Tuesday, October 21, 2014

WHAT??!!?? AGAIN???

Not possible! Two posts in one week. And maybe more to come. Good grief!

I've spent the last couple of days chained to my sewing machine, as usual, and have finished another piece.  This past summer my husband Adrian and I were walking along the river bank and came across some terrific boulders. There were several of them clinging to the side of the slope and being rock lovers, we stopped to visit and took several photos.  The contrast of the rock lying in a bed of flowers was just too beautiful.  They all had good coverings of lichen as well.  So, I decided that this would be one that I would stitch, and here it is. 

After much thought, I've named this "Boulder in the Bedstraw".  I had a hard time with a name - usually they just pop into my head, but not this time.  I even googled "naming artwork" and found lots of good suggestions, like choosing a name based on what it is, or where it is, even what emotions you were feeling when you encountered it. So, going by these guidelines, I considered such things as "Rock", "On the river bank", "Boy, am I thirsty", but alas, none of these seemed quite right.  I finally decided on "Boulder in the Bedstraw".  It measures 10" x 8".  This naming of art is hard work!

I have another piece that I haven't shown yet.  The original photo for this was taken at Blackstrap this past summer on a glorious day as can only be experienced here on the prairies. It was hot, clear skies with a gentle breeze. What more could one ask for. 



This then is The Summer Meadow.  It measures 10" x 8" also and is framed.

I get a lot of questions about doing commissions for people and lately, have had a lot of interest in pet portraits. I do pet portraits and quite enjoy them. I work from photos (Fido just won't sit still!!). As for pricing, this generally ranges depending on the size of the finished piece. I can use one of your existing photos, assuming it will work well, or could come out and take my own photo. I've stitched dogs, cats and birds so far. These make great gifts and with Christmas coming up, it could be the answer to what to get good old Dad - beats socks every time!  An example of one of my stitched pets is below:

This is Crystal and she measures 8" square.  I did the eyes first by hand, and once they were satisfactory, I stitched the rest by machine.  The picture used was one taken by Judy Wood, who does exceptionally good photos, especially critter photos. Crystal looked pretty much just like this, so I was quite proud of this one. Anyway, this is one pet portrait that I've done. 
Crystal

If you're interested in having me stitch your pet, contact me at:

306-665-9182 or email acdc@sasktel.net (no, we're not heavy metal fans-those are just our initials).

Alright - that's it for this time. Hooking up to the Needle and Thread Network......donna

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Back.....finally.....

Well after another long absence, I'm finally getting back to this.  I've been incredibly busy for the last couple of months and this will continue until after Sundog in December.  

To summarize, in September, I attended Art at Solar Gardens.  This show/sale used to be Art at Agar's, but after losing our venue, Roger and Chris at Solar Gardens stepped up and suggested the show be held there. This turned out to be a fantastic suggestion. Not only did these guys knock themselves out preparing the site, which incidentally is also their home, but the turnout was excellent. Even the weather cooperated, except for it being very windy, but considering that it could have just about anything from snow (heaven forbid!) to pouring rain, it was a glorious, sunny day. People strolled around the grounds going from tent to tent, nibbling on goodies, eating pizza and generally enjoying themselves.  I had prepared several new pieces for this show and am happy to report that a great many of them sold. 

I'm now madly stitching for Artisan - the next show on the "circuit".  This year, Artisan will be held at the Concordia Club (German Club) on Lorne Ave. South/Hwy. 219. This is a bonus for everyone as it allows vastly better parking (free too!!) and easier access all around.  The show will be held on Nov. 7 & 8, the Friday and Saturday this year and will be only the two days.  I've got lots of new work for this one too and if my new computer/camera/photoshop program cooperates, I'll show a couple below. 

 This first picture doesn't show the piece very well because it's the largest I've ever stitched, measuring around the 13" x 17" with every single mm stitched. It looks best viewed from a distance.  It's a hillside at Blackstrap and I still have to find a name for this one. It will be in a 20" x 16" frame.








This one is The Wagon Wheel, which was photographed with the one beneath it.  These two pieces were photographed at an abandoned house west of Saskatoon. The artwork measures 8"x8" and is framed.


This is called The Hay Wagon. It's a 7" x 5" framed piece.










Hopefully I'll have a few more to include in next week's blog post, but for now, I have to get back to my sewing machine!  I don't yet think I have enough pieces for the coming show and so, will likely be spending every available second stitching like a mad woman! See you next week......donna