The Madness of the Last Month!

I seem to always be appologizing for the delay in posts, but this has been a very long one, so in spite of the craziness, I bring you news!

I'm not sure where to begin, so I just will ....

• Kaleidoscope's Spring term has ended. I have completely enjoyed teaching Fiber Arts to these children. They did a terrific job with their projects and seemed to have a great time!

Our last class was a felting class and children created a small coin purse using a resist. They all accomplished the task though some of their felt was stronger than others. Their challenge in this class was learning that felt is labor intesive. I often heard them say "I'm done" after following my instructions to rub this way or that for for barely enough time for me to walk away :-) The good news is that they saw it through helping them to learn that I wasn't just trying to make them work, but that it really took some elbow grease to get the job done. Each was delighted with the end product. I am sad to say that at the end of class, while saying good bye for the summer, that I did not take photos! Shame on me! I did manage this shot while they were working though.
I will not return to teaching my Fibre Arts classes at KAF until the winter term. My fall commitments between the Fryeburg Fair and the Bermuda Fibre Festival keep me traveling and too busy to be available every week to teach class.

• My next event is in Maine at the Saco Sidewalk Art Festival on Saturday June 27th. I have not done this event before. After doing the Audubon Show in Falmouth last year, I quickly realized that though it was an Art and Fine Craft Show, the audience was geared towards jewelry and pottery. No one was interested in wall art so I decided that I should attempt a show that brought an audience that was looking for paintings. Even though my work is non-traditional, it is in the "wall art" or paintings genre. I'll see how it goes! The economy may play a role in it's success but I felt it was worth trying it out. I'll let you know how it goes!
• Today is moving day! We made a decision a short time ago to downsize for our last year and a half in Bermuda. We've found a very spacious one bedroom that we are looking forward to. Yes, we are on the down side of that slippery slope and expect to be stateside by the end of 2010. That sounds like a long way off but as time flies, we will be back before we know it.

• I've been babysitting "Casper" for a woman who has returned to the UK. He could not leave when she did because his health requirements were not finished in time. It has been a nightmare trying to figure out what has to be done when. Add to that an uncertain return date due to an inability for the owner to find a safe home for him until she gets settled, and you get lots of stress and many phone calls and trips to various offices. He is scheduled to fly off on wednesday next week. He was a good guy to have around and I will miss him but it is time. Any longer and I will have grown too attached!

And finally, I leave for Maine on thursday not only for the Saco Sidewalk Art Festival but for a week's vacation on a Maine Lake with family. AHHhhhhhh...... We always have a great time. Good FOOD, good COMPANY, GAMES, MOVIES and lots of LAUGHS.

When I return, I will be focusing on a week long Fiber Art Camp for Children at KAF. This will be a first for me and I am thoroughly looking forward to having a great time teaching Fiber Arts with a focus on Felting with a group of children from 7-14 years old. Wish me luck!

I'll update when I return!

Felting Flowers with Children for Mother's Day

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

Children in my 7-9 year old Fiber Art classes at Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation created Felted Hibiscus Flowers for their moms for Mother's Day. Some of the children had felted before but many hadn't. Although they still need more experience for a good quality harder felt, each was very successful at finishing a flower for their mom!

I get so involved with the classes that I often either forget to ask them to allow a group photo of their work or don't allow enough time for documenting their work in photos as parents are ready at the door for pic-up after class to go on with their busy lives. I need to do better at that! I remembered before the last two children left class to take a few pics. Unfortunately I do not have any that show the calyx end of the flower which they all did a great job with but you at least get the idea of what we were trying to accomplish.

I had a blast and the children seemed to as well!

Teaching Children Crewel Embroidery

Good Morning!

T3 term is under way at Kaleidoscope and the children are doing great! I was a bit worried when we began that the little fingers wouldn't be nimble enough to accomplish the task and I worried that their attention span wouldn't be long enough to keep them interested in the detailed work of stitching. I had no need to

worry! They did a great job!

The project was a small pillow. We had some nice donated felt fabric and I created a basic design using the straight stitch, lazy daisy, french knot. After they completed this portion of the work, I stitched the pillows together with my machine and left them an opening for stuffing and they then used a running stitch around the edge. you will note that some were better at this concept than others :-) Keep in mind these children had never stitched before and they are 6 year olds. I feel they accomplished a great task and am as proud of their work as they are!

They always delight in being able to take a completed project home and were thrilled to be taking home such good work!

Stay tuned for more another day.......

The Bermuda Craft Market

Good morning folks!

Well the "show" has come down, most work sold has been delivered and things move on....

The Bermuda Craft Market is a non profit business that caters to Bermuda artists by showing and selling their work. It is located in Dockyard which is a popular highlight for anyone visiting Bermuda. Dockyard is an old English Naval fort which has been transformed into a haven for local artists to show and demonstrate their work. Cruise ships dock there and tourists can see glass being blown, pottery being made as well as regular demonstrations of various arts and crafts at several art centers in the area which is all accessible on foot.

One never knows what will come of an art show! Audrey Brackstone, manager of the Bermuda Craft Market came to the show and saw my work. As a result, she has asked me to have my work represented there. In addition to some hairlock paintings, I will be offering a felt coin purse and felted soaps for now with ambitions to add a few more items as we get into the swing of cruise ship season. Additionally, I have been invited to be a part of their Arts & Craft demonstration program for the winter season beginning after the Bermuda Fiber Festival which will be held in November this year.

Serendipity came into play when I went to Dockyard last week to meet Audrey! They were preparing a group of merchandise that represents some of the artists who show their work at the Craft Market for the Bermuda Bureau of Tourism which is attending trade shows in Boston, Philadelphia and New York. I had brought some work to show Audrey and a piece was taken to tour with them at the shows! I couldn't have planned that to happen if I tried! Sometimes the universe throws us a curve ball and without effort throws us into a direction that we could have never anticipated.

So lots going on for me right now as I prepare for the new term at KAF. Children's Fiber Art classes have resumed so I prepare for those and will post new photos of the children's work as I have them along with some pics of my work that will be delivered to Dockyard next week.
Have a great day!

Artful Organics: A Montage Opening - A Great Success!

After a very stressful few days of hanging the show, it all came together and the opening was a great success!

We had a terrific crowd with little space to get around the room at times. Ronnie Chameau's connection with the Bermuda community gave us nice publicity including an interview on a local radio station with David Lopes, a local personality. The response to our unusual show was extremely positive. We had tried to create a warm and inviting atmosphere which I think we achieved very well and has a different feel from most traditional art shows.

It was especially rewarding for me to hear positive comments about the uniqueness of my work and how fascinated and impressed they were with the process and the final results.

I was pleased to be able to show the murals that I had created for The Fiber Center again. Transporting them to Bermuda was not too difficult since they easily can be rolled and packaged to transport in a golf bag! I now only have to worry about getting them back :-)

Artist Ronnie Chameau had been very busy creating for this event. Her work is fabulous! She is most noted for her dolls made from Banana and Palm leaves but she creates some of the most interesting pieces! She creates paintings using Banana bark, vessels from calabashes (gourds), and weaves beautiful free form baskets from a wide variety of Bermuda plant materials.

The rustic "stick" furniture that you see was created by Ronnie Lopes. Another very creative Bermudian who has only realised his passion for creating his wonderful pieces recently.

Additionally, Bob Patterson showed his miniature furniture, all reproductions of actual antique pieces created using his cabinetmaking skills, and his necklaces made using various "Sea Beans" collected from the Bermuda shores.

Gail Graham rounded out our show with her incredible Bobbin Lace pieces and various other stitchery. Her skills are very diverse and precise as seen from the pieces that she showed. This woman has the most incredible patience!

The show will hang through Saturday the 28th of March. I am taking this week to catch my breath before I take it down and move onto the next adventure!

Children's Fiber Art Projects

Aren't these the cutest things?

My Wednesday Fiber Arts students completed several great projects during the last class of our winter term. The one at left offered the students the use of a variety of skills as they created their Easter chick's nests.

The nests we created from a base of about two yards of yarn followed by short pieces of yarn that students dipped into liquid starch. Once a nest base was created the shorter yarns were layed in layers alternating with some natural twigs and dried grasses to form a small nest. Students were careful to leave an indentation in the middle to leave room the the eggs and chick which they felted using merino wool. Their chicks were then embellished with yellow feathers to create a tail and wings, and squiggly eyes and a bead were added for a beak. All components were secured to the nest with hot glue.

The children enjoyed the felting process which they had learned before and all remembered the basics for completing that task. They quickly figured out how to manipulate the felt to create an egg shape instead of the ball shape they had used for making their bracelets in our first class.

These lovely little yarn baskets were a delight and the children were happy to be taking them home. This too was a liquid starch project which were finally ready to take home after remaining in the classroom to dry. The yarns they used included some of their handspun as well as a thick and thin wool that they had kool-aid dyed in a prior class. Using a small bowl as a mold, students layered their starch soaked yarns making sure they cross each other to create a bond and allowed them to dry until next class. The only glitch with this one is you have to be sure that you cover the mold with plastic wrap so the starch does not adhere to the glass. These are fragile and needed to be sured up in a few places with a dab of elmers but they really were lovely little projects that represented several weeks of accomplishments into a final project.

I was proud for the children to be able to say that these pieces had some of their own hand spun, hand dyed yarns in them!

I am hoping that the children enjoyed my class well enough to sign up for the final school term. I am working on ideas for future projects to carry them forward with their fiber arts!

Grapes: "On It's Way to Wine"

I've just completed this piece to show at the Elliot Gallery at Kaleidoscope Arts Foundation which begins on March 19th. This is a group show featuring five artists who all use natural and organic materials to create their art.

I am pleased with the piece on which I chose to use my Japanese signature since it was inspired by the Sumi-e style that I so love. I spent a good long time trying to decide where the right placement was and finally decided based on the idea that it should be a part of the composition. I considered placing it in the lower right but felt that it became too large a part of the overall piece and deflected the focus. I didn't want the signature to take the eye away from the image and I feel I have accomplished that.

Let me explain my Japanese signature. I wanted to be able to occassionaly use a caligraphic signature on my Sumi-e and Hairlock Paintings. I ended up researching websites that offered name translations though I can't remember which one I used. My name, Gale is spelled so that it means a "strong wind" so the characters used mean just that!

大風 The symbols you see at left have not reproduced accurately in that the cross lines that look squiggly on the second character are meant to be horizontal but not uneven, however you get the idea.

I haven't decided how I will hang this piece for the show since I feel it is one that should be framed but framing this piece in Bermuda means that it is too large to easily transport back to Maine for my next show. So it will remain unframed for now.

I still have lots I want to do to prepare for the show but things are moving along well in spite of myself :-)