The dance reference is my attempt to describe the activity in my studio during this time of the holiday season. I am in no way complaining that my one-of-a-kind ornaments are popular. I love that visitors to the gallery seem kind of facinated with these little mini-sculptures. But, I do find myself feeling like I am constantly playing catch up. Needless to say, I have not been creating much else. Some of the ornaments even go in to the gallery without me taking the time to photograph them. I did manage to take a few shots since the pop-up event.
Pig In A BlanketOkapi HolidaysWas This for Santa?Mousedeer
For now, the images will have to speak for themselves. I know this post is a little short, I’m off to dance some more!
Thank you, to all who came out to the Holiday Pop-Up last week. It was a little chilly out in the tent, but the good cheer and great conversations with visitors made it all worthwhile. All of us artist elves have been busy creating. There is still an amazing selection of original art gifts for the holidays and beyond, so stop by the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts if you’re looking for something special.
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!
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.
No time to waste, here’s a couple more ornament offerings.
I was out of town a few days last week, and I have just gotten back in the studio. My inventory of ornaments for the holidays was in need of a boost. So, here are a couple of new additions for you to check out. If you are looking for them, I probably will not get them into HGA until tomorrow. As I’m writing, it is already afternoon, and I haven’t even printed their labels yet!
Cephalopoda Adorno
Cephalopoda adorno
This octopus ornament may be my favorite of the season. Cephalopoda adorno (decorating octopus) is my own new species of cephalopod. This tiny magenta octopus wears a Santa cap, and has several mini Christmas ball ornaments grasped in various tenticles. He seems quite excited about decorating, and with so many arms will certainly make short work of it.
Cephalopoda adorno is needle felted wool, over a quilt batting core. I did not create an internal armature for this ornament, but rather chose stitch or felt his limbs into their positions. The green sparkling eyes and mini ornaments are all created from large glass beads. Each of the little ornaments I created from the bead, a small eyelet, and a small solid jump ring.
Mouse Musician
Mousician is a white mouse with a red sweater and a matching cap. He carrys in his two front paws a tiny felted lute. Both rodent and instrument are needle felted wool over quilt batting. This piece also features metalic thread strings on the lute, and hand sewn glass beads for his eyes and the lute’s tuning knobs.
Mousician
He appears ready to ask for requests for the next carol to sing. In fact, he may be an inspiration for next year’s edition of my caroling mice.
Well, I must be getting back to the work table, just a few more days of holiday themed work left!
but not HGA? I have been quite busy the past few weeks creating something a bit different. I was invited to create a piece for a rather well known reoccuring show, The National Teapot Show at Cedar Creek Gallery. Yes, I did type “teapot show”, but no, I did not create a functional teapot, or did I? Well, to be exact, I created a sculptural piece that is a one-of-a-kind functional handbag, but you cannot serve tea from it. This quirky and slightly surreal creation is titled, Tea With My Octopus Teacher, and features a spotted red octopus encircling a creamware teapot.
Tea With My Octopus Teacher
The piece references two works of mine: “Multitasking” – a tea serving octopus, “Clutched” – a black evening clutch with an aqua octopus, and the award winning documentary, My Octopus Teacher. The sculptural bag measures 10″x 10″x 6.5″. The octopus’ intertwined tentacles serve as a handle, and a button closure secures a fully lined interior. The show opens May 20th, and I’ll share details in a few weeks.
Save to Feature, or Not?
This is a question I perennially find myself wrestling with. I had already started hoarding work for my show in September, especially any that I felt photographed particularly well. However, taking some time to create my teapot and recent sales have stretched my available inventory. I know this is an excellent problem to have, and as a result I’m taking a couple pieces into the gallery this week.
The first piece is completely new, and is titled Songs and Wishes.
Songs and Wishes
This sculpture features a little vignette that includes a singing frog, a mouse wishing on a dandelion seed head, and a dandelion partially fashioned from recycled denim. As I had mentioned earlier, many of the pieces this year incorporate two or more figures. I enjoy the movement and playfulness in this sculpture.
The sculpture is needle felted wool, and recycled denim over wire and batting. I also included stuffing beads in the lower portions for ballast. You can see Songs and Wishes at The Hillsborough Gallery of Arts starting this Tuesday, 4/25.
I introduced the second piece going to HGA a few posts back.
Ele-vate
Ele-vate features two small elephants helping each other climb up some wooden blocks. all of the elements are tied together in what is also a quite playful piece. This sculpture will be at HGA starting on 4/25 as well.
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.
It is impossible to filter out all that happens in the world, and just create sculptures that depict cute happy little creatures. So, I’ve responded by creating some cute happy little creatures trying to say or do a bit more. “Helping Sunflower” is the next piece that will be available during my feature show in May. In this sculpture, three woodland creatures are working together to help a sunflower stand tall and straight.
Helping Sunflower
Ukrainian Sunflower
The whole world is now aware of the sunflower as symbol of Ukrainian national identity. We are also painfully conscious of that nation and its people’s need for help right now. I decided to depict that need and hopefully the resulting aid through this piece. My blossom is being aided by a trio of woodland animals.
Racoon Stability
Helping Sunflower – Raccoon detail
The raccoon at the base of the sculpture is doing more than holding up the stem of the sunflower. I filled his bottom with a small pouch of glass gems so that he provides ballast to this taller than average sculpture. His construction is needle felted wool over foam, batting and wire. His glass bead eyes are sewn and felted in place, and his whiskers are fishing line knotted in place. The fur is purposely felted in with ends loose to provide a fluffy fur coat and tail.
Mouse Has The Leaves
Helping sunflower – mouse detail
A field mouse is perched on one leaf while he steadies another. His construction is felted wool over quilt batting. The mouse eyes and whiskers are the same as his raccoon friend.
Robin Provides Sunflower Air Support
Helping Sunflower – robin detail
At the very top a robin in flight grasps a petal in his beak. The robin was the trickiest element construction wise. I wanted to make sure he appeared to be pulling the flower upward. The wire armature travels up through the petal edge and on into the bird. The wing edges are left purposely loose to give the illusion of movement. The robin features needle felted wool over wire and batting with hand sewn glass bead eyes. The sunflower incorporates recycled chopsticks and wire in its stem, a machine stitched center that provides the illusion of seeds, and individually formed petals.
I wasn’t really planning on creating any additional holiday themed items. I usually build up my holiday inventory of one-of-a-kind pieces and ornaments before the show installation. Then I start thinking about the next year’s new work. A reimagined local event and and a vacated pedestal changed my mind this year, so I’m restocking items for the holidays.
When “Winter Ride” sold, I replaced it with another polar bear creation “Climate Report“. But, I couldn’t help feeling that the pedestal should have another seasonal piece. So, meet the “Caroling Mice”.
Caroling Mice
These three little carol singers measure between 5 1/2 and 7 inches high. They are decked out in their warm winter gear and have their mouse-sized sheet music in hand.
Each mouse stands on their own on little booted feet and propped up by a long curving tail. The needle felted wool covers a wire and quilt batting frame. Glass bead eyes are sewn in place, and the sheet music is secured to their mittens.
Light on the Longest Night
One of the yearly winter events put on by our local arts council is a Solstice Lantern Walk along the Eno Riverwalk. Unfortunately, as you may have guessed, COVID had forced the arts council to reimagine the lantern walk. In the past, a long parade of participants march together along the river with their “winter white” lit lanterns of all shapes and sizes. This year residents, and businesses in the downtown historic district are displaying their lantern creations for the weekend of the 19th through the 21st. There is a map that will be created so that people can drive or walk by the locations safely distanced.
I’m creating some items that can be displayed in the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts window during the walk. The first is a little Lantern House. It is needle felted wool that I’ve stiffened on the interior. A small battery tea light sits in the interior and shines through the windows and open door, and glows through the wool walls.
Restocking Items in the Gallery
The Caroling Mice are now available in the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts, and I will bring in my lantern pieces on the afternoon of December 19th.
An artist’s work quite often reflects what is happening in the world, and right now there is almost too much going on. I’m not sure one could successfully escape current events even if they wanted to. I’m also not sure one should try. So very much of consequence seems to be at stake. It seems no surprise that such things might be on my mind in the studio, and find their way into my art doll creations.
Mice Can Roar, My RBG Art Doll
The recent passing of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and the rush to fill her seat are just two news items from the past few weeks. She was a model of intelligence and strength expressed with class and grace. Her rise to cultural icon status seems to be incongruous with her role as Justice, her age, and small stature. She seems truly a mouse that was able to roar. This is why I’ve titled this small anthropomorphic art doll sculpture Mice Can Roar. I didn’t want her to be derivative of other artists depictions of RBG, so I based her off of a recent piece of my own, Adventure Begins. I also wanted to stay away from the now all too common representations with a crown or holding a gavel.
Mice Can Roar
The sculpture stands about 7 inches high. She is needle felted wool over a quilt batting frame. Her shape and size allowed me to construct her without an internal wire armature. I used iridescent dark glass beads for her eyes, and her Dissent Collar I created by sewing glass beads to a felt base. Her eyeglasses are also needle felted without an internal structure. Mice Can Roar is now available in my Etsy Shop.
Placing Her Own Crown
Another recently completed, and quite independent art doll now found in my Etsy shop is Placing Her Own Crown. This frog princess isn’t waiting around for a coronation. She is placing her crown on her green head by herself. I like twisting fairytales around from time to time. Placing Her Own Crown doesn’t necessarily erase a prince from the story, but doesn’t make him a requirement either. While not inspired by a specific event in the news, Placing Her Own Crown does seem timely. I don’t suppose having a college age daughter has any influence on this fairytale reinterpretation.
Placing Her Own Crown
My frog princess is needle felted wool over a wire and quilt batting frame. She features large blue glass bead eyes and glass bead accents on her crown. “Placing” sits about 10 inches high on her wood block display base.
