Hi, readers. I will be showing my sculpture at an outdoor art show for the first time in a while this Saturday, October 17th from 10am to 4pm at Ladybug Farm.
I will have some new holiday seasonal items (Yes, my one-of-a-kind ornaments too!) available at this show! This is the only time they will be available until we hang the holiday show at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts in mid November. So, if you want the first choices…
There will be many other fine craft artists with their beautiful artwork at the Ladybug show. Check out the show website to see a full roster, and examples.
As you can imagine, I have a lot to finish getting ready for this weekend, so I’ll leave you with a few photos, and hope to see you out on the farm this weekend!!!!
A number of my one-of-a-kind ornaments featuring needle felted anthropomorphic creatures have already moved on to new homes. So, I am busy creating new ones to fill the spaces on my two copper display trees. I dropped off “Cookies!” the mouse cookie chef last evening, and will get “Wrapping Is Easy” the octopus in to HGA soon.
Wrapping Is Easy (with 8 arms)
I dropped off two others, “Battle Ready” the hedgehog and “Not The Christmas Goose You’re Looking For” this past Saturday. You’ll have to stop by the gallery to see them, as I didn’t take the opportunity to take images of those before I brought them in.
Replacement For The Window
I also was occupied creating a replacement for “It’s Snowing” the hanging polar bear sculpture that was displayed in the front window, as he already found a new home too. I still have a selection of bamboo hoops of varying sizes, so I played with the same theme, and created “Star Gazing.” This hanging sculpture features a pair of needle felted anthropomorphic polar bear cubs, swinging on the ring, and looking up at sparkling stars of needle felted wool and glass beads.
Star Gazing
I recorded some time lapse videos of the process of creating this sculpture. Below is a compilation video of those clips: (*video doesn’t show on email version of post, must view in browser on wartskisculpture.com)
HMaking Star Gazing
Holiday Pop-Up!
Saturday, December 7th from noon to 4pm, the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts will host it’s second annual Holiday Pop-up event. There will be tents set up outside of the gallery with an even larger selection of hand crafted art and fine crafts. Many of the artists take the opportunity to produce even more gift-able items. This event will coincide with that week’s “Sip n’ Shop” event (each Saturday in December before Christmas.) So, it will be a busy festive day with a tent pop-up, gift card drawing, and refreshments. Mark your calendars!
Ok, so the biologist in me knows that technically, that tusks are elongated canines not incisors, but I just couldn’t resist. More than occasionally I create work just to amuse myself, and this OOAK (one of a kind) holiday ornament does make me smile. He is, of course, named after the holiday novelty song “All I want For Christmas (Is My Two Front Teeth)”. This walrus ornament is needle felted wool with irridecent glass bead eyes, and a blue toque style cap.
Holiday Scented Candle
Holiday Scented Candle is a skunk determined to add pleasing scent to the holiday gathering. She is needle felted wool with black glass bead eyes. She is holding a lit candle (bayberry? pine? cinnamon?) and is wearing a festive purple scarf.
Both of these new ornaments (along with a few more in the works) will be headed to the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts in a day or two. Several of their friends have already found new homes since we installed the holiday show on Tuesday.
Dressed for the Holidays
As I mentioned already, we installed HGA in its holiday finery on Tuesday this week. This is always an interesting gallery hang as so many of us bring in items that are not found in the space at any other time of the year. Two interesting changes visitors will find this year can be found in the very front and very back of the gallery.
HGA Holiday Show Window
Our holiday window is always eye-catching, but this year it features new custom display cubes that allow work to be shown at varying levels. This modular system was designed and fabricated by several of our member artists. Also new in the window is the addition of more lighting that surrounds each window pane. Additionally, we coordinated the work we are highlighting in the windows. You will notice lots of cool white and blue hues in the art. Just behind the art and lights you can see the branches that serve each year as our display of a wide variety of holiday ornament choices. My little fuzzy items can be found on two copper ornament trees. Thank you, Ryann Carey for doing some evening video work!
In our Featured Exhibit room in the back of the gallery you will find our Art of Giving holiday show. The change to this show from previous years is that we’ve hung the art work salon style. This allows for much more work to be displayed, providing our visitors with an even greater variety of choices.
I haven’t done any holiday markets, or fine craft fairs in quite some time. One tends to get a little spoiled being part of a wonderful artist-owned gallery like HGA. But, I will be participating in such a market at Kaleideum Museum in Winston-Salem next Saturday, November 9th from 6-9pm. By day, Kaleideum is a children’s museum, but once a month they host an “After Dark” over 21 event. This month, it is the Night Market. Check out this “After Dark” link for all that is included in the evening’s fun.
Kaleideum After Dark “Night Market”
What Is Going To Market?
I will be bringing a selection of my currently available sculptures, and one-of-a-kind holiday items. Many of the holiday items will debut at this market, as we will be installing the gallery holiday show the following week.
Here are a few new things that will be making the trip to Winston-Salem…
Try It On
“Try It On” is the latest of what I sometimes call my minis. He is tree frog with his throat puffed out who is “trying on” a toad stool cap for a hat. Colorful and eye-catching, he sits perched on a natural wood base. He is needle felted wool over a quilt batting core, and has large glass bead eyes. The base is sealed, and “Try” is firmly attached via some glued in toothpick pegs.
Three more one-of-a-kind ornaments emerged from the work table this week. Acorn Gift is a chipmunk with a basket of goodies. Peppermint Cocoa is a mouse dressed for bed with a cup of cocoa and a candy cane. Bling! Mini is a miniture version of a snail I created earlier this year. All are needle felted wool with glass bead eyes and embellishments. Acorn Gift’s acorns are glass beads with felted wool caps.
Acorn GiftPeppermint CocoaBling! mini
I also had time to work on a couple more mushroom minis. Meet Mush 7 and Mush 8. Both are needle felted wool with glass bead eyes. Each is secured to a natural wood base with a glued in chopstick dowel core.
Mush 7Mush 8
Don’t Forget The Trees!
I have also been busy adding to the inventory of my popular felted holiday trees. These feature needle felted wool and crystal beading. They have the same base and core construction as the mushroom minis. The three shown in this photo are new, and they feature a blend of wool from a dark green recycled sweater, and lighter green roving fiber.
Holiday Trees
If you want to see everything else that will be at the market, you just may have to make the drive out on Saturday. Hope to see you then!
Just in case I haven’t shared enough new one-of-a-kind ornaments to adorn your tree, here are a few more.
Sugarplum Mouse
Last year, I created a sugarplum bunny, this year my primary fairy dancer role goes to a mouse. She has a magenta tutu and matching slippers. The skirt of her dance dress has some sparkly spangles, and her neckline and tiara feature cut cystal beads. She is ready to entertain and delight.
Star Placement
In past years I created batches of polar bears and puffins. They were the first needle felted ornaments I designed. This year I’ve decided to do only one-of-a-kind ornaments, but I had two little polar bear cubs left from last year. So, I decided to team them up into a Star Placement team. I changed them a bit, sewed new eyes, and added toe and foot pads. They have their first star and are ready to go to work. Maybe they can help with your tree.
Perhaps something a bit more exotic?
Festive Print Mixing
Continuing my exploration of animal prints from my feature artist show this year. Festive Print Mixing is a zebra with a colorful contrasting polka dot scarf. She is ready to make a bold impact on any tree.
Overland Tree Delivery
Overland Tree Delivery is a camel on a treck to delliver a tree ready to adorn with all types of its own ornaments. This dromedary requires no GPS, and can deliver enchantment for no extra fee.
Many of these holiday ornaments, and the others I have previously shared will be arriving at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts in a couple weeks. I am also planning on doing a one evening holiday market just prior to the installation of our gallery’s holiday show. I am waiting on the information and promotional materials for that event, and I will pass them along as soon as I get them.
Holly and MistletoeHolly and Mistletoe with lantern litHolly and Mistletoe back view
My latest anthropomorphic figure is a needle felted racoon gathering holly and mistletoe by lantern light. As you may have already guessed, he will come into the gallery when we install the holiday show in mid-November. It takes a fair amount of time to create my holiday inventory, so most of what you see from this point on this year will be either winter themed, ornaments, or what might be considered more giftable items.
Holly and Mistletoe is needle felted wool over a wire and batting armature. This free standing sculpture balances on its feet, tail and lantern staff. His felted basket is full of holly with hand sewn glass bead berries. His head and lantern staff are festooned with felted mistletoe with white glass bead berries. The lantern is felted wool over metalic tulle and fusable interfacing. The lantern hardware is made of jewelry findings and decorative notions. Inside the lantern is a “balloon light”. These tiny LED lights are made for use in decorative items. The type of balloon light I chose has a tiny switch and can be opened to replace the batteries. As you can see, I created closure clasp with a loop and decorative brad on the lantern. This allows access to the balloon light.
Work-In-Progress?
Since I do have a little time before I bring this piece in to the gallery, I think I am still considering these images as work-in-progress shots. Should I tie the legs, tail, and staff together with some sort of base? I am also wondering if I should add some more width to his tail to make it fluffier? Now, that I’ve asked that second question out loud, I realize that answering yes to that, may negate the first question. Making the tail thicker may make his stance even more stable.
I’ve also been busy recently creating some special pieces that are intended as gifts, so I can’t share them quite yet as I don’t want to spoil the surprise! When they’ve landed in their future homes, I’ll share them here.
I have shared an ornament or two in the past that started out as a wool dryer ball. So far those acted as more of a canvas onto which I felted a 2D or low relief image. Today, the dryer ball serves as a more sculptural starting point.
Dryer Balls
They help dry your laundry faster…
They reduce static. …
They help reduce lint. …
They are durable. …
They are environmentally friendly …
However, they can be a bit noisy to use, and they do not impart any scent to your clothing.
Pumpkin Trio
I have created sculptures that could be used as fall/Halloween items in the past. However, I did not create any of those sculptures specifically for that purpose. This week I finished three mini sculptures that I will be bringing in to the gallery as items for fall. Each started out as a dryer ball.
Pumpkin HouseJacko #1 Jacko #2
For the Jacko pieces, I reshaped the balls by force and felting. I mixed orange and yellow fibers to give the surface of each texture and variation. The stem curls were achieved by working soapy water (wet felting) into them. These were heat set by winding around chopsticks and toothpicks, and drying with blow dryer.
Pumpkin House started like the other two pieces, but with minimal reshaping of the ball. I added a couple layers of wool to enlarge the sphere a bit. I carved the hole using scissors and an Exacto blade. The interior of the opening I lined with black and brown fiber, and edged with yellow. I sculpted the mouse head and hands, and added them to the opening.
Another For Later
Christmas Past
Dickens described the Ghost of Christmas Past as, “… a strange figure — like a child: yet not so like a child as like an old man, viewed through some supernatural medium…”
I’ve seen versions of A Christmas Carolwhere the ghost’s “supernatural medium” was depicted as flame-like. I use that imagery in this one-of-a-kind ornament. The use of irridecent glass beads for the eyes adds to this effect. As you may expect, this piece will be available when we install the holiday show at HGA in mid November.
To the untrained eye it appears to be the beginning of November. For someone, who creates hand crafted art items, it is holiday crunch season. Over the next two weeks, the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts hosts the preview show for the Orange County Artists Guild’s – Open Studio Tour. When that show comes down on 11/13, HGA dons its holiday attire!
Each year I create new holiday/winter themed original pieces, and bring back items that have been favorites over the years. This year, I have a bit of both, and something completely new, for a special event.
Pointing North
Polar
Polar is the latest anthropomorphic figure sculpture to step off of my work table. He follows several predecessors, both as a polar bear, and my recent series of figures with patterned surfaces. I captured this bear mid-step as he looks up to greet his viewer. His coat bears distinctive markings of swirling snowflakes. Though he is definitely a denizen of the north, I think he’d be happy to be around all year long. Polar will be arriving at HGA on November 13th.
Holiday Pop-up!
I mentioned a special event earlier. This year, along with our usual array of art and gift ideas for the holidays, HGA is planning a special event for Sunday December 10th. This event is so new, the details are still coming together. So far, we are planning extra new and interesting items, some available just for that day. Some artists will be offering specials. We will have holiday treats on hand, and are planning a gift card giveaway. Keep checking back here, and I will update you as the plans solidify.
One thing I’m doing for the Holiday Pop-up, is making some one-of-a-kind ornaments. If you’re a regular reader, you know I make needle felted puffins and polar bears each year. And, yes, I will be bringing in several of each when we install the holiday show on 11/13…
But, this year, for the Pop-Up on December 10th, I will bring in these one-of-a-kind mini-sculptures.
Please meet: Ski Bear, Sugar Plum Bunny, Gallina Nix, Domin, Cozy, Deco-Deer, Aquilo, and Cocoa 2. Each is a unique design created just for this year. They vary somewhat in size and complexity. Don’t ask now, they are not priced yet, and they will not be available until 12/10.
Old Favorites Too
As I said, I will bring in some of my “old favorites” for the holidays as well. Some of these will be available in the gallery starting November 13th.
Ok, I’m a couple of weeks late this year in typing up a post about the holiday items I have available at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts. So sorry for the delay, but there is still plenty of time for you to stop by and pick out that special gift or little remenmberance.
Mice are Stirring
For the past few years I’ve created some smaller one-of-a-kind seasonal mice sculptures for the holidays. The former pieces were trios or pairs of caroling mice. This year I chose to create a couple of solo mice figures.
Coco Nightcap
Coco Nightcap was the first of these two small sculptures. As you can see he was an adorable anthropomorphic mouse figure wearing a nightcap, and holding a steaming mug of coco. I said “was”, as he was purchased and has moved on to a new home.
After Coco Nightcap vacated his pedestal position, his friend For You took over. For You is a seated mouse figure holding out a brightly colored wrapped gift for you. He also features a bright purple knit cap. He is still available as of the typing of this post (in fact, I’m sitting in the gallery looking at him as I write.)
For You
A Forest of Trees
The little needle felted trees I created last year seemed to be a popular choice, so I contunued them this year with the addition of some soft sculpture ones in denim. The new denim trees are hand and machine stitched, and feature hand needle felted “ornaments” on them. The needle felted trees again are snowcapped with white wool, and decorated with hand-stitched glass bead ornaments. All of these tiny trees measure around 9-10 inches tall, and stand on a natural edge wooden base.
Holiday Trees
New ornament
In addition to my puffins and polar bears I added some baby harp seal pups. The little bundles of fluff with the big black eyes are perfect for rendering in needle felted wool and glass beads,
Seal Pup Ornament
A number of my original anthropomorphic needle felted sculptures can always be found at HGA. I also have a few non sculpture pieces like wet felted vessels, felted handbags, and needle felted wool “paintings.” Check out the gallery website for our hours during the holidays.
This is the latest anthropomorphic offering from my work table. I’ve been fortunate. The holiday creations that I introduced you to over the past few weeks: Powder Bear, Emperor Coco, and the Caroling Mice all have gone on to their forever homes. Seeing as I had some empty pedestal tops in the gallery, I thought another holiday offering was in order. A new mother-child polar bear art doll sculpture is that piece. This work recalls my sculpture, Winter Ride, from last year. That mother and child polar bear pair were enjoying a sleigh ride.
Happily Hauling, Mother bear focus
Happily Hauling has the smaller bear perched atop the Christmas tree they are bringing home. The mother bear is needle felted wool over a wire and quilt batting frame. She has hand sewn glass bead eyes, and a custom harness of bright red chording and steampunk embellishments. The smaller bear is needle felted wool over felted quilt batting. The minature tree is constructed of felted wool over a narrow dowel (chopstick) core.
Happily Hauling, baby focus
Rerun From Last Year
Time did not allow me to create a bit of stop motion animation of this sculpture. You may recall, that I produced a couple of these videos last year. You can click here to enjoy Winter Ride in motion again.
Happily Hauling is already available at the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts. Stop in to see all the art and holiday offerings by the HGA member artists.
I hope your holiday season is cozy, merry, and bright. Now, I must be off to work on more little holiday trees!
