Crow

More Crow Panels in Progress


If I counted correctly there will be a total of 26 panels in this new series, and once these are done I'm off to rework some encaustic pieces from a few years ago to include my crows, Queen Anne's Lace, and the marks I've been putting in these pieces.


I wasn't sure how these pieces were going to come out, while they have similar colors they are not exactly the same... but where's the fun in everything being the same, right!


I've allowed the distractions of the past few weeks beat my confidence levels down, it doesn't help that I've had a nasty head cold, or that my dad has had ongoing health problems.


I did get to see my brother last Monday, the first time since my mom died in 2005, they visited for a whole hour and forty five minutes before they had to leave again. 


So tomorrow it's back to drawing and painting crows, ravens, and blackbirds and if they are horrible then they are horrible.


But, the secret to mastering anything is to keep at it until... until well you've mastered it!


With that said I've decided to seriously edit the information I've compiled for my Natural Dye App, and just create the app!  A simple app that is accurate and usable is much more enjoyable than one that doesn't exist!!!  Feet of clay, I think that's the name for this syndrome, the whole "what if they hate it???"


There will always be haters, and they are not my audience anyway... so onward I will push this week!

Black Birds in Trees


Working on some Crow Cards this afternoon using my Black Birds in Tree Stencil.


The orange mat is a non-slip artist map, unfortunately there is no label on the mat so I have no idea where it came from.


I started out with a piece of painted timtex that was painted by Seta Color Fabric Paints.  I will be adding some oil bar, ink, and other yummies next, and then it's time for some stitching.

Experiments in Malachite


Working on some nummies with watercolors, inks, and golden's fluid acrylic paints.  Crow is from my stencil collection through StencilGirl Products!


As I said earlier I totally forgot that I had the watercolor crayons so I broke them out and started making some color palettes with the various crayons to see what colors will work in an upcoming series of one offs.  I'm loving the blues and greens for sure with malachite being my favorite thus far.

A Different Direction


Well sorta, I'll still be incorporating Queen Anne's Lace onto these new panels, that I found earlier today while cleaning my studio, but this time I'm also adding my birds, crows, etc., to the mix.  Yes, I'm much happier about this change in direction, what I will do to resolve the other six panels I haven't decided yet.


I used my Black Birds in Tree Stencil from StencilGirl Products for the left side of each panel, and will be adding other crows, birds, and of course Queen Anne's Lace to the right side of each panel along with some text.

WIP Red Crow



The madder lac dyed silk organza is much darker than these photos depict, the stencil sketch of the crow barely peaking through due to the lighting.  I managed to stitch an outline of the crow in a coordinating reddish heathered wool thread from Aurifil Threads.

I've decided that this smallish piece will now become part of a larger piece I'm working on for my upcoming solo show, as crows and ravens have always been a prominent icon out here on the western prairie and plains.

A Crow Project


Crow Stencil  from StencilGirl Products outlined in Pitt Pen with Shiva Paintstiks in iridescent copper and white, on madder lac dyed silk organza layered over white silk dupioni fabric.  Timtex core with white cotton backing.  Machine and hand stitching.

The paintstiks don't show up well in this photo, will take a photo tomorrow using natural light.

Crow on Yellow 052713


A little bit more of the right side has been beaded, I'm thinking the body should be done by Friday, and then to decide on finishing the border.

In other news... the splint is off, sorta.  I had it off for most of the day but then had to put it back on again. It's amazing how one little itty bitty artery is position in such a place so as to see all sorts of activity during the course of the day. 

WIP - Crow on Yellow 052313


I worked a bit more on the crows feet last night and started this side of the branch it is perched upon. 

Today it's all about finishing the app, which is taking longer than I anticipated simply because as I go through my old natural dye nots I find myself adding more plants and more categories about the colors, fastness, etc.  Phew... that was a long sentence! 


It's starting to look like a bird!