Tiredness

Never could have imagined how exhausting it would be to graduate and be organising our exhibition at the same time..
Classes have officially finished today though, so i'm only just starting to catch up with editing photos from the past 2 weeks.

Better posts to come - once my eyelids are rested and my brain sleeps

P.S. thought news: have decided i wont be worrying about meticulously taking photos of past works, I'll take those as i go, and wont go out of my way to dig them up from wherever they may be. This means less stress, plus i get to show the blogworld my latest works, works i exhibited in our end of year graduates exhibition - huzzah

Forgotten Photos

Don't you just hate it when you forget to take a photo of your works in progress.. despite having brought your camera with you specifically for that purpose?

well i do.

haha

I think because our printmaking teacher Margaret was away today i must have become disoriented.. and it did take me ages to do everything.
Such nervousness! I had no Margaret to help with the setting up of the fume cabinet and pouring/setting out of acid - so i was obliged to do it all myself.
I didn't blow myself up so i consider it to have been a success
bonus - was able to etch my zinc plate (7 minutes in 8:1) clean it off, set up the water trough tray, put my paper in, set the press which was weirdly missing its blankets and acetate, so i had to find those and put them in. Also had to clean the glass i was going to put my ink onto - it was definitely NOT clean... and they are meant to be left CLEAN (grr)
had issues with the thickness of the ink, didn't mix in enough "easy wipe" had to re-ink my plate. couldn't find any Tarletan, had to make do with the yellow pages paper and tissue paper.
Printed twice, cleaned the plate, put the press to bed, cleaned my spot. Degreased my plate and put some more Hard Ground on it.. will be working more on it at home. and put away the acid.

man i wish i had taken photos.  i got more done than i thought i would, especially with there being no margaret.

Did have a bit of a scare though. I had finished etching my plate and was just walking around getting things and i felt like there was a burning spot on my arm!
ran over to the sink and washed my arm thoroughly and the burning sensation went away. Phew! first time i've had an acid scare like that.
I'm always worried about it though.. i mean.. its acid, pretty dangerous.

No wonder Artists in the past didnt really live very long.. all the toxins that were used

Bonus photos (because i dont like to have so much text and there be no pictures) of an etching i made in 2008

Reclaimed by the Sea, 2008



And that etching was the inspiration behind this Painting i did earlier this year, in my Painting with Traditional Media class, using the Fresco technique.

Sally (our teacher) mixed the plaster, and we applied it to small boards we had scored with blades so that the plaster could grip more firmly. we were encouraged to give the plaster texture, not to have it very smooth and plain.
then we painted with pigments.. plaster sucks it in = perma painting

Not Yet the Time to Panic

man it's getting pretty busy at school.

i'm feeling like i'm getting behind on my work, which is not good. not good at all. holidays are coming up, i'm betting they wont really be holidays, more like cramming days.

I leave you with a photo of one of my works completed last semester. edited to make it look more respectable

Envelope series

Went to an exhibition opening last Friday, the Marie Ellis OAM Prize for Drawing 2011.
was at Jugglers, in the Valley. Had never been there before so wasn't sure what to expect, but it turned out pretty well.
asked a staff member if i could take photos once i'd been there a little while.

Didn't get to take a photo of myself there though.. i would have felt like an idiot taking one of myself like all those photos you see nowadays, the ones at arms length, usually in clubs, taken by girls.
Lacked the courage to talk to any strangers to be able to ask them either.

the lady who made this piece won a prize, i cannot remember for sure what it was.. likely the Highly Commended though.

 

 

Really liked this one "Vortex".
so many lines, so well placed.
and such a bad photo of the label :(
Im thinking it must have been the black paint on the wall, it doesn't work well with photos with no flash.. and flash isn't a friend at exhibitions

Despite the glass, this photo turned out surprisingly well. Doesn't hide much of the actual drawing which is good because i was a fan.


Saw a guy with Blue Suede Shoes - Nearly made me laugh out loud

Managed to take a photo surreptitiously
felt like such a stalker :-S but it was too good an opportunity to miss


The crowds multiplied ferociously in the time i was there, which was really surprised at. who knew this thing got so much publicity. despite it being relatively small in he number of pieces it was showing.
Kicking myself for not snapping a photo of the winning entry.. oh well

Reference

More reference images
chosen for their beauty and as a source of inspiration

source: lovemaude's Shop on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/lovemaude?ref=pr_shop

source: JurgitaMi's Shop on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/JurgitaMi?ref=seller_info

source: nervoussystem's Shop on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/nervoussystem

source: Sarah Robin L's Shop on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/SarahRobinL?ref=seller_info

source: unknown

source: Winterberrycottage's shop on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/Winterberrycottage?ref=seller_info

Will have to continue this another time

also might have to do up another treasury if this keeps going on

 

Student Work Proposal

Artists/Students Name:

Abigail

Concept Words: 
Tall Ships, Ocean, Antique Maps (15th-18th century), Rigging, Cartography, Bearing Lines (North South East West etc.), Decorative Lines, Embroidery

Artists Statement: Being influenced by the sea, old 15th-18th century naval ships and antique maps of those eras, Abigail incorporates aspects of each to create a series of works that demonstrate her love of handmade, intricate detail and skillful workmanship.

Proposed Artwork Description: Will produce a series of 8-10 works, varied in size (maximum of  20 x 28"). Mixed Media of gouache or acrylic paint onto canvas and paper and embroidery thread.

Some pieces would be of the simpler background with thread as map lines, others would also include embroidered detail onto the map lines, also some would include shallow relief paper islands. The rest would be of the underwater seascape variety.The larger works are intended to be subdivided so that within one canvas or paper there are several smaller images.

 

Concept Images:

Antique Map includes many map lines of which i am interested in

Ship's Rigging viewed from below - intricate lines

Sand with water marks - Organic lines a reference for embroidered pieces

Matthew Cusick, reference for texture and variations in colour

Rich Colours reference

Reference to rich colours and combination of colours

organic embroidery, textured surface reference

Semester 1 2011 work, map lines with embroidered detail

Sem 1 2011 work in progress, underwater sea-scape

Sem 1 2011, shallow relief map

Installation Requirements:
Included below is an imagined final layout of the artworks. Paper works are to be framed and both they and canvas works to have D hooks and hung on wall space

palette colours

playing around with my embroidery threads i thought of doing this:

my palette being full of thread instead of paint doesnt look bad. :)

Soothe

In other News - I just created my first ever Etsy Treasury!

how exciting

Taking Care of Business part I

I have been at Tafe studying the Arty stuff since 2007, and it's time to organise myself and take care of what i havent done. (more procrastination)

SO, taking photos of all my works i have made since i started is step 1
editing those photos is step 2
posting those photos is step 3

then i will have a proper record of what i have created and will be able to see the progress i have made since the beginning

I know i have  - progressed that is.
I think i'm at the point where i have been wanting to be for a long time. Where I have wiggled into my own niche and am making things that are suited to me and starting my own style of arty things (finally! huzzah!)

unfortunately now i am going to have to go through all my junk backlog to be able to take photos of the stuff i don't already have photos of.

Piles of papers and cardboard folders await me

-__-

Hopefully i still have it all...

actually.. i know i already painted over one canvas so i won't be able to show that one

it was just a modified Frida Kahlo piece though... nothing too serious

still a shame though...

Time Lost

No Idea what happened for the rest of 2010... Life..

2011 came and i prepared myself for my first semester of my last year at School.

Art Journals purchased from the Art Shed after they recovered from the Flood

That Flood was in January - half a year already gone

along with my first semester

Getting a head start during these mid-year holidays though - don't want to be rushing through the nights making heaps of things procrastinating as usual (i wasn't as bad as i usually am though, which is good, i am improving)

Have found that without a deadline it is a lot less exciting and interesting

I must live for the rush

maybe that's why i loved February Frenzy so much..heh

Was crocheting while i was sick at the beginning of my holidays - an intense 3-day session, but came to a halt when my left hand muscles were hurting too much to continue comfortably

the fruits of my labour:

only half cooked... and its yet another project, but i have 3 years to get it all done.. as well as my crochet squares afghan quilt thing from before.

+++

HEY.. forgot.. i also made another ipod pouch for JP, he seems to be thrilled with it since now he can press the play button through the pouch easily and not have to be pulling it out all the time

Old:

not as manly, but it grew on him over the months. Too thick to press through, but shockproof in case of clumsiness. small button and loop closure - not the best idea for the big man hands

New:

Manly and with loop to facilitate a quick grab and pull out of a pocket. Not as shockproof but as indicated by JP, can leave it on and press through yarn to play ipod

School is OUT

Fun is IN

bring on the crafts/arts

(finally!)

never again will i have to endure art history, you can't fathom how releived i am. its over. its finished.. i can concentrate on practical now! Yessssssssssss

Updates: no crochet news. it's become a bit too warm for me to be able to get into the mood for it anymore. So my attention has been refocused onto Jewellery

no new pieces made yet. but i have a drawing i made for my website class, one of my girls ^_^

an explosion of crochet matter

First thing's first. The Baby Blocks block, the one that was too narrow, i made up an extra column and attached it to the main. i put it off, but it did get done

 its actually properly square now... 8 x 8
i dont understand how they got a square shape using only 8 x 7,

because all these blocks are meant to be 15 x 15 cm

1. Triangle Stripes
I actually started this block the first of all the blocks, but i abandoned it when i reached the stripes, i finally finished this one and am pleased with how it turned out. even if there are mistakes (i must have missed a few stitches or something, because theres less rows than there should be apparently) 

 13. Circle in a Square
i quite like it, i thought i wouldn't. the colours in the book are too gaudy for me, but the design is pretty nice once i made it myself


 16. Waterlily
I've made this block many times before, its been my experimento block, with lots of different yarns. i wish i could have used nicer colours for this one. i really like the orange they use in the book. but alas - no orange in my colour scheme (i'm starting to get bored of the colours - luckily im not doing the same colours and the same blocks or i'd be going mad and start looking for my next project)


 24. Italian Cross
I like how this one looks, fresh-like. i thought i would regret using so much white (i'm trying to limit white from now on, because i only have one ball of it) but no.. its a nice chang. Making the Puff stitches was fun


26. Snowflake
I thought i wasnt going to make this one because its so holey. but hey it looked like it wouldnt take me too long so i made it one afternoon. I didnt use white, i know its a snowflake.. but it can be dirty or dusty snow or something. 

28. Christmas Rose
The name put me off, i'll be honest. i didn't want to make it because it looks too christmassy in the book and i don't want anything like that in my blanket (the same goes for the american patriotic pages that i'll be reaching soon) but its the colours that fool you. they really do. but as well as these last two worked out. Doubt very much i'll be making number 25. Tannenbaum (the christmas tree one) can't see how colours will improve it... plus its a Rows Block and ive got a grudge against those already haha

 31. Primrose Square
Ah! this one i was looking forward to, and i made it while we were watching the news on the Chilean Miners being rescued. An eventful block after all.
Its stretchier than i thought, and its turned out to be bigger than the rest (the Snowflake and Italian Cross also have turned out bigger). But it's pretty and i love it, and i'll work something out in the end i suppose

 

 35. Tricolour Square
I made this one a couple of times before on ugly yarn as practise.. and lucky i did, because i spent enough time re-reading and thinking about the instructions as it was. Had to expect it from a Level 3 difficulty block.

 

My Current Pile o' Blocks


it keeps growing


Conclusions: decision to work on only Blocks done in Rounds has been fruitful. I appear to be able to tackle Level 3's in Rounds with minimul difficulty, compared to the massive amounts of frustration i go through when dealing with Level 1's and 2's in Rows

Bear Hug

i've been drawing on photoshop again...

It felt good to be working with my old friend the tablet

Crochet begins again

yesterday i finally decided i'd had enough of looking at my phone strap looking all bare

the result:

the back is kind of messy. The little flower insisted on growing there..

͏͏

I worked on the Bobble Diamonds square, after it being abandoned for a couple of weeks. I have been frustrated with the Rows and the Bobbles. I much prefer the sqaures that are done in rounds.

I had to undo heaps of rows a few times.

But today it worked out

now i have to decide which square to do next