usemap="#Map23" longdesc="http://www.dailyartmuse.com/htdocs/wp-content/images_ads/synergy2ad2.gif" />
Search Results for 'gwen'
gwen samuels: the first female language
A few years ago I tried my hand at printing images on used dryer sheets after reading about the technique online. I was intrigued by the idea of using the gossamer material to capture ghost-like images of my daughter’s childhood. I didn’t have much success with my first attempts, but for a long time I collected used dryer sheets, waiting for the inspiration to try again. I may have found that inspiration in the pictorial stitched garments made by New York native Gwen Samuels.
Shrink To Fit, used dryer sheets, horsehair, photographic images
I work with the unimportant and thrown away; plastic, wire, cut-up felt, tape, used dryer sheets, teabags and other found objects. I piece and draw with hand-sewn stitches that form scars on the smooth surface that map the making.
Growing Up, transparancies, photographic images, handmade paper
Samuels studied textile designs at Syracuse University and after graduation designed wallpaper before moving to the West Coast in 2001 to make art full time. She prints images from childhood in repeat patterns on plastic transparencies, dryer sheets and tea bags, hand-stitching them together to create wall hanging garments and quilts that speak to the lessons learned in a girl’s childhood.
Threadbare, photographic images, transparancies, used tea bags
For me, stitches are the first female language. They connect and create pathways, some meandering, others direct, reflecting varying emotional responses, like when handwriting shifts in response to emotions. Strings randomly hang from the edges signifying the “work-in-progress” that is life. The pieces reflect my love of the handmade, mended and discarded.
More about the artist here and here. I think it takes a certain kind of courage - a willingness to risk - when you choose to make art with materials that are not meant for art. So tell me, dear readers, what unusual materials do you incorporate into your work?
my oldies but goodies
I was trying to upload pictures of what’s on my studio table right now, but somehow I’ve lost the pictures. However, I did find pictures of two very small vessels that I made a few years ago. Small, like the size of ring boxes. It was my first attempt to make this type of vessel after watching a Gwen Gibson video.
Faux ivory with faux abalone inlay. I still love these little guys!
And a detail of the boxes. Check back later - I hope to have the ‘what’s on my studio table now’ picture to show and maybe even a review of a very cool DVD that I watched yesterday.
weekend wrapup
i’m back from philadelphia, my head swimming with ideas, new information and new connections. i have a lot to say about dan cormier and tracy holmes’ engaging workshop, but it will be a few days before i have pictures to show so i’ll stay mum until then.
i didn’t turn the laptop on for two days - no research, no posts, no checking emails. i was completely ‘in the moment’, an indication of how well ‘building better beads’ draws you in and keeps you mesmerized. watch this space for exciting news about what’s coming up next for the dynamic duo, why i believe this round of workshops is critical to the well being of the medium and how griffin steals the show.
one of the benefits of attending a workshop is meeting new people, enjoying lively conversation and learning about what makes another artist’s heart sing. talented pmc artist gwen bernecker was my delightful table-mate for the workshop.
bernecker’s background in architecture and affinity for building is evident in the well executed hollow form pendants that dominate her current work. the pendants offer several layers of interest: intricate texture, subtle color, wavy, undulating lines and curves and kinetic movement.
her website is under construction, though there are a few pictures to whet your appetite until the update is complete. you can see more of her work here, and for the east coast crowd, this summer she will be teaching at beadfest atlanta and beadfest philadelphia.
gwen bernecker made a mid-career change, following a new path driven by a passion for her art and she is now enjoying a success as multi-layered as the hollow form pendants that grace this page. brava!
salt-ine update
remember my post a couple of months ago about cristalline’s salt beads? well, last week i received a lovely email from cristalline letting me know that she translated her tutorial for the beads into english. you can find it right here. i know gwen gibson pioneered the shaving cream and dye technique, but does anyone remember if she used salt on her beads? i don’t know…
many thanks to christalline for translating this great little tutorial.
what a concept!
in 2004, when the university of iowa library was getting ready to retire their card catalog, several dedicated staff members looked for a way to celebrate the icon and preserve it for generations to come. the idea they came up with? a community art project called cARTalog. well-worn cards that would have ended up in the recycling bin found new life as individuals from across the country adopted cards and made them into works of art.
this wonderful project is being replicated in many communities. although cARTalog closed in september of 2006, you can still request cards from the university of iowa library - or you can start a similar project in your area.
maybe someone will start a chapter for the polymer clay community to get behind. you know - contact a library, get the cards, form a committee, mail cards to interested pc artists, write up guidelines, set deadlines, contact a venue for an exhibition, curate the show, pick the pieces for exhibit, start a blog about it. i’ll volunteer to create and maintain the blog. anyone else up for a challenge? the website has an online gallery and more information about how to get started.
gwen waight
screen print redux
i’m a big fan of gwen gibson’s screen printing technique, so i was fascinated when i came across this post on craftgrrl about a very inexpensive method of screen printing using an embroidery hoop and sheer curtain material. wonder if it works for polymer clay? worth a try…or two
simple shapes
composite of clear and colored acrylic + metallic foils
love the simple shape/style of these pins
3 articles
surface treatments:
- a gallery of painted pins by elise winters: bead & button, december 2000
- screen stencil pins by gwen gibson: lapidary journal, spring 2003
- ceramic look jewelry by catherine verdiere: polymer cafe, summer 2006
