Nothing is Black and White: Creating Color Life in Shadows and Highlights

My painting palette has no black.  While black is obviously very dark, I find it flat and lifeless.  The darkness we see is simply absence of light; so it still has some color in the depth of the objects.  Aside from being dark, it should be sheer, receding, and transparent.  Similarly, a white object is not shaded with grey.  The shadows are multicolored created by all of the surrounding colors and the type of light in the environment.  Also, highlights to black are not grey; they are teal, purple, rust, aqua, blue... anything but grey.

Avoid using black in your darkest darks, as well as to create gray shadows for white.  Whether you are painting with oils or wool, your work will more have life, dimension, and interest without it.

I like to create black in oils by mixing or layering transparent dark colors - Veridian Green, Alizarin Crimson,  and Ultramarine Blue.  You can slant your black in any of those color directions by adding more of one color, or by making it the top layer.  You can also lean toward brown by adding a touch of yellow.

A white shaggy dog on black (not really) back ground - All of his shading is variations of purple, green, and cream.

This turkey canvas already had an old painting under it so lots of interest and texture.  I primarily used a palette knife.  The black is slanted green and brown and highlighted with teal and blue, a reflection of the blue head and also a nice compliment to the red waddle.

A black and white cow... or is it?

Unfortunately this painting created a lot of reflection in my photograph of it but it is full of fun colors.

Wool is a little different because we can not blend colors with a palette knife.  To some degree we can blend and layer but it requires a slightly different aproach.  With wool, I do use black as an under-layer for dark areas of my felted painting as well as very black subject matter.  The underlayer helps to establish that the area will be dark.  As a top layer, black makes my darkest darks and I can hightlight with teal or purple from there. 

I do not have very many wool paintings with which to illustrate these ideas, but I sure look forward to making them!

-

The white underbelly of this hummingbird is in shadow and created with soft lilac and tans.

Let your colors be less literal.  Let the paint or wool speak its language.


Of course there are always exceptions to the rules!

Wet Felting Experiments - What Fibers Work

Sarafina Fiber Art will be offering wet felting kits, fiber, and instruction in the near future. We are continuing to learn about wet felting as we do more and more, but I felt like a good test was in order to better understand which fibers that we carry will produce which results.

In an effort to have a controlled wet felting test, we have wet felted 20 swatches of different fibers at the same time for the same length of time. We used A bubble wrap base, most patches had 4 layers, a tulle top, a pool noodle roller, and 100 arm rolls in all 4 directions for a total of 400.

No surprise that the Merino, Faulkland (Corriedale), and Black Smooth Top, felted very well.  These fibers make up the base of a wet project.

Sky Blue Merino, Smooth Black Top, and Faulkland

I experimented with using a wool batting (made for quilting by the same mill that makes our chunky core.) and the merino and Corriedale together.  The batting can save time and $ by providing an inexpensive and pre batted base layer.  It worked very well.  The batting side is not quite as firmly felted as the roving side, but the two different fibers felted together well and the batting is definitely felted sufficiently.  I plan to begin carrying the batting in our shop.

This is the batting and Corriedale

This is the batting and Merino

Other fibers that felted well are our Top Coat and Targhee Roving (which we currently do not have for sale in our shop).  Our Top Coat line is full of great colors.  Blended with Merino they will be a great addition to a wet felted palette.

Raspberry Top Coat and Targhee

Our Pelt and new Wet Felting Batt also felted very well.  These are batts that we card in house to create useful and unique colors. Our House Carded Batts an be laid out and felted in one piece, as is, or you can pull smaller batches of color from them.

Red Fox Pelt and part of a Sand Dune Wet Felting Batt

I was surprised how well our locks batches felted.  We did one of Border Leicester, which is the majority of our House Dyed Curls, and one of Blue Faced Leicester.  They both felted firmly and show how you can achieve really interesting texture using locks.

BL Dyed Curls and Natural Grey BFL locks felted remarkable well

I am happy to announce that the mohair and the Irish Fur batt did not felt well.  I was counting on my Fur batts to not felt because I created them to resist felting from handling for use in needle felting projects.  The white Mohair swatch was made with Mohair roving, not locks.  It is so lustrous and slightly wavy.  Very pretty but not well felted.  I think some mohair could be used to create shine and texture, like silk, but needs some wool to help it stay.

White Mohair Roving and the Irish Fur did not felt well... which is a good thing.

A few other patches were our Core and Chunky Core.  They felted but would take a lot more work.  They also are so fluffy/bulk that they are difficult to work with. 

The Suri Alpaca Patch did not felt well at all.

We did a patch of Gotland Roving and it felted extremely well. But, interestingly, it grabbed, inhaled, and embedded into the tulle.  Absolutely, completely, they became one. 

Angora (rabbit) felted but remained fuzzy with a halo which is pretty cool.

We look forward to exploring more!

When to Push and When to Bend

Spring can make me a little manic.  I wake up along with the grass, flowers, trees, critters, and, unfortunatley, weeds, and feel the need tackle.... everything.  The garden, the yard, the winter house hold, the seasonal clothing, exercise,  and always new projects are clamoring for my energy and attention.  I want so much to accomplish all at once.  So this time of year has left me reflecting on what has and has not come to be.  When do you move mountains and when do you find the pass?

I tend to think that I can do anything I set my mind to.  It's not a bad way to be but it can leave me not recognizing when to change course or let it go all together.  Patience is not my virtue; If I can not push to make it happen then I get frustrated.  Likewise, when something does not go according to plan (mine) I have a tough time adjusting.  It's like have to go through all the emotional upheaval of the grieving process over a change of plans.  Ridiculous.  I need to be more flexible.

At the same time, some of the greatest things in life are not easy and require a lot of effort.  Doing something/anything well, raising children, building a business, staying fit, maintaining relationships all require effort... a lot of effort.

Starting a family was the most difficult thing I have done in life but also the most valued.

The other side of the coin would be to avoid stress altogether; always bending out of its way.   Also, not necessarily a bad way to be but one's life might not have the layers of richness without a little effort or some risk and challenge.  You would be always at the mercy of the current and missing the beautiful spots along the river that might require some paddling to get to.

Some paths need to be let go.  I have pushed for things before, harder than I should have, because I wanted it to be.  When do you stop?  Is it healthy for you and the people you love?  Have you given it your best?  Letting go can be necessary because the goal no longer fits into your overall life plan.  Or maybe it was taken from you through no act of your own.  I guess the lesson is in recognizing what you can and can not make happen.  If you stay positive and open to possibilities, almost always a new door opens to things you might not have even thought would happen for you.

Some paths need to be fought for.  Large or small, there are many additions to my life that I am so grateful I recognized and pushed to come to be.  A tiny recent example; The Goats. I have been wanting goats for 2 years.  Last Spring we opened and moved into the Art House.  A major push at my home to get ready for the goats was not going to happen simultaneously.  This year, I was determined to make it happen.  We had a huge batch of bamboo dug out with a back hoe.  I lined up my fence guy; there was much to be built.  I found a nearby angora goat breeder.  I visited her and her goats.  I picked out two.  I called my fence guy.  I called my fence guy.  I called my fence guy.  He finally came here and there over 60 days.  I got all the goat supplies.  Fence guy built the hay feeder wrong.  I made him make it right.  I put up wire and gates.  I moved old manure.  I called my hay guy.  I found a straw guy.  I drove out to get the goats.  Goats now live here and I sit with them every day admiring their beautiful beings. 

Glad I moved mountains for these guys.

I don't have any answers here.   Just like the yin and yang in most things in life, hard and soft must exist together and work together.  I will work on recognizing which to apply.  I am sure there is a great Kung Fu quote out there somewhere.

I told Dave I was struggling to write this post and he said, "You should let it go."


Everyone has a plan until they’ve been hit.
~ Joe Lewis

The Journey of a First Book

I have written and/or illustrated a handful of stories and books.  Each is a spectacular visual and emmotional delight, written with a brilliant edge and with illustrations so full of life you will be transported to another world just by gazing upon the page.  But you can only find them on a dusty shelf in my abandoned third floor studio.  And that's after you dig through piles.

I am feeling very optimistic about finally finishing a book - seeing it the whole way through - a process made easier with the abundant choices for self publishing and the help and support of the Sarafina Staff.

First I had to make the wolf and other characters.  Nothing quite like the feeling of extreme inspiration and the creative process.  When I get supercharged I can remain quite focused no matter how difficult, large, and cumbersome the task.

And the Girl:

Both Wolf and Little Red were a joy to create.  They would have been fun even as the end result, but knowing that I would also be using the characters for a photo story book gave me even more tidbits on which to chew; tiny details, movement, accessories, opening and closing eyes, clothing and such.  There are other characters as well.  Two North Country critters, the grouse and snow hare, a butterfly, and Big Wolf as a pup.

The entire cast was ready to go.  Go where?  At first I was going to use our local state park as the setting dragging my family out for outings to scout pretty places.  But then I pictured the High Peaks Region of the Adirondacks, where my Mom and Step Dad spend their summers, and suddenly that was the only option.  My family gave me full support to leave for a 4 day weekend (2 driving, 2 working), and I set out with the gang on the 8 hour trip to my Mom's home int he ADKs.

Big Wolf startled me when I came around the side of the car to gas up...

 It was a long drive but a smooth one.  My Mom offered great support, feeding me and showing me some of her favorite picturesque places around her home.  Fortunately, her home is at the top of a mountain with an amazing view so I did not have to hike up 3 miles to get to this outcropping, just step out the door...

My bubble was burst when I unpacked my car realized that I had forgotten my tiny tripod and had a moment of self pity and doubt.  But, like most set backs, it was not insurmountable. I took my crew, camera, and accessories out into the woods. 

Mostly I worked in the woods, spending a lot of time on the forest floor.  Cursing the characters for not remaining in the precarious positions in which I had placed them.  Every shot was a management of light, scale, scenery, and balance.

I think this set up fell over about 12 times before I got the shot.  Every time I had to get back up off the ground, pick off all of the forest floor ruble from the wool, set it back up, and crawl back to the camera.  There are worse ways to spend a day, but it was frustrating.

Then I would take a moment to stop and smell the roses.  I looked around and saw the most amazing vignettes of forest floor

Another slightly daunting task, was the fire shot.  I watch a lot of survival shows, and so I know I am practically an expert.  You would not believe how difficult it is to build, light, and maintain a tiny fire!  Finally my Mom suggested I use a candle, which worked brilliantly.  I am a survivalist failure but I got a decent shot.  I ate the chicken/grouse too.

There are 34 full color pages in this book.  Talbot is helping me make every photo the best it can be and fix what I was not able to control, with his mad photoshop skills.  We are hopefully only a week or two away from sending them to be printed.  Please keep an eye out through sarafinafiberart.com for the end result of this year long project.

What Goes Into a Supply Pack

I am pulling from a position of overwhelmedness today so please forgive me if the post has a desperate slant, but we have been trying to launch our Basket Bunny Tutorial and Supply pack for weeks now with no sucsess and it made me realize all that goes into these Supply Packs and Tutorials.

First, comes the project and inspiration.  We have no shortage of suggestions for videos and are working through a long list of projects.  We try to space out tutorials according to season, difficulty, and variety.  So far we have mostly presented projects that are very familiar to me - sculptures that I have made many many times and therefore feel that I can teach clearly and completely.  As we have been filming for the past 1 1/2 years, Kyla and I have become more comfortable and learned a bit about what works and what doesn't.  I cringe a bit at our first tutorials! 

Second:  I make the sculpture one, two, maybe three times.  Each time I taking notes about what I do, in what order, and why so that I can deliver a fairly, hopefully, smooth instruction.  I am also trying to figure out how much and what colors we want to include in the supply pack.  I take notes on the colors and quantities.  My notes look like a drunk chicken tried to communicate. 

Third:  After I think I have it sorted out, I write down a packaging list.  This time around, it's Marsha who has put the packs together.  She made 3 to start.  One for me to use to make the bunnies, yet again, to make sure that everything in the pack is sufficient, one for me to photograph to create a website lisitng, and one for me to use in the filming of the tutorial.

We hit a snag in the process when I decided to change a bunny color.  I was not happy with the coloring of the brown bunny and decided to wait for our new custom color, Copper.  It was a good decision but slowed the works.  We had to do steps 2 and 3 again. 

Fourth:  I take a few of the already made sculptures, and have a photoshoot.  Even this step has its obstacles.  Since I like to use natural light, it has to be a sunny day.  I am not sure where you are, but it has been a down right gray Winter here in Maryland.  This photo will be put on the tag that goes into the supply pack.  I use the photo to make our tags in my Pages program and send it to Kyla as a PDF.  She magically presents back to me a stack of color printed tags on cards stock which are cut to size.  Kyla is magic.

Now we hopefully have the tags, the Supply Packs, and everything nailed down.  We try to cater the kits to roving that we know we can get.  Because once it goes into our shop, we want to be able to have it always.  We also want the fiber to be the easiest/best to work with for the best results.  Sometimes these parameters mean accumulating a certain fiber.  For example, we plan to do sheep next.  For months I have been buying, washing, and hoarding the white curls that we need in abundance for every kit.  Bunny Puffs, also are dependent upon precious angora fiber.   In the case of the Basket Bunny, we are using mainly mill roving, and Marsha once again has been weighing, bundling, and packing, many many kits. 

Marsha is blurry because she packs so fast!

Fifth:  We are ready to film!  We are ready to film!  We are ready to film!  Filming takes place usually on a Monday or Tuesday when our store is closed.  This time of year, our kids are off from school every other Monday for dead presidents and in-service days and randomly for inclement weather.  They were off yesterday and will be off Monday and Tuesday.  We love our children and do not blame them for this.  ; )  We can not film with 8 kids in the shop.  We are still ready to film!

When we make a tutorial, I try to impart the reasons and thoughts that go behind the mechanical movements of the project.  I have been creating my entire life.  I have 20 years of painting professionally under my belt.  I am only saying this to convey that it's not just about this project, it's about seeing, and creating, and pushing,  and learning in every capacity.  I want to share with you what I have learned.  In doing so, I learn more and can do more.  Hopefully you do too.  Little pieces of me go into these Tutorials.  I pick them up along the way and then put them back down where you can use them too.  In our shop, the entire team is contributing in this way.  Lending strengths, ideas, inspiration, and know-how to the process. 

Bunnies in painting form

We are usually able to film for about 2 hours before I run out of steam.  That is enough time for projects under 6" but larger pieces can take 2 -3 filming days.  Which means more scheduling difficulties and a lot more footage for Kyla to edit. 

Sixth:  Once we have the footage.  Kyla waves her wand (i.e. edits, compiles, loads, uploads, reloads, burns, labels, links, and all of sorts of other trickery.) and presents the completed package on Youtube, our website, in our shop,  on DVDs,  and in downloads.  I, pray for a sunny day, to now have a photo shoot with the Supply Packs and the critters to put the Supply Pack listing on our shop. 

We release the new Tutorial and Supply Pack with utter delight!  Months of work has gone into the moment we link.  Talbot waits for the onslaught of orders and then with the steady tenacity of a ox he packages and ships.  Out they go into the world.   We are once again rewarded with posts and pictures of what our customers have created. 

At this very moment we are 1/2 way through the Basket Bunny Tutorial and stopped filming because we have customers in the shop.   I am frozen by my very own doing.  It's all wonderful.

Diversify and Survive... no Thrive

I am no Professor for sure, but one thing that I took away from those school years is that diversity is key to the over health of our planet.  Each and every organism (and matter) plays a role in the survival of the others.  Everyone and everything is important.

In a personal sphere, I have learned the same holds true to my physical, mental, spiritual, and occupational health.   Sometimes I do or make something new and realize that without the many forks in the road and paths I have traveled, I would not be able to do exactly what it is I am doing right now.  

I fear have frustrated my friends and family with sudden changes in direction.  I think it can be unsettling to those in the passenger seat.  One minute I am a painter mountain biker yoga-er horse back rider, the next I am a shop owner wing chunner felter spinner.  Tomorrow I might try something new.  When I started martial arts I actually had a friend say to me, "But that's not you."  Yes, it is now.

Good times with Carmelita and riding buddies.  She is living with someone else now but horses will be a part of my life again.

The things is... here's the thing.... the thing is, once you learn something, you have it with you forever.  Each path we take twists together to form a complex and strong cable (Thank you, spinning, for that analogy : ))  For example, I apply the posture, relaxation, I breathing I learned in yoga to everything I do.  My love for and involvement with horses as been a huge influence in my health and career.  Even within the horse world, learning new ways to communicate with my horse has changed my perspective on almost everything... minimal effort for maximum output. 

I won't go on about every hobby and lesson.  But my point it is, follow the faint voices that beckon you in a new direction.  Even if it leads no where special, you will not regret it.

Time to go kick some but and spin some fiber. 

What is a Successful Artist?: $$ and Cornerstones to Success

After graduating from a pricey private college, I professed to my Mom that I wanted to pursue art.  I am positive that this was not music to her ears, nor gave her the feeling of security and well being for her daughter.  She is a very practical and careful (smart) person and, among other things,  said something to the effect of, "Not many people make it as an artist." Now, I am not saying that her words became a life long challenge of wills, however, I would not mind proving her wrong and being the exception.

Commissioned Room Screen from 2006 - pre needle felting

 First of all, we should define "making it" or success as an artist.  This will mean different things to different people.  Does it mean supporting your family?  Making at least minimum wage?  Or just feeling good that someone wants to buy something you made?  I can't speak for you, but for me it means making a decent income to the work I put in.  (And eventually, yes, I would like for my husband, Dave, to be able to quit his job and do something he loves too - maybe after the boys are out of college. )  

As usual, my Mom is right.   Not many artists make it.  Maybe it's because artists face mountainous challenges.  I will list a few:

being taken seriously

high gallery fees

the whims of our creative spirits

right brained strengths

left brain weeknesses

health insurance

fluctuations in the economy/luxury items

creating something people want

building a reputation to raise prices

finding outlets/buyers

managing careers as a business on top of being a good artist

Some of these things are concrete, some vary from person to person.  Let's punch out a few and focus on some.  No, I do not work for free or for exposure.  Galleries serve a purpose, are integral to the arts, and need to make money too, but in my opinion 50% is too much (even so I keep my prices consistent no matter where I sell - an important part of your business strategy).  We tend to jump from one creative inspiration to another, makes it kind of hard to build on our momentum.  We are not always the best at keeping records and dealing with numbers.  We usually live without the security of health insurance unless we are covered by a partner.  We create a luxury item and when the economy tanks, the artists dwindle.

That leaves us with the last four items on the list.   Points that we have to take seriously and at which we must work very hard.    These are the corner stones on which your success is built.  You can create all day upside down and all around, but if you don't make something people want, build your prices and reputation, SELL, and manage your business, you will not make money.

Creativity is the fuel of our work.  We would not feel fulfilled if we could not make our visions come to be.  I have a graveyard of unsuccessful paintings and unfinished wool sculptures.  Not every single effort will yield the Mona Lisa, and we have to experiment and follow the muse, but we should do our best to find the balance between our inspiration and a product that will create income.  What are you most driven to do?  What are you better at making then others?  For my current business, at this very moment, this looks like teaching, Supply Packs, and a growing supply of fibers for needle felting.  When I started Sarafina Fiber Art I was busy making needle felted rabbits, foxes, and critters of all types.  Once you have figured out where your niches lies you begin to build...

I can't tell you how many of these bunnies I have made.

Building your reputation and raising your prices is a multi fold origami of tasks and focus which includes branding, promoting, visual "look" of your business, social networking, website, and creating demand.  With Talbot's help, I created this logo for Sarafina Fiber Art.  I use the green speckled background (made with watercolors on Kitty Wallace Museum grade pastel paper) on my website, my business card, my social networking, my logo, and behind most of the pictures I take of my products.  It is a visual sign to buyers that I am unified, organized, serious, and professional (not always the case, but hey, I try).  Just one example of a step you can take to give solidarity to your business, create recognition, and begin to build demand.

Selling your work might seem like the obvious goal, but it goes hand in hand with all the other cornerstones.  Not only do you have to make the product and create the demand, you have to get the product out to the buyers.  For me, this is an etsy shop and teaching workshops.  For many artists and crafts people it is traveling to shows or selling galleries.  No matter what it is, you have to make it happen and often.  People can't buy it if they can't find it.

I started cutting back on outdoor shows because I didn't feel I was hitting the right target

 Finally, artists must manage their business.  That means book keeping and number crunching, but it also means moving forward and making brain decisions not always heart decisions.  It would be nice if we could follow our whims, sell all of our heart felt creations no matter how crappy, and get what we think we deserve for them.  But making money is it's own craft.  One we have to hone.  It can be very creative!  You actually HAVE to be creative to make your artistic soul into a business.

When it's all said and done, I have yet to report on my taxes an annual income that I feel is sufficient.  But the goal to do so keeps me driven.  I feel successful in the sense that I am indeed making some money, providing a product that people like, providing work to others, and seeing my business grow.   I am also in love with my job and enjoy every minute of it - not something many can say - and that is priceless.