Re-new year

2o12

I’ve been meaning to post for a while.  A student of mine and I speak about it a lot; if you don’t see people for a while, it means that you sometimes have less to say to them, not more. You no long have the fabric of the day to day in common, yet really, what have you done that is bigger than that? All those changes are incremental- often it is thus… a long story, or nothing at all.

SOOO

I vacillate I have much and yet little to say.

First I am trying to organize a fibre themed gallery show, I  will show with the Images de Femmes, and I spent the last week of my Christmas holidays producing. Producing what?? hard to say yet…I’ll let you know…

Second  -swapswapswapswapswapswapswapswapswapswapswapswapswapswapswap

why yes,  that IS my  insane stash -just short of hoarders, in every possible hiding spot in my house… and???

AND Marie Sterlin  & I am organizing a swap to use it up. Lots of stuff stays sitting around waiting to get used even though my best efforts are to recycle, give stuff away etc. If you may suffer from a similar craft-stash ailment join us. we will swap and craft at cafe Matina

De stash event ou Troque ton stock ( de laine et al) - come on down Jan 21 2012

Third- trying, really trying to get back to writing on creativity,  keep getting that broaching idea…but we will take our time…

meanwhile…

 kurosawa

December madness

Hey folks, sorry it took so long to post this. Madness is the word. End of term, craft fairs every weekend, and final performances and exams for theater and karate. My kids are such stars.
So I am happy to say that we will crochet today & felt tomorrow from 1:30-2:30 at old skool ‘lutin’ crafts
Come to the polish church on st viateur
Check out the wares and make ornaments!!! Holiday spirit is alive and well in the mile end.

All ages workshop !!!

the Crochet bandit

mael2, a photo by artneli on Flickr.

String theory
Most of my creative life has been spent in search of a vehicle for my communication. Honest and interpretable; appropriate and purposeful; but above all enduring. The piece… as it is seen off into the world would be complete, unchanging, direct in its message and yet dynamic. After years at this endeavor, both visually and literally, I have discovered my veracity in my most abstract method of all, fibre. The rich tactile flow; at the whim of both the elements and people’s appreciation of aesthetic (as opposed to the content), yet approachable with the most dynamic, open ended and undeveloped soft vocabulary.

who needs a lexicon when one sees such a happy little bandit/hero to steal your heart ?

Felted lanterns and vessels

Autumn apples

The sun just keeps shining. Who knew my ‘pommettes’ could get this rosy or this happy. Apple of my eye has so much more meaning now, now that I have 7 jars of apple butter stashed.
Every weekend full of lovely events and creative moments like Roxham woolgathering, Les journee du Bon voisin and finally geek out and pop Montreal. Non stop rocking it and the library bookfair to boot. Got a book called ‘space dog Jack ‘ how cool is that????
And next …. Felting at the studio for journee du culture and felt united … Yippee

Baby bomber

It has been a few weeks since I, Jennifer Soup, Karine Fournier & Madeliene had the opportunity to speak at the Greasy Goose lecture series.
We spoke about yarnbombing under the cadre of “scraps”.
Now that I let the topic ‘sit’ …an ideal way to let the creativity steep I want to get back to the flow.
And thus I have happened across the idea of incongruence theory as a part of curiosity theory additionally to it’s applications in creativity.
In any case I AM both curious and creative in the moment of both finding and mounting a bomb. The urban palour so very counter indicated to the human psyche. We all wish to put our stamp down whether it is a green thumb that drives us, a great wall that entices us or just a softened edge.

International yarnbombing day recap

 

Between the Etsy craft party, finishing up a few more yarn ‘tags’ and watching Kurosawa’s ‘dreams’ it has been an art-ventful weekend. Lots and lots of fodder for consideration for writing on art-process-and cleaving between the normative and the creative.

Thanks so much to Allison, Lisa, and Mary for setting up the etsy event.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/fiberalley – felt extreme hats and jewelry
 http://www.etsy.com/shop/JolietteDesign  -bags, laptop covers and cell phone cases

http://www.etsy.com/shop/crankyhayes – Paintings and pendants

Ephemera

Ran into an artist and neighbourhood colleague of mine, Mary Milne, and got to chatting on our 55 bus ride towards downtown.
Tried to explain about the yarnbombing. Her comment after seeing some photos of the ville Laine, and some of my installations,”how can you get these back at the end?”

This was prior to Sean Micheal’s talk on the ux and the catacombs under Paris.
My answer was, “you don’t, you let it go…”
I am thrilled that anyone would think my soft installations were covetous in value. I know I usually do. But the paradigm shift to knowing some person, unknown, unplanned, unexpectedly would have an urban ‘stumble upon’ moment far out weighs what I could derive from this product if it were produced as garmentry.
I’ve been reading up and the truth is the reification of creative value is all around us. There isn’t any creative value at all without an audience though.
I’ll set a few things free, maybe not even associated directly with me, to know that art has “flown” ephemeral.

As for the ux ( experience seekers x experience producers) they take it further…a Parisian underground- literally and figuratively they involve themselves in the betterment of the urban landscape taking on projects for their own sake, knowing they and their efforts might go fully un- noted.
It’s not about having or noting/ renown… The shift is the DO

Yarn bomb bonanza

Some time ago I knew it as ‘craftitti’ but the evolution is now for softening up the urban landscape with a good old ‘ yarn bomb’ The world is getting wooly for June 11th- Dressing to the nines our local trees, lamp posts and bikestands for yarn bombing day.

Be inspired with your needles or your hooks to take the inside out into the wide world. Get more creative and push the limits cause you only need a little to catch a passerby’s eye.

Jam packed

What a whirlwind couple of weekends!!
Exactly 17 days ago the shoe dropped and it has been like one of those crazy visits to the family back home where you try to see everyone in your addy book… On the 20th of April my little star turned 11. We had a funny little trottior style apple cake with Nowak, Sara and Mateusz.
Then it was good friday. I hosted a few kids for cookie decorating. We picnicked in the Parc with Dahlia and Keith.
I went to geek out on my birthday, yipee. The kids got their Easter eggs blessed. Uncertain why this is so important but they do it every year.
We went to Easter brunch at Magda and Jean’s but we were surprised cause there were birthday cakes too.

On Saturday the 30th Szan went to some kind of figure skating demo with Magda, we thus had the school chums event at Latelier on Mayday. However Griphon and I enjoyed the postponed to April 30th Egg hunt at clark park. thanks to Marie Sterlin and her crew.

May first – oh such a perfect day
The girls were magnificent. Sweet, fun and enjoyed themselves both while crafting and at the ‘after party’

I hope to spend many more Sunday afternoons in Magali’s treasure trove of a shop. viva l’Atelier

Fibre-gé eggs

Happy Easter everyone! Here are my stuffed eggs for the children’s egg-hunt next saturday. Hope to get a few more done over the week, but in the meanwhile I had to post
For coco mile-end
And for all easter freaks.
Let the festivities and the chocolate fly!!