BAMF Art Blog Bunch Spring Show

You know I am a member of the BAMF ART BLOG BUNCH, and aside from being a group of friends and artists supporting each other's creative growth (and spreading trashy gossip about YOU), we have organized our first ever group show. We have each submitted a carefully chosen piece, and we are each posting this on our blogs and facebook and anywhere else we can.



Have a look. This is AWESOME work and you don't even have to go anywhere to see it.















Becky Jo, AKA: The Beckster











(toe plate by Becky Jo)







Why toes? It started with the BNA project between me, Gary, and Kasey. My idea was to use a plate like a canvas to carve on and then color in the lines (just like coloring books). I realized that bunny/noodle/argyle concept is fun, but I thought most people wouldn't understand those three things together, so I started to put different things on my plates... random lines, spacey flying things, and now hands and feet. These are smaller plates, mostly decorative, but they are food safe. You can find this toe plate, plus more of my work on my blog and my Etsy Shop. :)

Kasey, AKA: Reverend Awesome







My thoughts: This symbolizes man's struggle to get to the moon and dealing with the sorrow one feels after their favorite team loses the Super Bowl. Okay. It doesn't. At least not intentionally. Since this show is Spring themed I thought I could do a little painting for every season. Nothing deep. Just fun. Something that I would want to have on my walls. I'll do the rest of the seasons as they arrive.

I don't have an etsy gallery or anything. So I guess if you want to buy things from me you'll have to contact me by email or facebook. I have a blog! My blog is about nothing of any importance really. It's about whatever I want it to be about. (You could be reading this on my blog. If so, my blog is VERY important. You guys know that.)

Here's some other things I've done in a facebook photo album.



India's Submission for the BABB show (India is Lizzie's daughter, and we absolutely HAD to invite her and her artwork, just so cool)

When given the topic Spring India struggled a bit with how her punk rock/abstract style would translate to all the typical images of spring. Her aesthetic is not all roses and sunshine. After tossing around ideas involving actual springs, and thinking she may do a pretty spring picture. The idea for this painting came to her while eating Nachos at the Pumphouse Brewery in Moncton New Brunswick. The booths at Pumphouse are amazing works of graffiti art left by decades of customers. India took this idea for a walk, and came up with this 12x16 mixed media painting on canvas. Materials used include oil and acrylic paint, sharpie, silver paint marker, chalk pastel, charcoal, gel pens and nail polish.

This painting and other examples of India's work Can be found at her Mom's Blog and at her Zibbet store.

Stevo's entry for the BABB show

In this area of the country Spring is often a large contrast to Winter.  There is a shift from the cold weather to warm, and with it the plants once again begin to open up.  As a photographer these contrasts help me to see things new again. Contrasts can also be interesting to photograph. I walk by this tree stump often, and this spring I noticed new life in the decay of an old tree stump. I like the difference in the flatness of the old stump, and the three dimensions of the new life.  Somehow the death of the tree makes the new life even more interesting, as does Winter making Spring much more appreciated.  I hope you enjoy the photos that I have selected for the BABB Spring Show.  The are available from my Smugmug web site. I'd love to hear your thoughts about them.  Also check out the incredible works of the others artists of BABB here on this blog.



Lizzies Pot For BABB show

As  a textile artist I have long been inspired by the beautiful and intricate designs of block printed fabrics from Japan, and the intricate patterns of the woven art of Saganishiki.  In recent years I have returned to working in clay, the influences of my previous life as a textile artist are becoming more and more prevalent in my current work. This yunomi was made using traditional japanese woodblock patterns depicting wind and grass. The designs were transferred onto bone dry porcelain, painted with shellac, and then the surrounding negative space clay was removed by a water erosion technique.

Each of the yunomi in this series is one of a kind, the shape of the thrown bowl dictating the subject matter for the images applied. I see this particular peice as a statement of Spring, The cloudy skies, the wind swirling around through the grass. This peice, and more from this series can be seen at my blog , and are available for purchase at my Zibbet store



Christi's etching for the spring show



Alright, so it really has nothing to do with spring, but it's one of my favorite etchings and I just printed a few more this week. I love my little etching press. I'm also thinking a lot about tattoos these days after last week's adventures in that realm.



This piece is called "Perch," which is a little pun between the fishbone and the bird perching on his arm. I could think of it as spring-like with the feathers and feeling of strength and mystery...spring is a mysterious season of crazy new life and wings.



It's listed on Etsy here.

Gary's piece





(pitcher by Gary Rith)

Artist thoughts: I have been working on a series of experiments lately, and for this spring group show imagined a pitcher like this with a deep groove in the side, glazed JADE and blue, springy colors, with a turtle on it. But for the first time in 13 years, I did not think it needed something like a turtle..or frog...etc. The groove reminds me of a river going through a landscape, not to sound like there is anything profound here.

But anyway, I like to push the piece nearly to collapse when I make the groove, and then add the accented blue bits, and a handle that looks a little more fun than the usual.

My blog details my everyday nonsense and pots, and this item and others like available at my etsy gallery.

Yet More Unfired Pots

Well this weekend was semi productive, I managed to spend  way too much money at the grocery store, which led to a rousing game of Refridgerator Tetris. India and I shopped successfully for fabric and pattern to make her dress for year end formal, final decision was made to do an interprovincial mother daughter road trip on the long weekend, and I managed to get a few mugs done.

I live in an area that is steeped in Celtic culture. The music, the language and the art are preserved here as vehemently as they are in the British Isles. Our road signs denote place names in English and Gaelic, we boast a lovely Gaelic college, where you can study the language, piping, fiddling and weaving. Cape Breton even produces the only scotch distilled outside of Scotland. Not surprisingly, pots with  knots and triskels are very popular round these parts, plus, I like making em! Last summer, some of my knotwork pots went home to Ireland with some tourists. That kind of made me giggle a bit

Home Again

Sorry its been so long, I have missed you all. I am back from Halifax, Arrived on Monday after being snowed in in Antigonish. Then got Caught up in Mason's birthday celebration. We suited up! a la Barney Stinson, and had a grand adventure to Wentworth Perk for Hot Chocolate. It was really fun, he loved it.
Then it took most of Tuesday to find my kitchen under the mess of a mama free weekend. Before I knew it, it was time to prep for my Wednesday classes. Hence the no Blogging til now.
The scarfa week project moved along, I got the fringes done while in Halifax drinking beer, er tea but did not wet finish it. New scarf a week will be done this weekend, just needs to be tied on and we are ready to roll. I have a terrible feeling that it is not as long as it should be, but we shall see, no need to stress, it is purple, and I know a six year old. She may be the only kid on the playgroundwearing silk, but hey, she does claim that she would like to be a princess. The scarf will be worn, no matter how short it is.
Next week's warp is wound and ready to be put on the loom, it is a manly looking khaki green and beige cotton chenille. Cozy, and kind of safe after my wild mixed fibre warp this time around. For warp number three I have plans for fabric that goes bump, or maybe some woven shibori. I have some bamboo yarn that would make a lovely soft, drapey (is drapey a word?) scarf. I have not dyed bamboo yet, but I think it will take colour without a hitch. Yes I think that is it, I shall make a bamboo shibori warp for scarf a week warp #3.

Off to the Big City

Well folks, Lizzie is off and running to Halifax for the weekend. I will be attending the Atlantic Craft Trade show as an observer, Just giving a little scope out of the show to see if I want to go the wholesale route. Oh and also so I can eat good food and see my friend Shannon. This will make me happy. I will make little progress on my weekly scarf, as I can't twist fringes and drive at the same time yet. I will be taking it with me though, and may get some done while visiting with Shannon. She won't mind at all, she understands the need to twist yarn, being one of those knitting types. She is obsessed with yarn as much as the rest of us, there are even photos of her knitting in her wedding dress. That folks is HARDCORE!!
ttfn,
lizzie

Scarf a Day, or week, or month...

So My weaver friend Janet at  scarfaday.blogspot.com politely challenged us crazy fibre types to weave a scarf a day... now, to be fair I enjoy a good challenge, but I know my body can't take that much weaving. so, I have joined in at a scarf a week. 
It will be a challenge for me to get that done since I spend my days making pots. But as a further challenge to myself I will attempt to meet this challenge without purchasing any new yarn. It will be the ultimate stash buster, methinks!
The scarf pictured here will be my first, and there is one more on this warp. I will then move on to make warps of four scarf lengths each. That way I only have to warp once a month. Lets see if I can make it happen...

Monkeying Around

For those of you who are familiar with my kids, you will know that they have a minor obsession with monkeys. Over the years this obsession has taken many forms, there have been monkey pajamas, monkey paintings, monkeys in a barrel, random monkey impersonations-even a breakaway pop hit written and performed by my children and the kids at One Thread Two Thread, entitled, "dancing with the monkeys" All has been quiet on the monkey front recently. I was thinking maybe thay were outgrowing the monkey obsession, when suddenly over dinner one night India said "Do you know what's really cool?"
"No" I replied, "what's really cool?" (this is a frequent conversation, and the cool thing is ever changing)
"Sock Monkeys"
"Sock Monkeys?" I query.
"Sock Monkeys" she said again
It is true, I cannot deny that sock monkeys are cool.
"You should make me one" she says
"you should make yourself one" I say.

That conversation took place before Christmas, we bought a five pack of socks while out shopping and I never heard a word about the sock monkeys again until a couple of days ago when Miss India asked me to source out the instructions for said monkeys. Last night My monkey started her sock monkey production. I have to say this kid worked diligently on her project and nearly finished him before bed last night. I have no doubt she will get the finishing touches done before dinner tonight.

She is doing a great job with it, and plans to make many more.This first sock monkey is to be called Cecil, and he is a gift for a friend.

Gettin er Done

This past year and a half has been full of change. Moving to Cape Breton, setting up my Pottery, and getting back into the teaching groove has certainly been a life altering set of events. It has been quite an adjustment! I have learned a lot about myself,some of it seemed to be a natural sort of realization and some of it really surprised me.
In the land of natural realizations, I have discovered a love of the country life. Sure, I miss walking down the street and grabbing a coffee with friends at a coffee shop, or going out for beers with the gang. But all in all, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks. The quietness, the beauty and the solitude have done marvelous things for my spirit, and my work.This may surprise those who think they know me well. But I always suspected I was a country girl at heart. I love the sound of the chickens in the yard, I love looking above my bed through the skylight and seeing a blanket of stars. I love that I can walk to the end of the driveway and jump in the canoe. Life is good.
The surprising realizations come in that I can't believe how much I love teaching. Sure I always enjoyed giving workshops now and again, but last term I taught three full term courses and LOVED it. It was a bit tiring but all in all it was a great experience.
My introductory weaving class made some fantastic projects, I was really impressed. Two of my students were veteran knitters, some might even say they were HARDCORE!!!!! Two twenty somethings carrying knitting everywhere, they made some really cool stuff (and had stashes that were mouthwatering).
My other two classes were both pottery classes. I have to say, I enjoyed these most of all. I have more confidence with clay, more of a natural communication with it and I think this translates well into teaching. I am looking forward to the start of term tomorrow. I'll be dusting off my teaching hat and delving in to the pottery Studio at the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design at the crack of noon.
Unfortunately I have given up my weaving class. I was stretched a little thin last term, and it was the one thing to many on my plate. I am hoping however to get some weaving done at the centre this term. they have eight harnesses calling my name.....
ttfn Lizzie