Month: September 2011

Before digital photography and computers, artists took slides of their work with a 35mm camera.  Besides being terrified to show my art (although I did occasionally) I was also terrified of taking pictures of my work.  It was difficult enough, but when you’re in a panic about it as well, it makes it almost impossible.   Living where I did in upstate NY there were only 2 places to get slides developed in less than a week and they were both about an hour away.    Inevitably I would pick up the slides and they were out of focus or the color was off or sometimes the film wouldn’t even have gone through the camera because I loaded it wrong.   And it was expensive, the camera, the film and the developing.

But thankfully, all that has changed.  Now I can take a picture with my phone, adjust the focus and color on my computer and post it on my blog for all the world to see in minutes and for very little money.

So today when I looked at my comments and saw a number of people refer to my “hot pink pillow” I was dismayed and awash in  picture taking memories.  I’m sorry to disappoint, but the  pillow is not hot pink.  I didn’t even think of it as pink when I made it.  I got the shirt I used to make it out of my box of orange fabric.  Now, I know colors change next to other colors and two people can look at the same color and see it completely different, so the pillow may be closer to pink than orange, but it’s not the neon pink that it appears to be in my photo.

So what happened?  I just couldn’t get an accurate depiction of the pillow no matter where I photographed it or in what light. And I couldn’t adjust the colors on my computer either.  But I wanted to post it on my blog even thought it wasn’t quite right.  So I did.  And now I have a bunch of people telling me they love the color… but the color they love isn’t the color of the pillow.

Luckily, I have a photographer in the family, so I asked Jon if he would take a picture of the pillow and try to get the colors right.  The first photo, Jon’s photo, is pretty much what the pillow looks like.  You can compare it to my photo from yesterdays blog beneath it.  As you can see, it’s not hot pink.

So what’s the lesson?  It’s the same one I didn’t learn before digital photography, sometimes I just have to let someone else take the picture.   I shouldn’t put up bad photos on my blog.   And I should make a hot pink pillow.

My second and newest Streaming Pillow for the Functional Art Show in the Pig Barn Gallery.  I’m having fun with these pillows.

And don’t forget we’ll be   raffling off Gretchen Pinkel’s “Black Star Lab Quilt”  at the show. (Gretchen is a quilter and Lenore’s breeder) You can buy tickets at the show or by mail.  One ticket for $5 or 6 for $25.  The money will benefit LABMED a nonprofit organization which pays medical expenses for rescued Labradors. You can send a check or moneyorder (no cash please) made out to LABMED directly to Gretchen Pinkel at  284 Coach Rd Argyle NY  12809.  Also include your address, email and phone # so we can contact you if you win.

I first saw Robin Blakney-Carlson’s work in the Gallery 99 show in Glens Falls NY.  They were  small, magical, felted pieces that that moved between abstraction and landscape.  I was delighted when I  asked her to be in the Functional Art Show and she said she would make some new scarves and small handbags for the show in October.

Robin comes from a creative family and has been interested in art since she was a kid.  She was a spinner for many years and about 17 years ago her sister Polly Stirling introduced her to felting.  Like spinning felting can be a meditative process, it is repetitive and time consuming.   It’s also very intuitive and creative.   Robin is dedicated to making “aesthetically beautiful, functional, high quality pieces.”  In 2006 Robin opened her studio Luckystone Felt Works in Glens Falls NY  where she works, teaches, and hosts workshops with internationally known Felt Makers. Check out her blog and website to find out what she’s been doing lately and see some more of her work.

Robin’s sister Polly and her assittant Sachiko Kotaka developed the nuno felting technique that Robin used to makes the scarves above.

I haven’t always been good at taking advice, sometimes I’m still not.  Often it depends on who it comes from, what it’s about and what kind of mood I’m in.

So when Laurie emailed me after reading my post “I Just Don’t Know” about my Streaming Pillow, I’m glad I was open to her advice.  She said that the pillow just didn’t seem right and suggested I stuff just the streaming part, with less stuffing and make the edge bigger and leave it floppy.  I could see it immediately  and couldn’t wait to try her  suggestions.

The only thing I didn’t do was make the edge bigger, once it was all together, it seemed just right to me.  Until I tried out Laurie’s ideas  I was ambiguous about making Streaming Pillows, now I can’t wait to make more.  This one and a few others will be available for sale at the Functional Art Show in the Pig Barn Gallery in October.

I’m glad I was able to hear Laurie’s advice.

For the first show at the Pig Barn Gallery, we asked Ben to put in some stone steps to the front door.  They were truly beautiful, but we found that lots of people had a hard time walking up them.  Many people, including my mother, found it easier to walk up the  grassy incline to the the small side door.  With all my talk about wanting the gallery to be welcoming and inclusive, it doesn’t work if people can’t get to the door.   So for the Functional Art Show we decided  to have a ramp built.  Ben had to dig out a good amount of soil, which he did by hand, and break up an old cement slab.  He’s been working on it for a few days and will be done early next week in plenty of time for the show in October.

My Gentle Quilt on it’s bed in Sally’s  home with her cat who only makes it look better.

I have to admit, I got some photos and names mixed up and I’m not sure who these potholders belong to now.  If this is your kitchen with your potholders, please let me know.  (the counter top reminds me a bit of one of my streaming pieces.)