WIP - Untitled Vine 112211

The hand stitching to the far left is bothering me, am setting the piece aside and will pick it up again in the morning, maybe I won't feel so froggy in the am.

WIP - Untitled Vine Piece 112111

Now with more stitching, I'm thinking I seriously need to go dimensional with it though using coils, etc.

Vine Piece

From this

to this.

Now to dye some more threads and yarns tomorrow for additional vines. 

Not Convinced

I stitched the flax down and now wish I had not done so, I was hoping to capture a creek here locally that has several ox-bows coming off of the main stream.  I may cut some back, may add some hand stitching not sure yet.  Thinking.

Studio Update 110811

I still need to clean out the hutch, paint the inside, and then load my painting and drawing supplies and still life goodies. 

Studio Redux 110211

Working on the drawing/painting space portion of the studio. I still need to move the canned goods out of the hutch and then paint the inside of the hutch a hot carnation pink color!

From peach to black in less than 30 minutes!  The hutch is the future home of my painting and drawing supplies, along with still life objects and inspirational items.

Rivers and Trees

Getting ready for my upcoming solo show at the Grimes Farm Conservation Center, Marshalltown, IA.  I will be showing my Ghost Trees Series and my Blood River Canyon Series.

Paint Layer No. 1

In progress new deep face frames for my artwork.

New Frames - In Progress

John set up some stations for me, with lots of clamps, so that I could sand the frames and quickly.  Tomorrow they will be painted, right now he's sanding them with 220 grit paper for the final finish, I sanded them earlier with 120 grit.

11x14x2.75 inches each
Poplar

Mark Making with Nature DVD

Just a few copies of Mark Making with Nature DVD left.

Getting Plastered!

Am streaming live tonight at 9pm Central - http://www.ustream.tv/channel/plastered-and-waxed  Plaster, Earth Pigments, and if I have some time will add some wax to some of the pieces.  Come on by and chat a bit while I experiment in my studio!

Book Sale

As I finalize my new studio space, aka the former living room in our house, I am unpacking the last of the boxes.  In those boxes are left over books from my retail shop I closed a few years back.  Over the next few days I'll be listing these books for sale on a new page I created here on my blog, see the "Products" tab.  I also have a few knitting needles left and I plan to package those up into lots and sell them by the lot.

If I can get it all figured out I'll be adding PP buttons!!!

Solo Show Hung

Hung my solo show in the "Ding Darling" Gallery at the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge Center today.  It looks great, there will be info sheets hanging between the large panels.  It took us, Doreen and I, an hour to hang these panels.

I can see I need to work on my hanging mechanisms, it's picture wire on the back but for some reason they really lean forward.

Knowledge and Sharing

Knowledge is for sharing but remember some of us work VERY hard to provide this information so please give credit where credit is due!

Fields Series Solo Show

Spring

Summer No. 1 and No. 2

My "Fields" series was accepted by the staff at the Neal Smith Wildlife Refuge, in Prairie City, IA, to hang from October 1 through the end of November. I cannot wait to see all 22 pieces hanging again!!!

Peter Irniq Installing Inuksuk

City Employees drilling holes into the stones so that large screws and rods can be inserted into the stones.

The Artist

Peter Irniq Installing Inuksuk at Brookside Park, Ames, Iowa.  Peter will be giving a talk tonight at the Ames Public Library. You can read more about the project here.

Angel Toes

Mark Making with Nature DVD Set Special

$39.00 + $4.95 Shipping

Normally $49.00

Now through Sunday, September 11th.

Inspiration

On my table, antlers from JB Knacker.

Mark Making with Nature Special Extended

Mark Making with Nature Special Extended
August 24th!!!

I went to sleep last night thinking that something wasn't quite right with yesterdays sale, but couldn't put my finger on it until this morning when I realized that the service I used for the digital downloads hadn't contacted me. Response to the book special was overwhelming, so why wasn't I hearing from my digital service? One good nights sleep and I realized that I had used the wrong buttons for the special, techie I am NOT, and yesterdays snaffu proved that one to me!

So I am extending the sale until Wednesday, why Wednesday you ask? I have a LOT of garlic dill pickle relish to put up and a zine to finish and don't want to mess with the buttons again, now that they are correct. If you should pay for your books and you do not recieve an email from me for the digital download instructions please contact me at prairiefibers@hotmail.com For everyone else that bought a copy yesterday, but didn't recieve a digital download I am popping it into the mail for you!

The buttons have all been fixed and should take you directly to a PayPal invoice after which you should promptly recieve an email with download instructions.

~ Kimberly

Mark Making With Nature Book Package Special

All three books in on great package!  Special for Sunday, August 21st ONLY!

$30.00, normally $40.00 USD

WIP - Hot Flash

Hot Flash in progress.
Silk Crinkle Crepe, wool batting, cotton backing.
Natural Dyes, Compost dyed.
Machine stitched so far.

Added additional stitching to the surface this afternoon after much encouraging from Brenda to take the plunge and use some bold colors in it, and I am think fuschia and firey bronze gold.  It's definately starting to pop now, but, there's aways a but isn't there, I have tons more stitching to do and the silk crinkle crepe is a major pain to machine stitch.

I missed the deadline for the QAQ/Schweinfurth I thought it was a post mark deadline but alas it's a recieved by date.  One of these years I'll get the application actually sent off.

Thomas

Thomas sitting in my basket of natural dyed silk organza's, wondering why I'm bothering him.

Silk Carrier Rods

Am working on the new zine this afternoon, so far InDesign has locked up on me only once :-)

WIP - Corn No. 1

7x7 ish inches.

Silk Organza, Dupioni, Cocoons, Cotton, Natural and Compost Dyed.

Still have lots of hand stitching before this piece is finished, and then on to finish the final seven pieces.

Iowa from 1000 Feet

8 x 11 inches - ish

Now for some more hand stitching.  Natural dyed and compost dyed fabrics cotton and silk.  Natural dyed silk eyelash yarn.  I found it hiding in a pile of UFO's (unfinished objects)  I started it several years ago, added the dark velvet circles for the bins and silo's this evening.

Cloth

Yes this is the same piece of cloth I've been photographing the the past several years now, it's still sitting outside on the indigo vat waiting for something... what I don't know yet.

Crow Card No. 2

I think I may have made it even more confusing by using a varigated thread, two different varigated colors actually, to do the stitching.  And then I remembered that the Crow is a Trickster...

Hand stitching and some possible beading will ensue with this piece tomorrow.

Studio Redux 073011

If all goes well I may actually get to watch Paula stream live tonight from my new mixed media area in my new studio!  John hasn't found the ends for the dsl wire yet, he has to make a new longer cable for me. 

The knee is feeling slightly better, after last nights horrific fall on the back landing.  John didn't look to pleased when I told him that I was going to be putting non-slip rubber duckie decals down on the floor.  It's the one place in the house that I have consistantly hurt myself on in the last 10 years and it's because that floor becomes ultra slick with even the slightest hint of moisture.  This time the moisture was left by a 12 pound tri-color sheltie who decided she couldn't wait any longer.

Angel the puddle maker.

Thomas

My boy Thomas, the cat with the great big hairy feet, I'm thinking he's got some hobbit in his bloodline somewhere :-)

Update

Am updating the blogs look today.

Corn - A New Series

I am working on a new series of pieces around the subject of corn.  There are seven pieces, so far, in the series and they consist of my natural and compost dyed (eco-dyed/printed) fabrics and machine stitching.  Each piece is approximately 7x7 inches and is machine stitched onto a timtex core.

As many of you, my followers, know I struggle with wanting the prairie of 200 years ago versus the prairie that we have today.  My mother told me once that I was born about 250 years too late, that's how much I love the rugged primitive prairie.  Where I expect to see a bison rounding over a hill instead I'm greeted with a tractor or a combine.  Where I think there should be teepees and other primitive housing I'm greeted with silos and barns instead. 

There is, however, one piece that binds both the past and today together and that bit is Corn!  In doing a survey of the artwork I've produced over the past 15 or so years there is one theme that seems to be repeated and that is the theme of corn.

So with the idea of corn in mind I am setting out to create a series dedicated to that which intrigues and haunts me, corn.

Thomas the Watcher

I was sitting at my table merrily away sketching images onto canvas cards, for my new thank you card series, and suddenly realized I was being watched.  I looked over into the suitcase and there was Thomas watching me sketch, he really does love sleeping on silk fabrics and is such a silly cat he'll even pull out a piece to sleep on, when I'm not looking! 

Poor Angel is trying to stay cool.

Studio Update 071211

Tonight I spent the better part of the evening in the wood shop helping John construct another shelf system for my studio.  The end result of our time out there was not one but two different shelves being concieved for my new studio space... which he is more than willing to do so long as it means that I'm NOT bolting anything into the walls.   Tomorrow night we will finish the first shelf and Thursday we will finish the second shelf. 

I'm loving my new studio space, I was stressed that I wouldn't be able to create in the new space but much to my amazement the creativity has been overflowing.  The lack of central air during these very hot and very humid days has been the biggest deterent so far.

WIP - I am going to create a special page for the new pieces I've created this past week, all proceeds will be going towards my new central air unit and furnace.  Seems when the new smart meter went in most of my appliances went "uh no I don't think so and died" this would include the central air and furnace. 

Artistically Speaking with Rebecca Parsons

Rebecca Parson's will be interviewing me on Artistically Speaking 8/21/2011‏!  I recieved my info packet today and cannot wait!!!

Chipmunk Update

The chipmunk is deceased and is no longer eating my madder root, bran, or cochineal bugs! Oh and it's safe to say the the organic soy beans are safe as well now, as am I!!! No more jumping chippies from a corner!

Thursday evening I discovered that I did indeed have a chipmunk in my basement and subsequently my wet studio.  The little bugger has now met his maker.  How can I justify this you ask? Easily they carry rabies in addition to three different forms of the plague, that's how and this little bugger was so comfy living in my house that the pets (two cats and a dog) were treating it as if it was another family member.  And that had to come to an end!

Prairie Potholes - WIP - Detail

Detail from a new piece I worked on today.  Little did I know whilest I was creating in my studio that I would be needing a replacement furnace and central air unit :-( 

Central Air I can live without, well 28 days out of the month during the summer months that is.  The furnace, however, is a major must have for the northern climate I live in, more tomorrow.  We still haven't purchased a house fan replacement, am still waiting to hear what the electric motor repairman has to say.  Which leads me to a question: How did we end up with such a disposable society that even furnaces and central air units are no longer repairable???

Third Quarter Woes

It' never ceases to amaze me when God gives me what I need before I actually need something. Friday I sold three pieces of art to a new collector!  That is certainly a Praise!  Nothing is more validating to a visual artist than to be able to sell their artwork and at full market value.  Usually when I have a sale I put a little aside for savings, my 10% for tithe, and typically replace materials used and any equipment needed in the studio with the remainder.

As of yesterday the guessing game was new tires for John's truck or taking my truck and having it fixed OR buying a new house fan.  As of today that question has been anwsered and we will now be having the central air repaired/replaced and the furnace serviced. 

When I got back from shopping with my BF Brenda, this afternoon, I noticed the house was exceptionally warm.  Looked at the thermostat and sure enough it was set to 73F but it was 78F in here.  Went down to the breaker box and it had been tripped.  Me being the chicken little that I am refused to touch the breaker and had John flip it back on and I'm glad I did.  Pop, crack, and flames shooting out of the breaker box.  We'd been having electrical problems all weekend John has been blowing circuits in the garage, etc, which has been happening since the city replaced our old meter with a new digital smart meter but now things are getting way worse and I'm looking the large appliances.

I'm not happy, but I am grateful that the Lord covered this one in advance! Here's to hoping and praying the CA can be repaired and not need to be replaced, this year.

Down to the Wire!

One corner cleaned and ready to go!

The junk gone and soon the studio table will be in place!

John and Keith trying to figure out how they are going to get my six legged sewing/work table back into the house!

Prairie Potholes Past and Present No's 1-8
It's time to go rearrange and fluff before the collector arrives, he'll be here in less than 45 minutes!