Okay… the model looks like she’s stepped out of a zombie movie, and some of the ‘way far crazy out there’ architectural shaping is too bizarro for words,

but….

there is some seriously gorgeous and innovative shaping going on in Sandra Backlund’s designs.

She’s good. She’s very good.

Check it out: Sandra Backlund

The work of Kathleen Holmes is  haunting and evocative and powerful…..

You really have to go see her site: Kathleen Holmes

She has graciously allowed me to post a copy of one of her pics (it’s copyright to her, and is used with permission) and has sent me this lovely statement about her work:

 

Artist’s Statement

And the end of all our exploring

  Will be to arrive where we started

        And know the place for the first time.

      -T.S. Eliot

I was born in Monroe, Louisiana in 1953, and come from a long line of crocheters, a tradition in my family going back as far as family legends recall. I therefore incorporate found and self-made pieces of crochet into my work as metaphors for the particular patterns of my native Southern culture.  Just as a single thread returns again and again to loop and interlock in crochet, the creative legacy of so many women repeatedly endows my artistic heritage and creates a conceptual “whole cloth,” the “fabric” of their lives “clothing” my vision.  

I combine these pieces of traditional handwork with indigenous domestic materials - ceramic, metal, glass - to create evocative domestic icons, subtly powerful and often innocently ironic.  Familiar domestic objects accessorize in unlikely ways, illuminating overlooked intimacies of domestic life. Rusted, pierced, and shaped metal refers to man-made aspects of society and provides the visual and conceptual counterpoint to the woman-made textiles, creating a metaphorical duality. 

The iconic “dress” form represents all sacred garments, from christening and wedding gowns, to judge’s and cleric’s robes, to bedclothes and death shrouds.  Finally, the archetypal dress is my homage to the countless generations of women and girls who, by perpetuating a traditional domestic craft, have endowed my contemporary  art.

Like the canvas I paint on, the crochet panels I use in my paintings are made from cotton, and therefore are an expansion of the surface medium.  I use these patterned and textured panels to represent the architecture and geometry of Nature; like how a tree grows, the movement of water currents, not to mention life cycles.  The crochet is a metaphor for interconnections; intimate relationships - those within Nature, and also ours to that Nature.

 

Kathleen Holmes

 

Image source: Kathleen Holmes copyright

Things have been chaotic around our house, as we are in the middle of family health crises with 2 of our nearest and dearest, so it means that I am playing a scrambly catch up game….

anyhow… here are the links for last week’s Artsy Bloggers Roundup. (I didn’t manage to get a link in, but I’ll aim to do that this week)

Image Source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Have you seen Jane Patrick’s totally wonderful tutorial for rigid heddle weaving?

Here’s the link: Rigid heddle weaving

Have you seen this on the web? Jane Birkin

Jane Birkin is going to be combining knit and crochet in her new line…. lovely!

13 Frugal Finds for Quilting & Fabric Art
Quilters have always been resourceful when it comes to finding fabric, embellishments, and other supplies for their work. Today is no exception. Here’s the link:

http://www.quiltingandpatchwork.com/2008/09/18/thursday-thirteen-13-frugal-finds-for-quilting-fabric-art/

Crocheted baby earflap style cap for Save the Children
My contribution to this week’s Artsy bloggers roundup is my design for a tiny crocheted earflap style baby cap for the Knit One, Save One campaign of Save the Children. Here’s the link:

http://www.blisstree.com/hankeringforyarn/crocheted-baby-earflap-style-cap-by-noreen-crone-findlay

Flying Pig and Other Junk Art
Bill Morris shares his junk creations made from shovels, barrels and more.Here’s the link:

http://www.junkcreation.com/flying-pig-and-other-junk-art

Free Autumn kids crafts
Chloe from Tangled Thread has compiled a list of free & fun kids crafts to celebrate the Fall.

http://www.tangledthread.com/pumpkins-and-more-free-fall-crafts-for-kids/

Layers Upon Layers
The second year of the Bead Journal Project has just started, and Cyndi has her first piece finished.

Window Envelope Card Ideas
There are many uses for eye-catching window envelope cards. Today Eileen talks about making window envelope cards for mailing.

http://the-artful-crafter.blogspot.com/2008/09/window-envelope-card-ideas.html

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

I’ve been out of town for almost 3 weeks, so I haven’t been able to participate in the Artsy Bloggers roundups.  I am back in the studio for a few days, and wanted to catch up with my Artsy Blogger gang. Here are their latest links!

Cloudy skies on fabric with Tangled Thread
Follow this step-by-step tutorial to create your own hand-painted fantasy skies on fabric.

Layers Upon Layers
Book arts resources to either get you started or to inspire your further exploration!

Quick Visual Prompt
Visual prompt from the book Art Escapes.

Quilters “Going Green” - Has This Changed Your Quilting?
Mary Emma at Quilting and Patchwork shares some tips on recycling and going green in your quilting/fabric art.

Scrap Girls Color Challenge: Red, White and Black
Do you know the derivation of the phrase “Three Dog Night”?  Eileen clues us in with a scrapbook layout featuring three of her darling dogs.

Okay, I am going out of my mind.

I have re-written this post at least a dozen times and the ()&$)&^% server won’t post my links!

I am going to try this one more time and then that is it.

Let’s see if I just list the links here and hope that it won’t eat them. I am going to punch a hole in the drywall if it doesn’t work this time! aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

http://the-artful-crafter.blogspot.com/2008/09/scrap-girls-color-challenge-red-white.html

http://www.tangledthread.com/how-to-of-the-day-painting-on-fabric-cloudy-skies-part-three/

http://www.acreativejournal.com/quick-visual-prompt/

http://www.quiltingandpatchwork.com/2008/09/06/quilters-going-green-has-this-changed-your-quilting/

So, even if the links won’t click through, at least you can copy and paste the urls and I won’t break the drywall or have anymore fits about it! sheesh.  Technology is our friend, right?

right.

Image source: Noreen Crone-Findlay copyright

Oh my…. etsy can be quite the journey! You look at one site and that leads you to another!

and another

and another…..

I just found some charming felted toys and wild handspun yarns on etsy….

check out totallyin2fiber

A friend sent me a link to an astonishing series of photographs of cow-nose sting rays in migration.

The patterns they form just beg to be woven or crocheted…..

check it out: Sting ray photos