The Last Two Pieces

I almost forgot to get these posted on the blog. Like Tracie Lyn, life has gotten in the way of my plans for the summer. But....I did remember and here are my "Elements" and "The Heavens".

The Elements is an interactive piece. In continuing my mountain theme, I used four pictures from Hokusai's 32 Visions of Mount Fuji to represent each element. The individual element cards can be flipped up to display the next. This was a challenging and fun piece.

The Heavens came together in about two days. I had been thinking of how to do this one for about a month, not really getting anywhere and being stumped about it. Last Friday I had a vision and in one day I had the fabric and half the work done. The fabric is creatively quilted, the nebula is printed on inkjet canvas and the mountain, continuing again with the mountain theme, is printed on cardstock and everything is glued to the fabric covered canvasboard.

This has been a wonderful and challenging journey. I've played with techniques that I've never done before and stepped further out of my box than I thought I'd ever get. Thank you to everyone for pushing me out of my comfort zone.

Z'anne

Art and images copyright 2009 Z'anne Bakke - all rights reserved

Best Laid Plans - Elements

This blank canvas represents the current condition of my final artwork due in this year long art challenge.

Since today is the deadline for posting any outstanding pieces to the blog, I thought I would share a glimpse of my... um... work-in-progress.

After revealing my Heavens artwork, I had a full week to complete my interpretation of Elements, and fully intended to have the painting ready by today, however, life quickly stepped-in with other ideas.

I still plan to finish the work, and hope I can update this post with happy news, very soon.

Elements

This was quite the challenge! Having a picture in my mind and transforming it onto a canvas presented quite a puzzle for me.

I am always pulled toward fibers so I knew I needed to use fibers for the medium and present the elements of earth, wind, fire and water in a way that the observer knew what the work represented.

I feel I accomplished that with color and the flow of the fibers. Earth was the most difficult but after pondering over it for a while I decided to use real pressed botanicals.

Now I have one more challenge left....Heavens.....Again pictures floating in my head but "Oh my, how to transform those images onto a canvas?" I am somewhat perplexed!!

Since I tend to work best under pressure and I only have a few days left to complete the final monthly challenge I am sure the way to do the transformation will reveal itself to me.

Artwork and Images copyright 2009 Marylin Huskamp All rights reserved

Every Matter Under Heaven

"For everything there is a season...
And a time for every matter under heaven.
He hath made everything beautiful in his time,
from the beginning to end."

This posting is a bit out of order as I still need to complete my artwork for the Elements theme. But since this is something I am still struggling to find inspiration for, I decided to turn my attention to the final theme in our year long challenge.

This final theme, the Heavens, mean so many things to me... but the idea that kept reoccurring in my mind was the concept of time, and how there is never enough when you seem to need it and yet in some instances the hours, minutes, seconds drag by. However, among the Heavens does time exist? Is there really a beginning and an end?

My family owned a grandfather clock when I was growing up. Although our clock never had the elaborate details like some I have seen, I was always fascinated by it's rhythmic tick-tock, the deep chimes ringing every hour. This precise measure of "forever" somehow made me feel safe and comforted with it's sounds. Most of the grandfather clocks that have captured my attention over the years have been equipped with a rotating scene that was shown through a small odd shaped window usually located above the clock face. Various pictures of a moon and stars, a sun, and ships sailing the ocean blue were enchanting to watch pass, just like a fairy tale.

So June's artwork is a combination of many thoughts, and ideas. The sun, moon, and stars represent the sky, and there are no hands on this particular clock face I have created to symbolize no beginnings, or endings, no hours, minutes, or seconds.... there is just life and the living of it.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp- all rights reserved.

SEASONS

This is my interpretation of "Seasons". It is constructed of 4x4 quilt squares then embellished with a silk flower (spring),Queen Anne's lace from my pasture (summer), oak leaf from Fort Warden (autumn) and a sheer fabric with glitter and small plastic snowflakes (winter).


Art and image copyright 2009 by Marylin Huskamp- all rights reserved.

A Quilt of Seasons

These last three Nature Gathered themes have really had me on the ropes.... pondering and pondering, with more pondering on how to best represent my artistic message.

Looking for a unique view on the Seasons concept, and searching for a way to incorporate patterning brought about thoughts of my favorite time of the year, Fall. Snuggling under a well loved, well worn quilt to keep the chill in the air from enveloping me was the inspiration for this background. Initially, I had planned to incorporate a nature element into all twelve quilt blocks, but quickly abandon this thought, deciding to go with two larger, distinct, nature elements that would hint at contrasting differences in flora and fauna within the year.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Tracie Lyn Huskamp- all rights reserved.

Fifth Element

Most people don't beleive that this "tapestry" came into being with nothing more than some organza and a low wattage soldering iron. It's true.

Using 4 - 9 layers of multicolored translucent organza, I use a metal guide (in this case a dough slicer) with a fine tipped soldering iron to make the patterns. The soldering iron both textuizes and fuses at the same time. No sewing. No glue. No mess. But I do use a respirator. The symbols for the 4 directions were made with very thick embellishment glue on a non stick surface. Then I used either metal foil or 23k gold.

You can't see it, but the sides are bound and held in place with thick copper wire embelished with fine brass wire.

Inspiration: the Movie of the same title by Luc Besson.

Art and image copyright 2009 by Suzie Wolfer- all rights reserved.