The End of the Story

Here is the compilation of work made during the doll class at Arrowmont.  We all enjoyed watching the ideas come to life throughout the week, each person having their own, if not flexible, idea of what a doll is.

My last piece created was a flying pig.  I have wanted to make one of these for a while, but other ideas have had a stronger pull at the time.  Knowing I needed to start with the base, this determines the overall size, I was off to the tobacco shop to get a cigar box.  With limited choices, I chose a larger wooden box and headed back to campus.  Arrowmont's campus sets off of the main strip of a small tourist town nestled at the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains.  So as I walked back, a couple of shops caught my eye for a quick wander.  In one of these, I found the perfect colorful box for the base on the sale table, score.  I will put the cigar box back for another adventure. ( I now own a metal Bigfoot lunchbox from the second store, yea)

After sizing the body to fit the box, I worked on sculpting the head.  Sculpting is not one of the techniques I have worked with previously, but with the two classes this year I am a tiny bit more comfortable.  As I worked, the critter did not look much like a pig, resembling more a snub nosed alligator.  It was not until I added the ears that he started to come into his own.  Using a dowel to attach the head to the body, and the stubby legs with small eye hooks, purple paint was added to make him joyful.  I had hoped to have more movement with the legs but alas they do not have much wiggle.  I attribute this to the fact that I made the pig fly opposite from everybody else.  Upon looking, after the fact, at how others fly, their internal mechanics make the pig moves up and down, where as with mine, the pig is stable and the wings flap.  Yep, mine is special.

Again it was another special week.  I so enjoy learning and being with others who may, but usually do not have the same insight, direction, vision, passion for a particular craft, history, etc as I.  This opens up the world in unexpectedly wonderful ways.

A side note:  This post was written months ago.  Due to the complications of the world at this moment in time, I have not had the mental ability to share my thoughts.  Being stressed and overwhelmed has had an impact but limiting news and finding my positive voice has been a healing path.  Oh, and crocheting.  Apparently this is my go to during a pandemic.  That yarn stash I have been working on all these years is what has kept me sane.

I hope this finds you both physically and mentally well.
Peace,
Hilari

Nalbinding and Needle Making

I love YouTube.  I watch it most nights before bed, falling down endless rabbit holes of arts/crafts, virtual museum tours, cat videos, and several live cam regulars.  I have a barn full of sheep who have put me to sleep several nights.  On one of my nightly romps through the world of yarn manipulation I found something called Nalbinding.  What is this you ask...It is Viking Knitting, a form of knot making, the precursor to modern crochet and knitting as we know it.  I could try to explain it, actually I did try but it was a convoluted mess, so you would be better off to Google it.  I am always up for a new challenge, artfully speaking, and knowing I had a wooden needle from my rug making moment, I was ready to give it a go.  After a couple of somewhat uneventful tries, I decided that my rug needle (which would never be used for a rug application again) was too wide for this purpose so off to the workshop I went for modification.  With a bit of sanding a better shape was produced, but I ended up using a plastic darning needle instead.  (I have since watch a video on how to make my own wooden needle and will try this if I continue with Nalbinding)  A few more attempts showed some improvement, so I went to my ends stash and grabbed some chunky weight yarn knowing this would cover a multitude of sins.  Having seen ALL the videos and the end products being round...mittens, cowls, slippers, purses, it never occurred to me that Nalbinding was not used for flat items and this was confirmed the more I looked into it. To go along with this, there are no real patterns because your actual thumb is the gauge and each thumb is different so you get only general directions.  With a bit of resilience and a some crochet know how, I was able to create a flat piece which wraps around the neck and is held together with a handmade copper clasp.  Now that we are into Spring, I will have a new beauty to wear in the Fall.

Art/Craft books are one of my addictions and I have been feeding it for many years.  Some I have used as reference but mostly I have just looked at the lovely photographs and dreamed of when I would take the time to actually study them, taking notes and applying the information. With our home business being client based, we travel to homes and businesses, we have quickly been affected by the current state of things.   Our city's major hospital, assisted livings and some small businesses have asked us to refrain from coming by at this crucial time.  Having this extra time available may just give me the opportunity to enjoy these in a more in depth manner.  Or I will clean the closets throughout the house.   We have lived in our home for 27 years and I am sure that at least one could benefit from a deep clean.

Last night on YouTube I came across Krokning,  Again, what is that!?!  It is the Swedish word for Tunisian Crochet, something I have never done.  Grabbing a yummy roll of thin yarn and a crochet hook, I was able to get the rhythm of the stitches even though the style of hook was incorrect.  For this kind of work you need a long straight needle, like ones used for knitting except with a hook on one end.  This I do not have, so I am going to take a shot at making one out of a dowel.  I may even have a book in my stash that could help with this.

I am off to continue reading Creative Illustration Workshop for Mixed Media Artist.  This one I bought just for the art work, I normally do not work in 2-d.  It is whimsical and has a freedom to it, and the text shares her creative process and techniques used.

Check in with those you love and be sure to give yourself some love too.
Hilari

The Story Continues

And the story continues...

This is the second piece I completed during doll class.  Because we did not have a specific direction,  ex: make a clown,  there were no requirements to fulfill.  After the initial introduction to the process it was up to us to create.  My starting off point was the metal box containing book pages.  BFF is always on the lookout for interesting items and the box came from her.  At one point I took a torch to it to see what would happen, with the end result being that the paint was removed and leaving it a nice gray color.  I worked the body of the bird around the box which determined the size.  Through slides and handouts the class was introduced to many makers in the doll maker realm and the idea of the bird was loosely adapted from this information.  Where the body base is newspaper, the head is solid clay.  Our class was stationed next to the pottery building so we had access to the heat box, which is a large wooden, shelved box with heaters enclosed.  Everyone in the class made many, many trips, waiting not so patiently for our pieces to dry.  Without access to the heat box we would not have had the ability to complete more than one piece.

The nesting material , dyed wool, used in the bird cage atop the head, was found in the grass near the fiber building.  It was something I did not know I needed but was ideal for this application.

Digging around in my stash I found what I thought was the perfect item for his leg.  It had a nice height and a flat base for the "foot".  Body completed, head attached, hole drilled for metal rod placement...dry run...and it quickly toppled over.  Weight distribution off.  No matter how I adjusted the head, it was not going to stand on its foot. ( Not to mention that the round disc had a pretty good amount of play seeing how it was a wheel in its former live...hum, we will deal with that later...) The base had to be wider.  I headed over to the wood shop to dig around in their trash pile but no luck.  I popped my head in the bowl turning class and was greeted with enthusiasm when I explained my dilemma.  There were 3 lovely gentlemen who discussed, drilled, stained, and glued the wheel tight to get my bird standing tall.  It was a joyful moment, people working together for no other reason than to create.  When I look at this piece I think of them and smile.

Our winter has been dreary, full of cloudy days and rain, but March is just around the corner and with it sun and warmth.  Both my body and creativity will welcome the positive shift.  Until then I will just settle into my nest with some yarn, staying cozy.

Peace,
Hilari

Marionette Mayhem

Hello New Year, it is nice to meet you.  As I mentioned in my last post, our lives got ramped up in October and went strong passed the New Year.  In that busyness there was a lot of family, a bit of sickness, a craft show (a bomb, but now have stock at the ready),  a trip to Arrowmont, parade watching, and a week entertaining our granddaughter over her Christmas break.  So yes, even though our time was well spent, welcome New Year and the peace you bring.

As I was leaving Arrowmont at the end of my class in the spring, Ms. Rebecca told me to be sure and apply for a Fall Scholarship.  Having just spent 2 weeks away from work and home, I was not so sure if that was a good idea but Husband just smiled and said that it was worth a shot.  Little did we know that I would receive a class, including full room and board.  What a wonderful surprise!!  My chosen class was doll making using air dry clay and found objects.  It was very similar to my earlier class but instead of carving the figure, you start with a base of newspaper sealed in masking tape and covered in clay, adding in the details.  Once again, having packed my supply cart to the hilt, I had plenty of items to choose from to create my "doll".  Knowing that movement makes me happy, I had, in my mind, a picture of a marionette playing with his marionette.  The above picture shows the outcome.  The smaller marionette jumps and bounces around when the arm on the larger figure is moved.  I used a bit of wire and a lever action to do this.  The figure is made with springs, a clamp thing holding a nail for his tie, and he sits on a bench created with a door handle and an old hinge gifted from my BFF.  If I had a desk job he would sit proudly next to my work space and I would play with him all the time.

I have been extremely lucky with the ability to stay with BFF or Mother-in-Law to make these trips affordable.  This was the first time I have had the opportunity to stay on campus and it was wonderful.  I had a room to myself and was able to decompress from the ways of the real world.  I cannot say enough about how grateful I am to Arrowmont for their generosity and to my husband for supporting my creative learning.

I have my next class picked out and with it I will be returning to the wood shop. It is called Sculptural Woodworking and Experimental Techniques.  Sounds fun, does it not?!  It is in May and I have made my reservations with Mother-in-Law.  Yippee!

I have loaded a short video of the piece to my Skinny Dipper Designs facebook page if you are interested in seeing how he works.

Time for supper of butter noodles and chicken, yum!
Peace,
Hilari

Come Out and Play

In a long ago post I mentioned a piece that had some technical issues which needed to be addressed.  Using a shelf mocker box with corresponding mocking ceramic head and arms, I worked this piece until the stumbling block of how to attach the hands to the wire mechanical movement came into play.  And there it sat...for months.  I knew I had to get past the blue painters tape, the arms were falling off by this point.  Having tried to drill a tiny hole through the arm, nope, then simply wrapping wire around the arm, again nope, it was time to try 2 part epoxy.  I felt this was the last resort because if I mess up the mixing process or attach the hands in the wrong position, or as in the past, have the piece shift while drying becoming non functional, having only one set of hands kept me from moving forward.  As you can see I had some reservations.  As it often happens, the piece spoke and I heard the lady in the box whisperer that it was time, she was ready to come out and play.  I dug the epoxy out of the bottom of my stash and made my plan.  The wire to attach the arms were sticking out of the appointed holes ready to be cut to length, the first commitment to make me sweat, next was filling, but not over filling the minute hole in the arm, and lastly finding a way to have the epoxy set in the correct position while hanging in open space, really sweating now.  Each step attended to, now to wait.  

With a large bit of trepidation I removed the stabilizers and gently spun the handle.  The arms stayed in place and they move as envisioned.  Whooo!  She is just the perfect mix of whimsy and weird.  Her arms swivel in and out with a bit of up and down making it gloriously creepy.   The arms "click" against the wood adding another layer of depth to the piece.   I hate that I waited so long to man up and use the epoxy.  I still think I will always sweat a bit when I use it though.

Yesterday was the wedding of my Godchild and his lovely wife.  The love shared was a great reminder to hold hands with the ones you love. This marks the beginning of our busy season sharing time with family and friends.  Hugging grandbabies, soccer games,  Arrowmont, holidays, I even entered us in a 1 day craft fair just to keep us on our toes.  The new year will be here before we know it.  Enjoy all that is brought your way.

Time for Sunday brunch and the news paper... yep, we are old school.

Peace,

Hilari

Things, They Are A Changin'

Having been an only child in our work shop, it has been quite the shock having to share the space with Husband recently.  He has found his voice in the art world with acrylic pouring.  The Saturday after my lengthy trip to Arrowmont I decided to skip my KBAG meeting, which I rarely do.   First, I was tired and second,  Mrs. Scharon was teaching the fundamentals of acrylic pouring and my body can no longer tolerate being around paint fumes of any kind.  Sometimes this is a blessing...Sorry, Dear, I can't help paint the living room...but mostly it keeps me very vigilant when I am creating with anything that generates an off gas: torching, painting, gluing, etc..  I have had to change course many times to complete a project due to this, but I digress.  In passing I let Husband know my plans, or lack of, and he said that he was interested in going.  Wow, ok.  I introduced pouring to him via YouTube a few weeks prior but had no idea that it piqued his interest.  So off we went and he has been going strong ever since.  He has even taken a one on one class with Mrs. Scharon so he could learn more.  He now has a nice stash of paints, pouring medium and canvases.  He is the first to look at the art store fliers in the Sunday paper.  He is making some beautiful and interesting work and I am always excited for the end result.  Since I cannot be in the shop while he is working I get to be surprised by what colors were chosen and how they mingled together.

Lately I have been working with copper and patina.  The cutting and manipulation of the metal is very satisfying but carefully opening up the ammonia container and being surprised with the outcome is where the joy comes in.  Much like with Husband's pours, I never know what that will be...very blue, some blue with copper accents or just dark and bland.  The blues are organic and beautiful, the dark and bland not so much, but they can be cleaned and reintroduced to the ammonia with hopefully a better result.

Next I would like to learn how to enamel on copper.  Arrowmont offers classes on this and I would love to participate but having had a reaction to a room full of people using torches, I know it is not possible.  Thank goodness for YouTube because I can see the process and go at my own pace.  Now I just have to pull the trigger and buy supplies for another project.  Maybe if I call it an addition to this metalworking project I can justify it.  

I must be off to put on my orange and gather my crochet so I can be ready root for my hometown college team.  Last week's loss was hard to watch but we have high hopes for this game.  Happy Saturday!

Hilari

A Circut Tent and A Car Rotor

Arrowmont 2019 class blog 2:

With an idea of the class direction expected, I made a prototype of a circus tent out of a box and wire using a door peep hole to peek through.  I knew with this in hand I would be better able to explain my vison.  I tolled the week prior, having the piece ready and in working order with a couple of days to spare.  With my new 3 tiered, wheeled tool bag ( thanks Husband!!!) loaded to the brim and packed in the car, off we went, sadly leaving my project idea behind.  It is very difficult to explain to someone not introduced to my work what my intentions are:  I am going to make a circus tent, which when a crank is turned a juggler and 2 acrobats will move independently of each other inside said tent.  All of this is seen through the lens of a door peep hole attached to the wire ceiling.  Yep, I got the usual blank stare as this was being processed.  I told the teacher that I had made one and it would work. He did not look so sure.

I carved the tent, added the wire and proceeded to rust the piece. While this was going on I tinted some muslin a light red and blue for the tent top. I worked this fabric to death trying to get the shape to convey what I wanted.  It fought me at every turn.  Come to find out it was not the fabric, it was the wrong choice of color.  Digging in my stash I found this orange and gold stripe and all fell into place.  I did have to wear down the brightness and nap by using sandpaper, adding its own kind of rusty feel.

An after the fact addition was a set of tiny lights that circle the perimeter base inside the tent.  It gives off a warm glow and really sets off the performers as they dazzle the crowd.  The star is the lady in the ring who comes dangerously close to the razor blade as she swings about many gasps are heard during her death defying feat.

Out teacher had been asking around if there was any place to find free junk in the area.  He was directed to an abandoned shed close by and off he and some of the classmates went to gather.  One of the cool pieces shared was a 4 inch prism.  I quickly discarded the door peep hole idea and put the prism in its place.  Wow, it could not be more perfect., giving the viewer a dreamy look into the tent.

Mr. Gorman feels that the base of the piece is very important to the overall feel and that we should take this into consideration while constructing the parts.  I was very lucky to be going home between the 2 week class because I was able to fish around in my stash.  I unearthed a car rotor that was the perfect size and could hide the battery pack for the lights.  With the addition of a lazy Susan mechanism (Husband's idea) it all came together.  I added a balloon holding, unicycle rider to the back so there would be a point of interest while the piece was being turned.

All in all it came out very close to the original idea but with many improvements. I have another piece for another post.  Two weeks is a wonderful amount of time to create.

A recent weekend was spent in the warm comfort of family.  Our annual reunion lost some of its steam when our matriarch, Aunt Margaret, passed away a few years ago.  She was the driving force behind our gatherings.  This year we shared laughs and love at her homestead, which has been wonderfully restored by her son and his wife.  It was so special to be back sharing old memories and making new ones with the new generations coming along.  Cousin has next year and Husband and I are on the list to host the year after.  Sounds like we are back on track.

Wishing all a happy Sunday!
Hilari