Author Archives: ruthlane
Design Focus Friday – Shape – The Circle
Shapes are all around you and you can find thousands of ideas from almost anything. The circle is a simple shape found in nature. These are some of my favorite tree stump photos that I’ve taken over the last several years. I love the shape but also the line that draws your eye inside the shape.
And then there are circles everywhere you look. So get out your camera and pick a shape. What will you look for today? Circles? Squares? Triangles? Or maybe something a little tougher like a star.
Once you’ve found some photos for inspiration, what next? Perhaps you want to do a little research on the symbolic meaning of the shape you picked. The circle is an ancient symbol used throughout humanity. Because the circle is seen in the sun, the moon and even the earth, the circle represents wholeness, unity and infinity. It has represented a spiritualized Mother Earth and feminine power. Perhaps you can now take some of these ideas and begin thinking of ways to add circles to your work (or whatever shape you picked). Or perhaps you’ll want to research a few symbols first that relate to a topic that draws you. Then you can use that shape of the symbol and look for that shape in your world.
Let me know some of the shapes that you are drawn to. What inspires you about certain shapes? Do they show up in your work often? Can you find different shapes that inspire you now that you are looking for them?
Happy Solstice!
I thought since today marks the turning point in the year when we start having longer days and shorter nights that I would look at what I’ve accomplished for the year. I set goals at the end of last year and I plan to set some for 2011. Hopefully, I’ll do a little better at following through in the coming year. It’s not that I didn’t get anything done this year in the world of fiber art but due to a back injury, I have been a bit limited on sitting at the sewing machine and leaning over during felting. As this has still been an ongoing problem, I have had to learn to adapt.
My main goal for last year was to:
Develop my voice as an artist and begin to produce a consistent body of work in my own style.
I can’t say that I’ve really accomplished this.
I had established steps to accomplish my main goal which were:
- spend more time in the studio making art
- complete more sampling
- practice art/design in my studio journal
- develop more 3D artwork in combination with machine embroidery
- Begin Level II Machine Embroidery course
- no guilt about time spent in studio
I started off in January and February and really felt that I was doing well and focusing more on my fiber art. Then the back injury in mid March just through me for a loop and I haven’t gotten back on track again. But I did have some accomplishments in 2010 and although I didn’t manage to complete all of the steps above, I did the following:
- Created 12 pages for the Traveling Pages Swap
- Worked in my studio journal several times a month and started Design Focus Fridays
- Started a local fiber art group that meets monthly
- Made a variety of stamps and stencils with my own designs
- Completed a mini-course on Photoshop Elements
- Made several more tutorials for the blog
- Made work to sell including cat toys, sweater flower pins, dyed scarves, nuno felted scarves and barrettes
- Experimented with solar dyeing
- Finished a very, very slow WIP (hopefully more on that soon)
- Tried machine embroidery Carol Shinn style
- Took a needle felting doll class from Kay Petal and completed a doll
- Made several small felted, hand stitched pieces
- Made a cobweb scarf
- Made several 3D felt vases
- Taught myself to spin with a hand spindle
- Made felted slippers
That’s not too bad a list, do you think? Did you set any goals for 2010? Did you follow through with them? I’d love to hear how you did. I am working on a new set of goals for 2011 and steps to accomplish them. I’ll post them soon. In the meantime, I hope you are having a wonderful holiday season and not driving yourself crazy making last minute gifts!
December Page for Debi
Here is the shabby chic/vintage page I made for Debi. She likes pale colors or white. So I went for the white on white and the theme of snowflakes. I nuno felted the background with several different kinds of wool, silk noil, lace and several ribbons. I added machine and hand stitching.
Here’s the hand stitched snowflake in wool embroidery thread.
I added a few snowflake buttons and stitched a machined cord around the edge.
The back is a photo of some icicles on our house. Hope you like it Debi!
Sneak Peak of Page for Debi
I’ve finished another page for our Traveling Pages Swap for Debi. Her theme is shabby chic/vintage. This is the 12th page I’ve made so I only have one more to go. I’ve already started on the last one and soon this swap will be completed. I do have to make the front and back covers for my book and put it all together. I have some ideas on how that’s going to go so I’ll get started on that soon. For any of you wondering about how I did on my goals set for 2010, I’ll be writing a post soon about that as well as my planned goals for 2011. More soon!
Ruth Lane Art 