papermaking and new prints

i've been working on some new prints in my etsy

june bug print...surprisingly, people like the idea of having insects on their couches
who knew?

i think i'd like to try a matryoshka doll print that i could do to bring in more color to the shop...maybe even do a 2-color linocut? red and oranges, blues and greens.

maybe a wolf print too. i like wolves.

we gave away our family dog today...it happened very quickly within a few hours of posting her. my parents can't keep her anymore because they're retiring and moving south and traveling half the year.

i've been lab monitoring in the papermaking studio at central michigan this semester in exchange for being able to sit in and learn during classes.

i make pulp.

i clean.

it's addicting.

now i have to think of a way to take advantage of the resources...what to make, what to make. i've put off my pojagi idea from earlier because i couldn't think of a good way to tackle it and execute it successfully. it'll be on the backburner for a while.

i was thinking of making some sort of natural object with paper as a sculpture. the paper looks so skin-like and it is organic so it just seems to want to become some sort of really ugly-beautiful form. i first thought of small insects made of organic material like twigs or wool as innards and paper as the shell, and tacking them up on the wall in rows like you'd see with tiny pins in a biology room or museum, but i don't have an explanation for why i'd be making it which is somewhat acceptable but it's still important to be able to talk about your work at least a little bit...i'll have to think that one through.

here is something i liked but its completely unrelated to anything i'm thinking of doing. i just liked it when i was searching for related objects on google.
there aren't any images to show that are similar to what i was thinking of making when i type in all combinations of "paper cocoon fiber art" or "handmade paper sculpture", etc...i thought google was supposed to have everything.

i dont get it.

mirrors, lavender, jobs

admittedly and ashamedly, i have been neglecting etsy and blogspot. since the beginning of august i have done a few other things.

here is a photo of a mirror i've been making for a friend

it is a recreation of a frame from lavilleframes.com, and ironically as their frames are made from reclaimed wood from architectural sites, so is mine. i got the wood from my father-in-law who works in construction, painted and antiqued, and am still assembling. i am curious to see how much it is going to cost to ship as it is incredibly heavy...i can barely lift it alone because it is also pretty wide.
made some new lavender sachets with a maple pod print which are yet to be listed. i should really get on that.
im also trying to get a new temporary but preferably full-time job. and no it will not be an art-related position, sadly.

SO.
chicago!
we loved,
visiting our friend jon
eating...a lot.
cousin's wedding at a great place called salvage one

and then i camped a few times

@ orange, husband, rosemary french toast, ...chopsticks?

salvage one, or heaven on earth.
market days. GLBT fun! saw some fellow etsians there

next up, i'm thinking of some new designs...a big beetle print maybe? could look interesting with linocut.
and i have also been getting the urge to reclaim furniture, but i have had this ambition before and it ended up with me buying really hideous furniture pieces that weren't worth reclaiming and a few yards of never-used cloth that eventually outgrew my taste anyway. but i could probably go as far as spraypainting some chairs. they're not worth anything to me and we don't use them, so if i mess up with that they'll get tossed.

fin.

pojagi :
Pojagi, or Korean wrapping cloths, have been made for centuries. They serve to cover, wrap, store, and carry objects in the common activities of daily life. Historically, they were made of small pieces of fabric that had been salvaged from clothing or other textiles.

i have been thinking about what i should be doing to keep my options open for grad schools. the expected work you should be producing for an MFA is completely different from etsy crafting so i need to be doing both at the same time. etsy for relaxation and stress relief; creating work for shows for my future well being.

i came across some beautiful pojagi "korean patchwork" today. Click that link; it has a great informative website! so interesting!

i had never heard of it and don't know enough about it yet but im so interested in it for its transparent qualities, textured appearance, physicality, and organic qualities that remind me of paper or a part of your body.

these are pojagi shoes by (female!) Korean fiber artist Cheunghie Lee...



at first i only saw photos of flat, traditionally functional pojagi, but this is an interesting use of technique. it appeals to me because it combines the technique of hand sewn, whip-stitched ramie cloth with the concept of a three-dimensional object.

i'm not sure how i would employ this technique myself yet because i haven't thought enough about what exactly draws me to it and what i want to portray with it...

what shape will it take? where will it be placed or how is it installed? what colors, if any? how traditional should i go with it? should i feel obligated to hand stitch...is it about process and time for me or will it be about something else like community/individuals as a whole?

here more traditional look for pojagi



and, come to think of it, i have seen korean patchwork frequently throughout my childhood as well as when i went there with items such as these traditional bags seen on this site

some books on my search list :
Rapt in Colour
Wrappings of Happiness/Korean Art : A Traditional Korean Art Form

i'd love to buy them but i guess i should hold on to my money and loan them instead : /

im in savannah, y'all! my shop has still been open and active because luckily i have a husband back at home taking care of shipping orders!

i visited parents, ate at Lady & Son's and the Crab Shack, went to Tybee beach, checked out the Savannah College of Art and Design. i had applied, been accepted, and received a scholarship there for undergrad but now that im in the market for grad schools i thought i'd revisit it. im very enticed by their online programs that are available for painting majors. you can complete your entire M.F.A. online and must come to SCAD 3 times during that time for 5 weeks each. it would take longer than if you lived in savannah/atlanta, but you would be able to work from anywhere and maintain a job at the same time. i am also interested in virginia commonwealth, ohio state, and i will look into more public schools because they might be more in our price range...

while downtown i went to a beautiful french boutique, Paris Market & Brocante, and loved their vintage goods!! if i were rich i would buy everything! their website didn't work for me, so that is their blog link i believe. i particularly like the bulk lavender in an antique sink, vintage printing blocks (food for my inner printmaker), and entire complete sets of decorative and curiosity items such as a case full of optometrist lenses (600.00), and wood farm tables or wooden x-ray tables.



they had a table full of vintage silverware and mix-and-match china that i would have loved to snatch. and not horribly expensive prices for those types of items in my opinion. inspiration for my next prints.

its been a good week! had a few sales last night which is nice to wake up to, got literally every single one of my vintage jewelry supplies i ordered today, am going to be on seriouseats.com i believe, and was featured again on the front page for one of my illustrations!

coffee time, tiramisu time, relaxation and jewelry making!

made my first tiramisu from scratch and it was delicious if i say so myself. i'll post my recipe soon for ladyfingers and dessert

new prints! skeleton keys

i found some grain sacks made out of soft cotton at a used furniture store of all things. i think i'll go buy a few more on my way back to grand rapids tomorrow but i only had just enough cash on me for one large one. its beautiful and has very few stains so i should be able to make several pillows from it depending how large i want them.

an example of my linen flower "bib" necklaces
handmade linen rosettes with frayed unfinished edges

still have to attach chain
it will be vintage copper and i will make some with ribbon


coiling in black wool on the back


will possibly make some bridal designs with vintage satin instead of wool

i found a designer missrubysue with very similar items by searching "rosette necklace" on etsy. the differences is materials and she's using beading which i probably will not be. im a little surprised how few people are making these kinds of pieces just because i thought there would be so many



i love these enameled chains i found from bonkerforbeads and want to buy some soon but bought so many jewelry items lately i feel like i should wait at least a week...

tomorrow I go to the saginaw museum to install my work in a show...finally! i cant stand having all my installation things in the kitchen. we need more space just to house my work and its just been sitting around taking up a massive amount of space in our tiny tiny house. that'll give me at least a few months to not have to think where to put it all!