Emily Barletta - Newest works

I forget how I discovered Emily Barletta but I remember falling in love with this:

I just discovered her recent works and love them just as much:

And those are already morphing into this:

Last 5 images: embroidery on paper

One of the things I admire the most in artists of all medium is their ability to keep reinventing themselves, and she seems so brilliant at it..

See more of Emily's work here and visit her blog there. The last two photos are details of works that are going to be in  Art/Sewn, curated by Ward Mintz, at FiveMyles in Brooklyn in March. Another good reason to get down there...

All images (c) Emily Barletta.

Sacred Hearts

Ok.. those are the closest things I have to Valentine's day... 

So there... All by me - during my last trip to beautiful Oaxaca.

Woodblock Printing in Rajasthan

Oh my, how lovely, lovely, lovely...  One of the many things I want to learn how to do.. and one of the many places I want to go to.. that I know I will go to..

 from West Elm via Once Upon a Tea Time

What Better Day to feature Ghada Amer (Egyptian, born 1963)

 Halleluiah!  The news of Mubarak stepping down makes today a happy day. Amazing..

Here's to the Egyptian people and  a hopefully smooth and peaceful transition.  

Ghada Amer (American, born Egypt, 1963). Red Diagonales, 2000. Acrylic, embroidery, and gel medium on canvas. © Ghada Amer, Courtesy Gagosian Gallery. Private collection



ONE NIGHT IN LONDON 2010
Acrylic, embroidery and gel medium on canvas
65 x 50 inches
165.1 x 127 centimeters



D AS IN DRIPS 2010
Acrylic, embroidery and gel medium on canvas
70 x 50 inches
177.8 x 127 centimeters

  

Barbie Loves Ken, Ken Loves Barbie, 1995/2002. Embroidery on cotton. Collection of the artist, courtesy of Gagosian Gallery


All works by Ghada Amer and you can read more about her here.

Mending Antique Quilts

Today I got cabin fever and decided to brave the 12 degree weather we had this morning and head to the studio..  Re-looking at my book on Boros yesterday re-inspired me to stitch so I  finally started mending one of the antique quilts that I dyed a couple of months ago (see here)

That quilt has plenty of holes so I think I have my next few weeks of work planned out..

Boro: Rags and Tatters from the Far North of Japan

I was gifted this beautiful book  a couple of years ago after I finished my teabag panels body of work which was largely inspired by boro textiles (first discovered via the amazing Sri Threads gallery).  It seems the book is already out of print so I thought I'd share some of my favorite  images from the book with the boro lovers out there who didn't get a copy..  I never get tired of looking at them and they are always a source of inspiration:

All photographs (c) Kyoichi Tsuzuki

The publisher is ASPECT Co. and you can contact them at info@aspect.co.jp; if you're enough of you may be they will reprint? ISBN 978-4-7572-1596-2

Would This Make Winter Easier?

Found via Chellis Wilson. More pictures on Hindsvik.com.

I'm assuming they figured out a good heating system...

Work in Progress: New Materials

I don't know what bee got into my bonnet because I've never been drawn that much to traditional weaving crafts, but last month I started thinking about creating "new" fabrics/materials out of the wide range of scraps I have in the studio...  So I built a small loom out of some canvas stretchers and started doing some small weavings. Here are the first 4 (each is about 6 x 8 in.):

#1 (misc fabric and paper scraps & wool yarn)

While I liked the results of using sheer materials, I thought it was a bit too flat and lacked texture.

#2 (misc fabric and lace scraps with wool yarn and string)

 

It probably is a terrible weaving by any weaving standard but I of course like the loose threads hanging and the irregularities...

#3 (dyed teabags)

For that one I used left over teabags I had dyed for my old teabag panels (2009).

It's my mini boro..

#4 (used teagags and teabag strings & tags)

I am now working on one that involves old lace and plastic bags.. Stay tuned!

About Dogs and Bad Weather..

In French, there are a couple of expressions that, for some odd reason, link dogs to bad weather; we'll say "Ce n'est pas un temps a mettre un chien dehors", literally meaning It's not a weather to put a dog outside, or "Quel temps de chien!", which translates literally to  What a dog's weather! (and it doesn't make anymore sense in English than it does  in French...).

So here's what Oops did today as we were getting another snow storm (and sleet.. and ice...):

He must have tried every piece of furniture in the house... and every possible position..

Oh and we don't know what's up with the tongue sticking out.. that's pretty recent but seems to be a requirement when napping...

What a life..

When I die, I hope I come back as him..

Glimpses of Spring: Jennifer Judd-McGee

It looks like we're getting another foot of snow here in Boston but I could not care less.. I discovered the newest works of Maine artist Jennifer Judd-McGee (to whom I was first introduced to by Lari Washburn) and they make me feel happy and hopeful... Spring is coming!

 

If you are in the Northeast, you can see Jennifer's work in the Enormous Tiny Art Show at the Nahcotta Gallery in Porstmouth, NH, from February 3rd through February 28, 2011.  Or you can visit her most inspiring blog Swallowfield, or her Etsy shop here.

Oh, and through her blog, I discovered this amazing organization called Craft Hope . Check them out and maybe you'll want to get involved.. they are another example of people who make huge differences a step at a time. They are currently gathering birthing kits for Haiti (Project 11). 

 I like the quote on their website too: 

"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself."
— Andy Warhol

So there - to Spring, Hope and Giving..