my store front on Etsy and attempting to actually execute a few art projects I've had on my heart for some time now. It has me in a very happy-hap-hazard way. Despite the erratic way in which I've been working, there are a few results and I've posted the beginnings here for you.

So, back to literal impressions - these are paper embossings I've been doing by hand on light-weight, cotton-rag paper, using tin-embossing tools. I'm loving the way these turn out! However, I cannot use my right hand for the rest of the day after completing one. This is a bit inconvenient. I'm going to try an even lighter weight paper on the next one. If this does not solve the hand-ache problem, I'm hoping that practice will strengthen my hand muscles. (I'm a notoriously light-touch when drawing - art profs used to yell at me to "press down".) Either way I don't intend to stop doing them.

As to what these embossings are - initially, I was going to name my shop "Efemera". That didn't really work; somehow it brings up visions of libraries. I love libraries, but that's not what my art is all about. And the lettering style is a bit more "Ren Faire" than I intended. I'm not a very focused artist. My creative productivity manifests itself rather inconsistently and my inspirations tend to be incoherent. Simply put, my "muse" suffers from attention deficit disorder. She needs therapy. "House of Trouble" surfaced while I was looking at old carnival and sanatorium images on Google. And there it is.

The centauress is what I imagine my muse would look like if she appeared in bodily form. Mythical, strong, and a little, well, bizarre, but not unfriendly. I intend to Photoshop her into the "House of Trouble" lettering to create a banner/logo for my store. We'll see how that goes.

Other plans include creating a stamp or embosser with the logo for creating hangtags, letterhead, and other such nonsense. I will be impressed if any of those materialize - maybe your watching my progress on this blog will inspire me to more responsible execution. Please keep an eye on me!

Cheers,
Catherine