And Yet, another direction

Last post I spoke about the direction of my work; and yet, here is another direction entirely that I also love to work in.  Somehow painting the piece vs. printing a photograph before I do my thread painting makes it feel more my own.  When I wrote of this in the past, comments were very favorable toward the work and time involved in getting a good and balanced photo and they are absolutely correct.  Good photography is a skill set unto itself.  I don't claim to be a very good photographer and so the thread enhances them, in my opinion.  The texture of a thread painting is another draw for me as well.  These have become my Threadscapes and they keep me excited.

 

View from covered bridge in Indiana

This newer piece is painted on watercolor paper during a class I was taking.  Watercolor really appeals to me although I am not very good at it either-yet!  What I am excited about is the detailing I will get to add as I start painting with thread on the machine.  It may not sound like it will make a big difference but the next picture shows my point.

 

Here is Majestic and how it came to be .   When you look at the before and after, is there any doubt that the stitches add depth and richness to the painting? This piece sold promptly at the next show I entered it into which made me very proud.

 

Do you have a favorite method to work in (raw edge fusible, painting, dyeing, abstract, etc)? Do you concern yourself with whether all your work should be in the same style or do you like to have 2-3 different styles?

Today is Off the Wall Friday so please be sure to see what other wonderful styles our fellow artists are working in here.

Threadscapes

"Last Autumn"

©2009 by Robin Koehler

Once upon a military- life time, I was afforded the opportunity to own my very own home. We had been nomads for 15 years and wanted to see what all this 'ownership' was about. Starting in NJ with 11 homes to look at, found on the internet, we headed west to St. Louis to house hunt. By the time we arrived, there were 6 houses left...definately a seller's market. We headed out to see the remaining 6: NO, no, eh, no, NO, I love it!! My husband was not as impressed but time was running short and with not too many other prospects, we put in a bid.

In 2003 we moved to Illinois into our very first home and I had a room all to myself for the very first time...no more dining room table. Everytime I was in that room it was like Christmas to me. My imagination really started to soar and skills became sharpened while learning about fabric companies and new techniques. After dreams in other states of starting my own greeting card company or mural design company ("Off The Wall", of which I still have the box of business cards for), I started NESTLINGS by Robin. I grew in leaps and bounds and loved every minute of it even though I had no idea of what I was doing.

The ownership lasted 4 years until we moved again but the dream of NESTLINGS lives on. As with anything, it has grown and changed and now includes art as well as quilt patterns. My art includes inspiration from that beautiful home I was once so fortunate to drive up to everyday and call mine.

Above is a Threadscape of the gorgeous sugar maple that adorned our front yard. Below is a Threadscape of the Mother's Day gift of a rose trellis and rose bush I was given one year by my family. These two lovelies have since sold and moved on to grace another's home but the memories warm my heart constantly. I will always be thankful for the opportunity to have had my own place to decorate and do as I wish along with rising up to my dreams with the love and support of my wonderful family.

"Mother's Roses"

©2009 by Robin Koehler

Cape Lookout Lighthouse 150th Anniversary

To celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Cape Lookout Lighthouse in North Carolina, they will be holding a juried art and photography show. I decided to enter one of my Threadscapes and this time I changed it up a bit. Instead of using one of my photographs, I chose to try my hand at painting instead. The picture above shows the piece once it was painted and you can see the threads laying across it while I choose which threads will work the best.
Going back to painting has been on my list for awhile now and this seemed the perfect opportunity to do so. Once the paint was set (acrylic mixed with textile medium) and the threads were chosen, it was time to take it to the machine and do my magic. I am very pleased with how it turned out and hope that whoever is jurying the art show will feel the same. I will be thousands of feet in the air on my way to St. Louis while this is happening and so I won't have time to fret over it until later.
Some are surprised to find that I don't decorate with lighthouses since my husband is in the Coast Guard. I was in the CG at one time as well and that is how we met. So even though I do not decorate with them, I have a huge respect for the men who have served them for so long before automation....my father being one of them. Although he didn't get to serve in one of the traditional ones as he would have liked, he spent a total of 4 years on 2 separate lighthouse platforms out in the middle of the ocean before they were automated as well.
We are a Coast Guard family and so I painted this lighthouse and entered this show in honor of all the lighthouse keepers and their families.

"Majestic"

If you are in the area, please go visit the show at the Core Sound Museum, Harker's Island, NC. It runs from Oct 10th- Nov 1st

Sales and other thoughts...

So a bit more than a month has gone by with 6 small sales in all, along with an ornament and lots of notecards from the gallery....YIPPEE! The thread paintings are a favorite it seems and the pile of photos to choose from for my next project is piling up.

This was the first thread painting to sell after my "Midsummers Dream" piece."Still Beauty"

5" x 7" framed to 8" x 10"

I really do love this little piece...it is so relaxing to look at. Since I retire each photo as it is used, I have gone back to the Beaufort harbor looking for more wonderful shots but the harbor is now very crowded. The lesson is always have your camera because you never know when the perfect inspiration will come along.

It has been a long and busy, sad and invigorating month for my family. My baby girl went to college this year. My older daughter went back but into her own apartment this year opening up a whole new can of paranoid worries for her mother. We became official empty nesters on our 21st anniversary.

I held it together pretty well until we went out to dinner for our anniversary. With wine in hand, as my husband toasted us, I started crying. He asked for me not to since we were in the middle of a nice restaurant and thankfully it wasn't the ugly cry, but cry I did. Don't get me wrong, I am excited-just worried too and I miss my daily hugs. Of course they think I am nuts:) That is okay...it is part of my job.

With all this free time you would think I have been getting so much accomplished; but after spending 3 days cleaning the studio, I have been kind of floundering around. This week really feels like I am getting my groove back though and what better way than to write a post about what so many of us go through eventually.

You must move forward in life especially if you want your art to grow and evolve.

I will leave you with a photo of one of my ornaments that I sell. This is of the Cape Lookout lighthouse here in NC. Orders are always welcome and coming by October's end, I will also have Hatteras along with 4 other NC lighthouses.

Hand inked with beaded hang and accents.

No Illusions

This is 'Lily' one of my thread paintings that I accomplished in time to vend at the North Carolina Seafood Festival's poster contest unveiling. I was one of 8 artists juried into the April 9th event. It was a good opportunity to network.
My other big news is that I applied for an Artist in Residence program. I would highly recommend this to any artist. I have no illusions about being accepted but I am excited about the possibilities of what I could accomplish if chosen for this wonderful opportunity. More importantly, the process really made me focus on what I have done and want to do.

If you have been telling yourself that eventually you will put together a bio or statement, don't put it off any longer!! There is something very gratifying about putting your work all together to really look at it and form a statement about it. Assembling a resume might seem daunting; but once I started making a list of exhibits, no matter how small, and awards received I was impressed with how much more I had accomplished than I thought. It is important to assess what you have done so that you can know where you are heading or what else you want to conquer! I love that word, conquer. I won't ever conquer a mountain or swim a channel but I can conquer fears and once before thought of as 'lofty' goals!
Take the plunge and apply for something you have been rolling around in the back of your brain. The process is more the goal than getting accepted. I am more prepared for future opportunities now and ready to find them.