Priscilla Edwards Workshop

This is an edited version of the original post due to a problem with photographs, links were broken.  I have reloaded the photos where possible.

Around this time each year I take a workshop with Fibre Arts Australia. This time my workshop was with Priscilla Edwards. A fun week playing with wire, silk, wax, found objects and other ephemera. 

My week culminated in the creation of these pieces of wire sculpture. First up, learning to work the wire and the to cover with wax and silk.

My first piece, a simple flower destined for the ‘Top Table’. The top table is an institution at these events, each class makes something that is displayed and eventually auctioned for charity. It is a hoot and there is a lot of competition for the artworks.

Then it was on to the serious business of creating our own pieces.

The creation of ‘Bird Brain’ involved the making a wire frame, destruction of a porcelain doll for the head which was then cooked in an eco dye pot for a couple of hours to distress the surface and making the birds. The final step was a leaf garland to twist around the base.

The creation of ‘Bird Brain’ The component parts wired together to create the sculpture.

The Silly Season

The lead up to Christmas and New Year is always a busy time and here in Australia it coincides with the summer vacation season. This year saw a major change with my Christmas arrangements. With a couple of  our family too frail to manage the stairs into our house we swapped the venue to my son and daughter-in-law’s house. For the first time in thirty two years I did not host Christmas. Not one to bring in too many changes I opted to to have our usual menu made cold, except for the pudding. It was a meal cooked and plated at my home and transported four kilometres (two and half miles) across town.  It was a great success and perfect for the hot day.

Setting up the Christmas feast. 

Pavlova, a staple for Christmas in Australia. This year individual serves rather than the big one that usually graces the dessert table.

The Christmas production. This was a late run as I had been considering ending this aspect of my Christmas making.

A simple Santa hanging decoration. I have called them the Nordic Santas.

And Holly, a little angel, for a special friend.

This got my mojo back. A fun activity to do with my textile art group. I wanted them  to make something ‘Christmassy’ with them and these little tassel Santas were a relatively quick make and had the bonus of using up all the oddments a bits of balls of white yarn that have been in my stash for years. They were the inspiration for my Nordic hanging Santa production.

There has been a lot of catching up with friends and dining. So much dining! This white chocolate cheesecake was a great hit, recipe to come. In between times there has been some knitting and crafting  including this bracelet for my grandson. Made with the discarded chocolate wrappers from Lindor/Lindt balls that seemed to accumulate. He is an enthusiastic recycler for his arts and crafts and we have a lot of fun together.

I decided to just take each day as it came. I guess it is called the ‘Silly Season’ for a reason. 

It’s A Crazy Room

This is my creating room. My house is really old and does not lend itself to a studio space, however, I am lucky that I have a room of my own to play and create in. 

It is a crazy room. In reality it is a giant storeroom, there are books, knick knacks, finished projects and unfinished projects all crammed in together on the shelves, in cupboards and in carefully constructed 

piles on the floor. My sewing table has a sewing machine permanently set up and a large cutting mat on top that also doubles as a washable work surface. I love to make and create and my interests are varied, this in part explains the various piles and baskets on the floor and in cupboards. Downsizing may prove to be a difficult thing.

These are some of my art dolls and sculptures. Generally I make in response to a theme or challenge, these are inspired by artists or art movements.

Inspired by Picasso

Artists’ nude

Dal bird, inspired by Salvador’s Dali.

Horus, the Egyptian God

Ballet dancer, referencing Degas

Frida Kahlo, referencing her last painting, Viva la Vida

Another Picasso (cubist) influenced doll.

And a work in progress, not sure who this cat will be.

From the Sea

From the Sea is the theme for the textile art group that I belong to. I made these  little soft sculptures as my contribution to one of the group exhibitions.

My interpretation of the Weedy Sea Dragon

I used a colouring pbook page as a starting point for the pattern.

Production for a school of fish is underway

The basic shape can be needle sculpted to create a variety of different fish. Eventually they will be embellished with paint, embroidery, beads, ribbon or other materials.

And a crab.

Faces That Only A Mother Could Love

I spent the last weekend in a workshop with the vey talented Suzanne McRae, you can read more about her on her facebook page Hip Hip Decay. It was a very short introduction into her techniques for producing whimsical and anthropomorphic animals. The workshop was great fun and  left the way open for us to create in her style but not copy.  We needed to come along with our 'heads' made and then the development of our unique animals would take place. With time on my hands and plenty of clay available I made a few heads as per the instructions and left them to dry. A visiting friend remarked  that  they were so ugly that only a mother could love them.

This is Gertie, my first born.

Mug shots, her head needs to be painted and a closer view of her eco dyed/contact print fabric body. The feathers for the wings and tail are chiffon.

The saying that practice makes perfect does not necessarily mean that making five heads is enough for perfection. However, this mother loves her children and will eventually create more bodies / animals to go with the heads or maybe just have an ever growing bowl of heads as I work at perfecting them.

And of course a cat

The group photo

Some more finished than others.

The beginnings of Gertie's body.

Esme is Finished

Remember Esme? She was started in this workshop months ago. There have been many distractions and projects in between but she is finally finished.

Not sure which is her best side. Repurposed vintage embroidered doilies were cut up and stitched onto the fabric skin, lots of simple straight 'overstitching' to blend the doily patches.

Just like prison mug shots

Some more close ups

During construction

and  before the doily and embroidery treatment