A Cold Start...

Beginning the large 3-piece rug; first panel (will be 15"x5' when completed)

Hello lovely people.

Rosemarie-Flavored Popsicle (eww...)

It is brutally COLD.  If using all capital letter is not dramatic enough to indicate the current temperature, my picture should act as testament as to how cold it is outside.  My eyelashes and hair are frozen, and I even have a frost mustache!  I love the winter weather, but there is not much one can do outside in such frigid conditions, other than stay warm inside and weave away.

I have begun weaving the first panel of my upcoming 4'x5' rug, and so far it is going swimmingly.  I have about 2' woven already, and I hope to have this first panel completed by the end of the week.  I had put so much careful planning into the warp size and each individual color (of which there are 12), that I was nervous to get started; I was afraid that I would make some terrible mistake, and the entire thing would be ruined.  Overreaction?  Quite.  But I wanted to make sure that this piece is perfect, as it will be featured in my senior show in the fall.

For any weavers out there, I have also included an image below of the shaft-switching technique that I use.  If, however, you are not a weaver, you can either try and figure out what I am talking about or skip this next paragraph altogether.

Shaft-switching, using beads on the warps to change harnesses

Shaft-switching is a weaving technique in which the weaver can change the harnesses in which a warp (the white string, in my case) is bound to during the weaving process; normally, everything is threaded before-hand, and changing the pattern is impossible.  I had originally used safety pins through the eye of the heddles, clipping the heddle to the warp strings.  Proving useful but inefficient as the safety pins would always fly off of the loom, I switched to using beads with string tied around them.  The warp is threaded through the string with the bead attached while threading the entire warp through the heddles; using flexible, string heddles on the first two harnesses, the two that I can "switch," I am able to take the bead attached to the warp string and push it through the eye of the string heddles.  So far, the weaving process has been smooth and the beads and string heddles have proved themselves very easy to hook-up and use; they have become good friends to me in my time of need.

Ski shuttles

Ski shuttles, complements of my professor, Morgan Clifford, are also a good friend of mine.  A shuttle acts as a little "vehicle" in which you wind your weft (the dyed wool yarn, in this instance); it carries the weft back and forth through the shed (the space created when lifting each harness).  These "ski shuttles" are super special, not only because they look cool, but also because they glide easily when weaving (which is incredibly helpful when one is weaving rugs).

And on that note, my friends, I bid you ado.  As always, thanks for reading and have yourselves a lovely, cold day.

P.S.  The more I use weaving terminology, the more I realize that anyone that has not woven before probably has no idea what I am talking about, and for that, I apologize.  Perhaps I shall have to include a blog post purely on "weaving explained," should the interest be there...

Winter's Weaving

24"x30", shaft-switched, hand-woven rug

Hello lovely people.

Well, the spring semester has begun, and I can begin to see a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel.  I am very excited for this upcoming semester, all of my classes, and the opportunities that will become available.  I actually received an e-mail about a week ago, congratulating my acceptance to present at the National Conference for Undergraduate Research (NCUR), which will be held at the University of Kentucky this spring.  I am not sure how many presenters were chosen out of the 4000+ that applied, but I feel very honored to help represent my university.  I will be presenting research that I had completed for my mesoamerican art history course from last spring, where I tied together a few ideas as to how Mayan spiritual beliefs influenced their architecture.  I am not an art history minor, but I wish I could be.  I love to research and relate to the past, and this is why I love weaving.  I am continuing on a tradition given to and perhaps founded by women roughly 8000 years ago or so, and that is exhilarating.

Speaking of weaving, the above picture displays the final product of my weaving project that I completed over the winter break on a table loom.  The final rug is actually a little sampler, only measuring in at 24"x30" (three 8"x30" panels sewn together).  This little guy was created with the intention of working out the kinks in the project before I scaled it up to a large 4'x5' rug (three 15"x5' panels sewn together), and it has proven to be a very helpful little project.  I need to figure out the appropriate stitching and actually sew the panels together, but at least I can get started with ideas in mind for the larger piece, which is hooked up and ready to weave at school.

And on that note, I leave you dear lovely people, as I prepare for classes today.  Have yourselves a great one, and stay warm out there; the Midwestern weather of late has been brutally cold.

My dog, Bella Bear, all bundled up in her red parka.  Stay warm!

Winter's Weaving

2'x3,' shaft-switched, hand-woven hand-dyed rug

8"x29," shaft-switched, hand-woven first panel

Hello lovely people.

Welcome to 2014!  I have a lot of anticipation for the upcoming year as it is my final year of school; I graduate this December and have my senior show this fall, which will feature my woven rugs using the shaft-switching techniques.  I have already posted a bit about shaft-switching and what I would ultimately like to do, but first I am running a sampler.  The first image above is the first shaft-switched rug I wove, and it is the inspiration towards my bigger endeavors (in one of my previous posts, I included an image from Photoshop that repeated this rug six times over to create a larger piece).  I absolutely love the stripes with the "brick" pattern, as my professor Morgan describes them.  The image below is the first panel of the sampler.  

Currently, I have off until the end of January before classes for the spring begin, and I was determined to keep working towards my show.  Morgan lent me this great little table loom, and I put together a pattern for a shaft-switched rug that is made up of three panels, sewn together.  As soon as classes start up again, I have a larger version of this (approximately 4'x5' when all is said and done) that is also made up of three panels that is hooked up, dyed, and ready to be woven.  This smaller piece will help me work out the kinks in linking separate panels before I invest more time and energy into the larger version.  

I am only into the second week of January and have two more panels to weave.  I was hoping to be a bit further ahead of schedule, but the past few days have bogged me down with a nasty head cold, consequently slowing up my work time.  However, I am excited to continue working and weaving; though a sampler, this little piece will be great and will give meaning to this peaceful time off from school.

As always, thank you for reading, and have yourselves a wonderful winter's day.

The Women of GTA V

The Women of GTA V: "Treva"

The Women of GTA V: "Michelle"

The Women of GTA V: "Francine"

Hello lovely people.

Well, finals are nearly over, and though you can't see it, I am dancing.  Joyously.

My "Women of GTA V" series is completed in black and white photography (for details about this project, check my earlier posts!).  I still do not know that I would consider myself a photographer, but I plan on using my iPhone as an accessible means of taking pictures and continuing this idea.  I'm excited; this project was my first feminist project, and I love it!  I look forward to continue playing with photography, cosplaying, and representing women in video games.  It will be quite an adventure.  Another thank you-shout out to to my photography professor, Brett Kallusky, for guiding me through the semester, exploring an art form that I had previously poo-pooed as illegitimate.  Respect to the photographers out there; it is much harder than it looks.

Now that our Christmas-January break has begun, I plan on taking time to relax, play video games (GTA V campaign mode, to be exact), and WEAVE!  I borrowed some equipment, including a lovely little table loom, and will be weaving a 2'x3' rug composed of 3-8"x36" panels stitched together.  I'm an artist; I can't expect myself to sit idly by for an entire month without creating something beautiful.  It would be a sin.

And with that, my friends, I bid you ado.  I'll keep you updated on my latest endeavors, and as always, thanks for reading and have yourselves a wonderful, winter's day.  

The Women of GTA V

Terisa Peer (left) and Amy Randall (right)

Hello lovely people.

Time to post an in-progress look at my "Women in GTA V" photography series that I have started.  Long story short, I love Grand Theft Auto (GTA) V.  I love the story line, the raunchy characters, the beautiful scenery, the graceful game-play, and don't even get me started on the online world where you create and play your own character.  There's only one, tiny, small baby-hiccup...none of the main characters are women.  They never have been women, and I fear that perhaps they never will be women.  The only women featured in the game as side characters are highly sexualized, making them objects of physical attraction.  45% of all gamers today are WOMEN, so why don't we see more women characters?  Can't a woman be awesome, too?

The answer to that folks is, why yes, women can be quite awesome indeed.  This series takes "Michael," "Trevor," and "Franklin," the game's main characters, and transforms them into "Michelle," "Treva," and "Francine."  Posted today are photos of Michelle and Treva: bad to the bone.  I also included a video at the very bottom of this post that introduces you to the main characters of GTA V if you're curious to see the personalities that I am recreating.

I hope you enjoy this update on my first feminist piece that I am ecstatic about!  As always, thanks for reading and have yourself an awesome day.

Amy Randall as "Michelle"

Terisa Peer as "Treva"

Amy Randall as "Michelle"

Terisa Peer as "Treva"

Amy Randall as "Michelle"

Terisa Peer as "Treva"

 

Hello lovely people.

Wednesday is here, which means that finals are closer; I don't know whether to jump for joy at the impending, month-long winter break or to cry because there is still so much to do before Monday.  Emotions pending.

Weaving "sketch," created using Photoshop and images from a previous piece

I have not included any photos of any current work that I did today, though I have accomplished quite a bit.  Photos of the art process will come in time, but until then, I am excited to share this image with you today.  When one looks on the horizon at their plans for graduation, a BFA art student focuses on their senior show, their final project; while it is an exciting endeavor, it is also a terrifying deadline.  The artist has to have a portfolio with an exceptional body of work established as well as a concrete plan for their show, which hones in on their particular medium.  I have decided with the good graces and advice of my advisor and Fiber Arts professor, Morgan Clifford, to master shaft switching, a weaving technique, and make large pieces that use a somewhat simple design, complex color scheme, and are composed of several smaller pieces.  Today I threaded my warp on my loom for a piece that will be approximately 4'x5' after all three 15"x5' panels are stitched together.  In the end, I hope to create an enormous piece that overpowers the viewer with immense color and beauty.  Can I do it?

Against my wishes, Morgan showed me how to take an image of a rug into Photoshop and develop it into a piece, as one would do with a sketchbook when creating a draft or plan.  Though Photoshop and I have a long way to go before we play nice together, the above image showed me a bit of its potential as a "sketching" tool.  I took the first shaft-switched rug that I wove this semester and replicated it six times, emulating individual panels stitched together.  The result, I am happy to report, is stellar. 

I will include photos of my next piece inspired from this image as I progress.  Looking at the above image, I get butterflies in my stomach; the churning excitement is almost too much to bare as I embark upon this shaft-switching journey of a lifetime.  Poetic, huh?

As always, thanks for reading and have yourselves a wonderful day.

Beginning the text self-portrait; there was so much promise...

Hello lovely people, and a very happy Monday to you.

 Text self-portrait final image; an unhappy end product.          

Today, I am posting images which include all of the projects I completed this semester in my Design Foundations course.  This course is originally intended for freshmen or sophomore students, but here I am, completing it my "super" senior year; Design Foundations never fit with my schedule before this semester, so I was frustrated to be in an introductory course in my fifth year of school (my double major, one of which is a BFA, is taking longer than anticipated).  I entered the class with a pretty bad attitude; I already learned this, I don't want to do that, complain, complain, complain.  But upon our second project I began to actually enjoy the class.  The course work was plentiful, that was certain, but I was learning something. 

Our first project was to draw a self-portrait using text as our drawing mark.  The phrase that I used to "draw" with was "you can never go down the drain."  This is a quote from my favorite Mr. Fred Rogers.  I went into the project having done many successful self-portraits and felt confident in a successful piece with minimal effort...this did not work out very well, if you cannot tell from the final product.  The first image of only my face was just the beginning, and it looked so promising!  The final product was rushed and got muddy.  Sad sauce.

Upon the Acidic Horizon, 13"x19" print, composed in Photoshop

The object of the next project was to create an environment using Photoshop and scanning in materials as the environment's building blocks.  I am not a Photoshop fan by any means; I'm still getting the hang of the endless (and at times frustrating) controls and possibilities.  I scanned in old fabric, some black and white photos, a couple of old matchbooks, birthday cards, post cards, and a funny old fishing advertisement as my source material.  All in all, my material had a very kitchy feel, and I used that to enhance the project into a completed environment.  As I was manipulating the images, I thought to myself, "What would I see on the horizon if I was hopped up on acid right now?"  And so, a masterpiece was born.  Well, not actually a masterpiece, but a funny little environment was created.  I am happy with the end product: silly, kitchy, but fitting.

Lemon Moon, 15"x15," India ink on paper

From here we went back into hard materials with an abstraction project.  The idea of this project was to bring in a fruit or vegetable and take pictures of it in as many different ways as possible.  I brought in a lemon, having been inspired by the "Lemongrabs" from my favorite animated TV show, Adventure Time.  I took pictures of the lemon as a whole, and then I began to peel it apart.  From there, we were to take these images, and draw several reproductions of the fruit or vegetable, using tracing paper, different drawing materials, and zooming in onto particularly interesting areas.  The final product is the black and white ink drawing of the hills or mountains with a big, white lemon moon.  At this point, this project was my very favorite.  Not only was I happy to be working with my hands instead of using Photoshop, but I created a piece using cross-hatching, a technique I had formerly dismissed because it didn't fit into my usual, expressive style.  The piece was also successful and was inspired by a LEMON.  I find this amusing, surprising, and inspirational toward future endeavors. 

After the black and white abstract image, it was time to play with color.  As a fiber artist, I work with color every day, all day.  My woven rugs are dependent upon a successful color pallet.  But yet again, to my surprise, I had learned something valuable.  I could never figure out how other students were able to achieve beautiful neutral tones or sophisticated colors; my colors seemed to dwell within the bright, clear colors, almost like paint out of a tube.  This project helped me develop a more complex color pallet. 

We had to take our abstract image and recreate it four times using four different color schemes: monochromatic, analogous, split complementary, and double complementary.  I created colors I never thought I would be able to achieve, and applied what I learned in the fibers' dye kitchen for my next woven piece; I am happy to report that the colors are going swell.

Monochromatic Moon, 10"x10," acrylic paint on wood

Analogous Moon, 10"x10," acrylic paint on wood

Split Complementary Moon, 10"x10," acrylic paint on wood

Double Complementary Moon, 10"x10," acrylic paint on wood

I entered Design Foundations not thinking that I would be able to learn anything; I had a pretty poor attitude, scribbling the words "BLAH" across my sketchbook cover in anticipation for boredom.  But, after I loosened up and put in the time and effort, my pieces reflected the things that I learned.  I am even applying these principals to other areas of study, as with my woven pieces.  I'm glad to have this course over and done as credits completed to cross of the BFA list, but I am pleased to say that after an entire semester, I learned a thing or two that I will carry with me for the rest of my career. 
And that my friends, will make me a stronger, more successful artist in the future.
 
As always, thanks for reading and have yourself a pleasant day.