Where have I been?

It seems I have neglected my blog.Why? I am not sure. some day, aw that ever desirable someday, I will be organized and do all the things my mind desires; such as writing often on my blog, keeping my web-site updated.......

It has been a creative time while I have been gone. I have created some work that really makes me smile. Some were created for my part of the Central New York Doll IS Art Guild's gallery show at The Rome Art and Community Center, Rome, NY, in June. It was an enchanting show with amazing dolls of all varieties.

With the encouragement of fellow members of the guild, I entered work into the competition of The New York State Fair. I entered 7 pieces, fully expecting some to be declined for exhibition. I was pleasantly surprised when they were all accepted. A bigger surprise came when I was notified that 6 out of the 7 won accolades! In the Arts and Crafts Division the needle felted Santa shown before on this blog won a 2nd place for felting; Gossamer Willowsham took a 1st place in fiber techniques; R.T. and the Cadigbra took 1st place in modern doll making, and an ornament made from an artificial gourd got honorable mention. In the Senior Division Gourdie tied for 4th in hobby crafts and Ali Cariamden, Head of the Island** got honorable mention. In Fine Arts division The 35mm Dinosaur was accepted for exhibition.

I have also been involved with a local Victorian Leisure Fair (like a renaissance fair with a theme a few hundred years later.) My puppet friends and I have attended on Sundays. The organizers, actors and volunteers have put so much blood, sweat and tears into this event. I do hope it will become an annual event here in central New York.

** The head for Ali Cariamden, Head of the Island, was created from instructions given for the online class by Kathy Hays: Noggins.

Alice The Thankful

I have not created much lately. I have many excuses, most of them some sort of complaints. "I don't have enough time", "I am so tired", "I don't have a proper studio", " yada ,yada, yada". Along with these complaints came a negative attitude of dissatisfaction and bitterness.
Then this morning a devotional I read made me stop to think. "When am I happiest and most productive?' I beleive it is when I am thankful for what I have, for my circumstances, and the people in my life. I even lose weight easily when I am thankful.
So today I am adding to my name. I am not sure where I will put the addition. Will it be at the end (Alice C. W. Dennis , The Thankful) or somewhere in the middle (Alice The Thankful C. W. Dennis) or should it come first ( The Thankful Alice C. W. Dennis) ? I guess the placement doesn't matter. What matters is that it is there in my consciousness and that I always remember to live up to my new name.
From this day forward I will again look for that to be thankful for in every situation. That used to be second nature for me, but somehow it has been pushed aside. Today I thankfully re-embrace an attitude of thanks and hope to make it a key ingredient of my life.
Know what? I feel happier already!
Perhaps I will make a doll to portray thankfulness.

100% needle felted Santa

I recently finished a Santa. It is 100% needle felted--a technique wherein one uses un-spun fibers and a barbed needle to create fabric and/or sculptures.

I used wool fibers and angora fibers. I used good old fashioned pipe cleaners to make a wire armature and then needle-felted his body and head forms. Once the head and body were sculpted, I needle felted the wool to create the fabric to make his suit. The pieces of his costume were needle felted together, not sewn and then attached to his body using the felting needles. Even the tints in his face and the color of his eyes were done by needle felting.Here are photos.

working --too late

Seems like I always think I have more time than I do. then all of the sudden reality hits when I look at the calendar and realize I have only two weeks to get what I should have worked on for months. That is where I am today.
I am taking a break from sculpting faces using DAS clay. I really like what I am creating little gourds with gnome-like, or are they country Santa, faces. The small ones, which are actually artificial gourds, will be just faces and become ornaments. A little larger, are real dried gourds. I have given them a base of huge feet, crafted from the DAS as well as the faces. I most likely will add clay arms and hands as well.
While the clay dries, I will use Bendi dolls and create holiday fairies. While the dolls paint dries I will create beautiful bows from glittering Holiday ribbon.
All this will be done after work and perhaps also before work. And--YIKES!--it needs to be finished tagged and ready to drop off to the Rome Art and Community Center for the annual Holiday House sale by Nov. 1.
I will post photos of my creations here after all is done.But for now the clay is calling me. There are gourds that need faces!

autumn colors

This time of year in central New York state nature exclaims it's beauty in vibrant and rich colors. Before moving here I never knew that the leaves on trees could turn so many colors. Where I grew up fall leaves would turn basically two, three colors at the most: yellow and brown and a little orange here and there. Still I thought of it as very pretty. I honestly thought that all the colors I saw in fall decorations were probably done with artistic license and the leaves really did not turn those colors.
As I lived in new locations I saw more colors in autumn but nothing as beautiful as the colors here. They are breath-taking. I do believe that the hillsides full of a variety of trees, each with leaves of it's own hue, must be the inspiration for the calico prints. This time of year each bend of the road gives view to a new and wonderful patchwork of vibrant and earthy tones,
I have joined a postcard exchange in one of my favorite online groups. We are each to make one postcard for all the other members of the group that signed up for the exchange. The theme is autumn colors. I have worked on mine a few hours here and there for the past week or so. tonight I have them almost finished. I still need to tweak them a little but for the most part they are done.
I had them drying on the table a few minutes ago. How surprised I was when I realized that I have not used the vibrant hues that I see here every day. Instead, the colors on my card are of the autumns I knew as a child. I find that so odd. I have lived in central New York longer than I have lived anywhere in my life, yet it is through what I knew in my growing years that has come through my creations.

An afterthought--It is now the next morning. After writing this post, I wondered if I should go back and add some vibrant colors. This morning I studied the cards. Although they are darker, hues, I like them. I will not change the colors. They are colors I know and love.

Sept 20, 2009

I don't have a theme today. It has just been so long since I have posted that I thought I should post something.
I started my blog with every intention of posting a few times a week, with thoughts, insights or new work. It seeems I get busy with work, and just don't feel like posting. Sometimes I wonder if I have anything of interest anyway. Sometimes I write a "wonderful essay" in my mind. "OH", I think, "This would be great on my blog." But it never makes it out of my mind to my blog.
It seems I have been on a roller coaster of feelings about my "artwork." Is it relevant? Should I continue or should I just clear everything out and sit and watch TV? Then I see a new product or get an idea for a new project and I get that "creative high."
I know I have to create. When I go too long without creating I get very moody and unhappy. It is a drive, a need, to create something. I can't say I am expressing or trying to convey anything. I am just creating because I "have to" and because it gives me joy.
I have a few unfinished pieces right now. No pictures to add to this page, nothing of substance to share. But again I renew my intention to create a blog with current posts, posts that perhaps will be of interest to someone.

My first ever canvas

For some strange reason I had the urge to try "my hand " at painting a face on canvas. Using a brush I base-coated the canvas with some exterior latex paint I had left over from the flower pot I created (picture a few posts down). Then I picked up a brush and using more of the leftover exterior paint I began to paint the face. but then I found I just could not get the effect I wanted. I set down the brush and stuck my finger in the paint. Presto! I was creating the face I saw in my mind. I continued to finger-paint the rest of the face. I did use a brush for the hair, eyebrows and to line the eyes. Everything else was finger-painted. (That is why I put the my hand in quotations in the first line of this post.) So what do you think?