All of the Above

All of the Above MFA Fibers Exhibition.

Some shots from the opening.

Cupcakes I made for the occasion.

New buisness cards.

Above "The Last Crusade" are pictures i took from the inside.

The Garden

For the last couple of months I have been working on a raised bed for vegetables. One of the apartment complexes down the street put in a new fence a while back. I stopped by and ask what they were going to do with the old fence. Instead of having it all go to the dump I decided to re-purpose it for my project. The wood set unused forever in the back yard but finally it is put to use.

In progress

The huge pile of dirt that was delivered to the house. All I could think is "what have I done?"

Finally the plants are in. Five kinds of pepper, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, okra, squash, and cantalope. We may have to get a booth at the farmers market when it all comes in.

When we bought all the plants the bed wasn't big enough so I added an additon for the cantalope.

Hopefully my thumb is green enough for all of this.

What I did over Spring Break.

David's parents and grandad came to visit and helped us put in a new fan, backsplash for the new oven, a working light in the kitchen and other odds and ends around the house. While they were doing the hard stuff I found time to make some pillows for the couch and curtains for the kitchen.

The Wrath of Kahn

My final project for History of Fiber. Based on the story "The King and His Hawk". http://www.salizah.com/genghiskhanandhishawk.html

Identity

This is a piece I created for my second project in History of Fabric. We were asked to identify a tribe we were a member of and I chose my extended family. We have a unique drawing of a chicken that has been passed down for four generations now. We call it the Carlisle Family Chicken. (It is where I got the name for this blog) The drawing made with one continuous line apart from the legs, even though we all know the technique every persons chicken is very unique.

We are a very close family and I wanted to express the support we all give each other by having them send me a piece of fabric they found significant. I expected curtain scraps or random fabric they had laying around from past projects but i got much more. Lots sent pieces from clothing my grandmother had made them making the project extra special. Each of the pieces is kind of like a poi trait of the person it represents. It is made from the fabric they sent me and their drawing of the "Carlisle Family Chicken" is stitched on the front. I chose to frame the pieces with a fabric I found that looks much like a tablecloth my grandmother would have on her kitchen table, something that brings us all together. Most of our gatherings incorporate food and end with us playing games around that table.

I had to rely on others to make this work possible. Most of the decisions were made for me after the initial idea. All I did was respond to the fabric. I chose to display these pieces side by side surrounding the viewer in an intimate space to signify the support system that surrounds me.

The Crusade

I have been researching mechanical toys and automata and created my first moving piece of art for my history of fabric class. The starting guideline for the piece was Resistance and and could be interpreted however we saw fit.

I chose the narrative story of the rabbits resisting capture by the birds. These sweet little blue birds most often seen as creatures of happiness, prosperity and renewal are preforming this task of "beak and release" upon the rabbits in mob-like fashion. Something has caused them to react in great numbers with great conviction. I chose rabbits not only for their cuteness and my desire to get away from bird on bird violence but also because they are often viewed as tricksters. The rabbits might be seen as the ones bucking the system of this little forest, but is that stereotype what provoked such action?

I have been dealing with influence and control in my work and have adapted the cage and the beak as my symbols. The cage, as a symbol of control, is pretty self explanatory but the beak can reference so many other things. I am think of the mouse ears used to promote the cartoon character we are all familiar with. I am also thinking of things we use in emergency situations. Oxygen mask, Gas mask, Respirators, we have to breath so I am also taking the other side of the argument. Maybe the birds are trying to help the rabbits, because they think the rabbits can't help themselves.

Ok I have gone on for long enough. The piece is called "The Crusade".

In progress

Initial drawing for the idea of resistance. Felting birds. Felting rabbits.Our cat, Bunny, is disappointed to find out I didn't make this for her stage show. No beak bird discovers he is being watched. He informs his friends.

Finished Piece

In Action

What I did over Christmas vacation.

Organize. My studio has been a mess and this has been a long time coming. I bought these cubes to store my fabric more logically and rearranged the whole room so the space is more open. It feels good. Now I am ready to get in and mess it up.

Gizmos Book

I have been doing a bit of research on mechanical toys and automata. Several books and many youtube videos later I am feeling confident enough in my knowledge of cams and crank shafts to start on my first art piece including motion. But before I did I wanted to make one of the projects from a book David bought me for Christmas called Gizmos by Rob Ives.

This is the book along with the paper toy I made today with the punch out paper parts provided. I think it took about two hours to sort it all out. The mouse flys back and forth while flapping his arms. Amazing.

http://www.flying-pig.co.uk/

Stitch Spectacular

I am excited about this upcoming show!!! I can't wait to see all the wonderful artwork.

This is the piece I have entered in the show. "The Last Happy Thought". You may recognize parts from the earlier eye candy post.