I had to make sure and show you the wonderful pens my husband Roger has been making with wood from our forested home and re-purposed materials. You can now find his pens exclusively sold at Moments by Norri, a shop for creating memorable gatherings and finding local artisan gifts.
This one is one of my favorites:
Gatsby Style Twist
In spalted and highly figured Norway maple burl and gold titanium finish
The maple was submerged in green dye and processed for 24 hours in a vacuum chamber. This piece was then heated to harden and stabilize the dye before turning on a vintage wood lathe.
This pen is part of a Norway maple that fell during a snowstorm at my forested home in Portland, Oregon. A burl is a rounded knotty, irregular growth that when polished has elegant decorative detail.
Knit panels with crochet accents.
Main yarn: Plymouth Yarn, Homestead Tweed, Burnt orange, 90% wool, 10% donegal, made in Peru
Bottom band: Lang Yarns, Finn, 72% virgin wool, 28% acrylic, made in Italy
I am new to using a knitting machine. My interest, I confess, is not in knitting garments with fancy stitches but rather combining different knitted yarn fabrics and textures together to create unique designs. I thought the Silver Reed LK150 Knitting Machine would be the perfect tool for my needs. They call this machine a work-horse and it is.
This sweater is my own design by draping the dress form. I let the sweater evolve as I went and ended up with these semi-bell sleeves that a friend’s blouse inspired me to add.
Wonderful yarn to work with!
I love to work with beads and I find it very relaxing. The hard part is choosing the beads.
This dinning room lamp was missing it’s fringe; little holes holding nothing. I admit when I started this project it seemed easy enough. Make the same sequence of beads over and over again. When hung, each strand from a distance has colors creating a stripe that go up and down as the holes in the lamp edge make a bracket shape.
It took years. The lamp hanging there part strung saying “Remember me?” So I took beads in a little box with me and strung when I had time. Yes I remembered.
The autumn dance was soon and Josephine was so excited to go.
A shorter in length party dress would be so pretty and she wanted to look her best for such an occasion. Josephine most definitely wanted something with grass flowers. Grass flowers were all the rage; everyone would be wearing them.
With these ideas in mind she set out to the forest to find her dress and came upon one later that day. Around the waist a brocade of small rust and purple chrysanthemums with blackberry and huckleberry beads. Fading hydrangea blossoms made up the bodice and a delicate pansy jewel button dotted the front.
She was set.
Quilt throw
Machine quilted cotton
I have made a few quilts over the years and I thought I would share some. This Blue and White Tea quilt my sister and I made for a family member. This person likes tea, blue and white china and a splash of bright color here-and-there. At the fabric store we picked out all the blues that would go with a tea cup and pot fabric.
This quilt is constructed of squares and occasional four triangles making up a square. To give it a slightly formal touch we made the edging and binding out of a simple stripe.
12″ x 9″
Pen and pencil on paper
This copy I drew at the Portland Art Museum in the Graphic Design exhibit hall. The work “Frightened Boy and His Dog” was created by Leonard Baskin in 1954. I found the work interesting. The boy is still with his arms wrapped around him, the hand is open like a gesture of needing help. The dog is unsure, paused – a moment in time. The fear itself is confident, bright, energetic and because we don’t know exactly what it is, frighting.
This weeks topic on Illustration Friday.com is fear. It’s fun to see what other illustrators have posted.
Pen and watercolor pencil on paper.
Size: 14″ x 13″
Not being a water-colorist I have found colored pencils that you can brush with water easier to use. The color spread is manageable and you can get a combination of hard and soft color easily.
I managed to get a design job because of this illustration. Just goes to show you that what is in your mind to create will touch someone else’s heart.
Keep making things.
Acrylic on 2 in x 2 in canvas board
This painting I did with the aid of a magnifying glass and tiny brushes. The subject was derived from a photograph I took one Christmas. A chipmunk had gotten a hold of some holly I had put in a plant arrangement outside. This painting was entered in the Blick Mini Masterpiece Challenge.
Graphic designers are used to working in a fast pace environment. And as one I have tools to my advantage. I worked up my different images and textures in a multi layered PhotoShop file on my computer. Not to do a digital painting – which this is not – but to work out shapes, color and textures and get a good feeling of how they could work together before dipping the brush in paint. The result; I have in my mind a finished image and along the way there are happy accidents that add flavor to the piece.
Here I have deconstructed my image using filters slowly working to less and less detail and one with the grain filter turned up for an extra texture view. I print them out on 8.5 x 11 in this case larger than the size of the painting. On my canvas I draw then paint what I see on my printouts in the reverse order. Cheating? No. They are just tools after all and on a two inch square you need all the help you can get.
This skirt is made using New Look sewing pattern 6492, view B. The fabric used is a visc/poly, yarn-dyed double-knit from France that I bought from Emma One Sock. Great fabric to work with. Very comfortable. Perfect drape. I am going to make more of this pattern. The simple cut really shows off the fabric. #emmaonesock
Acrylic on canvas.
When the season turned cold I made this roomy sweater of a visc/poly from France. The Fabric, fair isle in style, is a yarn-dyed double-knit. The back side is a tweedy stripe that makes for an interesting accent. This sweater is so comfy – I just love it. This fabric can fuzz and pill so I have chosen to make it a dry clean item.
Connie Moore Designs Greeting Cards 