new class date at Nonpareil!

Jackie Lams at Northville Art House class

I'm really excited to announce a new class I'm teaching!

Please come join me at Nonpareil in Ann Arbor on November 6 from 10:30am-4pm.

Nonpareil is a new shop by the incredibly talented garment creator Michelle Moenssen. I'm incredibly honored to be teaching there and I do hope you will join me!

The class is Basic Screen Printing using Thermofax Screens. As it is an extended amount of time (usually the class is 3 hours and this one will be 5 hours), there will be plenty of time to work on projects. I'll also be doing a demo on printing t-shirts, printing on paper and composing art cloth.

So here's all the info and I'd love it if you would join me!

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When: Saturday November 6, 2010
Time: 10:30am - 4pm (there will be a 1/2 hour break for lunch)
Where: Nonpareil
Cost: $80 (includes one screen & one bottle of paint of your choice)

Register for class by contacting Nonpareil at 734-327-1837.

Class description: Learn four basic screen printing techniques that you can use to apply to your own projects. The class will cover solid printing, scuff printing (produces ghost images), clean repeat printing and multiple color printing. Students will have access to Lynn's extensive stash of screens to experiment with during class, and students will leave with a screen and bottle of paint. (Please visit Lynn's etsy shop PRIOR to class to choose your screen & paint color so she can have what you want. Screens cannot be made on site.)

As this class allows for extended work time, there will be tutorials on printing t-shirts, printing on paper and composition of art cloth.

Supply list: 100% cotton fabric (4-6 yards - bring fabric that has color and prints, white fabric is fun but color fabric gives more exciting results!), any projects you'd like to print on (t-shirts, tote bags, heavy weight paper, etc.), garbage bag to cover the table and 1" or 1.5" wide sponge brushes (10-12)

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Hope to see you there! And if you are interested in scheduling a class with me, please give a holler, I'd love to join you! :)

where i stand sunday

Its that odd kind of perforated contrast between the cold temperatures and sunlight. The light comes in at a heavier angle, casting dusk shadows even in the first half of the day. Its the weight of the year closing down, a drowsiness marked by brilliant color and restless breezes.

Where I Stand is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell. (The project is now in Year Three. Year One and Year Two can be found here.)

little man in action

I still plan to do my regular sunday post but I've been goofing around with the video camera on my new ipod and felt the need to do the super geeky thing of posting a badly filmed video of little man.

I've been quite happy with my 2nd gen ipod touch for a long time. I always said I wouldn't upgrade unless they put a camera in a new version.

And they did.

So I did.

But they did one better and put in video capability as well. I've found that Dooley does not flee from the ipod so I'm able to take photos of him easier (he hates my camera). I wondered about the video camera too.

He wasn't quite sure what to make of it. But you can see his cuteness in all his glory. I post photos of him constantly and thought it might be nice to prove that he is indeed real and not a robot (as Leann once suggested).

I must put up a disclaimer, though. I talk several octaves higher and in a little bit of baby talk when I speak to him. (He is my baby after all.) I know I'm not alone on this but I felt the need to warn you.

Without further ado, I show you little main in action:

little man bouncing around from Lynn Krawczyk on Vimeo.

skelly seeks new home giveaway

I have stuffed screened skellys overtaking my studio. They are mischievous when they travel in packs. I went in there yesterday and found all of my scissors strung together like garland stretching across the room. Of course, since they are short it was only raised off the floor about eight inches.

I came to the realization that I need to get some of them new homes (help spread the terror) and since Halloween is just around the corner, it seemed like a good time to do it.

(This biker was able to tame the pink one.)

So here's the deal. Leave me a comment on this blog post (with a way to get in touch with you, if I can't email you to get your mailing info, I won't include you in the drawing. And no anonymous comments.) to get a chance to win not one, not two but three skellies!

Since they have a fiesty pack mentality, three skellies aren't going to one person - three people have a chance to win! You can choose your own color too.

The winners will be chosen on Friday October 22, 2010 by random pull out of the hat kind of drawing.

(from left to right: light pink, blue, green, purple, yellow, white.
See my etsy store for better photos of the colors.)

Please, take them away. I found them doing this on Sunday during my art opening:

So leave a comment and get a chance to win your own skelly!

guest blogger at Subversive Stitchers blog

I'm very honored to be a guest blogger again over at the fabulous Dawn Goldsmith's blog, Subversive Stitchers.

Please stop by and check it out!

printed project sunday - skelly plushie tutorial

I love plushies. I love screen printing. And I L-O-V-E Halloween. (When I rule the world, it shall be Halloween every day. Like Groundhog Day, only a constant stream of sugar OD and people dressed up strangely in bizarre costumes. Sounds fun, doesn't it?)

I pondered, especially since today's post is supposed to be a Printed Project Sunday post. I thought that maybe it would be fun to combine my three loves and this sunday post into a craft tutorial project.

Without further ado, I bring you the skelly plushie (and the directions on how to make your very own):




This plushie is made using the skelly duo screen designed by Leann Meixner. I split the design into two individual skellies. I experimented with printing them when they were on the same screen and it was bit torturous so I thought I'd make it easier on all of us.

And if you aren't inclined to make one of your own, head on over to my etsy shop and pick one of them up all ready to go!

Before we get started, let me get the business end of this out of the way. These are fun to make. Give them for gifts for halloween instead of candy (gift giving does not require a license fee). BUT if you want to make them to sell, please remember that there is a one time $25 license fee in order for you to be able to do so. And give Leann credit as the designer, she rocks and the whole world should know it.

Okay, now that that's done, let's get to it!

Step 1

I chose to print my skellies on black cotton but you can certainly print on any color fabric you like. When I make plushies, I cut the fabric in one hunk and I always cut way more then I need (traumatic events of not enough fabric for seam allowances have ensued and it ain't a pretty thing). For the skellies, I cut a 14" wide x 10" high piece of black cotton.



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Step 2

Screen the skelly in your paint color of choice.





I tried the neon paints on the black and they didn't work well. The colors that I used for the ones shown here and in my etsy shop were screened with the colors milk, envy, banana peel, strawberry shake, blue hawaii and fairytale.


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Step 3

Heat set your skelly completely before moving on to the sewing stage. (I like to heat set on the opposite side of the fabric I print on.)




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Step 4

Fold the fabric in half, right sides together, and pin to keep it from shifting during sewing. If you can't see your print through the fabric, baste around it with a contrasting thread in large stitches so you know where to sew. Do this before you pin right sides together.




Drag your plushie over to your sewing machine and begin sewing around the edges of the printed design. I sewed about half an inch around the outline and just went with it, I didn't worry about making it perfect. When you look at the ones in the shop, you'll see that each one is different, a little quirky and totally individual.





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Step 5

I usually sew my plushies completely shut and then cut a slit on the backside for turning and stuffing.



If you don't like that option, leave an opening in the seam during sewing to use to turn and stuff your skelly.

Trim away excess fabric and clip any curves to ease turning your skelly right side out:



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Step 6

Stuff your skelly. You'll be shocked how much polyfill you can cram into this little plushie. Keep going until you're happy with the level of stuffiness. If you like firm solid plushies, stuff a lot. If you prefer squishy, don't use as much.



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Step 7

Hand sew shut the turning/stuffing opening. I like to use a size 8 perle cotton. Feels sturdier to me.




You can clean up stray polyfill fibers with some scotch tape.

Since I cut open the back, I put my label over it to hide it.




And there you have it! A skelly ready to do your bidding!



And what exactly do skellies enjoy doing? Here are a few examples.

They try to blend in with other chachkis:



They enjoy traveling to parties in packs:



They like to be hugged:

That's Leann!

They enjoy sunbathing in public spaces:



They make bikers look tough:


Don't delay! Make yourself a gaggle today! Or swing on by the shop and pick one up to hang out with.

the return of the happy things project

At the beginning of the year, I started a daily photo essay called the 365 happy things project.

The goal is to post a photo everyday of something that made me smile. In other words, taking the time to pause and appreciate the little things that surround us everyday, the ones that we tend to walk past without really seeing.

I decided to put the project on hiatus in mid august when things got hectic, expecting only to take a couple of weeks off. It turned out to be far longer then that. Today I started posting again with this photo:


Please visit the project's blog to see why I decided to post it there and I hope you will follow along as we keep marching along to a total of 365 happy things! :)

new video tutorial - how to wash out a screen

One of most common questions I receive from my customers is: How do I wash out my thermofax screen?

I started writing out a tutorial and then decided that was just silly when I could make a little video and show you how I do it. I realize not everyone does things the same way but this method works really well for me.

So now my question is this: What is a question that you really need answered about thermofax screens that you would like to see a video for? Let me know and I'll work on putting one together!

You can see all the instructional videos I've created so far on my YouTube channel.

Enjoy the new video and I hope you find it helpful!

the recipe

Do you have someone in your life that is relatively happy? Have you ever wondered how you could go about instilling a good strong phobia in him/her? After all, normalcy is pretty boring - let's jazz things up!

I've got a sure fire way to go about it. In the next two minutes I'll explain to you a guaranteed recipe for making sure that the human of your choice joins the ranks of millions who daily enjoy the splendor of Insectophobia - the glamorous irrational fear of anything that can fly, has multiple appendages and crawls at an unreasonable speed (usually across your skin).

So let's get to it!


Ingredients:

• 1 human (usually one below the four foot mark works best)

• an influential visual (a movie scene such as this one from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is a prime example)

• a sibling or friend who finds bugs humorous/fun/an excellent torture device

• a location where the human lives/works/frequents that is a natural habitat for a variety of bugs that would prefer to live somewhere else and thus flock to humans whenever possible

• nightly reports on the news concerning bug epidemics and the extreme measures it takes to remove them from the household (bonus points if they can cause bites, rashes and general terror)

• larger humans to mock the smaller one about squealing and fleeing upon the sighting of a bug

Directions:

• Expose small human to movie/magazine/traumatic event more then once. You must do this with regular frequency. Also consider applying bugs to small human's arm and feet so that the feel of multiple bug feet against their skin is clear.
  

• Suggestions for bug trauma exercises: moths (they make audible bumping sounds against walls so this adds to the terror), centipedes (the speed at which they attack is extraordinary which will cause the bug phobic human to panic because regular fleeing methods do not apply), and spiders (bonus points if you add them to something that will be drank or eaten).

• Leave bug phobic human to fend for themselves when encountering new creepy species. Show no concern. Instead, laugh and point and tell them to "pull up their big girl panties." This statement is even more effective when speaking to a male.

• Make sure you recount tales of embarrassing encounters to anyone who will listen. While bugs do not react to humiliation, the phobic person will and this will lead to funny noises escaping from them during a distressing encounter as they work like hell to compose themselves.

Successful installment of bug phobia depends largely on how susceptible the human is. Don't be distressed if your first attempts does not take. Instead, view it as a challenge. Pretend that you are an older brother with a little sister and the glee that is felt at the right of being allowed to torture said sister. Its important to be persistent. And experiment with your methods! Variety is the spice of life!

I hope you are inspired to give it a shot. And don't forget, just because some people flee in terror at the site of this, doesn't mean you can't have fun with it.

Enjoy!



This helpful tutorial was written by Lynn Krawczyk, a lifelong bug phobic who is forced to encounter these little $#@&^% on a daily basis. A recent attack of box elder bugs gushing through an open window in her studio has cracked her, she now sits in the corner of her bedroom drooling, rocking and recounting easier times when her mommy would crush bugs for her without being asked.

down time

I've had a little bit of trouble getting myself back in gear after the Two Deadlines. (Yes, they deserve capital letters.) I have much to tend to but the adrenaline flow has left the building and I find myself puttering more then doing.

Not a bad thing, we all need some rest but it makes for dreadful blogging. Instead I thought I'd show it to you in photos:

"no assembly required" is hung. Up. For all to view. I've had nightmares of things coming loose from the boxes and impaling customers in the head. Since the police have not showed up my door yet with a warrant, I figure I'm doing good.

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I turned this train wreck:


into this:

And no, I did not shove everything into the hallway for the photo. Its actually cleaned up and functional again.


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I knat on the never ending shawl:



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I admired my dog:



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I stitched:



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I read while the westie napped:





I'm determined to get back to work today. I've got etsy orders to fill and class samples to make and new screens to get in the shop.

Down time is good. Especially when you've go so many pleasant distractions to help pass the time.

short story sunday

Helen couldn't help glancing down the stairs. The wind was pushing hard against the building, making the open doorway bop grumpily against the stone holding it open. Her mind crawled slowly across the events of the past week, no longer wishing to keep the thoughts tethered to a leash.

That was the danger of it all really, of letting yourself go. There just wasn't any telling where you'd end up. Maybe here, sitting in this chair, in the dark, not listening to the thing you came to hear.

It was easier then she thought it would be. When you've been something for so many years, its hard to imagine pulling things apart and letting them just lay on the floor like that. But she did it. And now she kept stepping on parts of herself, wondering how she was going to find the thread to sew them back together.

There was that wind again. And the door. Thump, thump, thump. Like some strange jazz band that couldn't pull it together. But the building was solid. It could stand up against the uncertainty of the storm.

She could feel herself leaking slowly down the hallway, peeking shyly around the wood of the door. The time had come to get a move on, spill out completely and begin again.






Short Story Sunday is a series of mini stories based on random photos. They are quick, spontaneous flashes of abstract fiction.

the tale of 7 assemblages

The last ten days have been a blur.

At one point I got to thinking about the fact that I had ten days left to finish three assemblages. I won't lie, I felt pretty good about myself. Granted, I've known about the show for many months but still, ten days to make three assemblages seemed so totally doable (especially since I knew what I wanted to do). I even said to myself, "Self? Well done. You'll be done ahead of schedule. You go on with your big bad self."

Smugness ensued.

And then a huge deadline/opportunity fell smack in the middle of my lap. It was one of those things that you don't say no to, no matter how tight the deadline. I sat down and listed everything that would need to happen in the next ten days.

Smugness evaporated.

I took a deep breath and had a little talk with myself and decided that it was doable and all would be well.

I don't want to reveal the opportunity that showed up because, well, I'm a little superstitious about it and like to wait until there is no turning back before I tell a whole bunch of people. I can give a little hint in the form of a picture:



Photos of various activities were necessary involving thermo screens. (Maybe not so secret anymore?) Won't be long until I can completely spill the beans so be patient...

At the same time, I continued to work on the assemblages. Glue, paint, stare at it and will it to dry with the power of my mind (doesn't work by the way)...rinse and repeat.

Between the two projects, I've been chained to my studio. Which really isn't all that horrible of a thing when you think about it. But now that poor room looks like this:


Trust me when I say the mess continues on the other side of the work table closest to the door. I actually had a dream last night in which I was cleaning up and couldn't stop and felt an unreasonable amount of glee about the whole thing. (Is that the first sign of cracking up?)

I can't stand the train wreck. I plan to correct that quickly. Things got out of control quickly but there was no time to stop and tidy. Every second counted.

And many of those seconds resulted in this group:

Seven assemblages.

An exhausted artist.

A destroyed studio.

These hang tomorrow morning. I'm excited (on the inside, I'm too tired to physically express it). I can't wait to see what Joan and Leann have, its going to be a really exciting show.

I plan to treat myself by going out to the Farmer's Market in Farmington on Saturday morning to buy some handmade soap from Relic Soap Company. I bought a bar of their soap at the Plymouth Art Fair this past summer and have been trying to find the time to go visit them again before the outdoor selling season is over. Its the best handmade soap I've ever come across.

The time has come. I want soap. And sleep. Sleep and soap. Sounds like a plan.

no assembly required exhibit - you're invited!

It's almost here - October 1. And that means that its nearly time for the assemblage show Leann, Joan and I have been working on putting together.

We've been planning it for so long that it seems nearly impossible that it's almost here. And we'd love for you to join us!

On October 10 all three of us will be lurking around the Bean (the most awesome coffee shop in Plymouth where the show is hanging) and we'd love it if you would stop by, grab yourself a cup of joe, see the show and have a chat with us.

Here are the details:

no assembly required assemblage exhibit

Where: Plymouth Coffee Bean

When: Sunday October 10, 2010

Time: 2pm-5pm


The show will be up from October 1 - November 30th, 2010 so there is plenty of time to stop by and see it.

Hope to see you on October 10th!

where i stand sunday

The cold crept in around the edges when no one was looking, seeping quietly inward toward the center. Its a quiet invader, showing itself suddenly and yet somehow passively. I welcome the changing in the guard, watching as the violent stutter of autumn sets the trees to burning with vibrant color and decay.

Where I Stand is an ongoing photo essay examining the different places I spend my life standing. Too often we take for granted the everyday places we spend our lives walking on. The ground we tread on has its own stories to tell. (The project is now in Year Three. Year One and Year Two can be found here.)

loving the imperfect print

Yesterday I had the pleasure of talking to a traditional quilter about screen printing fabric. She wants to start making art quilts and was asking me about the class I'm teaching at the Northville Art House in a few weeks.

She asked if she could see some samples and luckily I had some with me. So I pulled out several pieces of hand printed fabric (what? You don't carry art cloth around with you?) and she set to work examining them.

I watched as her face moved between fascination and then the scrutiny took hold, then a somewhat worried look. I asked her what she was thinking and she waved her hand, telling me nothing. I already knew what was going through her mind, it wasn't the first time I'd witnessed The Look from traditional quilters, so I pressed her to tell me what she was thinking.

She looked thoughtful and then nicely said, "There are some mistakes." The sentence was full of apology and I asked her to point out to me all the areas that she thought were mistakes and sure enough, she singled out a tiny paint smudge, an edge of an image that wasn't perfectly crisp, a repeat print that was a little crooked.

We had a nice discussion about imperfect printing. I wasn't offended but I'm noticing that a lot of people equate perfection with skill or quality of work. I have a very different view point when it comes to this topic. Its not a defensive one but one that I feel bears voicing.

I take great pride in my work. I do my very best to make it as good as it can be and believe me, I have pretty picky standards. But perfect? Perfect isn't possible and its not something I'm willing to torture myself into finding.

I print my own fabric because I want those imperfections that add character and charm. That doesn't mean that I give no consideration to design or print sloppy or release myself from doing quality work. What it means is that if one of those imperfect areas appears, I embrace it as part of the process and continue on.

The quest for perfection is often a crippling one. I'm not willing to go there. Much of my art cloth gets cut up and reassembled into different forms and more often then not, I find myself drawn to the areas that are just a little bit crooked or smudged. For me, there is great beauty in it.

Perfection is not the point of creating art cloth. Having a role in my work from beginning to end is. And that's why I do it.

So let your hair down and embrace the less then perfect print, don't turn your nose up at it or discount it as a mistake and wasted effort. I'm not perfect, I have many flaws yet the people in my life have found good reason to keep me around for a lot of years.

Enjoy the process and see what happens when you relax and let things just flow. You may find yourself falling in love with that little smudge.

an open letter to spiders

Dear Mr. Arachnid,

I understand that you and I have our issues. Its understandable. I find you creepy in every way humanly possible and you have objections to me repeatedly smashing you with heavy objects. I think we are both justified in our dislikes.

However, I take issue with the incident of one of your own today. It was uncalled for, underhanded, and quite frankly, an open invitation to me to wage all out war on every single one of your kind. Lucky for you, you make me scream like a little girl so the odds of me seeking you out (even for the purpose of destroying you) is highly unlikely.

I was in a zen mood today. It was a lovely, although rather windy, early autumn day. I was heading out to the American Sewing Expo for a day amongst my people. I struck out into the day armed with a travel mug full of some pumpkin flavored coffee. I happily sipped at the mug as I drove, humming along to the radio.

And that's when it struck.

Coffee is supposed to be smooth. There should be no lumps of any kind. Much less lumps that have the ability to squirm in your mouth as they attempt to crawl across your tongue.

I don't appreciate it when spiders take a swim in my coffee. I appreciate it even less when I drink them. I appreciate it even less when they remain alive and try to escape.

I did what any rationale human being would do. I spit coffee across my dashboard and all down the front of my shirt. After I pulled over, I found the offender and chucked him ruthlessly out the window. (Luckily I dress in a dark color palette so staining was not a concern. I considered forging ahead but I smelled like a pumpkin pastry and could only imagine the looks I would incur as I walked through the aisles.)

I must admit that his presence certainly helped in the awakening department (the coffee was a little weak) but I still did not find the experience pleasant.

So I am lodging a formal public complaint against all spiders. Please let your kind know that I will show no mercy, am considering buying a small hammer to assist me in the smashing of you when you come near me and I do not feel the least bit guilty about it all.

You have been warned. That is all.

Sincerely,

Lynn

2010 Breaking Traditions Art Quilt Exhibit Favorite

The 2010 Breaking Traditions Art Quilt Exhibit will be hung at the American Sewing Expo this week. This is the fifth year that I've run the exhibit, and the third year that it has served as a fundraiser to help a fellow artist raise funds for a cause.

The 2008 exhibit benefited Virginia Spiegel's Fiberart for a Cause project (which raises funds for the American Cancer Society), the 2009 exhibit benefited Bernie Berlin's animal shelter A Place to Bark and the 2010 exhibit is benefiting Claudine Intner's Art Now for Autism (which raises funds for Autism Speaks.)

The exhibit this year is small but it is very mighty. There is a lot of emotion and beauty packed into the 30 quilts that will go up for exhibit and I'm once again honored and humbled to organize an event that helps bring them to the forefront for others to see.

Each year an exhibit favorite is chosen and this year, the quilt is "Phil's Temple" by Holly Kreag:




Here is Holly's artist statement: This quilt is dedicated to my nephew, Phil, who was recently diagnosed with autism. He lives in Japan, and visited me in the U.S. last year, just prior to his diagnosis. At the time, he repeated almost everything that was said to him. He has since progressed and moved out of the repeating phase. I wrote a haiku (a Japanese poem) about my memory of his visit. Creating this quilt was a comfort to me, and made me feel closer to Phil.


The haiku that is on Holly's quilt reads:

Phil
Repeats what you say
Not sure what he's thinking, but
answers your questions


As in past years, I'll be putting together an online and print catalog of the show. If you are in the area this weekend, please stop by the expo and take a look at the exhibit!

a bundle of randomness

August flew by in a wicked blur and it appears that September is just as moody since its not been polite enough to slow down so I can get a grip on things. Things are a-hoppin' at Chez Fibra Artysta. I've been meaning to blog (which I detest saying, its a dirty phrase) but since I've been scurrying around instead of writing, lots of things have happened. So instead of individual posts, I'm smooshing them all together into a list of random.


(1) On Saturday I attended a meeting of the Michigan chapter of the Surface Design Association. It was the first time I met this group and I had a really nice time. The state rep mentioned that they were looking for people to do demos so since I believe it is my solemn calling on earth to addict everyone to thermofax screen printing, I drug along my screens and paints:

Bear in mind that I did this demo in front of professors from Wayne State University. With my own special way of printing which basically involves flinging paint at the screen and then attacking it like I'm flattening flies. Has little to do with the "proper" way to print. Not sure what they thought of that but I had a blast and plan to go back. No getting rid of me now.

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(2) I've got three of the seven assemblages done for the show I'm in next month:


A fourth is nearly finished and the other three look like this:


Have faith, will ya? I've got skills. I'll make it.

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(3) One of my errands today involved obtaining these little vinyl farm animals for one of the nearly done boxes:


I apologize if you are an herbivore. This box is actually meant to be humorous (and will be when I'm done with it, the little guys are staging a protest encouraging people to eat more bacon). By the time I'm done with it it will be. Now that I have the protesters, it will come together in no time at all.

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(4) I added two new paint colors to the shop. Pond Scum and Blue Lagoon.


They are both rather nice metallics. I'm not a huge metallic fan and I really like these, all the metallics from Simply Screen are subtle. And while I acknowledge that it may be a marketing mistake to call the light olive green one Pond Scum (who looks at their artwork and says, "I think all this needs is a dash of scum! That's the ticket!), don't be deterred. Its a very pretty color.

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(5) I upgraded my ipod touch to the latest one. I always said the only way I would is if they came out with one with a camera in it. The buggers did so now I have. The nice thing about it is that Dooley doesn't realize its a camera so I can take as many pictures of little man as I want without him fleeing:

The picture quality is pretty nice, dont'cha think? Its certainly not going to replace my good camera but its blog worthy quality and that's exactly what I wanted from it.

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(6) Unfortunately the new ipod renewed my interest in the game apps available and I came across a free one called Pocket Frogs:


Its a cross between being a mad scientist and a frog pimp. The objective is to breed as many new species as you can. I'd like to say that I tried it, found it amusing and then set it aside. I'd like to say that. But I made it to level 5. Someone stop me now... (Oh, and Moviecat! is also a very entertaining movie trivia game. Just in case you needed another way to waste time.)

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(7) I read a blog called whatever. Meg, the talented photographer and writer of the blog, went on a missionary trip to Africa not long ago. She took along a suitcase full of children's vitamins and in the time since she's been there, the vitamins have been all used up. She's asking for donations of kid's vitamins to send along with the next person who travels there. (All the info can be found in this blog post.) My vitamins are at the ready - would you consider donating too?

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(8) I'm working on a new monthly newsletter. It will be separate from the blog and include things about classes I'm teaching, nifty thermofax screen printing tips, exhibits I'm in, coupons and announcements about the shop, interviews with artists. The first one will go out in a couple of weeks. If you're interested in receiving it, please send me an email at FibraArtysta@earthlink.net with a subject line of "subscribe to newsletter" and you'll be on the list.


That's all I've got. Well, not really. I've got a lot more and could babble for hours but really, there has to be a limit. I've got to get Breaking Traditions prepped for the American Sewing Expo. It hangs this Thursday so there will be some more info on that coming soon. Catch you later chickens!

printed project sunday

Printed Project Sunday is a new series of blog posts that will appear every third sunday. The purpose of these posts are to feature artists so that you may get to know them better and hopefully inspire you to try some screen printing of your own!

Cercis 9 by B.J. Parady

The first post in this series features artwork from the very talented B.J. Parady. The background fabric of Cercis 9 (shown above) was created using deconstructed screen printing. Other methods used to create the work include stamping, fused scrim, shiva paintsticks and machine quilting.

From B.J.'s website: My art reflects the microcosm in which I live where the tall grass prairie used to be. I am inspired daily by the big skies, the reflection of light on water, the remaining remnants of native plants. Because I have come to embrace the idea of abstraction capturing the essence of a moment rather than a literal depiction of a scene that could just as easily be photographed many of my new pieces are in the style of the abstract expressionists.

If you are new to deconstructed screen printing, here is a brief clip from the deconstructed screen printing queen herself, Kerr Grabowski:




Please visit B.J.'s website and blog to view more of her work.



Printed Project Sunday highlights artwork that features hand printed fabric or paper. The methods vary from traditional screen printing, deconstructed screen printing, thermofax screen printing, monoprinting, gelatin plate printing - anything you can think of! If you would like to have your work featured on the blog, send an image and explanation of your work to FibraArtysta@earthlink.net All work, images and text are copyright of the contributing artists and are posted with permission.

consistency

I've been driving myself mad lately (and a few friends as well) when it comes to the topic of creating a consistent banner for all my sites.

The problem I had is that I don't have a clear cut logo. Because I brand myself under the name Fibra Artysta (which means fiber artist in polish by the way and is no more difficult to pronounce then my last name which seriously lacks in the vowel category), its not so easy to come up with a graphic to represent that.

I can't count how many versions I ran through and how much staring I did at other logos and banners for ideas. It often ended with me giving the computer horrible dirty looks and stomping away with fierce determination to ignore it with all the might I had.

But today I spent time setting up my new newsletter that will deal with all things thermofax. And there it was: the need for a tag line and header.

If you've been to my website or etsy store, you noticed that the blog, website and shop all had different headers. Its been annoying me in a gigantic manner for some time.

Today I sucked it up. I'm pretty happy with the end result. The graphic is based on the most popular screen in the shop. Its simple, abstract (which describes my art and writing style) and will be super easy to screen print. (Mom said it looks like a microwave. She may have a point...)

Now everything looks the same. Which means I've been branded. But to be honest, that sort of sounds like I'm a cow with some crazy ranch hand chasing after me with a burning hot iron so I don't know that I really like that description.

At any rate, the twitch beneath my eye is calming down a little bit. Now I can continue building up the new newsletter. With less twitching. And branding. Branding that looks like a microwave...*sigh*