February 28, 2010 by karenkamenetzky
This week there was a lively discussion on the Studio Art Quilt Assoc. (SAQA) list about how folks are using (or not) sketchbooks.
I’m a firm believer in the power of sketching to generate ideas, loosen up, explore, play with composition and fall in love with certain lines. It’s almost always where the germ of an idea for a fiber piece begins. So I regularly recommit to working in a sketchbook at least several times a week. Notice I say REcommit because I regularly forget about it. too.
But when I am at a standstill (no idea percolating and self-doubt bubbling up), once I force myself to open a sketchbook and draw…things happen. My recent favorite thing to do is to listen to a New Yorker fiction podcast on my MP3 player and draw. I do best when my left brain is so absorbed in something that it lets my right brain play without judgment.
This week I dusted off a bottle of permanent black ink, made different dilution levels (grays) in an old ice-cube tray and painted. I LOVED the way the translucent layers would form such unexpected richness. Then I found going back over places with a micron pen added a whole other level of possibilities. Here are a few of the results:
inkwash 1
inkwash 3
pen and ink wash 1
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February 19, 2010 by karenkamenetzky
My community’s domestic violence shelter sponsors a women’s film festival and art show each March. Sales go to help fund the shelter and it’s programs. A very worthy cause. I worked there as an intern 20+ years ago.
For several years I’ve donated a piece for the show. My full size works have a price too steep for this kind of show so I try to whip up a smaller mounted piece. Here’s a detail shot of the one I’m working on. It’s maybe half done:
small work in progress
The piece itself will be 12″ x 12″ mounted onto a slightly larger pre-stretched and fabric covered canvas.
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February 8, 2010 by karenkamenetzky
I have been a member of Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA) for several years. Lots of very talented folks! I subscribe to their member yahoo group and often get pearls of wisdom from other fiber artists “in the trenches” so to speak.
This year they have begun to choose 2-3 artists a month to be “Featured Artists” on the website. I was surprised and happy to be notified that I’ve been chosen to be the featured artist during one month of 2010. I’m deciding which images to send them today.
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February 1, 2010 by karenkamenetzky
I brought my ” almost done” The Spaces Between VI to my small critique group (Judy Dales, Marilyn Gilles, Christine Fries). Although it has been at times helpful in the past, I rarely bring in unfinished pieces. Sometimes getting outside input throws me off my own direction and it doesn’t feel “mine” anymore.
The strong blue silk charmeuse “between” area on this piece wouldn’t lay flat and it’s reflective bumps drew too much attention. What to do what to do…
Before (detail)
The other women in this group are MUCH better technically than I and have more of a solid sewing background. I tend to just experiment (flail around) till something kinda works.
The recommendation from the group was to use a stabilizer behind the blue and densely stitch- pulling in the extra loose fabric and making it FLAT. I’d never used stabilzer before but I went out and bought a few yards.
The result:
After (detail)
Stitching through silk and a stabilizer was dreamy-like a hot knife through buttah! And the result makes me much happier with this piece, in fact very pleased. By pulling the blue flat the 3-d-ness of the larger gray areas is more pronounced which is what I was aiming for. I’m ready to finish the edges in the next few days. Then a label and sleeve for hanging and this one will be done.
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January 26, 2010 by karenkamenetzky
I just returned from a two week visit with my daughter in Hawaii. It was my first time there and I’m still digesting all that gorgeous visual richness of colors and textures. Tropical fish, rain forests, sensuous warm sand, wild lava rock formations and sea turtles! Lots of ‘em!
Green Sea Turtle
This one (about 2 or so feet long) was resting on rocks near a fairly busy beach but didn’t seem to mind me sitting close by to draw a portrait. I loved drawing the patterns on the shell and limbs.
I was also fascinated by the lines and textures in the volcanic rock. Some formations looked like thick black cake batter that had hardened while flowing.
How all this visual input will effect my art remains to be seen but I trust it’s all percolating in me somewhere.
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January 3, 2010 by karenkamenetzky
Yay! Machine’s back!
Here’s the progress made on my new piece, The Spaces Between VI:
The-Spaces-Between-VI-in progress
It is probably about 80% done. I’m really loving working with a primarily gray palette. I like the way the other colors sit next to the grays. There are also some metallic silver and shiny charmeuse that adds to the mix.
There will be some stitching or other elements that will cross over the blue (the space between) to connect in some way the other two parts.
I leave in a few days for a two week trip to visit my daughter in Hawaii (!) so this will await finishing till I return. I think it’s helpful to have a piece going with some planned next steps to help get restarted after a hiatus…
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January 1, 2010 by karenkamenetzky
Several years ago I was honored to have successfully gone through the jurying process to be accepted as an artist offering work on the beautiful Artful Home website (previously known as The Guild). It’s been wonderful working with them and has happily resulted in many sales.
As part of their once a year Studio Sale, I have reduced the price of eight of my pieces by 40% off their original price. You can see them here. The sale is over on January 12th.
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December 27, 2009 by karenkamenetzky
Since I’m still machine-less, I’ll post about the piece stalled on my design wall.
Here’s the sketch I started with:
the spaces between VI sketch
I extended the design (in my head) to make it a square and decided to use a palette of grays, blue, greens and reddish purple. I also constructed it so the “between” space is flatter and the other parts are raised slightly 3-D by using two more layers of batting. It gives it more of a sculpted look which I’m liking!
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December 14, 2009 by karenkamenetzky
My usually wonderfully dependable sewing machine has come alive but not in a good way. A few days ago it started this alarming behavior of continuing to sew after I’d taken my foot off the pedal. Yikes!
The only way I can stop it is to raise the presser foot. Sometimes that calms it down for a bit but after a few more stops and starts it begins sewing on it’s own again!
This Janome 6500 Professional is a dream to free motion stitch on. It comes with a bazillion embroidery options which I’ll never use.
But it’s usually a fast, never tiring work horse.
I’ll take it tomorrow to the local sewing shop where I bought it for a spa treatment/repair. Hopefully it’ll come home to me happy.
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