Journal
Random Musings on Art and LIfe
There is a wonderful palapa in the gardens here at the QQ. As you can imagine, it’s most popular during the hot season when shade is a welcome sight. The old roof had seen it’s better days, so it was time for a replacement – and that’s how I got a lesson in Palapa Fiber…
When you need a dose of inspiration, a visit to a museum, gallery, or shop can be just what you need. One day last week, I set off to Talavara’s House in search of door knobs. There were no door knobs to be found, but I had a wonderful time soaking up the colors, designs…
About a month ago, I “tested” a sheer Paintstik overlay on the computer screen to see if it would Tame a Busy Background. This week, I decided to see if a “real” Paintstik overlay worked on real fabric. [Tweet “Painted overlay vs. sheer fabric overlay: Does it really work?”] Because I used a bunch…
As I’ve been debating the fate of my Whole Cloth Collage project, my friends encouraged me to save the background, but find a way to tone it down. Of course! All it needs is an overlay. And for me, that means a Sheer Paintstik Overlay! I could “see” how this would work in my head,…
When I decided not to finish the entire Paint, Stitch, Bead project I was working on last summer, I had every intention of finishing up two sections and having them framed. That was only (ahem) five or six months ago, so it was time to add a beaded background and git ‘er done! The…
With time set aside for experiments with Renegade Stencils during my retreat, I decided it was time for some BYOB. In case you’re feeling like you’ve encountered yet another strange word in the “Shelly Dictionary,” BYOB stands for Build Your Own Batik. We’ll save the bottled spirits for another time! [Tweet “Build your own Batik…
Design Magic is the title of a book that I wrote in 2010. It’s a methodology for creating a design using a square of paper, turning the design into a pair of positive and negative (equal and opposite) stencils, and adding the pattern to fabric with Shiva Artist’s Paintstiks. The process described in the book…
If you’ve been hanging around Cedar Canyon for more than a day or two, you know that I’m a huge fan of Shiva Artist’s Paintstiks. I love them for stenciling on fabric because they don’t run, drip, or seep under the edges of my stencils. So, imagine my surprise when an experiment with Renegade Stencils…
Last week I posted photos of Pine Beetle Art. In a nutshell, they are photos of tree trunks showing the paths taken by pine beetle grubs as they tunnel around under the tree bark – and slowly kill the trees. Oddball inspiration? Yes. But inspiration nonetheless. Today, I have photos of Pine Beetle Rubbings. No, not rubbings…
Are you shaking your head at the thought of art by tiny critters that kill trees? Good. That means I’m not alone. But… as I’ve been hiking around a ranch in South Dakota, that is exactly what I’ve found. Pine Beetle Art. Seriously! [Tweet “Art and destruction go hand in hand when Pine Beetles go…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] As I was looking through the original samples from the Paintstiks on Fabric book, I was reminded how far we have come on this Paintstik adventure. I say “we” because it really has been a shared journey. I have had the opportunity to teach thousands of students and readers to use Paintstiks on fabric,…
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] When I was filling out the entry form for the 2017 AQS Show in Paducah, I realized how far the Paintstiks on Fabric adventure has come in the past 17 years. Here’s what grabbed my attention. The folks at AQS expanded the section on the entry form to include the most common techniques…