Art, Craft and Needlework, June 2020

[Harriet]

May was full of challenges to our normalcy but still held some creative diversions to help us cope.

It would be wonderful to advise lots of creativity, but of course, we may have to temper that enthusiasm if other priorities arise. WHEN WE CAN, getting back to creative pursuits and the smiles they bring is a great prescription!

June awaits - we may have those smiles to share! If you do, please let us know.

In May,
Elizabeth delighted us with a photo of her sewing entry into state mask contest
Cathy asked for input on storing her embroidery floss for her cross-stitch
Twins' Mom linked to a couple storage ideas to corral the floss
Harmony continued her stitching project and advised on cross-stitch storage
BookSaver sewed ripstop nylon shopping bags and delivered 72 cat mats
Harriet used fabric backgrounds to photograph her dd's recent handmade jewelry

[Kathryn-in-Canada]

Not creative, just necessity. But remembering I can sew 'well enough' is something I've rediscovered during Covid.

Here's my latest mask:

P_20200611_211659_BF.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b78VGVWa6hw

This is my previous one:

mask 2.jpg

[Harriet]

If I were approached by someone in that mask, I would spend a second considering why they wanted a hole - it is completely see-through and practical and doesn't even look like there's plastic. Could certainly read someone's lips through that if I were adept at it (and we all probably do more of it than we think). A very neatly done job, Kathryn. Crisp looking.

Creativity is not happening for me in what seems to be a time-strapped life right now. I'm sure this isn't healthy and I want to change it. This week, one dr's appt every day and Thurs two of them, so maybe after Friday.

Dd has so many creative endeavors going it boggles the mind, so that is a slight creativity "fix" for me, since she's always bringing me something to critique. Sculpting, digital art, resins, wood-burning, sketching, and wire. That may be all.

The two youngest of dd40's boys sketched a lot in sketchbooks I took them while I was there and dd says they're continuing. They seem to process some feelings this way. I think sketchbooks are great gifts for almost any child, but especially one who needs ways to process something.

[Harmony]

I bought a sketchbook for DGD at Christmas but she tore out a page to use it just like paper. I guess she did not understand the concept of a 'book'.

Last night I made a sign / poster. Actually, it was an I-forgot-a-card-do-something-before-tomorrow-morning sign in lieu of a card.

Since I'm not really creative and can't draw I found a coloring page of a little elf-like boy in a party hat holding a couple daisies and a happy birthday sign. Colored whole thing with my colored pencils, using every color I have. I put a short verse at the top and a message and signature on the bottom. Glittered the middle circles of the daisies, backed with colored paper leaving an edging and then glued to posterboard leaving a white edge. It turned out 8 1/2" x 10" tall.

Turned out pretty cute I think and he liked it.

[Harriet]

Harmony, yes it does sound fun and attractive and see, it was big enough to make an impression! Never underestimate how much we're going to appreciate creativity. Anything with glitter is going to brighten someone's day.

Here is yesterday's pendent creativity around here, copper wire wrapping over a carnelian stone. Ya'll know I am the sounding board, not the artist, and contribute mostly advice.

I did help again with fabric backgrounds to photograph against, which had worked best with her sculpted-and-stone pendants (maybe I can find one of those). But this time it was her out-in-the-sunshine idea that photographed best.

Trinity knot over carnelion Small.jpg

editing, gee the above photo turns out large no matter what I do. Here is one on a ditsy earthy fabric of mine that seemed to do an even better job than burlap in letting the pieces be the stars, getting out of the way. Some of these were a collaboration with another student artist who does very different, glossy-smooth, shaped work, and we carried them to her for photographing the two types.

Scupted pieces June 2020.jpg

[Harmony]

Beautiful! I love things like this. Is this part of her school work? Or just fun things?

[Harriet]

She does have to learn all kinds of methods and materials but mostly goes off in these directions on her own. She did some pretty deep studies into sculptors and 1960s wire artists for classes, but she'd been working in wire for a while before it came up.

I think, like all of us, she's begun to realize the indoors is only so big, so smaller pieces can be given a lot of attention and time and still find a place to shine. Some small pieces and some large are part of her portfolio for graduation. She's taking a landscapes course in the fall, so we may well be back to piling up the large wall art.

She also took geology, so maybe that's what sent her into a stone and quartz tangent!